INHERITANCE

Insightful and breathtaking YUVAL NOAH HARARI author of SapiensBold and sweeping PETER FRANKOPAN author of The Silk RoadsProfoundly thought-provoking KATE RAWORTH author of Doughnut EconomicsHow has humans'' evolutionary inheritance shaped global society?Why are humans everywhere prone to believe in ghosts?How might our tendency to imitate one another be contributing to the climate catastrophe?And does our deep evolutionary past impel us to vote for strongmen?In 1987 Harvey Whitehouse went to live with an indigenous community deep in the Papua New Guinea rainforest. His experiences there convinced him that far from being wildly different humans are fundamentally alike: their beliefs and behaviours rooted in a set of evolutionary urges that can be found in any society anywhere.Here Whitehouse roves across twelve millennia and five continents to uncover how these evolved urges have both shaped and been reshaped by human history. Along the way he shows that this ancient inheritance does not just hold the key to explaining the modern world but perhaps also to changing it.__Ranges widely across disciplines and timescales to formulate an exhilarating narrative of human history . . . Enthralling and mind-expanding IRISH TIMESProfoundly important . . . Whitehouse shows how evolution sculpted our psychological make-up how we overcame its limitations over the course of world history and how we can wield this knowledge to face the challenges of the future LEWIS DARTNELL author of Being HumanA very powerful provocative and inspiring analysis of the human condition . . . Compelling and highly readable this book shows why anthropology matters GILLIAN TETT Financial Times columnist and Provost of Kings College CambridgeA thought provoking look at social forces and the ways ordinary people can change the world GUARDIAN