This week I would like to address the power of suggestion. There is an ancient Chinese proverb that states, “A vacant mind is open to all suggestions, as a hollow mountain returns all sounds.” In my book, “Gotcha! The Subordination of Free Will,” I open every chapter with a comparison of beliefs and facts. When it comes to the power of suggestions, we could state rather flatly: Misconception Misconception: Most people believe they are above the power of suggestion and indeed immediately recognize it for what it is. Fact: The fact ... Read More
One of the most important questions of our time is that of free will. It’s not generally a subject discussed broadly so it may come as some surprise to many that most serious researchers question the very existence of free will. Just this past week a new study shed some light on the subject. Researchers at the University of Berlin, following the work of Benjamin Libet who showed that conscious decisions were initiated by unconscious brain processes, sought to determine whether or not one could consciously over-ride this unconscious process. ... Read More
This week I wish to shine the spotlight on deliberate mis- and dis-information. The 2011 edition of the CIA’s Style Manual & Writers Guide for Intelligence Publications offers this distinction, “‘Disinformation’ refers to the deliberate planting of false reports,” while ‘Misinformation’ equates in meaning but does not carry the same devious connotation.” 1 Writing Tips from the CIA This document has also been referred to as, “Writing tips from the CIA’s ruthless style manual.” I think most readers of this document will see through the political agenda implied in the presentation ... Read More
Imagine a world of information packets—a world where what we label energy and mass is indeed a composition of information packets. How could we come to understand such a world? Units of Knowledge Think of the universe as intelligence. When we master an observation and express it mathematically and so forth, what we have really done is grasp some part of this intelligence. The intelligence, somewhat analogously to our own, is compiled of information units. We think of these units when it comes to our own thinking as units of ... Read More
Aristotle described the nature of the universe as a series of events that eventually leads back to a mover that is itself not moved, thus the unmoved mover. This unmoved mover is known as the Prime Mover. However, the prime movers that I have in mind are not near so esoteric or metaphysical. No—the primes I have in mind are all of those little triggers that cause us to think or act in certain predictable ways that we are not conscious of. For example, there is a study where students ... Read More
