Book Description
Deirdre McCloskey's work in economics always calls into question its reputation as "the dismal science." She writes with passion and an unusually wide scope, drawing on literature and intellectual history in exciting, if unorthodox, ways. In this pamphlet, McCloskey reveals what she sees as the secret sins of economics that no one will discuss--two sins that "cripple" economics as a "scientific enterprise."
Customer Reviews:
McCloskey ignores the main problem-Assuming a N(0,I).......2005-06-23
McCloskey has correctly identified a significant problem in the econometric practice of the last 70 years.That problem is the misuse and misinterpretation of the meaning and relevance of statistical significance levels and the corresponding failure to discuss and/or identify the economic significance of a hypothesis.However,McCloskey has been making this same point in numerous publications for 25-30 years.Unfortunately,she ignores the much,much greater problem -econometricians simply assume the applicability of a normal probability distribution to whatever data set they are analysing without first applying a chi-square goodness of fit test.Both J M Keynes(see his exchange with Jan Tinbergen in the 1939-40 issues of the Economic Journal based on his analysis contained in chapters 17,29-32 of the 1921 A Treatise on Probability) and B Mandelbrot(his work in this area starts in 1955;see his 2004 The (Mis)Behavior of Markets)have demonstrated theoretically and empirically that the assumption of normality is a gross error.There is not a word about this problem anywhere in this book or in any article or book written by McCloskey in her lifetime.Finally,her attempt to blame Paul Samuelson for the failure of economic theorising and the statistical significance fiasco is not convincing at all.Samuelson has made two mistakes in his lifetime.The first error was to accept the false Macbethian claims of Joan Robinson and Richard Kahn that they were Keynes's secret collaborators.This prevented Samuelson from generalizing his correct Principles Keynesian model of the GT (constant returns to labor)to Keynes's main chapter 20 model of decreasing returns to labor.His second mistake was to make an "as if" assumption about the ergodic hypothesis as applied to economics.McCloskey's claims that Samuelson is responsible for the twin sins of qualitative economic theorising and the misuse of the concept of statistical significance in econometric practice is not substantiated.
"Cassandra of Economics" and the statistical Trojan horse.......2004-05-14
Are Economists sinners? And if they are, what are their sins? In this tiny booklet (at 58 pages of text, this must be one of the worst ratios of words per cents available on Amazon), Dierdre McCloskey argues that they are, but that their sins are not what most humanistic critiques think.
I've recently praised a Paul Krugman book as the best written book about economics I've read - I already rue my words, because it hasn't been three months yet, and Professor McCloskey, an artist of prose, surpasses him. Even if you disagree with everything McCloskey says, reading this book is a delight. When satirizing quantification in economics (which she approves, by the way):
"And the economists, oh, the economists, how they counted, and still count. Take any copy of The American Economic Review (Surely you subscribe?) and open it at random. To perhaps Joel Waldfogel, "The Deadweight Loss of Christmas" (No Kidding: December 1993; Waldfogel is arguing that since a gift is not chosen by the recipient it is not worth what the giver spent, which leads o a loss compared with merely sending cash. Who could not love such a science of Prudence?)" (p.6)
You could be mistaken into thinking that McCloskey is against quantification, statistics or mathematics, but she merely cannot resist some highly amusing cheap shots. McCloskey is in favor of Quantification, use of mathematic models, and of the libertarian bias of economists (not very convincingly in the case of the latter, in my opinion).
There are some other, minor sins which are not really the target of McCloskey, but to which she devotes a great deal of her time. So by the time we get to "The Two Real Sins, Almost Peculiar to Economics" it is already page 37. Time's almost up, and the sins are two:
First, McCloskey believes that the theorizing economists do in their theoretical work is really no theorizing - the theories include no place for quantifications, and so remain abstract "If A then B" may be entirely consist in and of itself - but it may be entirely wrong, if A is not true. If the theories are not open to quantification, they can hardly be falsified, nor can we estimate whether their effect is considerable or marginal.
