History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books (Voyage of the Beagle, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals)

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Can't Beat It
Four classics
Wonderful writing wrong package
Too big
From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books (Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, T

From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books (Voyage of the Beagle, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals)
Charles Darwin
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0393061345

Book Description

A gorgeous gift and a landmark work that is an essential addition to everyone's personal library.

Never before have the four great works of Charles Darwin—Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle (1845), The Origin of Species (1859), The Descent of Man (1871), and The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals (1872)—been collected under one cover. Undertaking this challenging endeavor 123 years after Darwin's death, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward O. Wilson has written an introductory essay for the occasion, while providing new, insightful introductions to each of the four volumes and an afterword that examines the fate of evolutionary theory in an era of religious resistance. In addition, Wilson has crafted a creative new index to accompany these four texts, which links the nineteenth-century, Darwinian evolutionary concepts to contemporary biological thought. Beautifully slipcased, and including restored versions of the original illustrations, From So Simple a Beginning turns our attention to the astounding power of the natural creative process and the magnificence of its products. Slipcased hardcover; 101 illustrations, map.

Customer Reviews:

Can't Beat It.......2007-04-03

I bought this book knowing very little about Darwin or his theories. From So Simple a Beginning was an easy read about a very interesting man. I would hope that not just supporters of evolution would read this book there is more to the man then just one theory.

Four classics.......2007-01-12

Excellent in every particular. Five stars in delivery time, condition, quality of the experience.

Wonderful writing wrong package.......2007-01-10

There is no gainsaying the writings of Darwin or the thinking of my favorite living scientist, E.O.Wilson. But the package is wrong.
Four books in one. Too heavy, too cumbersome. Discouraging.

Too big.......2007-01-05

This book is way too big to hold to read, so it is not useful. From the picture I thought I was ordering 4 different books in a book holder, not one giant book. I recommend buying them separately unless you have very strong arms and wrists.

From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books (Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, T.......2006-07-02

Good

Catastrophe: An Investigation into the Origins of Modern Civilization

Average customer rating:

My 100-word book review
A truly fascinating history
Looking for a catstrophe?
FORCED CONCLUSIONS?
Interesting, relevant, but sometimes a bit stretched.

Catastrophe: An Investigation into the Origins of Modern Civilization
David Keys
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0345408764
Release Date: 2000-02-01

Amazon.com

Everybody knows the Dark Ages weren't really dark, right? Not so fast, counters archaeological journalist David Keys, maybe it's more than just a slightly judgmental metaphor. His book Catastrophe: An Investigation into the Origins of the Modern World, based on years of careful research spanning five continents, argues that sometime in A.D. 535, a worldwide disaster struck and uprooted nearly every culture then extant. Given contemporary reports of the sun being blotted out or weakened for nearly a year and a half, followed by famine, drought, and plague, it's hard not to think that so many reports from all over the world must be related.

Keys shows a keen grasp of both the written historical record from Asia, Africa, and Europe and the archaeological evidence from the Americas, and tells many tales of great havoc destroying old empires and laying the ground for new ones. Rome may have fallen, but Spain, England, and France rose in its place, while farther east, Japan and China each unified and gained strength after the chaos. Could an enormous volcanic eruption have had such influence on the world as a whole, and could the same thing happen tomorrow? Catastrophe makes no predictions, but leaves the reader with a new sense of history, nature, and destiny. --Rob Lightner

Book Description

It was a catastrophe without precedent in recorded history: for months on end, starting in A.D. 535, a strange, dusky haze robbed much of the earth of normal sunlight. Crops failed in Asia and the Middle East as global weather patterns radically altered. Bubonic plague, exploding out of Africa, wiped out entire populations in Europe. Flood and drought brought ancient cultures to the brink of collapse. In a matter of decades, the old order died and a new world—essentially the modern world as we know it today—began to emerge.

In this fascinating, groundbreaking, totally accessible book, archaeological journalist David Keys dramatically reconstructs the global chain of revolutions that began in the catastrophe of A.D. 535, then offers a definitive explanation of how and why this cataclysm occurred on that momentous day centuries ago.

The Roman Empire, the greatest power in Europe and the Middle East for centuries, lost half its territory in the century following the catastrophe. During the exact same period, the ancient southern Chinese state, weakened by economic turmoil, succumbed to invaders from the north, and a single unified China was born. Meanwhile, as restless tribes swept down from the central Asian steppes, a new religion known as Islam spread through the Middle East. As Keys demonstrates with compelling originality and authoritative research, these were not isolated upheavals but linked events arising from the same cause and rippling around the world like an enormous tidal wave.

Keys's narrative circles the globe as he identifies the eerie fallout from the months of darkness: unprecedented drought in Central America, a strange yellow dust drifting like snow over eastern Asia, prolonged famine, and the hideous pandemic of the bubonic plague. With a superb command of ancient literatures and historical records, Keys makes hitherto unrecognized connections between the "wasteland" that overspread the British countryside and the fall of the great pyramid-building Teotihuacan civilization in Mexico, between a little-known "Jewish empire" in Eastern Europe and the rise of the Japanese nation-state, between storms in France and pestilence in Ireland.

In the book's final chapters, Keys delves into the mystery at the heart of this global catastrophe: Why did it happen? The answer, at once surprising and definitive, holds chilling implications for our own precarious geopolitical future. Wide-ranging in its scholarship, written with flair and passion, filled with original insights, Catastrophe is a superb synthesis of history, science, and cultural interpretation.

Download Description

In A.D. 535-536, a climatic catastrophe occurred. It was of such mammoth proportions, it blotted out much of the heat and light of the sun for eighteen months and resulted -- directly or indirectly -- in climatic chaos, famine, migration, war, and massive political change on every continent. In other words, it altered history.

In this breakthrough examination, British archaeological journalist David Keys traces the identity and roots of this catastrophe -- continent by continent and virtually country by country -- showing how it is directly linked to the development of our modern world. The Plague, the rise of Islam, the fall of the Roman Empire, the movement of Asiatic tribes, the beginnings of the great South American empires -- Keys connects all these events that have previously been considered separate and shows us the far-reaching effects of incidents that first appear only localized. He makes us see history in holistic terms, as an integrated, planet-wide phenomenon.

In this fascinating, impeccably researched, and accessible book, Keys's innovative conclusions demonstrate how closely entwined global events truly are, and prove we must change the way we look at our past -- and thus, our future.

Customer Reviews:

My 100-word book review.......2007-03-28

In Catastrophe, author David Keys builds a convincing case for sudden climate change having occurred in the early 6th century, an abrupt dip in worldwide temperatures that would have had massive long-term consequences for civilisations all over the globe. Results could have included the weakening of the Byzantines, the downfall of Teotihuacan and the rise of Islam. This is a fascinating book, and the author's identification of a super volcano as the culprit is highly plausible. However, I think Keys possibly over-estimates this event as a shaper of our modern world, given the existence of so many other important factors.

A truly fascinating history.......2006-12-14

This is truly one of the most fascinating theories in ancient history. A volcano that shaped the modern world by forcing the migration of the huns, the crop failures in the Middle East that led to the rise of Islam and the start of the barbarian migrations towards Rome. It is almost too hard to summarize but if you believe that climate can change history than this is the book that will provide excellent evidence on that idea. Truly a masterpiece of an idea.

Looking for a catstrophe?.......2006-09-12

How much of human history has been shaped by catastrophic events? This exhaustively researched document seems like a natural place to find the answer. Unfortunately, the author's fascination with lurid details of human torture and dismemberment caused me to put the book down after just 60 blood-soaked pages. It's pretty clear that Mr. Key's interests in history do not run parallel to my own. I also found myself wondering about Key's qualifications as "Archaeological Journalist." I guess there are plenty of people who like reading tabloid-style history, and good luck to them, but I much prefer a calmer and scientific perspective of Derek Ager, in his book "The New Catastrophism, The Importance of the Rare Event in Geological History." -- Auralgo

FORCED CONCLUSIONS?.......2006-03-12

Mr. Key's authoritative research created a unique and new approach to the writing of history. His synthesis of science, culture and history was informative and entertaining. He identifies the volcanic eruption between Sumatra and Java in 535 that led to a climatic disaster that he believes helped create the modern world. He did convince this reader that the "Dark Ages were more literal than figurative." However, many of his historical conclusions were overstated. Chapters 19-29 lacked a depth of evidence and were too speculative. His constant use of words like "undoubtedly" made the reader question if he truly beleived his entire thesis? I concluded that he was at most one third correct, but ended in disagreeing that climate changes "alone" caused the birth of the modern world. I give it 4 stars for effort, but only 3 in its totality.

