The Role of Instincts in Human Behavior

Why has humanity misunderstood itself for thousands of years?

What if many of our most cherished beliefs about love, morality, religion, politics, and even human identity are built upon a fundamental misunderstanding of how the mind works?

In The Role of Instincts in Human Behavior, James Fennell argues that the primary forces shaping human behavior are neither reason nor culture-they are our instincts. Hidden beneath conscious thought, these ancient biological programs quietly influence every major decision we make, from whom we love to why we compete, cooperate, worship, and wage war.

Fennell challenges long-standing assumptions in psychology, philosophy, and the social sciences, proposing a unified theory that explains human behavior through the interaction of instinct, emotion, and the conscious mind. Along the way, he tackles some of humanity's most enduring questions:

• • Why do people believe in immortality?
  • Why do civilizations rise and fall?
  • Why are families indispensable?
  • Why do gangs form?
  • Why is morality universal?

Whether you agree with its conclusions or not, this book will force you to reconsider what it means to be human. By revealing the hidden architecture of the mind, The Role of Instincts in Human Behavior offers a compelling new perspective on ourselves-and on the future of our species.