Summary
E.O. Wilson's "Consilience" argues for a unified theory of knowledge by forging dramatic links between the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, using the natural sciences as a model. The book seeks to renew the Enlightenment's search for deep laws that unite these disparate disciplines. Wilson explores the chemistry of the mind and the genetic bases of culture, postulating biological principles that underlie artistic creations.
This work synthesizes the latest findings in clear prose, presenting science in the path-clearing tradition of Newton, Einstein, and Richard Feynman. Readers will encounter a vision that connects fields from physics to biology, and the humanities, offering a broader understanding of knowledge.
Key concepts
- Consilience — A concept meaning "jumping together," referring to the search for a unified theory of knowledge across disciplines.
- Chemistry of the mind — The exploration of the biological and chemical underpinnings of mental processes.
- Genetic bases of culture — The study of how genetics influences and shapes cultural development and expression.
- Biological principles underlying works of art — The hypothesis that biological factors can explain the creation and appreciation of art.
From the book
Description: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • "A dazzling journey across the sciences and humanities in search of deep laws to unite them." —The Wall Street Journal One of our greatest scientists—and the winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for On Human Nature and The Ants—gives us a work of visionary importance that may be the crowning achievement of his career. In Consilience (a word that originally meant "jumping together"), Edward O. Wilson renews the Enlightenment's search for a unified theory of knowledge in disciplines that range from physics to biology, the social sciences and the humanities. Using the natural sciences as his model, Wilson forges dramatic links between fields. He explores the chemistry of the mind and the genetic bases of culture. He postulates the biological principles underlying…
Snippet: In Consilience (a word that originally meant "jumping together"), Edward O. Wilson renews the Enlightenment's search for a unified theory of knowledge in disciplines that range from physics to biology, the social sciences and the humanities ...