{"product_id":"the-creative-spark-isbn-9781101983942","title":"The Creative Spark","description":"\u003cb\u003eA bold new synthesis of paleontology, archaeology, genetics, and anthropology that overturns misconceptions about race, war and peace, and human nature itself, answering an age-old question: What made humans so exceptional among all the species on Earth?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Creativity. It is the secret of what makes humans special, hiding in plain sight. Agustín Fuentes argues that your child's finger painting comes essentially from the same place as creativity in hunting and gathering millions of years ago, and throughout history in making war and peace, in intimate relationships, in shaping the planet, in our communities, and in all of art, religion, and even science. It requires imagination and collaboration. Every poet has her muse; every engineer, an architect; every politician, a constituency. The manner of the collaborations varies widely, but successful collaboration is inseparable from imagination, and it brought us everything from knives and hot meals to iPhones and interstellar spacecraft.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Weaving fascinating stories of our ancient ancestors' creativity, Fuentes finds the patterns that match modern behavior in humans and animals. This key quality has propelled the evolutionary development of our bodies, minds, and cultures, both for good and for bad. It's\u003ci\u003e not\u003c\/i\u003e the drive to reproduce; nor competition for mates, or resources, or power; nor our propensity for caring for one another that have separated us out from all other creatures. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e As Fuentes concludes, to make something lasting and useful today you need to understand the nature of your collaboration with others, what imagination can and can't accomplish, and, finally, just how completely our creativity is responsible for the world we live in. Agustín Fuentes's resounding multimillion-year perspective will inspire readers—and spark all kinds of creativity.PRAISE FOR \u003ci\u003eTHE CREATIVE SPARK\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Persuasive, entertaining, informative... Fuentes has done a fine job of summarizing recent research in anthropology and primatology... pointing to numerous examples in which problems such as the finding of food, the avoidance of predators, the transfer of information and the manipulation of the physical environment are solved by way of imaginative collaboration.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Creative Spark\u003c\/i\u003e is strong on man’s imaginative accomplishments and offers an important corrective to the skewed debate on human nature. A species that, uniquely, ponders its own exceptionality will surely be fascinated by it.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Rather than focusing his explanation of human evolution on an increase in brain size or intelligence, Fuentes turns instead to creativity as a fundamental aspect of what it means to be human.”\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e --Named one of the Great Anthropology And History Books Of 2017, \u003ci\u003eForbes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Fuentes presents his theories in a captivating narrative that feels like an intriguing mystery... To look up from \u003ci\u003eThe Creative Spark \u003c\/i\u003eafter finishing the last page is to see the world in new, complex ways. Fuentes's work adds depth to our reality and fosters a deep respect and appreciation for the many forms creativity takes.”\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Shelf Awareness\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Harnessing the latest findings in evolution, biology, and archaeology [Fuentes] creates a new synthesis to show that the great drivers of human progress have been creativity and cooperation, and that many of the things we believe about ourselves, from religion to race, are wrong.”\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003eNationalGeographic.com, Book Talk\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Condensing a great deal of anthropological research, Fuentes shows how imaginative resourcefulness enabled a vulnerable species lacking fangs and claws to survive in a world of fierce predators… whether facing the current threat of armed conflict or pondering contemporary controversies surrounding gender and religion, Fuentes draws one imperative lesson from humankind’s deep past: we survive as a species only so long as we continue to creatively innovate.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The diverse studies in creativity are good ones… encompassing everything from conflict resolution to learning how to use fire to cook—not just red meat, but fish and vegetables as well… an informative, readable introduction to recent scholarship on the anthropology of creativity.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Creativity is an essential reason why Homo sapiens have progressed to the point we have: dominating an entire planet and eagerly searching the universe, argues anthropologist Fuentes… His thesis is an intriguing and insightful one.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A revolutionary perspective on what it means to be human. Fuentes breathes new life into one of our oldest questions. So much of what we think of as uniquely human has stagnated around a linear version of intelligence. Fuentes introduces imagination as a powerful force that has shaped who we are, and how we have become so successful. Thoughtfully researched and beautifully written, \u003ci\u003eThe Creative Spark \u003c\/i\u003eis destined to become a classic.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods, authors of \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller \u003ci\u003eThe Genius of Dogs\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “In \u003ci\u003eThe Creative Spark, \u003c\/i\u003eeverything old and familiar – from livestock and tools, to marriage and war, and everything in between – is made fresh and new in this fascinating retelling of the story of humans’ unique evolutionary journey. Grand in scope, but packed with detailed research and intimate prose, Fuentes once again gives us the precious gift of an accessible demolition of long-held assumptions, and a compelling, important, and revelatory understanding of ourselves.”   