Name James Olson | ||
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James Olson (born Chet Myles Olson; June 27, 1943) is an American philosopher and author. A generalist, his primary focus is on the effects of functional lateralization on consciousness and human behavior. Olson is the author of The Whole-Brain Path to Peace (Origin Press, 2011), a book that seeks to explain human behavior by focusing on mental perspective, the initial stage of perception, rather than on the whole of perception—the latter being the more common approach to understanding the roots of behavior.
Contents
As shared in Olson’s speaking engagements and radio interviews, his passion is to help bring a greater measure of peace to this planet by reducing the level of conflict through greater self-understanding. Olson believes that mental conflict is initiated in the brain/mind complex, the result of profound differences in the polar left hemisphere and the non-polar right hemisphere as expressed though the unique perspectives and ideas that they generate. According to Olson, the perceptual and ideological conflicts that arise can often be consciously eliminated by understanding the two hemispheres as a complementary whole rather than as parts.
Early life
Olson was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He grew up on a farm near Waynoka, Oklahoma, and was an active 4-H member.
A former church deacon, Olson began with a core of conservative Christian values, which were later complemented by the study of other religions and the acquisition of more liberal values as a result of having lived in Paris, France, Vienna, Austria, Murnau, Germany, Schwäbisch Hall, Germany, and Iserlohn, Germany.
After attending Oklahoma State University, Stillwater from 1961-1963, and the University of Vienna, Austria in 1963, Olson graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma, Norman. In 1967 he attended graduate school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Current, ongoing work
In July, 2012, Olson published a research paper on the topic of sexual orientation, “The Role of Brain Dominance in Sexual Orientation”, that has garnered critical media recognition in traditional and LGBT outlets, based on the prevailing controversies around the topic of sexual orientation.
Following the unifying guidelines of philosophy and drawing on his wide-ranging education, Olson has stated that his mission is to help bring the planet’s masculine and feminine energies into greater balance, and therefore into a more peaceful state, through his advocacy of whole-brain thinking.
Previous career
From 1968 – 1987, James Olson worked in agriculture in Woods County, Oklahoma, primarily farming wheat and alfalfa.
Awards
The Whole-Brain Path to Peace is the recipient of several book awards:
Works
The Whole-Brain Path to Peace: The Role of Left- and Right-Brain Dominance in the Polarization and Reunification of America (ISBN 978-1579830557), Origin Press, 2011
“The Role of Brain Dominance in Sexual Orientation”, article, July, 2012
“The Holistic Perspective is the Path to Peace”, article in Wisdom Magazine, Summer 2011
“The Brain's Role in Sexual Orientation”, Guest Opinion in The Bay Area Reporter Online, July 26, 2012
“Our Brains on Peace”, article in Light of Consciousness magazine, Spring 2012
Jesus One: The Life and Wisdom of Jesus in Scripture (ISBN 978-0940298002), Spiritwarrior Publishing Company, 1981
Jesus Two: The Life and Wisdom of Jesus (ISBN 0-940298-03-1), Spiritwarrior Publishing Company, 1982