Darwinian Happiness

To be a Stone Age creature in a Jet Age zoo tends to cause problems. The list of consequences are numerous -- from depression and suicide to obesity, drug use, insomnia, loneliness, violence, and wars -- to mention only a few of the 'diseases of civilisation'. Are we prisoners of an environment that is at odds with the way evolution has shaped us, and if so, can we do anything about it? Can we use our knowledge of human nature to offer people more appropriate conditions of living, and at the same time create a more peaceful world? The author is convinced that present insight into the nature of being human can help us make better choices. Our great feats of engineering, from building the pyramids to sending a man to the moon, have been the easy tasks; the real challenge in shaping the futur...