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Cordelia Fine, Prof. of History \u0026amp; Philosophy of Science, University of Melbourne, author of \u003ci\u003eDelusions of Gender\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “A magisterial tour of what makes us human, and how we got that way.  Large and complex controversies are judiciously evaluated in a clearly written, fascinating way, and coherently assembled into a persuasive alternative to the simplistic biologisms that dominate contemporary discourse.  This is the best guide I know on how the human world evolved, and a solid foundation for creative optimism.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—R. Brian Ferguson, Prof. of Anthropology, Rutgers University-Newark\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “A perfect example of our humanness.  It combines individual creativity with a synthesis of the works of others to describe how the lives of humans and our ancestors were changed, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse, by harnessing and expanding creative abilities.  Anyone who is curious about how we arrived at our present condition will want to read this book.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Lynne Isbell, Prof. and Chair of Anthropology, U.C., Davis, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Fruit, the Tree, and the Serpent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eAgustín Fuentes\u003c\/b\u003e, during more than two decades of research, has published more than one hundred academic articles and book chapters. He has chased monkeys, apes, and humans in the jungles and cities of Asia, the mountains of Morocco, and the streets of Gibraltar. He’s explored the lives of our evolutionary ancestors and examined people’s daily routines across the globe. He is a professor and the chair of the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Anthropology and a \u003ci\u003eNational Geographic\u003c\/i\u003e Explorer. His perspectives and research have been covered in \u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eScientific American,\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Huffington Post, \u003c\/i\u003eand on NPR. He lives in Indiana.1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Creative Primates\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I was under the immense banyan tree in the central plaza of the      Padangtegal monkey forest in Bali, Indonesia. I'd been here for      months watching a few groups of macaque monkeys, immersing myself      in their society. A small group of macaque monkeys sprinted up      into the trees and the terraced hillside above the main temple.      The dominant troop meandered in to take their place. Teardrop, an      adult female so named for a white birthmark in the shape of a tear      just below her left eye, trailed by about thirty feet from any      other monkey. She always traveled apart from the rest of the      group. I didn't give her much thought. My attention switched to      Arnold, the dominant male, and Short-tail, the alpha female, who      teamed up to take a cluster of papaya leaves and a prized half      coconut from two low-ranking males. I looked down and again      noticed Teardrop, who now sat only ten feet away from me, staring      at a leaf on the ground and nonchalantly scratching her side. I      turned to scan the plaza to get an idea of the groups' spread; the      males, females, and young formed small clusters like little      families. I felt a gentle pressure on my right leg. Teardrop was      now right next to me, her left hand on my thigh. Over the next few      minutes she calmly leaned into me. We did not look at each other,      nor did we move, for about ten minutes. Then she got up, looked      around, cast a sideways glance at me, and walked away.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I discovered in time that Teardrop was unable to have offspring,      and as such she was never able to work herself into any of the      clusters of females and young that made up the social core of the      macaque group. But she did, on occasion, sidle up next to humans      and lean into them. Teardrop, like all monkeys, needed physical      and social contact to live, and like all monkeys she occasionally      got socially creative to satisfy those needs. After all, there      were plenty of these other large-bodied, relatively hairless,      seemingly willing primates with whom to score a bit of contact      time. She had a problem, and she figured out a novel way to solve      it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Teardrop is a primate and so are we. As such we share the trait of      social creativity-a prime component of our evolutionary success.      In order to understand the human story, the grand narrative of our      creative journey, we need to recognize that we (humans, that is)      are mammals and members of a specific mammalian order (Primates).      We are also members of a specific subset of primates called      anthropoids (monkeys, apes, and humans), as well as a specific      subset of anthropoids called hominoids (apes and humans). Humans      are members of a specific subset of the hominoids called the      hominins, which are humans, our ancestors, and a set of extinct      humanlike beings.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Envision the history of life on this planet as a gigantic      branching bush with millions of branches, twigs, and leaves. Those      leaves and twigs closest to one another are close evolutionary      relatives. As such, we do share a branch with Teardrop, but our      respective twigs split off in different directions 25 to 30      million years ago. So, whatever commonalities we have with all      monkeys are shared traits that were present in the original branch      from which both of our lines (the twigs) arose. If we look to our      closest primate relatives, the African apes (gorillas and      chimpanzees), our lineages split off from a common ancestor about      7 to 10 million years ago, so we might expect even more      similarities between us and the apes than between us and the      monkeys. In any case, before getting to what is distinctive about      humans, we need to know what it is about us that's not      distinctively human, but rather distinctively primate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e As Teardrop, in her way, demonstrated for me, social relationships      are at the heart of monkey and ape societies. Getting along,      touching, and spending time with their relatives, friends, and      potential mates are the main things these primates do. Sound      familiar? The social landscape is the key factor in any primate      society. It is made up more or less of hierarchal relationships,      friendships, aggressive behavior, and sex.