Human Instinct - Hardcover

Winston, Robert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 059305024X ISBN 13: 9780593050248

Publisher: Bantam Press, 2002

Synopsis

Whether or not we know it, our daily lives are shaped by powerful current of instinct. The conscious and unconscious decisions we make are deeply affected by an ancient and universal genetic programme. Our ambition and lust, our drives to compete and to co-operate are essential components of the human mind, forged among our ancestors on the African savannah. Instincts were instrumental in the evolutionary success of the species, and success meant a fondness for sex and violence, for status and wealth - and a will to survive. From ordering lunch to one night stands, human behaviour is still heavily influenced by this genetic agenda. But how well do instincts equip us for the 21st century? Do instincts help or hinder us as we deal with large anonymous cities, low-level stress, the battle of the sexes, and the fracturing of communal life?

About this title

About the Author

ROBERT WINSTON is one of the country's leading scientists. As Professor of Fertility Studies at the University of London and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Hammersmith Hospital, he has pioneered in vitro fertilization and been a leading voice in the debate on genetic engineering. He became a life peer in 1995. He has presented several BBC TV series.

From the Back Cover

What drives a happily married man to fantasize about pretty, slim young women seen on a tube train? Why does a seriously injured, semi-conscious and dehydrated mountaineer battle against impossible weather conditions, refusing the comforts of sleep, to spend three days crawling down to the safety of base camp? How is it that so many thousands of people spend their week entirely focused on whether their team will win their next crucial match? What stimulates that urge to press the pedal as hard as possible at traffic lights to make the fastest getaway? And how is it that so many people still hold religious views when the notion of an all-powerful being is irrational? All of these impulses are driven by our human instincts - sexual drive, survival, competition, aggression and our search for knowledge.

Few people have a problem with the idea that humans are descended from the apes. But while people believe that our general shape and structure are derived from other creatures, few consider, let alone accept, the psychological implications. Man not only looks, moves and breathes like an ape, he also thinks like one. It is back in our primeval past that we find the first clues to the understanding of our human instincts.

But how well do instincts equip us for the twenty-first century? Do instincts help or hinder us as we deal with large anonymous cities, low-level stress, the battle of the sexes and the fracturing of communal life? In this erudite and fascinating book, which accompanies a major BBC1 television series, Robert Winston takes us on a journey deep into the human mind in search of the answers to these questions and many more. Along the way he takes a very personal look at the relationship between science and religion and explores those instincts that make us human.

From the Inside Flap

inating investigation of our most basic instincts, Robert Winston shows us how our primeval impulses shape our modern lives, and questions whether our inherited instincts equip us for the twenty-first century.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bantam Press
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 059305024X
• ISBN 13: 9780593050248
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352