Download or read book Meaning of Life Human Nature and Delusions written by Rui Diogo and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whatever are your beliefs, background, education, political views or interests, one thing is sure: this book will engage you, teach you something new, and more importantly make you to re-think deeply about critical aspects of your daily-life, including sex, love, food, physical activities, diseases, work and stress, and how you see and deal with other people, other animals, and the planet in general. Indeed, it focuses on topics that have fascinated people from all places and historical periods since times immemorial: Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? Are we progressing, and will we thrive? It does this by integrating in a unique fashion information from ancient Greek, Sumerian, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim texts to high-tech brain research, facts about near-death experiences, Covid-19, QAnon conspiracies, virtual reality and dating aps; from Adam and Eve to the rise of misogyny and racism to Black Lives Matter, Me-Too, Hollywood romantic movies and Disney fairy-tales. Contrary to notions about 'human progress' and 'Homo Deus' defended by authors such as Harari, Pinker and Dawkins, it shows that human history instead involves the repetition of similar imaginary tales created by a combination of traits found in other animals and the uniquely human obsession about 'cosmic purpose' stories related to our awareness of death's inevitability. Organized religions appeared later, chiefly during the rise of agriculture and 'civilizations'. Diogo navigates mesmerizing untold stories revealing a paradox: these events and the industrial 'revolution' increased inequality, oppression, slavery, subjugation of women, famines, plagues, 'work', stress, and suicides. Data from psychology, biology, neurobiology, and cross-cultural studies of hunter-gatherers and so-called 'developed' societies reveal an even more profound paradox: within all forms of life, the 'sapient being' is the one immersed in Neverland's world of unreality - truly a Homo irrationalis, fictus and socialis believing in fictional tales about cosmic 'duties', 'romantic meant to be', demons, inferior 'races' and 'genders', conspiracies, and 'justified' slavery, warfare, genocides, and animal abuses. Importantly, such tales play, on the other hand, crucial functions such as help copying with death and a plethora of societal troubles, decreasing stress, or preventing drug and alcohol abuse. An optimist and passionate wondered and wanderer, Diogo provides enthralling details about the history of religion, discrimination, romantic love, warfare, diseases and Earth's biodiversity illustrating how 'virtue is in the middle' and that we - with our intriguing combination of beliefs, bodily needs and desires, artistic abilities, and mismatches between our senses' illusions and the cosmos' reality - are not 'better' or 'worse' than the other millions of captivating living species. This powerful and urgently needed message has critical repercussions for how we understand, care about, and mindfully enjoy living in this splendid planet, in the reality of here and now. Pre-publication comments: "I applaud the enormous work that Diogo has invested in this follow-up to his widely acclaimed Evolution driven by organismal behavior book, and the challenge of getting people to think beyond and outside of our usual set of definitions and expectations. The case-studies provided in the book are fascinating and insightful" (Drew Noden, Award-winning Emeritus Professor, Cornell University) "Rui Diogo is becoming the Slavoj Zizek of evolutionary biology" (Marcelo Sanchez-Villagra, Director of the Paleontological Institute and Museum of the University of Zurich) .
Download or read book 42 Pages of Sanity written by William Greenage and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-12-30 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The meaning of life with a simple, cut to the chase approach. Easy to digest, elegantly honest, fearlessly whole. A must read for anyone searching for answers, truth, or sanity. If insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, then sanity would simply be a refusal to repeat broken actions. This book is an explanation of just that, everywhere it counts. When we fight nature, we suffer. Life is no more complicated than this. Why then, IS life so complicated? Because we don't even recognize human nature, uninterrupted. We can't follow what we don't see, but the laws of human nature point to the truth, no matter how obscure our view is. We need only look, with the laws in focus. We need only love, and to get out of our own way.
