Pointed Observations: Critical Reflections of a Citizen Philosopher on Contemporary Pseudomysticism, Alternative Therapy, David Hume, Spinoza, and Other Subjects - Hardcover

Shepherd, Kevin R.D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0952508915 ISBN 13: 9780952508915

Publisher: Citizen Initiative, 2005

Synopsis

Divided into eight parts and 41 chapters. Part 1 criticises the new age commercial “workshop” vogue created by Esalen, which encouraged such entrepreneurs as Stanislav Grof, whose LSD psychotherapy became controversial. Part 2 reflects upon religion and cult, and finds major discrepancies in Ken Wilber’s popular neoperennialism. Part 3 is entitled Criminology, Diseases, and Drug Addiction; this coverage includes AIDS and Aleister Crowley, a British drug addict and occultist confusingly promoted by Colin Wilson. Part 4 describes the LSD cult created by Albert Hofmann and furthered by Timothy Leary and others. Part 5 describes aberrations demonstrated by the Findhorn Foundation, a New Age community in Scotland favouring commercial “workshops” in alternative therapy. Part 6 discusses the philosopher David Hume, and also has a chapter relating to Old Age workshops of Georgian Britain, whose standards of craftsmanship have vanished. Part 7 reviews Spinoza, the philosopher and artisan. Part 8 is entitled Ecology and Social Concerns, and includes such details as: “At circa 1980, the Club of Rome estimated that half a million scientists were engaged in the business of defence” (page 328).

Edition details

• Publisher: Citizen Initiative
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0952508915
• ISBN 13: 9780952508915
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 446