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At Least Know This: Essential Science to Enhance Your Life
This primer on essential scientific literacy gives readers the basics to understand themselves and the world around them, plus a glimpse of how much more science has to offer.Science tells us a good deal about who we are, where we come from, the nature of the universe, how our brains work, and much, much more. Unfortunately, most people are largely unaware of this treasure trove of information. As a result, we are more prone to do things like aim nuclear weapons at each other, inflate the meaning of cultural differences, lay waste to the land, poison and deplete the oceans, fill the sky with carbon, and generally make poor judgments that cause needless trouble.This book seeks to remedy this situation by providing scientific answers to the most basic yet important questions about existence. Following the standard six-question list used by journalists researching a news story, critical-thinking advocate Guy P. Harrison turns to science to answer the who, what, why, when, where and how of life on Earth.How old is our planet? Where did it come from and where is it located in the universe? What is everything made of? When did life begin? Who are we as a species and what connections do we share with other life forms? Why is human culture continuously plagued by war, disease, and crime? Harrison not only offers science's best current answers to these crucial questions but shows how all of this information fits together. Going well beyond the simplistic factoids readily available on any smartphone, he reveals the wider implications and deeper meanings inherent in the scientific worldview.Both entertaining and informative, this exciting tour of the cosmos and human nature will leave readers with an accurate, up-to-date view of realities small and large, near and far.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 10, 2018
38 people are currently reading
991 people want to read
About the author
Guy P. Harrison
9 books105 followersI have a deep passion for science, history, anthropology, and nature. My mission is to inform and inspire as many people as I can about the workings and content of our world and universe. Reality is infinitely beautiful and endlessly fascinating. It's tragic that some people never quite glimpse the wonder of it all. Please don't be one of those people. I want you to be fully alive and awake as a human being.
Science is a body of knowledge and a practical tool available for everyone everywhere. Professional historians, anthropologists, and archaeologists tell the human story--your story. Listen to them. You live in exciting times because so much remains to be discovered and understood. In a sense, your home is an alien world filled with mystery and surprises. Learn, explore, dream. The more we know, the more we can imagine. The more we can imagine, the more we can do.
I am a positive and constructive skeptic. Think of me as a human who warns humans about being human. I use my imperfect brain to talk and write about the human brain's imperfections. I try to overcome my irrational beliefs and subconscious miscues so that I may better teach others about the problems of irrational belief and subconscious miscues.
I believe that our world could be much better - and a lot less crazy - if more people simply understood how science works and appreciated the protective value of scientific thinking in everyday life.
I've held numerous positions in the news industry, including editorial writer, world news editor, sports editor, photographer, page designer, and columnist. I've traveled extensively, having visited 30 countries on six continents. I have also had some very rewarding jobs teaching history and science to bright kids. My degree is in history and anthropology (University of South Florida). I've won some nice international awards for my writing and photography, including the WHO (World Health Organization) Award for Health Reporting and the Commonwealth Media Award for Excellence in Journalism.
What I am most proud of in relation to my work is that my writing has touched and helped many people. I consistently receive messages from around the world and it's always rewarding to learn that my words have inspired one more person to think in new and better ways.
When I'm not staring at a blank computer screen hoping my subconscious will deliver the next word, I'm likely running, hiking, reading, or teaching critical life lessons to my children via repeated viewings of Star Trek. When normal people are consumed with thoughts of politics, economics, or the Kardashians, there's a good chance I'll be daydreaming about time travel, the Singularity, ancient Greece, microbial life, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, World War II, robots, interstellar space travel, viruses, Homo erectus, the Apollo Moon landings . . .
Science is a body of knowledge and a practical tool available for everyone everywhere. Professional historians, anthropologists, and archaeologists tell the human story--your story. Listen to them. You live in exciting times because so much remains to be discovered and understood. In a sense, your home is an alien world filled with mystery and surprises. Learn, explore, dream. The more we know, the more we can imagine. The more we can imagine, the more we can do.
I am a positive and constructive skeptic. Think of me as a human who warns humans about being human. I use my imperfect brain to talk and write about the human brain's imperfections. I try to overcome my irrational beliefs and subconscious miscues so that I may better teach others about the problems of irrational belief and subconscious miscues.
I believe that our world could be much better - and a lot less crazy - if more people simply understood how science works and appreciated the protective value of scientific thinking in everyday life.
I've held numerous positions in the news industry, including editorial writer, world news editor, sports editor, photographer, page designer, and columnist. I've traveled extensively, having visited 30 countries on six continents. I have also had some very rewarding jobs teaching history and science to bright kids. My degree is in history and anthropology (University of South Florida). I've won some nice international awards for my writing and photography, including the WHO (World Health Organization) Award for Health Reporting and the Commonwealth Media Award for Excellence in Journalism.
What I am most proud of in relation to my work is that my writing has touched and helped many people. I consistently receive messages from around the world and it's always rewarding to learn that my words have inspired one more person to think in new and better ways.
