Evolutionary History

We tend to see history and evolution springing from separate roots, one grounded in the human world and the other in the natural world. Human beings have, however, become probably the most powerful species shaping evolution today, and human-caused evolution in other species has probably been the most important force shaping human history. This book introduces readers to evoluti...

We tend to see history and evolution springing from separate roots, one grounded in the human world and the other in the natural world. Human beings have, however, become probably the most powerful species shaping evolution today, and human-caused evolution in other species has probably been the most important force shaping human history. This book introduces readers to evolutionary history, a new field that unites history and biology to create a fuller understanding of the past than either can produce on its own. Evolutionary history can stimulate surprising new hypotheses for any field of history and evolutionary biology. How many art historians would have guessed that sculpture encouraged the evolution of tuskless elephants? How many biologists would have predicted that human poverty would accelerate animal evolution? How many military historians would have suspected that plant evolution would convert a counter-insurgency strategy into a rebel subsidy? With examples from around the globe, this book will help readers see the broadest patterns of history and the details of their own life in a new light.

爱德蒙德•罗素，弗吉尼亚大学科学技术与社会系和历史系副教授。先后在《美国历史杂志》《环境史》《技术与文化》和《华盛顿邮报》发表多篇文章。著有《自然之敌，自然之友：有关战争的自然环境》《战争与自然：第一次世界大战至20世纪60年代的化学物质与人类和昆虫作战史》。2001 年获美国科学史论坛奖，2003 年获《环境史》期刊利欧珀尔德一海蒂最佳论文奖( the Leopold-Hidy Prize)；2003年获得2000-2003 年度艾德尔斯坦因奖( Edelstein Prize )。

李永学，1988年获得博士学位(物理化学)，自1989 年8月起旅居英国，从事科研、教学工作，现为自由译者。译有《起源：NASA天文学家的万物解答》《时间的起点》《奢侈与邪恶一一文明古国巴比伦的前生今世》等近40部图书。