This book is a collection of lectures delivered by William James at the University of Edinburgh between 1901 and 1902. It focuses on the personal and subjective aspects of religious experiences, rather than on theology or organized religion. James examines various types of religious experiences, including healthy-mindedness, the sick soul, conversion, mysticism, and saintliness. He emphasizes the importance of feeling and personal experience in religion, arguing that these experiences are the primary source of religious beliefs and practices. The book also discusses the psychological and philosophical implications of these experiences, highlighting their complexity and life-altering nature[2][3][4].
In 'The Order of Things,' Michel Foucault examines the historical development of the human sciences, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, and linguistics. He introduces the concept of 'episteme,' which refers to the underlying structure of thought that defines what is considered true and acceptable in a given historical period. Foucault analyzes how these epistemes change over time, particularly from the Classical Age to Modernity, and how they influence the fields of language, biology, and economics. The book is known for its complex and detailed analysis, including a forensic examination of Diego Velázquez's painting 'Las Meninas' to illustrate the structural parallels in perception and representation[3][4][5].
This book presents an innovative theory of anxiety, emphasizing the role of the septo-hippocampal system in the brain. It has been updated to include new insights into anxiety and its relationship with brain function, making it a valuable resource for researchers and clinicians in psychology and neuroscience.
Dr. Richard Dawkins is a British evolutionary biologist, theorist, and one of the world’s foremost atheists.
In this episode, Dr. Dawkins and I discuss religion, psychedelics, consciousness, symbolism, postmodernism, and the importance of objective truth.
Links:
To follow Dawkins on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins
Website: https://richarddawkins.com/
Read Dawkins’ articles: https://richarddawkins.com/articles
To donate to the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science: https://richarddawkins.net/donate/
Show Notes:
[0:00] Intro
[1:30] Jordan’s rise to fame, Bill C-16, and Free Speech
[5:30] Intimidation and fear of speaking out against the far left
[9:10] Micro retreats
[11:40] Dawkins’ paper about the organism as a model
[18:30] Female sexual selection
[21:10] Differences between Jordan and Dr. Dawkins' thinking
[24:00] Jeffrey Gray, his work on modeling, Psychedelics, and Anxiety
[30:00] Psychedelics, Symbolism, and Consciousness
[41:00] Jordan’s experiences with psilocybin and yoga
[45:40] Postmodernism, Lacan, Foucault, and Mikhaila’s Oxford Union debate
[52:30] Jordan addresses Dawkins' assertion that despite being against postmodernist thinking he at times utilizes symbolism to speculate in a way which is similar to them.
[53:50] Finding commonality between myths and symbols across cultures
[55:50] False pattern recognition and revelatory thoughts
[59:20] Objective truth and the scientific process
[1:07:10] Unpleasant or dangerous truths
[1:08:10] The metaphysical vision of the redeeming power of truth
[1:10:10] Jordan and Dawkins discuss the idea that a narrative drives the process of inquiry, even in regards to objective truth
[1:12:50] Humans’ ability to understand difficult concepts on a biological level
[1:16:10] Question: Do you identify the religious impulse or even the religious phenomenon with the totalitarian proclivity for dogmatic certainty and the potential acceleration of aggression and atrocity as a consequence?
[1:20:10] Question: To what degree do you think that consciousness operates as a fundamental mechanism of selection and shaping?
[1:23:00] Artificial intelligence and the metaphysical significance of consciousness
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast 
