Yes, this is the new title of this site. Though I'm still fond of 'Shy Highway', the title I've used since 2007, my interests obviously are too far-ranging. Since I was a boy entering school, my view of the world around me has been different from that of anyone I've met. That wasn't always positive. … Continue reading Alternative World |New perspectives on autism, shyness, literature and history, psychology and science, life, the universe and everything
Paranormal World| Calculating the Unknown | Birds vs Mathematicians
I'm sceptical of the attempts to calculate the probability of paranormal phenomena, especially those strange or "meaningful" coincidences that psychologist C. G. Jung called 'synchronicity'. For example, in his book Synchronicity, Jung discussed the research of Dariex, Richet, and Flammarion who used 'probability calculus' to determine a probability of 1 : 4,114,545 for telepathic precognitions … Continue reading Paranormal World| Calculating the Unknown | Birds vs Mathematicians
Paranormal World | God likes Tolstoy more than me
There is a type of paranormal phenomena that no one seems to talk about anymore, maybe because it's so difficult to talk about. Here is an example. One night I was having a discussion with my adult daughter about the lamentable lack of interest in literature today, especially among young men. I was referring not … Continue reading Paranormal World | God likes Tolstoy more than me
Rescuing the Past and/or Anthropology and/or Psychology |How reading and writing preceded Talking
In one of my books – not sure if it's in The Shyness Guide or my first novel, The Birdcatcher (could be both) - I said that reading and writing are older than speech. That's an idea that I have never seen anywhere else. But this week, re-reading the James Hillman/Michael Ventura book, We've Had … Continue reading Rescuing the Past and/or Anthropology and/or Psychology |How reading and writing preceded Talking
Rescuing Reality | Big Bang or Big Crunch?
While my science posts don't generate the same interest as those on shyness, autism, dreams, etc., I can't stay away from scientific disputes. To me, the question of what we know and what we don't know is important. And surely the creation of the universe is as important as our personal psychology. This morning I … Continue reading Rescuing Reality | Big Bang or Big Crunch?
Rescuing the Future | The Singularity is Near
Are you interested in the future? You may want to reply - "Isn't everyone?" Well, no, most people aren't. We're living in a time when, except for politics, the economy and our personal prospects, most people have their eyes very carefully averted from the future. Science fiction films may get big turnouts, but it's mostly … Continue reading Rescuing the Future | The Singularity is Near
Paranormal World | Children who talk of past lives |Re-reading Old Souls
This morning while I was drinking coffee in a Wendy's with traffic passing outside the window, I finished reading, for the second time, Old Souls, New York journalist Tom Shroder's book about psychiatrist Ian Stevenson and the children who speak of past lives. As I put the book down, it occurred to me that these … Continue reading Paranormal World | Children who talk of past lives |Re-reading Old Souls
Autism and Theory of Mind |Do you think like a Baboon?
Sometimes psychologists try to explain autism using 'theory of mind'. Books on psychology devote whole chapters to theory of mind, but to keep a lid on it here, I'll just quote Dictionary.com: the ability to interpret one’s own and other people’s mental and emotional states, understanding that each person has unique motives, perspectives, etc. The … Continue reading Autism and Theory of Mind |Do you think like a Baboon?
Paranormal World | Reincarnation | Why was Ian Stevenson so alone?
Think about this. The Toronto library system, in 128 branches, has 495 copies of Michelle Obama's memoir, Becoming . On behalf of my wife who is too disabled to go to the library anymore, I put in a request for a copy of the book three months ago. We received it this week. Why such … Continue reading Paranormal World | Reincarnation | Why was Ian Stevenson so alone?
