Human Nature

Description

Conventional wisdom holds that the murder rate has plummeted since the Middle Ages; humankind is growing more peaceful and enlightened; man is shortly to be much improved—better genes, better neural circuits, better biochemistry; and we are approaching a technological singularity that well may usher in utopia. Human Nature eviscerates these and other doctrines of a contemporary nihilism masquerading as science. In this wide-ranging work polymath David Berlinski draws upon history, mathematics, logic, and literature to retrain our gaze on an old truth many are eager to forget: there is and will be about the human condition beauty, nobility, and moments of sublime insight, yes, but also ignorance and depravity. Men are not about to become like gods. Introduction I. VIOLENCE 1. The First World War 2. The Best of Times 3. The Cause of War II. REASON 4. Relativism—A Fish Story 5. The Dangerous Discipline 6. Necessary Nature 7. Disgusting, No? 8. Majestic Ascent: Darwin on Trial 9. Memories of Ulaanbaatar 10. Inn Keepers III. FALL 11. The Social Set 12. Godzooks IV. PERSONALITIES 13. A Flower of Chivalry 14. Giuseppe Peano 15. Sonja Kovalevsky 16. A Logician’s Life 17. Chronicle of a Death Foretold V. LANGUAGE 18. The Recovery of Case VI. PLACE 19. Prague, 1998 20. Old Hose 21. Vienna, 1981 VII. INTERVIEWS 22. A Conversation with Le Figaro 23. A Conversation with Evolution News Endnotes Credits Index