Science and understanding - In Search of Wisdom

The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human

Posted by Dr Terry Cooke-Davies | 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.

Sapiens?

Posted by Dr Terry Cooke-Davies | Sep 23, 2020 | Philosophy |

Homo Sapiens means ‘wise man’ in Latin, but our species is not always behaving wisely in the face of current challenges. This post introduces the web site insearchofwisdom.online.

Sapiens?

Posted by Dr Terry Cooke-Davies | Sep 23, 2020 | Philosophy |

Why homo sapiens needs to raise its game to counter current challenges, and the need for wisdom to do it.

Radical Uncertainty: Decision-making for an unknowable future

Posted by Dr Terry Cooke-Davies | Sep 20, 2020 | Books |

This major, critically acclaimed work asks a vitally important question for today: when uncertainty is all around us, and the facts are not clear, how can we make good decisions?

We do not know what the future will hold, particularly in the midst of a crisis, but we must make decisions anyway. We regularly crave certainties which cannot exist and invent knowledge we cannot have, forgetting that humans are successful because we have adapted to an environment that we understand only imperfectly. Throughout history we have developed a variety of ways of coping with the radical uncertainty that defines our lives.

Origins: How the Earth Shaped Human History

Posted by Dr Terry Cooke-Davies | Sep 20, 2020 | Books |

Human evolution in East Africa was driven by geological forces. Ancient Greece developed democracy because of its mountainous terrain. Voting behaviour in the United States today follows the bed of an ancient sea.

Issue: Science and understanding

Sapiens?

Origins: How the Earth Shaped Human History

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