Interesting, relevant, but sometimes a bit stretched........2005-06-28

For the most part I found this book to be enjoyable, but it seems that Keys attempted in some areas to force his conclusion. Also, the same arguement seemed to be repeated far too often. Although I liked that the evidence of climate change was presented for essentially the entire planet, the conclusions at the end of each civilization were repetitive, simply restating the same thing (although, I suppose that was the point). I began to lose patience about 1/3 way through the book, but was able to persist through the conclusion. Perhaps it would have been better had Keys not spent so much time on minutae of Roman history and decline and had moved through the evidence quicker. The latter chapters on Asian and American experience were a little faster reading, likely due to the lack of minutae, largely due to the lack of records from which Keys could draw on. The final arguement on the causes of so much misfortune was compelling, but also left me feeling like our participation in the environment may all be for naught, since the Yellowstone caldera could explode at any moment, wiping us all out. I could not determine if this book wanted to be a book about climate change, history, or science.

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast: The Evolutionary Origins of Belief

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Short on Evidence
The Great Ape that asked "Why?"
Nice Concept, Bad Execution
A Good Summary of Complex New Evidence
Fantastic

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast: The Evolutionary Origins of Belief
Lewis Wolpert
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0393064492

Book Description

A unique, scientific look into why we are all believers.

In Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass, the White Queen tells Alice that to believe in a wildly improbable fact she simply needs to "draw a long breath and shut [her] eyes." Alice finds this advice ridiculous. But don't almost all of us, at some time or another, engage in magical thinking? Seventy percent of Americans believe in angels; 13 percent of British scientists "touch wood"; 40 percent of Americans believe that astrology is scientific. And that is only the beginning.

In Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast, Lewis Wolpert tackles one of the most important causes on the horizon of public debate: the nature of belief. Looking at belief's psychological basis and its possible evolutionary origins in physical cause and effect, Wolpert expertly investigates what science can tell us about those concepts we are so sure of, covering everything from everyday beliefs that give coherence to our experiences, to religious beliefs, to paranormal beliefs for which there is no evidence.

Customer Reviews:

Short on Evidence.......2007-10-09

Mr. (Dr?) Wolpert admittedly states, with all due candor, that his book has weak evidence (although he inconceivably suggests that this is only "at times"). How an honest scientist (even in the field of embryology, which is remarkably afield from evolutionary psychology) can write a book like this in the face of this fact is baffling.

And it shows.

The largest problem with this book is that the author himself has no idea what his causative explanation is. For example, pg. 67 "... I argue that it was causal thining that was a fundamental adaptation required for making complex tools, and that it was technology that drove human evolution". Despite this argument, he himself reverts to a different position later in the book. For example, pg. 117, "My suggestion is that [belief and religion] had their origin in the evolution of causal beliefs, which in turn had its origins in tool use" and also, pg. 79, "Thus causal thinking preceded and was an essential prerequisite for language development...Language would help enormously with the construction and use of new tools...".

As this should illuminate, the author can't keep his explanation straight. Instead of choosing a theory and then looking for evidence confirming or disconfirming his theory, he simply accepts that it is true, and uses all manner of shady evidence to prop up this ridiculous contradictory theory.

That said, he never does form a complete thought in the entire book, that I could detect at least. There are manifest evidences but none are convincing and many don't support the idea at all. A single sentence, however, can refute the entire thing. When the primitive tools of many societies are compared, there are remarkable similarities. These similarities disperse as the populations themselves, do, which is correlated, in turn, with the evolution of languages.

Hrm... that does tend to destroy his hypothesis. And it isn't a very good one, either.

Pass.

Harkius

The Great Ape that asked "Why?".......2007-10-07

I read this book as the last of a group of books comprising the recent works of Daniel Dennett (whew!)(Breaking the Spell), Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion), Christopher Hitchens (God is not Great), and both of the works by Sam Harris (The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation). For many reasons and particularly because of Wolpert's straightforward theme, I regret I ended rather than started with Wolpert's book in the group. As you are no doubt aware, the theme/proposition of Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast is that the cause-and-effect wiring that showed up in our brains to permit the competitive edge* of complex tool-making is the same wiring that causes our children to ask innumerable questions beginning with "why" too soon after learning to speak syntactically. It is this drive to model our world by causes and effects that competitively distinguishes us as a species. We are an anxious bunch when left with too many unanswered "whys" and turn to stories of causal links or assign temporally correlated events as causally linked in order to reassure ourselves all is well...things have always and will continue to happen for reasons that may be in our control or in the control of one or more benevolent supernatural entities. Just as the scientific method often tests hypotheses that are not immediately dispelled by common sense, these stories of causal links do not necessarily need a foundation in the natural world...they just need to satisfy the cause-effect craving. As you are aware, correlation may indicate but does not necessarily equate with causation and so scientific investigators are left determining, and re-determining, the causal mechanisms, if any, in nature underlying the correlation. Unlike the scientific method, once these stories of casual links take root, we are wired to hold them fast even in the face of independently corroborating facts to the contrary.

*Sorry, I just couldn't help myself from punning.

Combining Wolpert's book with the recent works of the above-cited authors, one takes away a broader theme (see Michael Shermer, Why Darwin Matters) that perhaps we humans got this far by the extra caution taken when seeing patterns where none exist, by immediately projecting intent and anticipated actions onto other beings or objects (irrespective of whether these beings were present or ever existed) and responding to those projections, and by developing both our technologies and our myths due to our insatiable quest for causal links. When contemplating an existence of our conscious self beyond the lifespan of our amazing, yet mortal, brain, we naturally feel a part of something bigger than ourselves. If this something involves or is orchestrated by one or more supernatural entities, we have no way of scientifically knowing.

Wolpert ends his book in a fashion reminiscent of the late Stephen J. Gould (Rock of Ages) where religious beliefs and scientific beliefs are each given their own due respect/space (as you may recall Gould's nonoverlapping magisteria). To the extent scientific beliefs are nearly inaccessible to those without sufficient skills in critical analysis and mathematics and to the extent religious beliefs can take hold in the mind of a child in a day, the populating advantage appears to go to religious beliefs. Unlike Dawkins, Wolpert climbs no soapbox to cry for enhanced critical analysis, mathematics and scientific reasoning in American public schools. He shows little if any distaste for purposeful "scientific" misinformation fed children in home schools or schools supported by literalist religions. Perhaps Wolpert took the matter as far as he felt comfortable in his closing that religious belief systems should not abridge the rights of others.

Nice Concept, Bad Execution.......2007-09-22

Wolpert selected a very interesting topic for this book. And that's all the nice things I have to say about it. He makes a large number of claims that he doesn't bother to support with evidence or explanation. He does not cite his references, although they are listed in the back matter (helpful, but not terribly so, since a particular statement cannot be linked to its source). His paragraphs seem to start and stop willy-nilly and do not provide clear arguments to support his claims. It is unclear which of his claims he intends to support and which he intends to lob toward any ear that will listen.
In short, this book seems like it was written in an ad-hoc, stream-of-consciousness manner. The book does not clearly present its arguments, define important terms like "understand" (this is very important when discussing this topic), or lend itself to detailed study of the subject matter. This book was not yet ripe for the printing, but it was printed nevertheless. Do us all a favor and don't support the publishing of bad books by purchasing them.

A Good Summary of Complex New Evidence.......2007-08-05

Six Impossible Things before Breakfast, by Lewis Wolpert.

This book was very interesting to me as an analysis of human understanding of causation and the importance of our understanding of causation in how we perform other intellectual functions. In particular, we formulate beliefs. One of the characteristics that separates us even from the closest animals is our ability to understand and rationalize cause and effect. Animals, even the great apes, have very limited understanding -- if any -- of causality. We know that from subjecting those animals to experiments in which they would be rewarded for exercising any intellectual capacity that they have.

