adarwinstudygroup.org
About the seminars

These seminars bring to life what many perceive to be complicated and dry topics in an easy, interesting, and relevant way. Dr. Dimijian’s unique experience as both a psychiatrist and an accomplished wildlife photographer provide him with a perspective of life on planet earth that is unparalleled. He shares his vast knowledge through these teaching seminars, using images he has personally photographed and prose that is factual, scientifically sound, and apolitical. Anyone interested in biology, social psychology, sociology, and/or human behavior will enjoy every minute of these seminars.

Ryan F. Estévez, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H.

One of Dr. Dimijian’s most salient points is that the abuse and exploitation of women and girls by men throughout history is explained by the value of their reproductive capacity to the men doing the abuse and exploitation. The human gestational period of nine months is the rate limiting step in reproduction. So the ability of a particular man to monopolize their sexuality and sequester women able to have children during this time is of huge advantage to that particular man in terms of passing on his genes to subsequent generations.

Natural selection works hand in hand with and sometimes at odds with sexual selection. Females are often the gender doing the selecting, and they often select males who “survive in spite of” what would appear to be a rather significant handicap.

I’m always delighted to hear his understanding of evolution and the roles of evolution and culture as a base on top of which psychodynamic principles act.

Calvin Gerke, Jr., M.D., J.D.

Is our humanity the consequence of nurture or nature? Can we deepen our understanding of human behavior with the help of genetics and evolutionary theory? Can our examination of nature further our knowledge of ourselves and our future?

The three seminars we present through adarwinstudygroup.org are based on presentations that Dr. Dimijian gives to medical residents at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Dr. Dimijian explores the dynamic relationship of biology (including genetics), culture, and psychology, and offers a startling conclusion.

His challenge to them and to us is look at our world holistically, to understand our humanity in context of its evolutionary roots and biological circumstances, and to seek an answer a fundamental mystery, what does it mean to be human.