Dylan Evans

En 1859, Charles Darwin asombró al mundo con una teoría que ha hecho historia: la evolución por selección natural. Este libro constituye una guía de gran utilidad para conocer paso a paso las ideas de Darwin, durante tantos años consideradas como peligrosas. Adoptando una nueva perspectiva, la obra analiza los conceptos de seleccion natural y gen egoista, a menudo malinterpretados. Sirviendose de los ultimos hallazgos de la genetica, la ecologia y el comportamiento animal --ademas de beber en las fuentes de autores consagrados en el campo de la ciencia, como Richard Dawkins y Steve Pinker--, el libro presenta una serie de brillantes ejemplos, ilustrados de forma magistral por Howard Selina, reveladores de indicios mas solidos que nunca en favor de la teoria de la evolucion. Desde la extincion de los dinosaurios hasta el desarrollo de los organismos digitales, se trata de la guia ideal para profundizar en una de las ideas mas importantes jamas surgidas en la historia de la ciencia.

«Todos los misterios e incógnitas de cómo puede curarnos una píldora de azúcar resueltos en un libro fascinante y estimulante tanto para el experto como para el lector común» (Evening Standard)Durant

How did the mind evolve? How does the human mind differ from the minds of our ancestors, and from the minds of our nearest relatives, the apes? What are the universal features of the human mind, and why are they designed the way they are? If our minds are built by selfish genes, why are we so cooperative? Can the differences between male and female psychology be explained in evolutionary terms? These questions are at the centre of a rapidly growing research programme called evolutionary psychology.

There is a special kind of intelligence for dealing with risk and uncertainty. It doesnt correlate with IQ and most psychologists fail to spot it because it is found in such a disparate, rag-tag group of people such as weather-forecasters, professional gamblers and hedge-fund managers.This book shows just how important risk intelligence is. Many people in positions which require high risk intelligence - doctors, financial regulators and bankers - seem unable to navigate doubt and uncertainty. Risk Intelligence is a travellers guide to the twilight zone of probabilities and speculation. Dylan Evans shows us how risk intelligence is vital to making good decisions, from dealing with climate change to combating terrorism. He argues that we can all learn a lot from expert gamblers, not just about money, but about how to make decisions in all aspects of our lives.

¿Es el amor un invento de los poetas medievales o forma parte de la naturaleza humana? ¿Nos haría realmente felices ganar la lotería? ¿Se podrán llegar a construir robots que tengan sentimientos? A lo largo de esta obra, el autor da respuesta a éstas y otras muchas preguntas, apoyándose en una exhaustiva investigación que abarca desde la antropología y la psicología hasta la neurociencia y la inteligencia artificial. Esta guía sobre las emociones es un apasionante recorrido por los caminos del corazón humano. "Las emociones han vuelto, pero si cree que no necesitan una introducción está equivocado. Dylan Evans ha escrito una obra magistral, que instruye y sorprende." Nicholas Humphrey London School of Economics

In 1859, Charles Darwin shocked the world with a radical theory - evolution by natural selection. One hundred and fifty years later, his theory still challenges some of our most precious beliefs.Introducing Evolution provides a step-by-step guide to Darwins dangerous idea and takes a fresh look at the often misunderstood concepts of natural selection and the selfish gene. Drawing on the latest findings from genetics, ecology and animal behaviour- as well as the work of best-selling science writers such as Richard Dawkins and Steven Pinker- this book reveals how the evidence in favour of evolutionary theory is stronger than ever.

