Summary of Edward O. Wilson's The Meaning of Human Existence

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The word meaning is used in two different ways. The first is to imply intention, which is the heart of the philosophical worldview of organized religions. The second is to imply the accidents of history, not the intentions of a designer, are the source of meaning.

#2 The second, more inclusive meaning of human existence is the capacity to imagine possible futures, plan and choose among them, and use this ability wisely. The question of greatest relevance is how and why we are the way we are, and the meaning of our many competing visions of the future.

#3 The second, broader meaning of our species is that humanity arose entirely on its own through an accumulated series of events during evolution. We are not predestined to reach any goal, and we are not answerable to any power but our own.

#4 The human condition is a product of history, and the key to understanding it lies in the circumstance and process that created our species. Eusociality is the most complex societies have arisen through, and it has only arisen among insects, marine crustaceans, and subterranean rodents.

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Rafbók: 28 april 2022