Human Culture

The story of human civilization can be read most deeply in the materials we have found or created, used or abused. They have dictated how we build, eat, communicate, wage war, create art, travel, and worship. Some, such as stone, iron, and bronze, lend their names to the ages. Others, such as gold, silver, and diamond, contributed to the rise and fall of great empires.

In this extraordinary book, an award-winning author tells the story of how humans invented history, from the Stone Age to the Virtual Age “Terrific… Tamim Ansary explores the underappreciated ways that empires, nations, and smaller sets of people have responded to their surroundings...

Cheese Trekking recounts the author’s experiences visiting pastoral communities and cheesemakers in various countries and explains how cheeses can be local manifestations while also representing global archetypes, strategies that have been adopted in many places. It describes the constellations (a range of complementary milk foods that utilize all byproducts of cheesemaking) of various regions through a wide-angle lens. The central premise is that milk has a terroir, born from the plants and ecology of a landscape, that is concentrated via ruminant digestion and lactation.

A seismic shift is underway—one that will redefine work, value, and even what it means to be human. Artificial Intelligence is not just disrupting industries—it’s beginning to outperform humans in areas once considered exclusively ours: complex reasoning, creativity, even emotional...

'A writer of genius' - William Dalrymple Can anyone really own a culture? This magnificent account argues that the story of global civilisations is one of mixing, sharing, and borrowing. It shows how art forms have crisscrossed continents over centuries to produce masterpieces. From Nefertiti's...

Ever caught yourself people-watching and thinking, what on earth are we doing? Humans: we’re curious creatures - brilliant, social and just a little bit weird. In A Spotter’s Guide to Humans, behaviour expert Mark Earls unpacks the odd habits, copycat moments and social quirks that make our...

A fascinating investigation of the genetics and neuroscience of human differences. The thesis of Human Diversity is that advances in genetics and neuroscience are overthrowing an intellectual orthodoxy that has ruled the social sciences for decades. The core of the orthodoxy consists of three...

Artificial Intelligence helps choose what books you buy, what movies you see, and even who you date. It puts the "smart" in your smartphone and soon it will drive your car. It makes most of the trades on Wall Street, and controls vital energy, water, and transportation infrastructure. But Artificial Intelligence can also threaten our existence. In as little as a decade, AI could match and then surpass human intelligence. Corporations and government agencies are pouring billions into achieving AI’s Holy Grail - human-level intelligence.

This book predicts the decline of today's professions and describes the people and systems that will replace them. In an Internet society, according to Richard Susskind and Daniel Susskind, we will neither need nor want doctors, teachers, accountants, architects, the clergy, consultants, lawyers, and many others to work as they did in the 20th century.

Human Design is the next evolution after Myers-Briggs, the Enneagram, and other innovative profiling systems. Whether your field is psychotherapy, recovery, coaching, or healing arts, and whether your clients are individuals, couples, families, or business teams, Understanding Your Clients through Human Design will empower your work and call you to reconsider how you approach people. Inspire your practice with this groundbreaking and accessible approach and take your work to the next level!

The topic of security culture is mysterious and confusing to most leaders. But it doesn't have to be. In The Security Culture Playbook, Perry Carpenter and Kai Roer deliver experience-driven, actionable insights into how to transform your organization's security culture and reduce human risk at every level. This book exposes the gaps in how organizations have traditionally approached human risk, and it provides security and business executives with the necessary information and tools needed to understand, measure, and improve facets of security culture across the organization.

Humanity consists of coevolving software (our religion and culture), firmware (our hardcoded proclivities, such as language acquisition), and hardware (our brains). Ripping out a third of the equation has led to innumerous unintended—and typically negative—consequences. This book offers a guide to rebuilding or fortifying this increasingly neglected aspect of the human condition.

From entomologist Barrett Klein comes a buzz-worthy exploration of the many ways insects have affected human society, history, and culture Insects surround us. They fuel life on Earth through their roles as pollinators, predators, and prey, but rarely do we consider the outsize influence they...

Ann was agitated and troubled as she summoned the courage to recount what had happened. The intensity of her remarks was gripping the whole team; all eyes were on her. She took the extraordinary step of sharing her emotions with her team; she felt alone, helpless, unimportant, and rejected. In reflecting on our individual professional experiences, we each remember occasions when we were Ann; desperate for connection. At times we reacted by retreating to our offices and at other times by becoming angry, shouting, or being overly defensive. Has this ever happened to you?

Unlock the hidden evolutionary science behind your daily decisions, revealing how ancient biology drives modern psychology. Perfect for an intellectual morning commute, this thought-provoking journey demystifies why we form specific relationships, handle risks, and navigate complex social...

In the ground-breaking The Myth of Human Nature Dr Heidi Colleran, an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology, looks at cultures all over the world and throughout history that live according to different social facts of life than ours in the West - and not simply by the brute facts of...

Trace the epic rise and fall of global empires in a fast-paced world history journey that decodes human survival. Whether you are maximizing your daily commute or seeking an immersive mental escape, this sweeping narrative transports you from ancient hunter-gatherer bands to the sprawling...

John Parrington draws on the latest research on the human brain to show how it differs strikingly from those of other animals in its structure and function at a molecular and cellular level. And he argues that this 'shift', enlarging the brain, giving it greater flexibility and enabling higher functions such as imagination, was driven by tool use, but especially by the development of one remarkable tool - language.  

The perils of a disengaged workforce are well known - low productivity, high employee turnover, and failure to meet organization-wide goals. Less well known is what to do about it. How do you create a workforce that is always ready, able, and eager to take the organization to the next level? You have to create a magnetic culture. As CEO of leading employee survey and HR consulting firm HR Solutions, Inc., Kevin Sheridan knows how it's done - and in Building a Magnetic Culture, he shares all his secrets. 

What if a simple understanding of how the mind works was all you needed to build a business that inspired innovation, productivity, loyalty, and the ability to continually solve complex business problems? What if you never needed to study "proven strategies" or buy into someone else's success story? Humans Working presents a deep yet straightforward understanding of the most important asset in business - the human mind - and illustrates implications for you as a business leader, contributor, parent, partner, and beyond.