Download or read book Meaning of Life Human Nature and Delusions written by Rui Diogo and published by Springer. This book was released on 2021-12-15 with total page 863 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Whatever are your beliefs, background, education, political views or interests, one thing is sure: this book will engage you, teach you something new, and more importantly make you to re-think deeply about critical aspects of your daily-life, including sex, love, food, physical activities, diseases, work and stress, and how you see and deal with other people, other animals, and the planet in general. Indeed, it focuses on topics that have fascinated people from all places and historical periods since times immemorial: Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? Are we progressing, and will we thrive? It does this by integrating in a unique fashion information from ancient Greek, Sumerian, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim texts to high-tech brain research, facts about near-death experiences, Covid-19, QAnon conspiracies, virtual reality and dating aps; from Adam and Eve to the rise of misogyny and racism to Black Lives Matter, Me-Too, Hollywood romantic movies and Disney fairy-tales. Contrary to notions about 'human progress' and 'Homo Deus' defended by authors such as Harari, Pinker and Dawkins, it shows that human history instead involves the repetition of similar imaginary tales created by a combination of traits found in other animals and the uniquely human obsession about 'cosmic purpose' stories related to our awareness of death's inevitability. Organized religions appeared later, chiefly during the rise of agriculture and 'civilizations'. Diogo navigates mesmerizing untold stories revealing a paradox: these events and the industrial 'revolution' increased inequality, oppression, slavery, subjugation of women, famines, plagues, 'work', stress, and suicides. Data from psychology, biology, neurobiology, and cross-cultural studies of hunter-gatherers and so-called 'developed' societies reveal an even more profound paradox: within all forms of life, the 'sapient being' is the one immersed in Neverland's world of unreality - truly a Homo irrationalis, fictus and socialis believing in fictional tales about cosmic 'duties', 'romantic meant to be', demons, inferior 'races' and 'genders', conspiracies, and 'justified' slavery, warfare, genocides, and animal abuses. Importantly, such tales play, on the other hand, crucial functions such as help coping with death and a plethora of societal troubles, decreasing stress, or preventing drug and alcohol abuse. An optimist and passionate wondered and wanderer, Diogo provides enthralling details about the history of religion, discrimination, romantic love, warfare, diseases and Earth's biodiversity illustrating how 'virtue is in the middle' and that we - with our intriguing combination of beliefs, bodily needs and desires, artistic abilities, and mismatches between our senses' illusions and the cosmos' reality - are not 'better' or 'worse' than the other millions of captivating living species. This powerful and urgently needed message has critical repercussions for how we understand, care about, and mindfully enjoy living in this splendid planet, in the reality of here and now. Pre-publication comments: "I applaud the enormous work that Diogo has invested in this follow-up to his widely acclaimed Evolution driven by organismal behavior book, and the challenge of getting people to think beyond and outside of our usual set of definitions and expectations. The case-studies provided in the book are fascinating and insightful" (Drew Noden, Award-winning Emeritus Professor, Cornell University) "Rui Diogo is becoming the Slavoj Zizek of evolutionary biology" (Marcelo Sanchez-Villagra, Director of the Paleontological Institute and Museum of the University of Zurich)
Download or read book Delusions of Everyday Life written by Leonard Shengold and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 1995-01-01 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We are all more primitive and irrational than we care to acknowledge, says Dr. Leonard Shengold in this profound and eloquent book. We all suffer to some degree from delusions--vestiges of infantile mental functioning that continue into adult life and that at times of crisis manifest themselves in narcissistic thoughts of omnipotence, immortality, or perfection. Dr. Shengold argues that we can never eliminate these delusions of everyday life, but we can lessen their effect if we acknowledge, or "own", them. He asserts that insight into what we are and what has happened to us is a prerequisite for caring about others and for accepting the transient conditions of life--both necessary to attain happiness. Dr. Shengold discusses delusions we all experience as well as delusions associated with paranoia, perversions, being in love, and identification with delusional parents. He illustrates his ideas by referring to the lives and works of such literary figures as Shakespeare, Swift, Tolstoy, Pascal, Rilke, Randall Jarrell, Dickens, Hardy, and, especially, Samuel Butler. Dr. Shengold also brings in relevant clinical material because, as he points out, delusions of everyday life are at the heart of misunderstanding and conflict in life and of resistance to change in psychological treatment. These delusions must be attenuated if therapy is to be successful.
