A Species in Denial

This book fits into a large literature on the origins of consciousness, painting a teleological move in human history from being dominated by instincts toward greater reasoning, morality and love.This author did not do his homework, as he does not seem to know the writers who came before him in this tradition or he decided not to discuss and reference them. The first is Jean Gebser, whose "Ever-Present Origin" was the first whom I am aware of to discuss this development from early to modern and future human. While based significantly on Gebser, the more current Ken Wilber crosses similar territory in terms of integrating knowledge, and a stress on a more integral and holistic cognition, just as Griffith does in this book. His Atman Project and Up From Eden are classics.Griffith's book suffers from claiming humans now have the biological understanding about their condition that they were ignorant of before, however he does not even touch on any such explanations until a quarter of the way into his 500 page book, which is disappointing and renders the first quarter a rather painful bore. That first quarter, and most of the book in fact, is filled with quotes from thinkers and artists who allude to a higher state of being which they know define us (and I doubt throughout history that humans were unaware of that side to us, even if they had to also put up with our violent and miserable side). However, for Griffith, humans have had to lie about and culturally distort the fact that two million years ago we lived in this higher state of being, enjoying the bright light of a more loving community, which he feels originates in one's experience of maternal love. However, according to Griffith, long before our sophisticated consciousness developed, we did not yet have the cognitive means of obliterating and denying this primal "heaven." Our long history until recent biological science, according to Griffith, has been one of said denial, hence the title of the book. However, if humans throughout civilization were too ignorant to know of this "sunny past," but it only shone through here and there in religions and morally advanced thinkers then surely it is inaccurate to refer to this ignorance as "denial" in the first place. Denial means that humans always knew about this alleged past, but actively worked to suppress it.Anthropologists do not agree that we ever lived in this ideal state, anyway, which repeats Rousseau's and many other thinkers' myth of the noble savage.Today, being armed with a greater understanding of the biological origins of either desirable or undesirable behaviors has not eliminated the suffering that comes from war, dictators, gangs, abusive partners, addiction, and callous economic or interpersonal competitiveness. This is not because we do not have a good side, but rather because we are flawed beings, as psychologists show in their research of the role of emotions in our behavior, and the distortions of truth that come from biases. Psychology shows that we are capable of reasoning but we are often not reasonable. They are also working on how reason can be improved in different contexts. To face this frustrating truth is not, as the author would contend, that we are somehow in denial of human nature, but rather that we are increasingly aware of having several natures, and all for reasons that evolutionary biologists can help us better understand.Thus, this is a very unsatisfying read. In this literature, I would recommend as far more insightful the works of aforementioned Gebser and Wilber. Jaynes and Gooch also fall into this tradition, and can offer additional insights. Pinker's "Better Angels of our Nature" brilliantly describes how much morally improved we have become since the dawn of civilization but not because of some mythic inner nature, but rather because of a combination of social forces that restricted impulses and revolutions in thinking and institutional changes that brought out the better sides of us. Another recommended book on consciousness is "The Illusory Dimension of Talking Animals" by the psychologist Daniel A. Vogel, however that one is written more as an artist, as the author is also the American musician Puppeteer.

This author, Biologist Jeremy Griffith has a gift for every Human on the plant with this incredible book A Species In Denial.In my view, after a 37 year career in Psychiatry, this First Principle Scientific discovery into our Species is the most significant breakthrough to date. We can now return to Eden with the knowledge needed to explain why we left in the first place. No fear of heaven or hell needed here, just reconciling understanding.However, the title is the catch! The Denial is REAL and must be acknowledged, explained and dismantled to fully access this wonderful discovery. Your mind doesn't want to go there. It has a 2 million year old phobia of the issue. It's like having the most precious gift in the world given to you but you are terrified to open. Also, you don't even know you have this fear, so you put it away and don't look at it, or you just read the box and think it CAN'T be that good so you give it away or even throw it away.I can only plead that you persist and step through the information gradually to ( become accustom to the light) as one does with any phobia. Even if at times, it seems difficult and repetitive.Also, test it yourself, this is a discovery not an invention, so once you breakthough this denial, you should be able to understand and explain ALL of human behaviour in the world, including your own. As well as realise the fundamental selfless, loving, cooperative true nature of our species.What a gift to the world!

An interesting take on "The Human Condition" with some useful insights but, unfortunately, Griffith's basic premise is flawed. In a nutshell he contends that all of the woes of human society are the result of the insecurity and psychosis that resulted when our conscious minds began to experiment with novel behaviors as opposed to the instinctual behavior of our past.The problem here is that this fails to explain why non-human animals would also behave in ways that we would consider immoral. Several animals, like polar bears, have been known to kill and eat their young. Old bonobos molest young bonobos. Chimpanzees go to war over territories. I think you'd be hard pressed to write all of that off as behavior that results from insecurity and psychosis brought on by failure to come to grips with a dawning of higher consciousness.When the Griffith talks about the angst of teenagers coming to grips with the good and evil sides of human nature I think he makes some valid points. When he talks about putting an end to all immoral behavior by simply coming to grips with our burgeoning consciousness I think he's over simplifying things to a enormous extent.

This bestselling book has some breathtaking revelations about human behaviour. When I bought it from a bookstore (maybe 10 years ago) the owner likened it to the sales of a dictionary - steadily & consistently purchased. That describes my reading habits with it well - I consistently return to it and garner more every time. Looking forward now to tackling his new book.

All of Jeremy's books are the greatest books in the world. If there's any medicine out there its in his books and only his books. Everyone needs to at least give it a shot and read it. I am so blessed to have found Jeremy's insights and understandings. Im 23 years old have dived deep into books, podcasts, courses, meditation and explored psychedelics for the last 4-5 years either trying to cope or manage my life or try to make sense of this human existence and life's deepest questions and i have only ended up more confused and upset and that was only intensifying the more down the rabbit hole i went. Until i came across this incredible book which makes sense of all human life and our seemingly contradictory nature. Makes sense of the non-sensical. The more you read the better it gets. Thankyou immensely Jeremy and the World Transformation Movement, Eternally Grateful. Absolutely SATISFIED & FULFILLED on the deepest level from this material. LETS GO !!