HOW, WHEN AND WHY DID THE UNIQUE ASPECTS OF HUMAN MORALITY ARISE?
Christopher Boehm, an anthropologist whose field research has ranged from Jane Goodall’s camp at Gombe to Balkan feuds (Hierarchy in the Forest, Harvard, 1999; Blood Revenge, 1984) synthesizes social science and biological evidence in his hypothesis of how our hominid ancestors became at once moral and human by establishing purposeful social control over individual behavior. Anthropologist Bruce Knauft (South Coast New Guinea Cultures; From Primitive to Postcolonial…) and sociologist Donald Black (The Social Structure of Right and Wrong) contribute high points to the discussion.
