The Journey of Humanity: The Origins of Wealth and Inequality
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- Create Date：2022-05-01 07:51:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Oded Galor
- ISBN：1847926916
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Summary
A radically uplifting account of our species' progress， from one of the world's pre-eminent thinkers - with breakthrough insights into the power of diversity and our capacity to tackle climate change。
'Completely brilliant and utterly original 。。。 a book for our epoch' Jon Snow， former presenter Channel 4 News
'Astounding in scope and insight 。。。 provides the keys to the betterment of our species' Nouriel Roubini， author of Crisis Economics
'Its breadth and ambition are reminiscent of Jared Diamond's Guns， Germs， and Steel 。。。 and Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens' Financial Times
____
What are the keys to human progress？
Why are living standards so unequal around the world？
How might all humans thrive and survive？
In The Journey of Humanity， Oded Galor offers a revelatory explanation of how humanity became， only very recently， the unique species to have escaped a life of subsistence poverty， enjoying previously unthinkable wealth and longevity。 He reveals why this process has been so unequal around the world， resulting in the great disparities between nations that exist today。 He shows why so many of our efforts to improve lives have failed and how they might succeed。
____
'A wildly ambitious attempt to do for economics what Newton， Darwin or Einstein did for their fields: develop a theory that explains almost everything 。。。 An inspiring， readable， jargon-free and almost impossibly erudite masterwork' Simon Kuper， New Statesman
'A masterful sweep through the human odyssey 。。。 if you liked Sapiens， you'll love this' Lewis Dartnell， author of Origins
'An engaging and optimistic answer to anyone who thinks that poverty and inequality will always be with us' Ian Morris， author of Why the West Rules - For Now
'Breathtakingly ambitious' Robert Solow， Nobel Laureate in Economics
'Magisterial' Glenn C。 Loury， author of The Anatomy of Racial Inequality
'Completely brilliant and utterly original 。。。 a book for our epoch' Jon Snow， former presenter Channel 4 News
'Astounding in scope and insight 。。。 provides the keys to the betterment of our species' Nouriel Roubini， author of Crisis Economics
'Its breadth and ambition are reminiscent of Jared Diamond's Guns， Germs， and Steel 。。。 and Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens' Financial Times
____
What are the keys to human progress？
Why are living standards so unequal around the world？
How might all humans thrive and survive？
In The Journey of Humanity， Oded Galor offers a revelatory explanation of how humanity became， only very recently， the unique species to have escaped a life of subsistence poverty， enjoying previously unthinkable wealth and longevity。 He reveals why this process has been so unequal around the world， resulting in the great disparities between nations that exist today。 He shows why so many of our efforts to improve lives have failed and how they might succeed。
____
'A wildly ambitious attempt to do for economics what Newton， Darwin or Einstein did for their fields: develop a theory that explains almost everything 。。。 An inspiring， readable， jargon-free and almost impossibly erudite masterwork' Simon Kuper， New Statesman
'A masterful sweep through the human odyssey 。。。 if you liked Sapiens， you'll love this' Lewis Dartnell， author of Origins
'An engaging and optimistic answer to anyone who thinks that poverty and inequality will always be with us' Ian Morris， author of Why the West Rules - For Now
'Breathtakingly ambitious' Robert Solow， Nobel Laureate in Economics
'Magisterial' Glenn C。 Loury， author of The Anatomy of Racial Inequality
Reviews
Rose
，
How did we get to where we are today？ If all humanity started in Africa how did it disperse across the world？ This is the question that the author tries to answer in the first half of the book。 Humanity moved to inhabit all areas of the earth but what traits did they take when migrating？ The second part of the book deals with wealth and inequality。 Why did certain areas develop faster than others。 Did their history have any role in the creation of wealth and/or inequality。 This is an interesting How did we get to where we are today？ If all humanity started in Africa how did it disperse across the world？ This is the question that the author tries to answer in the first half of the book。 Humanity moved to inhabit all areas of the earth but what traits did they take when migrating？ The second part of the book deals with wealth and inequality。 Why did certain areas develop faster than others。 Did their history have any role in the creation of wealth and/or inequality。 This is an interesting book。 It will make you think about the world in a different way。Thank you to #goodreads and @Dutton for a copy of this book。 。。。more