Download or read book Sex Murder and the Meaning of Life written by Douglas T Kenrick and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2011-04-26 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Kenrick writes like a dream." -- Robert Sapolsky, Professor of Biology and Neurology, Stanford University; author of A Primate's Memoir and Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers What do sex and murder have to do with the meaning of life? Everything. In Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life, social psychologist Douglas Kenrick exposes the selfish animalistic underside of human nature, and shows how it is intimately connected to our greatest and most selfless achievements. Masterfully integrating cognitive science, evolutionary psychology, and complexity theory, this intriguing book paints a comprehensive picture of the principles that govern our lives. As Kenrick divulges, beneath our civilized veneer, human beings are a lot like howling hyenas and barking baboons, with heads full of homicidal tendencies and sexual fantasies. But, in his view, many ingrained, apparently irrational behaviors -- such as inclinations to one-night stands, racial prejudices, and conspicuous consumption -- ultimately manifest what he calls "Deep Rationality.&" Although our heads are full of simple selfish biases that evolved to help our ancestors survive, modern human beings are anything but simple and selfish cavemen. Kenrick argues that simple and selfish mental mechanisms we inherited from our ancestors ultimately give rise to the multifaceted social lives that we humans lead today, and to the most positive features of humanity, including generosity, artistic creativity, love, and familial bonds. And out of those simple mechanisms emerge all the complexities of society, including international conflicts and global economic markets. By exploring the nuance of social psychology and the surprising results of his own research, Kenrick offers a detailed picture of what makes us caring, creative, and complex -- that is, fully human. Illuminated with stories from Kenrick's own colorful experiences -- from his criminally inclined shantytown Irish relatives, his own multiple high school expulsions, broken marriages, and homicidal fantasies, to his eventual success as an evolutionary psychologist and loving father of two boys separated by 26 years -- this book is an exploration of our mental biases and failures, and our mind's great successes. Idiosyncratic, controversial, and fascinating, Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life uncovers the pitfalls and promise of our biological inheritance.
Download or read book The Delusion of Being Human written by Clair Crowley and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2015-05-06 with total page 740 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "He has been working on the book you are about to read for over fifty years. It is literally his life's work. What I found in my experiences of reading the book was that it is as if the book is a translating medium for the phenomena known as 'human being'. In other words, I found that the book allowed me to make sense of the chaotic and confusing world of society, culture, and my own programming which is a byproduct of my culture and society. Since all cultures and societies, in whatever form, are violent and destructive almost all the citizens of such societies are motivated by various forms of violence and destruction. While attending undergraduate university, studying for a bachelor of arts in psychology, I found that the book both summarized, integrated, and transcended entire disciplines of knowledge such as psychology, sociology, biology, anthropology, and philosophy. This clarity brought about by the book came as a relief since the educational system seemed to just throw out information (indoctrinating propaganda) at students from all sorts of disciples and points of view without any emphasis on integration, and least of all, any questioning encouraged concerning the presuppositions underlying the various disciplines. The book allowed me to see that each and every single professor which I encountered had in some way gotten stuck, somewhere within a particular knowledge-story (thought-system) belonging to and constructed by the cultural-social enterprise. I could see, through the aid of the book, that even sociology professors who allegedly belong to a discipline concerned with questioning the 'social-machine' and not merely being a 'slave to society' had become, along with every other types of professors, slaves to their own knowledge (beliefs, conclusions, and reality-assumptions). Thus, from reading the book, the esteemed power belonging to authorities of any kind within the cultural-social enterprise to influence and contaminate me became gradually less and less of a possibility. One of the most important contributions of the book that I found, and what I predict other individuals will find as well in reading the book, is that it actually and specifically goes into great detail in order to be absolutely clear about various 'principles', so to speak, taught by various enlightened beings throughout the ages, especially those renowned contemporary teachers who have already died. In other words, often times a spiritual teacher will say "we are all one" or "there is no ego self", but they never really explain how they arrived at such a realization, what steps they had to take, and what had to be seen-through and let go of before they could truly apprehend that 'all is one', 'there is no doer', 'there is Only God', and so on; these phrases are often used as mere slogans. The book The Delusion of Being Human provides those specific steps and the necessary apprehensions which must occur before one can come to know what enlightenment is (awakening to one's True Nature). As the Signposter has mentioned to me many times "if someone cannot say it clearly, then it usually means they do not really know it". The clarity of the Signposter's writing is a testament to his understanding of psyche, society, and the Self (True Nature). The reason the Signposter is able to be so clear in his signposting (teaching) is that he does not have some ulterior motive to build up his 'self-image/self-esteem', to gain power, to gain a following, gain money, or gain anything whatsoever.
