Why Us?: How Science Rediscovered the Mystery of Ourselves 英文原版 为什么是我们? James Le Fanu

基本信息

By (author) James Le Fanu

Format Paperback | 320 pages

Dimensions 129 x 198 x 19mm | 230g

Publication date 05 Jul 2011

Publisher HarperCollins Publishers

Imprint HarperPress

Publication City/Country London, United Kingdom

Language English

Illustrations note Index

ISBN10 0007120281

ISBN13 9780007120284

页面参数仅供参考，具体以实物为准

内容简介

The imperative to 'know thyself' is both fundamental and profoundly elusive - for how can we ever truly comprehend the drama and complexity of the human experience?

In 'Why Us?' James Le Fanu offers a fascinating exploration of the power and limits of science to penetrate the deep mysteries of our existence, challenging the certainty that has persisted since Charles Darwin's 'Origin of Species' that we are no more than the fortuitous consequence of a materialist evolutionary process.

That challenge arises, unexpectedly, from the two major projects that promised to provide definitive proof for this most influential of scientific theories. The first is the astonishing achievement of the Human Genome Project, which, it was anticipated, would identify the genetic basis of those characteristics that distinguish humans from their primate cousins. The second is the phenomenal advance in brain imaging that now permits neuroscientists to observe the brain 'in action' and thus account for the remarkable properties of the human mind.

But that is not how it has turned out. It is simply not possible to get from the monotonous sequence of genes along the double helix to the near infinite diversity of the living world, nor to translate the electrical firing of the brain into the creativity of the human mind. This is not a matter of not knowing all the facts. Rather, science has inadvertently discovered that its theories are insufficient to conjure the wonder of the human experience from the bare bones of our genes and brains.

We stand on the brink of a tectonic shift in our understanding of ourselves that will witness the rediscovery of the central premise of Western philosophy that there is 'more than we can know'. Lucid, compelling and utterly engaging, 'Why Us?' offers a convincing and provocative vision of the new science of being human.

“了解自己”的必要性既是根本的，也是深不可测的-因为我们如何才能真正理解人类经历的戏剧性和复杂性？

在“为什么我们？”中 詹姆斯·勒·法努（James Le Fanu）对科学的力量和极限进行了令人着迷的探索，以渗透我们生存的深层奥秘，挑战了自查尔斯·达尔文（Charles Darwin）的《物种起源》以来一直存在的确定性，即我们不过是唯物论进化论的偶然结果。处理。

出乎意料的是，这一挑战来自两个重大项目，这些项目有望为这一具影响力的科学理论提供确定的证据。首先是人类基因组计划的惊人成就，预计它将确定那些将人类与灵长类表亲区分开的特征的遗传基础。第二个方面是大脑成像的惊人进步，现在使神经科学家能够观察“活动中”的大脑，从而解释人脑的显着特性。

但是事实并非如此。根本不可能从沿着双螺旋的单调基因序列到生活世界近乎无限的多样性，也不可能将大脑的电击转化为人类思维的创造力。这不是不了解所有事实的问题。相反，科学无意间发现了其理论不足以从我们的基因和大脑的裸露的骨头中唤起人类体验的奇迹。

我们正处于构造转变的边缘，这是对我们自己的理解的见证，这将见证西方哲学中心前提的重新发现，即“我们所不知道的”。清醒，引人入胜且完全吸引人，“为什么我们？” 提供了关于人类新科学的令人信服的挑衅性愿景。

作者简介

James Le Fanu is a medical doctor and regular columnist for the Sunday Telegraph and Daily Telegraph. He graduated from Cambridge University and the Royal London Hospital in 1974. He has published research articles in the 'British Medical Journal', 'Lancet' and the 'Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine'.