Human beings have a strong motive to understand causation. Sometimes the intellectual process by which we reach conclusions about causation is described as a "belief engine." There is no doubt that our belief engine is somewhat faulty. Our belief engine "prefers quick decisions, it is bad with numbers, loves representativeness, and sees patterns where often there is only randomness. It is too often influenced by authority, and it has a liking for mysticism." p. 220. We suffer from the "Pollyanna principle," being far more likely to focus on and remember positive rather than negative reports about ourselves. The "Lake Wobegon effect," explains why 94% of college professors believe that they are better than their average colleague at their jobs. The "interviewer illusion" guarantees that we will, as a rule, feel far more confident in our ability to predict the future of others than an objective retrospective analysis would justify. We are overconfident in the correctness of our own judgments. The "Barnum effect" means that we will see merit in vague and generalized descriptions.

We tend to make up stories to explain what we have observed, and the stories often overcome the actual memories. We jump to conclusions on inadequate evidence and then hold to those conclusions with vigor. Placebos work. We are capable of internalizing "forced beliefs," manufactured beliefs forced on us by society or authority. These "forced beliefs" are often manufactured to support other beliefs "that are poorly supported by evidence." Page 88.

We are pathetically bad at evaluating risks, fearing the airplane flight more than the automobile trip to the airport. We have no natural ability to infer what we learn from statistics. We are good at acquiring superstitious beliefs, and terrible at getting rid of them. We are vulnerable to both hypnotic and ordinary suggestion. Studies have shown just how susceptible we are to the implantation of false memories.

We are subject to a strong confirmation bias, which means that once we have formed a belief, we are far more likely to credit new evidence that conforms to those beliefs then evidence that challenges them.

It is difficult to understand the human mind because the instrument with which we must understand it is, of course, the human mind. Studies of animals, babies, children, and people with various kinds of brain damage can give us valuable clues. Carefully designed experiments, with adequate controls, can give us valuable hints. Studies of obviously false beliefs held by people with mental illnesses or under the influence of mind altering drugs can help us understand as well. Even this is difficult because "there are no sharp dividing lines between normal beliefs and delusional beliefs." Page 101. Still, susceptibility to delusions has a strong genetic component, suggesting that our susceptibility is somewhat hardwired into the brain.

We are naturally resistant to scientific evidence because scientific results are frequently counterintuitive. "Almost without exception, any common-sense view of the world is scientifically false." Page 203.

Wolpert proposes that some of the same pathways that developed because of our understanding of causality, particularly tool use, help us to understand our "belief engine." He contends that, "religion and causal beliefs in general had their evolutionary origin in toolmaking, which drove evolution." He admits that the evidence is limited but he could find little or no evidence to contradict this hypothesis. Our belief system is genetically programmed, by which Wolpert means, "that there are circuits in our brain that are set up by the genes that predispose us to have religious and mystical beliefs. It is hard to imagine that the religious and mystical beliefs found in every culture have some other origin." Page 217-18.

This is a short book. It is a good introduction to the science of how the human mind works. I had heard of a lot of the studies discussed in this book before. The author does an excellent job of summarizing the significance of the studies. I enjoy books that explain the cutting edge of science to non-scientists. Wolpert goes into my short list of successful popularizers of complex science.

Fantastic .......2007-06-23

It is quite beautiful how Wolpert sets up the book to explain how some can reject his premise of a non-existent god. The facts contained in this book, and the occasional theory (though well-backed ones), are brilliant and come from a man with an extensive background in the field he writes about, taking special care to write in a way anyone, even an unscientific mind, can understand. It is fantastic how someone can understand, through this book, why they reject certain arguments (specifically that a god is irrational) yet walk away still denying everything, holding on to their old beliefs, knowing exactly how. Though that of course is only a mere portion of the book. Brilliant.

Reconstructing Human Origins, Second Edition

Average customer rating:

Excellent. Another masterpiece. A must have.

Reconstructing Human Origins, Second Edition
Glenn C. Conroy
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0393925900

Book Description

This new edition explains how recent advances in radiometric dating, functional morphology, molecular biology, and archaeological inference have changed our modern interpretations of how hominins lived and dispersed across the globe during the last five million years or more. The updating includes ample discussion of the most recent fossil finds.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent. Another masterpiece. A must have........2005-03-26

I have just finished to read the book in a first reading. This second edition of the book is another masterpiece of the Prof. Conroy. The book is updated and it includes all the aspects of the human evolution, from the plio-pleistocene world to our modern origins. Notable the number of figures, schemes, diagrams and tables present in the book. The book is so updated that it includes the recent dwarf species Homo floresiensis.
Any sort of australopithecus and any sort of homo are included. This is a serious book for the one that really wants to learn the human evolution. I currently think it it is the best. If you purchase it you won't repent of it.
See my previous review of the first edition of this book.
A big thanks to Prof. Conroy.

The Origins of the British: A Genetic Detective Story

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Great Britain as New Euskaria
Difficult, but intermittently rewarding
The Origins of the British: A Genetic Detective Story
Accessible, yet not dumbed down
Great Analysis

The Origins of the British: A Genetic Detective Story
Stephen Oppenheimer
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786718900

Book Description

History has long maintained that the Anglo-Saxon overtaking of the Iron Age Celts was the origin of the British people. Celtic Britain reconstructs the peopling of Britain — through a study of genetics, climatology, archaeology, language, culture, and history — and overturns that myth and others. The Anglo-Saxons, who supposedly conquered the Celts, contributed only five to ten percent of the British gene pool. The “Atlantic Celts,” long believed to have migrated to Britain from Central Europe around 300 BC during the Iron Age, can be linked genetically to the people of Basque country. And linguistic evidence suggests that, besides Celtic languages, a Germanic-type language similar to Norse was also spoken in Britain long before the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons.

In this groundbreaking study, Stephen Oppenheimer explaines the surprising roots of the present-day cultural identities of the English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh.

Customer Reviews:

Great Britain as New Euskaria.......2007-09-23

An excellent book, like being back in college and taking a fun course with a witty, funny and knowledgeable professor. I appreciated the linear format with thesis backed with evidence approach. As a precaution, just like college, there were many terms and ideas that went over my head, which meant having to do some additional homework to catch up with text, but well worth the detour. To this regard, the appendix and glossary were extremely valuable. I have always been fascinated with the origins of the Basque; why would they be the only non Indo-European, Sub-Saharan or Semitic language in all of Europe and the Mediterranean and why stuck in the middle of Pyrenees? My other linguistic quandry was the lack of celtic words in the English language and the lack of consistency between English and Dutch/German/Danish. Finally the technology catches up with speculative history and paints a different picture of Western Europe. It is human nature to embelish, pander to the audience or just plain preach propaganda. But blood doesn't lie and for me all the pieces of the puzzle came together in Mr. Oppenheimer's book. I have no doubt the thesis will be seminal in the re-writing of British History.

Difficult, but intermittently rewarding.......2007-08-07

Not the place to begin, but this book may reward advanced readers who can handle a popularized but scholarly work on the implications of recent findings in DNA. Earlier readers posting here frequently disparage this book's ponderous prose and its massive array of recondite DNA analyses. After reading more accessible, and considerably shorter (no coincidence!) works on genetics and anthropology by Spencer Wells and Bryan Sykes (for both authors, their two most recent books reviewed by me on Amazon), I felt ready to tackle Oppenheimer's work, despite its difficulty. While the time invested paid off in a better knowledge of the Celtic and British origin debate and the possible influence of Germanic cultural and linguistic influences preceding not only the Anglo-Saxon invasion but the preceding Roman occupation, Oppenheimer while he may be a better scholar than Sykes remains a less entertaining writer. Sykes can popularize his findings in "Blood of the Isles" & "Seven Daughters of Eve." He also can profit from them if you note the enterprise Oxford Genetics. As I commented when reviewing Sykes' "Blood," it remains curious that two geneticists both at Oxford do not even mention the other colleague in hundreds of pages of closely documented and meticulously referenced texts.