Christian Oltra
，
Muy interesante libro sobre las causas del progreso en las sociedades humanas。 La primera parte sobre cómo las sociedades salieron de la trampa malthusiana me ha parecido brillante。 La segunda parte， sobre las causas institucionales y geográficas del progres humano， decae ligeramente。 La parte final sobre la hipótesis de la variabilidad poblacional como causa última del progreso es muy interesante aunque está， quizá， poco desarrollada en el libro。 Muy recomendable。
Esteban del Mal
，
This guy is a big thinker that threads together disparate themes in a largely original way。 A ‘theory of everything’ proposition that I’m a sucker for。 A one-star deduction for using “indeed” too much and for being an optimism fanboy （it goes against my nature， what can I say？）。 His interview is worth listening to。 https://www。listennotes。com/fr/podcas。。。 This guy is a big thinker that threads together disparate themes in a largely original way。 A ‘theory of everything’ proposition that I’m a sucker for。 A one-star deduction for using “indeed” too much and for being an optimism fanboy （it goes against my nature， what can I say？）。 His interview is worth listening to。 https://www。listennotes。com/fr/podcas。。。 。。。more
Diego
，
The Journey of Humanity es una aproximación diferente al tema de la desigualdad。 Adopta una perspectiva de muy largo plazo （Miles de año） para explorar las raíces de la divergencia en niveles de vida entre las personas。 Su argumento es que ni la geografía， ni la cultura， ni las instituciones son las causas fundamentales de esas divergencias， sino la diversidad poblacional que mezclada con esos otros factores produce beneficios。 El argumento es provocador pero parece que por momentos aunque prete The Journey of Humanity es una aproximación diferente al tema de la desigualdad。 Adopta una perspectiva de muy largo plazo （Miles de año） para explorar las raíces de la divergencia en niveles de vida entre las personas。 Su argumento es que ni la geografía， ni la cultura， ni las instituciones son las causas fundamentales de esas divergencias， sino la diversidad poblacional que mezclada con esos otros factores produce beneficios。 El argumento es provocador pero parece que por momentos aunque pretende darle la vueltas a los debates institucionalistas termina nuevamente regresando a esas mismas explicaciones pero introduciendo el elemento de diversidad genética y cultural。 No es un mal libro， esta muy bien escrito， esta teórica y empíricamente bien fundamentado， sin embargo， por momento sufre de un par de problemas， por un lado en generalizar demasiado algunos debates que aun no están cerrados sobre la historia económica （como los origines de la Revolución Industrial） y por otro lado que falla en la promesa inicial del libro “resolver los misterios del crecimiento y de la desigualdad”。 Es una lectura que puede resultar muy amigable para introducir al lector a estos debates。 。。。more
Fire heart
，
Written by one of the most influential economists in the field of growth and development， this book is breathtaking in its scope and ambition。 Oded Galor’s initial research in the early 1990s highlighted the negative effects of income inequality on economic growth， with the research being published just as the topic was about to become fashionable。 Not surprisingly， that paper remains one of the most widely cited in the field。 Subsequently， he developed， with peers and doctoral students， a serie Written by one of the most influential economists in the field of growth and development， this book is breathtaking in its scope and ambition。 Oded Galor’s initial research in the early 1990s highlighted the negative effects of income inequality on economic growth， with the research being published just as the topic was about to become fashionable。 Not surprisingly， that paper remains one of the most widely cited in the field。 Subsequently， he developed， with peers and doctoral students， a series of progressively more ambitious mathematical models， and rigorous empirical research on the interactions between technological progress， income inequality， and economic growth ultimately leading to a research agenda that went well beyond just encapsulating the 20th century to first， the industrial revolution， then Malthusian epoch， and ultimately covering the entire history of humanity。 It would not be an understatement that he is possibly one of the most ambitious thinkers today。 