If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- How do non-genetic ideas known as 'memes' act selfishly to drive not only human culture, but our physical evolution as well?
- What is 'theory of mind,' and how does a human's ability to reach 'fifth-order intentionality' completely separate us from our primate cousins?
- In what surprising ways did the uniquely human act of cooking food permanently alter our evolutionary biology and physical anatomy?
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Key Takeaways from What Makes Us Human?
- Discover how a mere one percent difference in DNA and 49 rapidly evolving genetic areas laid the groundwork for uniquely human cognition.
- Understand why humans are the ultimate 'meme machines,' and how selfishly replicating ideas and behaviors drive our cultural and genetic evolution.
- Learn how episodic memory equips us with the ability to mentally time travel, allowing us to relive past events and plan for future survival scenarios.
- Find out how sharing vividly imagined episodes and memories through language provides humans with a distinct evolutionary advantage over other species.
- Explore how our exclusive capacity for imagination empowers us to envision alternate realities, laying the foundation for achievements in science, literature, and religion.
Learning Tools
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Mind Map
What Makes Us Human?
Genetics, Brain & Evolution+
Culture, Memes & Symbols+
Cognition, Memory & Causality+
Imagination & Spirituality+
Sociability & Communication+
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 11
According to Chapter 1, why can't genes alone fully explain human cognitive abilities like mathematical and musical talents?
Question 2 of 11
How does British author Susan Blackmore characterize 'memes' in the context of human uniqueness?
Question 3 of 11
Which specific type of memory allows humans to 'transcend' time by reliving past events and imagining the future?
Question 4 of 11
What level of 'intentionality' differentiates human theory of mind from that of our primate relatives?
Question 5 of 11
Before spoken language became our primary method of communication, what do researchers suggest our ancestors relied on?
Question 6 of 11
According to Reverend Richard Harries, what does it mean for humans to have a 'half-angel' side?
Question 7 of 11
How did brain researcher Jeffrey Schwartz apply the concept of human consciousness and neuroplasticity to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)?
Question 8 of 11
According to psychologist Mark Baldwin's theory on natural selection, what behavioral habit heavily influenced the rapid brain growth in human ancestors?
Question 9 of 11
According to psychologist Andrew Whiten, what environmental pressure primarily drove the evolution of early humans' deeply social minds?
Question 10 of 11
According to biologist Lewis Wolpert, why do primates struggle to use complex tools compared to human children?
Question 11 of 11
What physiological change in humans is considered a direct evolutionary result of cooking food?
What Makes Us Human? — Full Chapter Overview
- 1Recommendation
- 2Genetics might explain the roots of our unique cognitive powers, but they’re not the whole story.
- 3Memes resemble genes in being innately selfish, and this helps them – and us – endure.
- 4Memory lets humans “step outside” time to revisit the past and imagine the future.
- 5The human gift for imagination separates us from every other animal.
- 6Long before we spoke our thoughts, we used our hands to share needs and ideas.
- 7The human mind goes beyond the brain, and our spiritual side reflects our “half-angel” nature.
- 8Our ability to understand and consciously reshape ourselves is what makes us fully human.
- 9Bigger brains evolved in our primate forebears to weather a series of ice ages.
- 10A fierce, uniquely human curiosity drives us to explore the world around us.
- 11Through language, humans came to express abstract ideas like “love.”
- 12Humans are intensely social beings, a trait our ancestors adopted early to outwit predators.
- 13Grasping cause and effect is a uniquely human talent that enabled technology.
- 14Food lovers, take heart! You’re human because you cook.
What Makes Us Human? Summary & Overview
In What Makes Us Human (2007), a group of experts shares ideas on this centuries-long question. These blinks plumb the depths of the mystery of our species, to discover why humans alone cook food to eat, think creatively and understand cause and effect.
Who Should Listen to What Makes Us Human??
- Scientists, philosophers and theologists
- People who want to explore questions about human life
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