Below are First reviews of my 2nd book (Directionality of Humankind’s Development. History), posted on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/219329697-directionality-of-humankind-s-development-history?#CommunityReviews).
Note
Readers are very different and a range of opinions on a same book usually broad. Here are two opposite views on my book.
Positive – “Just to have all of this information laid out like this is an absolute treat to a reader, even if they don’t understand that. I’m certainly keeping this in my classroom. I’m … loving this.” By Aaron Kinney
Negative – “I just couldn’t for the life of me get into this book. And I will read almost anything.” By Sonny Fertile
Below are some positive reviews. I changed the font to bold for some sentences.
Tough but worth the read -Review by David Ejiogu on Goodreads
Phew. Where to begin? This is a DEFINITE candidate for a slower re-read.
First there are two things to keep in mind.
This is not an easy read. It is not your typical human history page turner. For that reason you are not likely to find it in the airport. It is long and dense and boring. But it will DEFINITELY reward your concentration.
Just because I said it is rewarding does not mean you will agree with it completely. What it means is that it will challenge and hopefully loosen the dominant idea-driven form of human history narrative we are used to.
Most books on human development have a particular flaw. Either they are limited to a particular place or short period of time or they fly past history like lightning, making short stops along the way to cherry pick events or short periods that fit their narrative. In order words, those authors know what they think history is about and delicately pick and choose events to suit that claim.
The author attempts to do it in a different way. First, he attempts to treat it as WORLD history. Second, he attempts to do so through an analysis not of subjective terms but of observable resources. This book then is a project against authors such as Marx/Engels, Toynbee, Spengler, Hegel, and Harari, most recently. The problem the author finds with all these thinkers is that there is really no way of measuring the qualities which supposedly mark the direction of human development. The same applies to thinkers who search for goals or purpose of human history. Most of these thinkers seem to find the goal of history to be the very ideology they happen to subscribe to. This is what the book is about.
It attempts to achieve this in four parts.
Part 1 analyzes the previous attempts of thinkers to understand and predict the direction of human development. The author goes through all these thinkers in order to counter them and propose a measurable and verifiable approach.
Part 2 is an analysis of the resources used in plotting the direction of humanity. It goes through 318 examples of the ‘first’ events marking the emergence of a new resource.
Part 3 asks if there is really a direction to human development and what forces (if any) are driving it.
Part 4 brings together the previous parts and finally seeks to discover if human development is close to a crossroad.
Whether the author succeeds in establishing a new foundation for analyzing human development I will leave you to judge for yourself. Why? First because it is not an easy book to summarize based on its approach. And second because it is what I call a foundational book. It is the misfortune of such books that whether they are loved or hated, they will exist to be plundered (favorably or unfavorably) and used to feed future projects. If in the future others attempt to look at human development purely through the created resources we should look back at this book as where it all started.
Review by James Field on Goodreads
Directionality of Humankind’s Development by Victor Torvich is an ambitious and meticulously crafted exploration of humanity’s path through history. Taking a unique, data-driven approach, Torvich examines over 40,000 years of human development, charting the “firsts” in everything from art and architecture to medicine and AI. The result is a fascinating narrative that blends quantitative analysis with philosophical musings.
What sets this book apart is its methodical framework. Instead of cherry-picking milestones to fit a predetermined narrative, Torvich adopts an objective lens, treating history as a global, interconnected phenomenon. His selection of 318 key events and innovations offers a broad, compelling snapshot of human progress, with timelines and graphs that vividly illustrate humanity’s accelerating pace of change.
The writing strikes a balance between academic rigour and accessibility. While it delves into complex ideas, such as the forces driving progress and the interplay of cultural and technological shifts, Torvich’s clear explanations and well-defined terms make it approachable even for casual readers.
One of the book’s most intriguing aspects is its exploration of whether humanity’s development follows a discernible direction. Torvich tackles this question with nuance, highlighting both periods of rapid advancement and historical plateaus while also contemplating the uncertainties posed by challenges like climate change and artificial intelligence.
Though undeniably dense, the book rewards patience. Readers with an interest in history, anthropology, or futurism will find themselves engrossed by its depth and originality. The occasional dip into technical jargon or dense analysis is balanced by compelling insights and surprising revelations, such as the underappreciated contributions of women in early literature and museum curation.
In short, The Directionality of Humankind’s Development is a captivating blend of historical inquiry and forward-thinking analysis. It invites readers to consider not only where we’ve come from but also where we might be headed. It is a must-read for anyone curious about the grand arc of human history!
Innovative Approach Charting the Path of Humankind’s Development – Review by Malika Ramachandran on amazon.in
I was kindly sent a review copy of this book by the author, Victor Torvich, for which my thanks.
In the many thousands of years human beings (homo sapiens) have inhabited this planet, we have come a long way from cave-dwelling and hunter-gatherer societies to agriculture, industry, technology and now information technology and AI, to mention some broad markers. But did these developments take place in a particular way, have a particular direction, and are we still headed in the same or a different direction? In Directionality of Humankind’s Development: History, the author applies a quantitative approach to inquiring into these questions, in keeping with the understanding of direction in its mathematical sense (‘direction of motion’) rather than alternative meanings which the term may have acquired.