Download or read book The Meaning of Life the Universe and Nothing Part I written by Kuenftigen Leuten and published by EPAP. This book was released on 2011 with total page 472 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book documents scientifically how human beings and everything evolved from mere divisions of nothing. Citing evidence from nearly a thousand cross-disciplinary references, shocking insights into the human nature, the mind, consciousness, communality, love, sexual relationships, humor, happiness, will power, and the individualized purpose of everything are deduced. This incredible source of factual information and revealing deductions on the deeper reality of all things can provide useful knowledge to anyone willing to learn.Kuenftigen Leuten or "future people" in English, are deduced to be the authors of the book because the scientific facts indicate that their conscious will for the individualized self-fulfillment of all humanity propelled the writing of these insightful volumes. They hopefully will soon lead to the replacement of the pathologically hierarchical cultures of today with an empathetic commonness of purpose based on the individual diversity involved in natural human equality. Ending the battle between the sexes is a vital component of that process, and means for doing so on both a small and large scale are revealed in these pages via a coherent merging of opposites, just as existed for millions of years of human prehistory before there was ever any thought of a superior being. We may all be "future people" if we want to be.
Download or read book The Meaning of Life the Universe and Nothing Part II written by Kuenftigen Leuten and published by EPAP. This book was released on 2011 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book documents scientifically how human beings and everything evolved from mere divisions of nothing. Citing evidence from nearly a thousand cross-disciplinary references, shocking insights into the human nature, mind, consciousness, communality, love, sexual relationships, humor, happiness, will power, and the individualized purpose of everything are deduced. This incredible source of factual information and revealing deductions on the deeper reality of all things can provide useful knowledge to anyone willing to learn.Kuenftigen Leuten or "future people" in English, are deduced to be the authors of the book because the scientific facts indicate that their conscious will for the individualized self-fulfillment of all humanity propelled the writing of these insightful volumes. They hopefully will soon lead to the replacement of the pathologically hierarchical cultures of today with an empathetic commonness of purpose based on the individual diversity involved in natural human equality. Ending the battle between the sexes is a vital component of that process, and means for doing so on both a small and large scale are revealed in these pages via a coherent merging of opposites, just as existed for millions of years of human prehistory before there was ever any thought of a superior being. We may all be "future people" if we want to be.