This book synthesizes much of his own work complemented by a very active area of quantitative and empirical research in economics， history， and quantitative anthropology， that has benefitted from the data revolution。The book is in two parts – the first part begins with the evolution of homo-sapiens and their movement out of Africa， the emergence of settled agriculture in various parts of the world， the slow beginnings of technological progress， ultimately triggering the industrial revolution， and culminating in modern economic growth with a glance to what the future might hold。 While some of this might seem similar in these respects to other books by Jared Diamond， David Landes， and Hariri， the viewpoint here is quite distinct。 In Galor’s view once the neolithic revolution was in place， the wheels were set in motion for the industrial revolution and the subsequent burst of technological progress。 Wars， plagues， etc affect the speed and the location of the regime switch and are not details to be bogged down with。 Central to his view of the world is not just technological progress but the dynamics of the inter-relationship between technological progress， education， and fertility rates – all affecting each other in non-linear ways。 In this respect the first part， while encapsulating much of his own highly cited research， also sets it apart from other big-think books。The second part of the book works its way in reverse。 Having established that the humans， given their initial evolution of the brain and nature’s bounty， were inevitably on the path to the industrial revolution and declining fertility， why Europe， and the UK in particular？ Why did Europe and its offshoots leave the rest of the world behind so suddenly？ Here， in each chapter， he goes further and further back in time – beginning with colonization and its disparate effect on political institutions – which is attributed to geographical differences。 Going further back， he also looks at the emergence of cultures that were more well adapted for the industrial revolution vs others （e。g。 the importance of long-term orientation and individualism）。 He highlights the role of geography drawing on a large research body that has been very persuasive in documenting the importance of soil types， climates， different types of crop suitability， and ultimately going back to the neolithic revolution。 Last， and perhaps most ambitiously， he argues that the non-phenotypical （non-observable） genetic diversity within the population leads to a tradeoff between trust and innovation。 It is important to note what he refers to here is genetic diversity within a population group （e。g。 within Caucasian Scots）。 This genetic diversity is a well-known function of the distance of the migratory path for humans from Africa （as has been documented by geneticists）。The book is very distinct in terms of how it is written – it starts from the emergence of humans， and the first half works its way forward to the present day。 The second half moves in reverse – working its way back to the emergence of Homo-sapiens out of Africa。 To its credit， the book while including a multitude of anecdotes is well-paced with the main text being an eminently reasonable 240 pages。You may or may not agree with portions of the text but will certainly be forced to think about the progress of humanity differently。 。。。more
Eunice Lee
，
I keep forgetting that history books like this isn't about ”getting to the point” I keep forgetting that history books like this isn't about ”getting to the point” 。。。more
Victoria
，
I must admit that I worried a bit when I was first invited to read this one that it may end up being something of a snooze-fest。。。 While my husband enjoys reading THE ECONOMIST， some of the articles that he has shared with me over the years have made my eyes glaze over。 But though Gabor is an economist， his book relies heavily on historical research as well - something that is much more in my comfort zone。 Additionally， it is written in a totally accessible style。 Plus， I am delighted to add tha I must admit that I worried a bit when I was first invited to read this one that it may end up being something of a snooze-fest。。。 While my husband enjoys reading THE ECONOMIST， some of the articles that he has shared with me over the years have made my eyes glaze over。 But though Gabor is an economist， his book relies heavily on historical research as well - something that is much more in my comfort zone。 Additionally， it is written in a totally accessible style。 Plus， I am delighted to add that this book is downright fascinating。 I read the first 3/4s in one sitting， pausing only in a few places for some supplemental Googling。 