When I'm not staring at a blank computer screen hoping my subconscious will deliver the next word, I'm likely running, hiking, reading, or teaching critical life lessons to my children via repeated viewings of Star Trek. When normal people are consumed with thoughts of politics, economics, or the Kardashians, there's a good chance I'll be daydreaming about time travel, the Singularity, ancient Greece, microbial life, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, World War II, robots, interstellar space travel, viruses, Homo erectus, the Apollo Moon landings . . .
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August 22, 2018
At Least Know This: Essential Science to Enhance Your Life by Guy P. Harrison
“At Least Know This” is an excellent book that informs you of who and where you come from a scientific perspective, the essential science to know! One of my favorite authors, anthropologist and critical thinker Guy P. Harrison takes the reader on a journey of essential knowledge. This informative 384-page book includes the following ten chapters: 1. The Who, What, Why, When, Where, and How of Everything, 2. Who Are We?, 3. When Did Everything Begin?, 4. What Is Everything Made Of?, 5. What Is Life?, 6: How Did We Get Here?, 7. Why Does Human Biological Diversity Confuse Us?, 8: How Do Brains Work, 9. Where Are We?, and 10. How Will Everything End?
Positives:
1. Loved this book! The master of clarity and good thinking is back and better than ever. Well-researched and well-written book that is fun to read.
2. An excellent topic, the essential science to know. This book exemplifies the treasure that is knowledge. This is an ambitious book that covers so many topics from the beginning of our universe to who we are now and the future.
3. Excellent use of visual and supplementary materials. Timelines, highlights of key topics, photos, and charts all included complementing the excellent narrative. I love how the information is conveyed that this book will assuredly be a reference book for years to come. The section on Our Crowded Genus as case and point.
4. Mr. Harrison has the gift of an educator and the curiosity of a scientist. He treats his topics with the utmost of care and respect and he does so with the joy of a child in awe of the universe.
5. The excellent introduction sets the tone for this wonderful book. “The purpose of this book is to focus readers on simple questions with profound answers. These are the queries that have great relevance to our lives and worldview.”
6. The book is full of wisdom. “Knowledge adds value to our humanity.”
7. Does a great job of describing all the key topics introduced. In explaining science, “Critical thinking and the wise application of knowledge enable us to reach beyond the limits of instinct and transcend many of our evolutionary obstacles.”
8. Provocative questions with satisfying answers. So who are we? “The current conclusion, based on overwhelming anatomical, fossil, and genetic evidence, is that we are very closely related to modern great apes, chimpanzees most of all. We share a common ancestor with modern chimps, and this ancestor lived millions of years ago. It was widely thought that the human line split with the chimp line about 6 million years ago in Africa.”
9. Practical advice backed be the best of current science. “It's difficult to overstate the importance of this. Vigorous and consistent physical activity stimulates the growth of new neurons in the human brain throughout life.”
10. Excellent explanation of the big bang theory. “The Big Bang does not mark the actual beginning of the universe. Most people seem to miss this, but the theory describes what happened from a small fraction of a second after the expansion began and onward.”
11. Quantum mechanics for the layperson. Excellent decision to make this chapter short and get to the essence of it. “This chapter, more than any other, shows that the universe does not conform to human expectations or intuitions—not even close. The very nature of reality, and virtually everything we think we know about it, seems to go out the window once we take a close look at atoms. quantum mechanics or quantum theory, the science of atoms and subatomic particles, shows us the awesome power of science.”
12. An awesome chapter on life. “The critical component within this change, the thing that makes evolution so productive and creative, is that there is descent with modification, heritable change in populations across generations. Evolution happens when certain traits prove useful enough in the present environment that they may be favored, or selected, passed on to offspring at a higher rate due to their survival/reproductive value.”
13. The explanatory power of evolution. Provides the six misconceptions about evolution that should be extinct.
14. An excellent section on inequality. “One of his books, The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century, details some of the problems that were created by the transition from hunter-gatherer societies to agricultural societies and how they continue to harm us in many ways today.”
15. Did I mention that this book provides excellent supplementary material? I did, but it’s worth repeating provides an excellent What Have We Done? A Human Timeline.
16. Such an important chapter on human biological diversity treated with the utmost care and respect. “In fact, many geneticists are outspoken about the need to abandon race as a means of analyzing and describing Homo sapiens. They warn that it is not only socially harmful but also scientifically wrong.”
17. Throughout the book makes great use of expert references. “Human memories are constructed and routinely reconstructed, Loftus explains: “Memory works a little bit like a Wikipedia page. You can go in there and change it—but so can other people…. We can't reliably distinguish true memories from false memories. We need independent corroboration.”
18. A tour of our immediate neighborhood, astronomy. “Thanks to the Cassini space probe's remarkable work, for example, Enceladus, another one of Saturn's moons, is now thought to have a warm ocean with enough heat activity from thermal vents to possibly support life.”
19. So what are the odds that Homo sapiens make it to 2100? Find out.
20. Links to copious references and an excellent bibliography. And much more…
Negatives:
1. More an observation than a negative, since I consider this book worthy of a future reference the hardcopy version will be better than the kindle version because of formatting.
