Hands - Cosmosapiens: human evolution from the origin of the universe

First published in hardcover in the United States and the United Kingdom in 2016 by

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2015 by John Hands

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ISBN: 978-1-4683-1324-6

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S pecialist scientific fields are developing at incredibly swift speeds, but what can they really tell us about how the universe began and how we humans evolved to play such a dominant role on Earth?

John Handss extraordinarily ambitious quest is to bring together this scientific knowledge and evaluate without bias or preconception all the theories and evidence about the origin and evolution of matter, life, consciousness, and humankind.

This astonishing book provides the most comprehensive account yet of current ideas such as cosmic inflation, dark energy, the selfish gene, and neurogenetic determinism. In the clearest possible prose it differentiates the firmly established from the speculative and examines the claims of various fields such as string theory to approach a unified theory of everything. In doing so it challenges the orthodox consensus in those branches of cosmology, biology, and neuroscience that have ossified into dogma.

Its striking analysis reveals underlying patterns of cooperation, complexification, and convergence that lead to the unique emergence in humans of a self-reflective consciousness that enables us to determine our future evolution.

This groundbreaking book is destined to become a classic of scientific thinking.

Handss book is a game-changer. In the tradition of Thomas Kuhns The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, this lucidly written, penetrating analysis challenges us to rethink many things we take for granted about ourselves, our society, and our universe. It will become a classic.

PETER DREIER, E P Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics, Occidental College

John Hands has attempted a remarkable thing: nothing less than an exhaustive account of the current state of scientific knowledge about the origins and evolution of the cosmos, life and humanity. His driving questions are those that have inspired all of science, religion and philosophy: What are we? Where do we come from? What is the source of consciousness, value and meaning? Hands painstakingly summarises the current state of knowledge in a huge variety of fields, from cosmology to evolutionary psychology, in enviably lucid prose. His conclusions are measured and sceptical, and his conception of the limits of science is well-argued: he gives an extremely clear view of what science has established, what it has not established, and what it never will. This is a truly exceptional piece of work.

TIM CRANE, Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy, University of Cambridge

John Hands is an astute observer of recent trends in scientific ideas bold enough to point out what he sees as sense and nonsense and intelligently explain why. Even in cases where one might disagree, the arguments are thought-provoking.

PAUL STEINHARDT, Albert Einstein Professor in Science, Princeton University

There have been numerous books seeking to tell a tale that opens with the beginning of our universe and, after a long, dry journey, concludes with the ultimate event: the emergence of our species, Homo sapiens. None has done this better, more clearly, and with greater thought and documentation than John Hands. But he goes on to conclude that, uniquely as far as we know, we are the unfinished product of an accelerating cosmic evolutionary process and the self-reflective agents of our future evolution. A work as bold, broad, and challenging as this will no doubt tweak the bias any one of us may have regarding a particular event, but, then, so did Darwins On the Origin of Species.

JEFFREY SCHWARTZ, Professor of Physical Anthropology and of The History & Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh

A magisterial, persuasive and thought provoking survey of the horizons of modern science.

DR JAMES LE FANU, author of The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine

This book is an intellectual tour-de-force: a review of about all the major scientific theories that purport to explain the origins of the universe, matter, life and mind. The approach is refreshingly agnostic, as the author systematically points out how much we still dont know and perhaps never will know. He critically dissects the relevant observations, theories and hypotheses, both mainstream and alternative, pointing our both their strengths, andalas much more numerousweaknesses. As such, he provides a welcome counterpoint to the sensationalism that typically accompanies the latest discoveries in fields such as cosmology, genetics or string theory, discoveries that are most often outdated within a couple of years as new data or interpretations come in. Yet, in spite of this skeptical stance, he genuinely attempts to synthesize the cumulative results, following the emergence of humanity from the Big Bang (which may never have happened) via the formation of matter in stars and the origin of life on Earth to the development of consciousness and culture. Moreover, he manages to explain all these intrinsically very difficult concepts and theories in a clear and readable language, without falling into the common style of popularization that substitutes anecdotes and human interest for scientific reasoning. The book is highly recommended for anyone wishing to get a deeper insight into the fundamental but typically arcane theories that purport to explain where we and the universe that surrounds us are coming from.

PROFESSOR FRANCIS HEYLIGHEN, Evolution, Complexity and Cognition Group, Free University of Brussels

It often takes an outsider to see the limitations of conventional science. As far as biological evolution is concerned, John Hands has done a remarkable job of disentangling the many topics that are long overdue for reinterpretation. The enormous effort he has made to cover so many evolutionary questions is heroic. That is the first step to making progress. A major accomplishment.

PROFESSOR JAMES SHAPIRO, author of Evolution: A View From The 21st Century

An audacious and admirable book. John Hands tackles the major questions of science ranging from the origin of the universe to the evolution of humans. The book is written with engaging style, and the strongest scientific ideas across a swathe of fields in physics and biology are presented lucidly.

LARRY STEINMAN, Professor of Neurological Sciences, Stanford University

With depth and virtuosity, John Hands explores the Big Questions of human existence: who are we? why are we here? where are we headed? This is a vital work of science fact which deserves attention. Handss voyage of inquiry will not only educate you, it will also surprise.

DEREK SHEARER, Director, McKinnon Center for Global Affairs, Los Angeles