Born to Choose: Evolution, Self, and Well-Being

ISBN-13: 9781629585628 / Angielski / Twarda / 2017 / 294 str.

John H. Falk

Opis

Why do we make the choices we do?
In his new book, John H. Falk sets out to offer a broad take on why humans make the never-ending set of choices they do, every second of every day of their lives. Synthesizing research from across the biological and social sciences, Falk argues that the complexities of human choice-making arose over a long stretch of evolutionary time. Combining synthesis with his own perspectives, he asserts that choice-making is an ancient, biological mechanism that has undergone continuous refinement and retooling over the ages to accommodate the needs of ever more complex life forms living ever more complex lives. What is often perceived as a single almost linear act is, in Falk's account, actually the integration of countless processes enabling a person to proactively navigate constantly changing realities within the social and physical world.
Highly engagingly written, Born to Choose offers a captivatingly fresh perspective that is sure to spark interest and debate. It is an invigorating read that is suitable for all.

Spis treści

1. Born to Choose: An Introduction  Part I Developing the Well-Being Systems Model 2. Well-Being and Choice  3. Well-Being, Self and Self-Related Needs  4. The Origins of Well-Being Systems  5. Well-Being Systems and the Brain  6. The Well-Being Systems Model  Part II Evolution and Workings of Well-Being Systems 7. Continuity (Originating More Than 3.7 Billion Years Ago)  8. Individuality (Originating More Than 3.5 Billion Years Ago)  9. Sexuality (Originating More Than 2 Billion Years Ago)  10. Sociality (Originating More Than 600 Million Years Ago)  11. Relationality (Originating More Than 16 Million Years Ago)  12. Reflectivity (Originating More Than 5 Million Years Ago)  13. Creativity and Spirituality (Originating More Than 350,000 Years Ago)  Part III Applying the Well-Being Systems Model 14. Understanding the Individual in the Moment  15. Understanding the Individual Over Time  16. Understandings Beyond the Individual  Afterword

O autorze

John H. Falk is Executive Director of the Institute for Learning Innovation and Professor Emeritus of Free-Choice STEM Learning at Oregon State University, USA. He holds a joint doctorate in ecology and science education, and has published widely on a range of topics.