It is surely humanity’s greatest achievement. If we could divert our eyes from our cellphones’ news flashes more often, and look around us, at the science, technology and wealth that are now an integrated part of our lives, we would see proof of our abilities every day. So I borrow my dedication from the epitaph of Sir Christopher Wren, the architect who built and is buried in St Paul’s Cathedral: Si monumentum requiris, circumspice (‘If you are looking for a monument, look around you’).
