Evolution, Culture, and Consciousness: The Discovery of the Preconscious MindThomas McNamara, in Evolution, Culture, and Consciousness, presents the first comprehensive theory of human perception and consciousness based on the generally accepted principles of evolutionary psychology. After explaining how we have all been programmed to preconsciously create meaning out of experience, McNamara shows how we can create a new and more successful way of thinking and feeling, resulting in a happier, more productive, stress free life. |
Contents
An Overview of the Theory | 3 |
A Dialectical Relationship | 6 |
The Evolutionary Role of the SelfConcept | 9 |
The Biology of Psychology | 18 |
The Psychology of Religion | 23 |
Towards a New Culture and a New Consciousness | 25 |
Conclusion | 30 |
The Role of Culture in Human Evolution | 41 |
The Individual and the Institution | 153 |
Ego Scanning | 156 |
The Change Environment | 164 |
Conclusion to Part III | 171 |
A New Consciousness for a New Environment | 177 |
Religion versus Mysticism | 184 |
The AntiCulture | 195 |
Political Mysticism | 199 |
The Theology of Psychology | 42 |
The Psychology of Culture | 45 |
Cognition and Culture | 52 |
The Principle Stages in the Development of Human Consciousness | 57 |
Instinct Meaning and Change | 59 |
Culture and the Preconscious Mind | 63 |
Thinking is Synaptic Patterns | 67 |
The Role of the Preconscious Mind | 70 |
Patterns and Symbols | 79 |
The Evolutionary Role of Culture | 81 |
The Biology of Epistemology | 90 |
All Perception Involves Cultural Projection | 98 |
Primate Values are the Default Setting | 100 |
Consciousness is the Ultimate Instinct | 103 |
The Limits of Instinctual SelfConsciousness | 117 |
The Ego is the Ultimate Symbol | 120 |
Experience and the Creation of Meaning | 126 |
The Age of the Ego | 134 |
The Problem of the Ego | 144 |
Judgmentalness | 149 |
Mysticism Science and Consciousness | 203 |
PresentCentered Philosophy | 207 |
Postmodern Philosophy | 210 |
Motivation | 216 |
Eliminating Stress | 222 |
Consciousness is the Ultimate Natural Resource | 224 |
The Perception of Time | 228 |
The Future of Experience | 235 |
The Family | 240 |
Marriage | 249 |
Education | 257 |
Adolescence | 262 |
Business | 267 |
Government | 277 |
Mass Media | 282 |
Movie Magic Mysticism | 287 |
References | 295 |
| 301 | |
About the Author | |
Common terms and phrases
ability accept acculturation achieve adaptation adult animal awareness basis beginning behavior believe biological bonobo brain child childhood civilization cognitive and emotive context creating meaning creation of meaning Cro-Magnon egocentric consciousness ence epistemology essence essential evolution of consciousness evolutionary evolutionary psychology evolved example form of consciousness Freud function genetic higher needs hominid Homo erectus Homo sapiens human consciousness human mind human nature individual instinctual consciousness instinctual needs limited marriage mass media ment mental mental model mimetic modern motivation natural selection neocortex ness neurological neurons one's organism parents past learning perceive perception potential precon preconscious mind preconscious process present experience present-centered consciousness presuppositions primate produced psychological reality relationship religion reproductive response result rience scarcity scientific sciousness self-concept self-consciousness sensory data sexual simply social environment society species spiritual stage stimulation successful survival symbolic consciousness synaptic patterns theory thinking tion traditional turation ultimate uncon unconscious understanding