Ain't simplifyin'

Complexities, edited by Susan McKinnon and Sydel Silverman (University of Chicago Press, £20/$14), is an attack on the reductionism that suggests biological determinism can answer all our questions about human behaviour. This is a useful gathering together of experts, though you may recognise some of the arguments. You can further sharpen your mind with Chris Scarre’s wonderful The Human Past (Thames & Hudson, £29.95).