2. No mention of ice cores with regards to explaining how we know about past climate and even an easy debunk of young earthers.
In summary, this is the book I wished I had written! This book exemplifies my joy of reading; Mr. Harrison successfully captures the essence of science that indeed can enhance your life. It doesn’t matter that I’m familiar with a lot of the information presented here I always learn something new and inspirational that can and will help enhance my life. The book is so helpful in the information conveyed and how it’s conveyed that it will be a fun reference book for years to come. A fun way to learn about science and your life, I can’t recommend this enough!
Further suggestions: “Think Before You Like”, “Think”, “50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God" and “50 Popular Beliefs That people Think Are True” by the same author, “The End” by Phil Torres, “The Age of Everything” by Mathew Hedman, “The Believing Brain…” and “Why People Believe Weird Things” by Michael Shermer, “Why Evolution Is True” by Jerry A. Coyne, “Wonders Life” by Brian Cox, “Last Ape Standing” by Chip Walter, “Catastrophes” by Donald R. Prothero, “Science Matters” by Hazen and Trefil, “The Blind Spot” by William Byers, “The Rocks Don’t Lie” by David R. Montgomery, “Spectrums” by David Blatner, “The Sixth Extinction” by Elizabeth Kolbert, “This Changes Everything” by Naomi Klein, and “The Price of Inequality” by Joseph Stiglitz.
“At Least Know This” is an excellent book that informs you of who and where you come from a scientific perspective, the essential science to know! One of my favorite authors, anthropologist and critical thinker Guy P. Harrison takes the reader on a journey of essential knowledge. This informative 384-page book includes the following ten chapters: 1. The Who, What, Why, When, Where, and How of Everything, 2. Who Are We?, 3. When Did Everything Begin?, 4. What Is Everything Made Of?, 5. What Is Life?, 6: How Did We Get Here?, 7. Why Does Human Biological Diversity Confuse Us?, 8: How Do Brains Work, 9. Where Are We?, and 10. How Will Everything End?
Positives:
1. Loved this book! The master of clarity and good thinking is back and better than ever. Well-researched and well-written book that is fun to read.
2. An excellent topic, the essential science to know. This book exemplifies the treasure that is knowledge. This is an ambitious book that covers so many topics from the beginning of our universe to who we are now and the future.
3. Excellent use of visual and supplementary materials. Timelines, highlights of key topics, photos, and charts all included complementing the excellent narrative. I love how the information is conveyed that this book will assuredly be a reference book for years to come. The section on Our Crowded Genus as case and point.
4. Mr. Harrison has the gift of an educator and the curiosity of a scientist. He treats his topics with the utmost of care and respect and he does so with the joy of a child in awe of the universe.
5. The excellent introduction sets the tone for this wonderful book. “The purpose of this book is to focus readers on simple questions with profound answers. These are the queries that have great relevance to our lives and worldview.”
6. The book is full of wisdom. “Knowledge adds value to our humanity.”
7. Does a great job of describing all the key topics introduced. In explaining science, “Critical thinking and the wise application of knowledge enable us to reach beyond the limits of instinct and transcend many of our evolutionary obstacles.”
8. Provocative questions with satisfying answers. So who are we? “The current conclusion, based on overwhelming anatomical, fossil, and genetic evidence, is that we are very closely related to modern great apes, chimpanzees most of all. We share a common ancestor with modern chimps, and this ancestor lived millions of years ago. It was widely thought that the human line split with the chimp line about 6 million years ago in Africa.”
9. Practical advice backed be the best of current science. “It's difficult to overstate the importance of this. Vigorous and consistent physical activity stimulates the growth of new neurons in the human brain throughout life.”
10. Excellent explanation of the big bang theory. “The Big Bang does not mark the actual beginning of the universe. Most people seem to miss this, but the theory describes what happened from a small fraction of a second after the expansion began and onward.”
11. Quantum mechanics for the layperson. Excellent decision to make this chapter short and get to the essence of it. “This chapter, more than any other, shows that the universe does not conform to human expectations or intuitions—not even close. The very nature of reality, and virtually everything we think we know about it, seems to go out the window once we take a close look at atoms. quantum mechanics or quantum theory, the science of atoms and subatomic particles, shows us the awesome power of science.”
12. An awesome chapter on life. “The critical component within this change, the thing that makes evolution so productive and creative, is that there is descent with modification, heritable change in populations across generations. Evolution happens when certain traits prove useful enough in the present environment that they may be favored, or selected, passed on to offspring at a higher rate due to their survival/reproductive value.”
13. The explanatory power of evolution. Provides the six misconceptions about evolution that should be extinct.
14. An excellent section on inequality. “One of his books, The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century, details some of the problems that were created by the transition from hunter-gatherer societies to agricultural societies and how they continue to harm us in many ways today.”
15. Did I mention that this book provides excellent supplementary material? I did, but it’s worth repeating provides an excellent What Have We Done? A Human Timeline.
16. Such an important chapter on human biological diversity treated with the utmost care and respect. “In fact, many geneticists are outspoken about the need to abandon race as a means of analyzing and describing Homo sapiens. They warn that it is not only socially harmful but also scientifically wrong.”
