Dragons of Eden Book Review
Dragons of Eden Book Review
Your brain consists of about 100 billion neurons, weighs over 3 pounds, and consumes twenty percent of your daily calorie intake, while it's only two percent of total body mass. This massive and extremely complex brain is not an evolutionary mishap. This book, Dragons of Eden, written by Carl Sagan, is a fantastic way to learn about the evolution of the human brain. It uses understandable language and utilizes many branches of science. It only has the smallest of errors.
Carl Sagan wrote in a way that anyone with a high school education could read this book with relative ease. They may have to look up some of the scientific vocabulary, but it is absolutely manageable. It also keeps your attention with interesting facts like how our primal fear of reptiles has turned into myths of dragons that have shaped our intelligence. Sagan goes on to talk about how measuring brain mass relative to its body mass is a good way to compare the level of intelligence among various animals.
As well as making the book readable and interesting, it is grounded in facts. Evolutionary biology traces other origin of our brains; examination of myths and fears through psychological means shows the development of emotion such as fear, and these are only the most used branches of science. Sagan combines many fields of science: anthropology, evolutionary biology, psychology, and computer science to give us an insight on how human intelligence might have evolved. He explores the evolution of the human brain, focusing on the neocortex and the purpose of dreams and sleep as well as fears and myths.
My only criticism for this book is: it is a bit old. Therefore, some of the information is dated. Some scientific fields, especially relating to dreams, has changed monumentally since the 1980’s.
Any high school student wondering how and why humans developed their superior intelligence should read Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan. This book explains in great detail how the human brain works, and explores where our intelligence and emotions comes from, all in a way most people can easily understand. Although some information are outdated, it is a wonderful read on evolution.
Your brain consists of about 100 billion neurons, weighs over 3 pounds, and consumes twenty percent of your daily calorie intake, while it's only two percent of total body mass. This massive and extremely complex brain is not an evolutionary mishap. This book, Dragons of Eden, written by Carl Sagan, is a fantastic way to learn about the evolution of the human brain. It uses understandable language and utilizes many branches of science. It only has the smallest of errors.
Carl Sagan wrote in a way that anyone with a high school education could read this book with relative ease. They may have to look up some of the scientific vocabulary, but it is absolutely manageable. It also keeps your attention with interesting facts like how our primal fear of reptiles has turned into myths of dragons that have shaped our intelligence. Sagan goes on to talk about how measuring brain mass relative to its body mass is a good way to compare the level of intelligence among various animals.
As well as making the book readable and interesting, it is grounded in facts. Evolutionary biology traces other origin of our brains; examination of myths and fears through psychological means shows the development of emotion such as fear, and these are only the most used branches of science. Sagan combines many fields of science: anthropology, evolutionary biology, psychology, and computer science to give us an insight on how human intelligence might have evolved. He explores the evolution of the human brain, focusing on the neocortex and the purpose of dreams and sleep as well as fears and myths.
My only criticism for this book is: it is a bit old. Therefore, some of the information is dated. Some scientific fields, especially relating to dreams, has changed monumentally since the 1980’s.
Any high school student wondering how and why humans developed their superior intelligence should read Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan. This book explains in great detail how the human brain works, and explores where our intelligence and emotions comes from, all in a way most people can easily understand. Although some information are outdated, it is a wonderful read on evolution.