The author is a Dutch biophysicist, scientific philosopher, and researcher at the University of Amsterdam, writing under the pen name Abaelardus. Science meets philosophy and theology in this volume, which explores whether humans come from more than one ancestral species or are descended literally from one couple, as the Bible's book of Genesis suggests. The theories of polygenism and monogenism are at the foundation of this debate, along with a thorough discussion of "a stunning gender asymmetry…. All Neanderthal genes carried by Eurasian and American peoples are due to Neanderthal males" breeding with anatomically modern human mothers, with no evidence of surviving hybrid progeny born to Neanderthal females. This is a fairly recent biological discovery.

Polygenism, the view that human races have different origins, entered scientific thought in the mid-nineteenth century and historically supported tenets of racial inequality. Monogenism, the theory that humans have a singular origin, is not just a biblical construct concerning the creation of Adam and Eve by God—what the author terms as the creation of a "spirited human being." Surprisingly (if readers aren't familiar with the current scientific examination of human origins), monogenism is also an accepted evolutionary model in the sense that scientific evidence indicates that early modern humans originated in Africa from a single biological source and underwent an early migration into Eurasia. Abaelardus proposes that "scientific endeavor proposes a more literal interpretation of the Holy Scripture than previously deemed possible by specialists." He argues that the biblical creation of man "(Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground) is represented by a billion years of evolution, and the second phase (breathed into his nostrils the breath of life) repeats itself at every human conception."

The author skillfully and articulately blends scientific and spiritual understanding of the origins and development of modern man in this multidisciplinary, hybrid analysis. The spiritual nature of man is presented as a biblical creation story, merging the belief that the spiritual nature of man was divinely sparked but that early modern man developed through the eons-long trial and error of evolutionary processes. The hypothesis is discussed in detail in the nine concise, themed chapters and aptly demonstrates how divine creation and evolution have possibly worked together to assure the ascendancy of modern humans.

The accuracy of Charles Darwin's theories is discussed first. The book then considers intelligent design in nature. The author also talks about the gender asymmetry and gene transfer event three hundred thousand years ago between a Homo sapiens female and early Neanderthal father that may be the origin of modern humans, offers a biologically-themed discussion of theological monogenism, and examines the "distinction between theological and biological humans." The narrative then explores the topic of more recent gender asymmetry in mankind's evolutionary history. The study of intentionality in organisms and the "gigantic consequences of behavioral capacities on the fitness of a species" follows. Abaelardus next tackles the issue of causality with a focus on the tradition of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas and assesses the fine points and strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary biology. The appendix presents "a synthesis of causality, quantum mechanics, and hylomorphism... for a minimal consistent understanding of how the human soul can 'operate' a human body."

While the scientific data and concepts may be challenging to the lay reader, the relative clarity of the prose (minus some charming glitches caused by the translation of Dutch to English) allows for studious absorption of the material. The spiritual-religious basis of the arguments may be controversial for the more scientific-minded lay reader, and definitely so for academic readers steeped in biological sciences and genetics. Meanwhile, the scientific examinations may be heady reading for even the most scientific-minded of theologians. Still, Abaelardus makes a strong effort to present his thoughts, discoveries, and data in a straightforward, systematic way. This book effectively synthesizes his theological and philosophical bent and his impressive grasp of multidisciplinary work in science as it lays out his findings.

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