The other sin of economics is the alleged reliance of economists on "statistical significance". A high statistical significance assures us that the result we get is not noise at say 5%, 1% or 0.1% levels, meaning that there's only 1-in-twenty, 1-in-a-hundred, or 1-in-a-thousand chance that the result one gets is accidental. McCloskey's point is that even if a theory fails the 5% level, for example, it does not mean that the theory isn't true (it just means that you're not 95% sure it is true). That point goes the other way around, too - if you measure enough things, you're going to find some which will seem to be correlated even though they clearly aren't - "For a long time in Britain the number of ham radio operator licenses granted annually was very highly correlated with the number of people certified insane. Very funny. So?" (p. 53).
I admit that I lack familiarity with current economic research to comment on how close McCloskey's criticism hits the mark. In the last page of "The Secret Sins of Economics" Deirdre McCloskey compares herself to Cassandra, the prophetess from Troy, whose advice was ignored by the Trojans as they brought the famous horse into their city. Amusing, yet economics is a science, not a grand retelling of an old myth, and McCloskey is not cursed by Apollo. At least some of the guilty, 'Samuelsonian' economists must have responded to McCloskey's critiques, but if you want to hear those answers, you will have to look elsewhere.
Truly a must read........2002-09-24
Short, funny, earth shattering. Most thinking people know in their hearts there is something seriously wrong with economics. Dr. McClosky shows what is wrong clearly and with rigor.
In particular any one with a science background will delight in her demolition of the bad science that characterizes so much of economics.
This is one of the best pieces I've read on any topic in the past decade.
Download Description
"Ruthless Execution focuses on today's #1 business leadership challenge: managing adversity while preparing your company for a rebirth of success. Amir Hartman identifies the central ingredients that help companies get beyond the wall to thrive--and demonstrates exactly how to instill these ingredients in your organization.
You'll learn when and how to strategically recalibrate and balance performance and growth; new ways to promote accountability; how to use performance metrics without burying your people in trivia; and how to promote real discipline without creating bureaucracy. You'll also discover which critical capabilities are keys to performance breakthroughs.
Along the way, the author presents case studies of leading companies that have used these strategies to overcome stalled performance. Baxter, Novartis, Honeywell, IBM, Cisco, and more--all different, yet all unified by one common element: ruthless execution.
- What to do when you ""hit the wall""--Beyond ""rude awakenings"" to effective action--and new success
- Seeing the realities for what they are--Accurate, objective assessments of your enterprise and your marketplace
- Breaking through to new growth: three core strategies--Strategies based on productivity, talent management, and M & As
- Ruthless execution at work--Leadership, strategy, cost control, governance, and more
- Cisco: Surviving catastrophe and trying to come back stronger--Retaining market dominance through the dot.com/telecom collapse
- Mass layoffs and other sure-to-fail strategies--What doesn't work--and what to do instead
Using adversity to lay the groundwork for breakthrough success
- What to do when growth slows, innovation stalls, and times get tough
- Coping with rude awakenings: strategic recalibration and tactical excellence
- New insights from IBM, Cisco, Honeywell, GE, Novartis, Baxter, and beyond
- By Amir Hartman, author of the global business bestseller Net Ready
What happens when yesterday's growth strategies and business models stop working?
Most companies that ""hit the wall"" never get past it. But a rare few have discovered the secrets of recharging growth and innovation. Ruthless Execution shows how to apply the lessons they've learned to engineer your own resurgence.
It's about taking stock of where you really stand, choosing the best strategy for renewal, and executing on that strategy with unprecedented clarity and tenacity.
It's about leadership, values, and governance. It's about cost control, productivity, and priorities. Above all, it's about doing what great companies like IBM, Novartis, Baxter and Cisco have already done or are in the midst of doing again: getting beyond adversity to breakthrough success."