17. Throughout the book makes great use of expert references. “Human memories are constructed and routinely reconstructed, Loftus explains: “Memory works a little bit like a Wikipedia page. You can go in there and change it—but so can other people…. We can't reliably distinguish true memories from false memories. We need independent corroboration.”
18. A tour of our immediate neighborhood, astronomy. “Thanks to the Cassini space probe's remarkable work, for example, Enceladus, another one of Saturn's moons, is now thought to have a warm ocean with enough heat activity from thermal vents to possibly support life.”
19. So what are the odds that Homo sapiens make it to 2100? Find out.
20. Links to copious references and an excellent bibliography. And much more…
Negatives:
1. More an observation than a negative, since I consider this book worthy of a future reference the hardcopy version will be better than the kindle version because of formatting.
2. No mention of ice cores with regards to explaining how we know about past climate and even an easy debunk of young earthers.
In summary, this is the book I wished I had written! This book exemplifies my joy of reading; Mr. Harrison successfully captures the essence of science that indeed can enhance your life. It doesn’t matter that I’m familiar with a lot of the information presented here I always learn something new and inspirational that can and will help enhance my life. The book is so helpful in the information conveyed and how it’s conveyed that it will be a fun reference book for years to come. A fun way to learn about science and your life, I can’t recommend this enough!
Further suggestions: “Think Before You Like”, “Think”, “50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God" and “50 Popular Beliefs That people Think Are True” by the same author, “The End” by Phil Torres, “The Age of Everything” by Mathew Hedman, “The Believing Brain…” and “Why People Believe Weird Things” by Michael Shermer, “Why Evolution Is True” by Jerry A. Coyne, “Wonders Life” by Brian Cox, “Last Ape Standing” by Chip Walter, “Catastrophes” by Donald R. Prothero, “Science Matters” by Hazen and Trefil, “The Blind Spot” by William Byers, “The Rocks Don’t Lie” by David R. Montgomery, “Spectrums” by David Blatner, “The Sixth Extinction” by Elizabeth Kolbert, “This Changes Everything” by Naomi Klein, and “The Price of Inequality” by Joseph Stiglitz.
February 16, 2019
I like the author's some books, but for some reason, this one feels different. I definitely learned quite some things, such as gut microbiome, the role of agriculture (blessing or curse?), etc., but the book doesn't seem to reach the level I expected. I probably should give it 3.5, but it's not allowed :-).
January 31, 2019
Although a little preachy sometimes and sometimes a little repetitive, I found the book absolutely fascinating. Couldn’t stop reading it.
February 1, 2019
Really enjoyed many of the points made in this book such as making anthropology core in schools, but found it very repetitive at times.
March 16, 2020
This is a collection of poorly narrated information about human origin, far from "minimum things to know". For example, Venus, despite its image shown on the front cover page, is only mentioned in one paragraph. The content is totally off-topic from its title and its cover. Some other science topics might be more useful to know, e.g. compound interest rate, how computers work, how typical cells work, plastic usage and waste.
While most information about basic science can be found on Wikipedia today, it is not attractive as popular science book because it has too much details and its articles are not connected in story. I expected this book to be more attractive or connected than skimming through Wikipedia articles, but it is not. Its explanation is unconvincing, throwing some random quotations to the reader.
This book is far from good to attract new science learners, not even enjoyable for me.
For those who wants to know its content, I suggest the following 20 Wikipedia articles below as a replacement.
1. The Who, What, Why, When, Where and How of everything ~20 pages
-
2. Who are we? ~40 pages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composi...
This article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_body is more general but not described at all in the book.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_e...
3. When did everything begin? ~30 pages
In short, 14 billion years ago, the big bang started.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe
4. What is everything made of? ~10 pages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atom
In short, it claims without explanation that every thing made of atoms (technically, only typical ordinary matter on Earth).
(The word "molecule" is mentioned only once.)
The author also tried to write about quantum entanglement, but his content is neither accurate nor fun to read.
5. What is life? ~40 pages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogen... (Origin of life)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambria...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_g... (Gut flora)
6. How did we get here? ~30 pages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neolith... (Agricultural revolution)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOXP2 (Language gene)
Repeated from chapter 2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_e...
7. Why does human biological diversity confuse us? ~30 pages
"Racial discrimination should be eliminated" is a more accurate title. Diversity is not explained.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_...
8. How do brains work? ~40 pages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain-t...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuron
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_b...
9. Where are we? ~20 pages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosph...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuiper_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_Way
10. How will everything end? ~40 pages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_e...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_...
While most information about basic science can be found on Wikipedia today, it is not attractive as popular science book because it has too much details and its articles are not connected in story. I expected this book to be more attractive or connected than skimming through Wikipedia articles, but it is not. Its explanation is unconvincing, throwing some random quotations to the reader.
This book is far from good to attract new science learners, not even enjoyable for me.
For those who wants to know its content, I suggest the following 20 Wikipedia articles below as a replacement.
