FREEDOM: The End of the Human Condition

I haven't read this book, only its description. But I feel compelled to weigh in with some comments based on that.
First, I take exception to the statement that animals aren't conscious. What an anthropocentric, ignorant load of bull! Of COURSE they are concsious. Any observant person with a brain can see that. In fact, some of them seem a lot more conscious than a lot of humans!.
Secondly, his views on human instinct have no basis in reality.
And finally, the main hypothesis sounds like nothing more than a Christian religion-inspired guilt trip.
From what reviewers who have read the book are saying about it, it sounds like he needs to go back to the "drawing board" and start over. Or maybe just retire from writing.

This book is an interesting exploration and explanation into our human condition. This book offers insight and though provoking ideas and concepts that reconfigure how we expect to and actually can be free to walk in this world. It offers ways of interpreting and understanding why we do what we do and how we can better understand it in order to be free from the shackles that bind us to our hurt/upset/egos. A great book for putting perspective and truth back into our interactions with one another, and for reinvigorating and celebrating the innocence within and surrounding us. I hope this book is read by many so collectively we can really burst apart our current patterns and transition to living with true freedom.

This really is the book that will save humans from ourselves!

Wow, where to start. This book can change everything for all of us. This is the most amazing book I have ever read in my long life. It is a genuine gift, not just for us but for all of life in our troubled times. It really does answer all the mysteries of the ages, especially why humans behave as we have and as we do. This book contains knowledge for us all and has the potential to free us all from the bondage of the human condition. It shatters many of our long held beliefs about ourselves and the world around us and provides the long overdue antidote needed to heal ourselves and our planet. Do yourself and all of us a favour and read this book (which is freely available on-line). The confronting truths contained within its pages will, at once, amaze, frighten, comfort, challenge, frustrate and liberate you and ultimately free your mind and soothe your soul…..prepare to be enlightened… enjoy!

Bill

Jeremy Griffiths may have just delivered the answers to questions that I started asking when my interest was piqued in his first introspective look at the human condition in A Species in Denial.

The ongoing dilemmas and struggles we face as humans has been closely examined and explained throughout Griffith’s Human Condition series. Finally, in Freedom: The End of the Human Condition, Jeremy has provided some meaningful, positive and realistic ways forward for us to live in this world – imperfect as we are, yet accepting, adapting and overcoming our shortcomings.

If one can truly take on board and incorporate this confronting yet honest assessment of the life available to us, I believe we can leave it knowing we have lived the very best life we could – with genuine freedom from emotional, mental and spiritual chains that bind many of us most of our lives.

Count me in.

I encourage everyone to read this truly profound book. This is the ultimate 'human help' book because it delves into and solves the crux issue for all humans, the human condition. This book unlocks the riddle of human existence; How can humans be fundamentally worthwhile beings when we appear to be the most destructive force on the planet. Be prepared for a wonderful journey of discovery both within and without. Be prepared to be enlightened as the author draws on the works of some of the greatest thinkers. Expect much of the common wisdom on the underlying causes of human behavior to be dispelled. Be prepared for some confronting truths. And, most exciting of all, be prepared to learn about a wonderfully exciting future for humanity free of the human condition.

It’s taken me a while to read FREEDOM - there’s the obvious length issue, but it is more that the book is packed to the gunwales with a torrent of information about our species’ prehistory and explanations about why life is so socially, politically and psychologically messy. There’s a helluva lot still to process, but my baseline reaction is that Griffith has unravelled the mystery of life - the reason why the world functions the way it does; or, more accurately, fails to function the way it should. And in showing us how we all, individually and thus collectively, contribute to the madness around us, he’s also providing the way to end the madness. Griffith goes so, so much further than writers like Yuval Noah Harari who, while being applauded for ‘tackling the big’ questions, and yes, a great writer, is only really scratching at the surface of the truth about human behavior that Griffith has totally ripped open. This is the real deal. I hope this book gets the recognition it deserves.

Sounded like a good idea when I read the abridged version. But when I read the full text, I rapidly changed my opinion. There were so many references to the role of religion, the ‘far left’ and the ‘far right’ in politics, the ‘black and white’ rendition of the world by the author, and more than a hint of Narcissism in his writing which, incidentally, is appalling (it’s length can mostly be attributed to the constant repetition of a few favourite phrases - a classic form of brainwashing!), that Ican no longer recommend this book to anyone at all. It’s over-simplification of human evolution is actually quite laughable. Sorry Jeremy, but you’re not the next Saviour of the world! But I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and hope you had the best of intentions when writing it.

