Description
Book SynopsisThe trouble with innovation is that it can seldom be undone. We invent technologies to modify our environments in immediately beneficial ways, but the long-term consequences can be costly. From obesity to antibiotic resistance, we pay for our successes. Peter Gluckman and Mark Hanson explore what happens when our creations lead nature to bite back.
Trade ReviewThis fascinating book offers a panoramic perspective of how social interactions, and our understanding of them, has emerged. The distinguished authors have the expertise to share ideas across a range of subjects, including evolutionary biology, history, and sociology. Their insights deserve wide readership. -- Martin Rees, author of
On the FutureIngenious is a magisterial, wonderfully entertaining, superbly written overview of the history of our species, its attempts to escape nature, and the price of our success. -- Randolph Nesse, author of
Good Reasons for Bad FeelingsGluckman and Hanson make the compelling argument that creativity and ingenuity are uniquely human traits, ones that shape our course of evolution with potential inadvertent consequences. This is a new and important dimension to our understanding of evolution and its aftermaths. -- Alan I. Leshner, American Association for the Advancement of Science
A fascinating tour of humanity and its capacity for innovation. Part explanation, part users’ guide,
Ingenious combines knowledge from evolutionary theory, genomics, environmental studies, and science and technology policy to produce compelling insights regarding our past, present, and technology-driven future. -- Eric M. Meslin, Council of Canadian Academies
Together, the authors have published many highly technical articles that challenge received wisdom about how evolution works. In
Ingenious they apply these views to argue not only that technological change is best understood as an evolutionary process but also that traditional understandings of evolution fail to capture the role and rate of technological change in society. -- G. Pascal Zachary * Stanford Social Innovation Review *
Usefully critiques the unchecked faith—common in developed nations—in our abilities to create technologies that will save us from any potential harm. -- Steve Elliott * Quarterly Review of Biology *
