Ebook Humans A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up Tom Phillips Books
Download As PDF : Humans A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up Tom Phillips Books
“A thoroughly entertaining account of human follies and foibles from ancient times to the present.” —Penny Le Couteur, author of Napoleon’s Buttons How 17 Molecules Changed History
Modern humans have come a long way in the seventy thousand years they’ve walked the earth. Art, science, culture, trade—on the evolutionary food chain, we’re true winners. But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, and sometimes—just occasionally—we’ve managed to truly f*ck things up.
Weaving together history, science, politics and pop culture, Humans offers a panoramic exploration of humankind in all its glory, or lack thereof. From Lucy, our first ancestor, who fell out of a tree and died, to General Zhou Shou of China, who stored gunpowder in his palace before a lantern festival, to the Austrian army attacking itself one drunken night, to the most spectacular fails of the present day, Humans reveals how even the most mundane mistakes can shift the course of civilization as we know it. Lively, wry and brimming with brilliant insight, this unique compendium offers a fresh take on world history and is one of the most entertaining reads of the year.
Ebook Humans A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up Tom Phillips Books
"I love books with a dark, cynical sense of humor, so how could I resist a book with a title like this? I read this book in maybe 3 or 4 sittings, and I enjoyed it thoroughly (unlike many nonfiction books where it feels more like a school assignment to finish). What Phillips does in this book is offer selective examples from history where human beings have made supremely stupid decisions that badly backfired. These examples are grouped not chronologically but rather in thematically similar chapters, e.g., disasters in warfare, colonialism, democracy, and technology. If you're expecting a more traditional kind of history, this organization will seem a little confusing and/or, well, disorganized. Here is where I would offer the only (faint) criticism of the book, which is that it is perhaps mistitled: With the words "a brief history" the reader may expect a more conventional linear narrative. But once you realize you are not getting a conventional narrative but rather a collection of truly fascinating and enjoyable anecdotes, you will appreciate just how entertaining (and informative) this book is.
I realized just how interesting this book was when I found myself devoting more than one dinner conversation to repeating some of the more outrageous historical incidents described in its pages. For example, I loved the story about Sigurd the Mighty, holder of "the dubious distinction in military history of being killed by an enemy he'd already decapitated several hours earlier." (I'll make you read the book to find out how that actually transpired.) All of these anecdotes are delivered in a delightfully droll, witty writing style that makes the point accurately yet humorously. Take, as another example, this sentence from the passage explaining why evolution sometimes results in counterproductive traits: "Evolution gets results not by planning ahead, but rather by simply hurling a ridiculously large number of hungry, horny organisms at a dangerous and unforgiving world and seeing who fails least."
The humor and shock value of many of the examples portrayed here may tempt readers to conclude that this is not a "serious" or scholarly book. However, in the chapters involving topics I have expertise in (cognitive biases and evolutionary bases of behavior), I can vouch that Phillips presents the issues accurately, fairly, and impressively clearly for a lay audience.
If you are a fan of Dave Barry's humor, and/or if you are a fan of Mary Roach's books, I think you would love this book. I also think it would make a great birthday or Christmas present. Highly recommend."
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Humans A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up Tom Phillips Books Reviews :
Humans A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up Tom Phillips Books Reviews
- I love books with a dark, cynical sense of humor, so how could I resist a book with a title like this? I read this book in maybe 3 or 4 sittings, and I enjoyed it thoroughly (unlike many nonfiction books where it feels more like a school assignment to finish). What Phillips does in this book is offer selective examples from history where human beings have made supremely stupid decisions that badly backfired. These examples are grouped not chronologically but rather in thematically similar chapters, e.g., disasters in warfare, colonialism, democracy, and technology. If you're expecting a more traditional kind of history, this organization will seem a little confusing and/or, well, disorganized. Here is where I would offer the only (faint) criticism of the book, which is that it is perhaps mistitled With the words "a brief history" the reader may expect a more conventional linear narrative. But once you realize you are not getting a conventional narrative but rather a collection of truly fascinating and enjoyable anecdotes, you will appreciate just how entertaining (and informative) this book is.
I realized just how interesting this book was when I found myself devoting more than one dinner conversation to repeating some of the more outrageous historical incidents described in its pages. For example, I loved the story about Sigurd the Mighty, holder of "the dubious distinction in military history of being killed by an enemy he'd already decapitated several hours earlier." (I'll make you read the book to find out how that actually transpired.) All of these anecdotes are delivered in a delightfully droll, witty writing style that makes the point accurately yet humorously. Take, as another example, this sentence from the passage explaining why evolution sometimes results in counterproductive traits "Evolution gets results not by planning ahead, but rather by simply hurling a ridiculously large number of hungry, horny organisms at a dangerous and unforgiving world and seeing who fails least."
The humor and shock value of many of the examples portrayed here may tempt readers to conclude that this is not a "serious" or scholarly book. However, in the chapters involving topics I have expertise in (cognitive biases and evolutionary bases of behavior), I can vouch that Phillips presents the issues accurately, fairly, and impressively clearly for a lay audience.
If you are a fan of Dave Barry's humor, and/or if you are a fan of Mary Roach's books, I think you would love this book. I also think it would make a great birthday or Christmas present. Highly recommend. - “Humans A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up†is just what it purports to be—a brief, highly readable and thought-provoking chronicle of how thousands of years of human trial and (mostly) error have led us to the planet-threatening situation we find ourselves in today.
With skill and humor, author Tom Phillips fills his book with historical and modern-day facts, amusing anecdotes and cogent observations on the human condition that are sure to have readers chuckling and nodding their heads in agreement.
At a high level—after all, the book is only a little over 250 pages long—he dissects virtually the entire history of the human race, starting 3.2 million years ago when “Lucy,†our distant Australopithecus afarensis ancestor, fell out of a tree and died. It’s been all downhill from there.
He shows how some of the best-laid plans to improve humans’ lot in life over the years, such as cultivating food crops and domesticating animals, have often backfired, sometimes spectacularly, because of men’s (as he points out, the instigators of these disasters have been overwhelmingly male throughout most of history) hard-wired inability to consider what the Law of Unintended Consequences—not to mention Murphy’s Law—might do to their grandiose schemes.
Mr. Phillips’ humor is not as side-splittingly funny as, say, Dave Barry, but is of the understated British variety, which I happen to enjoy a lot. YMMV, of course. And, despite the unvarnished truth of some of his observations of the almost-daily face-palm moments in today’s politics, this book is unlikely to change any readers’ minds about the players (OK, it’s really mainly just one person) bent on destroying the norms of society and shredding common human decency right before our very eyes.
Those of a certain political leaning probably won’t touch this book with a barge pole, while those leaning the opposite way will likely embrace it as a compendium of things they’ve been saying for years. If you’re of the latter persuasion, you’ll enjoy “Humans A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up†immensely.
What could possibly go wrong?