Chapters 1-2 provide the most insightful dissertation on the human condition you will ever read.

Chapter 3 explains the distinguishing features of the genetic learning system and the nerve-based leaning system, and how when 2 such "systems" co-existent what would inevitably occur. The author recognises that such insight would not have been possible without both Darwin's Natural Selection and Watson & Crick's DNA discoveries.

Chapter 4 'The Meaning Of Life' describes "the most obvious truth" - the 2nd path of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics - not nearly as complicated as it sounds, actually incredibly simple.

Chapter 5 with Griffith's 'Love  Indoctrination' hypothesis is FASCINATING, and the bonobo evidence (our closest primate relative (similar to chimpanzee but with very significant/key differences)) could be one of the most significant theories you ever come across.

Chapter 7 on Consciousness should be read by every human. 

Chapter 8 I found difficult because of the truth Griffith reveals about the alienation in the human race, confronting to say the least, but relieving - no PC nonsense, a straight shooting, truthful account of the human situation. 

And Chapter 9... Well! The answer to the entire mess the human race is now in--shows how this book does provide the psychological maturation and transformation of our species NO LESS.

So yes, it's worth the time, worth the read, no doubt about that, get prepared to change the way you view yourself and the world.

My sister has been reading Griffith’s books for over 20 years and so we’ve discussed his theories at length, often over a bottle of wine because the subject matter lends itself to deeper philosophical introspection. In a world void of much meaning or answers, these insights are enlightening to say the least. I think that is one of the overarching elements with Griffith's theories, they cut through all the superficial noise. Every problem; political, environmental, psychological, societal, etc., can be understood when you grasp Griffith's theory on the human condition that's in ‘Freedom’. It certainly is reassuring for me as I raise teenagers to know this deeper analysis of our human situation is in the world.

This is a thought provoking book and allows the reader to explore the most commonly asked question from childhood through adolescence and adulthood - How can humans be so cruel, angry and egotistical but intrinsically be full of love, caring and show such warmth and compassion in their day to day lives?
Jeremy explores this question and explains why in a thorough scientific approach which shocks the reader somewhat but does make you think.
I urge the reader to think openly. Ask yourself the question – What if this is true ? I think every human being would agree that we as a species are insecure. Why are we ? Take in this book in its entirety. If you have time – read it with an open mind ( naturally as the author suggests, you will be defensive and try and shoot holes throughout the explanations) and just absorb what Jeremy is saying. Then go back , read it again and ask yourself the questions and explore what you feel and think and have just read. Definitely worth a read -it will change you and the way you think and WILL provide answers to the many questions one asks in life. Enjoy and Thankyou Jeremy for opening the doors to our wonderful but unreconciled mind.

This is a wonderful book that taps into psychology, science, anthropology, and theology all in one big hit. The book has excited my mind (both during waking and non waking hours, I'm having the most vivid dreams!) and helps me to observe myself and the world around with me with a new lens. I feel better informed and able to view politics, culture, racial issues, religion, and evolution through both a rational and compassionate construct. I would have given the book 5 stars but I am still internally arguing about some of the information regarding men and women and sexuality, such a complex personal subject and frontier to explore within.

Having two young children I often feel overwhelmed and helpless about the world that my children are growing up in. Schools and the health system seem to be set up to make life easy and make money, without really looking after our children’s education, health, wellbeing and future. Understanding Jeremy Griffith’s concepts about the human condition helps me understand why everyone is so selfish and uncaring, and I can feel optimistic about what the future will be like when these understandings will bring about the world that we all dream of, one that really looks after our children and gives them a really happy and bright future.

If you are stuck on the 'repetition', you're grossly missing the point. Griffith has just presented a mammoth book on the human condition; a book introducing a totally new paradigm, and explaining, from first principle, biological terms why humans behave as they do. I understand where you garner such a stance because the author does use repetition to make clear new points but it is just so, as I said earlier GROSSLY missing the point to complain about that, and I mean GROSSLY. It's actually obscene! It's as if you're saying 'I don't care what this book says, whether there is any substance at all because it's presented in a way that's unexpected (or has different formatting to what i'm used to) so I'll just stop there'! How idiotic! It's like you're saying 'Stuff the future of the human race, he repeats things and uses bold text'! That is not just lazy, but crazy! Don't use the style as an excuse to dismiss the substance.

This book really does give us optimism and hope for the future of humanity and makes sense of all the anger and suffering in the world. The depth and breadth of the research is extraordinary and it has the answers to every question that we grapple with on a daily basis.
It’s such a relief to understand why we are the way we are, and now to be able to have honest conversations with my children about what is really going on in a world that is hurting so much, is truly awesome.

