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?
Shyness and Autism |Are they related?
In my novels The Birdcatcher and Skol, and in The Shyness Guide, I’ve said that I think shyness and autism are both usually natural. I've also suggested that, in some people, they may be related to each other. This perception of them isn’t supported by any research as far as I know. But when I … Continue reading Shyness and Autism |Are they related?
Rescuing History | Reading ‘The People v. Lee Harvey Oswald’
More about the most famous, or infamous, loner of the twentieth century. This week I finally finished reading the 651 pages of The People v. Lee Harvey Oswald, by Walt Brown. A one-time FBI agent who went back to school to become a history professor, Brown says that since he was a boy he what … Continue reading Rescuing History | Reading ‘The People v. Lee Harvey Oswald’
Autism | When they admire you
For some years now I've been editing my old journals, condensing them, getting rid of the paper. This morning I came upon the entry for Sept 12, 1969, one of the most important dates in my life. In an upscale bar frequented by the insurance industry, I had met Matthew, a young underwriter who I … Continue reading Autism | When they admire you
Autism|Toronto’s Van Rampage one year later
This spring new memorials appeared on Yonge Street commemorating the anniversary of Alec Minassian's van attack when he killed ten pedestrians and injured many others. The Toronto Star published a three page article (I was friends with Alek Minassian. We were both outcasts - April 21/2019) by writer Evan Mead, who attended high school with … Continue reading Autism|Toronto’s Van Rampage one year later
Is Anxiety Natural?
In the Jan/Feb 2014 edition of The Atlantic, journalist Scott Stossel told about his own lifelong debilitating anxiety, then discussed the nature of anxiety, ending with this: Is pathological anxiety a medical illness, as Hippocrates and Aristotle and many modern psychopharmacologists would have it? Or is it a philosophical problem, as Plato and Spinoza and … Continue reading Is Anxiety Natural?
Paranormal World |Dreams entering Reality – 2
Because my recent post 'Dreams Entering Reality' received more interest than usual, I'm presenting another example of this, again from my own experience. Some years ago we took into our house a female tuxedo (black and white) cat who had been a stray in the neighborhood . From the time we rented a house … Continue reading Paranormal World |Dreams entering Reality – 2
Skol republished|A return to the 23rd century and the future of shy people
If I could have written only one book in my life, it would have been Skol. Yet the first version of the book, published in 2015, did not sell at all. Yes, this story of the future of shy people, told through one shy young man's odyssey across three centuries, remained the most unread of … Continue reading Skol republished|A return to the 23rd century and the future of shy people
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?
Alan Conrad 