I read psychologist Donald Hoffman’s book The Case Against Reality, and I really recommend staying away from it. It’s a good book, but it almost sent me into a depression. At first, I was like, “come on, Donald, are you serious about this?”, but by the end of the book, I was more like, “Donald, don’t ever talk to me again.”
I’ll pass. I’d rather keep my head buried in the sand and go about my fantasy life until I pass. At 69 that may not be much longer so why mess with my head when I can just whistle past the graveyards and keep smiling as the world gets crazy around me? I’m a boomer. That’s what we do.
Now you’ve made sure I’ll go buy it, but I’ve seen too much in 78 years to be depressed. Cynical does it for me.
Read summary of it and just bought it. Thank you, I think, for the head’s up. I sit out in the woods behind our NC house, sometimes during the day, sometimes after sunset, and wonder, “What the hell!?!” I hold out hope that at the exact moment of my death, all will be revealed before my brain expires for good.
It’s a nice thought. For most aspects of life, I’m quite happy to be mortal, but for one reason, I’d really like to go on living. I really want to see what we learn about life and the universe in the next few hundred/thousand years. Id be interesting in hearing how you find the book.
More than 99% of all organisms that have ever lived on Earth are extinct. As new species evolve to fit ever changing ecological niches, older species fade away. We’ve made it this far - not very far actually - through our superior brain. But its sole purpose is to allow us to survive. The great irony is that it’s doing the opposite. The über acquisitiveness of some alpha males, who we could, but refuse, to control, are primarily responsible IMHO.
I heard Tim Ferris interview him in his podcast and it really affected me. I’m not sure depression is the right word, but I was questioning everything and feeling detached for a couple of days. Really mind blowing stuff. I finally decided it was too out there to even consider and moved on. But I’m in no hurry to read his book.
Singer/songwriter Chris Smither has a great line: “We’ll I never was good looking but now I’m too old to let that get me down.”
