William Von Hippel - A large társas ugrás

What is this "great social leap" indicated in the title? Roughly six million years ago, our ancestors migrated from the dense rainforest to the open savannah of East Africa. It was one of the most significant events in the history of human evolution. When our ancestors found social solutions to the challenges of savannah life, they set in motion a chain of events that eventually led to humans. The "leap" between trees and grasslands is obviously metaphorical, but in doing so our ancestors may have set the stage for more complex social strategies, and this process changed the way our minds work forever: it reshaped our entire behavior, made us innovative, and created a new kind of social intelligence. In his highly enjoyable book, William von Hippel charts this revolutionary transformation, tracing human development and explaining how our lives today are shaped by events in our distant past. Combining anthropology, biology, history and psychology with the evolutionary sciences, this intriguing and highly personal analysis takes a fresh and often provocative look at our species and provides new clues about where we come from, who we are, what makes us happy and how we can use this knowledge to improve our lives. "Forget the golden toilets and private jets. The key to happiness often lies in the little things. Filled with great observations about human character, Von Hippel's book offers a stimulating program for measuring success without material standards and achieving happiness." (Kirkus Reviews magazine) "The Great Social Leap is one of the best books of recent years. The examination of the evolutionary roots of modern human behavior is profound and revelatory. Von Hippel, who seamlessly interweaves captivating stories, rich knowledge and beautiful prose, offers a unique insight into the lives of our ancestors and thereby also into ourselves." (Psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of the book How to be happy?, also published in Hungarian) "This book is for all of us. For everyone who is even a little bit curious about how we became human. Von Hippel's panorama makes us ask ourselves the question : what do we want to do with the miracle that we are here now?" (Mahzarin R. Banaji, Harvard University psychologist)