Mere Mortals Book Reviews

In this little bonus episode Juan goes over some of his learnings from Joseph Campbell's 'The Hero With A Thousand Faces'. His previous review of the book goes over the general themes of the book so this is more of an exploration into certain ideas and quotes that stood out to him. These include: being conscious of your own emotions while making decisions, getting too stuck in particular details of the story, asking if the ego can put itself to death, not mistaking something for what it really is and the use of beautiful language pieces from Napoleon and other figures from history.
As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!
Timeline:(0:00) - Introduction(0:45) - Emotions control your decisions(1:45) - Symbols are only the vehicles of communication(3:28) - Ego(5:20) - Mythology is psychology(6:27) - Beautiful language(7:02) - Sum up & outro

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Will the censorship enabled through technology be our downfall? 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' is an already classic fiction book published in 1949 by the author Eric Blair (under the pseudonym of George Orwell). We are treated to a small snippet from the life of Winston Smith as he battles a futile fight against a totalitarian regime. The core themes of the book revolve around control through censorship and the addiction of pure, raw power.
Kyrin had this say about the book. "A book that keeps on giving. Nineteen Eighty-Four contains a memorable yet harrowing world that we have attempted to create in real life (the USSR and gulag camp system for example). The book is a true classic and has introduced cultural mainstays such as: Big Brother, doublethink, thoughtcrime and newspeak. It has powerful insights and sublime writing that is unique to George Orwell, truly one of the best books ever!"
As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!
Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(2:30) - Control through censorship(6:06) - Totalitarianism & power(8:49) - Personal observations(9:41) - Summary(12:10) - Pragmatic takeaway: use more colourful language!

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Are you looking for a hard to read book with a vocabulary that will leave you uncertain of your English abilities? 'The Hero With A Thousand Faces' is one of the most famous works by Joseph Campbell, detailing the archetype of the hero and comparing myths/legends from across the world. It is a highly influential work with its impact reaching out from the era of Star Wars up to modern day philosophers such as Jordan Peterson.
Juan had this to say about the book. "It was enjoyable in pieces and I was sharing this with a couple of people that probably 10% of it I wanted to keep on reading and really enjoyed. But it almost shot itself in the foot as you got onto the next chapter, as the next chapter just became overly ballooned with words and I just thought you could have dialled this back and really told this message you were trying to get through."
As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!
Timeline:(0:00) - Introduction(0:53) - A hard book to read(3:01) - Breakdown of the book(5:20) - A humbling vocabulary(6:02) - Psychology & myth(7:24) - Final thoughts
Kyrin's previous review of the book:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iG32M6MF6o

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What are the secular parts of Buddhism that align with evolutionary biology/psychology?

In the somewhat provocatively titled 'Why Buddhism Is True', Robert Wright explains the insights that can be gained from mindfulness meditation and juxtaposes these with observations from hard science, natural selection and Darwinian thinking. The central themes revolve around Dukkha, Anatta and Sunyata, all of which weave together to create an explanation for why humans experience suffering and what we can do to resolve it.

I summarised the book as follows. "Robert does a fantastic job of combining the subjective experiences that arise from mindfulness meditation with the solid base of scientific knowledge gained from evolutionary biology/psychology. There is no mention of the unverifiable claims of Buddhism (such as reincarnation) and the book contains some great insights and doesn't become too philosophical. I appreciated the engaging mini-stories from his own retreat but did get lost a couple of times when the terminology became difficult to understand. An interesting introduction for someone who wants to know more about the secular parts of Buddhist meditation."

I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!

Timeline:
(0:00) - Synopsis
(1:13) - Dukkha: suffering or unsatisfactoriness
(4:24) - Anatta: not-self and the self is an illusion
(7:08) - Sunyata/Sunnatta: formless or emptiness
(9:42) - Personal Observations: mini-stories and lost in terminology
(11:41) - Summary: insightful and unexaggerated
(13:23) - Pragmatic Takeaway: listen to a podcast with the author

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How can we use our resources to help others the most? William MacAskill, one of the cofounders of the Effective Altruism movement tries to answer this question in his book 'Doing Good Better'. Effective altruism essentially tries to provide guidelines for what an individual can do to have the maximum impact of 'good' in their lifetime. The book is roughly split into two sections; the theory and the implementation. The theoretical side addresses questions related to measurement of charities and ways to ensure that good intentions have good outcomes. The practical implementation addresses whether it is better to donate directly, vote with your product choices, work in a profession to directly help others and social activist causes that could benefit humanity as a whole.
I had this to say after reading the book. "William has a no nonsense approach to the age old problem of good intentions not necessarily leading to good outcomes. He does this by analytically determining what charities do the most good and giving a good list of practical steps that an individual can take to be effective in their choices. He has solid rational arguments with my only gripe being that the book can come across as too dispassionate and not taking into account my individual emotions/feelings to certain causes close to my heart. I found this book addressed a lot of my own arguments against donating and was well thought out and researched."
As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!
Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(2:26) - Theory: 5 Key Questions(8:57) - Practice: What should you do right now?(17:37) - Personal observations: moral issues and assumptions(18:41) - Summary: solid arguments but overly rational(19:31) - Pragmatic Takeaway: starting to donate

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How many people do you know that you would describe as a 'psychopath'?. If you answered none than you might be surprised at some of the info contained within 'The Psychopath Test' by Jon Ronson. The book is written in Ronson's signature style, jumping between different branches of the topic and interviewing bizarre people connected with the world of prisons, insane asylums and high powered CEO's.

