Of all the many facets of natural history, the one we seem to most frequently overlook is us. Oh we do delve into anthropology and similar topics, but do we really very often get deep beneath the surface of just who we are – and why – all the way down to the cellular, or perhaps even the atomic, level?
In his new book You, A Natural History, William B. Irvine, professor of philosophy at Wright State University, proposes to do just this very thing: examine who we are by pushing the examination as far into the past, as deep into our DNA, and as complex as the myriad random occurrences for our existence may be explored within and still be intelligible for a motivated but still general readership.
(And yes, as I write this, I am thinking of Eric Idle singing The Galaxy Song in Monty Python’s Meaning of Life.)