Customer Reviews:
Waste of money!.......2004-05-05
Ruthless Execution is a simplistic view of leadership 101 topics. If your company needs this to break through the wall, you have much deeper problems. It seems that Mr Hartman is trying to write to the uneducated or non-professional. Don't waste your money!
Practical and Insightful, a Must for Business Execs.......2004-02-18
Too often business books fall into one of two categories: 1) the kind that provides practical information but is lacking any kind of new insight, or, 2) the kind that's packed with new ideas but is painfully short on actionable info you can really put to use.
Ruthless Execution by Amir Hartman is that rarest of business books that delivers the best of both worlds: It's loaded with new ideas and fresh insights, yet throughout the author firmly grounds his working philosophy in practical tools and proven methodologies for getting the job done.
Let's face it: Even the best-managed companies hit a wall at some point. Ruthless Execution spells out a proven framework for swiftly analyzing your strategic options in a rigorous and thorough manner. As any veteran of the business world knows, strategic recalibration is a challenge that's easier said than done. This book explains how it's done.
Great stuff. Hugely helpful to any company that needs to take a good, hard analytical look at which initiatives they should nurture, and which they should kill in order to get back on track.
Are you Ruthless? A must read for all leaders!.......2004-02-02
Are you Ruthless? A must read for all business leaders!
This could not have come at a better time. Hartman clearly articulates the methods and strategies on how to recover after hitting performance walls. Ruthless Execution dives into this described methodology within each chapter developing itself into a comprehensive workplan for success.
As a former military officer, the major obstacles that I faced when entering the corporate world were the lack of focus, discipline and accountability within the corporate framework or organization. I applaud Hartman's approach to tackling these problems head on. As he states, leaders must be proactive, focused, disciplined and held personally accountable for all respective successes and/or failures.
These are just a few points that I will file into my business tool kit. Additional points to file will include Ruthless Execution Principles (leadership, governance, and critical capabilities), The Ruthless Execution Checklist, Case Studies and Interviews with some of the top business leaders (Jack Welch, John Chambers, and Lou Gerstner), and the Performance Portfolio Framework.
Special Note: For all military officers exiting the military, this is a must read.
Outstanding!
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...........2004-01-18
Ruthless Execution
Ignore this book's somewhat overheated title and concentrate on Hartman's core concepts which he develops with meticulous care. He suggests a number of strategies and tactics by which business leaders can respond effectively when they encounter what Hartman calls the "rude awakening that occurs when a company has enjoyed consistently high-level performance, but comes up against some new factor: a downward turn in the economy, a lack of product innovation, growth that occurs too rapidly, a missed market opportunity, or as is most often the case, ineffective execution." Hartman organizes his material within five Parts which consist of a total of 12 individual chapters: Managing Through Tough Times, Leadership: Dealing with Rude Awakenings, How to Play the Game, Breaking Through the Wall, and What It All Means. The focus of Hartman's book is on "business reversals and the need to shepherd business leaders through those reversals because, quite frankly, corporations are passing through a new, more complex, more worrying age. The long and short of it is that it's far more difficult to be a successful business leader today than ever before."
The statistics support Hartman's last observation. In 2001, for example, 257 public companies (with a total of $258 billion in assets) declared bankruptcy. In 2002, another 67 did so. Go back even further to the 43 companies which Peters and Waterman quite properly praised in In Search of Excellence (1982). Most no longer qualify according to the criteria by which they were selected...and several do not exist at all. Scary? You bet.
In Chapter 8, Hartman offers a "Ruthless Execution Checklist" which can be of substantial value to all organizations, regardless of size or nature:
1. Do you have a cost and working capital management program that is driven through the business?
[NOTE: For small companies, the more appropriate question is "Is there a sound reason for the expenditure of each hour and each dollar?"]
2. Do you have a proactive and disciplined approach to identifying and assessing potential acquisitions and divestitures?
