The Cannibal Within (Evolutionary Foundations of Human Behavior) Book

The evolutionary underpinnings of cannibalism as a survival strategy that has been practiced since prehistoric times and is still practiced are the subject of Lewis Petrinovich?s new book. The Cannibal Within sets out to provide an evolutionary account of the propensity of human beings in extreme circumstances, such as chronic famine or acute starvation, to eat other human beings, despite the strong Western taboo against the practice. The subject lends itself to both an academic and a larger audience, and for a similar reason: the lurid fascination with the dark side of human behavior. What sets Petrinovich?s account apart from the large body of literature on cannibalism, both popular and anthropological, is the underlying premise. Cannibalism as an alternative to starvation is tacitly condoned by the same biological morality that would condemn cannibalism of other sorts. Deep as the taboos may be, the survival instinct runs deeper. CONTENTS Preface · 1. Introduction to People Eating · 2. Cannibalism during Western Migrations · 3. Shipwreck Disasters · 4. Airline and Arctic Cannibals · 5. Osteoarchaeological Evidence · 6. Ritual Cannibalism · 7. Myth in Anthropology · 8. Political Famines and Starvation · 9. The Literary Imagination · References · IndexRead More