This book talks with a certain competence about the evolution of the human populations. The author makes so that we can follow him in a particular adventure around the times, with an approach about the philosophy and the religio. It's a great painting where we can see the contribute of thinking from strong personalities. So the history is connected to biological evolution, and we observe the importance of human factor in all that. We don't forget how the same evolution is a mix of several parts, but the principal of them is in effect related to idealism (Plato, Nietzsche, Jung). Only in this way we can understand as it happens a real progress in the human history.

I totally agree with Professor Prosen that this book is the most important book of our time. If you can read it and apply yourself to see the world through this macro lense of time and understand your individual place within the amazing story of life on earth then you will never again feel anything less than wonder and joy for being a member of the human race.

On a personal level I experience moments of incredible compassion and clarity when I read this presentation. I find myself intimidated at the concepts of the Transformed state and I have questions and challenges regarding the process but what is so wonderful about this book and the work in represents is that it is possible to enter a dialogue and discussion with the team members of the World Transformation Movement. This dialogue and discussion is desperately needed if we are ever going to end the suffering on the planet.

WARNING - Do not part with hard-earned cash for this tedious, long, boring, uninspiring load of rambling, meaningless nonsense. The author actually refers to previous criticisms of his writing style and length from earlier books and has the audacity to accuse these reviewers of being in denial!! Main argument (I think, if there actually was one) - egocentricity is bad... The author's own egocentric writing style is a far worse aspect of the human condition than any of those described in this pompous drivel. Waste of money, waste of download bandwidth, waste of hard-drive space, waste of pixels, waste of paper, waste of time. You have been warned!!

An amazing and inspiring book!! This may touch parts of your being that have been dormant for a long time! It totally captured my attention. Who doesn’t want to understand oneself and those around you? It’s only age that’s made you numb, just think back to the days when you wanted to understand, when you cared! Yes a dense book but such exciting content.

I can’t believe how lucky I am to come across a book so profound in my lifetime. Not only is it fascinating reading about why I exist, I have all my underlying insecurities and strengths explained, but to be able to understand so many events and interactions going on around me now and in history is so relieving and satisfying. It makes sense to my rational mind and it settles my sensitive mind as well. Since humans are 2 million years corrupted on our journey this means there is no need for feelings of individual inadequacy or feeling bad about oneself.

At first it was the spiritual or phsychological element captured in the title that appealed to me since it is discussing understanding human nature and behaviour. However once I read through it a few times the science behind it all and the details in the biology and Anthropology for example, have become more and more interesting to me backing up how ‘right’ it all feels.

I love the use of lines from movies and lyrics from songs referred to in the book as well as quotes from literary geniuses or scientists and great psychologists etc. I also enjoy the use of pictures and drawings. I’d probably prefer a few more paragraphs to the eye that’s for sure-easier to take it in but overall to me it absolutely resonates and has integrity. The journey of humans and life on earth is amazing!

I recommend this for everyone young and old!

Jeremy Griffiths book FREEDOM is the most enlightening and informative book I have ever read. It offers to us indepth insight into the reasons behind our dual natured personas and the psychological complexity of the human being. This book in not an easy read as it can make us very uncomfortable when faced with the truth of the dark side of our nature. But as we progress through this book we reach an understanding of how we came to be the way that we are. It leads us out of the dark tunnel of confusion and despair as we are brought to the realisation of the magnitude of the evolutionary journey through which we as humans have traversed. I cannot rate this book highly enough for it has the capacity to bring about an expanded wisdom within us to enable us to transform ourselves into the origins of our nature which is peaceful and loving.
Jeremy Griffith is indeed a giant among us.
With heartfelt thanks
Eileen Mennim

One of the worst books ever written. Repeated gratuitous affirmations of an unproven theory on the condition of man. Extremely poorly written. The author rambles on and on and never knows where and how to stop. Constant repetition of the same platitudes dozens of times in the same chapter and chapter after chapter. If this was an attempt at brainwashing it doesn't work. Extremely long-winded sentences filled with hyphenated, non-sensical word inventions and construction. In its present state, it is pure garbage. Could be edited to a tenth of its current length of over 1000 pages. The videos that sort of accompany the book on the authors website are just as bad. The author is just as confused, disorganized and rambling in his speech as he is in his writing. Don't bother. A total waste of time.

Excellent read! 'Freedom' makes you think, more than you have probably done before. It's very considered and brings a new meaning to your life. I highly recommend persevering through, as it is long with many new concepts.

