Evolutions
eBook - ePub

Evolutions

Fifteen Myths That Explain Our World

  1. 256 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Evolutions

Fifteen Myths That Explain Our World

About this book

"An absolute joy to read . . . it is Harman's skill in blending contemporary science and traditional storytelling that makes this book truly brilliant." —Randy Rosenthal, New York Journal of Books
We no longer think, like the ancient Chinese did, that the world was hatched from an egg, or, like the Maori, that it came from the tearing-apart of a love embrace. The Greeks told of a tempestuous Hera and a cunning Zeus, but we now use genes and natural selection to explain fear and desire, and physics to demystify the workings of the universe.
Science is an astounding achievement, but are we really any wiser than the ancients? Has science revealed the secrets of fate and immortality? Has it provided protection from jealousy or love? There are those who believe that science has replaced faith, but must it also be a death knell for mythology?
Evolutions brings to life the latest scientific thinking on the birth of the universe and the solar system, the journey from a single cell all the way to our human minds. Reawakening our sense of wonder, Oren Harman uses modern science to create new and original mythologies. Here are the earth and the moon presenting a cosmological view of motherhood, a panicking mitochondrion introducing sex and death to the world. Science may not solve our existential puzzles, but like the age-old legends, its magical discoveries can help us continue the never-ending search.
"Breathtaking . . . The processes of evolution are at times so huge and ungraspable for the mind—so magical—that they can perhaps only be fathomed through the language of myth . . . Brilliant." —Karin Altenberg, Wall Street Journal
"Harman is a marvelous intellectual companion." —David B. Green, Haaretz

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Yes, you can access Evolutions by Oren Harman in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Philosophy & Evolution. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Notice
  4. Dedication
  5. Introduction
  6. Fate: The Birth of the Universe
  7. Hubris: The Creation of the Solar System
  8. Motherhood: The Earth and the Moon
  9. Immortality: Life Comes to the Planet
  10. Love: The Web of Life
  11. Freedom: Symbiosis
  12. Death: Sex
  13. Pride: The Origins of Multicellularity
  14. Jealousy: The Invention of the Eye
  15. Curiosity: Onto Land
  16. Solitude: Into the Air
  17. Sacrifice: Return to the Sea
  18. Memory: The Beginnings of Consciousness
  19. Truth: Language Is Born
  20. Hope: Tricks of the Mind
  21. Illuminations
  22. Acknowledgments
  23. Also by Oren Harman
  24. A Note About the Author
  25. Newsletter Sign-up
  26. Contents
  27. Copyright