Abstract

Hecht Louise*

Reconstructing human evolution is a notoriously challenging and perilous task. While it is well-established that our phylogenetic legacy exists in primates, especially anthropoids, and among anthropoids, the great apes, we are extremely derived in numerous parts of our biology. Consequently, reconstructing the pathway of how human behavior evolved is fraught with trouble. Reconstructing the evolution of behavior from paleontology and archeology is limited and, at best, dependent upon connections among surviving primate taxa and/or extrapolations from the behaviour of modern humans to special circumstances previously. Nevertheless, humans want to know how they came to be and trying to explain our odd existence is probably among one of our longstanding characteristics.