"Spent the holidays reading this thorough analysis of the human situation and found it stimulating and challenging, although not as challenging as some suggest. Many topics have their popular, contemporary explanation reviewed and most have a fresh interpretation applied. Keep an open mind and you're sure to learn a few things, or even have your whole world view renewed! Definitely worth the read."

This is a book that deserves the readers time and patience. In this superficial, attention deficit, fast world we live in this is a slow read but a profound one. And a fascinating one. For me what i found so affirming was the (biological) understanding that humans have come from a soulful, cooperative past...and yes we are 10 feet of concrete repressed or 'alienated' from this instinctive past now as a result of the conflict between the conscious mind and our soul, but it is still there alive in all of us. Understanding humans are ultimately good and not bad has been such a relief and a source of excitement and hope. I applaud Griffith's courage in his commitment to plumbing the depths of such forbidden subjects and whether one agrees with his treatise or not, facilitating the discussions and debates humanity desperately needs to have.

I've been travelling a lot recently and was recommended this book by a friend in Spain. It's one of the most unique perspectives on human nature and history I've ever read and has left me very inspired, as well as with a lot to think about.

Griffith, like Einstein and Hawking, argues that God is nothing more than a deified interpretation of the law of physics called Negative Entropy, the most basic developmental force in the universe that causes matter to integrate into ever larger wholes. This unifying force is, he argues, the true meaning or essence of love, but that because of our human condition — our selfish, unloving and disintegrative existence — humans have been terrified of that truth, and so we have had to transmute it into who we know as God. I am not against science, and Griffith has some interesting ideas, but I could not disagree more. God is our salvation and can be known on a personal level if we put our faith in Him. In short, the author does not believe that Christianity is the way to redeem ourselves from the burden of the human condition, of being imperfect in the face of life's ideals. Griffith writes about God and thinks highly of Moses, Abraham, Christ and the prophets of the First Testament (he holds the former three in the hallowed, select company of Plato and has pages and pages dedicated to their contribution to humanity), but beyond that respect he undermines a faith in the Holy Trinity.

I’ve been studying Griffith’s writings for more than 25 years. Originally I was a supporter, even though I felt that his theories were flawed. My attitude was that this was the most all-encompassing attempt I had yet come across to get to grips with the psychological roots of our species’ social and ecological problems. “At the very least this will start the discussion we need to have,” I felt.

Over time my attitude changed. Now I look on it less as a first stab at a cure and more as a distillation of the disease itself.

Here is the essence of Griffith’s theory :

The human condition began when a conflict arose between our instinctive orientation and the need of our developing intelligence to experiment with self-management. We have a genetic orientation towards ideal, i.e. selfless behaviour. This is our conscience. Most other animals have a genetic imperative to compete, over food or mating opportunities, etc. It was an extended nurturing period in our species which overcame this competitive tendency. This process is called “love-indoctrination”. In caring so diligently for their children the mothers were still following the imperative to foster the survival chances of their own genes, but the offspring were not to know this and would interpret the behaviour as selflessness. Thus they would learn that selflessness was meaningful, and, over time, a genetic orientation towards selfless behaviour would become “hardwired” into us.

But “love-indoctrination” also liberated our capacity for reason. Our reasoning mind had no knowledge of our instinct for selfless behaviour and it needed to experiment with self-management in order to realise its potential. When we experimented with behaviour which contravened our genetic conscience, it criticised us. Unable to explain why we had to go against its programming, we became frustrated with it and the oppressiveness of its unjust criticism. We became angry at it. It’s criticism made our ego insecure and thus embattled. We became egotistical. And we tried to block out awareness of it and the world of wholeness and honesty it represented. We became alienated. All of our selfishness and aggression - our dark side - thus arose from the necessary - indeed heroic - defiance of our soul/conscience/genes’ unwitting attempt to oppress the search for knowledge. We are thus all heroes and good and evil are reconciled.

I have points of agreement with Griffith. I do believe that our problems as a species can be traced back to a pervasive sense of insecurity about our own worth. As our self-acceptance is undermined we become more embattled and more selfish. Idealism is one of the major things which undermines our self-acceptance. The message of idealism is “You’re not good enough.” Where we part company is with regard to the source of idealism. Griffith believes that it is innate. He believes that we are born expecting ideal behaviour from others and that we have an instinctive demand for selfless behaviour from ourselves. I don’t see any evidence for this. I believe that idealism is essentially a thought virus, that it arose from our capacity for reason and took hold because we found it hard to argue against. On the surface it seems to make sense that, if we want a better society and want to be better people, the way to do so is to insist on high standards, to try to pursue better behaviour by an act of will and insist on it from others. The fact that this approach tends to undermine our self-acceptance and thus robs us of our capacity for such improved behaviour is not obvious.

