Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain
Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain

Author: Shankar Vedantam

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2021-03-02

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 0393652211

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A Behavioral Scientist Notable Book of 2021 A Next Big Idea Club Best Nonfiction of 2021 From the New York Times best-selling author and host of Hidden Brain comes a thought-provoking look at the role of self-deception in human flourishing. Self-deception does terrible harm to us, to our communities, and to the planet. But if it is so bad for us, why is it ubiquitous? In Useful Delusions, Shankar Vedantam and Bill Mesler argue that, paradoxically, self-deception can also play a vital role in our success and well-being. The lies we tell ourselves sustain our daily interactions with friends, lovers, and coworkers. They can explain why some people live longer than others, why some couples remain in love and others don’t, why some nations hold together while others splinter. Filled with powerful personal stories and drawing on new insights in psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy, Useful Delusions offers a fascinating tour of what it really means to be human.

The Palestinian Delusion
The Palestinian Delusion

Author: Robert Spencer

Publisher: Bombardier Books

Published: 2019-12-03

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 1642932558

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Every new American President has a plan to bring about peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and every one fails. Every “peace process” has failed in its primary objective: to establish a stable and lasting accord between the two parties, such that they can live together side-by-side in friendship rather than enmity. But why? And what can be done instead? While this failure is a consistent pattern stretching back decades, there is virtually no public discussion or even basic understanding of the primary reason for this failure. The Palestinian Delusion is unique in situating the Israeli/Palestinian conflict within the context of the global jihad that has found renewed impetus in the latter portion of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first. Briskly recounting the tumultuous history of the “peace process,” Robert Spencer demonstrates that the determination of diplomats, policymakers, and negotiators to ignore this aspect of the conflict has led the Israelis, the Palestinians, and the world down numerous blind alleys. This has often only exacerbated, rather than healed, this conflict. The Palestinian Delusion offers a general overview of the Zionist settlement of Palestine, the establishment of the State of Israel, and the Arab Muslim reaction to these events. It explores the dramatic and little-known history of the various peace efforts—showing how and why they invariably broke down or failed to be implemented fully. The Palestinian Delusion also provides shocking evidence from the Palestinian media, as well as statements from the Palestinian leadership, showing that negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians will never work. But there is still cause for hope. Spencer delineates a realistic, viable alternative to the endless and futile “peace process,” that shows how the Jewish State and the Palestinian Arabs can truly coexist in peace—without illusions or unrealistic expectations.

Delusions of Grandeur
Delusions of Grandeur

Author: Chris Andoe

Publisher: Cahokia Press

Published: 2015-07-17

Total Pages: 488

ISBN-13: 9780692470770

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"Not since Charles Bukowski have I found myself so submerged into the life and times of so many colorful characters. Acclaimed writer Chris Andoe brings a modern flair to such a missing style of literature today. I felt intrigued, enlightened, dirty, amused, outraged, betrayed and in awe of all that is Delusions Of Grandeur." - Karla Templeton, Vital Voice Oklahoma native Chris Andoe has lived from San Francisco to New York, but for nearly twenty years has remained captivated by the drama, culture, and tragedy of the haunted old river city of St. Louis, a place he's likened to Sunset Boulevard's Norma Desmond, simultaneously celebrating yet mourning a glorious past. Delusions of Grandeur is a compilation of tales and snippets of many lives and characters whose stories entertain standing alone and enrapture woven together. From a deranged conman penetrating the highest reaches of state politics to shocking headlines of a 'human slaughter chamber' on the East St. Louis riverfront, Andoe has collected and craftily chronicled the whole spectrum of the St. Louis LGBT community and beyond, and the outcome is nothing short of page turning. Often mired in controversy for his unflinching style, "Emperor of St. Louis" Chris Andoe is a columnist for Vital Voice.

Suspicious Minds
Suspicious Minds

Author: Joel Gold

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2015-07-21

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 143918156X

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"The Truman Show delusion and other strange beliefs"--Cover.

