• How to Grow a Human

  • Adventures in Who We Are and How We Are Made
  • By: Philip Ball
  • Narrated by: Philip Ball
  • Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (2 ratings)

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How to Grow a Human

By: Philip Ball
Narrated by: Philip Ball
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Publisher's summary

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.

©2019 Philip Ball (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

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