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The Meaning of Human Existence
- Narrated by: Jonathan Hogan
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
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Publisher's summary
Searching for meaning in what Nietzsche once called “the rainbow colors” around the outer edges of knowledge and imagination, Edward O. Wilson bridges science and philosophy to create a 21st century treatise on human existence. Once criticized for his over-reliance on genetics, Wilson unfurls here his most expansive and advanced theories on human behavior, recognizing that, even though the human and spider evolved similarly, the poet’s sonnet is wholly different than the spider’s web. Whether attempting to explicate "the Riddle of the Human Species", warning of "the Collapse of Biodiversity", or even creating a plausible "Portrait of E.T.", Wilson does indeed believe that humanity holds a special position in the known universe. Alarmed, however, that we are about to abandon natural selection by redesigning biology and human nature as we wish them, Wilson concludes that advances in science and technology bring us our greatest moral dilemma since God stayed the hand of Abraham. Edward O. Wilson is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading scientists. He is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the author of the best-selling The Social Conquest of Earth and Letters to a Young Scientist.
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Just in the last three years a flood of new scientific findings, driven by revelations discovered in the human genome, has provided compelling new answers to many long-standing mysteries about our most ancient ancestors, the people who first evolved in Africa and then went on to colonize the whole world. Nicholas Wade weaves this host of news-making findings together for the first time into an intriguing new history of the human story before the dawn of civilization.
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Amazing information
- By Albert on 06-15-07
By: Nicholas Wade
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Why Evolution Is True
- By: Jerry A. Coyne
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Why evolution is more than just a theory: it is a fact. In all the current highly publicized debates about creationism and its descendant "intelligent design", there is an element of the controversy that is rarely mentioned: the evidence, the empirical truth of evolution by natural selection.
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As great as everyone says it is
- By Joseph on 12-01-10
By: Jerry A. Coyne
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Why Darwin Matters
- The Case for Evolution and Against Intelligent Design
- By: Michael Shermer
- Narrated by: uncredited
- Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins
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Columnist and publisher Michael Shermer, once an evangelical Christian and a creationist, argues that Intelligent Design proponents invoke a combination of ad science, political antipathy, and flawed theology in their new brand of creationism. He refutes their pseudoscientific arguments and then demonstrates why conservatives and people of faith can and should embrace evolution. Why Darwin Matters is an incisive examination of what is at stake in the debate over evolution.
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TOTAL MISREPRENTATION: WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE?
- By Theo Tsourdalakis on 09-04-11
By: Michael Shermer
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The Ancestor's Tale
- A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution
- By: Richard Dawkins
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- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
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In The Ancestor's Tale, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins offers a masterwork: an exhilarating reverse tour through evolution, from present-day humans back to the microbial beginnings of life four billion years ago. Throughout the journey, Dawkins spins entertaining, insightful stories and sheds light on topics such as speciation, sexual selection, and extinction. The Ancestor's Tale is at once an essential education in evolutionary theory and riveting in its telling.
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Please do an unabridged version!
- By MovieExpertise on 09-29-16
By: Richard Dawkins
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Deep Truth
- Igniting the Memory of Our Origin, History, Destiny, and Fate
- By: Gregg Braden
- Narrated by: Gregg Braden
- Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
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A new world is emerging before our eyes, while the unsustainable world of the past struggles to continue. Both worlds reflect the beliefs of our past. Both exist - but only for now. Which world do you choose? Best-selling author and visionary scientist Gregg Braden suggests that the hottest issues that divide us as families, nations, and civilizations-seemingly separate concerns such as war, terror, abortion, suicide, genocide, the death penalty, poverty, economic collapse, and nuclear war - are actually related.
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Good Information
- By David on 08-13-12
By: Gregg Braden
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Blueprint
- The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society
- By: Nicholas A. Christakis
- Narrated by: Nicholas A. Christakis
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
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For too long, scientists have focused on the dark side of our biological heritage: our capacity for aggression, cruelty, prejudice, and self-interest. But natural selection has given us a suite of beneficial social features, including our capacity for love, friendship, cooperation, and learning. Beneath all our inventions - our tools, farms, machines, cities, nations - we carry with us innate proclivities to make a good society.
