Cultural evolution - In Search of Wisdom

Science Alone Won’t Save Us

Posted by Terry | Apr 17, 2021 | Blog Post, Life together, Science |

Science is creating new vaccines and better ways of treating Covid-19. But vaccine nationalism, distrust of the vaccine, and maverick political leaders in pandemic hotspots aren’t helping.

These are barriers that cannot be overcome by science. They are social problems originating and promulgated in the minds of human beings. And that is where they must be resolved if we are to prevail in the current global struggle between homo sapiens and the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The Fascination and Danger of Stories

Posted by Terry | Oct 15, 2020 | Life together |

Stories are everywhere around us, and they have played a part in the cultural evolution of homo sapiens. But they have a dark side, and we should take care that we are masters of our stories and not enslaved by them.

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion.

Posted by Terry | Oct 15, 2020 | Books |

In The Righteous Mind, psychologist Jonathan Haidt answers some of the most compelling questions about human relationships:

Why can it sometimes feel as though half the population is living in a different moral universe? Why do ideas such as ‘fairness’ and ‘freedom’ mean such different things to different people? Why is it so hard to see things from another viewpoint? Why do we come to blows over politics and religion? — Amazon.co.uk

The Literary Mind: The Origins of Thought and Language

Posted by Terry | Oct 13, 2020 | Books |

The literary mind–the mind of stories and parables–is not peripheral but basic to thought. Story is the central principle of our experience and knowledge. Parable–the projection of story to give meaning to new encounters–is the indispensable tool of everyday reason. Literary thought makes everyday thought possible. This book makes the revolutionary claim that the basic issue for cognitive science is the nature of literary thinking. — Amazon.co.uk

The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human

Posted by Terry | Oct 13, 2020 | Books |

Humans live in landscapes of make-believe. We spin fantasies. We devour novels, films, and plays. Even sporting events and criminal trials unfold as narratives. Yet the world of story has long remained an undiscovered and unmapped country. Now Jonathan Gottschall offers the first unified theory of storytelling. He argues that stories help us navigate life’s complex social problems–just as flight simulators prepare pilots for difficult situations. Storytelling has evolved, like other behaviors, to ensure our survival. Drawing on the latest research in neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary biology, Gottschall tells us what it means to be a storytelling animal and explains how stories can change the world for the better. We know we are master shapers of story. The Storytelling Animal finally reveals how stories shape us.

Issue: Cultural evolution

Science Alone Won’t Save Us

The Literary Mind: The Origins of Thought and Language

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