Synopses & Reviews
Also available in an open-access, full-text edition at http://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/handle/1969.1/85768and#160;With the evolution of human consciousness, nature has finally become conscious of itself. It has taken eons of time, this lumbering progress through the minds of reptiles, mammals, and primates, and it is still working its purpose out in the archetypes of the collective unconscious encoded in the most ancient parts of the human brain. The recent evolutionary history of our species, which Jung personified as andquot;the two million-year-old human being in us all,andquot; is still active in our dreams, myths, psychiatric symptoms, traditional healing practices, and typical patterns of behavior. And it is still struggling to help us survive in the often alienating conditions of the modern world. Through a wide-ranging review of developments in anthropology, ethology, sociobiology, neuroscience, psycholinguistics, and Jungian psychology, Anthony Stevens explores the nature of the two million-year-old Self and examines ways in which the contemporary world both fulfills and frustrates its basic needs and intentions. Drawing on his experience as an analyst, Stevens evokes dreams and psychiatry to reveal a compelling and challenging view of the two million-year-old Self as embodying no less than the will of nature, providing ancient wisdom that we neglect at our collective peril. By granting close attention to natureand#39;s mind, Stevens argues, we not only further personal wholeness but help redress the gross imbalances of our culture, which are threatening the destruction of the earth. For the ecologically concerned, this book offers a dramatic new perspective on our future relations with our planet.
Review
andquot;. . . Dr Stevens explores how evolution is both a source of species specific social strategies and, at a subject level, of our passions, dreams, imaginations, creativity and needs. With exemplary clarity of exposition he shows how Jung's concept of archetype is the missing link between the evolved process and subjective experience. . . . There are few works that succeed in tracing these links successfully and yet remain accessible. Dr Stevens achieves both. . . . I recommend this as a deeply illuminating volume.andquot;--Paul Gilbert, author of Human Nature and Suffering
Review
andquot;Anthony Stevens provides a clear, concise reading of the evolutionary perspetive in Jungian psychology. . .. Steven's is an intelligent and erudite voice.andquot;--
Journal of Analtyical PsychologyDescription
Includes bibliographical references (p. [130]-134) and index.
About the Author
Anthony Stevens is an internationally known Jungian analyst and writer from England. He is a graduate of Oxford University in both psychology and medicine. He holds a doctorate in medicine from Oxford and is an affiliate of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Stevens is the author of Archetypes: A Natural History of the Self (1982), Withymead: A Jungian Community for the Healing Arts (1986), The Roots of War: A Jungian Perspective (1989), and On Jung (1990).