A Theory of Human and Primate Evolution

A new theory is developed in this text which examines the evidence of evolution in the light of new evolutionary models and advances in taxonomic theory. The author rejects the cladistic school of taxonomy and argues that internal processes play a much greater role in the evolution of humanity. The theory continues that the formation of new species is the main boost to evolutionary change, that evolutionary novelties tend to arise in the centre of a species' distribution, and that taxonomy, once of secondary importance, has become a major process in evolutionary interpretation. It is claimed that the resulting picture of human and primate evolution is one that fits the facts more successfully than the orthodox "onward and upward through adaptation" model.