Mind in Evolution
as assessed through reviews of major texts
Re-thinking What it Means We Evolved
Self improvement manual, two novels, and a play, all
involving re-thinking what it means we evolved.
Self Improvement Through a New Approach to Evolution.
The implications of having evolved applied in our own lives.
Me and The Genies. Romantic comedy involving a sleazy television
producer and a beautiful Chinese script writer.
Father, in a Far Distant Past I Find You. Utopian novel projecting
stages in our thinking about evolution onto future civilizations.
Kirkus review: ”Johnston’s contribution to the field is an
astonishingly original one. In a way, his version is deeply Cartesian,
haunted by the interaction between mind and matter, but also
grounded in the ordinary experience of human action. He thoughtfully
understands that the quest for an origin story is not merely a matter
of genetic mechanics, but also tied to the existence of the human self
and the values and purposes that propel that self through a finite life.
The commentary is supplemented by short stories, quirkily
constructed around the nature of human consciousness and agency;
for example, one centers on the famous Turing test.”
“EVOLUTION
FOR THE
HUMANITIES”
OTHER MEDIA
/BIO
Videos and podcasts present our mission--to
promote new thinking about evolution. Author
and publisher Shaun Johnston studied
biochemistry at University College London then went on to become a
science writer and artist, and doubter of many things evolutionary.
Website with over 100 articles and reviews preparing
artists and students of the humanities for coming up with
theories of evolution capable of accounting for what we
know it means we evolved. Reviews of classic evolutionary texts
provide an original survey of the development of evolutionary theory.
Are You Wonderful? Good Science Says Yes
How to tell good science from bad
Which is more important, meaning in life, or science? Meaning in
life, says “Are You Wonderful?” It guides the reader through
scientific discoveries and what we know about ourselves (good
science) to understand how wonderful we really are, and a set of
practices based on that for achieving a good life. “Are You
Wonderful?” sticks up for common sense--that we have free will
and that consciousness can be creative. It argues against the
belief that everything we think and do is already physically
determined (that's the bad science).
What kind of a thing are we? To find out I suggest you ask, how
were we made? And one of the greatest discoveries of modern
times is, we got made by having evolved.
In this series of essays I review the various ideas people have
come up with for how we evolved, different accounts telling us
what kind of a creature we are. Think of that choice as like
deciding which platform you want your computer to run on. Mac
or Windows? Your choice affects the experience you’ll have
while using it. It’s entirely up to you.
Be aware, these reviews are not a disengaged scholarly survey.
They’re the opposite. They’re an impassioned advocacy of a
non-physicalist natural-philosophy point of view.
A New Framework For Universal Moral Values
Publisher: Evolved Self Publishing
Contact: Shaun Johnston, shaunj100@gmail.com
Address: 87 N. Chestnut St, Apt 407, New Paltz, NY 12561
A highly original account of the evolution of life, mind, creativity
and consciousness, sure to leave you thinking long after you’ve
finished reading. The premise is, our descendents will even tually
learn how human nature comes written along our genome. But
like us, they’ll still experience being creative and conscious. What
will they conclude about how they evolved? Challenge: have we
been suffering under a mass delusion for the past half-century?
Written in an engaging and accessible style that makes complex
scientific concepts easy to understand, 35 pages.
Children of the Genome
What knowing we evolved
can tell us about ourselves
Re-thinking
What it Means
We Evolved
Self improve-
ment manual,
two novels,
and a play, all
involving re-
thinking what
it means we
evolved.
Kirkus review: Johnston’s
contribution to the field is
an astonishingly original
one. In a way, his version
is deeply Cartesian,
haunted by the interaction
between mind and matter,
but also grounded in the
ordinary experience of
human action.
Website with over 100 articles and reviews
preparing artists and students of the humanities for
coming up with theories of evolution capable of
accounting for what we know it means we evolved.
Reviews of classic evolutionary texts provide an
original survey of the development of evolutionary
theory.
OTHER MEDIA /BIO
Videos and podcasts
present our mission--to
promote new thinking
about evolution. Author and publisher Shaun
Johnston studied biochemistry at University
College London then went on to become a science
writer and artist, and doubter of many things
evolutionary.
Sticks up for common sense--
that we have free will and that
consciousness can be creative.
It argues against the belief that
everything we think and do is
already physically determined
(that's the bad science).
What kind of a thing are we?
When you want to know the
nature of something you’ll
usually ask, how was it made?
One of the greatest discoveries
of modern times is, we got
made by having evolved. But
what that tells you about your
own nature depends on whose
theory of evolution you adopt.
Publisher: Evolved Self Publishing
Contact: Shaun Johnston, shaunj100@gmail.com
Address: 87 N. Chestnut St, Apt 407, New Paltz, NY 12561
A highly original account of the
evolution of life, mind, creativity
and consciousness, sure to
leave you thinking long after
you’ve finished reading.
Challenge: have we been
suffering under a mass
delusion for the past half-
century? 35 pages.
Children of the Genome
What knowing we evolved
can tell us about ourselves