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Imagine yourself in the midst of one of the groups of macaque      monkeys in the Padangtegal monkey forest in Bali, but this time we      are watching the female named Short-tail, so named because she had      only the nub of a tail. For a species called long-tailed macaques,      one might think not having a tail would be a problem, even a      disability. It wasn't. Short-tail was the highest-ranked female in      a troop of nearly eighty monkeys-the opposite of Teardrop. She      would swagger through the forest and temple grounds surrounded by      her daughters, granddaughters, and even great-granddaughters.      Other females would move out of her way or grimace in submission      when she came near. Her favorite daughters and their friends would      hand her their infants to hold and groom, she had access to the      best foods, and she always took center stage when fights between      her group and other groups in the area broke out. She often even      led the charge, outpacing the big males in her tenacity for      defending the group's space.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Male long-tailed macaques are 50 percent larger than females, with      huge fangs (canine teeth, to be exact) that can shred flesh very      effectively, so in most cases these males easily dominate females      in any one-on-one conflict. But the females that make it to high      rank are never in one-on-one contexts-they are savvier than that.      Short-tail had a whole cohort of relatives nearby and ready to      defend her. This meant that the high-ranking males, instead of      trying to dominate her, would seek her out and groom her and hang      out with her, especially when they needed a favor.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Social Hierarchies Aren't Hierarchies\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Throw a banana on the ground between two monkeys, and nine times      out of ten they won't both charge for it. Rather, one will look      quickly at the other and back away, ceding the banana without a      fight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Understanding where you fit in the hierarchy, who is more or less      dominant than you, helps primates navigate their daily lives. In a      group with a set of well-defined dominant relationships, there's      little doubt about who gets access to the better food, sleeping      sites, grooming partners, potential mates, and so on. When      relations are less well-defined, there might be one or two \"top      dogs\" (or top monkeys), and most in the group are on more or less      equal footing. In any case, primate hierarchies are neither strict      nor static-dominance relationships are negotiated with friends and      foes. Mostly it takes only a quick look at the other to determine      who is in the more powerful position. This flexibility reflects a      primate knack for creative social solutions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Primates change dominance ranks and roles throughout their lives,      and each primate species has a different pattern through which      individuals gain dominance or compete for resources. Young      individuals have to learn these patterns as they mature. These      patterns develop via direct fights, accumulating supporters, and      manipulating one's opponents. Once dominance relationships are      developed in this way, they gain some stability but nevertheless      remain mutable.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The local Balinese called one particularly vicious and aggressive      male macaque Saddam, a reference to the Iraqi dictator (this was      back in the late 1990s). My colleagues and I called him M1. He was      the sole fully adult male in the smallest of the three groups at      Padangtegal, made up of him, a few nearly adult males, six      females, and about ten youngsters. One could easily recognize a      female from M1's group, as she always had patches of hair missing      and\/or scars on her back from M1's sharp canines. He dominated      every individual in the group with an iron fist. In fact, he even      dominated many humans in the vicinity, often chasing them and\/or      biting them when he wanted to displace them or steal their food.      He was a merciless dictator-until everything changed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e M1 had a fall and broke his leg. He could still get around, but he      was slower and less capable of chasing or attacking other monkeys      and people. Two of the young males in his group, who previously      cowered anytime he got within ten feet, took advantage and got      creative. They began pushing him, tentatively at first, then more      frequently. At the same time, they stuck next to, groomed, and      curried the favor of Ma, the largest female macaque around and the      oldest in M1's group. That did the trick, the social tide shifted,      and they made their move. M1 lost his rank and eventually left the      group.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Dominance is not a biological characteristic of an individual;      it's a social position. Individuals can move through different      dominance ranks across their lives. You may identify some of these      aspects of primate dominance in your own life, but it's a lot more      complicated for humans. We are multifaceted in how we build      relationships and how we alter or destroy them. Still, the ways in      which monkeys and other primates creatively navigate their social      worlds serve as a guide to how the spark of primate creativity      became the five-alarm inferno of human creativity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When we think about other animals, especially primates, we often      think about aggression and violence, but social creativity is      about much more than that. As with many primates, long-tailed      macaque males have those fangs. One good bite could open an      eight-inch gash two inches deep in a person's thigh. If they made      a habit of aggressively using