1. The Who, What, Why, When, Where and How of everything ~20 pages
-
2. Who are we? ~40 pages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composi...
This article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_body is more general but not described at all in the book.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_e...
3. When did everything begin? ~30 pages
In short, 14 billion years ago, the big bang started.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe
4. What is everything made of? ~10 pages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atom
In short, it claims without explanation that every thing made of atoms (technically, only typical ordinary matter on Earth).
(The word "molecule" is mentioned only once.)
The author also tried to write about quantum entanglement, but his content is neither accurate nor fun to read.
5. What is life? ~40 pages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogen... (Origin of life)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambria...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_g... (Gut flora)
6. How did we get here? ~30 pages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neolith... (Agricultural revolution)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOXP2 (Language gene)
Repeated from chapter 2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_e...
7. Why does human biological diversity confuse us? ~30 pages
"Racial discrimination should be eliminated" is a more accurate title. Diversity is not explained.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_...
8. How do brains work? ~40 pages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain-t...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuron
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_b...
9. Where are we? ~20 pages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosph...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuiper_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_Way
10. How will everything end? ~40 pages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_e...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_...
October 16, 2018
کتاب چند تا از پرسشهای اساسی بشر رو مطرح میکنه و سع�� میکنه از دریچه دانش، اونها رو توضیح بده؛ درباره هر کدوم از سؤالات، هر چیزی که از طریق علوم تجربی ثابت شده رو بیان میکنه و بعد فرضیههایی رو ارائه میده که هنوز ثابت نشدن وهمون طوری که خود کتاب هم تأکید میکنه، ممکنه درست یا غلط باشن و از این نظر کتاب خوب و با ارزشیه. ایده کلی نویسنده (که خیلی از جاهای کتاب دربارهش توضیح داده) اینه که اگه آدما یاد بگیرن به هر پدیدهای از دریچه دانش (ساینس) نگاه کنن، دنیا خیلی جای امنتر و سالمتری میشه و حتا یه جاهایی ادعا میکنه که فقط دانش میتونه معنی واقعی زندگی انسانها رو بهشون نشون بده؛ فصل اول کتاب هم تقریبن درباره همین موضوعه.
فصل دوم کتاب، ویژگیهای فیزیکی و بیولوژیکی بدن انسان رو توضیح میده؛ درباره جایگاه انسان بین این همه گونه مختلف جانوری صحبت میکنه و ارتباط محکم بدن انسان با طبیعت زمین. توضیح میده که بر اساس یافتههای علمی، رابطه بیشتر با طبیعت، انسان رو قدرتمندتر میکنه و باعث افزایش طول عمر میشه؛ توضیحاتی که درباره نظریات داروین نوشته، باعث شد یکی از برداشتهای اشتباهی که خود من درباره نظریه تکامل داشتم برطرف بشه: این که نظریه تکامل ادعا نمیکنه که نسل انسان نشأت گرفته از فرگشت نسل میمون یا هر حیوان دیگهایه، بلکه بر اساس این نظریه، نسل انسان امروز و شامپانزهها (و گوریلها و ...)، همگی از طریق تکامل یک گونه واحد به وجود اومده و از یه نقطهای به بعد (حدودن شش میلیون سال پیش) مسیر تکامل ما و شامپانزدهها جدا شده.
فصل سوم درباره مهبانگه (بیگ بنگ) و مدارک تأییدکننده این پدیده رو توضیح میده.
فصل چهارم کتاب درباره ذرات تشکیلدهنده اتم و ساختارهای اتمیه.
فصل پنجم درباره نحوه به وجود اومدن حیات روی زمینه.
فصل ششم کتاب توضیح میده که زندگی کردن انسانها توی این همه سالی که روی زمین بوده چطوری تغییر کرده و هر بار که تغییر کرده چه اتفاقات جدیدی برای انسانها افتاده؛ درباره کشاورز شدن انسانها نوشته که باعث شده دریافت پروتئینهای حیوانی به انسان به میزان قابل توجهی کاهش پیدا کنه و همین مسأله باعث شده طی گذر زمان، میانگین قد انسانها بیست تا سی سانتیمتر کوتاهتر بشه و همچنین طول عمر انسانها کمتر بشه.
فصل هفتم درباره دلیل به وجود اومدن نژادهای مختلف انسان روی زمینه که البته برای خودم خیلی گنگ بود.
فصل هشتم کتاب درباره نحوه عملکرد مغز انسانه و یکی از جذابترین فصلهای کتابه؛ ویژگیهای خاصی که مغز انسان رو از مغز سایر موجودات متمایز میکنه رو توضیح میده و توضیح میده که حافظه یک پدیده فیزیکیه که توی مغز انسان اتفاق میافته و به بخشی از وضعیت فیزیکیه مغز تبدیل میشه؛ این که انسان روی بیشتر عملکرد مغزش کنترلی نداره و در واقع مغز به صورت ناخودآگاه و غیرارادی عمل میکنه؛ این که مغز مثل همه سیستمها و اعضای دیگه بدن، محدودیتها و ویژگیهایی داره که باید به اونها آگاه بود؛ مثلا «تعصب تأیید» که باعث میشه فقط چیزهایی توی ذهن آدم بمونن که تأییدکننده باورهای قبلیش بوده و....