This apparent rivalry aside, Oppenheimer acknowledges very late in his text that names given to Rostov or Ian or Helena are merely "aides memoires" for R1B-11 or the like in an alphabet soup of markers all geneticists rely upon. Readers of both Sykes & Oppenheimer sniff disdainfully at this popularization, but surely both scientists and lay people need assistance in imagining "Eve" or "Lucy" or the "Ice Man" to make more personal the findings buried in blood types or bone samples. Oppenheimer carefully explains his reasons for clarifying relationships among these difficult classifications, numbering in the thousands by now. Much explanatory material on genetics here is relegated to appendices and a glossary; while Sykes & Wells integrate more definitions and analogies into their briefer, more readable books, Oppenheimer opts for density.

This can bore a reader. My eyes glazed over in the second hundred pages full of dull genetics. The first hundred, tackling the Celtic origins debate and guardedly based on scholars such as Simon James & Barry Cunliffe, and Iron Age archaeologists such as John Collis, argues a southerly direction into the British Isles for Celtic infusion, not the La Tene Danube-Central European homeland and its overland route for entry into the Isles. Personally, I'd have liked to have Bob Quinn's book "The Atlantean Irish" (reviewed by me) credited for its prescience regarding the Atlantic Celt "fringe" movement that Cunliffe and others have since fought to replace the Continental migration theories of the 19c. This vexed matter alone, building upon the past two decades of Celtic revision, or Celto-skepticism, could fill an entire book easily.

But, I did perk up eventually. This is more a reference book on a variety of unevenly covered but admittedly provocative topics. He writes clearly in places and dully in many others, depending it seems on his diligence vs. his enthusiasm! This is an arduous trek, but you need to weather this if your curiosity's aroused about this intellectual terrain that for the first time geneticists and linguists have entered to do battle over, not to mention archeologists and historians!

Advances in DNA may soon rely on its suggestions, or they may overturn its assumptions. But, Oppenheimer bravely piles all he has amassed for the benefit of science. It may be too clunky and over-ambitious, but he has done specialized researchers, armchair genealogists, and academics like myself needing a non-technical explanation of dozens of arcane debates all a service.

Oppenheimer builds on this fact-laden if recondite foundation to posit that many of today's ancestors came to the Isles perhaps as early as around 15-7,500 years ago. The land bridge before the end of the last Ice Age became submerged allowed two major inflows of migration, from a Ukrainian-Moldavian refuge, and an Iberian refuge. The former provided a basis for North Sea movements added to later by Scandinavians, Saxons, Belgae, and other Continental peoples. The latter brought people in on the Irish, Welsh, and Scottish sides closest to the Irish Sea that opened up in the later periods of global warming. Germanic languages cannot have diverged in Old English so rapidly after the Saxon incursions, nor were (against the Welsh historian Gildas' spurious claims of Celtic "wipeout") the indigenous natives necessarily Celtic-speakers all prior to the landing of Hengist and his post-Roman mercenaries.

Percentages of genetic disruption rarely reach even the point of "decimation" of 10% in a handful of Anglian areas, according to genetic studies of inhabitants today in these long-stable regions of Britain. Simply and ineradicably, this persistent divide, genetically and perhaps linguistically, Oppenheimer proposes, persists in our DNA. This parallels the Germanic vs. Celtic division of languages in the Isles, the spine of mountains serving as an insular border between these two major routes for farming and colonization.

The hoary myth of a Celtic genocide by Teutonic overlords that inspired Arthur's last stand, it seems, proves more a "Dark Age" screed than plausible history. Granted that this early medieval era remains fraught with dangers for those reliant only on chronicles or a misleading archeological record, Oppenheimer here makes his boldest suggestion.

Probably the first to enter this fray as a geneticist, he confronts linguistic assumptions about the rapid spread and dialectal evolution in only a few centuries of Anglo-Saxon in post-Roman Britain. Germanic languages, he opines, might have become established long before Romans, let alone Saxons, entered into what was not necessarily a Celtic-dominated Brittania. Celts themselves, whatever this term means given the looseness of this pseudo-ethnic linguistic concept, did not rush en masse into the islands, and they too were perhaps the harbingers of not a massive demographic invasion but an elite influencing cultural and linguistic trends among the natives, who may date back ten thousand years before the arrival of Celtic-language speakers. Unfortunately, traces of any words that are pre-Celtic lurk rarely in the archaeological record, according to most experts. We lack a Rosetta Stone to decode whatever insular peoples spoke before Celtic languages became the norm among both the newcoming elite and the long-settled old-timers.

Therefore, Oppenheimer turns to DNA for clues. He challenges linguists who for a century have been indoctrinated to ignore searching for language origins. He argues that science can offer tentative solutions that account for a Germanic undercurrent that may not be that apparent on the surface, but which aligns with what we know about rates of linguistic change that may have begun as long ago as 3000 BCE (estimates differ) that can be calibrated with patterns of genetic migration.

His thesis? Most of the original British Isles inhabitants descend from a massive "founder population"-- maybe far more than three-fourths or more of those today living in some locales. Due to genetics and settlement patterns, most humans stick to one place for millennia. This conservatism therefore provides a solid bedrock. It cannot be eroded even by the waves of more recent, and tribally-named, intruders. While closer to us in time and in the historical record (however tenuous!), these famous warriors themselves often number in the low single-digits (5% often!) in terms of percentages of genetic "material" we British and/or Celts carry today.

All subsequent immigrations, whether Celt, Roman, Saxon, Angle, Jute, Viking, or Norman, Oppenheimer states in the closing line of his epilogue, diminish by their traces in the descendants of the majority who trace their roots to British-resident or Celtic-origin DNA today. Most of the origins of the British predate even the Celts. Oppenheimer concludes: "we are all minorities compared with the first, unnamed pioneers, who ventured into the empty, chilly lands so recently vacated by the great ice sheets." (421)

The Origins of the British: A Genetic Detective Story.......2007-08-02

Oppenheimer has written the most comprehensive, well organized and complete description of the deep origins of the British peoples. At the present time it is easily the best of any other available title. The author is at the very edge of contemporary genetic studies. One of the book's strengths is its inclusion of many of the findings of other genetic researchers. It also contains supporting materials from other disciplines and classical writers.

I found the book to be well written, meticulously documented, illustrated with maps and other visual materials, and well organized for a work of its breath. It is written for the educated or self-educated reader and does presuppose some familiarity with basic genetics and dna structure. If a potential reader fears he/she does not have this background, I recommend purchasing a companion primer on dna or download materials from even Wikipedia. Most genealogists will have little trouble with the technical terms.

I have read critiques that this book gives no final answers. This is true but the author provides the best interpretation of British prehistory available from today's science and supporting disciplines. A good companion book to read with this book is Barry Cunliffe's Facing the Ocean: the Atlantic and Its Peoples.

Accessible, yet not dumbed down.......2007-07-28

For anyone interested in the early history of the British isles this book is a must. Oppenheimer gathered all the information concerning the genetic history of the British isles floating around on the internet, scholarly journals, academic works, etc., and having assembled it all, presents it a serious, yet very readable fashion. Like Sykes and other genetic scholars he used cutsy names to represent specific genetic lineages, but he doesn't force the reader to have to deal with a fictional account of prehistoric lives. Instead the names are easily remembered catch phrases for the aforementioned groups.
Sykes confirmed earlier arguments about ancient regional divisions between populations in the British isles, but rather than beat the Anglo vs. Celtic drum, he argues that the English, Scots, Irish and Welsh all came out of the same prehistoric mix of Iberian, Near Eastern, and Eastern European migrants. Sykes does not, however, argue against the validity of "Celtic" as an lable representing certain populations in Western Europe. Rather, we need to rethink the way in which we use the term.
Using a rational - if not 100% believable argument - based on linguistics, history, genetics and archaeology, Sykes also contends that the roots of the English language in what is now Eastern England might predate the Roman invasion. In other words the linguistic division between the Welsh and the English is not the result of the Anglo-Saxon invasion, instead owing to more long-standing prehistoric social and cultural divisions.

Great Analysis.......2007-05-14

This book is incredibly insightful on a topic that few people know about. It accurately and convincingly dispels many rumors and genealogical cover-ups and gets right down to what is factual. That, in my opinion, is what is most important about a book that presents many important concepts in a objective manner. Forget about the fact that he happens to use "pet names," and that he can drone on a little. His contemporary Bryan Sykes, who wrote a book on exactly the same topic, does the exact same thing and comes to the same basic conclusions. In any case, the meat of the books, the facts, haven't been disputed as of yet.