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Many interesting thoughts
- By Jonas Blomberg Ghini on 06-01-19
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Evolution
- What the Fossils Say and Why it Matters: Adapted for Audio
- By: Donald R. Prothero
- Narrated by: John Bishop
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
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Over the past 20 years, paleontologists have made tremendous fossil discoveries, including fossils that mark the growth of whales, manatees, and seals from land mammals and the origins of elephants, horses, and rhinos. Today there exists an amazing diversity of fossil humans, suggesting we walked upright long before we acquired large brains, and new evidence from molecules that enable scientists to decipher the tree of life as never before.
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NOT WORTH THE PRICE OF ADDMISSION
- By CRAIG on 12-25-14
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A Troublesome Inheritance
- Genes, Race, and Human History
- By: Nicholas Wade
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
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Drawing on startling new evidence from the mapping of the genome, an explosive new account of the genetic basis of race and its role in the human story. Human evolution, the consensus view insists, ended in prehistory. Inconveniently, as Nicholas Wade argues in A Troublesome Inheritance, the consensus view cannot be right. And in fact, we know that populations have changed in the past few thousand years - to be lactose tolerant, for example, and to survive at high altitudes.
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This is NOT Racism!...
- By Douglas on 06-01-14
By: Nicholas Wade
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Freedom Evolves
- By: Daniel C. Dennett
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Can there be freedom and free will in a deterministic world? Renowned philosopher Daniel Dennett emphatically answers "yes!" Using an array of provocative formulations, Dennett sets out to show how we alone among the animals have evolved minds that give us free will and morality. Weaving a richly detailed narrative, Dennett explains in a series of strikingly original arguments - drawing upon evolutionary biology, cognitive neuroscience, economics, and philosophy - that far from being an enemy of traditional explorations of freedom, morality, and meaning, the evolutionary perspective can be an indispensable ally.
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I knew I was going to like this book
- By Gary on 05-30-14
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Important book, but..
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"Ants are the most warlike of all animals, with colony pitted against colony.... Their clashes dwarf Waterloo and Gettysburg", writes Edward O. Wilson in his most finely observed work in decades. In a myrmecological tour to such far-flung destinations as Mozambique and New Guinea, the Gulf of Mexico's Dauphin Island and even his parents' overgrown yard back in Alabama, Wilson thrillingly evokes his nine-decade-long scientific obsession with more than 15,000 ant species.
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Terrible narration, pointless rambling writing.
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Simply awful
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Wow, Wilson has a lot to say and boy can he write.
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Important book, but..
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Terrible narration, pointless rambling writing.
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Simply awful
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In Consilience (a word that originally meant "jumping together"), Edward O. Wilson renews the Enlightenment's search for a unified theory of knowledge in disciplines that range from physics to biology, the social sciences and the humanities. Using the natural sciences as his model, Wilson forges dramatic links between fields. Presenting the latest findings in prose of wonderful clarity and oratorical eloquence, and synthesizing it into a dazzling whole, Consilience is science in the path-clearing traditions of Newton, Einstein, and Richard Feynman.
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A Singular Achievement!
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interesting topic, but frustrating listen
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Gad Sadd
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Our world is infinitely richer than previously guessed, yet it is so ravaged by human activity that half its species could be gone by the end of the century. In this dazzlingly intelligent and ultimately hopeful work, biologist E.O. Wilson describes what treasures of the natural world we are about to lose forever—in many cases animals, insects, and plants we have only just discovered—and what we can do to save them. Wilson explores the ethical and religious bases of the conservation movement and deflates the myth that environmental policy is antithetical to economic growth.
By: Edward Wilson
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The wonder of flight. The science of evolution. From both, Richard Dawkins weaves a fascinating account of how nature and humans have learned to overcome the pull of gravity and take to the skies. Have you ever dreamt you could fly? Or imagined what it would be like to glide and swoop through the sky like a bird? Do you let your mind soar to unknown, magical spaces?
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Thank God for Richard Dawkins!
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An analogy to describe this 33-hour book
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Edward O. Wilson - winner of two Pulitzer prizes, champion of biodiversity, and Faculty Emeritus at Harvard University - is arguably one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century. Yet his celebrated career began not with an elite education but from an insatiable curiosity about the natural world and drive to explore its mysteries. Called "one of the finest scientific memoirs ever written" by the Los Angeles Times, Naturalist is a wise and personal account of Wilson's growth as a scientist and the evolution of the fields he helped define.
