Ron’s Reviews > Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion > Status Update

Through chapter 3. Apparently it took 100 pages to say that the self is an illusion the brain creates to provide a sense of cohesion between our experiences, emotions, and ideas. Not that much of a stretch, considering we often act before consciously thinking and then come up with a justification later.

Chapter 2 was okay,not as strong as the first. TL;DR - We don't know what the stuff of consciousness is, but research suggests that it's not in any one place, nor is it immutable. He cites the studies on split brain patients suggesting that each hemisphere is basically a distinct personality guided by whatever memories and abilities it can access from its side.

Chapter 2 seems to be getting into the subject of what consciousness is. Both scientific and religious explanations leave plenty to be desired, and deep down we can only be sure of our own experiences, so introspection is the best way to understand our own consciousness.

To recap, religion isn't just a scam; it gives people a platform to explore the vastness around them and inside them. Unfortunately, most religions come packaged with beliefs that the author doesn't care for. Buddhism, however, has a core of empirically testable practices and doesn't require a belief in the otherworldly, so we'll start there. (1/2)

I like the author so far; he's the kind of atheist who doesn't automatically dismiss religion as a scam or mass idiocy. In order to have survived this long, he reasons, religion must satisfy some basic human need. Specifically, it is the most common path by which people engage in deep contemplation, and in so doing break free (however briefly) of the constant search for material comforts.