The list is almost endless: the sacking of Constantinople in 1204, the destruction of Baghdad in 1258, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, and the Nazi Holocaust are only some among the infamous epochs in the litany of disaster.

The long history of mankind is studded with convergences, perhaps most notably in social systems and the use of artefacts and technology. But for human history…

If there were a clear prospect that such evils were part of a barbarian past, then at least we might find a small crumb of comfort. No such prospect exists: no…

The underlying reason for convergence seems to be that all organisms are under constant scrutiny of natural selection and are also subject to the constraints o…