September 1998 Notebook Entries

September 1998 Notebook Entries

Notebook entry, September 28, 1998

I have begun to run a small classified ad in the Washington Post National Weekly under the heading of "internet." No one will give me my own heading under evolutionary psychology yet, but Rome was not built in a day. I intend to keep the ad running for as long as what little money I have holds out. It is an important publication and is read by people in policy-making positions. The exact people who need to be informed, educated, and entertained on the subject on evolutionary psychology.

Also I added a new favorite link. I was searching to contribute to "take your daughters to work" organization, but could no longer find it with the Combined Federal Campaign listings. So I decided to find an alternative and came up with the National Women's History Project. I like their introductory line: "History looks different when the contributions of women are included." I could not agree more. The same can be said of the sciences.

Notebook entry, September 16, 1998

Well, its almost a miracle. I thought that I would never see the day. Praise the Lord. An essay in the Sept/Oct issue of Foreign Affairs about women and evolution. The essay is by Francis Fukuyama who is the Hirst Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University.

For the first time that I have been reading the journal of diplomacy -- off and on for a period of ten years -- can I recall an article that contained references to the male gender as "aggressive" and "warlike." The essay goes into a general review of evolutionary psychology and makes a reference to the book The Demonic Males, which I have listed as one of my recommended readings.

I think that the evolutionary community should be given a round of applause for the fine work that they have done up till now. The Foreign Affairs piece made me put my China and Taiwan solution suggestions out onto the internet. I wrote the piece at the end of July 98, but only promoted it on the China and Taiwan newsgroups. It is an open letter to the civilian and military leaders of China with possible solutions to the Taiwan situation trough an evolutionary perspective. You may go directly to the essay at: http://www.evoyage.com/China.htm

Notebook entry, September 6, 1998

BusinessWeek magazine, August 24-31, had a special double issue devoted to "The 21st Century Economy." What I loved about the article is that is starts out with a simple declarative sentence: "Economies, like living organisms, always evolve in response to challenges and opportunities." P. 58. Basically the whole article states that "You ain't SEEN nothing yet." P.60. I agree. The Renaissance is coming. Are you ready? We have some very rough periods ahead as some old entrenched entities fight to maintain their control, but after the storm passes, there will be clear skies ahead.

Notebook entry, September 5, 1998

It has been a busy two weeks for Judith Rich Harris, whose new book, The Nurture Assumption, is creating a firestorm of controversy. Time magazine's Robert Wright, author of The Moral Animal, was not too kind to the new book by hinting in the August 24, 98 issue that the New Jersey grandmother was all wet and should go back to being a grandmother. Newsweek magazine ran the book as its cover story the following week and kept a open mind about the subject. In either case, it will allow open the flood gates into the study of group selection and rejection, which I am a strong supporter. Finally, we will begin to see the light of the whole evolutionary process of group living and away from the focus on the individual. Our ancestors selected and rejected those around them, and those individuals adapted or perished to those local environments. Peers matter the most because the youth of our planet know that their future path belongs with their friends and not with their parents. Parents are boat body but not the rudder from which children voyage the evolutionary distance.