The Evolution of Gods | Ajay Kansal | Book Review | Are Gods Real?

The Evolution of Gods by Ajay Kansal is an effort to utilise Science to explain the why, how and when of the evolution of life. And the subsequent evolution of the God phenomenon. Thus, the author, being a man of science himself, takes anthropological and historical facts to explain the evolution of life, religion and God in a simple yet very interesting way. So, read Book Summary, Book Quotes, Book Review, Genre, Age Rating, Publication Date of The Evolution of Gods : The Scientific Origin of Divinity and Religions by Ajay Kansal in this post below.

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About The Evolution of Gods by Ajay Kansal:

No. of Pages: 222

Publication Date: HarperCollins Publishers India (9 August 2012)

Genre: Atheism, Philosophy, Theology, Non-Fiction, Religious Philosophy, Debut

Age Rating: 18 years and above

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The Evolution of Gods by Ajay Kansal Book Summary:

Are Gods real?

Did they exist at one time on Earth or are they just a figment of our imagination?

And did God create the first couple on earth?

Also how did plants, animals, insects etc. come to be?

All these and more questions have been of immense interest to humans from centuries. The natural curiosity about the origin of life though documented throughout history has always featured some unexplained parts which Science has not been able to explain. Thus, leaving imaginative people at liberty to spin all kinds of tales to suit their immediate needs.

So, The Evolution of Gods by Ajay Kansal is an effort to utilise Science to explain the why, how and when of the evolution of life. And the subsequent evolution of the God phenomenon. So, the author, being a man of science himself, takes anthropological and historical facts to explain the evolution of life, religion and God in a simple yet very interesting way.

According to the author,

Man could perceive some unseen, unheard, untouchable, non-aromatic divine power only after the evolution of his imagination.”

The Evolution of Gods by Ajay Kansal Book Quote

"Man could perceive some unseen, unheard, untouchable, non-aromatic divine power only after the evolution of his imagination.”- #TheEvolutionOfGods by Ajay Kansal #BookReview #BookQuotes on #NjkinnysBlog #NonFiction Click To Tweet

The Evolution of Gods by Ajay Kansal Book Review:

Whenever people encountered some power beyond their control that could harm or help them, they began to worship that power.”

The Evolution of Gods by Ajay Kansal Book Quote

"Whenever people encountered some power beyond their control that could harm or help them, they began to worship that power.”- #TheEvolutionOfGods by Ajay Kansal #BookReview #BookQuotes on #NjkinnysBlog #NonFiction Click To Tweet

Things I Liked:

Cover Design:

Firstly, I loved the cover design of the book. In this cover an artistically dressed man possibly the Priest or the Head of a tribe is shown in a “call upon” pose with lightning in the background. So, it brings to our minds the image of a tribe that worships the elements of nature feeling it all powerful because it is beyond its control!

This point is also made several times by the author in the book. He links the origin of Gods to the power of imagination of us, humans and the fact that the power deemed as Gods was unpredictable and thus, beyond our control.

…they considered thunder and lightning as devastating, mysterious and frightening. Consequently, their leaders or priests imagined a divine sky god that was behind the changes occurring in the sky. Gradually, they began worshipping the sky as a god.” 

The Evolution of Gods by Ajay Kansal Book Quote

"…leaders or priests imagined a divine sky god that was behind the changes occurring in the sky. Gradually, they began worshipping the sky as a god.” – #TheEvolutionOfGods by Ajay Kansal #BookReview #BookQuotes on #NjkinnysBlog… Click To Tweet

Writing Style:

Secondly, the writing is simple yet leaves us interested and hooked to each event he describes. Be it the first burial instance from the Skhul Cave of Israel to Naskapi- a tribe in Canada where the Priests were consulted by the people before any venture. So, Ajay Kansal is able to dispel myths and shed light to some pretty exciting things which are generally unknown to people like 

 …the Vedas do not assert the concept of punishment for past karma, and do not advise any meditation to liberate people from them. The Buddha was first to invent the idea of past karma, and he came several centuries after the compilation of Vedas.”

The Evolution of Gods by Ajay Kansal Book Quote

"…the Vedas do not assert the concept of punishment for past karma, and do not advise any meditation to liberate people from them.”- #TheEvolutionOfGods by Ajay Kansal #BookReview #BookQuotes on #NjkinnysBlog #NonFiction Click To Tweet

Diligent Research:

Thirdly, a lot of research is evident. And the book stimulates discussion and debate. So, thought provoking statements backed by solid well researched examples are abundant.

Unbiased and factual presentation:

Fourthly, though the book seems like it is a work of an atheist yet it does not preach against religion or our faith in the existence of Gods. So, it’s a venture to try and explain each and every belief of ours using modern Science.

Engaging and engrossing narration:

Lastly, it’s a well written book. And so keeps the reader bound, quickly turning pages till the end. All explanations to our beliefs are well backed with scientific discoveries, dates and suitable data. Then it’s written in a timeline fashion which I think increases its appeal as we get to see a scientific perspective to all events till date.

Things that could be better:

Firstly, the sentence structure could have been made more appealing with a little more editing.

Secondly, some small footnotes or end notes could have been added to support the author’s explanations and assertions.

Thirdly, I felt an addition of a few pictures and diagrams could have greatly added to the overall appeal of the book.

Conclusion:

…Humanity itself imagined all the divine powers called Gods. The concept of Gods was the projection of ancient humans’ need to have something greater than themselves.” 

The Evolution of Gods by Ajay Kansal Book Quote

"The concept of Gods was the projection of ancient humans' need to have something greater than themselves.”- #TheEvolutionOfGods by Ajay Kansal #BookReview #BookQuotes on #NjkinnysBlog #NonFiction Click To Tweet

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• Ajay Kansal Author Interview
• What…Why…How to do: Karma Yoga Simplified by Rajan Kumar Singh Book Review
• Essence of the Fifth Veda by Gaurang Damani Book Review
• Shikhandi and Other ‘Queer’ Tales They Don’t Tell You by Devdutt Pattanaik Book Review