their teeth, we'd see massive      injuries on a regular basis, but we don't. Most aggression in      primates is limited to low-key threats and chases, with real      physical fighting being far less frequent. And when aggression      does occur, the resulting wounds are less grievous than one might      expect. Primates check their violence, usually devising creative      solutions to meet the challenges of social life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e After being evicted from his group, M1 hung out in the general      area, sticking by himself for almost four months. Then, gradually,      he began hanging around the central group (Short-tail's group),      but only on the outskirts. Next, he approached a few low-ranking      females and their offspring and did something that really      surprised all of us watching him: He made nice. He would offer to      groom these females and even play with their young. At first the      females were wary; they'd seen him from afar in his previous group      and knew he was not the warm-and-cuddly type. But as he persisted      they gradually changed their tune. After a few more months, M1 was      in the middle of the group, playing with five or six young,      lounging with a cluster of females, and looking downright mellow.      When the resident males came around, he showed signs of submission      and they left him more or less alone. Shortly thereafter he      started having sex-lots of it-with the females: His calm demeanor      and frequent grooming and playing with the young had placed him in      good favor. Even after a few years this pattern remained the same,      M1 seemed like a totally different primate. But he wasn't; he was      just doing what primates do so well-living a complex and dynamic      social life and coming up with a creative solution when new      circumstances demanded it. The hierarchy didn't govern his life;      it was simply something to work with.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This ability is easy to overlook and to undervalue, but, again, it      is what sets the stage for the emergence of a particular kind of      creativity, the spark that sets our lineage on fire.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e What Can Happen in a Soap Opera\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Living organisms change and adapt, or they fail to and suffer the      consequences. Animals have to respond to the pressures of the      world to survive. But unlike a hermit crab that employs a dead      snail's shell to make itself a home, or an earthworm that through      digestion changes the chemical makeup of soil to make it livable,      primates respond to the pressure from the world around them not      just by physically reacting to the environment, but also by      constructing a network of peaceful and aggressive relationships      with the other monkeys around them-a social niche. So while all      the socializing, fighting, making up, and jockeying for social      position that goes on in primates' lives might resemble a soap      opera, these behaviors reflect a suite of successful responses to      life's pressures. This gives primates a buffer most other species      don't have. If primates successfully use this buffer against      life's pressures, they can carve out more space in their lives to      innovate-just like the macaques at Padangtegal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e These Balinese macaques have it pretty good. They get food from      the surrounding forest as well as from the temple staff and      tourists. They are healthy, they don't have to go far to find      food, and the food that they do get is very high in nutrition and      easy to consume. This scenario results in something that      scientists call an \"ecological release.\" It's not that the      macaques don't have to respond to pressures in their environment;      it's just that the pressures they face are not particularly harsh.      These macaques have a good deal of free time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Time enough for, say, new hobbies.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e At Padangtegal, young and old, male and female, monkeys spend time      playing with rocks. They rub them on the ground, in circles, and      in puddles of water. They stack them carefully, knock them down,      and restack them. They wrap the small rocks in leaves or bits of      paper and roll them back and forth across the ground. Every now      and then they even use a rock as a tool, to pound a piece of food      or to scratch an itch. Aside from being entertaining to watch (for      humans) and fun to do (for the macaques), there is no apparent      purpose to this behavior, and that is the point. In their leisure      time these macaques combine their penchant for manipulating      objects and their curiosity (both usually associated with getting      food) into a behavior that is quite new. It is not sufficient that      they have free time for this kind of play. They must be creative.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Padangtegal monkeys are not alone in this interesting      behavior. This same species of macaque, in Thailand and Burma,      also uses stones and shells as tools. The researcher Michael      Gumert and his colleagues describe the use of stones to break open      shellfish by the macaques. He also reports that the monkeys grab      one type of sharp, spiral snail shell off rocks on the beach and      use it to pry open one of their favorite foods: mussels.      Researchers across Africa have studied chimpanzees using rocks to      crack open nuts, twigs to fish for termites, and leaves to drink      water at numerous locations for more than fifty years.      Investigators in Costa Rica report the use of stones and sticks by      capuchin monkeys as well. Humans are not the only tool-using      primates, nor are primates the only tool-using animals. It's not      only the use of rocks, sticks, and shells that reflects the      primate spark of creativity; it's the variety of ways distinct      groups use them.","brand":"Dutton","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301057614053,"sku":"NP9781101983942","price":37.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781101983942.jpg?v=1767738870","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-creative-spark-isbn-9781101983942","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}