If you are trying to understand why some people can be so naturally mean, science finally has intriguing answers. I'll be giving a three-hour interview on Coast to Coast <http://www.coasttocoastam.com/> radio beginning at 11:00 pm Pacific time tonight based on the book described below. You can also catch one of my talks now on Book <http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=9618&SectionName=&PlayMedia=Ye s> TV. And I'll be giving the plenary speech for the Mountain States Genetics Foundation in Denver, another lecture at UC Berkeley for Scientific American's Michael Shermer, a colloquium at the Church of the Heavenly Rest on 5th Avenue in New York City, and a lecture for the Center for Inquiry in Washington DC in case you have upcoming travel plans in any of those areas. Please just pop me an email if you have any questions. Warmly, Barbara Barbara Oakley, Ph.D., P.E. [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.barbaraoakley.com (for information about the book) Associate Professor Oakland University Rochester, MI 48309 (248) 370-0752 <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [EMAIL PROTECTED] <http://www2.oakland.edu/users/oakley> http://www2.oakland.edu/users/oakley Praise for the tongue-in-cheek titled, best-selling, meticulously researched book the lecture is based on: Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed, and My Sister Stole My Mother's Boyfriend, by Barbara Oakley, Prometheus Books, October, 2007. "A fascinating scientific and personal exploration of the roots of evil, filled with human insight and telling detail." -Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor, Harvard University, and author of The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, and The Stuff of Thought "A highly-readable, entertaining, ground-breaking, must-read study with notable insights on the rise and fall of empires; but more importantly, it offers, perhaps for the first time, a distinctly plausible mechanism for explaining the origin and persistence of social inequality." -Glenn Storey, President, Archeological Institute of America, Iowa Society, Associate Professor of Classics and Anthropology, University of Iowa, and author of Urbanism in the Preindustrial World: Cross-Cultural Approaches "Remarkable -- and difficult to put down ... a wonderfully readable tapestry of family autobiography, historical biography, and biological psychology. Without oversimplifying their psychosocial complexity, Evil Genes explores new research on the genetics and neurobiology of personality disorders. Shining this light on some of the most problematic figures of our era, it challenges our assumptions about the roots of terrorism, genocide, crime, corruption--and even the sinister sides of politics, business, and religion." -Terrence W Deacon, Professor of Biological Anthropology and Neuroscience, University of California, Berkeley, and author of The Symbolic Species "Einstein once said that all important new science would be found at the interstices of existing disciplines; if you need proof of that, this book is it. Starting with a background in the military, linguistics and electrical engineering, Oakley deftly moves through psychology, functional brain imagery and molecular biology to weave a compelling and provocative case for a genetic base for evil. 'Scientific non-fiction' and 'page turner' aren't two phrases I'd expect in the same sentence, but for the remarkable Evil Genes, they fit." -William A. Wulf, President Emeritus, National Academy of Engineering "Whatever you might believe about the role of genetics versus environment, Evil Genes will take you somewhere you haven't been. Barbara Oakley brilliantly reveals the falseness of one of the ego's evil little lies: That all our behavior is decided by us." -Gavin de Becker, Bestselling Author, The Gift of Fear "From historical figures, through the science of neurotransmitters and neuroimaging, and ultimately to events in her own life, Oakley interweaves many ideas to present a fascinating treatise on the nature of evil in the world. Using an exceptionally easy and readable style, Oakley challenges us to think about evil- the interaction of complex forces of nature and the painful events of history- in a unique way." -Kenneth R Silk, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI "This story is not only good science writing, it's also achingly personal, as Oakley recounts the story of her selfish sister and relates it to what science is revealing about the way our brains work and how genes influence even our ability to tell right from wrong. It's not often that a book about science can also break your heart. Oakley's achievement is astonishing." -Orson Scott Card, award-winning author of Ender's Game, Enchantment, and Empire "Are all children born good? Are bad people bad because of the way their parents brought them up? Barbara Oakley's fascinating book might change your mind about the answers to these questions." -Judith Rich Harris, author of The Nurture Assumption and No Two Alike "Blending brisk studies of notorious evil-doers with her own difficult family history, Dr. Oakley skillfully weaves together a panoramic mix of history, psychology, and the complications of human behavior to make a stimulating, provocative, and accessible read." -Adam LeBor, author of Milosevic: A Biography and Complicity with Evil: The United Nations in the Age of Modern Genocide "Through a fascinating blend of state of the art science, political biography, and personal catharsis, Evil Genes constructs a provocative blueprint for our understanding of the "successfully sinister" among us." -David J. Buller, Presidential Research Professor, Northern Illinois University, author of Adapting Minds "As a forensic psychologist who has spent much of my career delving into the darkest recesses of the criminal mind, I have often wondered what roles genes and environment play in subsequent psychopathic behavior. Barbara Oakley's outstanding Evil Genes provides the answers." -Helen Smith, PhD, author of The Scarred Heart: Understanding and Identifying Kids Who Kill "A magnificent tour through the sociology, psychology, and biology of evil. No one should pass up the experience of stepping through the portals of this fascinating book to answer Oakley's crucial question: Why are there evil people, and why are they sometimes so successful?" -Dr. Cliff Pickover, author of A Beginner's Guide to Immortality and The Heaven Virus "Many of us encounter people whose reactions are puzzling. They are easily hurt and offended. Even when someone is being generous, or kind to them they might react with anger, revengefullness, defensiveness, suspiciousness or aloofness. These are difficult people to have as friends, relatives, colleagues and even as patients. Dr. Oakley has written a comprehensive and compassionate explanation for why some people are like this that will be fascinating to anyone who has encountered this type of person and cared enough to wonder 'why?'" -Regina Palley, MD, psychoanalyst, author of The Mind-Brain Relationship "This book conveys an enormous amount of complex, up-to-date scientific information in an extremely 'digestable' manner. Dr. Oakley manages to illustrate how, although our genetic make-up is not our destiny, there are clearly people who have an unfortunate dose of risk genes. These people often have impoverished social and emotional experience and can cause suffering to those around them. Although firmly grounded in science, this book is also compassionate and forces the reader to examine their own beliefs and prejudices in the light of what is currently known about the nature and nurture of 'evil'." -Essi Viding, PhD, Department of Psychology, University College London (If you'd rather not get any more emails from me, please just let me know.)
