Brilliant, bold, and beautifully articulated, One Hand Clapping is the best of biological thought. Starting with the origins of life, Kukushkin deftly solves the chicken-and-egg problem, moves gracefully to the notion of emergence, and concludes with a compelling account of ourselves as curious creatures, co-constructing our cultural niches and all that entails for being you and me' Karl J. Friston, Professor of Neuroscience, University College London 'Dazzling and breathtaking Be prepared to abandon your pre-conceptions as Kukushkin takes readers on an audacious journey across the aeons of life on earth to arrive at one of the most thorough and yet provocative accounts for what makes humans the species we are. One Hand Clapping takes the scientific concepts of function, emergence, and recursion to new levels, freeing them from the tedium of simply technical explanations into jaw-dropping moments of insight that will leave you shaking with revelation. Do your brain a favour and read this masterpiece' Bruce Hood, author of The Self Illusion and The Science of Happiness