[NOTE: For small companies, the more appropriate question is "What should you add to what you now offer? What should you eliminate?"]
3. Do you regularly assess whether the corporate center is adding distinctive value to each business unit?
[NOTE: For small companies, the more appropriate question is "Does everything you do add value to each customer relationship?"]
4. Do you effectively and swiftly manage out non-performers?
[NOTE: Extensive research indicates that, on average, each mishire costs 24 times her or his annual salary. Hire slowly but fire FAST.]
Most organizations now face serious challenges. Many of those organizations will not survive. For their decision-makers, what to do? To his credit, Hartman does not propose a series of specific (one size fits all) answers to that question. Rather, in the final chapter, he includes a "Ruthless Execution Index" with instructions as to how to use it. It remains for each reader to provide correct responses to the 54 statements which comprise the "Index." Once this exercise has been completed, the far greater challenge -- obviously -- is to take appropriate action. Hartman can assist with that process. I also recommend a careful reading of Bossidy and Charan's Execution, Hammer's The Agenda, Collins' Good to Great, and Kaplan and Norton's The Strategy-Focused Organization.
A must read for those who lead!.......2004-01-13
Hartman has an obvious grasp on what it takes for business leaders to succeed in today's marketplace. The book clearly defines what it takes to surmount obstacles, redefine culture, and regain focus.
Hartman has the ability to share success stories and give examples in a very succinct and poignant manner. The reader sees what great business leaders have done (in this economy) to gain success through leadership, governance, and managing talent. He very clearly defines how NOT to hit "the wall" and how to lead your orgnization to ascendance.
In today's economy executives are getting hit from every angle. This book explains in very plain english how and when to execute the right methodologies to obtain success within an organization. The stories in RUTHLESS EXECUTION are well written and offer both inspiration and direction.
Definitely a book to have if you are in a leadership position. As the President of an INC. 500 firm, I find the book extremely useful and inspirational.
Average customer rating:
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In a crisp, passionate argument sure to draw the wrath of many biologists, Simon Conway Morris defends his belief that evolutionary science is misguided without a somewhat religious notion of the significance of human intelligence and existence. At the same time, he is careful to distance himself from creation "scientists" by reminding readers that:
Evolution is true, it happens, it is the way the world is, and we too are one of its products. This does not mean that evolution does not have metaphysical implications; I remain convinced that this is the case.
He uses convergence as his foundation, defining it as "the recurrent tendency of biological organization to arrive at the same 'solution' to a particular 'need'" and offering a multitude of examples, including eusociality, olfaction, and the generation of electrical fields. In outlining the direction and inevitability he believes is inherent in evolution, Conway Morris stacks up compelling evidence in the form of a revealed "protein hyperspace" that limits the possibilities of amino acid combination to a few, often repeated (pre-ordained?) forms. While he skirts a focus on the relentless environmental pressures that result in adaptation, Conway Morris also derides the notion that the gene rules evolution. He accuses his opponents (primarily Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins) "genetic fundamentalism" who use "sleights of hand, special pleading, and sanctimoniousness... trying to smuggle back the moral principle through the agency of the gene." Dense with examples and complex biological proofs, Life's Solution is not an easy explanation of convergence for general readers. Still, it is a clear and exciting elucidation of the theory that evolution might have predictable outcomes, even for those who find Conway Morris' metaphysical arguments unconvincing. --Therese Littleton
Book Description
Life's Solution builds a persuasive case for the predictability of evolutionary outcomes. The case rests on a remarkable compilation of examples of convergent evolution, in which two or more lineages have independently evolved similar structures and functions. The examples range from the aerodynamics of hovering moths and hummingbirds to the use of silk by spiders and some insects to capture prey. Going against the grain of Darwinian orthodoxy, this book is a must read for anyone grappling with the meaning of evolution and our place in the Universe. Simon Conway Morris is the Ad Hominen Professor in the Earth Science Department at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of St. John's College and the Royal Society. His research focuses on the study of constraints on evolution, and the historical processes that lead to the emergence of complexity, especially with respect to the construction of the major animal body parts in the Cambrian explosion. Previous books include The Crucible of Creation (Getty Center for Education in the Arts, 1999) and co-author of Solnhofen (Cambridge, 1990). Hb ISBN (2003) 0-521-82704-3
Customer Reviews:
Morris' Monumental Masterwork.......2007-06-06
Simon Conway Morris in "Life's Solution" makes his point. Evolution does seem to be going somewhere, and human-like intelligence is along the way (not to be confused with the endpoint). Morris is less convincing with his belief that we are alone in the universe. To collect convincing data we need to travel to distant corners of the universe, and see for ourselves. But such a hypothetical adventure is out of the question, at least today.