I think that we are born instinctively loving, that is with a tendency to accept others as we find them as long as they don’t cause us suffering. Our values when we are very young are based around our self-interested preference for a harmonious social environment. This accounts for early altruistic behaviour. This is distinct from later learned moral behaviour which is liable to be driven by fear of punishment, including the self-inflicted punishment of guilt. As our self-acceptance is gradually undermined we become more insecure, and one form that this insecurity may take is to that we become disturbed by deviations in other people’s behaviour from how we feel they should be, based on the principles of proper behaviour we have learned from others. This is comparable to obsessive compulsive disorder in which the peace of mind of the individual is conditional on certain strict requirements being met.

So idealism can make us intolerant towards others and angry about what we feel are their imperfections. But also, because exposure to idealism’s criticism of us socially undermines our self-acceptance, it can push us in the direction of ever-greater levels of embattlement. Our anger at our own apparent inability to meet the demands of idealism can be turned inwards in the form of depression, which in the extreme may lead to suicide, or it may be turned outward in the form of anger towards those who express or represent to us the ideals we feel unable to live up to. Some individuals who become embattled in this way, may, if they feel backed very tightly into a corner, feel intense resentment and hostility towards the psychologically healthy, those whom Griffith would term “the innocent”. I believe that this is why some people end up feeling compelled to inflict suffering on defenceless children.

Griffith calls this despair or hostility “upset”. He sees “upset” as something which tends to be cumulative and which is easier to transcend than it is to heal. To heal our “upset” he feels would require using his “insights” to go back over the events of our life and re-explain them to ourselves in the light of his defence. This is something he does not recommend we do. He recommends transcending our “upset” by adopting the “Transformed Lifeforce Way of Living” in which we access the optimism and joy which is possible through supporting and disseminating his ideas and participating in any ameliorating strategies which may arise from them.

My view is that the situation is not this bleak. I don’t believe we need a defence. All we need is to learn to stop fighting with these hostile thoughts and feelings. There is a huge difference between accepting them and acting on them. The less we accept them - the more we fight against them - the stronger they grow and the harder it may be to prevent ourselves from expressing them in our action in some way. Freed of our insecurities through learning the simple practice of unconditional self-acceptance we will find ourselves able to “go to work for humanity” autonomously rather than needing the leadership of another. If the world is to be saved it will have to take place through a decentralised process.

This book is a Trojan Horse for the idealism virus. A “defence” for everything about us which is “non-ideal” is conditional upon the acceptance of the frame of reference of idealism. There is absolutely no need for us to be ideal, even if such a thing were possible.

What matters is that we find a way to cooperate with each other enough to solve as many of our problems as we can solve. This will require us to become less selfish. Selfishness is the natural self-directedness of the suffering individual. One of the things which may be causing us suffering is feeling guilty about being selfish. This is a negative feedback loop. What can break us out of this loop is to recognise that unconditional self-acceptance will make us less selfish, while trying to be less selfish will only increase the problem. Griffith sets out to defend us for not being “selfless”, as he claims our genes would insist we should be. The aim of this approach may be to encourage unconditional self-acceptance by allowing us to feel “defended”, but does it work?

The term “selfless” is inherently idealistic. Our behaviour can only ever be motivated by self-interest. If Griffith feels that not bringing his message to the world will lead to a situation which will make him feel bad and saving the world will make him feel good, then he is being motivated by self-interest. There is nothing wrong with this. Self-interest is not selfishness. Selfishness is a form of pathological self-directedness. If you do decide to follow Griffith’s advice and take up the “Transformed Lifeforce Way of Living” your motivation will be that it feels good to be a part of the solution to the world’s problems. There is nothing wrong with self-interest. What matters is whether it is enlightened or unenlightened self-interest. Unenlightened self-interest will lead us to pig out on junk food because it gives us pleasure today, while enlightened self-interest would encourage us to eat a healthy diet because we are thus more likely to feel good tomorrow. When we do something which appears to benefit ourselves at the expense of others, we compromise our own longer term interests.

Griffith admits that his book is confronting. He believes that it is confronting because it is so truthful. I believe that it is confronting because it is so full of a particular kind of idealism. Most of us are very insecure about our self-worth as I’ve said. When we are in such a state, truth is not the only thing which will confront us. We may be confronted by anything which appears to be critical of us, whether it is rational or not. Look at how many people have experienced shame about masturbation, when there is no rational reason to view it as something harmful to ourselves or others.

