In this profound and lyrical book, one of our most celebrated biologists offers a sweeping examination of the relationship between the humanities and the sciences: what they offer to each other, where they still fall short and how they can be united. Both endeavours, Edward O. Wilson shows us, have their roots in human creativity - the defining trait of our species. Reflecting on the deepest origins of language, storytelling and art, Wilson demonstrates that creativity began not 10,000 years ago, as we have long assumed, but over 100,000 years ago in the Palaeolithic Age. He explores what we can learn about human nature from a surprising range of creative endeavours - the instinct to create gardens; the use of metaphors and irony in speech; and the power of music and song. Our achievements in science and the humanities make us uniquely advanced as a species, yet also give us the potential to be supremely dangerous, most worryingly in our abuse of the planet. The humanities in particular can suffer from a kind of anthropomorphism, believing that we are the only species that matter, and Wilson reveals how they can address this by pushing further into the realm of science, especially fields such as evolutionary biology, neuroscience and anthropology. With eloquence and humanity, Wilson calls for a transformational 'Third Enlightenment' in which the blending of these endeavours will give us a deeper understanding of the human condition, and our crucial relationship with the natural world.