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind

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New Conciousness
Fascinating, but probably wrong.
an fascinating intellectual Odyssey
Mind blowing. Profound
Earth-shattering conclusions may change your outlook on religion

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
Julian Jaynes
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0618057072

Book Description

At the heart of this classic, seminal book is Julian Jaynes's still-controversial thesis that human consciousness did not begin far back in animal evolution but instead is a learned process that came about only three thousand years ago and is still developing. The implications of this revolutionary scientific paradigm extend into virtually every aspect of our psychology, our history and culture, our religion -- and indeed our future.

Customer Reviews:

New Conciousness.......2007-09-07

The author makes a daring assertion that consciousness evolved recently as part of evolution and is still evolving. This concept also tries to explain the origin of god and religion.
This is a new hypothesis similar to blackholes or dinosaur extinction. More experimental proof will determine how famous this theory become.
What I didn't like about the book is:
* Spending whole chapters and depending solely on Iliad story to make an argument.
* Too much of stress and pages devoted on language metaphor development.
* It would have been better to describe one or two major case to bolster an argument and list others in appendix.
* No mention about religion and culture of asia. Only european stories are mentioned. Vedanta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedanta), puranas, upanishad, mahabarath are just a few examples in Indian history.
* The prose could have been simpler and number of pages less.

Other books that readers would be interested in:
Science and Meaning of Auditory Hallucination
The God Delusion
Stumbling on Happiness
Moral Minds

Fascinating, but probably wrong........2007-08-27

A few years ago I went to a conference where they had an award for the "most interesting theory most likely to be wrong". Of all the books I have read during the last few years, the late Julian Jaynes' "The origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind" would most likely win that honor. Coincidentally, both Jaynes' book as well as the conference contribution deal with the language and the brain; Jaynes also deals with consciousness, literature and history. In short, his theory is that up until about 3000 B.C., Homo sapiens, walked the earth without anything like the conscious, subjective experience of our surrounding and memories we currently possess. Then, agriculture, cities and the first complex societies arose. How were the masses which existed in these radically new social circumstances controlled? According to Jaynes, human beings were still not conscious, but heard voices which commanded them what to do whenever a novel and unfamiliar situation arose. Where did these voices come from? From the right cortical hemisphere, from the brain regions analogous to the language centers on the left. These voices are comparable to what schizophrenics hear today. The difference is that they were not considered something abnormal, but a command from "the gods". The underlings in these first complex civilizations heard the voices of their masters, even when they were absent, and these of their personal gods. Higher ranking members of society heard voices of higher gods, and the king/pharao heard voices of the supreme god and sometimes was considered that god himself. The art of these civilizations was set up to trigger this hallucinating. The brain's division into an obeying left and a commanding, god-like, right cortical hemisphere is what Jaynes calls the "bicameral mind". This mindset kept societies stable and growing. No one questioned what he or she had to do, as no one would ever question "the gods"!

Then, the 2nd century B.C., a time marked by natural catastrophes and societal instability, came along. The bicameral mind was no longer useful under these rapidly changing circumstances. Hearing voices was no longer encouraged societally, and children and adults showing such tendencies were possibly killed in some circumstances. The "gods" had ceased to speak to humans directly. True modern consciousness came about. Modern religions, oracles and various superstitions are the results of the human desire to relive the less uncertain times of the bicameral mind. Neurological conditions like schizophrenia and Tourette-syndrome are the neurobiological remainders of the formerly ubiquitous voices of the "gods".

Jaynes, a Princeton scholar, in his educated and quirky style, does a good job in outlining his theory and he draws support for it from a variety of sources, most notably the writings of the Iliad and Odysee and the old testament. He reconstructs a timeline, in which later literary works show support for truly conscious, subjectively experiencing characters; older ones do not. I am not competent to judge his psycho-literary criticism. I am competent to judge his arguments stemming from neuroscience; although he speculates and obviously leans out the window, he does not say anything unreasonable. He is off on some scientific issues, for instance in his statement that the neanderthals are a part of the lineage leading to us; however none of these factual mistakes seriously undermine his main thesis in my opinion. I think that he is onto something, but that in many cases goes to far in his interpretation of the evidence supporting his ideas. I also think that even though it is very valuable to think along his lines, the core of his thesis is wrong. In my opinion there are two reasons for that:

Firstly, only a part of humanity went trough a historical progression such as the one in the middle East and eastern Mediterranean in the 4th to 2nd century B.C, but all present humans appear to be conscious. I have personally talked to Australian aborigines who's grandparents were hunter-gatherers and who appeared undoubtedly conscious to me. Many peoples who had remained hunter-gatherers or in small-scale agricultural societies only came into contact with European civilization during the last 500 years, and some remain in such forms of social organization. The Kajapo in the Amazon or the New Guinea highlanders are clearly not the non-conscious robots Jaynes imagines pre-bicameral or bicameral humans to be.

Then, Jaynes basically pictures ancient Egypt as a society of constantly hallucinating citizens. Hallucinating wasn't seen as something pathological in these times, he argues, and it in fact contributed to societal functioning. Judging on the behavior of modern schizophrenics, I doubt that such a society is possible. They act too destructively and erratic. Among Jaynes' own examples is a man who was told by his voices to commit suicide by drowning himself. These are psychological forces too fiery to be channeled into avenues beneficial for an ordered, complex society.

Still, despite my disagreement with its basic take-home message, a book I consider highly worth reading. His notion of psychohistory is very, very interesting. Psychological phenomena which nowadays lead to a removal of a individual from society, such as hallucinations, were possibly considered something desirable in previous epochs. I can't picture a society completely composed of constantly hallucinating individuals; but I could see how such hallucinations by kings and priests were valued at times. Not only were technology, art and the organization of political and economic power vastly different at different times in history, but possibly also the basic mindset of humans - although in my opinion, in contrast to Jaynes', not to the degree of the absence of a true mind.

an fascinating intellectual Odyssey.......2007-07-20

Yes, Jaynes' analysis of his corroborating evidence is often highly subjective and debatable.

Jaynes' model actually requires several postulates: 1. that consciousness (a self-examing, self-judging, self-motivating analog 'I') is not employed in many of our activities; our distant ancestors would not have required consciousness in this sense to learn skills like cooperating in the hunt or fashioning simple tools; nor are we today 'conscious' of very much when we drive a car or even type words at a keyboard. (Actually, I'd say much email proves the last point!) This is accepted by many today. Once we (consciously) decide to write an essay, the words just seem to flow quite 'unconsciously'; we are not 'conscious' of grammar or even the development of our ideas; too much self-awareness (consciousness) may even slow the task. 2. that our mental process historically evolved relatively slowly to produce consciousness through some intermediary steps; this also seems reasonable, despite some AI people that believe that reaching some critical processing capability may cause a computer to suddenly become 'conscious'. 3. that a metaphorically rich language is a necessary substrate for consciousness to exist. I think he's right here, though there is disagreement. (We can now trace Indo-European languages back by linguistic analysis to perhaps 20,000 BCE, to a equally syntatically (though not necessarily metaphorically) complex parent language, though we have no written samples, of course.)

What is astonishing is Jaynes' placement of the development of full-blown consciousness only 3 thousand or so years ago. This requires that the linguistic metaphorical hypostases necessary (according to Jaynes, and here I agree) for consciousness: 'self', 'mind', 'will', 'morality', etc., are recent, something Jaynes attempts to demonstrate from the use of language in the Iliad and the Old Testament.

Jaynes' conclusion: that the high civilizations of Eqypt, Mesopotamia, Mycenean ('Homeric') Greece and MesoAmerica were developed by unconscious, un-unified beings with 'bicameral' minds: simplistically, 'man' in the left hemisphere, and 'god' (or 'authority' or 'will') in the right. Jaynes acknowledges this is an incredible concept for us to accept. Yet insects build complex structures even without a cerebrum, let alone consciousness, and natural selection supposes the development of a very complex eye through many intermediate stages. (My examples, not his.)

If Jaynes hasn't fully demonstrated his hypothesis at the end, neither is it pure 'science fiction'. In a very real sense it was a 'god' - Pharoah, or rather in Jaynes' view the 'god' half of his mind - that authorized the construction of the pyramids. We now know that this task was performed by corvee labor, rather than slaves. Jaynes would argue that his bicameral theory makes these massive projects more understandable, if the (lesser) 'god' halves of the minds of the laborers provided corroborative authority. The hypothesis also provides a reasonable analysis of the rise, development and persistence of religion. One wonders if today Jaynes would have added god-inspired suicide bombers to his examples of holdovers from 'bicameral' thinking!