فصل نهم درباره منظومه شمسی و جایگاه کهکشان راه شیری و تناسباتشون توضیح میده.
فصل آخر کتاب درباره سرنوشت انسانها، سیاره زمین، خورشید و در نهایت همه کیهانه و نکات خیلی جالبی داره؛ احتمالاتی که باعث از بین رفتن نسل انسان میشه رو توضیح میده (برخورد با شهابسنگها، فعال شدن ابرآتشفشانها، عوارض استفاده از سلاحهای هستهای، اختراع سلاحهای کشتار جمعی جدید، سلطه هوش مصنوعی بر انسان، شیوع ویروسهای آزمایشگاهی و در نهایت گرم شدن و بعد سرد شدن بیش از اندازه خورشید) و تأکید میکنه که بالاخره یه روزی انسانها منقرض خواهند شد.
فصل دوم کتاب، ویژگیهای فیزیکی و بیولوژیکی بدن انسان رو توضیح میده؛ درباره جایگاه انسان بین این همه گونه مختلف جانوری صحبت میکنه و ارتباط محکم بدن انسان با طبیعت زمین. توضیح میده که بر اساس یافتههای علمی، رابطه بیشتر با طبیعت، انسان رو قدرتمندتر میکنه و باعث افزایش طول عمر میشه؛ توضیحاتی که درباره نظریات داروین نوشته، باعث شد یکی از برداشتهای اشتباهی که خود من درباره نظریه تکامل داشتم برطرف بشه: این که نظریه تکامل ادعا نمیکنه که نسل انسان نشأت گرفته از فرگشت نسل میمون یا هر حیوان دیگهایه، بلکه بر اساس این نظریه، نسل انسان امروز و شامپانزهها (و گوریلها و ...)، همگی از طریق تکامل یک گونه واحد به وجود اومده و از یه نقطهای به بعد (حدودن شش میلیون سال پیش) مسیر تکامل ما و شامپانزدهها جدا شده.
فصل سوم درباره مهبانگه (بیگ بنگ) و مدارک تأییدکننده این پدیده رو توضیح میده.
فصل چهارم کتاب درباره ذرات تشکیلدهنده اتم و ساختارهای اتمیه.
فصل پنجم درباره نحوه به وجود اومدن حیات روی زمینه.
فصل ششم کتاب توضیح میده که زندگی کردن انسانها توی این همه سالی که روی زمین بوده چطوری تغییر کرده و هر بار که تغییر کرده چه اتفاقات جدیدی برای انسانها افتاده؛ درباره کشاورز شدن انسانها نوشته که باعث شده دریافت پروتئینهای حیوانی به انسان به میزان قابل توجهی کاهش پیدا کنه و همین مسأله باعث شده طی گذر زمان، میانگین قد انسانها بیست تا سی سانتیمتر کوتاهتر بشه و همچنین طول عمر انسانها کمتر بشه.
فصل هفتم درباره دلیل به وجود اومدن نژادهای مختلف انسان روی زمینه که البته برای خودم خیلی گنگ بود.
فصل هشتم کتاب درباره نحوه عملکرد مغز انسانه و یکی از جذابترین فصلهای کتابه؛ ویژگیهای خاصی که مغز انسان رو از مغز سایر موجودات متمایز میکنه رو توضیح میده و توضیح میده که حافظه یک پدیده فیزیکیه که توی مغز انسان اتفاق میافته و به بخشی از وضعیت فیزیکیه مغز تبدیل میشه؛ این که انسان روی بیشتر عملکرد مغزش کنترلی نداره و در واقع مغز به صورت ناخودآگاه و غیرارادی عمل میکنه؛ این که مغز مثل همه سیستمها و اعضای دیگه بدن، محدودیتها و ویژگیهایی داره که باید به اونها آگاه بود؛ مثلا «تعصب تأیید» که باعث میشه فقط چیزهایی توی ذهن آدم بمونن که تأییدکننده باورهای قبلیش بوده و....
فصل نهم درباره منظومه شمسی و جایگاه کهکشان راه شیری و تناسباتشون توضیح میده.
فصل آخر کتاب درباره سرنوشت انسانها، سیاره زمین، خورشید و در نهایت همه کیهانه و نکات خیلی جالبی داره؛ احتمالاتی که باعث از بین رفتن نسل انسان میشه رو توضیح میده (برخورد با شهابسنگها، فعال شدن ابرآتشفشانها، عوارض استفاده از سلاحهای هستهای، اختراع سلاحهای کشتار جمعی جدید، سلطه هوش مصنوعی بر انسان، شیوع ویروسهای آزمایشگاهی و در نهایت گرم شدن و بعد سرد شدن بیش از اندازه خورشید) و تأکید میکنه که بالاخره یه روزی انسانها منقرض خواهند شد.