The first half of the book overviews global economy in relation to the population size， geography and technology。 Limiting favors are discussed and broken down。 The second half delves into the inequality of wealth and the historical impacts that continues to limit areas of the world。 It's a surprisingly straightforward read with limited examples - both conceptual and anecdotal from specific locations。 It's also a remarkably apolitical book。 It sticks to facts and puts concepts together to make the reader think， And while no real solutions are suggested here， there are certainly plenty of points made to keep in mind。 I really want my husband to read this one now！ My only real complaint is that I wish that the graphics were a bit clearer - seven shades of grey on a kindle screen isn't always easy to discern。 But really， this exceeded my expectations！ 。。。more
Nancy
，
A View of Humanity’s Ascent This book seeks to shed light on two question: how did humanity rise to it’s present level， and why is the growth not universal across cultures？ These are huge questions。 The author tackles them in an academic way while also being able to make the book interesting for the lay reader。 The first half of the book tackles the question of the progression of humans from hunter-gatherers to the level of our current highly technical civilization。 I found the discussion intere A View of Humanity’s Ascent This book seeks to shed light on two question: how did humanity rise to it’s present level， and why is the growth not universal across cultures？ These are huge questions。 The author tackles them in an academic way while also being able to make the book interesting for the lay reader。 The first half of the book tackles the question of the progression of humans from hunter-gatherers to the level of our current highly technical civilization。 I found the discussion interesting， but basically it is the traditional explanation。 I recently read The Dawn of Everything by Graeber and Wengrow。 It’s fascinating to compare the two explanations for the rise of civilization。 Personally， I found the Graeber-Wengrow thesis more satisfying。 The second half tackles the question of the distribution of wealth。 Why some areas succeeded and are still succeeding more than others。 It’s a complex problem。 I thought the author handled it well。 Climate does have a great deal to do with the problem， but it’s not the only driver。 Diversity is also a factor， but again the underlying reasons are complex。The book is written for a college level audience。 It’s not difficult to read or understand but it is dense and there is a great deal of technical vocabulary。 However， I believe it’s well worth the time to discover the author’s ideas。I received this book from Dutton for this review。 。。。more
Diane Hernandez
，
The Journey of Humanity takes on the huge task of explaining how humanity got to this point， which the author calls the Mystery of Growth。 The second half explains why this growth has not been universal across nations， which the author calls the Mystery of Inequality。From the Malthusian （hunter-gatherer） epoch to the Neolithic （agricultural） Revolution to the Industrial Revolution and concluding now in the Technological Era， the book looks closely at what drives lifestyle improvements。 Has the D The Journey of Humanity takes on the huge task of explaining how humanity got to this point， which the author calls the Mystery of Growth。 The second half explains why this growth has not been universal across nations， which the author calls the Mystery of Inequality。From the Malthusian （hunter-gatherer） epoch to the Neolithic （agricultural） Revolution to the Industrial Revolution and concluding now in the Technological Era， the book looks closely at what drives lifestyle improvements。 Has the Demographic Transition， where families have less children due to the cost of training them in advanced skills， promoted prosperity？ Did allowing non-native citizens to share in the nation’s wealth increase or decrease growth？These and more questions are answered within The Journey of Humanity。 However， the author does not provide a suggested solution beyond a rather simplistic “don’t force a developed world solution on a developing world’s entirely different culture”。 In addition， the book is written like a college textbook with a large and technical vocabulary that may trouble some readers looking for a more popular science level of prose。 3 stars。Thanks to Dutton Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Bam cooks the books ;-）
，
The reading experience here is much like studying a college textbook， a little tough for the casual reader。 Yet the theory and information presented is well-expressed， fascinating and ultimately hopeful for what the future holds for humanity。I received an arc of this new book in exchange for my honest review。