Commencing with an extensive review of literature considering human history or ideas such as progress, from Marx and Engels to Toynbee, Vladmir Vernadsky to Yuval Noah Harari and David Christian, the book argues how these approaches are either local or qualitative. Alongside, the very ideas involved in such inquiries, including history and progress have been differently perceived. Concluding that prior exercises have not yielded any satisfactory answer to the question of whether there is a direction for the development of history and if so what, the author embarks on his own investigation of these issues, but not before dwelling on underlying ideas and concepts including the computation of time and calendars.
To chart the course of humankind’s development through history, the author uses as his data points, significant events, namely the first use of important resources, their approximate (for cases in prehistory) or precise dates allowing for a system with measurable characteristics. Purposively chosen, the data covers a range of firsts from museums, artwork and music, to wars and weaponry, architecture, agriculture, animals and domestication, cloning, health and medicine, technological developments and much more including more recent landmarks like AI. Over 300 (318) such data points are chosen on the criteria of durability, mass use, and expandability and classed into broader categories, discussed at length in the second part of the book. The time period chosen is from 42,000BC to the present on the ground of humans adopting the first modern behaviours at this point. The choices statedly do not take into account the ethical or moral questions attached to some of these factors, for instance wars and weaponry (or for that matter cloning), keeping the approach objective and factual.
The author then proceeds to plot these ‘firsts’ against the dates (or approximate dates) when they occurred to determine the path that humans have taken. This in fact reflects the creation or accumulation of resources by humankind, largely an increasing trend as they have ‘progressed’ over the years. Though the central question, this path and its implications are only part of the exercise which proceeds into further in-depth analysis including aspects of the driving force behind this path, the periods of accelerated development (many consecutive) and lulls, and issues such as climate, language, geography and the Holocene. Periods of acceleration and deceleration are analysed at length and likewise, the paths of related categories of data are compared closely. Taking into account the possibility of errors and changes (with more discoveries and archaeological investigations, greater accuracy and new data are always possibilities), questions of reliability of the models applied are also reflected on.
While this exercise does shed light on the path that humankind has taken so far, the road ahead may or may not be the same, with several issues from AI and AGI to climate change posing challenges. These factors remain unknowns in that their precise impacts perhaps cannot be foretold. While there may be an unpredictability to what lies ahead, the book certainly identifies significant factors that could impact our future path.
In Directionality of Humankind’s Development, the author takes an innovative approach to chart the path that humans have taken thus far, one I haven’t come across anywhere in my reading at least. The many graphs and charts especially enable the reader to see how significant developments and innovations across various facets of human life have proliferated over time, especially so in our more recent past, the analysis demonstrating links and correlations to different factors.
The book is extensively researched, evidenced in its data points and literature review as also the substantial and wide-ranging bibliography which runs into several pages. The analysis proceeds methodically and covers a tremendous range of human activity.
While there were many factual aspects that stood out to me, a couple of the more interesting ones I’d like to highlight here were those of the first work of authored literature and first museum, both attributed to women: works in cuneiform including hymns by Enheduanna (2285–2250BC), daughter of Sargon of Akkad and a private museum created in 530 BC by Ennigaldi, daughter of Nabonidus, last king of the Neo Babylon Empire, respectively. Many other firsts, including music bands and AI surprised me being in existence earlier (in the first case far earlier) than I had expected.
This was an interesting and informative book to read though one best read over time and slowly digested to absorb the wealth of its details and nuances. There were some points where I felt more details or explanatory notes would have helped, for example the reference to Krugman and Pinker’s 2019 debate which I had to google for details. A few lines in the endnote here would have been useful.
Overall, a book which has valuable insights to offer on human history and development, approached in a novel manner.
Review by Dr Beena Giridharan on Goodreads
“Directionality of Humankind’s Development” by Victor Torvich, offers a compelling quantitative analysis of human history over the past 44,000 years, challenging conventional narratives that often focus on specific cultures or time periods. The author adopts a global perspective, examining phenomena that have influenced humanity as a whole, and presents data derived from independent research to support their conclusions. The four main parts delve into key trends, the impacts of civilizations, technological and cultural developments, and reflections on humanity’s overall trajectory.
The book emphasizes a rigorous methodology, drawing from diverse fields such as anthropology, archaeology, and sociology. This interdisciplinary approach enriches the analysis and provides a broader context for understanding historical developments.
The themes explored in the book resonate with current global challenges, such as climate change, technological disruption, and social inequality. This relevance encourages readers to draw parallels between history and modern society, enhancing the book’s practical significance.
These insights highlight the book’s depth and relevance, making it a significant resource for anyone interested in a nuanced understanding of human history.
Overall, “Directionality of Humankind’s Development” is a significant contribution to the field of world history, offering a fresh perspective that encourages readers to reconsider their understanding of humanity’s past and future. Highly recommended for anyone interested in a data-driven exploration of our collective journey.
