• Biological Anthropology: An Evolutionary Perspective

  • By: Barbara J. King
  • Narrated by: Barbara J. King
  • Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (230 ratings)

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Biological Anthropology: An Evolutionary Perspective  By  cover art

Biological Anthropology: An Evolutionary Perspective

By: Barbara J. King
Narrated by: Barbara J. King
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Publisher's summary

Who are we? It's a question humankind has been asking about itself for a long time.

But when we consider ourselves not as static beings fixed in time, but as ever-changing creatures, our viewpoint of human history becomes much more captivating. The question is no longer "Who are we?" but "What have we become? And what are we becoming?

"What makes this new viewpoint possible is the evolutionary perspective offered by biological anthropology, through which we study the evolution, genetics, anatomy, and modern variation of the human species. In this series of 24 captivating lectures, an award-winning teacher and acclaimed scholar delves into the story of how, why, where, and when we became human.

You'll gain a fresh understanding of the forces that have shaped our species, as Professor King synthesizes the best that more than a century of scientific scholarship has to offer across a variety of disciplines, including primate anatomy and behavior - to understand evolution and to learn more about our common ancestor - and molecular anthropology, to gain the insights offered by fossils, ancient skeletal remains, and lifestyle information like cave art and stone tools.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2002 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2002 The Great Courses

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Excellent course in human origins

Would you listen to Biological Anthropology: An Evolutionary Perspective again? Why?

This is an excellent course. The professor shares a lot of insight into the controversies of this field and her own work with non human primates. She clearly explains the science of evolution and it's terms, like reproductive success ( never look at your children in the same way again! ) I suppose it's hard not to be dated in this field where new discoveries are continually changing our understanding of our origins. If you get this course you'll want to supplement with other material written more recently. There are some books out suitable for the non scientist. At the time of the course they did not know about Neanderthal DNA in modern humans, or the amazing homo florensis. She does anticipate the Neanderthal DNA discovery and it's implications. She is clearly an accomplished researcher and lecturer and if you are interested in this subject this course is a good use of a credit.

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15 people found this helpful

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too old - much has happened since

A great introduction, but this was published in 2002. SO much has happened since. Outdated.

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13 people found this helpful

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Out of Date

Excellent but the latest research is from 2003, which doesn't work for meaningful DNA research.

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seems too basic

I feel like a lot of the information being presented is either two basic arguing against a bunch of superstitious Christian nonsense that should have nothing to do with an actual scientific discussion or is outdated in that we've discovered that we have had reproductive sexual interactions with our early hominid ancestors and cousin such as Neanderthals as evidenced in the 2011 Stanford University study on early homo antigen genes

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Very interesting...

Loved it but wish it were more current. A lot of discoveries made in the last 15 years.
2018

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Like Taking Intro to Biological Anthropology

I found this to be a nice summation of what you would end up, or at least should end up, getting out of an introductory class to biological evolution. It is also a nice source to refresh yourselves on some of the terms and major points of evolution in respect to biological anthropology. If you have any interest in the subject, it is worth the credit.

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Evolution vs Faith

At 1:06:30

"One reason why the skepticism [of evolution by Creationists] may exist in the United States. Is that there seems to be a feeling that it is necessary to somehow choose between believing in evolution and believing in God. Between evolution and having a religious faith."

"Quite often if we read books or articles or tune into talk shows or look at the Internet this situation is presented in this polarized, dichotomized way. You can believe in God or you can believe in evolution, but you've got to choose."

"Well, biological anthropologists and other scientists make a different type of statement and have a different type of understanding. What we suggest is that it is quite possible for religious faith and belief in evolution to co-occur, to coexist. Of course, one may choose between them, and certain religions may force a choice. But in many cases, religious faith is compatible with belief in evolution. In other words, I-- myself-- know many individuals who believe in God and believe in evolution at one and the same time."

This assertion is simply untrue and only supported with her anecdotal opinion. The Pew Center has studies that show that the majority of general scientists (59%) don't believe in God. This percentage increases dramatically when discussing specific material claims of the large U.S. religions (virgin birth, resurrection, etc.). This percentage also increases dramatically when narrowing the scientists to fields such as anthropology or those closely related to Ms King's. There are no widely practiced religions that have a creation story that can be called compatible with evolution. There are certainly some people who place their God earlier in time than the information we've gathered and find a way to vaguely define their relationship with that God as transiting the material to non-material boundary (that they invent.) But this isn't the typical religious belief system.

The contradictions between evolution and faith aren't "presented" in a polarized way. They are by definition diametrically opposed. Every bit of evolutionary theory that is generally accepted among experts is the result of scientific study, and under continuous challenge, revision and refinement. Every bit of popular religious ideology is premised on one book, written decades after the events that it describes and an insistence that "belief without evidence" is sufficient to gird up its obvious subjectivity and inconsistencies. Evolution is based on the concept that simple systems of force and composition can agglomerate to produce new levels of composability. (Because if you believe in evolution, you believe in cells, and if you believe in cells, then you believe in DNA, and if you believe in DNA, then you believe in proteins, and compounds, and molecules, and covalence and atoms and particles.) Religion is based on the concept that the only reason why we exist is because someone (who just happens to be awesome, omnipotent and omnipresent) made little itty bitty versions of himself on one planet, in one solar system, around one of 100 billion stars, within one of 100 billion galaxies. Just the contrast between the quality of thought practiced in science and that which is practiced in religion demonstrates an extraordinary distance between cogency and puerility. No, there's no coexistence between the two belief systems of evidentiary rationalism and fanciful idolatry.

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Informative

Nice tour of the topic which, for me, is an update. I understand that biological anthropology, as a course given to university students, can benefit from being articulated with the specific cultural climate of our time and place(s), but I was a bit annoyed by the space taken up by the Professor's own ideological posturing. This was most prominent in chapters 14&15 (gender issues) and in chapter 19 (racial issues). That being said, Prof. King did manage to contain the damage; while these topics were not treated with all the objectivity one would expect from a scientist, it could have been much worse.

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great subject review

What did you love best about Biological Anthropology: An Evolutionary Perspective?

wide view of the subject matter

If you’ve listened to books by The Great Courses before, how does this one compare?

middle of the road

Have you listened to any of Professor Barbara J. King’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't heard her other performances, but the information on neanderthals needs to be up dated to modern knowledge.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no

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Excellent narrator, outdated material.

Barbara J. King does a wonderful job, but the course is 20 years old.

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