Human Evolution

Book Review| September 01 2017 Human Evolution The Creative Spark: How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional. By Agustín Fuentes. 2017. Dutton. (ISBN 9781101983942). 352 pp. Hardcover. $28.00. Ryan Dunk Ryan Dunk 1PhD Student Biology Department Syracuse University 110 Life Sciences Complex, Syracuse, NY 13244 rddunk@syr.edu Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar The American Biology Teacher (2017) 79 (7): 598–599. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2017.79.7.598b Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Ryan Dunk; Human Evolution. The American Biology Teacher 1 September 2017; 79 (7): 598–599. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2017.79.7.598b Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentThe American Biology Teacher Search Amongst life on earth, humans are undeniably exceptional. We write symphonies and plays, paint and sculpt. We create vehicles that can transport us underground, under water, in air, or even into space. We have multiple complex, symbolic languages that allow us to communicate abstract thoughts and emotions. And we have created tools that could lead to the utter destruction of ourselves and possibly all life on Earth, or at least a significant portion of it. In this book, Agustín Fuentes asks: What truly makes humans unique? Is it our capacity for exploitation? Or cooperation? Our biological history, or perhaps our ability to use our intelligence to overcome biological limitations? Fuentes argues that these descriptions are all incomplete; instead, it is our creativity that sets us apart from other animals. The book is formally split into four sections that seem to divide neatly into two halves, first focusing on prehistorical human... You do not currently have access to this content.