In The Neurotic Personality Of Our Time, Horney discusses the nature of neuroticism and normalcy. What is Normal? One needs to compete with others to acquire power or wealth in society. Competition is difficult on each person, but especially on the neurotic. Despite the happiness that life can offer, the facts of old age, sickness, … Read more
In Simulacra and Simulation, Baudrillard produces a theory about cultural materialism. What is the simulacra? It is whatever replaces reality with its representation. The simulacrum is never that which conceals the truth–it is the truth which conceals that there is none. The simulacrum is true. Ecclesiastes Disneyland masks the unreality of modern American society, says … Read more
The idea of the superorganism by Howard Bloom, answers the question posed at the end of this article: Do nations embody the same psychological characteristics as individual human beings do? According to Bloom, every nation is a superorganism, a cluster of billions of cells, that attempts to gain power, whenever an opportunity presents itself. And … Read more
What is the root of conflict? For background, see: Girard’s Mimetic Theory: The Origin of Conflict Hegel’s The First Man and The Battle for Pure Prestige. Sigmund Freud thought that all human goals are manifestations of two opposing drives: Eros and Thanatos. He did not think these drives had a progressive character that tended to … Read more
Man is a social animal, directed by others, but his sociability does not lead him into a peaceful civil society, because at the root of sociability is conflict. In trying to unmask the root of conflict and desire, I have drawn from the ideas of Rene Girard, Hegel, and Fukuyama. See “Mimetic Theory: The Origin … Read more
Of course, by simply trying to articulate this quote, I am betraying the idea. But I will try unpack it anyway. First, let’s start with a definition. A philosophy is a set of ideas that can be articulated. A philosophy is symbolic of a deeper reality. But inevitably, any philosophy, no matter how profound, cannot … Read more
If you’re looking for a house to buy, or you want to hire an employee, when should you stop searching? The rational answer would be to consider all options available, and then, by going through all the data, to choose the option that is superior to all the other options. But if the decision must … Read more
The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes Author(s): Donald D. Hoffman First published: 2019 How can it be possible that the world we see is not objective reality? And how can our senses be useful if they are not communicating the truth? The Ghost in the Machine Author(s): Arthur Koestler First … Read more
The problem of self-discipline concerns each person, no matter what their beliefs or background. There is no need to expand on why self-discipline is important. Naturally, many approaches to practicing it have developed with time, each with its own ideological slant. Throughout history, different types of individuals have emerged, each a product of their own time. First, … Read more
Why Buddhism is True by Wright is about how the central insights of Buddhism with regards to habits and pleasure has been corroborated by modern scientific evidence. Evolutionary psychology is described as the study of how the human brain was designed—by natural selection—to mislead us, even enslave us. Natural selection has its virtues, and being … Read more