Publisher: Viking (December 1, 2020)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1984881639
ISBN-13: 978-1984881632
Author: Camilla Pang, PhD
An Outsider’s Guide To Humans: What Science Taught Me About What We Do and Who We Are by Camilla Pang, PhD is a great book for folks who love science and wonder what the hell is going on with all those people around you. Dr. Pang has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and has turned all of these from disorders into super-powers to help her succeed in life.
As a young child with ASD, she asked her mother for a manual to explain “normal” human behavior. When that was not available, she decided to write her own and shares it with all of us in this guide. As someone who loves science and who has recently come to the realization that they may be well on the Autism Spectrum (though perhaps a little more to the neuro-typical end of that spectrum than the author), I really appreciated this book. It gives scientific metaphors for humans and how thinking of humans in these types of metaphors has helped Pang guide herself through the world. It has given me ideas of things to use as I move forward.
I have a passing knowledge of most all of the scientific concepts that Dr. Pang uses in her guide. If you have no real knowledge or love of science, this may not be as useful a guide. She does a good job of explaining the concepts, but these still may go over the heads of people with no scientific knowledge. In that case, I’d suggest you look for concepts in your own life that may suggest similar metaphors for things that are more familiar to you.
Among the concepts she explores are:
- Machine learning and how we can use data to make more rational decisions
- Protein bonds and how diversity is important in making strong bonds with others
- Thermodynamics
- Optics and how prisms break apart light into its components can help us think about breaking our troubles in manageable ‘wavelengths’
In addition to a guide for how to act more effectively in the human world, there are a lot of stories of her life and her struggles and her accomplishments and her successes. I found memories from my own life being sparked by many of these stories that resonated with me. Introducing me to the human, Camilla Pang, made the guide to humans even more enjoyable and valuable.
You don’t have to be on the autism spectrum or be dealing with ADHD or GAD, for this to be a valuable book. It will really help if you have some scientific background to better understand the metaphors and models she uses. It is a guide for anyone to use scientific concepts and practices to better understand themselves and the world around them. It may also help you think about how you interact with the world and what sort of metaphors from your own areas of expertise may help you to proceed into this strange world of humans.
___________________________________________
And if you like fiction about different types of people, check out my book. Plastivore. Click here for a free preview of the first few chapters.
