ABSTRACT
S omething extraordinary happened on the evolutionary path that gave rise to creatures capable of culture. The changes are so profound it is as if we humans were somehow domesticated. Levels of violence are drastically lower than for the other great apes. We are born helpless, we require extended care, and we actively teach each other. We pay exquisite attention to each other’s wishes and emotional states. We not only cooperate in ways other great apes cannot, we also form deep attachments to nonrelatives and groups that result in altruistic behaviors obviously harmful to tness. Even our bones are different from our ancestors in ways typical of a domesticated species (Leach, 2003).
