Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

After I read The Dragons of Eden, I learned that Carl Sagan explored more than cosmology. He also explored evolutionary biology-stimulated by his wife, the biologist Ann Druyan. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a book that Sagan and Druyan wrote together. It is much more scientifically rigorous and sophisticated than The Dragons of Eden, and deals not with the evolution of the tripartite brain, but on the evolution of consciousness itself. Druyan and Sagan write that we are like babies left in a basket on a doorstep, never knowing and always wondering what our ancestry is. For me, the most influential of the book's explorations involve the study of the levels of consciousness in other animals, aside from the human animal. Through study after study, many amusing and all interesting, Druyan and Sagan emphasize that the difference between the consciousness of the human animal and other animals is "a difference of degree rather than kind." Indeed, some of the studies indicate that some of the other animals may have consciousness that surpasses in degree that that of the human animal. The book stresses that we will not understand who we are until we view ourselves as part of a continuum, and the book also explorers the history of human resistance to this idea. One or two of the chapters were too difficult for me to understand as a non-scientist, but I was basically able to understand the book while only skimming the difficult chapters about DNA construction and such. It was nice to know that rigorous science was part of the book. This is one of those books that will change your outlook on the world.

Even after all the amazing fiction books I've ever read, this book by far surpasses any of the other great ones I have ever read. This book literally describes the history of our existence, of all life on earth, from the beginning of our solar system. The great difference between this book and some other science book is that Sagan uses his amazing writing skills to make it as though you're reading a story, a beautiful remarkable story that leads all the way up to you! I pace myself at around one chapter a day just so I can take in all the great new facts and perspectives of life and to also manage other reading I'm doing, but by far, this book literally makes me excited just when I touch it. When you think Sagan can't get any better, boom! I recommend this book to ANYONE who wants to know the amazing story of us, mankind, or even more, the whole spectrum of life. Sagan might not dive in as much as a college biology student may like, but he does adequately cover numerous processes and interactions between organisms from altruism, sex, and more! Whereas a biology book may describe HOW a certain process works, Sagan goes back to the origins and explains WHY it happened to work like that in the first place. This book is a fascinating ride to the beginnings of our ancestors and I recommend it to anyone!

Written in the early 1990s by American scientist Carl Sagan and author Ann Druyan, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is in some degree a printed update of his popular television series "Cosmos" produced some 10 years earlier. It would be easy to pass off both the series and the book as out-dated, but in fact they are both current and historic because of their prescience and because the science that they describe has not changed as much as it has advanced. The purpose of the book is to explain the origins of humanity, starting at the Big Bang and going right through the development of stars, planets, organic molecules, primitive life forms and the evolutionary processes that took place thereafter. It is thoroughly fascinating book from which I learned a great deal. If there's one criticism that could be made of the book (as of the TV series), it would be that it takes a rather leisurely and meandering path through both space and time. Yet I never once found it dull or boring, and a higher speed might easily have left me floundering. Sadly we can't expect an updated version of the book because Sagan died in 1996. I therefore recommend purchasing this book whilst it remains available.

I learned three things from reading this book: 1) The Earth is billions of years old and we have been around for 1% of its history so, whatever we do to it, it is only in our own detriment. The idea of the destruction of this planet is completely anthropocentric and selfish. 2) There is nothing that we do that our closest relatives, the apes, can't do also, in different degrees. 3) If we adduce our intellect as the finest distinction between us and other animals, not only are we wrong but we are also neglecting to reflect on what that intellect has led us to. Technology is often cited as an example of how evolved we are but, really, what have we mostly applied that technology to? Making our lives more comfortable, sure, but I have to wonder what that is doing to our genetic code and our chances of survival. And let's not forget that there's still unbelievable poverty and social inequity and people who would have enough to eat if others weren't taking it away from them for a profit. Not to mention that no species of animal living in the wild has ever committed mass murder or waged war on a large scale. This book is a mind-opener and it puts humans in our biological place. The only objection I have is how the authors insist on calling out their critics ("expert reviewers") in footnotes or right in the middle of a sentence. It's distracting and kind of childish.

This book is a rare and exceedingly successful attempt to address many of the most difficult question regarding nature of organic life, including humans, based entirely on scientific, empirical evidence. It avoids the unnecessary baggage of supernatural myths, superstitions, and meaningless religious dogma. Sagan and Druyan challenge us to consider the complexity and natural wonder of life without succumbing to the usual, arrogant, and quite unsupportable assumption that humans are a special and unique creation for which the entire universe was made. This book is written in a clear and easily understandable manner. I highly recommend this book for every reader. But especially for those who have found religious explanations of life, the world, and universe unconvincing.

