Darwin's Lost Theory of Love: A Healing Vision for the 21st Century [Paperback]

David Loye (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2000

Darwin's Lost Theory of Love is the story of the discovery of a major theory of Darwin's that has been ignored for over 100 years. Focusing on the impact on our evolution of love, sex and moral sensitivity rather than selfishness and survival of the fittest, this theory wholly contradicts both the scientific and the popular portrait of Darwin prevailing over the 20th century. Based on page after page of Darwin's own long ignored writings, it includes his overlooked uncovering of a third major process of evolution that offers new hope for humanity during the 21st century. A former member of the Princeton and UCLA School of Medicine faculties, cofounder of the General Evolution Research Group and author of the award-winning The Healing of a Nation, Loye is a widely respected social scientist. Among well-known scientists and evolution theorists of many fields who have read and endorse the book are general evolution theorist Ervin Laszlo, brain scientist Paul MacLean, and biologist Humberto Maturana.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Loye, psychologist, writer and social research specialist, is a graduate of Dartmouth College where he received his M.A. in the psychology of personality. He received his Ph.D. in social psychology from The New School for Social Research. He is the author of many widely respected books including The Leadership Passion, hailed by Contemporary Psychology as a "major advance" in its field. A former member of the psychology faculty of Princeton University, Loye, for nearly a decade, was a professor in the research series at the UCLA School of Medicine. Loye is a co-founder of the New Society for the Study of Chaos Theory in Psychology and a co-founder of the General Evolution Research Group.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: toExcel (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595001319
• ISBN-13: 978-0595001316
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,534,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My books span my life from early years as a television newsman in the Edward R. Murrow days to my pivotal shift to science and pioneering evolution theory. My first book was the national award-winning The Healing of a Nation. Currently, my widely acclaimed reconstruction of Darwin's Lost Theory spearheads a global movement to shift from the old Darwinism of survival of the fittest and selfish genes to the new scientific, political, economic, and religious reality of Darwin's long ignored actual emphasis on moral sensitivity, love, and education as the prime drivers for human evolution.

In between is a rippling stream of books on psychology, the future, travel, humor, adventure, even a past life murder mystery (Return to Amalfi),and--besides the forthcoming Darwin in Love--others exploring the best of all world of love.

Many of my books are dedicated to my wife and partner, best-selling author Riane Eisler (The Chalice and the Blade). 3,000 Years of Love is an unusual joint biography of our life together. 100 Days of Love and 1001 Days of Love are my love poems to date--which at 158 I like to think are already four more than 154 for Shakespeare's famous love sonnets!

For more on my life, works, projects, see www.davidloye.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Unknown Side of Darwin, June 8, 2000

By 

Allan L. Combs (Santa Rosa, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Darwin's Lost Theory of Love: A Healing Vision for the 21st Century (Paperback)

The idea that Charles Darwin himself believed that the final climb to human civilization called upon a principle of moral conduct far above the "selfish gene" concept so prevalent in today's popular accounts come as a surprise. But the fact that he argued at length and with passion for the recognition of this principle, along with way anticipating scientific concepts from far beyond his time, and further that this work has been utterly disregarded by the official keepers of evolutionary theory, boggles the mind. Here is a fascinating detective story with an engaging and easy style that makes it a pleasure to read.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A COMPELLING READ, August 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Darwin's Lost Theory of Love: A Healing Vision for the 21st Century (Paperback)

I am glad to see the newspapers beginning to discover David Loye's remarkable Darwin's Lost Theory of Love. The prominent feature article in the August 3 issue of Christian Science Monitor is a good sign: Loye's remarkable discovery-that Darwin held human evolution to be driven by love and moral sensitivity, not selfish genes-deserves to be front page news. With Darwin's "lost theory," our species can abandon the 100-year-old distorted mirror we've been looking at, and gain a fresh view on what it means to be human. The Monitor's writer points out what some of the world's leading systems thinkers and biologists are saying: David Loye's book tells an astounding story of great importance.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revolutionary, August 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Darwin's Lost Theory of Love: A Healing Vision for the 21st Century (Paperback)

David Loye's book is indeed revolutionary. It is a carefully documented re-reading of Darwin which shows a completely different side of the father of evolution. The book not only completely revises our view of Darwin, but also shows how a certain image of Darwin and of evolution has emerged over the years, and how this view has had a profound impact on our understanding of life and what is and is not moral behavior. Not bad for one relatively brief volume. It should inspire debate, reflection and possibly a change in the way many of us think about the meaning and direction of evolution.