Particularize Epithetical Books Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence
| Title | : | Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence |
| Author | : | Carl Sagan |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 271 pages |
| Published | : | December 12th 1986 by Ballantine Books (first published April 12th 1977) |
| Categories | : | Science. Nonfiction. Biology. Evolution. Philosophy. Psychology |
Carl Sagan
Paperback | Pages: 271 pages Rating: 4.18 | 17096 Users | 659 Reviews
Interpretation Toward Books Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence
The most hauting question that this book poses is this :Chimpanzees can abstract. Like other mammals, they are capable of strong emotions.Why, exactly, all over the civilized world, in virtually every major city, are apes in prison?
For a species that has proclaimed itself to be the rulers of Earth, this is not a very difficult question to answer for us. It is a single word : suppression. We humans never much liked competition from other creatures and history tells us that this was how we overcame all our natural predators through weaponry or guile in the eons past. A moment of reflection on our past brings up that question : why did the other humanoids not survive while our ancestors did ? How did they all gt wiped out ? Natural selection could not have been the only answer.This book is one that shook me out of cerebral complacency and like a good author, Sagan opens the cobweb laden windows of my brain and lets the light in.
This is a book length introspection into the nature of human intellect. From the first tottering steps of our primate ancestors to today's technologically addicted life forms, how has the journey been for that mass of tissue between our ears ? This is what Sagan attempts to answer. In simple,lucid and easy to comprehend prose the author breaks down the story of how our brains assumed today's form and reflexes. It is a tour de force that mixes and matches history,paleontology, psychology and other branches of human understanding to come up with a fascinating study.
The evolution of the brain and how the most primal fears in our psyche still rule our subconscious is a fascinating observation and forms the best part of this book. The aspect of the Triune brain and the R-complex's involvement in human behavior is what Sagan calls the Dragons chained away in the dungeons of our minds. Our basic aversion to reptiles and the dreams populated with snakes coupled with the dreams of a fall from a height are all speculated upon by Sagan in teh backdrop of our dreams. They were quire revelatory and while I might at a later point in time (with more reading)debate these points, they did rekindle my interest in the human brain's inner workings.
I finished reading, put down the book and ran my fingers through my hair and muttered You are a rockstar to my brain. The kind of rockstar who you can never fully figure out is how it might react to that comment !
This book is highly recommended and it is no fluke that I rate all of Sagan's books so far as five stars. This is stuff that will genuinely interest the skeptical mind.
Itemize Books Conducive To Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence
| Original Title: | The Dragons of Eden |
| ISBN: | 0345346297 (ISBN13: 9780345346292) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction (1978), National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee for General Nonfiction (1977) |
Rating Epithetical Books Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence
Ratings: 4.18 From 17096 Users | 659 ReviewsRate Epithetical Books Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence
"Chimpanzees can abstract. Like other mammals, they are capable of strong emotions.Why, exactly, all over the civilized world, in virtually every major city, are apes in prison?""Humans have systematically exterminated those other primates who displayed signs of intelligence."Carl Sagan is the best science teacher one can ever get. Even though I am not a biology major, I was able to enjoy this book. A great book where he talks about EVERYTHING that you ever wanted to know about your brain."Science is only a Latin word for Knowledge and Knowledge is our destiny"- Carl SaganI'll be honest, initial 50 pages of the book gave me all the reasons to give up this and start anew. The credit goes to the biological backdrop of the book but with time, I realized that my age old belief of biology, being an enigma and a damp squib, was based on all wrong perceptions.As the name suggests, the speculation on human intelligence by the author largely consists of the evolution of mankind from Homo
I'd read this book a few years ago, and loved it. It's a great introduction to brain anatomy, consciousness/subconsciousness, and evolution. An "easy" read, if any book that deals with these types of topics can be considered as such. Sagan is good at presenting complex material in an interesting and palatable way. It made me want to start paying more attention to my dreams. (He also relates one of his personal experiences of smoking marijuana, and his theories of the effects it might have on the
Pure bliss. In the inimitable manner of Carl Sagan, engrossing, enlightening and amusing in equal measure.
DNFREAD LIKE A TEXTBOOKWRITTEN IN 1977 KINDA OUTDATED
The most hauting question that this book poses is this : Chimpanzees can abstract. Like other mammals, they are capable of strong emotions.Why, exactly, all over the civilized world, in virtually every major city, are apes in prison? For a species that has proclaimed itself to be the rulers of Earth, this is not a very difficult question to answer for us. It is a single word : suppression. We humans never much liked competition from other creatures and history tells us that this was how we
-Fun Facts About Brains-Why the Genesis Story Was Metaphorically Correct-Why Sigmund Freud Was Basically Correct-Why Are We So Mean to Monkeys-What If the Dino Extinction Supernova Annihilated Its Orbiting Worlds-Computer Games Are Fun-In the Future We Can Have Bigger Brains Thanks to C-Sections (eep)Carl Sagan was quite the philosopher, and his passion for the universe and for public education comes through loud and clear. A skeptic and rationalist with a romantic, fantastic vision - for one so
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