21 levels of Self-Deception: THIRD EDITION by Tom Wallace - HTML preview

T W E N T Y - O N E L E V E L S

diversity and pollution. Changing our views of nature, beauty and what is sacred would be a major factor in addressing these issues. Secondly, for addressing issues of social justice, such as poverty, homelessness and discrimination. And thirdly, just for an individual — taking a broader view of life is likely to lead us to a happier and more fulfilled life over all. So, the reasons could be summarised by saying, cosmos, nature, community and self — these are the reasons to change ourselves and others.

William James suggested people take up different views depending on whether they are tender- or tough-minded. This book — with consciousness, soul, grace and beauty as its themes — certainly takes the tender-minded approach! How might the tough-minded (it’s all just atoms, let’s solve things via technology) be brought on board, or convinced to change their minds? We just have to hope that competitive stories will win out — both fiction and ‘non-fiction’. Powerful alternative stories therefore, and ones in which the tough-minded can see themselves as heroes. Essence would be a central ingredient to such stories — to show that the root of who we are as people is within a sacred universe. Science, religion and philosophy might one day come together, if the route from chaos to order to life to consciousness could be understood as mechanisms — processes, looked on in awe and understood as meaningful and coherent. Then we could acknowledge a sacred universe without contesting alternative theories about how it all works.

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