How to Grow a Human. Reprogramming Cells and Redesigning Life








A cutting-edge examination of what it means to be human and to have a "self" in the face of new scientific developments in genetic editing, cloning and neural downloading. After seeing his own cells used to grow clumps of new neurons - essentially mini-brains - Philip Ball begins to examine the concepts of identity and consciousness. Delving into humanity’s deep evolutionary past to look at how complex creatures like us emerged from single-celled life, he offers a new perspective on how humans think about ourselves. In an age when we are increasingly encouraged to regard the "self" as an abstract sequence of genetic information, or as a pattern of neural activity that might be "downloaded" to a computer, he return us to the body - to flesh and blood - and anchors a conception of personhood in this unique and ephemeral mortal coil. How to Build a Human brings us back to ourselves - but in doing so, it challenges old preconceptions and values. It asks us to rethink how we exist in the world.
Перейти к описанию и характеристикам| Издательство | William Collins |
| Страниц | 372 |
| Язык | Английский |
| ISBN | 978-0-00-833181-8 |
A cutting-edge examination of what it means to be human and to have a "self" in the face of new scientific developments in genetic editing, cloning and neural downloading. After seeing his own cells used to grow clumps of new neurons - essentially mini-brains - Philip Ball begins to examine the concepts of identity and consciousness. Delving into humanity’s deep evolutionary past to look at how complex creatures like us emerged from single-celled life, he offers a new perspective on how humans think about ourselves. In an age when we are increasingly encouraged to regard the "self" as an abstract sequence of genetic information, or as a pattern of neural activity that might be "downloaded" to a computer, he return us to the body - to flesh and blood - and anchors a conception of personhood in this unique and ephemeral mortal coil. How to Build a Human brings us back to ourselves - but in doing so, it challenges old preconceptions and values. It asks us to rethink how we exist in the world.
| Издательство | William Collins |
| Страниц | 372 |
| Язык | Английский |
| ISBN | 978-0-00-833181-8 |
| Обложка | Мягкий переплёт |
| Бумага | Офсет |
| Полиграфические особенности | Частичная лакировка |
| Иллюстрации | Черно-белые |
| Размеры | 128 × 27 × 197 mm |
| Вес, г | 340 |