Uncomfortable Ideas

by Bo Bennett

Many of our ideas about the world are based more on feelings than facts, sensibilities than science, and rage than reality. We gravitate toward ideas that make us feel comfortable in areas such as religion, politics, philosophy, social justice, love and sex, humanity, and morality. We avoid ideas that make us feel uncomfortable. This avoidance is a largely unconscious process that affects our judgment and gets in the way of our ability to reach rational and reasonable conclusions. By understanding how our mind works in this area, we can start embracing uncomfortable ideas and be better informed, be more understanding of others, and make better decisions in all areas of life.

Some uncomfortable ideas entertained in this book:

- Political correctness can be harmful
- Identity politics is a dangerous game
- Morality is functionally democratic
- Victims often do share some of the responsibility
- God is a far more horrifying character than Satan
- There is no such thing as freewill
- Americans are manipulated into being pro-war
- Non-whites can be racist, and women can be sexist
- Some people do "choose to be gay"
- Sometimes the bad guys win
- Obese people are not perfect the way they are
- It's okay to find inappropriate jokes funny

Facts don't care about feelings. Science isn't concerned about sensibilities. And reality couldn't care less about rage.
Uncomfortable ideas. Prepare for a bumpy ride.

Genres: Philosophy, Psychology, Nonfiction

146 pages, Hardcover

Published October 30, 2016

About the author

See http://www.bobennett.com

Reviews

[Jef · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically this book was just boring. Nothing new; extremely cursory treatments of ideas. Interesting bits are few and far between (like, I could count them on one hand). The author, who describes himself as a “social psychologist and a self-proclaimed moral philosopher” chose brevity and breadth (at least limited breadth: it was mostly just politics and religion) over in-depth discussion of fewer ideas, which basically meant the ideas were described and defended extremely superficially. Which basically means he didn’t say anything you’ve never heard before. Which basically means the book is just boring.

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thought-provoking. There was really little new – i.e., the ideas all made sense and were relevant and timely, but having them spelled out and individually pointed out did make one think and potentially cause mental discomfort. It emphasized that even when you make the "right" decision, it is often NOT without consequence emotionally, and what's "right" for you may or may not be defendable in general and in all situations. DEFINITELY thought-provoking…

[Kopesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a big injection of political correctness in this. But the entire book was awesome. Pretty good introduction to reason, logic and its impact on society and science. Wish it was longer.
Get it if you can. It is quite short but it will be a difficult read, if you are weak and can't stand somebody attacking you.

[Hanna Newby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Won this in a Goodreads giveaway, and was pleasantly surprised. The last few I won were, to be honest, stinkers.

The Good:
- This book made me think in new and, yes, often uncomfortable ways.
- Though some bias is inevitable, the author did a good job of presenting both sides of an argument, and providing facts to support differing points of view.
- The author's writing style is open and honest, intelligent without just spewing facts (such an easy trap for an author to fall into), and almost conversational at times.
- This book WILL create interesting dialogues and discussions. My fiance and I quickly were discussing issues and whether to bring the book to a family gathering sometime.

The Bad:
- I don't see why it was necessary to market the book as being so incendiary -- just for the sake of being incendiary? When it came down to actually reading, I was a bit put off at times, but never was I angry with the author. I actually think the title and the synopsis on the book jacket is off-putting for many readers. The author freely admits that most people automatically shut down when presented with ideas outside of their comfort zone, and I witnessed this firsthand when showing this book to a friend. She was not even willing to consider reading the book because of the brash wording on the back cover, even though the book itself is much more logical and reasonable in its approach.
- This was an advance copy, so it could have used more editing.
- The conversational tone was fine most of the time, but sometimes it could be a bit jarring.
- The formatting of the book was a bit sporadic and confusing.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good book to read and help question our unquestionable beliefs.

[Vickie Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ouch! Took an upper cut or two but I thoroughly enjoyed the intellectual honesty this book was written with. Definitely gives you pause to consider. Great Job!!