Del Savio L, Mameli M. Human domestication and the roles of human agency in human evolution.
HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE LIFE SCIENCES 2020;
42:21. [PMID:
32458082 PMCID:
PMC7250791 DOI:
10.1007/s40656-020-00315-0]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Are humans a domesticated species? How is this issue related to debates on the roles of human agency in human evolution? This article discusses four views on human domestication: (1) Darwin's view; (2) the view of those who link human domestication to anthropogenic niche construction and, more specifically, to sedentism; (3) the view of those who link human domestication to selection against aggression and the domestication syndrome; and (4) a novel view according to which human domestication can be conceived of in terms of a process of political selection. The article examines and compares these views to illustrate how discussions of human domestication can contribute to debates about how, and to what extent, human agency has affected human evolution.
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