A fascinating take on human intelligence.
A science writer examines various aspects of human intelligence.
While many of us believe that possessing a higher degree of intelligence is inherently good, Gregg shows how increased cognitive skills do not necessarily equate to success. In fact, human intelligence has frequently resulted in tragic consequences, and “evolution is still deciding what to make of the human capacity for causal reasoning.” Humans are keenly aware of their own mortality, and knowledge of the inevitability of death has resulted in ongoing holy wars among competing ideologies. Similarly, so-called moral reasoning has been used to justify innumerable “unbelievably repugnant and horrifying” actions. The author closely examines “the dark reality of the human moral capacity: We, as a species, can justify—on moral grounds—genocide. Not just cultural genocide, but the murder of entire populations and racial groups, including children.” In a seemingly innocuous but telling contemporary example, Gregg notes how Americans “love their lawns,” investing countless hours and natural resources to maintain them. At the same time, most people fully understand the dangers of burning fossil fuels and the effects of climate change. The author labels this cognitive dissonance “prognostic myopia,” which “makes it difficult for us to make good decisions about our future because we’re heavily influenced by our problems in the here and now.” Additionally, the further the problem seems to lie in the future, the less we care. Gregg argues convincingly that this is a major reason why both government and corporations are slow to act on available information, which can lead to disastrous consequences. With frightening clarity, the author shows how prognostic myopia could even lead to human extinction. Nietzsche believed that nonhuman animals’ inability to understand time or the concept of the future gave them an edge over humans. This insightful book provides food for thought and lends credence to that notion.
A fascinating take on human intelligence.Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-38806-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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