Luca
，
Amazing thesis that is entirely scientifically based， for a change。 Truly captivating。
Lucrezia Xu
，
Indeed。 Completely brilliant， as stated by Jon Snow
James
，
this book is great 。 here is an amazon link to it if you want check out https://amzn。to/3hyzUm6 this book is great 。 here is an amazon link to it if you want check out https://amzn。to/3hyzUm6 。。。more
Farida
，
This is a book about how humanity has progressed from hunter-gatherers leading precarious existences against the elements to modern-day comfort and relative safety （some of us）。 The Journey of Humanity sets out to explain the mechanisms in how this came about。The author weighs up a world that has made improvements through technology but discusses undesirable consequences。 He also tackles colonialism and how this came about - considering humanity has one shared origin - Africa。An excerpt;'The unp This is a book about how humanity has progressed from hunter-gatherers leading precarious existences against the elements to modern-day comfort and relative safety （some of us）。 The Journey of Humanity sets out to explain the mechanisms in how this came about。The author weighs up a world that has made improvements through technology but discusses undesirable consequences。 He also tackles colonialism and how this came about - considering humanity has one shared origin - Africa。An excerpt;'The unprecedented rise in living standards contributed to an extraordinary increase in life expectancy， For millennia， as income per capita was near subsistence， life expectancy had oscillated in a narrow range， between thirty and forty years。 Changes in resources， as well as wars， famines， and epidemics， triggered temporary swings in fertility and mortality rates， but life expectancy remained stable。。'Scholarly， detailed and well-researched this book will interest those who enjoy understanding human history。 。。。more
Amaury Dehoux
，
What a tremendous book！The author， a renowned economist， solves the mysteries of economic growth and inequality in a very fascinating way。 I could not stop reading until I got the last clues on those mysteries。It’s a non-fiction book， but with a good storytelling and a lot of examples that make the （challenging） argument clear and understandable for every non-specialist。Definitely a must-read。 We get a better understanding of our past， but also keys to create a more equal future。
rdgit
，
The Journey of Humanity explains not just the evolution of civilization but the evolution of man's well being。Humans have experienced a drastic transformation over the last few centuries。 In most parts of the world man's standard of wellbeing has greatly increased in these last two to three hundred years。 However， before this vast increase in the standard of living， from the beginning of civilization， man has experienced cycles of temporary improvement which quickly reverted to the previous livi The Journey of Humanity explains not just the evolution of civilization but the evolution of man's well being。Humans have experienced a drastic transformation over the last few centuries。 In most parts of the world man's standard of wellbeing has greatly increased in these last two to three hundred years。 However， before this vast increase in the standard of living， from the beginning of civilization， man has experienced cycles of temporary improvement which quickly reverted to the previous living standards。 Why was man was unable to sustain these periods of "wealth" until relatively recently？ What caused this cycle to eventually be broken and why， today， some parts of the world fall behind others？ That's what Galor beautifully explains。The author examines humanity from it's beginning to today and looks to the future with both fear and hope。This book reminded me of， and I am a great fan of "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harari and this book did not disappoint。 I was fortunate to have received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Jacob Weinberg
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Unbelievable book！
John
，
Absolutely revolutionary and mind-opening。
Shir Weinfeld
，
Revolutionary thought leadership from a world-renowned author。 A must-read for our generation。
Dave
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Brilliant！ A must read！
Maudaevee
，
Very interesting and intriguing。 I found it well paced and easy to follow the narrative， even though it’s not a subject I have much background in。
Andrew
，
Interesting take on how we got where we are—-geography and diversity playing a real role in why societies differ so greatly primarily from an economic standpoint。 And how to remedy some of these differences primarily to fight climate change。 Interesting。
