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Previous Contributors to the Great Debate


Christopher Badcock

Christopher Badcock is Reader in Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His current research is devoted to elaborating the imprinted brain theory which he developed along with Prof Bernard Crespi (Killam Research Professor, Department of Biosciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada) and which seeks to explain brain evolution, the mind, and mental illness in terms of genetic conflict. He is currently working on a major book outlining the new theory, provisionally entitled, Autism to Mind Cancer: a new view of the mind and mental illness.

Christopher will be speaking on the topic of Selfish genes, sex, and sanity in October 2008. He has also spoken at two previous Great Debate public discussions: The Great Debate - Evolution, Human Nature and Autonomy in March 2001 and Determined to Survive? The Great Debate - Freedom, Determinism and the Gene in June 2000.



Books

Evolutionary Psychology: A Critical Introduction

Evolutionary Psychology: A Critical Introduction

According to evolutionary biologists, we are the minders of our genes. But, as Christopher Badcock points out in this book, it is only recently that evolutionists have realized that minders need minds, and that evolution needs psychology to fill the yawning gap between genes and behaviour.

Evolutionary Psychology assumes no prior knowledge of the subject, and concentrates on the fundamental issues raised by the application of modern Darwinism to psychology. Basic concepts of evolution are explained carefully, so that the reader has a sound grasp of them before their often controversial application to psychology is discussed. The approach is a critical one, and the author does not hide the many difficulties that evolutionary psychology raises.

The book is the first to give a non-technical account of remarkable new findings about the roles that conflicting genes play in building different parts of the brain. It is also the first to consider the consequences of this for controversies like those over nature/nurture, IQ, brain lateralization and consciousness.

Evolutionary Psychology is based on many years' experience of teaching evolution and psychology to social science students, and is intended for all who wish to get to grips with the basic issues of one of the most exciting and rapidly growing areas of modern science.


Psychodarwinism: The New Synthesis of Freud and Darwin

Psychodarwinism is a revolutionary book that brilliantly demonstrates how the ideas of the two most enduringly influential thinkers of the last 200 years are not irredeemably antithetical, but in fact form part of a whole vision of life only now being explored and elaborated by a new breed of scientist.



Useful Links

On this site by Christopher Badcock:
Selfish genes, sex, and sanity paper (2008)
Selfish genes, sex, and sanity: Slides from talk on 14 October 2008
Mentalism and Mechanism: the twin modes of human cognition (2003)

Order Evolutionary Psychology from Amazon

Christopher Badcock: Personal profile

Christopher Badcock: homepage at LSE

Evolutionary origins of autism and psychosis? by Christopher Badcock, LSE Research Online.

Psychosis and Autism as Diametrical Disorders of the Social Brain by Bernard Crespi and Christopher Badcock

LSE Department of Sociology

Schizophrenia Research Forum

Evolutionary Psychology: A Critical Introduction: Polity book details

The Freedom of The Gene: How Genetics Challenges Socialisation Theory by Christopher Badcock

Male brain vs. female brain I: Why do men try to figure out their relationships? Why do women talk to their cars? By Satoshi Kanazawa

Role Of Evolutionary Genomics In The Development Of Autism, ScienceDaily (March 2006)

Libertarian Alliance Sociological Notes Index

Christopher Badcock: list of books

Evolutionary Psychology Links

Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research

Thoughts on Nature

Help for names' sakes by John Whitfield

Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology abstract

Evolution and Psychotherapy, May 8 1999

Psychodarwinism: The New Synthesis of Freud and Darwin: review by Anthony Bullivant

Books relevant to human behavior and evolution published in 2000

Dad's the Id, Mom's the Ego

The Socialization of the Professions and the Humane University: Reconsidering the Social Contract For a Scholarly Community

A Forlorn Hope: Psychoanalysis in Search of Scientific Respectability Review of The Evolution of the Emotion Processing Mind by Robert Langs

As long as he loves his mother: Review of Oedipus in Evolution - A New Theory of Sex by Christopher Badcock

Nature.com



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