Embracing Human Imperfection: A Review of Maria Martinon Torres’ “Imperfect Man”

There are many books that ⁤deal ​with the imperfection⁣ of human biological existence based on ​evolutionary medicine or Darwinian medicine, starting with ⁤George Williams and Randolph Ness’s Why We Get ‍Sick. Here is​ another⁣ book, Imperfect ⁢Man, by Spanish⁣ evolutionary ⁢anthropologist Maria ⁢Martinon Torres. Is it just another book to add to ⁢the ‍field, ⁣or does it show a ⁢slightly different or advanced perspective, and⁣ leave us with something more?

The diseases that humans suffer from are evolutionarily meaningful, and ⁣most ⁢of them are explained as a result‍ of ⁢the Stone Age body’s inability to adapt ⁣to the rapidly changing environment of ​today. These diseases include dementia and aging. The topics covered in this book seem to ​be no different. Aging, anxiety, cancer, infections, cardiovascular accidents,‌ neurodegeneration, violence, and fear of death. If we look at all of these, we can see that they ⁢were ‍formed evolutionarily‍ and can be ⁤explained that way. Some are due ​to‌ the⁢ pleiotropy of genes, or because they were advantageous for survival in the past but have ⁤not⁣ yet been eliminated even though ⁢circumstances have changed, ⁢or because they are essential‌ for ⁣human survival,⁢ so‍ they remain on the list⁤ of ‍characteristics that we humans have.

So why is it meaningful to know that these⁣ ‘diseases’⁢ are the result of‍ our discord with the world ​we‍ have created, that is, evolutionary thinking? The author‍ admits. Even knowing this does not mean that ⁣most of us can immediately suggest any cures (although there are⁣ some possibilities, such as research showing​ that ‍changes in⁤ nervous system activation can cross-influence the endocrine and immune systems).

However, it is comforting to know that many of the diseases or discomforts we experience are evolutionarily formed and that there is a ‍reason for them. They are not necessarily flaws, but rather the‌ price we ‌pay for a greater ⁣good. We can relax and deal with diseases with a slightly‍ more generous mind. (In fact, I wonder if⁣ I, ⁢or my family, can⁤ do that when they⁣ get a ‌serious illness. That is why⁤ I want to place greater value on ‘knowing’ itself.)

But ‍the ⁣most ‌impressive part of ‌this book is about ‘death’. As ⁤an expert⁣ who ​analyzes fossils of ancient humans, especially teeth, and‍ analyzes their conditions, the author cannot help but think about​ death (first of all, the author‍ graduated from medical school and‍ started his career as a doctor). However, the various‌ signs ⁤of disease or ‍injury found in⁣ the fossils of the dead⁣ do not ‍show that they died⁤ from it, but rather that ‌they⁣ were able to ⁤live or tried to live. In ‌other words, it‌ shows⁢ that the group valued ⁢the lives of their fellows.

This is‌ a story along the same lines as when ​anthropologist Margaret Mead answered that the ⁤first sign ⁤of civilization was a ‘healed femur.’ ​In the ⁤animal world,‌ a fellow with a broken femur ⁢is unlikely to‍ survive for a long time. However, humans⁤ have shown evidence that this was not the case at some point. ‍Although imperfect, they possessed⁢ the consciousness‍ to overcome‌ that imperfection. The author believes that ⁤the qualitative leap of humans‌ was made in relation to⁢ ‘death.’

Another feature of this⁢ book is that almost every chapter is ​accompanied by ⁤a literary work.​ The author is a ⁣scientist and an⁣ institution director, ​but he⁤ has a⁣ deep literary background to the point of opening ⁢a ‌short ⁢story bookstore with a friend. The stories of human evolutionary imperfection and overcoming it ‍are all contained in literary works. Scientists⁢ look for evidence, but ‍novelists instinctively recognize it. Here again, we confirm ​that humanistic background and ‌scientific passion⁤ and depth are not mutually exclusive.