The Unpredictable Species: What Makes Humans Unique

(Hardback)

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The Unpredictable Species argues that the human brain evolved in a way that enhances our cognitive flexibility and capacity for innovation and imitation. In doing so, the book challenges the central claim of evolutionary psychology that we are locked into predictable patterns of behavior that were fixed by genes, and refutes the claim that language

Reviews

"His ability to marshal contemporary neuroscience to support his assertions is impressive, and his efforts to guide the field away from biological determinism (a 'stew of invented genes') are well-founded and important."--Publishers Weekly "Those who enjoy reading about evolution, cognition, biology, and the brain will find this a compelling and enjoyable book. Recommended as a highly engaging and thought-provoking work of popular science."--Library Journal "[W]hat reader can resist this compelling invitation to reflect on what it means to be human"--Booklist "Just got your head around evolutionary psychology's core idea, that our genetic code, designed in and for prehistory, dictates our behaviour Well, Lieberman argues it's wrong, but not to worry, as you will adapt... This expansive, erudite book argues our brains and the way they work are immensely complex... [T]here is something appealing in his idea that no single theory explains us."--Stephen Matchett, Australian

Author Bio

Philip Lieberman is the George Hazard Crooker University Professor Emeritus at Brown University. His books include "Toward an Evolutionary Biology of Language" and "Eve Spoke: Human Language and Human Evolution."