From Genesis to Genocide: Meaning of Human Nature and the Power of Behaviour Control Book

In From Genesis to Genocide, Stephan Chorover proposes that popular theories of human nature linked with current efforts to solve serious social problems can be seen as powerful instruments of behavior control. From Genesis to Genocide explores this borderline between psychology and politics, between meaning and power. It focuses on recurrent ideas about human diversity, tracing the process by which various methods of behavior control have been invented and fostered in order to justify the interests and objectives of influential social groups. Written in an engaging, clear and frankly opinionated style From Genesis to Genocide makes striking observations about past and present developments in such controversial areas as I.Q. testing, violence, crime, juvenile delinquency, mental illness, psychosurgery, racial strife, sex discrimination, drug addiction, and law enforcement. It provides an incisive and timely critique of theories that treat social conflict as the result of biological or psychological defects in inferior groups or individuals. Using examples drawn from many sources, Chorover shows that theories of human nature and methods of behavior control cannot be understood independently from each other and from the much broader social context of which they are a part.Read More