Kyrin had this to say about the book. "Psychopaths are disturbing and morbidly fascinating, there is a reason why there are so many true crime shows and podcasts. As far as the book goes, Jon Ronson weaves a beautiful narrative, there can be no doubt about it. His books are just plain fun due to his style and witty observations. He is also excellent at raising intriguing questions but doesn't spend a lot of actually answering them, so not a book for someone who likes to deep dive into a topic."

I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!

Timeline:
(0:00) - Synopsis
(2:39) - How do you define a psychopath?
(5:01) - Overdiagnosis & slippery slopes
(10:54) - 1/100 people are a psychopath
(12:49) - Summary
(14:07) - Pragmatic takeaway: Using the word 'psychopath'

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'Two Who Survived' is the story of Rose & Max Schindler in the Nazi concentration camps, written by M. Lee Connolly. It follows their separate journeys as kids in an increasingly hostile Europe leading up to WWII, their survival through the Holocaust and subsequent life post-war. The book touches upon the need for hope/optimism in the darkest of times when staring in the maws of death. For those wanting more explicit detail, Rose appeared in a fantastic podcast episode with Jocko Willink.
Juan had this to say about the book. "It's a 140 odd pages which also includes some pictures linking to the people and locations being discussed. Although the book deals with some dark themes and horrific stories, you also get to take a peak at when humanity shines through. A cohesive, packed book that you can read in short order and one in which you will come away with a greater appreciation for your life and the ability to grow old."
As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!
Timeline:(0:00) - Introduction(1:41) - Hope and optimism in terrible situations(3:07) - Reading from the book(4:36) - A book packed with action(6:23) - Key takeaway: never forgot what we humans are capable of(7:58) - Perspective: the gift of life(8:24) - Juan's summary

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How well do you really know your own mind?

'Thinking, Fast And Slow' is a hugely influential book published by the Nobel Prize winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman. In it he summarises 40 years of psychological research that helped to create the field of behavioural economics. The book is littered with gems of insight into the human brain and why humans behave the way we do. This includes heuristics such as loss aversion/anchoring/priming as well as larger concepts such as System 1 vs System 2, Econs vs Humans and the Experiencing Self vs Remembering Self.

I summarised the book as follows. "This was probably one of the most referenced books I had come across in my life and was finally glad to read it. This would have been mind blowing to me if I had not already heard all the concepts being talked about by people who had already read it! I particularly enjoyed the little tests at the start of the chapters which really highlight how easily your mind can be led astray. My only fault with it was that some parts did become a little dry and I found myself getting distracted until I came into the next chapter. All in all a fantastic book if you want to learn more about psychology and the way the human brain works!"
I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!

Timeline:
(0:00) - Book overview
(1:40) - Prospect vs Utility theory
(5:58) - System 1 vs 2, Econs vs Humans & Experiencing vs Remembering Self
(9:21) - Personal observations
(13:20) - Summary
(15:06) - Pragmatic takeaway: be wary of probabilities

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What is the most shame you have felt and was it something public or private? 'So You've Been Publicly Shamed' is a deep dive into the topic of shame by the gonzo journalist Jon Ronson. In the book he interviews some notable people who have been shamed on a worldwide level (thanks to social media) as well as investigating the psychology of the people instigating the shaming. In his research he touches upon the role of technology, anonymity, privacy and the creation of an online persona.
Kyrin had this to say about the book. "I quite enjoyed Ronson's style of mixing compelling stories, deep investigative research and personal observations all weaving through his writing. This book won't become a classic but it does raise some current concerns about how humans are using the internet and what could befall any of us. Some of the stories will arouse compassion, distaste and even annoyance at the actors on his stage. Easy to read and all in all I would describe his book as fun and interesting without becoming overly philosophical."
Timeline:(0:00) - Introduction to Jon Ronson(3:00) - Public vs private shame(9:36) - Technology, anonymity and the mob(15:58) - Kyrin's observations(19:26) - Summary of the book(20:53) - Pragmatic takeaway
As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!
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Disgrace: the loss reputation/respect as the result of a dishonourable action. J. M. Coetzee is a Nobel Prize winner and also was awarded the Booker Prize for 'Disgrace', a fictional story of a disgraced professor in post-apartheid South Africa. The books touches upon many themes such as: sexual misconduct, growing old, race relations, creating art, rape and animal rights. However the two principal themes are about desire and disgrace.

I summarised the book as follows. "Be prepared for an uncomfortable read that while beautifully written contains graphic details of a gang rape scene, an old man fornicating with a young girl and euthanisation of helpless dogs. It is quite confronting yet also is a necessary reminder of the bad things that can happen in life and how one can perhaps mentally prepare for them. A relatively short book that while not pleasant, is quite gripping."

I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!

Timeline:
(0:00) - Intro, general plot and themes
(3:30) - Sexual desire
(10:11) - Disgrace: the loss of reputation
(19:17) - Personal observations
(22:44) - Summary of the book
(23:17) - Pragmatic takeaway: the gift of fear

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