<i>‘This is Alexandra Maryanski’s and Jonathan H. Turner’s best effort yet in their long quest to try to help save biophobic sociologists from themselves. Darwin predicted that evolutionary thinking would “throw much light” on humanity’s origin and history. Turner and Maryanski show exactly where, and how, to throw that light.’ </i>

- Richard S. Machalek, University of Wyoming, US,

This authoritative book proposes a methodological and theoretical strategy for developing sociological explanations of the socio-cultural universe. Jonathan H. Turner and Alexandra Maryanski discuss the problems that persist in explaining the socio-cultural universe using only biological and psychological approaches and outline new strategies for understanding the evolution of human beings and their biological nature.



Through exploring human evolution, human nature, human behaviours and patterns of social organisation, Turner and Maryanski demonstrate that evolutionary explanations of behaviours and patterns can be drawn from modern synthesis in biology. They also explain why certain dimensions of the socio-cultural universe can only be understood using purely sociological approaches to evolutionary analysis. They expertly analyse alternative biologically-based strategies for explaining the evolution of human beings and a purely sociological strategy for understanding the emergent properties of human socio-cultural formations.



Innovative in its approach, this timely book will be of great interest to scholars interested in the fields of science and technology studies, sociology and sociological theory, cultural sociology, social psychology, and social policy. It will also be highly beneficial to those looking to better understand the optimum methodological strategies for understanding the biology of human nature.

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Contents: Preface ix 1 On the origins of evolutionary analysis in biology and sociology 2 Going back in time: the power of cladistic analysis 3 Comparative neuro-anatomy: evolution of the brain from hominin to human 4 Decline and revival of evolutionary analysis in the social sciences 5 Human behavioral complexes: the biology and sociology of evolved humans 6 The emergence of the socio-cultural universe: disentangling levels of reality 7 Fundamental differences between socio-cultural and biological evolution Bibliography Index
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781035310012
Publisert
2024-01-12
Utgiver
Vendor
Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Høyde
234 mm
Bredde
156 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
282

Biographical note

Jonathan H. Turner, 38th University Professor, University of California, Distinguished Professor of the Graduate Division and Alexandra Maryanski, Research Professor of the Graduate Division, University of California, Riverside, US