December 21, 2018
There was so much fascinating information in this book that I did not know. One of my favorite chapters was the one at the end on how the earth, sun and universe might end, and what might make humans go extinct. I wonder hos scientific understanding of the universe might change and what technology we could have by the time the universe ends if humanity lasts that long. If humans are around when the suns energy is used up could humans do something to give the sun more fuel or make the sun young again. This book was packed with good stuff. I learned a lot. That now I probably don't remember. Ha ha. I learned about humanity from the big bang to how we might come to our demise. And how the universe might end. I know I wrote that already. I never knew that the big bang does not say what happened before the big bang. If I understood it right. I also liked the chapter that talked about Agriculture. I had read before that it might not be the as great as everyone says. The best thing to ever happen to humanity. To read that surprised me. I had never before considered that agriculture may not be the best thing to happen ever to happen to humanity. This book was a page turner. I wish I could right a decent review. I have to practice writing book reviews. I enjoyed this book.
August 6, 2019
In today’s modern time with smartphones, it may seem pointless to know anything. With search engines available at all times of the night and day, it is possible to find out pretty much any piece of information out there. However, knowing things has always filled me with a sense of satisfaction.
At Least Know This is a book by Guy P Harrison. It discusses profound ideas and fascinating facts in science over the course of 10 chapters. It is quite well done and enjoyable. The book talks about a lot of different things. It goes over what we are, where we are from, what life is, and so on. The author’s enthusiasm really shines through on every page, you can tell he really feels strongly about people knowing this basic stuff.
None of the information is really new to me. Some of the random facts were unknown to me, but those were few and far between. It goes over the age of the universe, how old the Earth is, when life began, and so on. I mean, the age of the universe is roughly 13.7 billion years, but there are some slight variations that aren’t significant in the long run. The same things go for the age of the Earth and how old life is. These aren’t things that scientists really argue about.
In any case, this book is really good and I highly recommend it.
At Least Know This is a book by Guy P Harrison. It discusses profound ideas and fascinating facts in science over the course of 10 chapters. It is quite well done and enjoyable. The book talks about a lot of different things. It goes over what we are, where we are from, what life is, and so on. The author’s enthusiasm really shines through on every page, you can tell he really feels strongly about people knowing this basic stuff.
None of the information is really new to me. Some of the random facts were unknown to me, but those were few and far between. It goes over the age of the universe, how old the Earth is, when life began, and so on. I mean, the age of the universe is roughly 13.7 billion years, but there are some slight variations that aren’t significant in the long run. The same things go for the age of the Earth and how old life is. These aren’t things that scientists really argue about.
In any case, this book is really good and I highly recommend it.
October 19, 2018
This is a great book that is far from dry and will remind you of daily science fact. The author made it clear at the beginning that science facts are not fixed, but can change. From astrology to DNA, the book brings you the latest research in making decision. I was personally touched by the chapter on "How do Brains work?"...I didn't know if I could even rely on what I was reading....Very intriguing, but so glad to have read it.
February 2, 2020
Nice sections on the interest of science for everyone, human origins, the big bang and astrophysics but other sections seem to me excessive digressions just rephrasing and rephrasing what was already said.
January 25, 2019
Some fascinating, some boring/confusing, some straight up wrong (Elizabeth Loftus memory bs). Good for an overview, a launching off place for topics you might not know about.
March 9, 2019
Seemed well researched but a little dry.
March 23, 2019
Highly recommended. The book contains knowledge everybody should know and not have to google.
May 6, 2019
Nothing to write home about, but good for passing time.
February 24, 2023
الإنسان ذو دماغ كبير ، يمشي على قدمين ، مهووس بالجنس ، آكل للحوم ، مغطى بالجلد ، مدعوم بالعظام ، يستضيف الميكروبات ، اجتماعي ، يمارس أحلام اليقظة ، والنميمة ، يشارك المعلومات ، محب للعائلة ، مرح ، مبدع ، محب للفن ، متديّن ، مادي ، يخطط ، يخاف ، عرضة للقبلية ، يمكنه تدمير وتحسين العالم ، رائد فضاء ، مرن عقليًا ، كائن خلوي معقد ومتضخم ثقافيًا.
العالم وربما الكون لم يروا شيئًا مثلنا من قبل. يمكن أن تكون أفكارنا وأحلامنا غير عادية. نحن نحل المشاكل الصعبة. يبدو إبداعنا غير محدود. في الوقت الحالي ، على سبيل المثال ، يعمل بعض أعضاء الجنس البشري بجد في محاولة لمعرفة كيفية هزيمة الموت ونقل المادة عن بعد وبناء أجهزة كمبيوتر بقدرات تشبه الآلهة والعيش بشكل دائم في عوالم بعيدة. يأتي النوع (العاقل) Homo sapiens مع العديد من العيوب والإخفاقات والتناقضات الأخلاقية التي لا يمكن تجاهلها.
