Human Origins

Laing, S. (Samuel), 1812-1897Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 709K words
Chapters: 71

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Human Origins by S. LaingAuthor: Laing, S. (Samuel), 1812-1897,Language: English, Class: GN: Geography, Anthropology, Recreation: Anthropology, Release Date: Jul 23, 2014

Editor's review

This is a nineteenth-century work on human origins by the scholar Samuel Laing, part of the early popular writing on anthropology and evolutionary theory. Its value lies first in the history of sources and of ideas: readers can observe how late Victorian intellectual circles understood humanity's place in nature, how they reconciled anatomical evidence with ancient narratives, and what comparative methods and limits of inference prevailed at the time. The prose carries the argumentative tone of the era, and the examples are drawn largely from the anatomy, geology, and ethnography of the day; read today it offers a historical perspective but should be kept at a critical distance. As a public-domain e-book, it suits readers interested in the history of science and the early development of anthropology as specialized reading, and should not be treated as an introductory textbook of modern anthropology. While reading, it is worth setting it against contemporary paleoanthropological conclusions and reflecting on how knowledge is updated.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history of science and the early development of anthropology
Researchers in need of source material on nineteenth-century intellectual history
Readers who enjoy reading public-domain classics and making critical comparisons
General readers with a broad curiosity about human origins

Not a good fit for

Beginners seeking systematic knowledge of modern paleoanthropology
Readers who need the latest archaeological evidence and genetic findings
Readers impatient with nineteenth-century argumentative prose

Reading tips

First understand the author's historical context, then enter the text, to reduce misreading.
Mark outdated inferences as you read and compare them with modern anthropological conclusions.
You may prioritize chapters on anatomical and geological evidence.
After reading, write a short note on how knowledge has been updated, sorting out which views have been revised.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Do the book's views still hold today?

Many specific inferences in the book have been revised or superseded by later archaeological, genetic, and paleoanthropological evidence, so they should not be cited as modern conclusions. Its main value lies in showing how nineteenth-century intellectual circles discussed human origins; it is material for the history of science and of ideas.

Can I read it without a background in anthropology?

You can, but adjust your expectations: treat it as a historical text rather than an introductory textbook. It is advisable to read the introductory chapters first to understand the author's questions, then use modern general materials for comparison, which significantly lowers the barrier to understanding.

Is it suitable as a course reference book?

It is suitable as supplementary material for courses in the history of science, the history of anthropology, or Victorian intellectual history, for discussing the evolution of knowledge and modes of argument. If the course aims at modern anthropological methods, it should be used alongside contemporary textbooks.

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About the author

Laing, S. (Samuel), 1812-1897 Author · British · 1812–1897

Samuel Laing (1812–1897) was a British railway administrator, politician and writer. He did not build his reputation within a single specialized discipline; instead he wrote popular works on science, religion and philosophy for general readers, earning a place in the nineteenth-century movement for the diffusion of knowledge. Among his surviving works, Human Origins addresses the question of humanity's origins, while An Expository Outline of the Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation offers an explanatory survey of the then-controversial Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation. These titles show his concern with evolutionary thought and natural history, and his preference for conveying knowledge to the public through clear, orderly exposition. Public information about the details of his life is limited, and his education and specific career are difficult to establish; readers today chiefly know his writing through these two works.