The Penguin Speakers Bureau

Biography

Speaking Topics

• Religion 2.0: An Evolutionary Mandate

In his acclaimed 2008 book, THANK GOD FOR EVOLUTION, Michael Dowd proposes two key distinctions that he maintains are crucial for resolving the wrenching struggle between science and religion in the hearts and minds of many Americans. The first is the distinction between private and public revelation. The second is the distinction between what he likes to call “day language” and “night language.” In this beautiful and informative digital slide talk, Dowd will demonstrate why these distinctions matter—and thus why five Nobel Prize–winning scientists have joined dozens of religious leaders, from Catholics and Quakers to Baptists and Buddhists, in endorsing Dowd’s book. This program also highlights inspiring long- and short-term trends in biological and cultural evolution that can help us fulfill the “Great Work” of our time: co-creating a just and thriving future for our planet, ourselves, and as many other species as possible.

• Death Through Deep-Time Eyes: An Evolutionary Exaltation

Helping individuals come to terms with death is a core function of religions throughout the world. Our culture is reticent to talk and educate about death in meaningful ways, in large part because of deep and unexamined assumptions that hail from a bygone, pre-scientific era. These old assumptions are not up to the dilemmas posed by medical interventions available today, nor to the existential challenges that ensue when literal understandings of sacred texts fall to the evidential triumphs of science. In this richly illustrated, high-energy talk, Dowd shows how a dozen scientific disciplines (ranging from astrophysics and geology to paleontology and cell biology) propel us to a radically new understanding of the creative, even indispensable, role served by death at all levels of reality—an understanding that would have been impossible to grasp or appreciate before the invention of telescopes, microscopes, and computers. Dowd fleshes out the science (summarized in Chapter 5 of his 2008 book) with stories of how this perspective has brought peace and fulfillment to those contemplating their own death or grieving the death of others.

• Ancestors Within: Your Brain’s Creation Story

The human brain is exquisite evidence against “intelligent design.” Our brain is far from perfectly engineered to serve the human condition. Rather, it is an amalgam of neurological components that served the survival and reproductive needs of our ancient ancestors, who evolved in settings strikingly different from what we face today. In this richly illustrated talk, Michael Dowd presents, through science and story, the ways in which an understanding of our evolved brain can provide guidance for significantly improving our lives and relationships, while opening the door for authentic compassion when we and others go astray. The material draws upon chapters 9 through 12 of his acclaimed 2008 book, THANK GOD FOR EVOLUTION: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World. Dowd presents the stunning new discoveries of neurobiology and evolutionary psychology in fun and memorable ways. The “ancestors within” our brains include our “Lizard Legacy”—the brain stem and cerebellum that scientists refer to as the “reptilian” components of our brain. Our early mammalian ancestors then bequeathed to us our emotional brain, which Dowd playfully calls our “Furry Li’l Mammal.” Next came our rational brain, the neo-cortex, or “Monkey Mind.” Most recently our ancestors acquired an ability to (sometimes) resist the demands of our lower instincts. Situated in our prefrontal cortex, this locus of purpose and commitment, which is vital for modern life, Dowd calls our “Higher Porpoise.” This program has been a big hit with adults and students across the philosophical and theological spectrum.

• Evolutionary Good News for Recovery and Empowerment

The young sciences of evolutionary psychology and evolutionary neurobiology offer fresh insights and practical tools that can assist us in recovering from addictions, nurturing healthy relationships, and leading fulfilled, on-purpose lives. In parts III and IV of his acclaimed 2008 book, THANK GOD FOR EVOLUTION, Dowd demonstrates how an understanding of these sciences opens exciting new possibilities for keeping our lives on track when instincts would otherwise lead us astray. The key to recovery and empowerment, Dowd proposes, is growing in integrity—beginning with a full-square look at the challenges bequeathed to us by our evolutionary heritage. The “mismatch” between ancestral conditions and the world of today has left us vulnerable to substances, food, Internet porn, and other addictions. By first appreciating how our own most troublesome drives played vital roles in helping our ancestors survive and reproduce, we can more easily move beyond denial and thus find the road to recovery. In this lushly illustrated digital slide talk, Dowd puts into an evolutionary context our personal and interpersonal struggles, while offering guidance grounded in our best science and enlivened by anecdote, humor, and his own powerful stage presence.

• Beyond Sustainability: A Hopeful Vision of the Next 250 Years

Bringing together and building upon the insights of some of today’s leading evolutionary thinkers, Dowd presents a realistically inspiring vision of the near and long-term future—even while taking a square look at the current and pending bad news at societal and planetary scales. Dowd begins with key material from Chapters 16 and 17 of his book, outlining patterns and trends evident in the evolutionary story of the cosmos, Earth, life, and humanity. As Winston Churchill advised, “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” Thanks to modern science, our view of history now extends back nearly 14 billion years. Here is the great news of that deep-time perspective: Evolutionary innovations that have propelled matter and life to higher levels of complexity and co-operation have themselves been triggered most effectively by chaos and difficulties. Crises thus call forth creativity; breakdowns catalyze breakthroughs. The evolutionary picture also presents a powerful lesson for transforming the ecological, economic, and social woes of today into vibrant new possibilities: The key is finding ever more effective ways of aligning the self-interest of individuals, corporations, and nations with the well-being of the planet as a whole. Religions will play a powerful role in this effort only to the degree that they encourage individuals to enlarge their circles of care, cooperation, and commitment toward horizons far more expansive than literalistic readings of ancient scriptures may otherwise prescribe. Dowd leads his audiences on this journey into the past and future by way of a richly illustrated digital slide program and his own energetic and dramatic presentation style.

• Deep Integrity for Men: Unleashing Your Evolutionary Potential

The new sciences of evolutionary psychology and evolutionary neurobiology teach us an astonishing fact: We have instincts that vitally served the survival and reproductive needs of our ancient ancestors but which are profoundly mismatched with living an honorable and fulfilling life in today’s world. Until we take an honest look at these basic drives (especially the sex drive and the tendency to take risks—both of which escalate in tandem with the hormone testosterone), boys and men from puberty onward will be woefully unprepared to withstand the variety of temptations that come our way. Ponder these questions: (1) What was there to be addicted to 10,000 years ago? (2) Before humans acquired the ability to communicate using symbolic language, could anyone have made commitments to sexual monogamy? (3) When our umpteenth great-great-grandfathers (as young men) saw a naked woman gazing at them with sexual desire, do you think evolution prepped them to look the other way? Now consider our present culture. For us, a plethora of highly addictive substances are either legal or easy to acquire. Gambling is no longer something one does occasionally as a form of male bonding (and with little to lose); gambling is now something one can do compulsively, in isolation, and to desperate ends. Masturbation no longer depends upon imagination alone; we are bombarded with entreaties to view porn and purchase pharmacological assistance to get and keep it up virtually every time we open our inbox. In this lively and life-changing program, drawing on Chapters 9 through 12 of his book, Dowd helps men face up to the struggles inherent in today’s world, opens possibilities for thriving relationships, and proposes how an appreciation of our evolutionary ancestry and commitment to integrity, with the support of others, can assist all of us in living life fully and loving the life we live.

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