This chapter examines the complexity of critical thinking within the field of human evolution and explores the unique contributions that history and philosophy of science can offer. Contrary to a reductive view that portrays the field of human evolution as narrowly positivist—driven solely by paleontological and archeological discoveries and technological advances—I argue that critical reflection is, in fact, central to its development. The chapter pursues two main objectives. First, it seeks to define and map the various dimensions of “criticism” in human evolution, clarifying the multiple meanings of “critical” and the foundations of critical approaches within the field. Second, it emphasizes that history and philosophy do not exercise their critical capacities against paleoanthropology and archeology, but in concert with them. I explore the ways in which historical and philosophical inquiries can productively engage with and contribute to research on human evolutionary history.