Review article
WELCOME TO THE PLEISTOCENE HOUSE ENVIRONMENTAL IDEAS OF PAUL SHEPARD
Tomislav Markus
Abstract
The author presents environmental theories of an American ecologist and anthropologist, Paul Shepard (1925– 1996),
one of the first thinkers who systematically applied ecology on the behaviour of humans. Right at the end og 1960s,
Shepard pointed out a subversive character of ecology, which questions prevalent atomistic and mechanic comprehension
of the world. Shepard acted on behalf of the hypothesis bio-cultural discontinuity, according to which environmental and
other problems of the civilized man arise from our evolutional adaptation to the tribal gatherers’ and hunters’ life.
According to Shepard, the history of civilisation is characterized by numerous forms of collective madness – wars,
environmental destructions, the state, interpersonal exploitation - that are the consequence of the shortage of evolutional
adaptability. In his numerous works, Shepard defended the integrity of wild habitats, emphasized the significance of place
and organic environment for normal development of a child, analysed the impact of non-human species on the shaping of
human nature and criticized many aspects of modern civilisation, from the myth of progress to the mass tourism and
consumerism. As an alternative, Shepard proposed the restoration of at least some of the elements of the existing wild habitats.
Keywords
Paul Shepard; Pleistocene genome; bio-cultural discontinuity hypothesis; evolutional adaptation; domestification; hunters’ and gatherers’ living
Hrčak ID:
9041
URI
Publication date:
15.1.2005.
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