"To think of ourselves as misfits in our own time and of our own making flatly contradicts what we now understand about the way evolution works—namely, that rate matters. That evolution can be fast, slow, or in-between, and understanding what makes the difference is far more enlightening, and exciting, than holding our flabby modern selves up against a vision—accurate or not—of our well-muscled and harmoniously adapted ancestors."
A new book Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us About Sex, Diet and How We Live by Marlene Zuk, labels as "fantasy" the popular notion that we humans have been (and continue to be) better suited anatomically and behaviorally to the life style experienced by our distant ancestors. Was there ever a time when our species was superbly adapted to our environment?
I, for one, am more concerned to be what we are becoming than I am desirous of becoming more of what we have been.
Misguided Nostalgia for Our Paleo Past