In the opening chapter Eagleman sets a distinct perspective for the reader by showing the parallels between neuroscience & astrophysics. "A typica...moreIn the opening chapter Eagleman sets a distinct perspective for the reader by showing the parallels between neuroscience & astrophysics. "A typical neuron makes about ten thousand connections to neighboring neurons. Given the billions of neurons, this means there are as many connections in a single cubic centimeter of brain tissue as there are stars in the Milky Way Galaxy." And as Stephen Hawkings in The Grand Design proposes there is no God for there is simply no need for God once you understand the birth of our universe, Eagelman suggests there is no need for freewill once you understand how the brain works. "....neuroscience has shown that the conscious mind is not the one driving the boat. A mere four hundred years after our fall from the center of universe, we have experienced the fall from the center of ourselves...... that our thoughts are generated by machinery to which we have no direct access..." I feel cheated. For so long I sought truth in philosophy, religiosity and spirituality when so many of the answers have already arrived through science. Just as it took hundreds of years for the peasants to understand that the world is not flat, that the earth revolves around the sun and so on, our entire society is in the dark about so much we already know thanks to science. When reading Sam Harris' book Free Will, he touches on this. Eagleman takes it to a whole other level. For me, Eagleman is my Morpheus and I am now aware of the Matrix which is my world as well as my mind. Not everything is as it seems. When the Human Genome Project launched, something spectacular should of happened. "Look, science says race doesn't matter!" But as I talked on a bus with a riding buddy about the silly film 10,000 B.C., I was floored when she turns to me and says. "But that movie isn't accurate." Of which I immediately agreed, but there's more. "Everybody knows black people didn't exist back then." I chuckle tensely, "Excuse me?" Is all I get out. "Black people came from apes. They weren't around then." But it gets worse. As I explain the latest finds in geology, genealogy as well as archeology, like Ardi and so forth, I found a tension building around me from the other pedestrians, disgusted by my illusions of grandeur. (I'm African American by the way). "Did you hear her? Oh my Lord!" Whispered one of the women. That's what I get for talking about science in Kentucky, home to the creationist museum and soon a life sized replica of Noah's Ark. What are we supposed to do about this? Can I buy a copy of Eagleman's book for each of them so they can understand the archaicness of our current justice system? So many of them still can't even read!(less)
What do we mean when we say we "know" something? Isn't belief just a way to buy in?
If we can look back at the authenticity of the Mad Men show and cr...moreWhat do we mean when we say we "know" something? Isn't belief just a way to buy in?
If we can look back at the authenticity of the Mad Men show and cringe at their anachronistic missteps, what stupidity will we look back from this present time? Will it be the folly of organic foods or the necessity of permaculture? What about the truth of climate change or why we weren't more skeptical of what are considered exaggerated claims within the world of environmentalism? Or will we look back at our obsession with sexual orientation and the stereotypes that follow suit and laugh at the absurdity of it all? How about America's incessant belief in moral and social superiority when we have the worst social record of any developed nation from highest incarcerations, illiteracy, poverty, child hunger and violence to name a few. Will we look back at our unfounded testimony on positive thinking leading to wealth while inhaling the world's anti-depressants and be ashamed?
If anything Mad Men teaches us that our desires (whether created or actualized) don't discriminate from reality and illusion. If our emotions are allowed to dictate our perceptions and our perceptions can be manipulated, then what of freewill? Ironically it is our assumed knowledge of the rights and wrongs that allows these characters to behave void of ethics. We are not very different today and yet we are entertained by their debaucheries from our position "in the know" here in the future of rights and wrongs we've evolved to understand. So how today do we live in veridicality?
Protests must be signed off with permits. Radio Stations require to be certified to run. Television channels require corporate backing. To own & operate a printing press you must be approved and register. Even at this, people are maced, hosed and sometimes even killed at protests. Shock Jockeys are thrown off the air when they say something someone doesn't like. Books are destroyed for disclosing personal accounts deemed a threat to national security. And now corporations are people and these "people" are trying to censor the internet. Thinking against the mainstream isn't illegal but our history is wrought with evidence that it might as well be. Mad Men points this out in amplification.
We turn to Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. We hear economic visionaries and philosophers Ayn Rand and Galbraith. We even hear the philosophies of Ralph Ellison without direct mention. We get to postulate on Karl Marx's perception of money and the "slave mentality." We listen in on Nietzsche explaining how you either create your values or are consumers of them. Heavy.
John Adams once said that "There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation. One is by the sword. The other is by debt." Surely this is a simplification but it is relevant to note America is enslaved to no nation, nations are enslaved to us. We are the Mad Men in all their profligating hedonistic glory. And anytime someone doesn't want to play the proverbial "capitalist globalization" ball, we go to war. We are an empire, sadly one that is not on the decline as everyone seems to think. We are still thriving, we still have the highest GDP in the world, but we do have some markers indicating our eventual demise, one being the growing economic disparity of its citizens akin to an accepted financial apartheid whereas certain people are entitled to everything and others to nothing. We are consistently being convinced through an onslaught of media propaganda of this alleged fact. We can thank Mad Men for pointing this out.
