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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
If you're like me and you've found yourself increasingly mystified lately about how the tiniest things are labeled "offensive," how groupthink feels like it's at an all-time high, how basic scientific principles are being deemed "problematic," how dictionary definitions change literally overnight, how a culture of needing to feel "safe" and unchallenged at all times has crept into the world, and how people seem to be defined more by what they look ilke than their actions or intentions, (among other insanity), look no further. The Parasitic Mind is a brilliant, funny, and extremely timely exposé on how we got here and what we can do to turn the tide. It's the most important book of 2020, at least for those who value autonomy, individualism, and truth. I opened the book expecting to read a few pages and get a sense of the overall tone, then stayed up til 3 AM finishing nearly half in one sitting, with many laugh out loud moments. That's how strongly the themes spoke to me around life in 2020 during a pandemic. We've been headed here for a while, but the polarization and bizarreness all around us have hit new heights recently, and the timing is perfect for Gad Saad's take on the mental pathogens that have brought us here. Whatever you call it--woke, progressive, social justice, the radical left--whatever you call it, this is by far the best book I've read on it. Gad writes in a way that's understandable to the average person; you don't need to come from academia for it to speak to you. And that's exactly what we need to combat the strange scourge of "facts over feelings" we're seeing now.
challenging
funny
informative
medium-paced
What a great book, in a culture that has jumped of the cliff, Gad Saad calls us back to those things that made the west great: individualism, reason and a commitment to truth. I highly reccomend anyone who cares about truth, reason and science to read this book and try to bring our culture from the brink.
I’ll try to summarize.
While there are plenty of ideas and concepts that I at the very least find intriguing, the author failed to abide by his own claim against people justifying falsehoods regarding their beliefs when he did just exactly that. He decided to use definitions and ideas that suited his own beliefs while claiming those that contradicted were just (SJW nonsense) or some other claim against it.
It appears to me that the author kept trying to put himself as the one others should measure against. While he did admit to some faults of his, the majority of references to himself appeared to me as self praise and him putting himself on a moral pedestal above others just for not believing or acting in how he believes is the right way.
This book had potential, the author wasted it.
While there are plenty of ideas and concepts that I at the very least find intriguing, the author failed to abide by his own claim against people justifying falsehoods regarding their beliefs when he did just exactly that. He decided to use definitions and ideas that suited his own beliefs while claiming those that contradicted were just (SJW nonsense) or some other claim against it.
It appears to me that the author kept trying to put himself as the one others should measure against. While he did admit to some faults of his, the majority of references to himself appeared to me as self praise and him putting himself on a moral pedestal above others just for not believing or acting in how he believes is the right way.
This book had potential, the author wasted it.
Though there is a lot of good in this book, there is also a lot of self-satisfied rant. I should have seen this coming, though, having seen Professor Saad in action on his and others' YouTube channels.
I do like his approach to argument, though. Build an overwhelming body of evidence and your interlocutors will have trouble naysaying what you have to say.
While I understand (as he explained it quite thoroughly) where much of his ire comes from, Saad's general snarkiness can be off-putting--and I enjoy sarcasm and satire. I definitely needed to be in the right mood to plow through some sections of this book.
So, overall, I would recommend this book to some, but not to all. His message about searching for and demanding truth is good, but the overall tone of the book can be grating.
I do like his approach to argument, though. Build an overwhelming body of evidence and your interlocutors will have trouble naysaying what you have to say.
While I understand (as he explained it quite thoroughly) where much of his ire comes from, Saad's general snarkiness can be off-putting--and I enjoy sarcasm and satire. I definitely needed to be in the right mood to plow through some sections of this book.
So, overall, I would recommend this book to some, but not to all. His message about searching for and demanding truth is good, but the overall tone of the book can be grating.