"This written introductory text is full of insights about how humanity's defining adaptation has evolved and functions. What makes van der Elst's approach uniquely engaging is his focus on the implications of technology, the ways humans organize themselves, and value assumptions for individuals' life chances and choices. He confronts students with the need to question their enculturated biases, instills appreciation of the origins of culture in biology and language, and explains such topics as the varieties of family and marriage types, and the rise of inequality." "Extending the thrust of the popular first edition, this totally revised second edition greatly expands the discussion of language, contains a new chapter that demystifies kinship nomenclatures, presents lively vignettes that reinforce the book's valuable insights, and includes thought-provoking questions at the end of each chapter."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved