<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[The Dish]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[http://dish.andrewsullivan.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[Andrew Sullivan]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://dish.andrewsullivan.com/author/sullydish/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Living In Soul&nbsp;Land]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p>Caspar Melville <a href="http://newhumanist.org.uk/2533/natural-history-of-the-soul#" target="_self">reviews</a> <em>Soul Dust: The Magic of Consciousness</em>&#0160;by Nicholas Humphrey:</p> <blockquote> <p>What is it about consciousness, this “magical” ability to perceive and  exult in beauty, meaning and a sense of awe, that confers an  evolutionary advantage? [Humphrey&#39;s] answer is simply that this magical show in  our own heads which enchants the world is what makes life worth living:  “For a phenomenally conscious creature, simply being there is a cause  for celebration.”</p> </blockquote>]]></html></oembed>