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By D. Scott Manning, 200 pages, published Jul 15, 2017
Amazon's Description:
Over the last several decades there has been an explosion of new knowledge about life and living. Much of this knowledge is about genetics and the workings of the human mind. New knowledge about life is now easily available to anyone with access to a good library or the internet. But most of us are too busy to explore the growing abundance of knowledge about life. This book distills some of the most important, interesting, and valuable knowledge about life into a brief and understandable form. It is written in very short essays that summarize one or a few important concepts. It covers many topics but is written so that readers can simply skip topics they don’t find interesting. The book is based on scientific information but shows how our evolution and the workings of our mind relate to ethical principles that have guided humanity for millennia. Ultimately, the book is about how a better understanding of life can help us lead better lives.
A review of knowledge about life reveals patterns and principles that have repeated throughout billions of years of evolution and permeate life at all levels - from our molecular origins to the workings of our complex societies. Change is fundamental to life. Life spirals forward in cycles, changing slightly through time as life reproduces and adapts to new environments. Life is always intimately entwined with the environment. Life fundamentally involves cyclically reproducing information about how to live. Life seeks efficiency in its processes. Life’s adaptive strategies include regulation of its internal environment, movement through the external environment, and cooperation between cells, individuals, and communities. Adaptive cooperation underlies the complexity of human life - from our cell biology to our global economy. These principles permeate life and provide a conceptual framework for understanding it.
Most of this book is about human life. But the book begins at the beginning - which is to say it starts with speculation about the early molecular and cellular origins of life on Earth. Readers who are mostly interested in human life may want to skip the first ten or twenty pages. But readers who take the time to start from the beginning will have a deeper understanding of the connections between early evolution and human life.
The first part of the book is about human origins up to the time of recorded history. The second part focuses on understanding the conscious and subconscious aspects of human life. The third part of the book focuses on our individuality. The final part of the book focuses on how we can use scientific knowledge about life to live more ethical, productive, and satisfying lives.
Enjoy. Enjoy life.
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