Product Details:

The Knowledge Drive is an optimistic book that demonstrates how new, more accurate information conveys survival value and inevitably supplants our dysfunctional mythological beliefs.
Before there was time for the accumulation of knowledge, early man created legends and religious myths to “understand” the world and ease the paralyzing awareness of his own mortality and the fear of natural forces beyond his control. We are increasingly aware of how these magical beliefs can lead to divisive religious practices, violence, and mans’ continuing inhumanity to fellow man. Change is clearly needed.
Now, rapid advances in many fields are giving us the techniques to modify our evolution and curtail our virulence. We can establish a more universal, equitable morality based on more accurate intelligence about our origins and place in the universe. Nevertheless, it is up to us as a species to choose our own future directions. We are thus in charge of our own destiny, a threatening thought to many. No prayers or appeals to magical forces will help.
Dr. Bardon analyzes how our quest for knowledge is a basic human drive similar to the sex and nourishment drives. It arises from our survival instinct and is not based on moral or altruistic factors. Along with establishing knowledge as a source of power, the author discusses the Knowledge Drive from many other perspectives: its various motivations; the fact that it can be used for many purposes, even destructive ones; how it learns from adversity; how it often exacerbates inequality; and how it does not solve social problems unless given the necessary direction.
Dr. Bardon looks at the multiple forces aligned against our efforts to obtain more reliable information. He shows how the Knowledge Drive not only triumphs over but also learns from these negative elements. Warnings about the fragility of our search for knowledge are misguided—it is rather the people mired in mythology who are vulnerable and need our compassion.

About The Author:

Dr. Edward Bardon brings to this book his life-long experience in relating to people from all walks of life and with varied cultures and beliefs. His experience ranges from the intimate setting of a psychiatrist’s office to celebrations and special events in remote foreign villages. Dr. Bardon was a psychiatry professor at the University of Minnesota for 34 years where he treated students, faculty and staff from around the world. His previous book, The Sexual Arena and Women’s Liberation, explores how outdated sexual-role myths penalize both women and men.
Dr. Bardon’s teaching, consultantships, and psychiatric practice give him a unique background to write this book, helping him understand mythology, religious beliefs, the occult, and the paranormal. Dr. Bardon has continued his study of foreign cultures and involvement in organizations dedicated to international friendship since retirement in 1995.
He has traveled extensively to explore the anthropological and psychological natures of other cultures, especially their myths, religious beliefs, customs, and life styles as they are impacted by our growing knowledge. He has lived with families in other countries – shared their meals, their daily lives, and their joys and sorrows. Dr. Bardon and his wife, Jane, recently served for two years as U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers. They worked as public health teachers in a remote Muslim village in Central Asia and created and published The Tri-lingual Medical Dictionary (Turkmen, English, Russian), the first medical dictionary in the Turkmen language.
The Bardons have six children and seven grandchildren and have always called Minnesota home.