{"product_id":"alive-melanie-challenger-9780143137818","title":"Alive: The Hidden Intelligence of the Living World","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn immersive and awe-inspiring exploration of the diversity of life on earth that reveals humans are far from the only intelligent species in our restless, ever-evolving world\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat does it mean to be alive, to be conscious, to possess a soul? If the Big Bang was an effect without a discernible cause, what does it mean to create meaning--to move through a seemingly arbitrary world with purpose and intelligence? Do we have free will? And if so, are we the only ones? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on modern science and ancient wisdom, \u003ci\u003eAlive\u003c\/i\u003e argues that purpose--the capacity to act intelligently and with intention--is life's defining quality. Rather than locating that purpose in a divine creator or the human mind, Challenger reveals it as something that arises from within our own intelligent, self-organizing bodies. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePart personal essay, part natural history, part philosophy, this searching examination guides readers through the vastness of life from its emergence on a cellular level to its unfolding into the realms of perception, consciousness, and agency. The result is the profound and revelatory assertion that intelligence is both far more common--and more extraordinary--than we could have ever imagined.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Melanie Challenger\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0143137816\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780143137818\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Penguin Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/11\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.49lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.75h x 5.06w x 0.59d","brand":"Melanie Challenger","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48114107875583,"sku":"9780143137818","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_a0e07d9e-1ae4-4f7b-bec1-a4cad59e3a60.jpg?v=1769619163","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/alive-melanie-challenger-9780143137818","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}