Download or read book The Philosophy and Psychology of Delusions written by Ana Falcato and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book presents new philosophical work on delusions and their impact on everyday human behavior. It explores a cluster of related topics at the intersection of philosophy of mind and psychiatry, while also charting the historical development of work on delusions. Within psychiatry, there are several disputes about the nature and origin of delusions. Whereas some authors see only an abnormal phenomenon that needs to be treated by psychological or pharmacological means, others hold that delusions can be psychologically adaptive and even have epistemic benefits. This book brings together an interdisciplinary group of contributors to build consensus around what delusions are and how they impact the human mind. Part 1 provides readers with an informed historical discussion of delusions and carefully examines the contemporary impact of these historical perspectives. Part 2 analyzes the impact of contemporary views of delusions on the mental and emotional life of human agents. Finally, Part 3 explores the normative frameworks of delusions and analyzes the impact of some of their behavioral consequences on the daily life of subjects and their caregivers. The Philosophy and Psychology of Delusions is essential reading for researchers and graduate students working at the intersection of philosophy, psychiatry, and psychology"--
Download or read book What Life Could Mean to You written by Alfred Adler and published by . This book was released on 2016-01-03 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is one of Adler's most popular books. Although the original title was "What life should mean to you", the should was changed with could in later editions. In collaboration with Sigmund Freud and a small group of Freud's colleagues, Adler was among the co-founders of the psychoanalytic movement and a core member of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society: indeed, to Freud he was "the only personality there" On this book and the meaning of life, he begans: "Human beings live in the realm of meanings. We do not experience pure circumstances; we always experience circumstances in their significance for men. Even at its source our experience is qualified by our human purposes. " Wood " means " wood in its relation to mankind ", and " stone " means " stone as it can be a factor in human life." If a man should try to escape meanings and devote himself only to circumstances he would be very unfortunate: he would isolate himself from others: his actions would be useless to himself or to any one; in a word, they would be meaningless. But no human being can escape meanings. We experience reality always through the meaning we give it; not in itself, but as something interpreted. It will be natural to suppose, therefore, that this meaning is always more or less unfinished, incomplete; and even that it is never altogether right. The realm of meanings is the realm of mistakes. If we asked a man, " What is the meaning of life? ", he would perhaps be unable to answer. For the most part people do not bother themselves with the question or try to formulate replies. It is true that the question is as old as human history and that in our own time young people - and older people as well - will often break out with the cry... " About the Author Colin Brett is an accredited Adlerian counselor and former Training Officer of the Adlerian Society of Great Britain. He is the translator of Adler's Understanding Human Nature and the editor of What Life Could Mean to You.
Download or read book Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life written by James Hollis and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2005-05-05 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does it really mean to be a grown up in today’s world? We assume that once we “get it together” with the right job, marry the right person, have children, and buy a home, all is settled and well. But adulthood presents varying levels of growth, and is rarely the respite of stability we expected. Turbulent emotional shifts can take place anywhere between the age of thirty-five and seventy when we question the choices we’ve made, realize our limitations, and feel stuck—commonly known as the “midlife crisis.” Jungian psycho-analyst James Hollis believes it is only in the second half of life that we can truly come to know who we are and thus create a life that has meaning. In Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life, Hollis explores the ways we can grow and evolve to fully become ourselves when the traditional roles of adulthood aren’t quite working for us, revealing a new way of uncovering and embracing our authentic selves. Offering wisdom to anyone facing a career that no longer seems fulfilling, a long-term relationship that has shifted, or family transitions that raise issues of aging and mortality, Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life provides a reassuring message and a crucial bridge across this critical passage of adult development.
Download or read book Neuroscience Psychology and Religion written by Malcolm Jeeves and published by Templeton Foundation Press. This book was released on 2009-03-01 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion is the second title published in the new Templeton Science and Religion Series. In this volume, Malcolm Jeeves and Warren S. Brown provide an overview of the relationship between neuroscience, psychology, and religion that is academically sophisticated, yet accessible to the general reader. The authors introduce key terms; thoroughly chart the histories of both neuroscience and psychology, with a particular focus on how these disciplines have interfaced religion through the ages; and explore contemporary approaches to both fields, reviewing how current science/religion controversies are playing out today. Throughout, they cover issues like consciousness, morality, concepts of the soul, and theories of mind. Their examination of topics like brain imaging research, evolutionary psychology, and primate studies show how recent advances in these areas can blend harmoniously with religious belief, since they offer much to our understanding of humanity's place in the world. Jeeves and Brown conclude their comprehensive and inclusive survey by providing an interdisciplinary model for shaping the ongoing dialogue. Sure to be of interest to both academics and curious intellectuals, Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion addresses important age-old questions and demonstrates how modern scientific techniques can provide a much more nuanced range of potential answers to those questions.