One hard truth is understanding the hoi polloi worldview dictates the level of cultutal evolution and progression even possible. I look back at the early 60's when I watch the show Mad Men and like so many watchers, it is easy to point out the sheer stupidity in sexism, racism and homophobia people tolerated back then. Much like then, we embrace our homogenous spirit-crushing nature the same way they did. We tolerate it because majority rules even if said majority is being socially engineered.(less)
The premise sounded interesting enough. And when I learned this professor of behavioral economics was also a researcher for the Fed, (Translation: He'...moreThe premise sounded interesting enough. And when I learned this professor of behavioral economics was also a researcher for the Fed, (Translation: He's paid to promote personal failure = personal responsibilty and that capitalism is good for all because the Fed pays me to say so.) I anticipated a very Game Theorist/Freakonomics rhetoric. Benefit of doubt left me undeterred. With discernment, even truth can be discovered amidst lies. I opened to the introduction and read a list of what are obviously rhetorical questions presented to an illiterate non-analytical reader, who before him, unequivocally never fully pondered the likes of these "deep behavioral issues." And then he follows up with arrogantly promosing the reader that by the end of this book "you'll know" obviously with dismissive authority of a fundamentalist zealot "the answers to these questions and many other questions that have implications for your personal life, for your business life, and for the way you look at the world."
Wow, I'm sorry, is this a self-help book? Did I stumble into the land of life coaches who present their own ideology and claim prosperity in following their way, truth and life?
"Understanding the impact of the Ten Commandments in curbing dishonesty might help prevent the next Enron-like fraud."
That doubtfuls in Biblical proportions.
Grab up a sample & refer to the Intro.
Rhetorical Question #1 Answer: From childhood throughout our lives, we are constantly inundated with commercials and advertisements (as well as drugs within our foods) to help you salivate over the most unhealthy foods. And while empty of nuition these foods are, our body's biological need for actual nutrition tricks us into begging for more. On the other hand, there is no cheerleaders for broccoli. There is no one insisting on a wholesome meal made from scratch. If you decide to go outside, turn on the radio, watch television or surf the web, is it really a surprise to you that you cannot keep to a diet? Refer to books Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.
Rhetorical Question #2 Answer: Overconsumption is the byproduct of being part of a capitalistic society and does not advocate individuality nor personal responsibility as many economists in the Fed's pocket would like you to believe. Reference Carter's Malaise speech and you will understand the rational foresight in his words. Sustainability is the antithesis of the capitalist creed. All commercials and ads are designed to make you believe true happiness lies in you consuming the next new stupid piece of shit.
Rhetorical Question #3 Answer: Aspirin comes originally from the Bayer Co. Their first marketable product was heroine. They only vilified heroine after it was fully accessible on the black market and no longer taxable. It had nothing to do with the health and well being of U.S. Citizens. So if Bayer doesnt give a rats ass about whether you live or die, of course they would prefer you bought the more expensive version of their aspirin product. Refer to This is Your Country on Drugs by Ryan Grim
Rhetorical Question #4 Answer: There is absolutely no statistical evidence supporting a higher or lower moral aptitude as a result of religiously fundamentalist thinking. Refer to Chaper 6 & 7 of The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.(less)
"We've gone so far down this yellow brick road that 'positive' seems to us not only normal but normative."
Positive thinking at its core is only possib...more"We've gone so far down this yellow brick road that 'positive' seems to us not only normal but normative."
Positive thinking at its core is only possible with an affluent society, a nation where all their basic needs are assumed to be met and therefore we can postulate on the effects of emotional "vibrations" we emote. To tell a starving child to "think positive" or a homeless person to "smile" or a youth dying because of lack of healthcare that the right atitude could change everything completely ridiculous. Just like "the power of prayer" the concept of positive thinking only takes root with those priviledged enough to think it warrants any attention at all. One is doing themselves a great disservice in disregarding negative outcomes in the hopes of increasing the odds in one's favor. Believing failure is the result of one's inability to stay bright sided is a great way to take personal responsibility for factors that most likely are outside your control. Shunning those who complain and sometimes blame the true culprits of one's misery is a great way to maintain blind nationalism within a "democracy" akin to a totalitarian state for we are America the Exceptional. I am shocked and appalled at my own inability to escape this nonsense until now. To have lived under such delusion for so long even being one who advocates critical thinking over "positive thinking" exemplifies the power of inundation since birth. I am very lucky to have found this book for I am liberated.(less)
If I'd known this was a "self-help" book, I wouldn't have picked it up. I thought it was research from possibly a marketing or anthropolistic standpoi...moreIf I'd known this was a "self-help" book, I wouldn't have picked it up. I thought it was research from possibly a marketing or anthropolistic standpoint. Not so much.(less)
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