I don't have heroes.

A hero is a big word.

There are people that I look up to and I've learned a lot from.

Matt Ridley has got to be near the top of that list.

Growing up, I was a voracious reader, especially reading science.

Matt had a bigger influence on pulling me into science and a love of science than almost

any other author.

His first book that I read was called Genome.

I must have six or seven dog-eared copies of Genome lying around in various boxes.

It helped me define what life is, how it works, why it's important, and placed evolution

as a binding principle in the center of my worldview.

That is a common theme that runs across Matt's books.

After that, I read his book The Red Queen, which laid out the age-old competition between

bacteria, viruses, and humans, a topic that's extremely relevant today.

I also read his book The Rational Optimists, which helped me realize that it was rational

to be optimistic because of the technological advancement, the scientific advancement that

we've had as human species since we first came across fire, the stone acts, and basic

tools.

His book The Origins of Virtue helped me take a game theoretical framework towards virtues

and ethics.

His book The Evolution of Everything, a Continued Death Theme, Towards Everything Evolving.

I'm sad to say I've missed one or two of your books in their mat, the Agile Gene.

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