ems8140's blog

            Throughout my work in the Story of Evolution, Evolution of Stories class this semester, I have applied much information from the many psychology classes I have taken as a psychology major. I believe the history of this field and its change through the years relates to the main focus of evolution of the current course. Not only is the field of psychology of particular interest to me, but this research helps to answer the question of whether or not evolution is a useful story beyond biology. The history of psychology not only portrays evolution of the field itself, but it illustrates how the concepts developed in this domain can help people with their own personal evolution.

        Temporal perspective, the unconscious way in which people incorporate time into their lives through the past, present and future (Boyd & Zimbardo, 2005), plays an active role in Camus’ The Plague. To expand on one of my previous postings for my Story of Evolution & the Evolution of Stories class, the impact of subjective time on the town of Oran and its inhabitants in this novel will be explored.

        How easily our minds can be changed when presented with certain evidence. Last month I wrote my first paper for the class The Story of Evolution and the Evolution of Stories, arguing for freedom, choice, and control over one’s life. However, I have come to see the limit of this argument, especially when faced with the influential control culture has on individuals. A classmate’s idea intrigued me when he wrote, “in a way, we have been programmed by these influences [of culture] to act and behave a certain way whether or not we like to admit it” (ib4walrus, 2/20/2011).

The topic of evolution is able to encompass many ideas, beyond just the realm of organisms changing and developing. However, based on the perspective with which one views the world, evolution may not even be possible. As discussed in our class the Story of Evolution and the Evolution of Stories, there are two main types of stories: foundational and non-foundational. These two types of stories differ greatly with regard to the possibility for change. A foundational versus non-foundational outlook on life reflects the different effects and potential for diversity among individuals.