Dylan Evans
Encyclopedia
Dylan Evans is a British
academic and author who has written books on emotion
and the placebo effect
as well as the theories of Jacques Lacan
.
on 29 September 1966 and went to school at Sevenoaks School
and West Kent College of Further Education
.
At Southampton University
he studied Spanish and Linguistics and later he received his doctorate in philosophy from the London School of Economics
.
, and wrote a standard reference work in the field. Evans eventually came to doubt the scientific validity of Lacanianism, and ultimately abandoned the field because he was worried Lacanianism harmed rather than helped patients. Evans resigned from the position of senior lecturer at the University of the West of England to start a project in sustainable living called the Utopia Experiment.
Evans was briefly a Lecturer in Behavioural Science in the School of Medicine at University College Cork. In 2010 the university gave him the "President's Award for Research on Innovative Forms of Teaching" for his Cork Science Cafe project (together with colleague Catherine O'Mahony).
Risk intelligence
is one of his research areas.
On September 15, 2010, Evans, along with 54 other public figures, signed an open letter published in The Guardian
, stating their opposition to Pope Benedict XVI
's state visit to the UK.
In spring 2010 Evans was accused of sexual harassment
of a colleague Salerno Kennedy, by showing her a published article about oral sex among fruit bats
. His employer imposed a "two-year period of monitoring and appraisal under the university’s duty of respect and 'right to dignity' policy," leading Evans to mount a campaign, attracting more than 3000 petition signatures, defending the principle of freedom of expression. In the course of the campaign, confidential documents were leaked, and UCC launched disciplinary action against Evans for alleged breach of confidentiality. Disciplinary proceedings were halted when Evans applied for judicial review at the Irish High Court. On 1 December 2010 the High Court quashed the sanctions imposed on Evans by the President of UCC, which the judge described as "grossly disproportionate", and awarded costs to Evans. The Court upheld the original finding of harassment, but the judge pointed out that "there can be different forms of sexual harassment, ranging from highly objectionable to mildly objectionable" and that "this was at the very lower end of the scale in this case." UCC responded by issuing a statement stating that they were satisfied with the High Court's decision to uphold the original harassment finding, and they declared their intention to proceed with disciplinary proceedings against Evans for alleged breach of confidence. In June 2011 Evans brought a second judicial review against UCC for breaching the data protection act in relation to their disciplinary proceedings against him. UCC initially fought the case but then suddenly offered an out of court settlement. Evans dropped his case against UCC in return for an undisclosed sum, and resigned from UCC to pursue his business interests.
He is an atheist and a supporter of the British Humanist Association.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
academic and author who has written books on emotion
Emotion
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...
and the placebo effect
Placebo effect
Placebo effect may refer to:* Placebo effect, the tendency of any medication or treatment, even an inert or ineffective one, to exhibit results simply because the recipient believes that it will work...
as well as the theories of Jacques Lacan
Jacques Lacan
Jacques Marie Émile Lacan was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist who made prominent contributions to psychoanalysis and philosophy, and has been called "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Freud". Giving yearly seminars in Paris from 1953 to 1981, Lacan influenced France's...
.
Early life and education
Evans was born in BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
on 29 September 1966 and went to school at Sevenoaks School
Sevenoaks School
Sevenoaks School is an English coeducational independent school located in the town of Sevenoaks, Kent. It is the oldest lay school in the United Kingdom, dating back to 1432. Almost 1,000 day pupils and boarders attend, ranging in age from 11 to 18 years. There are approximately equal numbers of...
and West Kent College of Further Education
West Kent College
South & West Kent College is a college of Further and Higher Education in southeast England that was formed from the merger of West Kent College with South Kent College in April 2010...
.
At Southampton University
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
he studied Spanish and Linguistics and later he received his doctorate in philosophy from the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
Academic career
Evans worked at the University of Bath and the University of the West of England. Evans was a psychoanalyst in the style of Jacques LacanJacques Lacan
Jacques Marie Émile Lacan was a French psychoanalyst and psychiatrist who made prominent contributions to psychoanalysis and philosophy, and has been called "the most controversial psycho-analyst since Freud". Giving yearly seminars in Paris from 1953 to 1981, Lacan influenced France's...
, and wrote a standard reference work in the field. Evans eventually came to doubt the scientific validity of Lacanianism, and ultimately abandoned the field because he was worried Lacanianism harmed rather than helped patients. Evans resigned from the position of senior lecturer at the University of the West of England to start a project in sustainable living called the Utopia Experiment.
Evans was briefly a Lecturer in Behavioural Science in the School of Medicine at University College Cork. In 2010 the university gave him the "President's Award for Research on Innovative Forms of Teaching" for his Cork Science Cafe project (together with colleague Catherine O'Mahony).
Risk intelligence
Risk intelligence
Risk intelligence is a relatively new term used in different ways by different writers. The US business writer David Apgar, who coined the term in 2006, defines it as the capacity to learn about risk from experience...
is one of his research areas.
On September 15, 2010, Evans, along with 54 other public figures, signed an open letter published in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, stating their opposition to Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
's state visit to the UK.
In spring 2010 Evans was accused of sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
of a colleague Salerno Kennedy, by showing her a published article about oral sex among fruit bats
Fruit Bats
Fruit Bats is an American rock band formed in 1997 in Chicago. Noted as an early entrant into the folk-rock boom of the early 2000s, the group has had many personnel changes but revolves around singer/songwriter Eric D. Johnson.-History:In 2000, Eric D...
. His employer imposed a "two-year period of monitoring and appraisal under the university’s duty of respect and 'right to dignity' policy," leading Evans to mount a campaign, attracting more than 3000 petition signatures, defending the principle of freedom of expression. In the course of the campaign, confidential documents were leaked, and UCC launched disciplinary action against Evans for alleged breach of confidentiality. Disciplinary proceedings were halted when Evans applied for judicial review at the Irish High Court. On 1 December 2010 the High Court quashed the sanctions imposed on Evans by the President of UCC, which the judge described as "grossly disproportionate", and awarded costs to Evans. The Court upheld the original finding of harassment, but the judge pointed out that "there can be different forms of sexual harassment, ranging from highly objectionable to mildly objectionable" and that "this was at the very lower end of the scale in this case." UCC responded by issuing a statement stating that they were satisfied with the High Court's decision to uphold the original harassment finding, and they declared their intention to proceed with disciplinary proceedings against Evans for alleged breach of confidence. In June 2011 Evans brought a second judicial review against UCC for breaching the data protection act in relation to their disciplinary proceedings against him. UCC initially fought the case but then suddenly offered an out of court settlement. Evans dropped his case against UCC in return for an undisclosed sum, and resigned from UCC to pursue his business interests.
He is an atheist and a supporter of the British Humanist Association.
The Utopia Experiment
He spent a while running the "Utopia Experiment" in the Highlands of Scotland. This was to be a self-sufficient group of people growing their own food, with no television and limited use of electricity for eighteen months.Books
- Emotion, Evolution and Rationality (2004)
- Placebo: The Belief Effect (2003)
- Introducing Evolution (2001)
- Emotion: The Science of Sentiment (2001)
- Introducing Evolutionary PsychologyEvolutionary psychologyEvolutionary psychology is an approach in the social and natural sciences that examines psychological traits such as memory, perception, and language from a modern evolutionary perspective. It seeks to identify which human psychological traits are evolved adaptations, that is, the functional...
(1999) - An Introductory Dictionary of Lacanian Psychoanalysis (1996)