Welcome to Issue #76 of ThinkSpace Thursday
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📚 Light Reading
Social status: Understanding dominance, prestige, and power
A question that has long occupied philosophers, social scientists, advertising executives, and curious people more generally is, “What motivates people?” Rob Henderson believes we all most want something that exists only in the minds of other people: social status.
The time traveling mistake we make when we procrastinate
Leaving things to the last minute is a bad habit that resonates with many of us. By putting something off until a later point in time, we’re failing to consider how much our future self will want to avoid the same negative emotions that we’re trying to avoid right now.
The three reasons why it’s good for you to believe in free will
Kennon Sheldon believes there is an overwhelming case that you are better off embracing, rather than denying, your own free will. The real problem isn’t whether you have a choice but, rather, whether you are able to choose wisely.
🔎 Study of the Week
Our perception of being a victim can lead to feeling victimised
In a study by Kleck (1980), 24 undergraduates were told they would participate in a discrimination study. Some had scars painted on their faces and attended job interviews. Interestingly, those with painted scars reported feeling discriminated against, unaware that the scars had been removed beforehand.
📺 Video of the Week
Soren Kierkegaard was one of the most prodigious philosophers and is commonly known as the “Father of Existentialism.” This brief introduction to Kierkegaard looks at why you should care about the Danish philosopher and why his work is still relevant today. (5 mins.)
🎙 Podcast Episode
There is an image, especially in Western cultures, of the rugged, authentic, self-made individual choosing how to navigate the intricacies of the social world. Psychologist Brian Lowery argues that our sense of self is largely a social construct.
🗣 Quote of the Week
“Where men are forbidden to honour a king they honour millionaires, athletes, or film-stars instead: even famous prostitutes or gangsters. For spiritual nature, like bodily nature, will be served; deny it food and it will gobble poison.”
— C.S. Lewis
👀 Perception Watch
Bert from Sesame Street spotted on the street
😲 WTF
Morton's fork is a type of false dilemma in which contradictory observations lead to the same conclusion.
Back in the 15th century, John Morton was the archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor to Henry VII, King of England. Knowing his way around marketing lingo, he raised a benevolence tax for the monarch. His reasoning was rather extraordinary. If you lived well, Morton suggested, you could certainly afford to pay the tax. If you lived humbly, however, it meant you must have had savings and could pay the tax as well.
😁 In the Memetime
📖 Book Club
In this book, renowned physician and addiction expert Gabor Maté connects the dots between our personal suffering and the pressures of modern-day living, describing disease as a natural reflection of a life spent growing further and further apart from our true selves. But, with deep compassion, he also shows us a pathway to health and healing.
🤔 Contemplation Corner
Almost half of teenagers now say they don't enjoy life and that their lives are not useful. What’s your hypothesis for why this is?
🎧 The Song of the Week
Mental As Anything - The Nips are Getting Bigger
Listen to the ThinkSpace Thursday playlist on Spotify.
🧠 Go Deeper with ThinkSpace
Join a vibrant community of deep thinkers who share a passion for applying timeless philosophy to modern life. Every month, we explore a different philosopher’s ideas and deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world. Click here to learn more.
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👍 Thanks for Reading
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Live well, and I’ll see you next week.
John