Magical Thinking Ain’t All Bad, I Guess
I just finished reading The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking: How Irrational Thinking Keeps Us Happy, Healthy, and Sane (http://goo.gl/d5FOlB) by Matthew Hutson, and it was a truly fascinating book. I haven’t really had enough time to truly process it all and will really need to re-read it, as I’m sure that I missed a lot.
Maybe Skepticism Alone Ain’t a Good Thing?
While I left Christianity and all organized religion behind about a decade ago, and over the last couple of years have become increasingly interested in the Skeptical movement of analytical thinking and understanding, I am also at heart a deeply “spiritual” person. It is admittedly a strange dichotomy that I don’t understand, but this book has helped me come to terms with it. At the current time, at least, I identify most closely with Zen Buddhism or Taoism, although I certainly wouldn’t call myself a Buddhist or Taoist. They are simply the philosophies that resonate most deeply with me.
As I’ve become more involved with skeptical thinking, I’ve often thought that humanity would be best off if religion were just gone. After this book, however, that idea has been deeply undermined. It seems that our brains may indeed be hard-wired (evolutionarily) to seek out signs of immanence, divinity, greater purpose, etc. and that even those who do their utmost to escape it still harbor some tendencies of which they themselves are unaware.
Anyway – some random thoughts this Saturday morning. I’ve been reading a lot more recently and learning a ton. We’re early in a 10-day stay-at-home vacation, and I’m planning to spend a LOT more time reading this week.
Recently Read:
➣ The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking http://goo.gl/d5FOlB
➣ The Gluten Lie: and Other Myths about the Foods You Eat http://goo.gl/yuTfFp
➣ Being Mortal: Medicine and What Happens in the End http://goo.gl/v3YKx5
➣ 10 Things I Hate About ADHD: Plus 10 More http://goo.gl/00H8yU
➣ American Shaolin http://goo.gl/NRX5KU
Next Up on the Reading List
➣ The Improbability Principle: Why Coincidences, Miracles, and Rare Events Happen Every Day http://goo.gl/5fqOkH
➣ SuperIntelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies http://goo.gl/FF7cNY
➣ 7 Crucial Tips for Parents and Teachers of Children with ADHD http://goo.gl/0GzpWe
#booksiveread #criticalthinking #livingasacredlife #mindfulness #ourbrainsarereallywierd