City of Delusions
City of Delusions

Author: John Triptych

Publisher: J Triptych Publishing

Published:

Total Pages: 318

ISBN-13:

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Lethe: the fabled last bastion of mankind. It is said that the city was humanity’s last hope, a place of sanctuary for those who would brave the barren wastes to enter through its hallowed gates. But the truth is far, far different. Lethe is a place of lies and betrayal. The people who live within its ancient foundations resort to guile and hypocrisy to further their own ends. The decadent aristocracy lives in fortress-like mansions, ignoring the suffering of the teeming masses to engage in all manner of debauchery. The Magi Order is hopelessly corrupt, openly defying the ancient laws that once held the brotherhood in high esteem amongst the people. In this maelstrom of deceit, Miri is stripped of her powers, and is forced to battle in the arenas to regain her freedom. Rion is indoctrinated into the noble class, his scant memories are relentlessly debilitated in order to ensure his loyalty for an insidious cause. Meanwhile, a dashing rogue named Zeren stumbles upon a vast conspiracy that could alter the destiny of the entire city. Do not miss this sequel to Lands of Dust, a new dystopian science fiction series in the tradition of Jack Vance’s The Dying Earth, Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun, Frank Herbert’s Dune and Star Wars—as only John Triptych could tell it!

A History of Delusions
A History of Delusions

Author: Victoria Shepherd

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2022-06-02

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 0861540921

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‘Fascinating and compassionate’ Horatio Clare The King of France – thinking he was made of glass – was terrified he might shatter…and he wasn’t alone. After the Emperor met his end at Waterloo, an epidemic of Napoleons piled into France’s asylums. Throughout the nineteenth century, dozens of middle-aged women tried to convince their physicians that they were, in fact, dead. For centuries we’ve dismissed delusions as something for doctors to sort out behind locked doors. But delusions are more than just bizarre quirks – they hold the key to collective anxieties and traumas. In this groundbreaking history, Victoria Shepherd uncovers stories of delusions from medieval times to the present day and implores us to identify reason in apparent madness.

Delusions and Other Irrational Beliefs
Delusions and Other Irrational Beliefs

Author: Lisa Bortolotti

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 318

ISBN-13: 0199206163

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The book is an interdisciplinary exploration of the nature of delusions. It brings together recent work in philosophy of mind, cognitive psychology and psychiatry, offering a comprehensive review of the philosophical issues raised by the psychology of normal and abnormal cognition.

The Hidden Brain
The Hidden Brain

Author: Shankar Vedantam

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2010-08-31

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 0385525222

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The hidden brain is the voice in our ear when we make the most important decisions in our lives—but we’re never aware of it. The hidden brain decides whom we fall in love with and whom we hate. It tells us to vote for the white candidate and convict the dark-skinned defendant, to hire the thin woman but pay her less than the man doing the same job. It can direct us to safety when disaster strikes and move us to extraordinary acts of altruism. But it can also be manipulated to turn an ordinary person into a suicide terrorist or a group of bystanders into a mob. In a series of compulsively readable narratives, Shankar Vedantam journeys through the latest discoveries in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral science to uncover the darkest corner of our minds and its decisive impact on the choices we make as individuals and as a society. Filled with fascinating characters, dramatic storytelling, and cutting-edge science, this is an engrossing exploration of the secrets our brains keep from us—and how they are revealed.

Delusions of Invulnerability
Delusions of Invulnerability

Author: G.E.R. Lloyd

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2013-10-10

Total Pages: 177

ISBN-13: 1849667853

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How were the aims of philosophy and the responsibilities of philosophers conceived in ancient Greece and China? How were the learned elite recruited and controlled; how were their speculations and advice influenced by the different types of audiences they faced and the institutions in which they worked? How was a yearning for invulnerability reconciled with a sense of human frailty? In each chapter of this fascinating analysis ancient Greek and Chinese ideas and practices are used as a basis for critical reflections on the predicaments we continue to face today, with a particular focus on the key Greek ideas of the equal participation of all citizens in the political process, and on the key Chinese one of a dedication to the ideal of the welfare of all under heaven