Download or read book The Heretic s Guide to Life written by Terence O'Brien and published by . This book was released on 2020-07-09 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: They say there is no such thing as a dumb question but what if you don't like the answers? What if you don't like the questions either? What if you admit that your religions are fading in importance with each new generation? What if technology is not the answers that awaken us to a deeper meaning of life? The spark of truly being human and alive is to ponder some of life's mysteries once in a while. A heretic has sought answers to: -Why we humans became who we are.-How the subconscious mind is the key to our success.-What you have to know to truly know yourself.-And, ultimately, what is the meaning of your life.The years of searching and yet not conforming to any religion or social structure suggests an unbiased look at human nature from the outside in. This is a no-holds-barred look at the realities of life, based on a long journey pondering life's mysteries; to once again find the spark of truly being human and alive.
Download or read book The New Atlantis written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 590 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Madness Explained written by Richard P Bentall and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2003-06-05 with total page 656 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today most of us accept the consensus that madness is a medical condition: an illness, which can be identified, classified and treated with drugs like any other. In this ground breaking and controversial work Richard Bentall shatters the myths that surround madness. He shows there is no reassuring dividing line between mental health and mental illness. Severe mental disorders can no longer be reduced to brain chemistry, but must be understood psychologically, as part of normal behaviour andhuman nature. Bentall argues that we need a radically new way of thinking about psychosis and its treatment. Could it be that it is a fear of madness, rather than the madness itself, that is our problem?
Download or read book A Philosophy of Madness written by Wouter Kusters and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2020-12-01 with total page 769 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The philosophy of psychosis and the psychosis of philosophy: a philosopher draws on his experience of madness. In this book, philosopher and linguist Wouter Kusters examines the philosophy of psychosis—and the psychosis of philosophy. By analyzing the experience of psychosis in philosophical terms, Kusters not only emancipates the experience of the psychotic from medical classification, he also emancipates the philosopher from the narrowness of textbooks and academia, allowing philosophers to engage in real-life praxis, philosophy in vivo. Philosophy and madness—Kusters's preferred, non-medicalized term—coexist, one mirroring the other. Kusters draws on his own experience of madness—two episodes of psychosis, twenty years apart—as well as other first-person narratives of psychosis. Speculating about the maddening effect of certain words and thought, he argues, and demonstrates, that the steady flow of philosophical deliberation may sweep one into a full-blown acute psychotic episode. Indeed, a certain kind of philosophizing may result in confusion, paradoxes, unworldly insights, and circular frozenness reminiscent of madness. Psychosis presents itself to the psychotic as an inescapable truth and reality. Kusters evokes the mad person's philosophical or existential amazement at reality, thinking, time, and space, drawing on classic autobiographical accounts of psychoses by Antonin Artaud, Daniel Schreber, and others, as well as the work of phenomenological psychiatrists and psychologists and such phenomenologists as Edmund Husserl and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. He considers the philosophical mystic and the mystical philosopher, tracing the mad undercurrent in the Husserlian philosophy of time; visits the cloud castles of mystical madness, encountering LSD devotees, philosophers, theologians, and nihilists; and, falling to earth, finds anxiety, emptiness, delusions, and hallucinations. Madness and philosophy proceed and converge toward a single vanishing point.
Download or read book Reconceiving Schizophrenia written by Man Cheung Chung and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2007 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Schizophrenia has been investigated predominantly from psychological, psychiatric and neurobiological perspectives. This text examines it from a philosophical point of view.
