Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Transcendence summary
Gaia Vince
How Humans Evolved Through Fire, Language, Beauty, and Time
Listen to the first key idea
Key idea 1 of 5
4.2 (231 ratings)
17 mins
5 key ideas
Audio & text
What is Transcendence about?
Transcendence (2020) is a wide-ranging overview of humanity’s history, from its beginnings on the savannas of Africa to the globe-spanning civilization of today. This multifaceted exploration shows how fire, language, beauty, and time came to define our species.
About the Author
Gaia Vince is an award-winning science writer and radio broadcaster whose work regularly appears in Nature, New Scientist, and Science. She is the author of the best-selling book Adventures in the Anthropocene.
Table of Contents
Key idea 1 of 5
Our species is shaped by our environment, genetics, and culture.
When the British artist Neil Harbisson was born, he could only see shades of gray. Neil was diagnosed with achromatopsia, a genetic syndrome that limits the eye’s natural ability to perceive colors. But then things changed. At the time of writing, Harbisson can detect more colors than any human in the world.
In 2004, Harbisson had a special antenna implanted in his skull. This amazing piece of technology detects colors and transmits them directly to Harbisson’s brain as musical notes. With this device, he can “hear” a broader range of colors than any normal eye can see.
Harbisson’s ability sounds like science fiction. But the truth is, humans have always been enhanced by tools. Through our culture, we have created ways to complement our biology, and so we have thrived.
The key message here is: Our species is shaped by our environment, genetics, and culture.
Humans are undoubtedly among the most successful species on Earth. Today, there are billions of us spread out across every continent on the planet. Many of us live long, healthy lives, and our diverse, interconnected civilization produces everything from moving art to massive infrastructural systems.
So, how did we get here, while other animals remained in their natural niches? Well, our remarkable ascendance as a species is due to something called the evolutionary triad. This triad consists of three parts: our environment, our genetics, and our culture. The complex relationship between these elements is what allowed our species to transform itself – and the world at large.
Like all species, we emerged from the natural world. The geological and ecological systems on Earth provided the basic backdrop for our lives. Then, through natural selection, our species evolved unusual traits to navigate its environment. These are traits like bipedalism – walking on two feet – and complex vocal chords for speaking. Finally, we enhanced these traits with culture – the accumulated knowledge we pass down through generations.
Human culture has spawned countless innovations over the millennia. But four stand out as truly exceptional. First, there’s fire, which allows us to access more energy than our bodies can create on their own. Second is language, which helps us store and transmit information. Third is beauty, which provides our lives with meaning and structure. And last is time, which aids us in objectively and rationally studying the world around us.
In the next blinks, we’ll dive deeper into each of these four defining innovations.
Want to see all full key ideas from Transcendence?
Key ideas in Transcendence
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
Who should read Transcendence
- History buffs seeking a deep look at the past
- Armchair anthropologists curious about the origins of human society
- Anyone interested in what makes humans human
Categories with Transcendence
Books like Transcendence
What our members say
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
Start growing with Blinkist now
25 Million
Downloads on all platforms
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
91%
Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
*Based on survey data from Blinkist customers