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Issue: Religion and philosophy
The Fascination and Danger of Stories
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.
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Darwin’s Cathedral: Evolution, Religion and the Nature of Society
One of the great intellectual battles of modern times is between evolution and religion. Until now, they have been considered completely irreconcilable theories of origin and existence. David Sloan Wilson’s Darwin’s Cathedral takes the radical step of joining the two, in the process proposing an evolutionary theory of religion that shakes both evolutionary biology and social theory at their foundations. — Amazon.co.uk
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The Literary Mind: The Origins of Thought and Language
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
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The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human
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.
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