Why Us?: How Science Rediscovered the Mystery of Ourselves - Rilegato

Lefanu, James

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 037542198X ISBN 13: 9780375421983

Casa editrice: Pantheon Books, 2009

Riassunto

The triumph of science in explaining man’s unique place in the universe might seem almost complete. But in this lucid and compelling account, James Le Fanu describes how in the recent past science has come face-to-face with two seemingly unanswerable questions concerning the nature of genetic inheritance and the workings of the brain–questions that suggest there is, after all, “more than we can know.”

“Scientists do not ‘do’ wonder,” he writes in his introduction. “Rather . . . they have interpreted the world through the prism of supposing there is nothing in principle that cannot be accounted for.” But Le Fanu argues that there is nothing so full of wonder as life itself. As revealed by recent scientific research, it is simply not possible to get from the monotonous sequence of genes strung out along the double helix to the infinite beauty and diversity of the living world, or from the electrical activity of the brain to the richness and abundant creativity of the human mind. Le Fanu’s exploration of these mysteries, and his analysis of where they might lead us in our thinking about the nature and purpose of human existence, form the impassioned and riveting heart of Why Us?

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Informazioni sull?autore

James Le Fanu holds a medical degree and writes about medicine and health for The Sunday Telegraph in London. He won The Los Angeles Times Book Prize for science and technology in 2000 for The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine. He lives in England.

Dettagli dell?edizione

• Editore: Pantheon Books
• Data di pubblicazione: 2009
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 037542198X
• ISBN 13: 9780375421983
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 303
• Contatto del produttore: non disponibile