There are controversial issues that are worth noting. Morris is trying to maintain a scientific standard, and so it is necessary for him to distance himself from creationists. Morris (page xv) writes, "if you happen to be a `creation scientist' (or something of that kind) and have read this far, may I politely suggest that you put this book back on the shelf." Now what gets missed is that there is an undeniable tension in these words, and it seems to me that science is going to need to study life's tensions if it is going to come close to life's solutions. Morris may try, but he cannot escape this issue. In the index we see Morris referring to "creation scientists" four times, and Morris (page 322) is found conceding to them this much, "the former [i.e., creationists] know in their hearts that something is out of kilter." If something is in someone's heart, it must be a feeling, an instinct, something that the rational mind takes for granted. And this vital something is no less a vitalism/teleology that Morris (page 5) defends, he writes: "Could it be that the attempts to reinstall or reinject notions of awe and wonder are not simply delusions of some deracinated super-ape, but rather [attempts to] reopen the portals to our finding a metaphysic for evolution? And this in turn might at last allow a conversation with religious sensibilities rather than the more characteristic response of either howling abuse or lofty condescension. "
And regarding Darwin's theory, Marris [page 1] makes this point: "Darwin's formulation of the mechanisms of evolution is not only straightforward, but seemingly irrefutable." Karl Popper had a word to describe such theories that could not be testable, or theories that continually rationalize themselves in the face of new data. Evolutionary psychology comes to mind, but that's not the word! But I'm sure you folks see the problem here!
In terms of providing evidence for convergence, what can I say other than that Morris gave it heavy: chlorophyll; eyes; sabre-tooth; brain-structures; communication; well it goes, and goes. A good example from communication is Morris (page 252) quoting Diana Reiss: "surprising complexity and plasticity in the communication, orientation, and navigation systems of many species ... diverse species either use or can learn to use, to different degrees, symbolic or referential communication for intraspecific or interspecific exchanges. This suggests that there may be a convergence or continuity in the communication and cognitive abilities in animals from different evolutionary paths." Like the genes Morris notes that are cobbled together to form novel expression, Morris cobbles these evidential pieces to make a broad argument for the existence of an innate directionality in evolution. In the cobbling of words together, Morris shows the same vitality that he is trying to describe (making the work of abstraction very hard for us reviewers). Complicated as the subject is, he succeeds in my abstracted view. Biological convergence is as significant as biological symbiosis.
Now something needs to be said about the quality of intuition that comes from the spiritual side of humanity. Evolution has been described by reason, this gave us Darwinism and Morris (chapter 11) writes about the resulting conflict with our spiritual instincts. Morris shows us that we don't live in a world that is limited to reason, as something else gets in the way called intuition that produces an irritation in the rational mind. Intuition is something we feel and is not explained by reason. Putting a place back in evolution for intuition returns balance to our account of evolution, even with the best science. And in any regard, it is clear that feelings impacted our evolution. Regarding the conflict between spirit-based feeling and reason, Morris (page 329) writes, "constructive approaches are more difficult, and are usually viewed with contempt, but I believe promise far more."
