First published 2021
Daniel E. Lieberman explores the natural history of physical activity and sport across human evolution. The author of "Historia del cuerpo humano" argues that homo sapiens never adapted for exercise and sport. For millennia, physical exertion served as punishment rather than pleasure. Oscar Wilde endured four daily hours on a treadmill during his imprisonment at Reading. Lieberman examines this paradox: sport brings both health benefits and pain, operates as both free activity and profitable industry. Modern humans pay to suffer through activities they have removed from daily life through sedentary work, online shopping, and vehicle overuse. The author contends that contemporary beliefs about sport stem from myths created by modern industry. Commercial exploitation of fitness has generated half-truths, exaggerations, and unscientific claims while ignoring evolutionary and anthropological evidence. This industrial approach has even fostered discrimination against non-athletes. Lieberman applies evolutionary study to illuminate how readers can make rational decisions about health and physical activity.
Genres: anthropology, non-fiction, health, biology, academic, history-of-science
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: academic-subject
500 pages · Paperback · Pasado & Presente