Let's begin with this: Carl Sagan was a master of popular science writing. Nobody wrote more compelling about science for the non-scientific reader. This book is a brief history of the universe as it relates to the development of mankind. It covers a lot of territory and the history of the universe is necessarily cursory. His introduction to genetics is basic, but very readable for the non-scientist. This book really begins to "cook" when Sagan begins to discuss the behavioral and societal charactistic of our close relatives, the primates. Read it and draw your own conclusions, but I was astounded by the parallels between human society and the behavior of the other primate species. So much of our behavior, good and bad, is exhibited in primate socialization. I notice another reviewer somehow saw this as evidence of God's creation but I think that this strains the evidence that Sagan has carefully assembled. This is a book that will cause you to reassess what you believe being human means.

Incredibly powerful. Well documented. Wonderfully written with very serious scientific flavor, punctuated by light humor and philosophical side trips. This actually is the first book I have read by Carl Sagan, though I have enjoyed many of his documentaries and am further impressed by the talent and depth of understanding he had and his wonderful way of sharing even the most dry technical subject in a manner easily understood and delightfully phrased. I have wondered many times why humans are so bent on violence and mass murder (wars) throughout our history while those in the animal kingdom seems to not have these traits. So where did this ugly side of humanity come from? You will have to read the book if you do not yet know.

I've read many of Carl Sagan's books and almost all are 5 stars (see my reviews). I'm a huge fan and am sad at Carl's passing. I was interested in this book as I had a Paleontology course in college and did a paper on the evolution of the horse. Ann Druyan his wife helped in the creation of this book. As usual Carl was able to write about a complex subject in terms for the average layman to understand. He was a master at this. The book reads well. Unfortunately the first 2/3s of the book for me was basically a rehash of information like natural selection and organic molecules to single cells to more complex organisms I already knew. I liked the quotes from Charles Darwin and others that tried to describe the evolutionary process and others that thought Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species was an abomination. There was one chapter that I found repulsive, crude and really detracted from the book.....Gangland. Carl tried writing a chapter as a Chimpanzee gang would think and talk in human terms if it could. Very thuggish, rude and crude. For me it had no place in the book...1 star chapter. Lots of the F word...all unnecessary. I already knew from various nature shows how cunning and at times savage even to their own group Chimpanzees could be. This chapter could of been written differently and not so crude and vulgar. Interesting to know our DNA is 99.6% the same as the Chimpanzee. That's very close. I did enjoy the later 1/4 of the book where Carl describes the different primates life styles and how the sexes treat each other. For me a lot of new information in the later part of the book ...5 stars. Last chapter Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors was a great summary and really makes you think we should not put ourselves down but realize we have in our genes animal instincts and much of our nature is from our DNA , from millions of years ago. We are part savage but also have the ability to do so much good. Carl shows that many of the primates do have many aspects of their nature that are indeed human. Also we should not think that animals are mindless automatons but have feelings, wants and some thinking going on. To what animals really think about and their inner thoughts we really don't know yet. Some of the primates do plot and plan and seem to have a consciousness. Do animals have a soul? I firmly believe my 2 dogs do. Probably if the reader wanted deep explanation of the Natural Selection process on various organisms going up the evolutionary latter the first 2/3s of the book would be extremely interesting but for me only 3 star. Gangland chapter should of been written different without such crude vulgarities or not written at all. Just a distraction...1 star. The last 1/4 of the book was vintage Carl Sagan that I really liked 5 star. A lot of new information for me. All combined a 3 star book. Disappointed as almost all Carl's other books I've read were 5 stars. As an amateur astronomer of 40 years I knew of Carl Sagan. Even though he didn't know me I considered him a friend. I miss him.

this is an excellent read...I just finished it...

Adoro esta livro e como os autores o escreveram , mas a trás portadora poderia ser mais cuidados na entrega , a caixa estava amassada

After loosing my initial version of this book( I got 20 years ago), I've been searching everywhere to find it. I finally have it! This book was one of the first I read that change my life as a scientist. It covers so many things about the world that we live in and what surround us. Plus, it was written with the love of both Carl and Ann. Amazing book if you are a curious person:)

Libro godibilissimo del Maestro della divulgazione scientifica, da leggere e far leggere ai più giovani.

Hands down Carl Sagan is my favorite science author. He had a gift to explain extraordinary scientific facts to the common man. Everytime I read one of his books, I learn something which changes my view of life and the world as a whole forever. Its an absolute pleasure to take one of his books to a cosy corner with a cup of tea and just get lost into his beautifully written words which comes across to you from years past vis Sagans voice of reason. In Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors Carl Sagan gives a summary account of the evolutionary history of life on Earth, with special focus upon certain traits central to human nature which are rooted in the deep past, and derived from our remote ancestors who belonged to different species altogether.