What a lushly packed article with so many brain-tickling rabbit-holes—from the nature of science to cognitive biases to theology to philosophy to psychology and beyond. Makes me want to relish some Oliver Sacks (“Hallucinations” is probably the most apropos for this article’s reflections on the brain’s deceptive perceptions of reality).
What a lushly packed article with so many brain-tickling rabbit-holes—from the nature of science to cognitive biases to theology to philosophy to psychology and beyond. Makes me want to relish some Oliver Sacks (“Hallucinations” is probably the most apropos for this article’s reflections on the brain’s deceptive perceptions of reality).
If we could simply get the average person to understand the distinction between science (a process) and Scientism (a religion), we’d be a long way toward overcoming the cult of Covidianism.
“We’ve arranged the society based on science and technology in which nobody understands anything about science and technology, and this combustible mixture of ignorance and power sooner or later is gonna blow up in our faces.…
“Science is more than a body of knowledge. It’s a way of thinking, a way of skeptically interrogating the universe with a fine understanding of human fallibility. If we are not able to ask skeptical questions to interrogate those who tell us that something is true, to be skeptical of those in authority, then we’re up for grabs for the next charlatan—political or religious—who comes ambling along.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcD1M9D1b0E&t=4s)
Thank you also for highlighting Joost Meerloo’s “Rape of the Mind,” which I listed as my #1 book recommendation in my “Letter to the Menticided” (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/letter-to-the-menticided-a-12-step). It packs so much propaganda-detonating wisdom into so few pages, it should be required reading for all humans.
I thought you might like to know I wound up publishing my exchange with the contentious commenter I mentioned the other day:
Turning lemons into lemonade, I used it as an opportunity to examine the growing divisiveness within the Resistance. I challenged her to undergo some honest self-reflection, shift from a destructive to a constructive role, and join us in punching up instead of sideways. We’ll see if she takes any of it to heart, but perhaps it will help others awaken to their own self-destructive negativity.
What a lushly packed article with so many brain-tickling rabbit-holes—from the nature of science to cognitive biases to theology to philosophy to psychology and beyond. Makes me want to relish some Oliver Sacks (“Hallucinations” is probably the most apropos for this article’s reflections on the brain’s deceptive perceptions of reality).
If we could simply get the average person to understand the distinction between science (a process) and Scientism (a religion), we’d be a long way toward overcoming the cult of Covidianism.
I can’t help but return to the Carl Sagan quote I cited in my “Letter to the California Legislature” (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/letter-to-the-california-legislature):
“We’ve arranged the society based on science and technology in which nobody understands anything about science and technology, and this combustible mixture of ignorance and power sooner or later is gonna blow up in our faces.…
“Science is more than a body of knowledge. It’s a way of thinking, a way of skeptically interrogating the universe with a fine understanding of human fallibility. If we are not able to ask skeptical questions to interrogate those who tell us that something is true, to be skeptical of those in authority, then we’re up for grabs for the next charlatan—political or religious—who comes ambling along.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcD1M9D1b0E&t=4s)
Thank you also for highlighting Joost Meerloo’s “Rape of the Mind,” which I listed as my #1 book recommendation in my “Letter to the Menticided” (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/letter-to-the-menticided-a-12-step). It packs so much propaganda-detonating wisdom into so few pages, it should be required reading for all humans.
I thought you might like to know I wound up publishing my exchange with the contentious commenter I mentioned the other day:
• “Dialogue with a Divider” (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/dialogue-with-a-divider/)
Turning lemons into lemonade, I used it as an opportunity to examine the growing divisiveness within the Resistance. I challenged her to undergo some honest self-reflection, shift from a destructive to a constructive role, and join us in punching up instead of sideways. We’ll see if she takes any of it to heart, but perhaps it will help others awaken to their own self-destructive negativity.
As are you, Virginia 🤗