What Makes Us Human? [Perfect Paperback]

Charles Pasternak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2007

In What Makes us Human? Charles Pasternak, an eminent Oxford scientist, asks some of the world’s most brilliant thinkers to answer this perennial puzzle. Together they draw on a spectrum of disciplines including anthropology, biochemistry, philosophy, medicine, religion, and neuroscience, to consider what qualities separate man from monkey. Is it our imagination or our ability to imitate others? Is it our knack for cooking or our perpetual curiosity? Is it because we are social, scientific, or spiritual? This thought-provoking collection provides an accessible look at the big questions researchers are grappling with today. Exploring the true nature of human nature, What Makes us Human? sheds new light on how and why our ancestors produced such clever, talented, and unlikely progeny. For all to enjoy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Though brief, this collection of essays represents some of the best thinking regarding the question of what makes human beings unique among diverse species." -- Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, May 2008

About the Author

Professor Charles Pasternak is a biochemist and founding Director of the Oxford International Biomedical Centre, and the author of numerous books including /Quest: The Essence of Humanity/.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Oneworld Publications (September 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1851685197
• ISBN-13: 978-1851685196
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.7 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #908,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Hulme is publisher of the quarterly journal Vision--Insights and New Horizons, president of Vision Media Productions, chairman of Vision Foundation International, and president of Church of God, an International Community. He has studied theology, psychology and philosophy and holds a doctorate in international relations (with an emphasis on the Middle East) from the University of Southern California. Hulme was a producer, writer and on-camera anchor for The World Tomorrow, a weekly 30-minute television program that was syndicated on more than 300 stations worldwide. He is author of Identity, Ideology, and the Future of Jerusalem (Palgrave, 2006), Gospels for the 21st Century (Vision Media Publishing, 2010) and Apostles, First Followers and Their Faith (Vision Media Publishing 2010) and a contributor to What Makes Us Human? (Oneworld, 2007), and Access, Not Excess (Smith-Gordon, 2011), both edited by Charles Pasternak.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What Makes Us human August 1, 2009

By Ronald Horgan

Format:Perfect Paperback

The 14 contributors each shine a searchlight from a different perspective onto the alien yet familiar mass that is our human essence.
Of particular value are the Introduction by Walter Bodmer(FRS)and rather to my surprise the contributions by the theologians Richard Harries and David Hulme.
Hulme in particular gave me an "eureka" moment by illuminating a connection between ancient Hebrew and Christian texts and our current scientific knowledge about our brains, to show how we have the capacity to change for the better by an act of will.
Unifying our scientific and religious world views is possibly the most important action we can take in managing the challenges of population growth and global degredation that we now face.