Griffith uses his theory to provide an explanation for the mythological story of Adam and Eve eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. At one point he refers to the tree simply as “the tree of knowledge”, leaving off the “…of good and evil.” Since he identifies the taking of the fruit from the tree with the need to search for knowledge generally (not specifically of good and evil), this suits his purpose.

But is there another way of explaining the human condition which might illuminate the significance of elements he doesn’t mention, such as the snake and the fact that Eve was the first one to take a bite from the apple?

Here is my tentative attempt :

A chemical called Oxytocin is produced by our bodies when we engage in such social activities as breast-feeding, having sex or group singing. The pleasurable feelings produced by this chemical motivate us to bond with others and behave cooperatively.

Self-interest is the motivation for all human behaviour. We seek pleasure and attempt to avoid suffering, however we may chose a path which brings suffering upon us either in the belief that it may save us from a greater suffering or will bring us a greater amount of future pleasure. We may even sacrifice our life for a cause, either because we believe we will be rewarded with pleasure in the after-life or because a life in which we feel we have been a traitor to that cause would bring us so much suffering that death would be preferable.

The beauty of love is that it produces a confluence of self-interest which makes sustainable cooperation possible.

In love, and the cooperation which it makes possible, we can see that side of our nature which we have labelled “good”.

So what is the source of the dark side of our nature which we have labelled “evil”?

We have the longest nurturing period of any species. It seems fair to surmise that this evolutionary change occurred at a time characterised by peace, cooperation and ecological abundance. Animals born to competitive species or into harsh environments need to be able to be independent quickly and their minds need to be focused tightly on the challenges of their lives. Only if our ancestors lived peacefully and cooperatively in a food-rich environment with not too many predators would they have the leisurely lifestyle, over countless generations, to allow the nurturing period to be extended. And only if their minds did not have to be focussed day in and day out on survival would those minds have had the freedom to develop more complex pathways which would enable them to begin to gather and associate information which might at first seem irrelevant. And thus, in such a social environment, our intelligence could begin to grow.

But, clearly, since our recorded history as a species has been marked by so much brutality, something must have gone wrong somewhere.

Our developing intelligence no doubt provided us with many useful ideas. But it also gave birth to a very destructive one - idealism. We learned to make a distinction between certain forms of behaviour, which we classed as “good” and others which we classed as “evil”.

The most likely source for our concept of evil was the predatory behaviour of some other kind of animal. If our lives were based around the nurturing of children, then whenever one of our infants was killed by a wild animal it would seem a manifestation of some mysterious dark other. Our minds would want to understand this paradox, and it would be necessary to protect ourselves against such predation. In killing the predators and seeking to better understand them, we would have taken on some of their competitive aggressive characteristics. And thus, in some small way, the forces of good and evil came to contend within our community.

By idealism, I mean the idea that we should distinguish between the behaviour we think of as “good” and the behaviour we think of as “bad” and, by an act of will, strive to pursue the former and to discipline ourselves and each other regarding the latter. On the surface this seems like a sensible idea. That is why the idealism has been such a problem for us. Down through history it has acted like a thought virus, blighting our society.

One way to understand the problem it created is to think of ourselves - as individuals - and of our society as self-stabilising systems. When we push such a system in one direction it pushes back in the opposite direction.

When our “good” behaviour is motivated by pleasure, as is the case with love and its Oxytocin hit, it is self-sustaining. We experience a mutuality of self-interest.

On the other hand, if we engage in “good” behaviour, or restrain “bad” behaviour, through fear of some form of punishment, we experience the bitterness of resentment. And if we pride ourselves on our “good” behaviour, we are contributing to the establishment of a neurotic character structure - our embattled ego - whose reward and punishment system runs counter to that of love and stands as a barrier to it.

A requirement of love is acceptance. Unconditional love means unconditional acceptance. Unconditional self-acceptance is the basis for mental health and for the capacity to love others. And amongst the members of a society, the more conditions are placed upon mutual acceptance the less love is possible. Idealism brought with it the idea that it is appropriate that there should be more and more restrictive conditions placed on our acceptance of each other.

And, as all of this undermined our self-acceptance, we became more and more selfish. Selfishness is the natural self-directedness of the suffering individual. If you hit your thumb with a hammer, can you think of much other than your thumb?

While it was idealism which gave birth to our capacity for selfishness and hostility, it is not hard to see that that selfishness and hostility would breed more of the same.

