Welcome to The Evolved Nest!
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At this time of year, we think about love and hopefully feel loved and loving. Our Evolved Nest fosters love between child and mother, child and others. Nest provision leads to our capacities to be relationally attuned to the uniqueness of the person in front of us and to be imaginatively connected to all living beings.
Harriet Tubman (see film,
Harriet
) had a fierce love for humanity, especially those mistreated by an unjust, anti-life system. Let us honor those who lead us to love instead of hate, connection instead of disconnection, nestedness instead of unnestedness.
Darcia Narvaez, PhD
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Raised Nested: Species-Typical Child Raising
Species-atypical child raising has become normal—to the detriment of the world
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In a
newly published book
(see book below)
I wrote a chapter called
Evolution and the Parenting Ecology of Moral Development
, I describe how evolutionary theory is often mischaracterized as only about genes, a shrinking area of importance as epigenetics becomes the bigger story—-how genes are turned up or down or off by lived experience. Though epigenetics occurs all day long from our activities, there are sensitive or critical periods for the developmental of neurobiological structures that undergird all our capacities (e.g., stress response, vagus nerve function) (Narvaez, 2014)...
It is obvious that many children are not being raised nested.
It is difficult to take in this fact, and sometimes people resist the information. There are several common reactions to hearing about the
evolved nest
and the need for it. I list some of them below and give some responses, paraphrasing from and adding to what I said in my chapter.
Read the full chapter and download the PDF on the Evolved Nest's science page
here
.
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Read the article and listen to an interview with Darcia on
Kindred
as she goes through each of the "common reactions" to The Evolved Nest, from "I did not experience the evolved nest and I'm fine" to "
We modern humans have evolved; we are different from past humans. Genes have changed in the last 10,000 years."
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Psychology Today's Moral Landscapes Blog
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I write typically about research findings related to moral functioning and living a good life. Sometimes I muse on things that I puzzle about (politics). I am very concerned about how much our society doesn't seem to know about how to raise good, healthy and happy children, so I spend a great deal of time on parenting. I also write about things that I am working on myself--the endless quest for virtue! This is an opinion blog, not a set of research articles, intended for the public not scientists. For more nuanced and highly referenced work, look at my academic work.
When our acting from privilege is called out, it insults our self-image of goodness. Who, me?
Morality is often considered a matter of individual conscience. Neuroscience and sociology suggest otherwise. Community structures shape the development of morality.
How does Maslow’s description and prescription of self-actualization compare with the approach of a sustainable ancestral culture?
There are multiple paths to nature and people connection. Here is an insightful story about connecting to others.
We can't escape the manipulation around us, but we can take steps to thwart its influence.
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The Evolved Nest's YouTube Channel
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NEW VIDEO:
Nature Connection: A Component of the Evolved Nest
Darcia Narvaez, PhD, presents the Nature Connection component of the Evolved Nest to her students at the University of Notre Dame.
About Nature Connection: One of the known causes for the planetary crises humanity is facing currently (e.g., global warming, climate instability, melting glaciers, toxic pollution, biodiversity loss) is the lack of caring for the rest of nature and the sense of separation from it (T. Berry, 1999; W. Berry, 2012). Our species is a creature of the earth and has evolved with the rest of the natural world, which preserves us.
See more about Nature Connection, as well as resources for the component
here.
Discover The Evolved Nest Podcast Series now available on our
Youtube channel
! Additionally, audio downloads are available on the website
here
, and on our Soundcloud link as a playlist
here
.
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Darcia discusses the importance of indigenous wisdom. More than ever, could the world use a nature-based foundation of wisdom. This discussion
focuses
on the differences between traditional and indigenous psychologies; and how they influence the way we perceive our world.
Listen to the interview
here
.
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New Chapter in New Academic Book
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Evolution and the Parenting Ecology of Moral Development
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Evolutionary theory can enrich developmental theory but not just any evolutionary theory will do. Evolutionary Systems Theory is a developmentally-friendly evolutionary theory unlike selfish gene theory because it identifies multiple inheritances beyond genes and takes into account the complex dynamism of development. One inheritance is the species-typical evolved nest or evolved developmental niche, a set of community provisions that evolved to match up with the maturational schedule of the child. Ethogenesis describes the development of ethics across the lifespan. We can identify two primary moral inheritances that are fostered by the evolved nest. The first is engagement or flexible relational attunement which includes capacities for resonance, reciprocity, mutuality, sympathy and egalitarian relations with face-to-face others. The second comes with the development abstracting capabilities that build on engagement capacities into an inclusive communal imagination. A species-typical nest provides what babies and young children need to develop a full human nature.
Read the full chapter in PDF form at the bottom of the Evolved Nest's
Science page.
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Nurture, Care, Respect, and Trust: Transformative Pedagogy Inspired by Janusz Korczak
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This new book for educators features two chapters from Darcia and her graduate students:
Meeting basic needs and getting kids on track to fulfill their potentia
l and
The nurturing classroom.
Nurture, Care, Respect, and Trust
is the first collection of interdisciplinary and logically interconnected papers from nationally and internationally acclaimed researchers in philosophy, psychology, history of education, teacher training, educational leaders and practitioners, child advocates, and educators who have been motivated by the philosophy and pedagogy of Dr. Janusz Korczak (1878-1942), a world famous moral exemplar and champion of children’s rights. The book provides answers to timely questions of how to respect children’s rights in K-12 schools, community centers, summer camps, and colleges; how to create an atmosphere of trust and safety, and provide social-emotional learning in the classroom; how to become a genuine child advocate; and how to support growing child agency. It also tells the story of Korczak, his life, and the lives of the children in his charge.
Nurture, Care, Respect, and Trust
details how Korczak’s legacy encourages and stimulates new projects and spreads around the world. The volume serves as a rich resource of practical materials for teachers and university instructors, introducing a number of innovative lesson plans, examples of students’ works, and school projects inspired by Korczak’s pedagogy.
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This new textbook features two chapters from Darcia and her graduate students.
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Fresh Eyes on the Evolved Nest
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Follow the Fresh Eyes Series to discover how the next generation perceives the Evolved Nest and relates to children, before they become parents...
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What My Love Is Like
By Jane Musema
A children's story created for the Morality, Parenting and Nature Connection in the Anthropocene class at the University of Notre Dame.
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Support The Evolved Nest!
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The Evolved Nest is an educational initiative of the award-winning nonprofit
Kindred World
. Your tax-deductible donation helps us pay our team members for their contributions to our many outreach and educational efforts. Your donations also help us pay for our website as well as upcoming educational programs and materials.
Thank you for your support of The Evolved Nest!
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Thank you for your support of The Evolved Nest!
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