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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.