Unraveling Human Nature

Do You Know Yourself?Have you ever taken a personality test? Has doing this ever changed your life?In this book, you'll learn how to use a series of simple personality tests to permanently change your life. These tests enable you to describe with just five words the part of you which is measurably unique. Indeed, of the six billion people on the planet, there are only 120 just like you. Thus once you know these five words, you'll have the power to predict much of what you'll think, feel, say, and do.You'll also learn where this power comes from-from a personality theory the likes of which the world has never seen. For one thing, it's fractal. Thus like the fabled onion of personality and the Russian nesting dolls, everything in it connects to and resembles everything else. For another, it uses everyday language. So you won't need to spend years painfully ingesting-and trying to understand-mountains of psychobabble and statistical fecal matter.Best of all though, in it, no one is blamed or broken or evil or worthless. We're all just human, each doing our best to find our own truth.

"Unraveling Human Nature: Insights from History to Tomorrow" delves into the intricate tapestry of human existence, offering a captivating journey through the annals of time to the horizon of the future. Through meticulous exploration, this book navigates the rich historical perspectives, tracing the evolution of ideas on human nature and the contributions of key thinkers across centuries. From the biological foundations rooted in genetics and brain structure to the psychological dimensions of emotions, motivations, and personality traits, this book unveils the multifaceted aspects of human nature. It illuminates the profound influence of sociocultural factors, such as family, society, and culture, on shaping who we are. Delving into the complex realm of morality and ethics, the book confronts the timeless questions surrounding the nature of good and evil, and delves into the intricacies of ethical decision-making. It explores the boundless potential and development of humanity, examining the transformative journey of growth and change over the lifespan and the methods for harnessing human potential. Furthermore, "Unraveling Human Nature" confronts contemporary debates on nature versus nurture and the age-old philosophical quandary of free will versus determinism. It peers into the future, contemplating the impact of technological advances and the ethical considerations that accompany them. Drawing upon insights from history to tomorrow, this book offers a thought-provoking narrative that invites readers to contemplate the essence of human nature and its profound implications for our shared future.

"Why do we do what we do?" This may seem like a simple question at first, in practice however, the closer we examine where our decisions come from, the less intention and independent reasoning we find. Instead, we find primitive instincts and ideas that are often based on nothing more than the imagination of someone who has been dead for centuries.The first part of this book focuses on drivers of decisions that we are born with -- our inborn knowledge. It discusses the duality of our animal and reasoned self, how the brain enacts decisions, evolution of instincts, and the social instincts that prominently rule our lives.The second part focuses on learned knowledge which guides our behaviors -- our ideas. It delves into imagination, learning, model thinking, and language. It discusses the framework of our thinking that is determined by culture, including authority and belief.The third and final part focuses on independent knowledge that we generate through reason. This section discusses the process of reasoning, the idea of principled models and their role in technology, the application of reasoning in society, and considerations for purpose finding meaning in life.The last chapter discusses the idea of a personal culture, one untethered from nature and culture, that serves to maximize the potential for humanity's future.

The Tangled Mind argues that a small group of sensory concepts sculpted your perception of the world. Today, your entire knowledge rests upon a sensory foundation. In this book, you'll learn how those sensory underpinnings influence perception and behavior, including deep-rooted beliefs and values (e.g., morality, religion, politics).

Humans learn by association. Every concept that you understand is connected to an earlier concept. So then, what happens if you retrace those connections? Wouldn't you eventually find a starting point? Indeed, you would. The Tangled Mind argues that a small group of sensory concepts sculpted your perception of the world. Today, your entire knowledge rests upon a sensory foundation. In this book, you'll learn how those sensory underpinnings sculpt your perception and behavior, including deep-rooted beliefs and values (e.g., morality, religion, politics).

“A wildly inventive, funny, and ultimately quite heartfelt novel, The Unraveling is a chaotic romp of gender deconstruction packaged up in a groovy science-fictional coming-of-age tale.” —Chicago Review of Books In a society where biotechnology has revolutionized gender, young Fift must decide whether to conform or carve a new path. In the distant future, somewhere in the galaxy, a Staid-gendered youth with three bodies is just trying to figure life out. Fift is struggling to maintain zir position in Fullbelly’s rigid social system, which is only made more difficult as ze develops an intriguing—and controversial— friendship with the acclaimed Vail-gendered bioengineer Shria. When Fift and Shria wind up at the center of a scandalous art spectacle that precipitates a multilayered Unraveling of society,. Fift is torn between zir attraction to Shria and the safety of zir family, between staying true to zir feelings and social compliance . . . all while zir personal crises suddenly take on global significance. What’s a young Staid to do when the whole world is watching?

Madaus, Russell, and Higgins (all, Boston College) provide an exemplary overview of the consequences of high-stakes testing in the context of contemporary school reform policy. A major theme in this book centers on the assertion that high-stakes testing is the driving force behind school reform policy today. The authors argue that school reform policies, based solely on high-stakes testing, were mandated before careful research on the potential advantages and disadvantages. As members of the testing community, the authors do find value in testing; however, they also recognize its limitations, especially in the context of diverse populations. Those in charge of developing and implementing school reform policies today would find this to be an excellent resource; however, the book is also appropriate for a wide audience. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. Reviewed by J. C. Agnew-Tally.

The search for a notorious serial killer takes a therapist on a nightmarish quest to an alternate world to find the sinister secret behind his crimes, in a dark fantasy inspired by Caribbean urban myth, from the award-winning author of The Blue, Beautiful World. “The natural heiress to Octavia Butler and Ursula Le Guin.”—Financial Times Dr. Miranda Ecuovo works as a forensic therapist, helping traumatized witnesses recover their memories so that they can testify about the crimes they observed. Her most famous case resulted in the conviction of the serial killer Walther Gray, a pathologist’s assistant known as the Butcher of the City. One day Miranda is seized by Chance, one of the spirits known as the Undying, and transported to a fantastical dreamlike world. There she is greeted by an Angel and presented with an unusual mission: Help catch the rogue Undying who was the true mastermind behind the Butcher’s crimes. Now Miranda and Chance must stop the murderer before he kills again. Together they will race through a surreal otherworld of magical labyrinths and wondrous spirits—but also into the maze of Miranda’s own memories when they retrace her original investigation. As Miranda draws closer to the truth, she finds herself confronted by even bigger questions than the killer’s identity. How could his victims’ deaths be forgotten so easily? And what can she do to create a world where the vulnerable can be safe and have their lives treated as precious?