Posts by Agustínfuentes
A (Bio)anthropological View of the COVID-19 Era Midstream: Beyond the Infection
We are in a pandemic. COVID-19 infection threatens humanity with illness and death. But disease from this microbe is not the only hazard to human health and well-being. People around the globe have experienced months of isolation and have possibly more than a year of social distancing, both of which can have devastating effects on…
Read MoreEl fin del apretón de manos: el virus visto desde la antropología
El antropólogo Agustín Fuentes advierte de la desaparición de rituales y gestos cotidianos que impliquen proximidad física e insta a preservar las relaciones sociales pese al aislamiento Atravesamos una pandemia. El COVID-19 nos amenaza a todos, pero la enfermedad provocada directamente por este microbio no es el único peligro para nuestra salud y nuestro bienestar.…
Read MoreHow did belief evolve
An anthropologist traces the development of Homo sapiens’ most creative and destructive force, from the making of stone tools to the rise of religions. About 20 years ago, the residents of Padangtegal village in Bali, Indonesia, had a problem. The famous, monkey-filled forest surrounding the local Hindu temple complex had become stunted, and saplings failed to sprout…
Read MoreAgainst the Grain
The Evolution of Belief Belief conjures up political fanaticism and blind religiosity. But evolutionary anthropologist Agustín Fuentes argues that belief is also connected to our capacities to imagine, create, and change the world for the better. He reflects on why the ability to commit passionately and wholeheartedly to an idea is a central part of…
Read MoreEvolving society: Why humanity coheres
Agustín Fuentes compares three books on the origins, trajectory and implications of our group behaviour. Genesis: The Deep Origin of Societies Edward O. Wilson Liveright (2019) The Human Swarm: How Our Societies Arise, Thrive, and Fall Mark W. Moffett Head of Zeus (2019) Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society Nicholas A. Christakis Little, Brown Spark (2019) Humans are animals,…
Read MoreChimpanzees Can’t Tell Us Much About Being Human
Although there is merit in recognizing how we resemble our primate relatives, sometimes we need to understand what sets our species apart. Do we gain insight by comparing President Trump to a chimpanzee? Can we learn something useful about gender-based violence among humans by studying other primates? Can observing chimpanzees or bonobos tell us why humans go to war or how…
Read More‘Enlightenment’ Now and Empathy Later?
Steven Pinker wrote Enlightenment Now thinking he was making the case for “reason, science, humanism, and progress.” But instead produced a 556 page text filled with some interesting statistics, a few valid insights, a lot of naiveté, and a stunning lack of empathy. Let me be clear about a few things: I both practice and love science,…
Read MoreWhy dogs don’t trust POTUS 45
CNN recently reported that the current first family will be breaking presidential tradition by opting not to have a pet in the White House. This is not surprising. Everything we know about the daily behavior of POTUS 45 suggests that most animals, especially dogs, would not be comfortable in this White House. Dogs are highly…
Read MoreRevisiting the Google Manifesto
Scientists cannot allow the ignorant and erroneous misuse of “biology” The following blog was published in an earlier form on PLoS SciComm nearly a month ago. But much misrepresentation of the information about this topic remains and I think the Psychology Today community is an important place to continue this conversation. First the reality: There are biological…
Read MoreGet the Science Right!
What popular books get wrong about human evolution. Popular books about human evolution tell us why we are the way that we are. A broad swath of the public looks to such books to translate the enormity of information from scientific research into accessible, and engaging, narratives informing about human nature. When Albert Einstein cautioned…
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