Thriving with Stone-Age Minds

Evolutionary Psychology, Christian Faith, and the Quest for Human Flourishing

By: Justin L. Barrett, Pamela Ebstyne King - contributor

Narrated by: Bob Souer

What does God's creation of humanity through the process of evolution mean for human flourishing?

The emerging field of evolutionary psychology remains controversial, perhaps especially among Christians. Yet according to Justin Barrett and Pamela Ebstyne King, it can be a powerful tool for understanding human nature and our distinctively human purpose. Thriving with Stone Age Minds provides an introduction to evolutionary psychology, explaining key concepts like hyper-sociality, information gathering, and self-control. Combining insights from evolutionary psychology with resources from the Bible and Christian theology, Barrett and King focus fresh attention on the question: What is human flourishing? When we understand how humans still bear the marks of our evolutionary past, new light shines on some of the most puzzling features of our minds, relationships, and behaviors. One key insight of evolutionary psychology is how humans both adapt to and then alter our environments, or "niches". In fact, we change our world faster than our minds can adapt - and then gaps in our "fitness" emerge. In effect, humans are now attempting to thrive in modern contexts with Stone Age minds. By integrating scientific evidence with wisdom from theological anthropology, we can learn to close up nature - niche gaps and thrive, becoming more what God has created us to be.

©2021 Justin L. Barrett and Pamela Ebstyne King (P)2021 eChristian

Stone Age for Christians

This book is about how evolution and the knowledge that humans have evolved during a long Stone Age complements Christianity. I should have read previous reviews, and the title should have been called Stone Age minds for Christians. This book was not what I expected or was looking for.