We can see this whole situation symbolised in the myth of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The problem began when they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They were inspired to do this by a deadly animal - a snake. The story says that it was Eve who was tempted by the snake. If the animal killed a baby then it makes sense that it would have been a women who first insisted that the riddle of its killer’s deadly behaviour be solved. When they began thinking about the nature of good and evil, Adam and Eve became ashamed of their nakedness and clothed themselves. Nakedness is a symbol for honesty. In the absence of idealism’s unforgiving gaze, we are acceptable as we are - warts and all. It is only after the arrival of idealism that we would have begun to hide our true selves behind a false persona for fear of being rejected.

This is a very interesting book, despite what some some reviewers say (are they reading the same book??). I haven't finished it completely yet but I'm intrigued by some of the concepts. The author has a different way of expressing ideas or making a point than what I'm used to, but once you realise that you can start to think about what it is he is saying. And it's a refreshingly optimistic view, so thank you Mr Griffith.

The answers to the "human condition" were already reseached, discovered, understood and resolved in 1950 via the book "Dianetics, the Modern Science of Mental Health". It offers proven, workable, repeatable methods to rid one's self and others of the "conflict" this author describes in his book.

The contents contained within this book are nothing short of amasing indeed Transforming. It left me in total awe at what I had just picked up and read. All you ever wanted to know about us Humans from pre-consciousness to the dawn of consciousness right through to the current state where humanity finds itself ‘The dawn of our emancipation’.

In Freedom the author Jeremy Griffith grapples the greatest of all questions concerning ‘US’ humans, The Human Condition - namely why have we been un-ideally behaved when clearly the ideals are to be cooperative, caring and loving. The author ultimately addresses this Good vs Evil state that has been troubling our species since the dawn of our consciousness.

Central to his explanation of the Human Condition is the biological synthesis the author puts forward in Freedom. He goes into great detail in explaining how we acquired our instincts, our conscience and our intellect, our consciousness and the resulting battle that broke out between these two learning systems being the root cause of the Human Condition as one was an insightful learning system whereas the other was essentially un-insightful or an orientating system. This theory the author puts forth runs contrary to popular conventional thought that is currently being taught everywhere that namely we humans have savage animal instincts and how our intellect has been trying to supress this or civilise this savage side of us. Indeed this theory totally flips this about. He reveals how ‘Love Indoctrination’ established our loving caring instincts and how it also liberated the mind and allowed us to become conscious. It is sure to knock you off your perch.

However, Freedom is not just another book merely about science but really a coming together of knowledge. The author has gone to tremendous effort in piecing together the Arts, Religion and Science into this wholistic masterpiece which explains our human nature as can be evidenced by one of my favourite passages so far in Freedom by nobel prize winning physicist Charles H. Townes ‘they (religion and science) both represent man’s efforts to understand his universe and ultimately be dealing with the same substance. As we understand more in each realm, the two must grow together….converge they must.’ You definitely get the impression that the author wants you to feel this journey that all of humanity has been on since time immemorial.

Nonetheless, you’re bound to go through your own journey with Freedom and what it reveals to you, but take it as that, a journey that all humans have been on and now we’ve arrived at our point of understanding and finally we can begin to ‘know that integrative loving state for the first time and be in it’.

So go forth my fellow Humans and know thy self I cannot encourage you enough. Freedom is a MUST, MUST read for everyone !

In 1983 Australian biologist Jeremy Griffith made a submission to the journals Nature and New Scientist called FREE: The End of the Human Condition. In this 20-page document, Jeremy describes not only our human condition, he even explains the meaning of life in scientific terms. Already back then he claimed that his explanation will end all wars on earth and bring freedom to humanity. This is exactly what he still wants to achieve today with FREEDOM – the book that saves the world.

Printing the message that this book will save the world on the top of its cover seems a bit much and if I tell my friends to take a look at FREEDOM and Jeremy Griffith's ideas, they are often skeptical. To be honest, I felt the exact same scepticism when I first discovered the book. It was only after I read a few chapters (which are all available for free on humancondition.com) that I gave FREEDOM a real chance.

There is no point in explaining the human condition in this review, because I could never do it as adequately as Jeremy Griffith does. That is also why I suggest you go to humancondition.com and watch the 1-minute overview video if you want to understand what’s really going on. And if you are still interested after watching the 7-minute explanation video, you may decide to explore the rest of the site and find even more videos, articles, drawings, books and other publications that give testimony to Jeremy's uncorrupted and honest way of thinking. Or you just start reading the short summary of FREEDOM called Transform Your Life and Save The World to get started.

