
Uncomfortable Ideas
Description
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Many of our ideas about the world are based more on feelings than facts, sensibilities than science, and rage than reality. We gravitate toward ideas that make us feel comfortable in areas such as religion, politics, philosophy, social justice, love and sex, humanity, and morality. We avoid ideas that make us feel uncomfortable. This avoidance is a largely unconscious process that affects our judgment and gets in the way of our ability to reach rational and reasonable conclusions. By understanding how our mind works in this area, we can start embracing uncomfortable ideas and be better informed, be more understanding of others, and make better decisions in all areas of life.
Some uncomfortable ideas entertained in this book:
- Political correctness can be harmful
- Identity politics is a dangerous game
- Morality is functionally democratic
- Victims often do share some of the responsibility
- God is a far more horrifying character than Satan
- There is no such thing as freewill
- Americans are manipulated into being pro-war
- Non-whites can be racist, and women can be sexist
- Some people do "choose to be gay"
- Sometimes the bad guys win
- Obese people are not perfect the way they are
- It's okay to find inappropriate jokes funny
Facts don't care about feelings. Science isn't concerned about sensibilities. And reality couldn't care less about rage.
â?â?â?â?â? "A bumpy ride indeed. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the content, it still manages to make one think critically about certain things, and that is always a good thing. What's more, it is being presented in a non-threatening, clear, balanced, and objective way. A great way to tackle uncomfortable ideas."
â?â?â?â?â? "Very eye-opening. Making us question the things that make them uncomfortable and why, is what we all need. Love it!"
More details
Content
- Intro
- Dedication
- Preface
- Cognitive Biases
- A Few Words About Me
- Political Correctness
- The Structure of This Book
- Part I: The Uncomfortable Idea
- What is an "Uncomfortable Idea?"
- Avoiding Uncomfortable Ideas
- Why it is Important to Entertain Uncomfortable Ideas and Accept Uncomfortable Facts and Truths
- Credibility
- Expose Dangerous Thinking
- Attempting to Solve the Wrong Problem
- Treating Symptoms and Not the Disease
- Understanding Unintended Consequences
- Understanding Reduces Animosity
- Avoiding Manipulation
- The Importance of a Shared Reality
- Embracing Uncomfortable Ideas
- The Conscious, Unconscious, Group, and Individual Aspects of Avoidance
- Conscious, Group Avoidance
- Conscious, Individual Avoidance
- Unconscious, Group Avoidance
- Unconscious, Individual Avoidance
- Part II: Uncomfortable Ideas and the Reasons Why We Avoid Them
- Unconscious Avoidance
- Cognitive Dissonance
- Semmelweis Reflex
- Overcompensation
- Reaction Formation
- Intolerance of Nuance and Ambiguity
- Feeling Over Fact
- Uncomfortable and Unfalsifiable
- Protecting Sacred Beliefs
- Conscious Avoidance
- Fear of the Slippery Slope
- Fear For Society
- We Don't Want To Be Seen As "Unpatriotic"
- The Desire to Hold Popular Views or the Fear of Social Response
- Fantasy is Sometimes Better Than Reality
- The Work of Satan
- Fear of Entertaining Evil, Sick, or Immoral Thoughts
- Fear of Questioning / Refusal To Question Authority
- Fear of Confusing Support for Personal Desire
- Fear of Exposing Our Own Demons
- Part III: Why We Refuse To Accept Uncomfortable Ideas
- Evaluating Evidence
- Awareness
- Believability
- Comprehension
- Belief-Related Cognitive Biases and Effects
- Backfire Effect
- Belief Bias
- Confirmation Bias
- Ostrich Effect
- Status Quo Bias
- Refusal to Accept Due to Refusal to Reject
- Part IV: Some More Uncomfortable Ideas
- The Self-Fulfilling Nature of Social Injustice
- Love Isn't Always Beautiful, and You Don't Love Everyone
- People Are Much More Selfish Than You Think
- "Microaggressions" Are Less Common and Less Problematic Than People Think
- Religious Ideas Are Protected By Motivated Reasoning More Than Any Other Class of Ideas
- Adam, Eve, and the 6000-Year-Old Universe
- The Soul
- The Christian Bible
- The "Goodness" of the Biblical God
- Belief and Faith
- Being an Atheist Doesn't Make You Smarter and Certainly Not Better at Critical Thinking
- There is Evidence for God
- No, Believing in God is Not the Same as Believing in Santa Clause.
- Your Examples of History's Jesus-like Figures are Likely Made Up or Greatly Exaggerated
- Evolution Does Not Answer the Question of Where We Came From
- It is Foolish To Demand That Believers Prove That God Exists
- No, Theists Will Not Understand Why You Don't Believe In God When They Realize Why They Call Zeus a Myth
- Everyone is Not Born an Atheist
- Most Apparent Bible Contradictions Can Easily Be Explained
- You Should Give President Trump or President Clinton Your Support
- If You're Offended, You're Part of the Problem
- Why We Choose To Be Offended
- The Unconscious Factors That Influence Our Decision To Be Offended
- The Person/Idea Distinction Myth
- The Optimal Strategy
- It is Okay to Change Your Mind
- Concluding Thoughts
- Part V: Uncomfortable Questions
- Life Partners
- Love and Sex
- Humanity
- 'Murica
- Faith, God, and Religion
- Metaphysics
- Morality
- Mental Health
- Politically Incorrect
- On the Lighter Side
- About The Author
- Footnotes
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