If complex linguistic metaphor is required to analyze consciousness (a major concern of classical Greek and Indian philosophy), isn't it required for consciousness itself? The dating is problematic, of course, since we have no writing from before 5,000 years ago. Now, my next project is to get out my copy of the Iliad and a Greek lexicon to try to confirm Jaynes' linguistic analysis!

Mind blowing. Profound.......2007-06-18

This book instantly found itself inside my favourire top three. Challenging, compelling, entertaining, and beautifully written. It constitutes a serious challenge to human history, and more specifically the fields of psychiatry and anthroplogy. Great stuff!

Could it really be that only hundreds of years ago we lacked the same degree of self-awareness that we enjoy today, and acted at the mercy of the right side of the brain as if some form of automaton? This is no new age nonsense, and Jaynes makes a compelling case that the bicameral mind may have had evolutionary value.

Earth-shattering conclusions may change your outlook on religion.......2007-06-01

I would never have imagined a book with such a heavy-going title would have the page-turning power of a great who-done-it!

In this revolutionary, eloquent and hugely thought-provoking read, Jaynes uses, in part, the Odyssey, the Iliad, neurology and psychology to make the case that our brains made a fundamental developmental leap forward just 3000 years ago that allowed us to be truly "conscious", that is possess a clear sense of self. Before this, the two "bicameral" halves of our brains behaved differently from today and our ancestors took the hallucinated voices arising from one half of the brain (some similarities to modern schitzophrenics are made) as the commands of the gods and elders who had passed on and become gods. Essentially his conclusion is that religion is a side-effect of the brain's evolution. Really a compelling read.

Jaynes is sadly no longer around to write the next book on this subject, but I would be very interested in someone tackling the issue based on Chinese research: written language seems to have developed there even earlier that the 5000 years we have come to know and is a key catalyst for modern consciousness, at least as Jaynes saw it.

If you have read it and liked the book, you might also like to read the slightly heavier-going THE MIND IN THE CAVE by David Lewis-Williams which looks at the notion of higher consciousness from the perspective of western European paleolithic cave art and its origins in shamanistic hallucinations. Both books are based mainly on European source material, although the latter goes to some pains to anchor the debate in the experience of existing shamanistic tradition from around the world.

Good Natured: The Origins of Right and Wrong in Humans and Other Animals

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Just a good book
Very important book, gives the good news about Darwinism
Brilliant
Morality among Primates
Clearly outstanding

Good Natured: The Origins of Right and Wrong in Humans and Other Animals
Frans B. M. de Waal
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0674356616

Amazon.com

In Good Natured Frans de Waal, ethologist and primatologist, asks us to reconsider human morality in light of moral aspects that can be identified in animals. Within the complex negotiations of human society, a moral action may involve thoughts and feelings of guilt, reciprocity, obligation, expectations, rules, or community concern. De Waal finds these aspects of morality prevalent in other animal societies, mostly primate, and suggests that the two philosophical camps supporting nature and nurture may have to be disbanded in order to adequately understand human morality. A theoretician, de Waal is meticulous in his research, cautious not to extrapolate too much from his findings, and logically sound in his arguments. He also writes with precision and a flair for the dramatic, carrying readers along with graceful ease and vivid examples.

Book Description

To observe a dog's guilty look.

to witness a gorilla's self-sacrifice for a wounded mate, to watch an elephant herd's communal effort on behalf of a stranded calf--to catch animals in certain acts is to wonder what moves them. Might there he a code of ethics in the animal kingdom? Must an animal be human to he humane? In this provocative book, a renowned scientist takes on those who have declared ethics uniquely human Making a compelling case for a morality grounded in biology, he shows how ethical behavior is as much a matter of evolution as any other trait, in humans and animals alike.

World famous for his brilliant descriptions of Machiavellian power plays among chimpanzees-the nastier side of animal life--Frans de Waal here contends that animals have a nice side as well. Making his case through vivid anecdotes drawn from his work with apes and monkeys and holstered by the intriguing, voluminous data from his and others' ongoing research, de Waal shows us that many of the building blocks of morality are natural: they can he observed in other animals. Through his eyes, we see how not just primates but all kinds of animals, from marine mammals to dogs, respond to social rules, help each other, share food, resolve conflict to mutual satisfaction, even develop a crude sense of justice and fairness.

Natural selection may be harsh, but it has produced highly successful species that survive through cooperation and mutual assistance. De Waal identifies this paradox as the key to an evolutionary account of morality, and demonstrates that human morality could never have developed without the foundation of fellow feeling our species shares with other animals. As his work makes clear, a morality grounded in biology leads to an entirely different conception of what it means to he human--and humane.

Customer Reviews:

Just a good book.......2007-06-10

I found the book to be highly readable and subject matter to be fascinating. This subject is no where near my field (which is history) but found that De Waal presents the material in way that is very accessible to anyone. De Waal has an entertaining writing style that keeps you absorbed in the reading without the effort I have found in other books on the subject.

It's very important for us to really look at where we come from and why we are what we are, and taking a look at our closest relatives is a good window into our minds. I found the analysis and the conclusions to be well formed and fairly presented. The evidence he gives for his conclusions is well documented and explained.

While I did have a few problems here and there, these did not detract from the overall readability and the pure enjoyment of the book. This was just a very enjoyable book that I would recommend to anyone, whether you have a deep interest in the topic or you're just looking for an interesting book to use up a few hours in the day.

Very important book, gives the good news about Darwinism.......2007-05-12

For some time now, we have been pounded with the bad news about Darwin. Life was shaped by a war of all against all. Evolution is survival of the fittest. People are incurably violent "killer apes" because Darwin made us killing machines.

This is all alot of nonsense, and always has been. It is important for a number of reasons, however. Among other things, many of the opponents of Darwin in the academic world are motivated by an understandable distaste for the "killer ape" school of thought. If Darwin says that people are no damm good, and that is built into our genes, then we reject Darwin.

But Darwin never said any of that stuff. Evolution by natural selection favors whatever promotes survival, under the conditions a species finds itself. It promotes being big and heavy, for whales in the ocean; it promotes being light and thin, for hummingbirds. It does not promote any one thing, in all circumstances.

It particularly does not promote unlimited aggressiveness, particularly among social animals. A very more useful strategy for survival is cooperation. De Waal makes the case that cooperation is built into us, by natural selection. He uses eminently Darwinian logic, and he knows the science.

Brilliant.......2006-12-07

De Waal is brilliant, objective, careful in reaching conclusions, ethical, a good writer, and has a lot to say. He is very much aware of research in related fields, such as developmental psychology. He and others place great store on observation of animals in natural settings, but also use controlled experimentation, analogous to the type of studies psychologists are always performing on college students. While I think this was an outstanding book, I would acknowledge that the beginning is slower reading than the end: more focused on the necessary vocabulary, some of the controversies, more argumentative, a little redundant.

De Waal contrasts "lower" primates and chimpanzees so that we can better understand the evolution of morality, and such distinctions as that between learned adjustment and true empathy. Chimps will mourn, console, deceive; the alpha male will intervene in disputes where the only objective can be restoration of harmony. As all animals, their adaptive potential exceeds the range of behavior observed in natural settings. For example, in the wild, females do not usually spend much time with other adult females, whereas in captivity they do. In captivity, they may use their friendships/alliances to control overly aggressive males, and even influence who becomes the alpha male. While morality has a genetic basis, even in monkeys there is a cultural component. In one experiment, aggressive rhesus adolescents learned to be more tolerant after living with more peaceful stump tailed macaques for 6 months.

The adaptive potential of morality is that it fosters group cohesion, which for many species is essential for defense against predators, or to find or protect resources. This is not to deny that one basis of morality is the selfish gene: by helping kin, you are helping some of your own genes to survive, so "altruistic genes" tend to perpetuate themselves.

