Transcendence

September 23, 2019
Science writer Vince (Adventures in the Anthropocene) looks at human evolution in terms of four elements—dubbed Fire, Word, Beauty, and Time—in this stimulating account. She begins with humans’ literal and figurative quest for fire and other forms of energy in order “to escape our biological limitations and exceed our physical capabilities.” Word, meanwhile, covers how language and storytelling contributed to humanity’s evolutionary success. The final two elements are connected more tenuously to their titles, with Beauty referring to “the importance of meaning in our activities,” and Time to the human drive to understand and explain nature. Throughout, she uses up-to-date scholarship, such as on how Neanderthal and Denisovan genetic material expresses itself in current human populations. Vince’s fascinating examples draw from cultures as diverse as Ice Age humans, ancient Greeks and Romans, and contemporary hunter-gatherer societies—including one in which, anthropologists report, the “best storytellers have the most children”—as well as modern urban dwellers. While warning that the “norms” fostering “large and multicultural societies” have weakened recently, she urges readers to take a long view and remember that humanity has often effected “great social improvements in a very short time.” Even those broadly familiar with humanity’s story will find new information and insights in Vince’s fascinating study.

October 15, 2019
Award-winning British science writer Vince (Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We Made, 2014) describes how the interplay of our genes, environment, and culture made us "the only species to determine its own destiny." In this captivating story of evolution from the Big Bang to the present Anthropocene, the former Nature and New Scientist editor traces four key elements--fire, language, beauty, and time--that have allowed humans to grow from "an endangered puny primate on the savannahs of Africa to become the most numerous big animal on Earth." In thoughtful explorations, the author shows how each of these forces contributed, in powerful, often surprising ways, to humankind's dominance. Fire made possible resources beyond our own muscle power, changed the food density of the landscape, and cooked meats, making them easier to digest. Fire also offered protection for childbirth, enabling us to grow bigger brains, become sociable, and acquire cultural know-how. "Making and controlling fire gave humans an amazing ability to transform the stuff of our planet into the materials of our manmade world," writes Vince. Language gave us oral stories--"collective memory banks"--to guide and bind us, took the form of writing 5,000 years ago, and now makes "cumulative cultural evolution visible" through Wikipedia, where vast amounts of cultural information are conveyed with fidelity to many people at once. Beauty, much valued, spurred trade in trinkets and helped give rise to permanent settlements, ordering the world and expressing our values, whether in the monoliths of Easter Island or in cities conquering the natural environment. Lastly, the concept of time helped organize life, eased trade, removed uncertainty in interactions, and allowed us to predict events in an unknown future. The author draws on extensive travels and many interviews with scientists to offer vivid accounts of these forces at work in the lives of our "cultural forebears." A provocative, highly readable take on our astonishing emergence from the primordial soup.

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December 1, 2019

Vinces (Adventures in the Anthropocene) writes a thoughtful and engaging book about the nature (or nurture) of human evolution. "Fire" details how the use of tools helped our species to outsource energy, allowing us to devote ourselves to intellectual advancements. "Language" addresses how communication, including instruction, allowed our species to better connect to one another societally, increasing our chances of survival. "Beauty" speaks to our need for meaning and artistic expression while "Time" emphasizes our desire for objective, rational facts and information. The strongest of the two sections are "Fire" and "Language," with "Beauty" becoming more esoteric and theoretical and "Time" more scattered and difficult to follow. Overall, however, it is a strong, well-written work with solid science to back up the suggested theories. Vince may confuse biologists with her approach to species names and concepts, but that's a minor quibble for an otherwise enjoyable and engaging read. VERDICT An engaging, well-researched book for anyone curious about the development of humanity as approached through a social lens.--Esther Jackson, New York Botanical Garden

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