About

The goal for Understanding Life is to create a scholarly commons dedicated to a simple question: What does it mean to be a living, thinking being?

Initially, this site will bring together three open educational resources—About Development, Enacting Life, and Human Brains—into a unified platform. See peterjmarshall.com for more details of these resources.

Going forward, this dynamic resource will grow into a free, open, and accessible resource for learners worldwide. The aims are to:

• Provide clear, integrative materials that go beyond conventional textbooks.
• Support educators with adaptable, evidence-based resources.
• Invite contributions from scientists, teachers, and students to keep the commons alive and evolving.

Over time, we hope the site will grow into a community where psychology connects with biology, neuroscience, and philosophy to deepen our understanding of what it means to live, learn, and create meaning as humans.