Title:  The Amorous Tinder Author:  Paolo Crocchiolo Series:  Contemporary European Cultural Studies Imprint:  The Davies Group, Publishers 134 pp. soft cover USD 18.00 ISBN 9781888570878 May  2004 In The Amorous Tinder: Is the Mind a Product of Natural Selection? Paolo Crocchiolo explores the extent to which the human mind is formed by its biological nature, and concludes that the world we inhabit, and our own mind, are only one of the worlds and the minds that, out of the many possible, natural history has produced. This very evolutionary approach is extended by the author to various aspects of the human mind, such as philosophy and the arts. Crocchiolo proposes, for instance, to turn upside down Leibniz’s statement that “ours is the best of all possible worlds.” Rather than living in the best of all possible worlds, we seem to be the best possible organism, built and selected, accumulating an immense number of adaptive advantages, and still capable of surviving and re-producing, even in the worst of all imaginable worlds. Contents Alberto Oliverio, Enlightened biology The Amorous Tinder An unexplored universe April 6, 1327: First love is never forgotten Adam and Steve in prehistory Marilyn and the peacock’s tail Let’s pretend it’s real The ecstasy of S. Theresa and Stendhal’s syndrome The spandrels of San Marco Getting accustomed to the 1900s De Prospectiva Pingendi Calderón, Von Kleist: tribal ethics with variations A stroll in Altemps Palace: Ars diabetica? Amazonas Hephaestus 2000: à la manière de Cesare Musatti Inferiority of insects, or “equal dignity”? Bocadillo The alchemy of emotions A chat among friends Noam Chomsky Christopher Columbus and the spirit of Ulysses As you like it Bibliography Reviews “The Amorous Tinder: Is the Mind a Product of Natural Selection? is a thoughtful and humanly rich collection of essays bridging the new biology of the mind with the traditional inquiries of the humanities. A delightful read.” — Antonio Damasio Author of Descartes' Error and Looking for Spinoza Director of the Brain and Creativity Institute and David Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience University of Southern California “The Amorous Tinder is a very original book, which works out of a modern world view of the human condition with which I closely agree.” — Edward O. Wilson University Professor Emeritus, Harvard University “In a scholarly book that is beautifully written, Crocchiolo offers a modern evolutionary viewpoint on some of the deepest issues in the arts and sciences. His unique perspective on the human condition challenges the limits of our imagination.” — Victor Johnston, Professor of Psychobiology New Mexico State University Author Dr. Crocchiolo is Professor of Ethics and Global Policies, and Professor of Biology of the Human Mind, at the American University of Rome. He has authored numerous scientific publications on biomedical and public health issues as well as publications addressing drug policies, HIV/AIDS policies and the biological/ historical/ philosophical background underlying current ethical visions and approaches. Books published include L’Esca amorosa (2004) and Il tocco della vita (2005).