SoFA is an extraordinary book authored by Ann Druyan and her husband Carl Sagan, arguably one of the greatest writers of science. Ann Druyan is an equally illustrious and famous personality. The prose is stunning and the topics discussed in the book are breath-taking. Some critics may feel the authors are trying to chew more than it is possible; and, the authors may seem rambling and repetitive at some places. However, such instances are rare. There are a huge number of topics discussed in this book which is almost a new book on Genesis.
The place of humans is discussed in the cosmic scheme of things. Tracing the history of mankind from the Big Bang to the present in 21 chapters or so is certainly a tall order. The authors do not fail to impress. Each reader may find his or her own favourite part in the book, and I would be no different.
The basic theme of the book is that the major claim trying to separate humans from other primates is a futile attempt. We are different from the rest of the animal kingdom, and especially the primates, in only degree and not kind. We are genetically, anatomically, physiologically, biochemically, mentally, psychologically, emotionally, sexually, socially, and culturally almost indistinguishable from our nearest cousins- the chimpanzees. Chimps are closer to humans than orangutans and other monkey species. We have desperately tried to seek ways to put us apart from them. But what started with Darwin and ends with the present innovative genetic studies- the wind has been taken out from the myth and illusion of our so-called superiority.
The authors repeatedly calls out to humans to be aware of our history and remind us that we are but another cog in the wheel of evolution. We are in no way different from the rest of the animal world. Our social structures have a lot of animal hidden within. If there are a lot of animal points like domination hierarchies, sexual obsession, territoriality, xenophobia, male domination, female subduing, violent tempers, and a mad willingness to fight under the influence of male hormones in humans, there are plenty of good points too. Willingness to learn and love, sharing, group cooperation to enhance survival are some of the things we are also endowed with, attributes which are equally present in other animals too.
Evolution is blind and has no purpose; and in mammals, genetic propagation has been enhanced with the discovery of sex. However, it has come at a great price called mortality. It has been a hard bargain by Nature. Sexual reproduction is responsible for our mortality. We are blessed to have evolved intelligence which seem to have evolved into language and tool-making. Tool making and innovation for the future seems to be a hallmark of humans, but the authors debunk that also as many examples from the animal kingdom are shown. In one of the chapters, the author takes each point of the so-called difference between ‘us’ and ‘the rest’ and show clearly that no differences exist whatsoever except in degree. There is no special ‘stuff’ within humans making them special and ‘chosen’ beings. An alien species classifying the living things in an impartial manner without the human prejudices would unflinchingly clump us with the chimpanzees and the orangutans.
If religion is defined as based on fear, and the deference to power; even in this aspect, rudiments are seen in other species. I would tend to slightly disagree on that point. A religion which may ask humans to turn inside and introspect to discover our true nature may be a differentiating and defining feature of humans. Self-introspection to understand the true Self and turning away from the material world composed of the body, mind, and matter may yet truly be the differentiating point of human species; however, there is bound to be argument and disagreements on this. Apart from that, I would agree that there is nothing differentiates humans from animals except in degree. There is no special stuff in man and we are perhaps an evolutionary accident with some evolved skills helping technology to develop.
At one point, the authors talk about free-will which may be but an illusion. A lot of our behaviour is driven by the hormones, especially testosterone in the body. The male behaviour typical of mammals and primates is directly correlated to the testosterone levels. There may be a cause and effect too as seen from some elegant and not so elegant experiments. Testosterone injections increase the aggression drive of many male members typically involving domination, sexual drive, and violence. Testosterone inhibition makes the animal meeker and sometimes peaceful. The female hormone likewise is seen to drive the gentler emotions of humans. At the end of this part of the book, there does come a question of whether free-will really exists. We seem to be driven by genes, enzymes, proteins, and hormones at the end of the day.
The prose reaches to extraordinary levels in the final chapters when the authors summarizes the overall theme of the book. The authors say:
“Many have construed our clear kinship with other animals as a clear affront to human dignity. But any one of us is much more closely related to Einstein or Stalin, to Gandhi and Hitler than to any member of another species. Shall we think more or less of ourselves as a consequence? The discovery of a deep connection between human nature, all of human nature, and the other living things on Earth comes not a moment too soon. We are helped to know ourselves.
We must stop pretending we are something we are not. Somewhere between romantic, uncritical anthropomorphizing of the animals and an anxious, obdurate refusal to recognize our kinship with them-the latter made tellingly clear in the still-widespread notion of ‘special’ creation- there is a broad middle ground on which we humans can take our stand. If the Universe really was made for us, if there really is a benevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient God, then science has done something heartless and cruel, whose chief virtue would perhaps be a testing of our ancient faiths. But, if the Universe is heedless of our aspirations and our destiny, science provides the greatest possible service by awakening us to our true circumstances. In accord with the unforgiving principle of natural selection, we are charged with our own preservation-under penalty of extinction. And yet we go from massacre to massacre; and, as our technology becomes more powerful, the magnitude of the potential tragedy grows. The many sorrows of our recent history suggest that we have a learning disability.”
We humans fail to learn from history and science. Ethnocentrism, xenophobia, homophobia, racism, sexism, territoriality, and surrendering to the will of the alpha (usually male) served the purpose of survival ten thousand generations back. They are evolutionary embodiments into our genetic language, and they can be evoked reflexively. Our demagogues and politicians do that readily for short-term gains. Natural selection would take a long time to erase the differences perhaps, but for the present it is the responsibility of the human species to use the tools at its disposal, meaning intelligence, language skills, forethought, and tool-making to make the world a safer and a better place.
As Carl Sagan, eloquent as ever says in the most famous lines of his book, ‘Pale Blue Dot’:
“The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.
Our posturing, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.”
The authors say in this book quite emphatically:
“Perhaps our uniqueness is no more than, or only a little more than, this: an enhancement of well-established pre-existing talents for invention, forethought, language, and general intelligence, enough to cross a threshold in our capacity to understand and change the world.”
The book ends on a note of optimism because despite the animal roots and ancestral shortcomings, we have done well to realize the value of democracy, human rights, women equality, and the ability to help the less privileged. Mark Twain said that the historical record of man is the strongest account against his intelligence as the human blandly sets himself as the head animal. However, instead of blaming the ancestral roots for our ‘animal’ inside, the humans can strive taking advantage of the good within to create a better world of harmony. We are making animals extinct at an alarming rate. The humans do not have the capacity, the authors say, to extinguish all life, but we do have the capacity to destroy our own species. We are a mixture of good and bad as per evolutionary mechanisms. The bad can cause problems but the success of humans seems to be on the inhibition of the bad and the disagreeable. It makes evolutionary sense. Nature on its own may take a long time to eliminate violence, but by special endowments we can very well achieve it. Overcoming the bad within us, and making the best use of the good, we can hope and work towards a better world. So that our children can walk home safe.
RANDOM MUSINGS 