KR Schopp
- 2
- reviews
- 2
- helpful votes
- 4
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Why Buddhism Is True
- The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment
- By: Robert Wright
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,612
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,869
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,808
From one of America's greatest minds, a journey through psychology, philosophy, and lots of meditation to show how Buddhism holds the key to moral clarity and enduring happiness. In Why Buddhism Is True, Wright leads listeners on a journey through psychology, philosophy, and a great many silent retreats to show how and why meditation can serve as the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Clear Explanation of How the Mind Works
- By George on 08-10-17
- Why Buddhism Is True
- The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment
- By: Robert Wright
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
Recommended, with serious cavats
Reviewed: 03-22-22
On the whole this was a book that I would recommend, but with two caveats. First, the evolutionary psychology covered excludes women to a degree that felt utterly silencing. What about the processes related to the instinct to nurture young that are /utterly crucial/ to a species with such a long and vulnerable early period such as ours? They are completely left out of this work, and as a result this work excludes a significant part of the lived experience of approximately half of the world's population- women. And I say women, because /even today/ in numerous parts of the world infants will not survive without breast milk due to contaminated water sources, amongst other things. He even speaks of humanity as "man" or "men", explicitly excluding women. He leaves no room for the existence of women in his work. They are erased. What about the compassion instinct, that the self-sacrifice required for such a long-term commitment to care for others is at least in part based in (which is not exclusive to women although perhaps more cultivated in women)? Rearing young is not merely a reductionist mechanism of evolution. And the /instinct/ of nurturing/compassion/collaboration, as opposed to the competitive instincts (which is human and extends beyond one's family) doesn’t fit the overall story line of this book well, but it's exclusion, and the erasure of women, weakens the premise of this book considerably.
Secondly, many of the difficulties with the concept of emptiness disappear when a different, and I've heard more accurate translation is considered: "boundlessness."
I do appreciate what Dr. Wright has done here on the whole, and I think it is worthwhile. However, I cannot recommend it without those two considerable notes.
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Everyday Survival
- Why Smart People Do Stupid Things
- By: Laurence Gonzales
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 174
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 161
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Story4 out of 5 stars 162
Laurence Gonzales turns his talent for gripping narrative, knowledge of the way our minds and bodies work, and bottomless curiosity about the world to the topic of how we can best use the lessons of our evolutionary history to overcome the hazards of everyday life. He finds that natural laws profoundly affect our actions, and he reveals the hidden causes and costs of our behavior, whether as individuals or as a species whose decisions may be leading to darker times.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Don’t waste your time
- By Fred on 10-11-17
- Everyday Survival
- Why Smart People Do Stupid Things
- By: Laurence Gonzales
- Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
Didn’t care for the accents. Good book.
Reviewed: 09-24-21
I really didn’t care for the accents the performer utilized in this reading. They were distracting and made the story hard to hear and/or hard to understand in those spots at times. I am a native English speaker. Overall I would still recommend this book.
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