The names given to the variety of man-like fossils known to scientists should reflect no more than scientific views of the nature of human evolution. However, often in the past these names have also reflected confusion regarding the basic principles of scientific nomenclature; and the matter has been further complicated by the many new finds of recent decades. It is the unique purpose of this book to clarify the present state of knowledge regarding the main lines of human evolution by expressing what is known (and what is surmised) about them in appropriate taxonomic language.
The papers in this volume were prepared by the world's leading authorities on the subject, and were revised in the light of discussions at a remarkable conference held in Austria in 1962 under the auspices of the Wenner-Gren Foundation. The authors review first the meaning of taxonomic statements as such, and then consider the substance of our present knowledge regarding the number and characteristics of species among living and extinct primates, including man and his ancestors. They also examine the relationship of behavior changes and selection pressures in evolutionary sequences.
Ample illustrations, bibliographies and an index enhance the permanent reference value of the book, which will undoubtedly prove to be among the fundamental paleoanthropological works of our time.
Edited by:
Sherwood L. Washburn
Imprint: AldineTransaction
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: New edition
Dimensions:
Height: 254mm,
Width: 178mm,
Spine: 20mm
Weight: 839g
ISBN: 9780202309354
ISBN 10: 0202309355
Pages: 382
Publication Date: 15 July 2007
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
The Meaning of Taxonomic Statements; East African Fossil Hominoidea And The Classification Within This Super-Family 1; Quantitative Taxonomy and Human Evolution; Some Considerations in the Formulation of Theories of Human Phylogeny; Age Changes, Sex Differences, and Variability as Factors in the Classification of Primates; The Evaluation of Characteristics of the Skull, Hands, and Feet for Primate Taxonomy; The Classification of Oreopithecus; The Locomotor Functions of Hominids; Behavior and Human Evolution; Man’s Place in the Phylogeny of the Primates as Reflected in Serum Proteins; The Chromosomes of the Hominoidea; Perspectives in Molecular Anthropology; Some Problems in the Analysis and Comparison of Monkey and APE Behavior; A Comparison of the Ecology and Behavior of Monkeys and APES 1; Psychological Definitions of Man; The Taxonomic Evaluation of Fossil Hominids; Genetic Entities in Hominid Evolution
Sherwood L. Washburn (1911-2000) was professor of physical anthropology in the University of California at Berkeley. He was the recipient of the Huxley Medal in 1967 and the American Anthropological Association Distinguished Service Award in 1983.
Reviews for Classification and Human Evolution
-An important contribution, for clarification of the language by which the history of life is recounted must remain of fundamental importance as long as men wish to speak about the substrate from which they arose.---E. L. Simons, Science
