Book review of Edmund Russell’s ‘Evolutionary History’
We often think about the ways in which evolution has shaped
this world, from the amazing diversity of cichlid fishes in the African Great Lakes,
to Australian marsupials that seem to replicate strategies that placental
mammals have evolved elsewhere (e.g., Tasmanian tiger and the North American
wolf). We even look at our own bodies or behaviors to find evolution’s imprint
–why do I have a non-functional appendix attached to my intestine? However, we
seldom look to important events in human history to examine the effects of
evolution, yet, according to Edmund Russell, human history can be better
understood through evolution –like my appendix.
Russell is advocating for a new field of inquiry within the
study of human history –namely, evolutionary history. When I first read the
book jacket, I must admit that I was skeptical. However, this book makes the
compelling case that historians gain a much fuller understanding past events by
including evolution. Russell’s main claim is that modern civilization is the
product of an evolution revolution. Even Russell’s unremarkable dog “Riley,
like all dogs, is a testament to the extraordinary power of human beings to
shape the evolution of other species”. While citing dogs may seem like a
trivial example, it was coevolution that shaped this relationship. Wolves that
were less aggressive and less fearful, which tend to be more puppy-like, found
benefits by associating with human groups. Human groups that tolerated the
presence of these wolves were likely alerted to approaching threats. Even the
fact that dogs bark is a product of this relationship. This evolution
revolution can similarly explain the domestication of other animals and plants,
and ultimately produces the necessary conditions for permanent large
settlements.
An important and intriguing underlying theme of this book is
that these evolutionary revolutions are not often the product of conscious
effort. We are used to the narrative that highlights humans as selecting
individuals and driving the evolution towards some goal. But this would require
early peoples knowing what they wanted in the end, having a specific goal. In
the dog example, do we really think that early humans thought ‘hey, I would
like a poodle’? No, the reality is that canines and human changed with one
another producing a mutually beneficial outcome. Even the domestication of many
of the earliest crop species likely resulted from lazy and sloppy humans. Lazy
because humans probably harvested the easiest, most accessible fruits and seeds
–selecting for bigger, easily removed fruits that ripened at the same time.
Sloppy because seeds were discarded around settlements. Then that laziness
again means we looked to those nearby plants for harvesting. Thus evolution has
continually informed the development of human civilization and produced the
much of the cultural norms today.
While modern cultures may consciously drive evolution
through selective breeding and genetic engineering, we are immersed in an
evolving world. Diseases that are resistant to drugs, pest that are immune to
pesticides, and commercial fish that are now smaller and reproduce earlier are
examples of important evolutionary changes that affect human activities and
economics. Russell provides evidence that evolution is in part responsible for
the industrial revolution, due to some varieties of cotton evolving particular
features.
Taken all together, Russell admirably succeeds in his goal
of convincing the reader that evolution has influenced much of human
civilization. Moreover, his intended audience of historians should be
re-assessing previous explanations of important human events by asking the
basic question: how has evolutionary change influenced major changes in human
history.
Edmund Russell. 2011. Evolutionary History. Cambridge
University Press.
