Human domestication and the roles of human agency in human evolution

Are humans a domesticated species? How is this issue related to debates on the roles of human agency in human evolution? This article discusses four views on human domestication: (1) Darwin’s view; (2) the view of those who link human domestication to anthropogenic niche construction and, more speci...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:History and philosophy of the life sciences 2020-05, Vol.42 (2), p.21-21, Article 21
Main Authors: Del Savio, Lorenzo, Mameli, Matteo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropogenic factors
Biological Evolution
Domestication
Education
Evolution
History of Science
Human agency
Humans
Life Sciences
Niches
Original Paper
Philosophy
Philosophy of Biology
Philosophy of Science
Selection, Genetic
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Summary:Are humans a domesticated species? How is this issue related to debates on the roles of human agency in human evolution? This article discusses four views on human domestication: (1) Darwin’s view; (2) the view of those who link human domestication to anthropogenic niche construction and, more specifically, to sedentism; (3) the view of those who link human domestication to selection against aggression and the domestication syndrome ; and (4) a novel view according to which human domestication can be conceived of in terms of a process of political selection . The article examines and compares these views to illustrate how discussions of human domestication can contribute to debates about how, and to what extent, human agency has affected human evolution.
ISSN:0391-9714
1742-6316
DOI:10.1007/s40656-020-00315-0