As read on BBC Radio 4s Book of the Week.Imagine you have survived an apocalypse. Civilization as you knew it is no more. What will life be like and how will you cope?In 2006, Dylan Evans set out to answer these questions. He left his job in a high-tech robotics lab, moved to the Scottish Highlands and founded a community called The Utopia Experiment. There, together with an eclectic assortment of volunteers, he tried to live out a scenario of global collapse, free from modern technology and comforts. Within a year, Evans found himself detained in a psychiatric hospital, shattered and depressed, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. In The Utopia Experiment he tells his own extraordinary story: his frenzied early enthusiasm for this unusual project, the many challenges of post-apocalyptic living, his descent into madness and his gradual recovery. In the process, he learns some hard lessons about himself and about life, and comes to see the modern world he abandoned in a new light.A gripping, slow-motion car crash. You cant take your eyes off it Julian Baggini, Financial TimesIt radiates an intense intelligence and a candour that is never less than touching and, sometimes, downright heartrendingDaily MailExtraordinary . . . both frightening and compellingGQ

En 1859 Charles Darwin conmocionó al mundo con una teoría radical: la evolución por selección natural. Ciento cincuenta años más tarde, su teoría aún desafía algunas de nuestras creencias más preciadas.Esta obra proporciona una guia paso a paso hacia la "peligrosa idea de Darwin" y ofrece una nueva mirada hacia los conceptos a menudo malinterpretados de la seleccion natural y del gen egoista. Sirviendose de los ultimos descubrimientos en la genetica, la ecologia y el comportamiento animal (asi como de la obra de escritores cientificos superventas, como Richard Dawkins y Steven Pinker), este libro revela como la evidencia a favor de la teoria evolutiva es mas fuerte que nunca.

Why are more and more people believing that there is no god?It sometimes feels that much of the western world is now post-religious. But now the initial charge of Richard Dawkins and the new atheists has past, what does atheism really mean? That is the question that Dylan Evans addresses in this thoughtful and engaging atheist manifesto.Discover what values atheists share with believers. Explore how can a belief that something doesnt exist can still be a belief. And find out whether modern atheism is new or just a new form of an old system of values.Building on the work of atheist philosophers and psychologists, Dylan Evans shows how the history of atheist thought has developed and offers fresh ideas for how life has meaning from an atheist perspective.

O amor foi inventado por poetas europeus na Idade Média ou faz parte da natureza humana? Ganhar na loteria te deixará realmente feliz? É possível construir robôs que tenham sentimentos? Emoção: uma b

A lucid and stimulating explanation of how the bodys natural healing mechanisms work and how they can be triggered in non-chemical ways via the placebo effect. Can we really cure ourselves of disease by the power of thought alone? Faith healers and alternative therapists are convinced that we can, but what does science say? Contrary to public perception, orthodox medical opinion is remarkably confident about the healing powers of the mind. For the past fifty years, doctors have been taught that placebos such as sugar pills and water injections can relieve virtually any kind of medical condition. Yet placebos only work if you believe they work, so the medical confidence in the power of the placebo effect has provided scientific legitimacy to popular claims about the healing powers of the mind. In this intriguing exploration, Dylan Evans exposes the flaws in the scientific research into the placebo effect and reveals the limits of what can and cannot be cured by thought alone. Drawing on new ideas in immunology and evolutionary biology, Evans proposes a new theory about how placebos work, and asks some searching questions about our concepts of health and disease.

Se puede sostener que Jacques Lacan es el más original e influyente pensador psicoanalítico desde Freud. Sus ideas han revolucionado la práctica clínica del psicoanálisis y siguen ejerciendo una importante influencia en campos tan diversos como la critica cinematografica y literaria, la teoria feminista y la filosofia. Los escritos de Lacan son notorios por su complejidad y su estilo idiosincrasico; en consencuencia para todas las disciplinas en las que se hace sentir la influencia lacaniana. En esta obra se proporcionan definiciones detalladas de unos doscientos terminos lacanianos. Se presta atencion al empleo efectuado por Lacan de voces psicoanaliticas comunes y tambien a su propia terminologia, desarrollada a lo largo de diversas etapas de su enseñanza. El diccionario toma plenamente en cuenta la base clinica de la obra de Lacan y detalla el trasfondo historico e institucional de sus ideas. Cada uno de los conceptos principales es rastreado hasta sus origenes en textos de Freud, Saussure, Hegel y otros autores.