It will be the most important read of your life. Why? Because it is the only thing that can save humanity from its current vision of the future.

“If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever.” — George Orwell, 1984

Before FREEDOM saves humanity, it has to save you. Just like it saves me from becoming cynical and terminally upset with this world and everyone living in it – especially with myself. I always knew that something was terribly wrong, but before I was reading Jeremy Griffith, the closest I could get to it was George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Both men describe two possible visions of our future, and while Orwell’s future is obviously dark and destructive, Huxley’s Brave New World actually seems pretty nice on the surface. But still, both men’s visions are deeply depressive and thus they forced me to learn more about psychology to handle this depression. Later I started familiarising myself with quantum mechanics and other fields of science to find the answers to my questions. When I realised that mainstream science could not answer them either, I became fascinated with spiritual teachings, mysticism and even conspiracy theories. But all of this only raised more questions – until Jeremy Griffith came along and answered all of them.

This sounds fantastic and the amazing thing is that it is true. And this is not wishful thinking like everything else I was forced to believe (or not believe) before I had discovered FREEDOM. All explanations in this book are based on real science. But not only are they science – they finally explain the why behind everything and even prove that we humans are not bad but actually good after all. We are the heroes of life on earth and Griffith’s vision for our future could not be any brighter!

Everything the World Transformation Movement does to support this information really speaks for itself. You just have to look at humancondition.com and start researching the not-for-profit organisation and find out how they “dedicate themselves to transforming the individual, the human race and thus our world through bringing psychologically relieving biological understanding to the underlying problem in all human affairs”. And man, are they doing a wonderful job at this! The only problem is almost no one in the world is listening. And if people listen, they have a very hard time understanding what's really going on. Our human condition became so confronting that most of us will do absolutely everything to avoid the topic.

That is the crux with the human condition and it is why Jeremy had to do what he is doing for the last 40 years. He started rallying people around him to become living examples of what he calls the Transformed Lifeforce Way of Living. These individuals became the World Transformation Movement and they are the living proof that Jeremy’s ideas work and that life can just be wonderful for everyone of us. Best of all, the Transformed Lifeforce Way of Living is not another religion or yet another false start or deluded way of coping with reality. It is based on science and happens to be our natural state once we understand what's really going on.

This is how Jeremy Griffith saves the world. And I hope with all my heart that he succeeds, and that we will get a critical mass of humans to hear, understand, and live in full support of this information. FREEDOM truly is the book that saves the world. It explains and defends us humans and our destructive behaviour and it will bring eternal peace to earth and inside each and everyone of us. You just have to read it :)

And do not worry if English is not your first language or if you are having any other troubles understanding the book. It will take weeks, months, or maybe years, but even if you have to learn a new language just to read it, it will definitely be worth your time. It will actually be the most important thing you ever did in your life. FREEDOM is the sun after a long cold lonely winter – the sun humanity has been waiting for so long.

“Here comes the sun and I say it's all right” – The Beatles, Here Comes the Sun

Guys, I simply can't believe that a biologist has actually addressed the subject of the human condition...and resolved it!
The extent of the references and thoroughness of this work is incredible. This book has to be one of the greatest books that I have ever read in my life. The book encouraged me to challenge my world view, what I was taught in the education system, what I was taught by family, my own previous political arguments and opinions on the state of the world...the insights in the book just washed away all of the confusion, and placed everything on a sound biological foundation...
I can't recommend this book highly enough. Unlike so many other's I've read before it, 'Freedom' has given me so much understanding, and taught me so much about humanity, about myself, about everything, in a simple, beautiful, clarifying, understandable and accountable presentation.
Do yourself and everyone around you a favour and get this book, analyse and study the scientific insights on human behaviour that are contained within it. You're sure to be blown away, and refreshed by it. I'm filled with so much optimism right now that i actually don't know how to contain the excitement this book has delivered into my life...wow...and to think this is just a book....enjoy!

This book answers every question you could possibly have about the human race ,it explains the state of our world ,why we are so troubled and in chaos,why people can be so greedy ,selfish ,angry etc etc etc . If you want peace in your life or want to know why there is so little of it in the world....well this book talks to your soul . You have to stick with it but it is the most worthwhile read and changes the way we view the world and evolution. I am on my second read ,Jeremy Griffith is a genius.
The powers that be probably do not want you to read this ----go read it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To paraphrase Professor Manning Clark, keep this treasure and hand it on to prosperity so that those who come after will learn about beauty, about awe, about wonder, because it is in the books of Jeremy Griffith that you will have a chance to solve the mystery at the heart of things.