The Structure of Intelligence by Ben Goertzel

The Structure of Intelligence 

by 

Ben Goertzel

Over the last century, psychology has become much less of an art and much more of a science. Philosophical speculation is out; data collection is in. In many ways this has been a very positive trend. Cognitive science (Mandler, 1985) has given us scientific analyses of a variety of intelligent behaviors: short-term memory, language processing, vision processing, etc. And thanks to molecular psychology (Franklin, 1985), we now have a rudimentary understanding of the chemical processes underlying personality and mental illness. However, there is a growing feeling -- particularly among non-psychologists (see e.g. Sommerhoff, 1990) -- that, with the new emphasis on data collection, something important has been lost. Very little attention is paid to the question of how it all fits together. The early psychologists, and the classical philosophers of mind, were concerned with the general nature of mentality as much as with the mechanisms underlying specific phenomena. But the new, scientific psychology has made disappointingly little progress toward the resolution of these more general questions

Read

The Conquest of Illusion - J.J. van der Leeu

The Conquest of Illusion
 by
 J.J. van der Leeu

In 1710, George Berkeley, Bishop of Cloyne, argued that there is no such thing as matter. What we take as matter, what we take to be "the world" are but our perceptions of some unknown reality. This line of thought became known as "idea-lism" and has been a thread in the history of Western philosophy since then. But this line of thought is very ancient. Plato expressed it in his well-known allegory of the cave, in which the world we perceive is but a shadow of something else, something of which we are generally completely unaware. Such a line of thought is extremely well developed in Eastern thought in such philosophies as Sankhya, Vedanta, and in the practical works of Raja yoga.

This general line of thought has fallen out of favor over the past several centuries in the West, due in large part to the rise of science, and the underlying philosophy of materialism, that has since morphed into the philosophy of physicalism, the dominant, if generally implicit paradigm of the modern world.

In spite of being eclipsed by the dazzling successes of the physical sciences in the West, it is a completely undeniable fact that our conscious awareness forever serves as an intermediary to what ever it is that is being represented as "the world" in our awareness. However, particularly in modern times, this general fact of our experience is neglected in our considerations of the world.

In Conquest of Illusion, van der Leeuw begins from this premise. But he does not construct philosophical arguments. No. This book is about his first-hand experiences from his advanced practice of yoga, exploring both the nature of consciousness and the nature of this thing we call "the world" that appears in our consciousness. van der Leeuw describes the >>result<< of successfully achieving the main goal of yoga, which is direct awareness of the eternal that underlies this "thing" we call existence.

The book is profound in every conceivable respect. In spite of the exponential growth of our current understanding of the material world, including the brain and the cosmos, this book is still apropos. It describes the eternal veritas underlying time, space, the mind, and our relative existence.

Perhaps the single most important quote of this book is:

"The mystery of life in not a problem to be solved, it is a reality to be experienced."

It is clear to one informed in such matters that van der Leeuw is describing in a lucid and (relatively) easy to understand fashion what has been described for centuries in Eastern, and specifically Indian philosophy, and in particular in the Kashmiri Shavism school of Indian thought.

The relevance of this book will only continue to grow over time as thinkers again begin to recognize in ever greater measure the implications that the "world" that exists, and this "world" as it appears in our conscious awareness are by no means identical.

Read

Do_OBE How to lucid dream, astral project and have out-of-body experiences By Donald J. DeGracia

Do_OBE How to lucid dream, astral project and have out-of-body experiences

By

 Donald J. DeGracia

DO_OBE teaches how to LEAVE YOUR BODY! Using straight forward, common sense language, DO_OBE is a guide to the inner realms of which our visible world is just the surface. Intelligent, fun and unpresumptuous, this book has been time tested and proven to be effective at teaching beginners the essential techniques to achieve the eluisive "out of body experience".

SEE FOR YOURSELF FIRST HAND:

Can you really leave your body? What can one expect to find in the inner realms of the mind? How do I do it??? It's all here!!!. This book is for all curious seekers who sense that there is more to reality than meets the eye, or the senses, or the world of our everyday life.

Read

Beyond The Physical - A Synthesis of Science and Occultism By Donald J. DeGracia

Beyond The Physical - A Synthesis of Science and Occultism

By 

Donald J. DeGracia

Beyond the Physical, A synthesis of science and occultism in light of fractals, Chaos and Quantum theory. The Western mind is enamoured -nay - hypnotized with what it perceives outside of itself. But for all its knowledge of the outer world, the inner world of consciousness is but a hazy, half-felt realization in the life of the so-called "modern" person. Beyond the Physical seeks to go inside, and shed light on the relation between the inner and outer worlds of our human experience. "Beyond the Physical reveals our insatiable curiosity with those profound questions of our existence: It's about our morality, our psychic nature and power, our science and art and literature and psychology. Beyond the Physical guides us in most illuminating ways along highly creative paths of interior and exterior discovery. This book is an excellent inquiry."

Read

PSYCHIC SELF-DEFENSE

PSYCHIC SELF-DEFENSE


After finding herself the subject of a powerful psychic attack, Dion Fortune wrote this detailed instruction manual for safeguarding yourself against paranormal malevolence. Fortune explores the elusive psychic element in mental illness and, more importantly, details the methods, motives, and physical aspects of psychic attack, and how to overcome this energy. The revised edition of this New Age classic includes an index and an additional explanatory note for contemporary readers

Read

The Machinery of the Mind

The Machinery of the Mind By Violet Firth

(Dion Fortune)

This little volume will assist those without any previous knowledge who desire to gain a clear idea of the way in which modern psychology regards the human mind. It succeeds in the difficult task of presenting the rudiments of the modern view of the mind in an easy, lucid and attractive form. This book will succeed in planting certain fundamental concepts in untrained minds so that they may serve as a basis for future studies.

Read

How To Get The Truth Out of Anyone!

Instant Fact: How To Get The Truth Out of Anyone!
Compiled By: John J. Webster

In an ideal society there would be no need for lies. But we live in a world of deception. And whether you want to play or not, you’re in the game. The question is, do you want to win?

Read

CIA – PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS IN GUERRILLA WARFARE

A tactical manual for the revolutionary. First published by the Central Intelligence Agency and distributed to the Contras in Central America.

Read