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.
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