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insightful journey of the scientific life
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By: Edward O. Wilson
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Long on biography, short on advice
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The Science of Evil
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Borderline personality disorder, autism, narcissism, psychosis, Asperger's: All of these syndromes have one thing in common---lack of empathy. In some cases, this absence can be dangerous, but in others it can simply mean a different way of seeing the world. In The Science of Evil, Simon Baron-Cohen, an award-winning British researcher who has investigated psychology and autism for decades, develops a new brain-based theory of human cruelty.
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What causes evil?
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Is it really human nature to stab one another in the back in our climb up the corporate ladder? Competitive, selfish behavior is often explained away as instinctive, thanks to evolution and "survival of the fittest", but in fact, humans are equally hard-wired for empathy. Using research from the fields of anthropology, psychology, animal behavior, and neuroscience, Frans de Waal brilliantly argues that humans are group animals.
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A Lot Of Things In Common With Our Animal Friends!
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When published in 1981, The Mismeasure of Man was immediately hailed as a masterwork, the ringing answer to those who would classify people, rank them according to their supposed genetic gifts and limits. Yet the idea of of biology as destiny dies hard, as witness the attention devoted to The Bell Curve, whose arguments are here so effectively anticipated and thoroughly undermined.
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Extremely Dated Material
- By Incognita B on 07-08-19
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Anti-Oedipus
- Capitalism and Schizophrenia
- By: Gilles Deleuze, Felix Guattari, Michel Foucault - preface, and others
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When it first appeared in France, Anti-Oedipus was hailed as a masterpiece by some and "a work of heretical madness" by others. In it, Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari set forth the following theory: Western society's innate herd instinct has allowed the government, the media, and even the principles of economics to take advantage of each person's unwillingness to be cut off from the group. What's more, those who suffer from mental disorders may not be insane, but could be individuals in the purest sense, because they are by nature isolated from society.
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Not read in usual way,but Praxis that works on you
- By Anonymous User on 12-27-23
By: Gilles Deleuze, and others
What listeners say about The Meaning of Human Existence
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- Jared
- 01-14-15
Wonderful Book
I've not read Edward Wilson until now and am kicking myself for it. This book was a wonderful journey that provides a much appreciated objectivity and perspective of our biological roots from the (astonishingly rare) eloquent scientist. I put this book down once while reading and that was to sleep. Highly recommended for ANYONE.
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9 people found this helpful
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- lwmarti
- 06-22-21
Stunning
Because of the grandiose title I expected a certain level of hyperbole. I was wrong. This book is a brilliant summary of what makes humans unique. It's well worth the few hours that it takes to read (or listen to) it.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Frances
- 09-06-19
Compelling book. Good “performer”
Thoroughly enjoyed this book as I have others by EOWilson. Still the Eagle Scout being so thorough in his arguments. And he has opinions most of which resonated. Being just a humble lay person myself he was engaging. Good writer.
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- FRAP38
- 02-01-15
scattered.. too many big topics
While few can refute Wilson's contribution to science, this book was dissapointing. Seemed to take on too many BIG topics and treat them tersely. Highly recommend Wilson's past books nonetheless.
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- calmcitizen
- 02-11-20
good content/needs new narration
headline says it all. research and writing seem legit, narrator needs to spit out those marbles and have a sip of Apple juice before slaughtering next manuscript.
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- Dan Collins
- 04-17-18
Brave and Petty all at the Same Time
When you tackle an enormous topic like this you get four stars from me without even blinking. I listened to this book on recommendation from Ray Dalio's "Principles" audiobook. You can see where the author has had an impact on Ray's thinking. I might have given this four or five stars on the story aspect, but I found the author's strong anti religious stance to be off-putting and more importantly unnecessary. It did nothing but clutter an otherwise well put together and well stated point of view. To be clear, it wasn't that the author stated their objection to religion, it was more the silly piling-on.
