內容簡介

人異於禽獸幾稀，本書透過最新的科學發現，揭露人之所以為人的原因。

我們總認為是萬物之靈，但是真有什麼特別之處異於其他動物嗎？人類是地球40億年演化之樹中最輕的嫩枝，這棵樹有許多的曲折，還有上億的物種。所有的生命體都來自同一個源頭，人類的存在與其他生命一樣，都有一個共同的密碼。在生物學上，我們與其他生命並無不同，但我們認為自己是特別的，這樣的矛盾，該如何解釋？

本書以具創意且深具娛樂性質的方式揭露地球的生命之旅。過去我們認為唯有人類獨有的特質，其實在其他動物也可以發現，例如：溝通、製作工具、利用火、甚至可以不必為了傳宗接代而發生性行為。然而，演化又使人類發展文化到一種複雜的程度，使得其他生物望之項背。這本《人性之書》訴說的就是人既是動物又異於動物的故事。

We like to think of ourselves as exceptional beings, but is there really anything special about us that sets us apart from other animals? Humans are the slightest of twigs on a single family tree that encompasses four billion years, a lot of twists and turns, and a billion species. All of those organisms are rooted in a single origin, with a common code that underwrites our existence. This paradox - that our biology is indistinct from all life, yet we consider ourselves to be special - lies at the heart of who we are.

In this original and entertaining tour of life on Earth, Adam Rutherford explores how many of the things once considered to be exclusively human are not: we are not the only species that communicates, makes tools, utilises fire, or has sex for reasons other than to make new versions of ourselves. Evolution has, however, allowed us to develop our culture to a level of complexity that outstrips any other observed in nature.

THE BOOK OF HUMANS tells the story of how we became the creatures we are today, bestowed with the unique ability to investigate what makes us who we are. Illuminated by the latest scientific discoveries, it is a thrilling compendium of what unequivocally fixes us as animals, and reveals how we are extraordinary among them.