Homo Prospectus

Our species is misnamed. Though <em>sapiens</em> defines human beings as wise what humans do especially well is to prospect the future. We are <em>homo prospectus</em>. In this book Martin E. P. Seligman Peter Railton Roy F. Baumeister and Chandra Sripada argue it is anticipating and evaluating future<br>possibilities for the guidance of thought and action that is the cornerstone of human success. <p/>Much of the history of psychology has been dominated by a framework in which people's behavior is driven by past history (memory) and present circumstances (perception and motivation). <em>Homo Prospectus</em> reassesses this idea pushing focus to the future front and center and opening discussion of a new<br>field of Psychology and Neuroscience. <p/>The authors delve into four modes in which prospection operates: the implicit mind deliberate thought mind-wandering and collective (social) imagination. They then explore prospection's role in some of life's most enduring questions: Why do people think about the future? Do we have free will?<br>What is the nature of intuition and how might it function in ethics? How does emotion function in human psychology? Is there a common causal process in different psychopathologies? Does our creativity change with age? <p/>In this remarkable convergence of research in philosophy statistics decision theory psychology and neuroscience <em>Homo Prospectus</em> shows how human prospection fundamentally reshapes our understanding of key cognitive processes thereby improving individual and social functioning. It aims to<br>galvanize interest in this new science from scholars in psychology neuroscience and philosophy as well as an educated public curious about what makes humanity what it is.<br>