"Loosing" Your Mind: Liberating Your Intellect for Critical Thinking

by Robert DeFilippis

378 pages

In this age of fake news and alternative facts, learning to think more critically is the first step of diminishing the personal effects of a society in chaos. “Loosing” our minds to free our inborn intellectual capacity is the final goal and that process is in this book.

Hardcover

$32.95

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Category: Philosophy	Read a FREE excerpt (requires Adobe Reader)
About the Book
In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, WW II Nazi labor camp survivor, Dr. Viktor Frankl, taught us the ultimate human freedom that cannot be taken from us. It is the power to choose how we respond to our circumstances. Our current circumstances aren’t even close to the horrors of the Nazi camps, yet we are experiencing one of the most challenging times in our 240-plus years of history as a nation. We are at an inflection point. As this nation decides what it will become, many of us will find that outcome to be a continuous disruption of our peace and contentment. So, how do we find wellbeing? Where do we look for the personal sanity we need to maintain balance in this age of chaos? The sages throughout history have said, look inward. Inward to that authentic self, that when fully realized, expresses our personality. A gift given to us at birth, our species’ biological structure has evolved to survive over the millennia. It gives us the conscious ability to bring order to the chaos that deluges us. The first step to keeping order is to bring it to our inner SELF. This is the repository of all the uninvited unconscious historical biases from the lives of the people who preceded us. They’ve taken up residence in our unconscious mind. The prerequisite step to critical thinking is to uncover those biases. They are what automatically affects our first conscious response to everything we think and do. The challenge is clear. Learn to manage these automatic responses and release your intellectual capacity to think for yourself or settle for being forever manipulated by the whims and fancies of other people. =============================== "If you choose to read this book, you take the red pill because it is about critical thinking. And critical thinking, while uncomfortable, unnatural, and inconvenient, will awaken you to your own safe and sane place to stand" I really enjoyed examples from your personal story and that you're being honest about your problems and issues in your life. That made me want to read more because you're being honest about those problems. So, I trusted the rest of book to be honest. I had to slow down and take my time reading, as it was filled with knowledge and facts. I know this is a book that I will read and re-read as I have already done on a couple chapters. A quote that I particularly liked is “Look to science to tell us what facts are right or wrong. Look to religion to tell us what actions are good or evil.” - A. J. B.
Reviews
The author goes to great pains to point out, "we are radically or profoundly historical beings." Without that awareness, we will never understand the unconscious structure and origins of presuppositions in our worldview. The paragraph style with the boxing of specific thoughts to highlight their importance makes the book easier to read and digest. I like the review of the philosophical evolution that led to our current ways of thinking and found the part where the author talked about the history and power of "stories" to transmit information quite interesting. I understand the main point of becoming a more critical thinker to be, one must radically change their thinking by challenging their fundamental beliefs and assumptions, questioning themselves, listening openly to others, and analyzing objectively. It is difficult to describe those processes; they are abstract. The book takes a little while to get to some of the "how-tos," but overall, I think it covers the territory. Personally, it helped me remember all the times I have been wrong about something. It reminded me to disengage from ego and habitual patterns. The book helped me refresh myself on this vital subject! - B.G.E., MS Critical thinking can often appear as an elusive abstraction. This book overcomes that obstacle by bringing the concepts into the real world through the experiences of the author, making it natural and accessible. As I read about some concepts that I was familiar with, as well as others that were new to me, I found myself relating them back to my own life experiences. I learned that critical thinking is skills based versus knowledge based. If you are open to “Loosing” your Mind” then you won’t regret reading this book. I wish I had read it 40 years ago. - G. M. I loved this book. Robert De Filippis’ latest book “Loosing” Your Mind, has so many valuable lessons, I wish I had read this book years ago. From the exploration of assessments and assertions to a more cognizant understanding of personal integrity, it expanded my views. It also helped me explore the basis of my fixed viewpoints and shows how to create a wider more informed perspective. It is a learning experience from beginning to end and offers many opportunities for expanding self-understanding and provides insights to understanding others. What I found most valuable were the discussions of science and religion. The seemingly unresolvable conflict between the two became more understandable with a deeper insight into each of their values and roles. This book explores the place of man in the evolutionary process and discusses how much of who we are is founded on the eons of time and generations before us. We are the cumulative effect of human history. Much to consider! - J. M. Robert DeFilippis begins by describing the sickness of our society, an illness we’ve brought on through our collective inability to discern what is true or false. But while others have discussed this same subject, he proceeds to dig more deeply. I believe his intention is to motivate us to square our shoulders for the corrective measures he prescribes. It’s a weighty book, one I’m glad to have at hand, not just to motivate me but also to support the new mental tools he offers which I’m now trying to master. Not to accept his challenge is to forsake my duties as a citizen, a human being, and a worthy soul. - J. H.
Related Titles
Unexplained Consciousness Events: Exploring the Possibilities by Robert De Filippis Consciousness studies and quantum theory examine near death experiences. On Coaching with The Birkman Method by Robert De Filippis Cognitive scientists tell us we make 95 percent of our decisions subconsciously. While the Birkman Method identifies our major personality traits, this book makes conscious those subconscious decision processes. It is particularly useful to the certified Birkman practitioner who wants to develop a professional coaching practice. The Flowers Were Talking to Me by Robert De Filippis A woman survives fungal meningitis, develops epilepsy, goes into a 17-day coma, and wakes up to become an artist. Signals in the Noise: Encountering the Limits of Materialist Science - An Exploration of Consciousness and Reality by Robert DeFilippis Groundbreaking theories that challenge our materialist viewpoints. An intellectual journey, questioning established materialist scientific norms and bringing forward evidence that defies materialist theories of consciousness.

About the Author
	Robert DeFilippis began writing when he left an executive business career at forty. After a stint in graduate school, he began management consulting with a focus on the applied behavioral sciences. His current career as a writer includes authoring eight books and over 1000 newspaper, blog, and website Op/Ed columns.