Uncomfortable Ideas

About the Author: Bo Bennett, PhD

Bo's pro bono work focuses on education. He developed and taught a public speaking and debate course for Student Athletes Rising, a non-profit youth development organization offering guidance and training for America’s youth, ages 7-19, preparing them for enriching college experiences and productive lives as future leaders of their communities. As a PhD student, Bo spent time as a graduate assistant for Walden University, tutoring masters and other PhD students in research methodology. His dissertation was on social intelligence development in both traditional and distance learning programs. Bo spent three years as an adjunct professor at Lasell College teaching introduction to psychology and social psychology.

Bo has developed several online courses and the learning platform on which they run—as well as teaches those courses (see bobennett.com).

Prepare for a Bumpy Ride.

Many of our ideas about the world are based more on feelings than facts, sensibilities than science, and rage than reality. We gravitate toward ideas that make us feel comfortable in areas such as religion, politics, philosophy, social justice, love and sex, humanity, and morality. We avoid ideas that make us feel uncomfortable. This avoidance is a largely unconscious process that affects our judgment and gets in the way of our ability to reach rational and reasonable conclusions. By understanding how our mind works in this area, we can start embracing uncomfortable ideas and be better informed, be more understanding of others, and make better decisions in all areas of life.

Some uncomfortable ideas entertained in this book:

• Political correctness can be harmful
  
• Identity politics is a dangerous game
  
• Morality is functionally democratic
  
• Victims often do share some of the responsibility
  
• God is a far more horrifying character than Satan
  
• There is no such thing as freewill
  
• Americans are manipulated into being pro-war
  
• Non-whites can be racist, and women can be sexist
  
• Some people do "choose to be gay"
  
• Sometimes the bad guys win
  
• Obese people are not perfect the way they are
  
• It's okay to find inappropriate jokes funny
  

Facts don't care about feelings. Science isn't concerned about sensibilities. And reality couldn't care less about rage.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "A bumpy ride indeed. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the content, it still manages to make one think critically about certain things, and that is always a good thing. What's more, it is being presented in a non-threatening, clear, balanced, and objective way. A great way to tackle uncomfortable ideas."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Very eye-opening. Making us question the things that make them uncomfortable and why, is what we all need. Love it!"