Changing Images of Man

Changing Images of Man is a multidisciplinary study produced by the Center for the Study of Social Policy at SRI International examining how society’s underlying conceptions of human nature shape culture, institutions, values, and public policy. Edited by O. W. Markley and Willis W. Harman, the book traces changing images of humanity through religion, philosophy, science, psychology, and industrial society, arguing that the dominant image of “economic man”—centered on material growth, consumption, and mastery over nature—has become increasingly inadequate for a post-industrial world. It explores systems theory, consciousness research, humanistic psychology, ecology, and spiritual traditions in developing an alternative, integrative and evolutionary image of humankind, then considers how such a transformation could reshape social institutions and facilitate a transition toward a more sustainable global society.