Human Success - Evolutionary Origins and Ethical Implications - Edited by Hugh Desmond and Grant Ramsey

Jul 30, 2026

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Human Success: Evolutionary Origins and Ethical Implications examines what “human success” means by connecting evolutionary explanations with value judgments and moral responsibility. Edited by Hugh Desmond and Grant Ramsey, the volume frames evolutionary success as standards of value, explores human uniqueness through origins, dispersal, culture, and gene-culture coevolution, and extends the analysis into the Anthropocene. Contributors also assess moral success, inequality, and future prospects, linking descriptive accounts of human evolution to ethical implications for how societies should judge progress.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages350

Reading Time14 h 42 min

List of Contributors

Introduction: The Manifold Challenges to Understanding Human Success

PART I: What Is Evolutionary Success?

Evolutionary Success: Standards of Value

Human Success as a Complex of Autonomy, Adaptation, and Niche Construction

Human Success: A Contextual and Pluralistic View

PART II: Explaining Human Success

The Origin and Evolution of Human Uniqueness

Wanderlust: A View from Deep Time of Dispersal, Persistence, and Human Success

Culture as a Life History Character: The Cognitive Continuum in Primates and Hominins

A Gene-Culture Coevolutionary Perspective on Human Success

PART III: Human Success in the Anthropocene

Anthropocene Patterns in Stratigraphy as a Perspective on Human Success

Utter Success and Extensive Inequity: Assessing Processes, Patterns, and Outcomes of the Human Niche in the Anthropocene

Adaptability and the Continuation of Human Origins

Evolving Measures of Moral Success

Future Human Success: Beyond Techno-Libertarianism

Index

Human Success [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Human Success Evolutionary Origins and Ethical Implications Edited by HUGH DESMOND AND GRANT RAMSEY [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America. © Oxford University Press 2023 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Desmond, Hugh (Philosopher), editor. | Ramsey, Grant, 1972– editor. Title: Human success : evolutionary origins and ethical implications /[edited] Hugh Desmond, Grant Ramsey. Description: New York, NY : Oxford University Press,[2023] | Includes bibliographical references. Identifiers: LCCN 2022049824 (print) | LCCN 2022049825 (ebook) | ISBN 9780190096168 (hardback) | ISBN 9780190096182 (epub) Subjects: LCSH: Human evolution—Philosophy. Classification: LCC GN 281.4 . H 857 2023 (print) | LCC GN 281. 4 (ebook) | DDC 599.93/8—dc23/eng/20230103 LC record available at [https://lccn.loc.gov/2022049824](https://lccn.loc.gov/2022049824)[ ](https://lccn.loc.gov/2022049824)LC ebook record available at [https://lccn.loc.gov/2022049825](https://lccn.loc.gov/2022049825)[ ](https://lccn.loc.gov/2022049825)DOI: 10. 1093/oso/9780190096168 .001.0001 [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Contents List of Contributors 1. Introduction: The Manifold Challenges to Understanding Human Success Hugh Desmond and Grant Ramsey PART I: WHAT IS EVOLUTIONARY SUCCESS? 2. Evolutionary Success: Standards of Value Daniel W. McShea 3. Human Success as a Complex of Autonomy, Adaptation, and Niche Construction Bernd Rosslenbroich 4. Human Success: A Contextual and Pluralistic View Marion Hourdequin PART II: EXPLAINING HUMAN SUCCESS 5. The Origin and Evolution of Human Uniqueness Geerat J. Vermeij 6. Wanderlust: A View from Deep Time of Dispersal, Persistence, and Human Success Susan C. Antón 7. Culture as a Life History Character: The Cognitive Continuum in Primates and Hominins Matt Grove 8. A Gene-Culture Coevolutionary Perspective on Human Success Kathryn Demps and Peter J. Richerson PART III: HUMAN SUCCESS IN THE ANTHROPOCENE 9. Anthropocene Patterns in Stratigraphy as a Perspective on Human Success Jan Zalasiewicz, Mark Williams, and Colin Waters 10. Utter Success and Extensive Inequity: Assessing Processes, Patterns, and Outcomes of the Human Niche in the Anthropocene Agustín Fuentes 11. Adaptability and the Continuation of Human Origins Richard Potts 12. Evolving Measures of Moral Success Allen Buchanan and Rachell Powell 13. Future Human Success: Beyond Techno-Libertarianism Hugh Desmond Index [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Contributors Susan C. Antón is the Silver professor of Anthropology, Center for the Study of Human Origins, New York University and studies the anatomy and evolution of early members of the genus Homo. Her pioneering studies of cranial variation in Homo erectus, Homo neanderthalensis, and other Homo species explore the role of (genetic) isolation and local environm

FAQs

How does the book define or frame “evolutionary success”?

The volume treats evolutionary success as a set of standards of value, then develops multiple ways to understand how humans meet (and reshape) those standards.

Which topics explain human success according to the book?

Explaining chapters cover the origin and evolution of human uniqueness, long-term dispersal and persistence, culture as a life-history character, and gene-culture coevolution.

What ethical issues does the book connect to human success in the Anthropocene?

The Anthropocene section links human success to patterns in stratigraphy, inequality in the human niche, measures of moral success, and prospects for future success beyond techno-libertarianism.

Jul 30, 2026

Upload by Hazel