A criticism of sociobiology by one of the world's foremost anthropologists

“Grounded in the logic of cultural anthropology, this book is a highly original contribution to one of the most exciting intellectual debates of our era… Sahlins stands almost alone in clearly and convincingly pointing out the weaknesses of sociobiology’s epistemological presuppositions.” – Vern Carroll, The University of Michigan

“Sahlins’ book is an extended brief for a simple and cogent argument: human behavior cannot be reduced to biology because culture interposes itself as a unique level between the genotype and the phenotype of human conduct.” – Stephan Jay Gould, Harvard University