Interconnectedness

I think it was The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul  by Douglas Adams that introduced me to the concept of ‘the ultimate interconnectedness of all things’, something I was reminded of while reading
Time Out’s 1000 Books to change your life

(Because I just can’t help myself – I have to keep searching out more and more books to not get round to reading.)

In an essay on how science can help us to understand what it is to be human, Kenan Malik points out that:  ‘Historically, the question of what it is to be human – who are we? Where did we come from? What defines our nature? – has been the domain of poets and philosophers, theologians and novelists.’

He goes on to mention a couple more books that have to be placed on my I-would-really-like-to-read-that-if-I-have-the-time-which-of-course-I-never-will…unless-I-ever-do-get-stranded-on-a-desert-island-and-a-copy-happens-to-wash-up-on-the-shore-beside-me list: One I hadn’t heard of before…
The Expressions of the Emotions in Man and the Animals

by Charles Darwin
and one I very nearly read when it came out…
The Blank Slate

The Denial of Human Nature in Modern Intellectual Life
by Steven Pinker

I really should have read that one.
Should have? Should? Must. Must?
In my defence, I can’t be accused of denying human nature. On the contrary, I’m facing up to my torpid nature here by admitting my literary neglect.