Rotem Gazit
，
הספר מציג נקודת מבט מעניינת על התפתחות האנושות， אך לתחושתי פעם אחר פעם "יורים חץ ואז מסמנים את המטרה"。 זו גישה קלאסית של כלכלנים， שחבל שלא מערבת היסטוריונים או מתמטיקאים בתהליך。הם בודקים קורלציה בין משתנים שונים ומשונים， שמכילים הטיות יסודיות מאופן איסופם。 על תהליך השגת הנתונים והאימות שלהם הם לא מדברים כלל。החלק האחרון， שבו הם דנים על המגוון האנושי， היה חלק מאוד מאוד מפוקפק מבחינת ניתוח הנתונים， לפחות כפי שהשתקף בספר。 בגדול， הם שיחקו בנתונים כדי לראות בדיוק את מה שהם חיפשו。הספר עצמו כתוב בטון מא הספר מציג נקודת מבט מעניינת על התפתחות האנושות， אך לתחושתי פעם אחר פעם "יורים חץ ואז מסמנים את המטרה"。 זו גישה קלאסית של כלכלנים， שחבל שלא מערבת היסטוריונים או מתמטיקאים בתהליך。הם בודקים קורלציה בין משתנים שונים ומשונים， שמכילים הטיות יסודיות מאופן איסופם。 על תהליך השגת הנתונים והאימות שלהם הם לא מדברים כלל。החלק האחרון， שבו הם דנים על המגוון האנושי， היה חלק מאוד מאוד מפוקפק מבחינת ניתוח הנתונים， לפחות כפי שהשתקף בספר。 בגדול， הם שיחקו בנתונים כדי לראות בדיוק את מה שהם חיפשו。הספר עצמו כתוב בטון מאוד יהיר וכמעט שלא פתוח בכלל לביקורת עצמית במהלכו: לא על הנתונים， לא על שאלות המחקר， לא על המסקנות。 לפי המשתקף בספר， מדובר בתורה מהר סיני שנחתה יום אחד במשרדו של עודד גלאור。 הם אפילו אומרים מפורשות: מי שלא מאמין לנו הוא מסוכן （עמוד 263）。בקיצור， ממליץ לחפש ספר "בריא" יותר （מבחינת המתודולוגיה והשיח הביקורתי על התוצאות） בנושא。 。。。more
Orrezz
，
מה מניע צמיחה （growth）？התשובה הלכאורה מובנית מאליה היא טכנולוגיה。 ההיסטוריה מלמדת שככל שבני האדם פיתחו טכנולוגיות שחסכו להם זמן ומאמץ， כך השתפרה רמת החיים שלהם。 אלא ששיפור זה היה זמני בלבד， ובמהרה המצב חזר לקדמותו。בספרם "מסע האנושות" פורשים הכלכלנים עודד גלאור ואורי כץ את הנסיקה והשבר של ציוויזליזציות שונות בהיסטוריה כדי להאיר על נקודות שבהן תרבויות משתמשות בטכנולוגיה כדי למנף את הצמיחה שלהן， במקום למצוא את עצמן חוזרות לנקודת ההתחלה。ישנן כמה דרכים לעשות מינוף שכזה:•tהשקעה בהון האנושי – אם היה לכ מה מניע צמיחה （growth）？התשובה הלכאורה מובנית מאליה היא טכנולוגיה。 ההיסטוריה מלמדת שככל שבני האדם פיתחו טכנולוגיות שחסכו להם זמן ומאמץ， כך השתפרה רמת החיים שלהם。 אלא ששיפור זה היה זמני בלבד， ובמהרה המצב חזר לקדמותו。בספרם "מסע האנושות" פורשים הכלכלנים עודד גלאור ואורי כץ את הנסיקה והשבר של ציוויזליזציות שונות בהיסטוריה כדי להאיר על נקודות שבהן תרבויות משתמשות בטכנולוגיה כדי למנף את הצמיחה שלהן， במקום למצוא את עצמן חוזרות לנקודת ההתחלה。ישנן כמה דרכים לעשות מינוף שכזה:•tהשקעה בהון האנושי – אם היה לכם תקציב למימון השכלה לעובדים， במי הייתם משקיעים אותו， במהנדס， או במאה פועלי הייצור שעובדים איתו？ אם אתם רוצים לקדם את מקום העבודה שלכם לאורך זמן， תשקיעו דווקא בפועלים。 הכישורים המעשיים שתקנו להם יקדמו לא רק אותם， אלא גם אתכם。 •tפיתוח אמון – חברות שלא נסמכות על האמונה ש-"כולם מושחתים" נכונות יותר לקבל תמיכה מהמדינה וגם תומכות יותר במנגנונים של עזרה הדדית， שעשויים להתגלות כחיוניים במלחמה בעוני。 •tגיוון – גיוון אתני ותרבותי， במינון שלא משנה מקצה לקצה את מרקם האוכלוסייה （ובכך גם לגרור התנגדות）， עשוי לאפשר לקולות אחרים להישמע – ובכך לתרום לשינוי חיובי。 •tשבירת מסורות – הידעתם שהמקור לחלק מהדיכוי של נשים בהיסטוריה הוא במחרשה， שלגברים היה קל יותר לדחוף בשדות？ חברות שמשתחררות מכבלי המסורת ומוכנות לנסות רעיונות חדשים， כגון שוויון זכויות לנשים， מצליחות יותר。לא בכדי， המשותף לכל הדרכים הללו הוא האמונה שמה שיקדם את האנושות לאורך זמן， הרבה מעבר לטכנולוגיה， הוא אנשים。 מסקנה – אם פיתחתם מוצר או טכנולוגיה מנצחת， תנו לעצמכם טפיחה על השכם。 אחר כך， תשקיעו את פירות ההשקעה שלכם באנשים。 תאמינו בהם， ואל תתנו למסורות אלו ואחרות למנוע מהקולות שלהם להישמע。 תגלו שההשקעה הזאת לא רק מוכיחה את עצמה לאורך זמן， אלא שהיא הופכת את העולם למקום טוב יותר。 。。。more
Sefi Keller
，
The book is full of interesting research but is written in a way that makes it hard to read。 The 2 main difficulties are: （1） the book is too ambitious and covers way too much， often in a shallow way; （2） the level of writing is inconsistent and varies widely from very simplistic analogies （e。g。 "imagine an island with colorful parrots"） to complicated research methodologies。 It seems like the authors wanted to write a book about everything for everyone and that's impossible， unfortunately。Havin The book is full of interesting research but is written in a way that makes it hard to read。 The 2 main difficulties are: （1） the book is too ambitious and covers way too much， often in a shallow way; （2） the level of writing is inconsistent and varies widely from very simplistic analogies （e。g。 "imagine an island with colorful parrots"） to complicated research methodologies。 It seems like the authors wanted to write a book about everything for everyone and that's impossible， unfortunately。Having said that， there's a lot to be gained from reading this book as it offers a comprehensive view of some of the most interesting questions。 。。。more
Ido Hadanny
，