Different Kind of Animal: How Culture Transformed Our Species

“Robert Boyd is surely right that we are a ‘˜different kind of animal.’ We possess language, we have sophisticated trade and cooperation, but we are also frighteningly deceptive and prone to spasms of unspeakable violence. Boyd shows here in compelling style how our possession of culture’the passing on of learned information’explains the highs, lows, and contradictions in our behaviors.”–Mark Pagel, author of Wired for Culture: Origins of the Human Social Mind

“What makes us unique? Are we really just smart chimpanzees? Why is our species both so cooperative and yet so violent? Addressing these questions, Robert Boyd adroitly combines detailed analyses of diverse societies, crystal-clear experimental studies, and rich descriptions of hunter-gatherer life with the precision that only mathematics can provide. Writing with the confidence of someone who has mastered his own field, and several others, Boyd boldly leads us on a scientific journey to discover who we are and where we came from.”–Joseph Henrich, author of The Secret of Our Success

“A Different Kind of Animal is a fascinating and accessible introduction to the very influential ideas that Boyd and his collaborators have developed over the past three decades.”–Stephen P. Stich, coauthor of Mindreading: An Integrated Account of Pretence, Self-Awareness, and Understanding Other Minds