Feelings help reason, but for them to help we must embrace our irritations; this has been our evolution.
Trinity: The Scientific Basis of Vitalism and Transcendentalism
A good "purely scientific" critique of neo-Darwinism.......2007-04-01
For those of us who follow the modern debates about evolution, Intelligent Design theories, the relationship between science and faith, etc., this book is required reading. Conway Morris keeps his observations within the realm of science, unlike Intelligent Design advocates who critique neo-Darwinism at the philosophical level. I'm not a biologist or paleontologist, so I found most of the book a bit dry as it explores the many "evolutionary convergences" found in nature. But the concluding chapters really pull things together, showing how evolution seems to be anything but random. This is a purely scientific conclusion that Conway Morris backs up with his many examples. I have heard that he distances himself from the Intelligent Design movement. That's probably for professional and social reasons, because Conway Morris is saying things much in harmony with Behe and Dembski, without venturing into Philosophy of Science as they do. It's all about teleology! That is, nature does indeed show organization, goals, purpose. Human consciousness arising by chance is infinitely unlikely, and ding-dongs like Dawkins (The God Delusion) only expose the narrowness of their expertise when they argue against God from nature or science. Conway Morris convincingly shows here is that life finds very similar solutions over and over again. While randomness may have a role, it cannot be the driving force behind evolution.
An original new perspective on life.......2006-11-06
Conway Morris argues that convergence is ubiquitous across all forms of life, and that if the 'tape' of evolution were to be run again it would produce something similar to what we see. This diametrically opposes Gould's view that contingency in circumstances and quirky functional shift in metabolism result in totally unpredictable consequences--run the tape of evolution again and you would get something completely different. Who is right? Conway Morris did more homework on the subject and produced more examples so I am inclined to take his side.
Conway Morris' scientific credentials are impeccable (as readers of Gould's "Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History" will know), and he here shows a great talent for popular science writing. The one thing he lacks, of course, is the knowledge of how convergence occurs at the molecular level. However, over the next decade or so as these things are revealed, molecular biologists would be well advised to pay attention to the possible mechanisms of convergence. Otherwise the "wood" may lost in the "trees."
A cracker.......2006-10-19
This has got to be one of the most interesting reads for a few years. Cambridge professor and evolutionay paleontologist Conway Morris essentially develops the almost Platonic conception of convergent evolution, suggesting that there are perfect solutions out there, and that nature has found them again and again. He illustrates this with numerous examples, living and from the fossil record. A brilliant book who's central thesis is hard to shake off and which will stay will you for a long time.
An amazing book.......2006-09-09
Professor Morris's book, Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe, is a superb book. For one thing it's distinctly different from the general run of books on the topics of paleontology and evolution, since it focuses on convergence among living things rather than on the distinctions among them which create the phylogenetic arrangement of life that we learn about in high school biology.
It has become much the fashion to examine life as it arouse on our own planet so as to predict the character of any life we might encounter on other inhabited worlds. Everyone from science fiction authors to biologists have gotten into the business, and the overall opinion seems to be that intelligent life is out there, probably in large numbers, and will be dramatically different from what exists here. Some of the only dissenters have been Peter Ward and David Brownlee in their book, Rare Earth, which gave many cogent reasons why even if life is prolific "out there," it might not be at as complex a level as to produce sentience. Even Professor Ward has since recanted and joined the research teams across the US who are trying to understand how alien life might develop to a level of intelligence matching that of the human on earth. In his case, I suspect, his thesis in Rare Earth, while interesting enough to sell the book, was a professional dead end while researching the origin of life and the possible characteristics of extraterrestrials is very much in vogue now.
