Catching Fire by Richard Wrangham: How Fire Established Humankind

    The first well-known introduction of the theory of evolution was in 1859, introduced by Charles Darwin in On the Origin of Species. It is difficult to find ideas that challenge or add revolutionary ideas to the basis of evolution. However, Richard Wrangham presents radical concepts regarding the role that fire, and more specifically cooking, had in the development of the human body and society as we know it. In Wrangham’s book, Catching Fire, he convincingly argues that learning to cook caused the change of human physiology, introduced a domestic lifestyle, and allowed the brain’s expansion. 

    Firstly, a main concept discussed in Catching Fire is that cooking has significantly altered human physiology. For example, Wrangham states, “Our small mouths, teeth, and guts fit well with the softness, high caloric density, low fiber content, and high digestibility of cooked food” (44). This is supported by the concept that humans had to adapt to their food or conditions, not the other way around. Specifically, cooking gelatinized carbohydrates and denatured raw meat, which did much of the work that the digestive system would handle, so gut size could decrease (65-67). In addition, fire allowed humans to save body heat resulting in the loss of body hair that our ancestors sported (182-183).

    Contrastingly, cooking developed a considerable social dynamic in the form of familial households and social norms. Wrangham discusses how the need for cooked meals caused the “division of labor by sex [...] promot[ing] moral standards [...] specialization of labor also increases productivity” (137). Social norms placed the responsibility of cooking on women, while her partner guarded her food and enjoyed a reliable food source (Wrangham 171). Although it is debatable whether this arrangement is fair, it led to a uniquely human social network.

    The last and possibly most powerful result of cooking was increased brain capacity, causing physical change and ripples of social effects. This phenomenon can be explained by the expensive tissue hypothesis: the growth of brains is possible by reducing “expensive” bodily tissue. Cooked food allowed humans to spend less energy on their intestines and digestive tissues, allowing more energy for brain development (112-113). Increased brain activity led to improved dietary quality, which allowed less energy use, increased brain growth, ergo a positive feedback loop. Light from the fire even extended their days, and consequently free time to spend. Furthermore, Wrangham states that cooking saved humans approximately four hours of chewing a day, which allowed humans less time restrictive, and therefore more effective, hunting. 

    To conclude, Richard Wrangham convincingly argues the momentous effects of cooking on humans, physically and socially. Specific key arguments were that cooking changed human needs, and the body, as a result, allowed a social dynamic and network in the form of households and increased brain size. He articulates his ideas in an intertwining tapestry of history, and how each result of cooking affected another aspect of humans in a domino effect resulting in the complex human body and society. The presentation of a variety of evidence as well as the layering of arguments creates a plausible rationale and conclusion. Many consider the human body a miracle, but Wrangham argues that it was not a miracle that caused it, it was cooking.