Оглавление
Bo Bennett PhD. Uncomfortable Ideas
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
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