Aside from suggesting life is common in the universe, almost everyone agrees that it will be found to be distinctly different. Much of this concept, as Morris himself points out, can be laid at Stephen Jay Gould's door and his notion that if one re-rolled evolution on earth and replayed it, the outcome would be dramatically different, because different contingencies would arise and send life on a different trajectory. That pathway would be statistically unlikely to lead to humans again or to anything like them. From Gould's point of view, humans and intelligence are not "written into" evolution. Life has not been scaling heights to reach the pinnacle in the human being, in short, for Gould humans are not inevitable. This position was taken in large part as a response to the notion of "progress" in evolution and to religious determinism, "god intended humans."
Others, including Ward and Brownlee, have pointed out that big brains--and intelligence seems to be confined to brains that are big for the expected size based on body mass--are expensive, both in terms of the fraction of an animal's nutritional supply and of its O2 carrying capacity (about 20-25% in humans) needed to sustain them. The physiological requirements necessary for a brain that understands Gödel's theorems--let alone that needed to be Gödel coming up with them--is considerable. With this understanding, unless it provides the animal with a distinct advantage, in the opinion of many researchers in the field such brains are not likely to evolve, certainly not more than once. From this perspective, intelligence is a fluke, something that occurred purely by accident.
Given the modern orientation to evolution and to extraterrestrial life, Morris's book seems very counter current. He focuses, not on the contingencies of evolutionary events that create species and are nonrepeatable--although he admits their reality--but on the convergences that suggest that evolution functions as it does within chemical and physical constraints that produce profound, underlying similarities among living things, some of them as distinct as plants from animals or single from multiple celled life forms. Furthermore, he does so with remarkable success. The book is a compendium of intriguing biological facts.
The author begins his argument by putting evolution and the origin of life into perspective. Beginning at the atomic and molecular level, Morris points out that life and evolution probably had--and still have--only a few "choices" in overcoming certain central problems of existence. These limited choices provided more of a structural framework for evolutionary change on this planet than is commonly understood. In short, these limited choices provide a trajectory that may very well lead, not specifically to humans as such, but quite possibly to something very much like us, even in some of the details. Furthermore, he believes that it might do much the same on other planets similar to our own. To quote the author himself:
"I argued above that any alien astronomers would use a camera-eye, and when they asked for a drink we can be pretty sure the mechanism of hearing will be strangely familiar. So, too, as they sniff the gin and tonic they will register the same olfactory signal of juniper berries, while convergence of taste should lead them to close momentarily those camera-eyes. And as already indicated, there will be yet deeper similarities, not only in transduction mechanisms using recurrent protein designs, but also the way in which meaning is conveyed and recognized. Human speech, and thus hearing, is well known for what is referred to as `categorical perception.' That is, despite a continuum of sound, we divide the signal into discrete categories. So, too with other vertebrates, such as birds (pp. 193-194)."
The author's discussion of convergence among life forms on earth provide a striking example of evolution's ability to produce similar solutions to similar problems among various animals. His description of brains and intelligence among other animals, especially those of elephants and the toothed whales is truly interesting, and makes me wonder what the heck we think we're doing when we push these creatures so close to edge of extinction. If we find it unnerving to be the only intelligent life in the universe, why are we so unwilling to give a little space to other intelligent forms of life on this planet?
The author, however, is not as sanguineous with respect to the ubiquity of life in the universe. He, like Ward and Brownlee, sees the particularities of our planet as the truly unique contingency on life and its characteristics. Like these authors, he is inclined to view life as possibly wide spread but not necessarily at the level of complexity that many looking for ET would like to believe are out there. For him, as the title of the book suggests, humans or human-like organisms may be "inevitable," the outcome of the constraints of evolutionary processes, but we may still be alone in the universe.
An amazing book.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Skeptic (Altadena, CA), published by Skeptics Society & Skeptic Magazine on September 22, 2003. The length of the article is 3195 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Inevitable humans? Or hidden agendas?(Book Review)
Author: Donald R. Prothero
Publication:
Skeptic (Altadena, CA) (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2003
Publisher: Skeptics Society & Skeptic Magazine
Volume: 10
Issue: 3
Page: 54(5)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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