There have been many hundreds of books written about humanity from ancient times to the present day, trying to describe and understand who we are in relationship to each other and the universe in which we find ourselves. Many involve asking such questions as: Is there such an entity as God? Is there such a thing as human nature? Do we have free will? What is the best type of economy and society?
Quite a few of the authors claim to have found the answers and attempted to get their solutions accepted. If resisted, they, or their followers, have often resorted to imposing their worldviews by force. As the title suggests: this is not one of them. It is not written to persuade you to adopt any belief system or ideology. What has been attempted is to provide a comprehensive coverage of what has so far been suggested, an overview that has not appeared before, and which is aimed at giving you a range of information on which to form your own considered view on such matters.
It is also written at a time of great and accelerating change, one in which technology is being used to create virtual realities and artificial intelligences, and even new kinds of humans. And one in which, some believe, we are in the process of destroying the very environment that sustains us. The book has been written to assist understanding and is dedicated to the author's grandchildren.