Morality among Primates.......2006-09-25

Good Natured is a book focusing on morality in the animal kingdom, specifically primates. Overall, I thought this was definitely a fairy easy and engrossing read. The book deals with the structure of primate societies and how they enforce morality, how deeply it extends through the primate family (de Waal primarily researches chimpanzees), and instances of love, guilt, aggression, deception from his own research and those of other primatologists. He also describes other philosophies and research into moral systems.

I like de Waals style: the studies he talked about were fascinating and he really keeps your interest. I guess the only negative is that the book is a little disjointed in places. For example, in the chapter on sympathy there is a section on deception. In the end he makes his own speculation on morality stretching across human boundaries and what he makes of the implications for treatment of primates and other animals. It's definitely a great read for anyone interested in the evolution of morality and primatology.

Clearly outstanding.......2005-10-22

I must say that this book has really helped me understand how monkeys, bonobos, and chimps live in both captivity and in the wild. In the same token it has also help understand how they all interact with each other, and sometimes I must admit that they seem to treat each other like humans treat one another.

Chapter Two in the book to me seemed to be the most interesting. De Waal with great detail writes about relationships within the species. How they accept handicap within the species and how they deal with an offspring's death.

Overall this book is outstanding and clearly understood. All chapters of this book even though this book is about primates, monkeys, etc., have a tie to human beings. I recommend this book to those individuals interested in learning the behavior and the nature of primates, monkeys, etc., but most of all those interested in learning the behavior and nature of humans, after all we did evolve from old world primates.

The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality

Average customer rating:

Crusader for Truth
groundbreaking text deserves to be a classic
Simply put, the book is not for the simple minded.
Not how I remember it . .
The Euro-American falsification of World History...on the way out?

The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality
Cheikh Anta Diop
Manufacturer: Lawrence Hill Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1556520727

Book Description

Now in its 30th printing, this classic presents historical, archaeological, and anthropological evidence to support the theory that ancient Egypt was a black civilization.

Customer Reviews:

Crusader for Truth.......2007-07-09

This book is a must read for every black person of high school age and above. Dr. Diop, While clearly a crusader for truth about black african history, thoroughly supports his conclusion that the ancient egyptians were black people. This conclusion is supported by the record left by the ancient Egyptians themselves: through their pryamid paintings, reliefs, sculptures, and writings.

groundbreaking text deserves to be a classic.......2007-01-19

This edited version of Cheik Anta Diop's groundbreaking work is a must read for anyone interested not only in African history but history in general. Its tendency to polemic is nonetheless a strong counterpoint to the 'whitening' of history that has been occurring in anthropology and archeology since theories of race began developing as socio-political weapons in the 17th-18th century. Diop eloquently refutes the claims to the European or Asian origin of Eygyptian civilisation by examing the core texts of the European experts who have actively perpetrated such theories, and by bringing to our awareness evidence for the antiquity of other African civilisations thorughout Africa and the orient. He has been accused of racism himself but his text exposes how racist ideologies of Europe gave rise to lies still in common circulation today. We must not take for granted the 'truth' of history presented in our classrooms and mainstream media. This is a well argued and thoroughly reserached text that if read with an open mind and a critical eye will change your understanding of history.

Simply put, the book is not for the simple minded. .......2007-01-14

First and foremost lets all accept this fact. People are going to believe what they want to believe in many cases without a real curiosity or concern with separating truth from fallacy. Why? Because its easy, and what is worse for some, is because at their moral base they prefer arrogant elitism over objective investigation.

Of course the fallacy that Africa and those native to that continent made no positive and/or major contributions to civilization makes no sense at all. That's like praising the stealth fighter planes of today yet insisting that the Wright Brothers and others of their time didn't really make any significant contribution to air travel.

Without question many well respected scholars, historians, anthropologists, etc... delivered their most important works in a time when it was necessary to justify the colonization of Africa and the inferiority of their inhabitants to maintain some sense of moral character. To them real or imagined, even the most noble at times had a (Thomas Jefferson type of self contradiction) in matching the clarity of science with the cloudy prism of racism in their own minds. Its just one of several human frailties we are all subject too if not careful.

A true student of history could not dismiss Diops work just because he spoke from a place that was unpopular. As an African himself we should expect his work to challenge the popular opinion of that day, which indeed under any serious study shows it self to be contradictory many times, bias and most certainly questionable at the very least when dealing with the history of Africa and Africans.

Diop was a student activist who was also a brilliant mind that chose science to find an answer to questions he had about the chaos that had befallen his homeland. In doing so he found far more and this he presents in a way nothing short of interesting, scholarly and well worth reading.

Given the depth of Diops commitment to intellectual prowess and understanding of his chosen fields of the sciences, his presentation dealing with ethnology, linguistics, anthropology to mention a few areas is far more substantive than many of those he challenges and he pulls no punches in demanding a respectful hearing from those who would suggest to be the same if not more than a scholar than he.

It would be a mistake to misinterpret Diop's challenging works regarding civilization, Egypt and Africa as a ploy to belittle another group or say one race is better or worse than another. His thought process rises far above and beyond that, reaching to edify all readers regarding the importance of truth in science which will lead to a better understanding of our existence, past, present, and future. Simply put, the book is not for the simple minded.

Not how I remember it . . .......2006-10-26

What is this person trying to prove? Most of this book was created on a racist bent, not very professional if you ask me. Shouldn't we be enjoying their gifts to mankind, instead of crying about something so petty and childish? Egypt was a melting pot, GET OVER IT! Besides, the race of these wonderfull people shouldn't matter. Quit befouling a glorious culture with modern day "politics."

The Euro-American falsification of World History...on the way out?.......2006-06-25

Diop has written a powerful book placing the African civilizations of what is commonly called "Ancient Egypt" at the begining of world history ,where it rightly belong.
The French trained scholar used modern linquistics to put to rest, once and for all, the the pure assertion on the part of Western Egyptologist that the language spoken by the ancient Egyptians was a semitic language related to Hebrew and Arabic. Diop demonstrates conclusively that the language of ancient Egypt was a Black African language related genetically at many levels of the gramatical structure to the languages spoken by peope of Black Africa today! No competent linguist can demostrate that the ancient Egyptian language is genetically related to the so-called "Oriental Languages" or semitic family of languages. It can not be done.
Dr. Theophile Obenga, a Congolese scholar who worked closely with Dr. Diop, demolished the unscientific work of Dr. Greenberg. Greenberg placed the language of the ancient Egyptians in the semitic group or family of languages with Hebrew, Arabic, etc. Evidently Greenberg had no broad- first hand knowlege of any African language. Judging from his work, it appears doubtful if Greenberg ever seriously studied African languages. Nowdays Greenberg's work is clearly more dogma than science.
Diop points out that the ancient Egyptians said that they(the ancient Egyptians)came from the South at the place in the heart of Africa where the mighty Nile river has its source. This would be in the Great Lakes region. And that Egypt was all the land watered by the Nile.
The ancient Egyptians buried their dead facing the South. To them the South was the "Holy Land", Ta Marry.
The worldview of the ancient Egyptians, their cosmology and religion is African. Every element of Egyptian religion has its counterparts in the African religions of today. The concept of the KA and the Ba are found thoughout black Africa today.
Christianity, Judaism and Islam grew out of the rich religious and ethical teachings of these ancient African thinkers.
Oh, I could go on and on.....with for example the African origin of philosophy. Thales who was said to be the first Greek philosopher, went to Egypt and studied UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE EGYPTIAN PRIEST....even the word "philosophy" is not of Greek or even of IndoEuropean origin. Etymologically, the word is from the ancient African language spoken by the early black Africans commonly called "ancient Egyptians".
For too long now, the European world has sought to take Egypt out of Africa. Later the attempt was to take Africans out of
Egypt!
The European/American intellectual dogma has been dealt a tremendous blow by the work of Diop. After all the lies, distortions and slander of Mother Africa, the Truth, like RA, will emerge out of the foggy darkness of this long, cold and horrible night, to light, warm and rejuvenate the world again- healing and strengthening the wounded hearts.
Read the book-you'll see!!
Don
Peyton

The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation

Average customer rating:

The Greatest Book Ever Written
Interesting book about cooperative behavior, marred by libertarian bias
Interesting argument about human cooperation and evolution
Provocative with some confusing conclusions
Very entertaining

The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation
Matt Ridley
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0140264450

Amazon.com

Human life, scientific journalist Matt Ridley suggests, is a complex balancing act: we behave with self-interest foremost in mind, but also in ways that do not harm, and sometimes even benefit, others. This behavior, in a strange way, makes us good. It also makes us unique in the animal world, where self-interest is far more pronounced. "The essential virtuousness of human beings is proved not by parallels in the animal kingdom, but by the very lack of convincing animal parallels," Ridley writes. How we got to be so virtuous over millions of years of evolution is the theme of this entertaining book of popular science, which will be of interest to any student of human nature.