لدينا القدرة على الحب الكبير والكراهية الشديدة والتعاطف الكبير والقسوة الشديدة. نحن نبني وندمر. نحن ننقذ الأرواح ونحصد الأرواح. ومع ذلك ، لا يمكن إنكار أن الجنس البشري هو شكل حياة خاص ومبدع وشجاع وقادر ، مع موهبة في مواجهة التحديات الكبيرة. يبدو أننا ممسوسون بالسعي وراء أهداف غير محتملة ومستحيلة بثقة غير مبررة. نحن نفكر وسنقوم بأنفسنا بعقد قمم غير متوقعة كمسألة روتينية.
لكننا نؤمن أيضًا بأي شيء تقريبًا يخبرنا أي شخص أن نؤمن به ، وغالبًا ما نكره ونقتل بعضنا البعض لأسباب تافهة ، إن وجدت هذه الأسباب أصلاً. نحن العباقرة الحالمون والمتفوقون الذين يتصرفون مثل الحمقى المكفوفين. حتى مع القرابة الجينية الوثيقة للعديد من الأنواع الأخرى ، فإن البشر هم شكل حياة فريد ونادر على الأرض ، قادر على فعل أي شيء - حتى التسبب في انقراضه.
يقول نيك بوستروم ، الفيلسوف بجامعة أكسفورد ، "بعيدًا عن كوننا أذكى أنواع بيولوجية ممكنة ، ربما من الأفضل التفكير بأننا أغبى الأنواع البيولوجية الممكنة القادرة على بدء حضارة تكنولوجية - مكانة حصلنا عليها لأننا وصلنا إليها أولاً ، وليس لأننا بأي حال من الأحوال متكيفين معها على النحو الأمثل ".
.
Guy Harrison
At least Know This
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
العالم وربما الكون لم يروا شيئًا مثلنا من قبل. يمكن أن تكون أفكارنا وأحلامنا غير عادية. نحن نحل المشاكل الصعبة. يبدو إبداعنا غير محدود. في الوقت الحالي ، على سبيل المثال ، يعمل بعض أعضاء الجنس البشري بجد في محاولة لمعرفة كيفية هزيمة الموت ونقل المادة عن بعد وبناء أجهزة كمبيوتر بقدرات تشبه الآلهة والعيش بشكل دائم في عوالم بعيدة. يأتي النوع (العاقل) Homo sapiens مع العديد من العيوب والإخفاقات والتناقضات الأخلاقية التي لا يمكن تجاهلها.
لدينا القدرة على الحب الكبير والكراهية الشديدة والتعاطف الكبير والقسوة الشديدة. نحن نبني وندمر. نحن ننقذ الأرواح ونحصد الأرواح. ومع ذلك ، لا يمكن إنكار أن الجنس البشري هو شكل حياة خاص ومبدع وشجاع وقادر ، مع موهبة في مواجهة التحديات الكبيرة. يبدو أننا ممسوسون بالسعي وراء أهداف غير محتملة ومستحيلة بثقة غير مبررة. نحن نفكر وسنقوم بأنفسنا بعقد قمم غير متوقعة كمسألة روتينية.
لكننا نؤمن أيضًا بأي شيء تقريبًا يخبرنا أي شخص أن نؤمن به ، وغالبًا ما نكره ونقتل بعضنا البعض لأسباب تافهة ، إن وجدت هذه الأسباب أصلاً. نحن العباقرة الحالمون والمتفوقون الذين يتصرفون مثل الحمقى المكفوفين. حتى مع القرابة الجينية الوثيقة للعديد من الأنواع الأخرى ، فإن البشر هم شكل حياة فريد ونادر على الأرض ، قادر على فعل أي شيء - حتى التسبب في انقراضه.
يقول نيك بوستروم ، الفيلسوف بجامعة أكسفورد ، "بعيدًا عن كوننا أذكى أنواع بيولوجية ممكنة ، ربما من الأفضل التفكير بأننا أغبى الأنواع البيولوجية الممكنة القادرة على بدء حضارة تكنولوجية - مكانة حصلنا عليها لأننا وصلنا إليها أولاً ، وليس لأننا بأي حال من الأحوال متكيفين معها على النحو الأمثل ".
.
Guy Harrison
At least Know This
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
February 23, 2025
At Least Know This... much more in depth than the promised "essential science" to know, but enjoyable range of topics, from humans and the brain, to the solar system and universe, race and wildlife, and met with more challenging concepts like scientific theories and smaller items like atoms and subatomic particles. Presented in easy to digest chunks, I really enjoyed learning more and refreshing my knowledge about life.
October 8, 2022
Interesting yes, but not in-depth (maybe its my fault as I should have interpreted from the title but i still feel that there could have been better approaches).
Another demerit was that it ends up being a little preachy, sorry. Its just not what i signed up for :(
But def not a bad book to pick up and read!!
Another demerit was that it ends up being a little preachy, sorry. Its just not what i signed up for :(
But def not a bad book to pick up and read!!
July 31, 2021
What can I say about this great book? It should be compulsory reading and re-reading for all post-secondary students, journalists, educators, politicians and influencers.
May 2, 2023
Interesting facts answering questions, who are we, how did we come here and how will everything end?
March 18, 2024
A bit preachy, but should’ve probably guessed it from the title.
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