Unbound: How Eight Technologies Made Us Human, Transformed Society, and Brought Our World to the Brink

by Richard L. Currier

Overview

Although we usually think of technology as something unique to modern times, our ancestors began to create the first technologies millions of years ago in the form of prehistoric tools and weapons. Over time, eight key technologies gradually freed us from the limitations of our animal origins.

The fabrication of weapons, the mastery of fire, and the technologies of clothing and shelter radically restructured the human body, enabling us to walk upright, shed our body hair, and migrate out of tropical Africa. Symbolic communication transformed human evolution from a slow biological process into a fast cultural process. The invention of agriculture revolutionized the relationship between humanity and the environment, and the technologies of interaction led to the birth of civilization. Precision machinery spawned the industrial revolution and the rise of nation-states; and in the next metamorphosis, digital technologies may well unite all of humanity for the benefit of future generations.

Synthesizing the findings of primatology, paleontology, archeology, history, and anthropology, Richard Currier reinterprets and retells the modern narrative of human evolution that began with the discovery of Lucy and other Australopithecus fossils. But the same forces that allowed us to integrate technology into every aspect of our daily lives have also brought us to the brink of planetary catastrophe. Unbound explains both how we got here and how human society must be transformed again to achieve a sustainable future.

Technology: “The deliberate modification of any natural object or substance with forethought to achieve a specific end or to serve a specific purpose.”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781628725223
Publisher:	Arcade Publishing
Publication date:	08/18/2015
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Richard L. Currier earned his BA and PhD in social and cultural anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, and taught anthropology at Berkeley, the University of Minnesota, and the State University of New York. He coauthored a ten-volume series on archeology for young adults and published numerous articles in scholarly journals and mainstream magazines. A pioneer in the design and development of interactive learning technologies, Currier has won numerous awards for his work. He lives in Oceanside, California.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

1 The Primate Baseline: Tools, Traditions, Motherhood, Warfare, and the Homeland 1

2 The Technology of Spears and Digging Sticks: Upright Posture and Bipedal Locomotion 29

3 The Technology of Fire: Cooking, Nakedness, and Staying Up Late 55

4 The Technologies of Clothing and Shelter: Hats, Huts, Togas, and Tents 81

5 The Technology of Symbolic Communication: Music, Art, Language, and Ethnicity 106

6 The Technology of Agriculture: Permanent Villages and the Accumulation of Wealth 139

7 The Technologies of Interaction: Ships, Writing, the Wheel, and the Birth of Civilization 167

8 The Technology of Precision Machinery: Clocks, Engines, and Industrial Society 201

9 The Technology of Digital Information: The World Wide Web of Human Interaction 240

10 Our World at the Brink: Is Humanity Drifting Toward a Planetary Catastrophe? 266

Acknowledgments 301

Notes 303

Bibliography 325

Index 361

Editorial Reviews

“Currier’s seamless narrative recalls Jared Diamond’s sprawling histories of human civilization, and like Diamond, Currier manages to be thorough in synthesizing a great deal of specialized knowledge . . . while telling a story that is gripping.” —Library Journal

“Here, briefly and artfully told, is the wondrous but ultimately humbling story of how humans have used technology since prehistoric times to conquer the natural world—and why, in the process, we may be destroying it. Richard Currier will grab your attention on the first page and hold it to the last. This is an original and hugely important book.” —Tom Gjelten, Religion and Belief Correspondent, NPR News and author of A Nation of Nations

“A breathtaking analysis of human technological, social, and cultural history . . . An original telling of the human story, beautifully written by an erudite anthropologist . . . Unbound should be on every educated person’s reading list." —Jack M. Potter, Professor of Anthropology Emeritus, University of California at Berkeley

“An ambitious and fascinating account of the role of technologies in the evolution of the human species . . . All in all, a ‘Jared Diamondesque’ tour de force.” —Richard Robbins, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor, Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at Plattsburgh

“Unbound is a fascinating, accurate, and highly readable account of human cultural progress from the earliest hominid toolmaking to the age of digital technology. Richard Currier masterfully shows how eight key technologies have built upon each other, allowing humans to become our planet’s most widely adaptive species. Unbound also provides a cautionary message, lest humans destroy themselves by technological overreach. This book will fascinate people of all ages who want to know how, beginning with their earliest origins, humans came to be the way they are today.” —William O. Beeman, professor and chair, Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota

“How has technology figured in bringing us to our present-day predicament? . . . Given anthropologist and author Richard Currier’s broad knowledge and lucid prose, this innovative, broad-ranging, beautifully illustrated exploration promises—and deserves-to find wide use, both in the classroom and beyond.” —Robert Bates Graber, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Truman State University

“Unbound is a fine book, written in clear, non-technical language. Richard Currier succeeds in analyzing and clarifying the ways that technologies have affected both social structure and communication throughout the history of cultures.” —Eugene A. Hammel, professor of Anthropology and Demography, emeritus, University of California at Berkeley

“Sweeping in scope, daring in proposition, Unbound looks backward to look forward at a future mediated—and threatened—by human technologies." —Brandy Schillace, PhD, managing editor, Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry

“Unbound combines the best of a lifetime of discriminating, multidisciplinary scholarship with the storytelling abilities of great scholarly, humanistic writers like Desmond Morris, Carl Sagan, and historian James McPherson. Dr. Currier's highly accessible work is alive with the energy of discovery. Synthesizing insights from paleontology, primatology, cultural anthropology, and related sciences, it surprises and challenges accepted narratives of human evolution. In the process, it not only conveys a new understanding of our profound and ancient connections; it also illuminates key facets of modern society. Highly recommended for all serious students of human culture and the humanities—and for any reader who wants a greater sense of place at a time when understanding how we function as a species has never been more urgently needed.” —William Manley, Technical Lead for Cultural Resource Programs Worldwide and Deputy Federal Preservation Officer, United States Navy

"A satisfying complete work beautifully written and presented. . . . I have just put down what will be a classic and required reading in anthropology departments. Unbound is more: it is a highly readable, believable history of how Man became what s/he is. . . . Rarely can one call a work of non-fiction a page-turner, but this one is. . . . This is one of those satisfying, complete works that will appeal equally to the academic and the educated “man in the street.” The structure is more than clever, it is original: with inventions leading up to language, the point at which most assessments of modern man begin. The reader will get some new viewpoints on early development—bipedalism and the invention of the spear stand out—and, most importantly, how the bits go together to make evolution. The title is as brilliant as the “binding” into various parts for ease of reference. Read Darwin, then read Currier. We are going to hear much of this book.” —Robert Cooper, anthropologist and author of Thailand: Culture Shock! A Survival Guide to Customs & Etiquette

“Unbound is a fascinating overview of the influence of technology on human evolutionary history. It is an excellent example of both popular and scholarly writing . . . that can be easily understood by a wide audience of educated readers.” —Anek R. Sankhyan, PhD, President, Palaeo Research Society, Ghumarwin, Himachal Pradesh, India

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