HUMAN ORIGINS
HUMAN ORIGINS
Homo habilus 2.5-1.5MYA
Australopithecus afarensis 4-3MYA
Australopithecus africanus 3-2.3MYA
Ardipithecus 6-4MYA
Paranthropus (Australopithecus) boisei 2-1MYA
“Recent” fossils of genus Homo
Homo erectus 2-?MYA Homo neanderthalensis 0.5-0.025MYA
Homo floriensis ?-0.01MYA
Chris Stringer’s (Nature 2012) theory of Homo evolution
Criticisms & Controversies
• Incompleteness of many fossil forms
• Perceptual biases
• Determination of species distinctions
• Determination of antecedent/descendent relationships
• Relative timing of changes in brain size, bipedalism, tool use, diet, habitat, climate, language, culture ...
• The process of change
• Are humans (just) animals?
• Would ape ancestry compromise human uniqueness or importance?
• What defines “human”?
• What does it mean to be “human”?
• What is meant by “created in God’s image?”
• How should the story of Adam & Eve & the fall be interpreted?
• How do we understand “human nature”?
• A final comment: Consider the two geneologies of Jesus in the gospels: – They do not exactly match
– They contain disreputable characters
– Discordant geneologies and evil ancestry don’t compromise Jesus’ identity.