Howard Bloom on the Evolution of Sex

Don’t miss this rare public appearance by world-renowned writer and thinker, Howard Bloom – author of The God Problem, The Lucifer Principle and more (www.howardbloom.net).

WHAT: Sex and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: How Sex Breaks the Laws of Physics (a talk regarding Bloom’s thoughts on The Evolution of Sexual Reproduction)

WHEN: Wednesday, 10/9; 5:30-8:30pm

WHERE: SUNY at New Paltz; CSB Aud

WHO: Howard Bloom

bloom

Synopsis of this lecture:

At the turn of the 19th century, Sigmund Freud proposed something absurd, his concept of libido, the idea that humankind was driven by sex. Was Freud crazy? Or was he right? Why? And how does our sexual obsession relate to the evolution of the cosmos? How does it relate to two rules that imply that sex should not and can not exist: the principle of least effort and the 2nd law of thermodynamics?

Is sexual selection a least-effort proposition? Is it the most energy-efficient way to a goal? And what goal could that possibly be? Is plant sex, with its extravagant use of the advertising devices we call flowers, maximizing the universe’s entropy? Is the peacock’s tail a sign of a thrifty cosmos? How about your sexual and romantic obsessions as you read this sentence and secretly covet the body of a person ten feet away from you? Do these things hint that the cosmos is very different than the thermodynamics obsessive beliefs? And what does that mean for the way we look at strange things like psychology?

Book signing and reception (FREE FOOD!!) to follow!

Sponsored by EvoS Club, UPA, School of Fine and Performing Arts, Major Connections, and the Honors Program

Join the FB Event Page here.

Bloom’s accolades and background include the following:

Author of: The God Problem: How A Godless Cosmos Creates (“Bloom’s argument will rock your world.” Barbara Ehrenreich).
The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition Into the Forces of History (“mesmerizing” The Washington Post),
Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind From The Big Bang to the 21st Century (“reassuring and sobering” The New Yorker),
The Genius of the Beast: A Radical Re-Vision of Capitalism (“Impressive, stimulating, and tremendously enjoyable.” James Fallows, National Correspondent, The Atlantic),
Former Core Faculty Member, The Graduate Institute; Recent Visiting Scholar-Graduate Psychology Department, New York University
Founder and Chairman, Space Exploration Asia. Founder: International Paleopsychology Project. Founder, Space Development Steering Committee. Member Of Board Of Governors, National Space Society. Founding Board Member: Epic of Evolution Society. Founding Board Member, The Darwin Project. Founder, The Big Bang Tango Media Lab. Member: New York Academy of Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Psychological Society, Academy of Political Science, Human Behavior and Evolution Society, International Society for Human Ethology. Scientific Advisory Board Member, Lifeboat Foundation. Advisory Board Member, The Buffalo Film Festival, Board of Editors, The Journal of Space Philosophy.

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Here are some noteworthy reviews of some of Bloom’s book The God Problem:

“Enthralling. Astonishing. Written with the panache of the Great Blondin turning somersaults on the rope above Niagara. Profound, extraordinarily eclectic, and crazy. The most exciting cliffhanger of a book I can remember reading.” James Burke, creator and host of seven BBC TV series, including Connections

“Truly awesome. Terrific.” Dudley Herschbach, Harvard U, 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

“Bloody hell…What a truly extraordinary book. I’m gob-smacked.” Francis Pryor, President of the Council for British Archaeology, author, Britain BC

Isaac Newton

“Is The God Problem a great book like Darwin’s The Origin Of Species, Lyell’s Principles Of Geology, or Newton’s Principia Mathematica?” Dan Schneider, the man Roger Ebert calls the “ideal critic.”

“Deep, provocative, spectacularly well written…great.” Robert Sapolsky, Stanford U, MacArthur Genius Award winner

“Strong…like a STEAM ROLLER…impressive…great.” Richard Foreman, founder Ontological-Hysteric Theater, MacArthur Genius Award-Winner

“Great literature.” Edgar Mitchell, sixth astronaut on the moon.

“Incandescent…shakes out like shining from shook foil and oozes to a greatness,” George Gilder, author, Wealth and Poverty, winner of the White House Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence

“The greatest f**king book ever written. The ultimate scientific detective story.” Mark Lamonica, winner of the Southern California Booksellers Association Nonfiction Award

Charles Darwin


“Mind-bending.” Charles Siebert, contributing writer, New York Times Sunday Magazine

“Ebullient, enthralling.” Alex Wright, Director of User Experience and Product Research, New York Times, author, Glut: Mastering Information Through the Ages”Utterly extraordinary.” Matt Thorne, winner of the Encore Award, longlisted for the Booker Prize

“Thrilling.” Hector Zenil, Institut d’Histoire et de Philosophie des Sciences et des Technique

“A ‘page-turner’.” Walter Collier Putnam, 30-year Associated Press veteran.

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If you like to THINK BIG, or even if you don’t, please join us for this special event!

 

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