Dominic Johnson
is Alistair Buchan Professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford
Politics Editor
Dominic Johnson is Alistair Buchan Professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford. He received a D.Phil. from Oxford in evolutionary biology, and a Ph.D. from Geneva University in political science. Drawing on both disciplines, he is interested in how new research on evolution and human biology is challenging theories of international relations, conflict, and cooperation. For the 2012-2013 academic year, he is co-leading a project on evolution and human nature at the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton.
Groups with
Dominic Johnson
Authored by
Dominic Johnson
February 9, 2012
Natural Security: Evolutionary Insights For 21st Century Threats
The core idea is to use insights from biology and evolution to tackle an empirical challenge we face in the real worldThe Natural Security project uses similar evolutionary principles to offer a fresh perspective on our understanding of security threats, as well as to design effective responses to those threats. While evolution may seem to be a simplistic paradigm, especially applied to complex issues such as human conflict, this simplicity is its power.
February 9, 2012
Natural Security: Evolutionary Insights For 21st Century Threats
The core idea is to use insights from biology and evolution to tackle an empirical challenge we face in the real worldThe Natural Security project uses similar evolutionary principles to offer a fresh perspective on our understanding of security threats, as well as to design effective responses to those threats. While evolution may seem to be a simplistic paradigm, especially applied to complex issues such as human conflict, this simplicity is its power.
February 12, 2013
D-Day: Darwin’s March on Politics
If we are to understand human behavior, evolutionary theory offers the single most powerful and parsimonious framework for doing so. As editors of the politics section, we aim to provide a forum for all new research on politics, irrespective of topic or level of analysis, but unified by a common focus on applying the insights of evolution to the many puzzles of political behavior.
November 18, 2015
God Is Watching You: How the Fear of God Makes Us Human
Read an excerpt from Dominic Johnson's new book 'God is Watching You' where he presents a new theory of the origins and evolution of not only religion, but also human cooperation and society, and explores how fear of supernatural punishment exists within and outside of religious contexts.
March 4, 2016
The Ends of War: Human Evolution and the Origins of Inter-Group Violence
If we want to understand the beliefs and behavior of people locked in deadly conflict with each other, we first need to consider these traits in their natural context, and that means understanding war in human evolution.
July 21, 2016
Religion through an Evolutionary Lens: A Conversation about Dominic Johnson’s “God is Watching You”
Dominic Johnson's new book present an new look at religion by suggesting that the same underlying scientific perspective—evolution and natural selection—can lead to a very different stance on religion from Richard Dawkins and other New Atheists.