Quick Look
Shows that childhood is a necessary part of human evolution and compares the characteristics of human children to those of other juvenile primates.
Description
Friedrich Kipp proposes that a prolonged childhood -- where the child is protected and nurtured -- has been, and continues to be, a necessary part of human evolution.
Kipp's comparative study of the juvenile stage in animals and humans also sheds surprising new light on the process of human evolution, and our relation to animal primates. Some juvenile animals, especially primates, display characteristics remarkably reminiscent of human children. These are lost as the animals adapt to their specific ecological conditions, but the early similarities suggest that the main trunk of the evolutionary tree is closely connected with human evolution.
In the rapid change of our contemporary society, the temptation is strong to accelerate development and rush children into adulthood. This study offers a compelling antidote to such pressures.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Postnatal Development in Mammals
3. Human Childhood and Youth
4. Morphological Studies of the Head
5. Care of the Young and the Evolution of the Cerebrum
6. Protection from the Struggle for Existence in Human Evolution
7. Love and Caring
8. Human Evolution Reconsidered
9. The Fossil Evidence - A Survey
10. Psychological Implications of Upright Posture
11. Voice and Speech
12. Human Beings Teach Their Organs
Conclusion
Reviews
'This book is as much a romance of apes and humans as it is a science documentary. I could not put it down. I have read a lot about human evolution but this book holds more than the bare facts. It is a philosophy that helps you understand yourself, your species, children and apes. A great book for adults and children to work through together.'
-- Education Otherwise, December 2005
'A delightful little book in the tradition of Goethean science. Persuasively argued. Kipp teaches the need for deeper self-observation of human biology and its spiritual underpinning.'
-- Martin Lockley, Scientific & Medical Network Review, Spring 2005
Author
Friedrich Kipp (1908-97) was born near Stuttgart, Germany. He became a specialist in ornithology and was widely published. He is the author of two other books on human evolution.
Links
Also from Adonis Press:
Jos Verhulst: Development Dynamics in Humans and Other Primates