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- leon zhao
- 08-07-22
Excellent book, a must read
Edward O. Wilson is among the few scientists that can communicate deep scientific ideas to the general public. I think of Stephen Hawking, Carlo Rovelli among others in this regard. The author’s two Pulitzer Prize winning credentials testified his masterful skills, and he is also a specialist in the study of ants behaviors. The ideas and theories he outlined in this little book is not trivial and have broad and profound implications to the studies of humanity. I view this book as an introduction to his work. This book is not an easy listen if you are not familiar with Wilson’s work and Biology and Evolution theories in general. I almost gave up and move on to other books. I think getting a print copy in combination and also check out the author’s other books should be a great help. If you google the author, you will see he is a very productive author. The title of this book is both attractive and a little bit scary. But the author soon defined what he means by the “meaning of human existence”. He now supports the more straightforward natural selection explanation of human social behavior which represents a change from his earlier work when he in favors the “inclusive selection” theory. As an “ants man” he can quote ants behavior at ease, which is interesting in itself. I am looking forward to reading and listening to more of his books. Very glad I found this book by accident.
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- Michael
- 03-14-15
Pleasant Humble Simple Rationalism
This book has a really pleasant humble tone of simple, non-confrontational, rationalism. He simply treats religion as silly stories that should no longer be believed. He points out humans as having amazingly poorly equipped senses compared with animals. Some religious folks might find Wilson’s unassuming dismissal of religion more annoying than Dawkin’s bellicose tirades.
Largely the purpose of this book seems to be to make a pointed attack on the theory of “inclusive fitness” and, less so, suggest arguments in favor of “multi-level selection” theory. About half the book and an appendix focuses on this debate, while the other half is somewhat wide ranging ideas very loosely tied to the title. Notice this is not your fathers “Meaning of Human Existence”! This is not “meaning” like that endowed by a creator, but instead straightforward meaning like; the meaning of a spider’s web is to catch food. For Wilson our meaning is associated with our culture and our humanities and arts.
I enjoyed the “inclusive fitness” debate, and was mildly interested in the other stories. I really appreciated the unpretentious rationalism. I quite agree with the criticisms of “inclusive fitness” which has always seemed to me a bit more fantasy than science, but I did not find the book quite lived up to the lofty title.
I had just finished “The Human Age” recently, and it was interesting to see the difference in interpretation of that concept between Wilson and Ackerman. Ackerman feels humans need to take full responsibility for the planet now, simply because we must. Wilson seems quite unsettled by this idea, and quite unready for that responsibility.
The narration was very clear and enjoyable.
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- Neuron
- 01-12-16
Still don’t know the meaning of my existence
When I saw the title of this book: “The meaning of human existence,” I thought, ok now Wilson has taken water over his head. Still, I thought, Wilson is an excellent writer and even if he cannot tell me the meaning of human existence I will not go away empty handed. Both presumptions turned out to be correct. The book was entertaining, and I learned some new interesting things about ants (Wilson is the world’s foremost expert when it comes to ants). However, I did not become wiser regarding “The meaning of human existence”.
Wilson does tell the reader where we the meaning can’t be found. There is the mandatory religion bashing; Sure, if it were the case that the Bible is true then maybe the meaning of our existence may simply be to serve God. Yet, more and more people begin to see the Bible as well as other religious texts for what they are: Made up stories full of errors and inconsistencies. Religious proponents typically exploit the gaps in our knowledge. When we didn’t know where lightning came from, a God (Thor) was proposed. Now that we do know where lightning comes from, other gaps are exploited. For example, we still don’t know how the first cell arose. It must, therefore, be God… As science advances, it explains more and more of the realm that used to be considered within the expertise of the church. Consequently, the church is on a never-ending endeavour to find smaller and smaller gaps in our knowledge that they can stick their God into
Can science tell us the meaning of human existence? My answer to this question is that while science can tell us how we evolved it does not tell us what the meaning of this evolution is. Indeed, the most honest conclusion may be that there is no meaning to evolution and hence no meaning to our existence. It is like asking what the meaning of a stone falling towards the ground is. The cause is gravity, but what is the meaning? To me, it is a nonsensical question, and I found nothing that made me alter this view in Wilson’s book.
So if you want a well-written book that discussed some old philosophical issues, a little bit of religion and some fascinating animal behavior, then this book is a good pick. But be prepared not to be enlightened.
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24 people found this helpful
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- AJ
- 03-10-16
Great book
Great book...very thought provoking. .I found myself going back and reading it for a second time.
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