In “Inventing the Individual”, Larry Siedentop shows how the concept of individualism broke through from the ancient world’s emphasis on family.  He argues that the underlying assumptions of liberal thought were the offspring of the Church, where notions about equality and human agency were first formulated.    “The Origins of Creativity” by Edward O. Wilson offers an explanation for the emergence of this distinctly human trait;  in The Kingdom of Speech, Tom Wolfe argues that language was the causing of it all.  “The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve” by Stephen Greenblatt examines the Biblical story about human origins and destiny.