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BEWARE New Book: Do You Think What You Think You Think?

  • Thread starter swords
  • Start date
Do You think What You Think You think? Or How to Destroy Your World in 192 pages. Subtitle is mine but it works. If you're curious to answer questions in a variety of tests on what you think you believe and are willing find out you might be wrong about what you actually believe you believe when slapped in the face with the cold dead chicken of logic then this book will keep you entertained for a weekend, and it may infuriate some of you for a lifetime!

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Preview online
http://www.amazon.com/Do-You-Think-...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225265632&sr=1-1
 
I don't see anything wrong with asking tough questions. Due to parental conditioning and other environmental influences, many people, whether they ascribe to a religion or secularism, do not really know the core of what they believe. I'm all for it, assuming it is sound philosophy and logic, and not some idiot that is wanting to destroy what people believe in and replace it with "joy."
 
Nothing is promoted to "replace" anyone's beliefs, it is merely a book of thinking exercises on examining what you believe that you believe. The book itself ends with a quiz, there is no "conclusion argument". Any conclusions you draw from performing the exercises are conclusions you'll have to make for yourself. Yet some people find horror in themselves, others enjoy introspective games and self analysis.

Though, I gotta ask what's wrong with being happy or full of "joy"?
Do only certain people deserve happiness - does no one?
 
Sounds interesting. Will provide a few hours of "mindless" thought, right? lol. I ordered it used online and will let you know what I think when it arrives. I love thought experiments.

xvart.
 
Just got the book in the mail today. Hopefully I'll have some time tonight to dig in.

xvart.
 
I agree with the final conclusion, $3 or $4 would be nicer than retail price. I'm just too impulsive in the bookstore when I've got something in hand. I gotta start carrying a notebook and taking down titles and hit amazon at home! lol! :)
 
I agree with the final conclusion, $3 or $4 would be nicer than retail price. I'm just too impulsive in the bookstore when I've got something in hand. I gotta start carrying a notebook and taking down titles and hit amazon at home! lol! :)

Yeah, I've found myself typing books into my cell phone to look up later. I do it more to read reviews and find out information and to check out at the library.

I am proud to say that most of my beliefs were mostly consistent. I did get confused by one that was inconsistent (the decriminalizing drug use vs people should be free to do whatever they want as long as they are not affecting anyone else). I did get a few laughs when the book pointed out how some of my ideologies or values were contradictory to each other.

xvart.
 
I'm a "boatload of contradictions" according to the first test! But I didn't expect I'd fare much better since it probably took me about 1/2 an hour to answer every question lol! I have a hard time answering "only for myself" when I'm allowed free range thinking. I always try to approach things from every conceivable angle before checking yes/no. So much of my own thinking on things falls into the "Maybe" category and doesn't easily default to the yes/no Aristotelian scenario. If every question had a "maybe column" I'd have probably checked every one "maybe" or "in some instances" if maybe is too vague.

So probably half of my ticks on one side or the other were chosen from my eventually imagining how I'd think about this or that if I were someone else and living on the other side of the world and changing my original mind on the spot because I've discovered some new angle I'd never thought of before... I'm just totally weird I guess! lol! :)
 
  • #10
I found it interesting that after the first exercise I felt like once I had recognized those contradictions in my way of thinking that it already had affected me when responding to other questions later on, even if only in a slight way. I would stop and think, "Okay now, this question reminds me that I have no solid reasoning for believing one way or the other, so it is time to make my stand!" lol.

xvart.
 
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