The Social Leap
The New Evolutionary Science of Who We Are, Where We Come from, and What Makes Us Happy
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The Social Leap
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Narrated by:
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Michael David Axtell
About this listen
In the compelling popular science tradition of Sapiens and Guns, Germs, and Steel, a groundbreaking and eye-opening exploration that applies evolutionary science to provide a new perspective on human psychology, revealing how major challenges from our past have shaped some of the most fundamental aspects of our being.
The most fundamental aspects of our lives - from leadership and innovation to aggression and happiness - were permanently altered by the "social leap" our ancestors made from the rain forest to the Savannah. Their struggle to survive on the open grasslands required a shift from individualism to a new form of collectivism, which forever altered the way our mind works. It changed the way we fight and our proclivity to make peace, it changed the way we lead and the way we follow, it made us innovative but not inventive, it created a new kind of social intelligence, and it led to new sources of life satisfaction.
In The Social Leap, William von Hippel lays out this revolutionary hypothesis, tracing human development through three critical evolutionary inflection points to explain how events in our distant past shape our lives today. From the mundane, such as why we exaggerate, to the surprising, such as why we believe our own lies and why fame and fortune are as likely to bring misery as happiness, the implications are far-reaching and extraordinary.
Blending anthropology, biology, history, and psychology with evolutionary science, The Social Leap is a fresh and provocative look at our species that provides new clues about who we are, what makes us happy, and how to use this knowledge to improve our lives.
©2018 William von Hippel (P)2018 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Social Leap
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mr simon m dallender
- 22-03-19
Fascinating from start to finish.
This is a thought provoking, deep and insightful book. It remains accessible and engaging throughout and builds a very clear and well thought out position that is both immediately relevant to our society today and reflective of our evolutionary past. I will be buying a hard copy so I can dip in and out of this brilliant work again and again.
The delivery was perfect in so much as I have nothing to say about it. I would happily listen to this voice artist for hours without giving it any thought.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Georges Ajaka
- 29-03-19
Excellent book
Very interesting and easy for someone with no prior knowledge. Lots of good examples and relates our ancestors lives to ours, making it very understandable.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- flexiblemirror
- 04-01-19
Wow!! I learned more than in the last decade.
I’m taking keen interest in what makes humans the way we are including anthropology and neuroscience and am a fan of books such as Sapiens or Factfulness. The Social Leap is outstanding. Solid science and fantastic storytelling. Easy to follow and FULL of insights I’ve not come across before as well as well framed facts I’ve known about. This book prompts me to make a number of adjustments in my life which are perfect for the New Year resolutions and my goals for 2019 (it’s 4th January when I’m writing this). Highly recommended book for all curious people out there
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 08-02-19
next level!!!!
such an awesome book, would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the mind and society 👍👍👍
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 22-08-20
Informational, researched and thought provoking.
Very well researched. Informational. Could've used more storytelling, all around very thought provoking. Bravo!
4/5
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Zayin gadol
- 16-01-19
amazing book and great narration
looking for an easy read and interesting?
look no more. lots of case studies brought in an easy going manner and enjoyable.
pretty much explaining how we are as a society developed and will hopefully develop more...
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Luke
- 20-11-18
amazing read
Brilliant book, explained in a easy to follow way, would highly recommend this for anyone interested in evolution
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- john
- 28-05-20
How to understand yourself and others
incredibley written
humerous moments
insanely insightful
increases your empathy with others
If you want to understand your own habbits and psychy, look no further
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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- Ras
- 03-09-19
frustrating as nothing new
The book's contents are not original at all. It is just a compilation of ideas from other popular science books. For instance, there are many references to Pinker's and Acemoglu's books. Occasionally, there are some interesting factual research findings presented in the book, but that's all. Narration is good though. It is a very easy listen but it is only for very novice audience who knows almost nothing about evolutionary theories or some famous works on psychology. Otherwise, it is a rather boring book for someone who already read some evolutionary psychology and economics books...I am surprised at (and also frustrated by) the positive comments. I guess it all depends on the audience.
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3 people found this helpful