Book Description

If, as Darwin suggests, evolution relentlessly encourages the survival of the fittest, why are humans compelled to live in cooperative, complex societies? In this fascinating examination of the roots of human trust and virtue, a zoologist and former American editor of the Economist reveals the results of recent studies that suggest that self-interest and mutual aid are not at all incompatible. In fact, he points out, our cooperative instincts may have evolved as part of mankind's natural selfish behavior--by exchanging favors we can benefit ourselves as well as others. Brilliantly orchestrating the newest findings of geneticists, psychologists, and anthropologists, The Origins of Virtue re-examines the everyday assumptions upon which we base our actions towards others, whether in our roles as parents, siblings, or trade partners. With the wit and brilliance of The Red Queen, his acclaimed study of human and animal sexuality, Matt Ridley shows us how breakthroughs in computer programming, microbiology, and economics have given us a new perspective on how and why we relate to each other.

• Ridley's previous book, The Red Queen, was short-listed for the Writers' Guild Award for nonfiction.

Customer Reviews:

The Greatest Book Ever Written.......2007-09-11

Don't pick up this book unless you want life-changing revelations about the way you view friends, family, and all other relationships. Everything is a give and take.

Interesting book about cooperative behavior, marred by libertarian bias.......2007-05-06

Why should people or animals be nice to one another? The thesis of the book is that such behavior arises because it is in the mutual interest of individuals to exchange goods and services. The book does a good job of showing examples from animal and anthropological studies as well as providing theoretical arguments. Along the way you will be disabused of any notions that you may have of "noble savages" and of any idyllic images of the behavior of dolphins and chimpanzees.

Unfortunately the author has a dislike of large scale government, which causes him to ignore investigating the benefits not only of government but of special purpose organizations at all levels from gardening clubs to Medieval guilds to large scale charitable organizations. There are, for example, things that governments do well that simply are not possible at the individual level, like organizing poice and armies and constructing highways. Also worthy of mention would be the comparatively modern concept of voting. This is not something done by hunter-gatherers, because they do not have the required abstract concept of number, which is not something that we are born with.

Despite its title the book does not really explain the origin of virtue as a concept. He says that the ideal of self-less behavior is an illusion, yet even if this is the case it requires an explanation. Why are we moved by the suffering of others? Why do so many people contribute to charitable organizations? Why do we have a concept of justice, leading to what the author calls the "irrational" attitude of revenge, which he notes is peculiar to our own species.

The book provides a good starting point for a discussion of virtue, but, as I have indicated it is certainly not the final word on the subject.

Interesting argument about human cooperation and evolution.......2007-03-19

The book opens with a daring jail break. The story notes that the person escaping the grim Russian prison is, in fact, a member of the nobility, one of the Czar's favorites when the escapee was much younger. The person breaking out, of course, is Peter Kropotkin, the anarchist prince. However, it is not his philosophy so much as his work in natural history that drew Matt Ridley's attention.

Kropotkin, on an exploration of Siberia, observed what he saw was cooperation among multitudinous animal species. He drew from that the conclusion that Huxley, who had described nature as "red in tooth and claw," was missing an important part of the evolution picture--the evolution of cooperation. And this leads to Ridley's thesis in this well written volume (page 5): "Society works not because we have consciously invented it, but because it is an ancient product of our evolved predispositions. It is literally in our nature." He goes on to note that (page 5): "This is a book about human nature, and in particular the surprisingly social nature of the human animal."

The volume proceeds by reviewing theories and research on cooperation, evolution, and so on, a wide ranging review of the human condition and of our evolutionary impulses. He notes that our primate relatives set the stage for understanding the evolution of human cooperation. He notes the importance of a game, adopting game theory, developed by political scientist Robert Axelrod, in which humans will cooperate unless double crossed, at which point individuals will respond in negative kind. But, according to some theorists, as long as individuals are willing to cooperate with one another, they will get cooperation in return.

His conclusion is intriguing (page 264): "If we are to recover social harmony and virtue, if we are to build back into society the virtues that made it work for us, it is vital that we reduce the power and scope of the state." He calls for (page 265) ". . .social and material exchange between equals for that is the raw material of trust, and trust is the basis for virtue."

All in all, an intriguing and interesting volume. Not all, of course, will be convinced of the thesis. But it is a well written effort to integrate many different bodies of work to make his point.

Provocative with some confusing conclusions.......2007-01-10

I gave this book four stars out of five because most of the book seems to develop a sound argument for virtues and traits arising out of evolutionary development. Where it fails is in some of its conclusions. Here I am echoing the Editorial Review From Library Journal as shown here on Amazon.com. After pointing out how mankind, many times as hunter-gather tribes, has caused massive destruction and drove many species to extinction, he concludes that the best way to be environmentally friendly is through small, local cooperatives rather than large, especially state sponsored or directed, environmental organizations. (He arrives at other similar conclusions in other areas as well). This seems to be a dichotomy. While he does provide some evidence, it is not nearly as conclusive as he seems to believe. At one point he speaks of the English medieval common. He points out that stinting is still an on-going practice in some regions, thus leading to the conclusion that local control and cooperation is best. However, this argument leaves a lot to be desired. First, the commons system mostly broke down for a variety of reasons, one of which was cheating. This lead to the enclosures. This ended up leading to wealthier individuals who ended up purchasing more property and reducing his neighbors to fuedal status and eventual poor management. If the commons system was so successful, it is hard to understand why it almost completely collapsed. To be sure, the collapse can be partially explained to some degree by other aspects of human nature. Yet, a truly successful system should have been able to resist such corruption.

Likewise, the attacks on the larger "do good" organizations seems questionable. After all, it has been a defining nature of man to organize in ever larger groups for at least 10,000 years, the time of the earliest known permanent settlements. While 10,000 years is a mere blip on the evolutionary scale, the need to organize seems pervasive, as he points out early on using the complex systems of plants and animals as examples. While the frailties of human nature do not always lead these organizations to performing the best good, it is unquestionable that many people involved in these organizations are selfless. Also, another counter-argument to his conclusions is the fact that much of the Industrial world democratically votes for things that will cost them, but are for some sort of larger good.

What this book does well is demonstrate that many virtuous traits did come out of evolutionary development, rather than cultural or religious forces. While these latter undoubtedly have an effect on these traits, they are not the source. It does a good job explaining what the base behavioral tendencies are, thus providing a basis for evaluating our institutions, finding ways to reward positive traits and to punish the negative traits that always arise.

This book is an easy read. If the subject is interesting to you, purchase the book, just keep on mind some of the weaknesses. A newer book you may want to consider is Moral Minds. Or, perhaps, read both.

Very entertaining.......2006-11-21

Matt Ridley does a good job of explaining the origins of virtue as pro-social, instinctive behaviors that serve individual or genetic self-interest via a cohesive and cooperative group. The flip-side of this is tribal 'us' vs 'them' thinking and behavior which can lead to the horrors of war and genocide.

Free-trade is seen as the way to improve relations between groups. Reduced state power with private or communal property ownership is seen as the way to improve conservation of resources and to improve relations between people who are then equally engaged in exchange. Exchange is built on trust which is the foundation of virtue.

Ridley acknowledges the problem that the recognition of the motivation of self-interest in people can lead to people becoming more selfish.

My greater concern is his assumption of exchange being between equals. Or, indeed, how decision-making power will be shared equally considering, for example, how much authority men have had over women throughout evolution and history. Can women be equal exchangers considering their reproductive and 'caring' roles in society that are so difficult to cost or even for men to value? Ridley himself says that tribalism is more of a male problem so is this all really just directed at men and traditional male activities? If so, where does it leave women, children, the elderly etc? The practicalities are far from clear.

Nonetheless, this is a strong argument and Ridley is a very entertaining writer. Certainly well worth reading.

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