Keane Ong

“Evolution gives us the true account of our origins, replacing the myths that satisfied us for thousands of years. Some find this deeply frightening, others ineffably thrilling” My view of evolution is the latter. “Darwin’s theory that all life was the product of evolution [...] has been called the greatest idea that anyone had. But it is more than [that]. It also happens to be true” Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne provides a thorough and compelling case for the theory of evolution by natural selection, using evidence from multiple scientific disciplines such as paleontology, biogeography, anatomy, embryology, and molecular biology (genetics) to demonstrate its validity. The book addresses common misconceptions about evolution and presents clear, empirical support for the fact that all life shares common ancestry and has evolved over time through natural selection. It also serves as a knockdown rebuttal to Creationism and Intelligent Design. Despite evolution being a fact as much as germ theory of diseases or the theory of gravity and plate tectonics, the prevalence of evolution-denial is rather high, even in a highly educated country like the one that I’m living in (Singapore). Pew Research Centre found that only 59% of its population accepts evolution, contrasting greatly with nearly all scientists (97%) from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). I believe that those who deny evolution simply do not, or not want to, understand it. Overall this book is a 5/5 and a must read for anyone who even questions about the origins of humans and all life. This is the best introductory book on evolution by natural selection and its simplicity makes it accessible to a wide range of audience. After reading this book, if you are looking for a more poetic and less descriptive account of the evidence for evolution, I would recommend The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Professor Richard Dawkins. Evolution is a beautiful story (a true one) that took 4 billion years to unfold and I always think to myself: what a privilege it is for me to learn about and comprehend the origins of life; something that most humans who have ever lived (including Isaac Newton) never got a chance to experience. This book is one of many that offers you that privilege in less than 300 pages.

“ Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it: us.” “What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us Sapiens?” Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011) by Yuval Noah Harari is a must read for anyone looking to understand the history and future of our species. The book traces the evolution of humans from 2.5 million years ago in Africa, through the cognitive (70,000 years ago), agricultural (10,000 years ago), and scientific (500 years ago) revolutions, to the present and potential future. This book emphasises that humanity’s power lies in our unique ability to imagine and believe in shared fictitious stories, such as political and economic ideologies, religion, nationalism, corporations, and money. It challenges readers to question humanity’s deepest held beliefs and prompts us to reflect on the history of our species as we imagine our future. For me, this book has greatly influenced my perspective of the world and my place in it, alongside all you fellow Homo sapiens. All of us, through 4 billion years of evolution, have been genetically wired to seek for stories and narratives to give our lives meaning. We all want to feel part of something larger than ourselves. For thousands of years, countless religions have provided (and are still providing) these underpinning narratives to make humans feel important. In the 21st century, with religiosity declining in many developed countries, one might wonder: what shared story can give us a sense of importance? I believe the story of Homo sapiens is one such story. It is in my view that understanding the origins and remarkable journey of our species can foster a profound appreciation—and perhaps even a sense of meaning—for our existence in our 13.8-billion-year-old universe. It certainly did for me and I hope it would do the same for you should you decide to pick this book up. Overall, Sapiens is a 5/5 must read book for any self-reflecting and inquisitive Sapien!

“Over the past century, humankind has managed to mostly overcome famine, plague, and war.” “What will replace these at the top of the human agenda [in the coming century?]” Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2016) by Noah Yuval Harari is a follow-up to his previous book Sapiens: A brief History of Humankind. While Sapiens explored the history of humanity, Homo Deus helps us to imagine the possibilities for the future of humanity, considering the stupendous rapid advancement in technology and science. The book argues that the human agenda will shift towards overcoming death and creating artificial life, with the main products of the twenty-first century economy being bodies, brains, and minds. This revolution, when fulfilled, would create a class of “useless” humans. The book explores how with the current progress of science and technology, non-conscious intelligent algorithms may soon understand humans better than their organic brains can understand themselves. This unsettling but possible next step of human evolution, from organic to inorganic, may uproot the current values of humanity such as liberty, equality, human rights, and replace them with a new value system; one that values any entity or being by its ability to contribute to data processing. This data value system is introduced as dataism and the book highlights how this has already taken root in much of our world. The book challenges readers to consider what would happen to society, politics, and daily life when dataism takes hold. It asks us to reflect on what we might choose to act on, or not act on, in order to ensure that our species are not replaced by machines. Overall, this book is a 4/5 due to its thought-provoking nature and accessibility to a wide range of audience, similar to Sapiens. However, I would rate it slightly lower than Sapiens since a third of the book seems to rely heavily on the ideas of Sapiens. Still, I think it is an essential reading for anyone who wants to ponder about the future of our species; but do note that you ought to read Sapiens before this book.

“They all know it is there, all the people of Omelas. Some of them have come to see it, others are content merely to know it is there. [...] They all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars [...] depend wholly on this child’s abominable misery.” The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin critiques utilitarianism by exploring the moral implications of sustaining collective happiness by subjecting an individual to profound suffering, highlighting themes of injustice, complicity, and ethical trade-offs. The story takes place in the utopian city of Omelas, where everyone’s happiness is contingent on keeping a suffering child locked in a basement. While I would recommend everyone to read this short story, as a utilitarian myself, I would argue that Ursla’s critique fails to knockdown utilitarianism. Mainly because the story of Omelas seems highly implausible in the real-world. Ursula deliberately does not explain anything about how keeping the child in the basement leads to the sustenance of the city; readers are just forced to accept this fact. Also, contrary to what the story suggests, utilitarianism would never endorse such a “slave” society like Omelas since in the real-world, redistributing resources from the haves to have-nots tend to result in greater well-being due to the economic principle of diminishing marginal returns. As such, our moral intuitions in this implausible fictional story can’t be used as a critique of utilitarianism since the moral theory concerns itself with only scenarios that are possible in the real-world. Another major reason for Ursla’s failure is that Omelas seem to be a much better world than our real-world at present. In the real-world, there is vast inequality and much more suffering compared to what the child in the basement endures. If one were to condemn Omelas, one should also be looking for ways to leave our real-world as well since it’s comparatively worse. Overall, this classical short story is a 4/5 as it serves as a simple and intriguing text to get people to think about morality. However, as I’ve highlighted, while intriguing at a theoretical level, it fails to defeat utilitarianism on practical grounds due to its sheer implausibility in the real-world. Readers should be aware of this fact and read up more on utilitarianism to have a deeper understanding of the moral theory. An Introduction to Utilitarianism: From Theory to Practice by Prof. Richard Chappell is a good start.