Monday, July 25, 2011

Incognito



I haven't published anything for a while because of a lack of things to say and because I got a Kindle and so I've been reading much more than I usually do. The increase in reading has brought two things to the fore: I've begun writing short stories (and a novel, but that seems so long) and I've been looking into neuroscience as a possible path since working as a paid fiction writer of any kind seems less and less likely to happen (but I keep plugging away).

The best books lately have been Incognito (I forget the subtitle ... and the author) and The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer. Both are excellent. The first is about all the unknown processes the brain does as it sits in total darkness in our heads. The best, and most difficult to accept chapters, revolve around free will, especially as it relates to crime.

Shermer's book continually drives home its thesis -- beliefs come first, then we seek out evidence to confirm those beliefs -- by applying it to everything from religion, 9/11 conspiracy theorists, politics, ghosts, and even science.

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