{"product_id":"9781614296782","title":"The Grand Delusion : What We Know But Don't Believe","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe Grand Delusion\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Steve Hagen\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is a fun, unique book that goes deep into the great mysteries of knowing—something like Lawrence Krauss's \u003ci\u003eA Universe from Nothing\u003c\/i\u003e meets Sam Harris's \u003ci\u003eWaking Up.\u003c\/i\u003e Or, perhaps, Sam Harris and Stephen Hawking meet Socrates.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRobert Pirsig wrote of Steve Hagen’s first book, \u003ci\u003eWhy the World Doesn’t Seem to Make Sense\u003c\/i\u003e, “For those who are certain that objectivity and intellect are the ground floor of all knowledge, this can be a valuable trip to the sub-basement.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Now, in \u003ci\u003eThe Grand Delusion\u003c\/i\u003e, Hagen drills deeper, into the most basic assumptions, strengths, and limitations of religion and belief, philosophy and inquiry, science and technology. In doing so, he shines new light on the question \u003ci\u003eWhy is there Something rather than Nothing?\u003c\/i\u003e—and shines this light from an entirely unexpected (and largely unexplored) direction.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Using a provocative mix of examples from physics, philosophy, religion, myth, neuroscience, and mathematics—and a clever conversational exploration between Hagen and his interlocutor, “ANYONE”—this book also offers a fresh perspective on other questions that science, philosophy, and religion have long grappled with. Such topics include:\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e - \u003ci\u003eWhat does it mean to exist?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003ci\u003eWhat is consciousness?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003ci\u003eWhat is reality?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003ci\u003eWhat is the nature of truth?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Layer by layer, Hagen examines the questions we ask, the way we ask them, the assumptions and beliefs we hold dear, and the ways in which we separate ourselves from the very answers we seek. In the process, he draws on sources that include Huang Po, Richard Feynman, Sir Arthur Eddington, Hui-Neng, Susan B. Anthony, Daniel Dennett, Joseph Campbell, Dogen, Emily Dickinson, Nagarjuna, Ikkyu, William I. McLaughlin, Sam Harris, and Henry David Thoreau.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Ultimately, this book reveals how all of these fundamental questions—and many, many more—stem from a single error, a single unwarranted belief, a single Grand Delusion.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Grand Delusion\u003c\/i\u003e helps readers move past this delusion into insight that can settle these age-old and seemingly intractable questions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e“I love Steve Hagen’s books! He manages to write about the most abstruse truths and make them sound as sensible and as straightforward as baseball scores—how does he do it? This book—which is so much fun to read and is full of scientific as well as everyday examples—is written in the form of a dialog between Steve and ‘Anyone’ (you and I) in which everything Anyone thinks makes sense doesn’t. By the time Anyone gets to the end, Anyone agrees. This is a wonderful book.”\u003cbr\u003e“A brilliant philosophical masterpiece. Hagen explores some of our most cherished assumptions about reality and self in a thought-provoking yet lighthearted interview-style conversation. This book is bound to shake up how you understand your life.”\u003cbr\u003e“Steve Hagen’s best and most ambitious book—immensely enjoyable.”\u003cbr\u003e“A thought-provoking read. Steve Hagen has a knack for taking complex ideas and presenting them simply and straightforwardly.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781614296782\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Wisdom Publications","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40978535710926,"sku":"9781614296782","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/O_c457a972-e6f3-4e8e-9429-c40d609fb220.jpg?v=1646688804","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781614296782","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}