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Why Us?: How Science Rediscovered the Mystery of Ourselves2 min read

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ID the Future has a nice two part interview with Dr. James Le Fanu, author of Why Us?: How Science Rediscovered the Mystery of Ourselves. Le Fanu, a scientist and science writer, discusses the inability of evolution to even come close to explaining the complexity of humanity.  He doesn’t reject evolution, he only explains that its explanatory power is vastly inferior to the problems presented.

This book appears as much science as philosophy of science, but another thoughtful book considering the limitations, perhaps even the fallibility of evolutionary origins.

From the product description:

As revealed by recent scientific research, it is simply not possible to get from the monotonous sequence of genes strung out along the double helix to the infinite beauty and diversity of the living world, or from the electrical activity of the brain to the richness and abundant creativity of the human mind. Le Fanu’s exploration of these mysteries, and his analysis of where they might lead us in our thinking about the nature and purpose of human existence, form the impassioned and riveting heart of Why Us?

Also, from the two part interview (20 min each part)

I think I’ve probably always been a Darwin skeptic…part of writing about science and medicine is that you learn to distrust the establishment view, the orthodox view.  There’s an awful lot of pushing the line in science, talking up things, hyping things, claiming knowledge that one doesn’t posess.  Partly, because of the practicalities of beefing up the importance of your particular area of expertise so that the research funds keep flowing in.  Or on the other hands, the scientific pundits [like to say] ‘we know the answer to this’ rather than ‘we DON’T know the asnwer to this….There are several reasons for taking a moderately skeptical stance on the convention orthodox [Darwinian] view.