Dominic Johnson received a D.Phil. from Oxford University 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 nature is challenging traditional understandings of international relations, conflict, cooperation and religion. He is the author of numerous scientific journal articles, as well as Overconfidence and War: The Havoc and Glory of Positive Illusions (2004) and, with Dominic Tierney, Failing to Win: Perceptions of Victory and Defeat in International Politics (2006). For more information see www.dominicdpjohnson.com.

"This broad, reasonable presentation is amply documented with anthropological and biological evidence that religious belief is a by-product of evolution... Highly recommended [for] lower-division undergraduates through faculty." --CHOICE

"A masterful synthesis of current research in the cognitive science of religion (CSR). It makes accessible a wide range of CSR literature to the general non-academic reader, while also providing a useful and compelling narrative of the extant literature for an academic audience." -- Mary H. Bugbee, Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture

"Think God is good? Think again. In his stunning new book, God Is Watching You, Johnson pulls back the curtain on tens of thousands of years of human evolution to reveal how religion's enduring success lies almost entirely in our belief in divine wrath and an unforgiving universe. And before you say, 'speak for yourself,' read this book. As it turns out, even atheists aren't immune." --Jesse Bering, author of The Belief Instinct

"According to Dominic Johnson, religion comes naturally to us because it is a biological adaptation. But if so, could we--and should we--seek to replace religion with secular institutions that serve similar functions? This lucid and highly entertaining book offers some surprising answers that will stimulate debate for years to come." --Harvey Whitehouse, author of Modes of Religiosity

"God Is Watching You is a remarkable book. Dominic Johnson brings his unique multidisciplinary expertise to every page and I simply marvel at the breadth, clarity, and acuity of his exposition. Johnson not only offers a novel and strongly supported explanation of how religion evolved, but crucially, he astutely explores the important implications of this evolutionary legacy for our world today." --Richard Sosis, James Barnett Professor of Humanistic Anthropology, University of Connecticut

"In a world where creationists deny evolution and atheists decry belief in God, Dominic Johnson provides a lot of answers by explaining belief in gods as an evolutionary adaptation." --David Sloan Wilson, author of Darwin's Cathedral and Does Altruism Exist?