The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus (Case for ... Series): Lee Strobel: 0025986345860: Amazon.com: Books

The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus (Case for ... Series): Lee Strobel: 0025986345860: Amazon.com: Books



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The book consists primarily of interviews between Strobel (a former legal editor at the Chicago Tribune) and biblical scholars such as Bruce Metzger. Each interview is based on a simple question, concerning historical evidence (for example, 'Can the Biographies of Jesus Be Trusted?'), scientific evidence, ('Does Archaeology Confirm or Contradict Jesus' Biographies?'), and 'psychiatric evidence' ('Was Jesus Crazy When He Claimed to Be the Son of God?'). Together, these interviews compose a case brief defending Jesus' divinity, and urging readers to reach a verdict of their own. & nbsp;Read more... 

Introduction : Reopening the investigation of a lifetime -- 

pt. 1. Examining the record -- 
1. The eyewitness evidence : Can the biographies of Jesus be trusted? / with Dr. Craig Blomberg -- 
2. Testing the eyewitness evidence : Do the biographies of Jesus stand up to scrutiny? / with Dr. Craig Blomberg -- 
3. The documentary evidence : Were Jesus' biographies reliably preserved for us? / with Dr. Bruce Metzger -- 
4. The corroborating evidence : Is there credible evidence for Jesus outside his biographies? / with Dr. Edwin Yamauchi -- 
5. The scientific evidence : Does archaeology confirm or contradict Jesus' biographies? / with Dr. John McRay -- 
6. The rebuttal evidence : Is the Jesus of history the same as the Jesus of faith? / with Dr. Gregory Boyd -- 

pt. 2. Analyzing Jesus -- 
7. The identity evidence : Was Jesus really convinced that he was the Son of God? / with Dr. Ben Witherington III -- 
8. The psychological evidence : Was Jesus crazy when he claimed to be the Son of God? / with Dr. Gary Collins -- 
9. The profile evidence : Did Jesus fulfill the attributes of God? / With Dr. D.A. Carson -- 
10. The fingerprint evidence ' : Did Jesus - and Jesus alone - match the identity of the Messiah? / with Louis Lapides -- 

pt. 3. Researching the resurrection -- 
11. The medical evidence : Was Jesus' death a sham and his resurrection a hoax? / with Dr. Alexander Metherell -- 
12. The evidence of the missing body : Was Jesus' body really absent from his tomb? / with Dr. William Lane Craig -- 
13. The evidence of appearances : Was Jesus seen alive after his death on the cross? / with Dr. Gary Habermas -- 
14. The circumstantial evidence ' : Are there any supporting facts that point to the resurrection? / with Dr. J.P. Moreland -- 
Conclusion : The verdict of history : What does the evidence establish - and what does it mean today? -- 
List of citations -- Notes -- Index 


If you were a journalist, how would you handle a news story so big it would utterly eclipse all other world events? How thorough would your investigation be? How many hard-hitting questions would you ask? How carefully would you consult with top experts to get detailed, accurate answers? 

Lee Strobel knows firsthand. It was as an award-winning reporter for the Chicago Tribune and an avowed atheist that he first investigated the greatest news story of all -- the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Now, in The Case for Christ, he presents compelling evidence and expert testimony for the claims of Christianity. As a seasoned journalist with a Yale law background, Strobel systematically tracks down his leads and asks the blunt, tough questions you would want to ask -- questions that can make or break the Christian faith. He refuses contrived, simplistic answers. 

Instead, he pieces together hard facts through interviews with a dozen of the country's top scholars. Written in the style of a blockbuster investigative report, The Case for Christ is a provocative and spellbinding read, marshaling expert testimony and persuasive evidence. With unerring instincts, Strobel ferrets out: Historical evidence: Do we possess reliable documents concerning the life, teachings, and resurrection of Jesus? Scientific Evidence: Is there archaeological substantiation for the historical accounts about Jesus? Did Jesus perform miracles? Psychiatric Evidence: Did Jesus really claim to be God? What evidence is there that he fits God's profile? Fingerprint Evidence: What does prophecy have to say about Jesus? Other Evidence: Jesus' death, the missing body, eyewitness accounts, and claims of personal encounters. The Case for Christ reads like a captivating, fast-paced novel. But, it's not fiction. It's a riveting journey to the truth about the most remarkable event in history: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And it's a revealing, personal testimony to his power to transform people yet today -- even the most case-hardened, cynical journalist



Lee Strobel
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4.7 out of 5 stars 996 customer reviews

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! OVER 5 MILLION COPIES SOLD!

Is there credible evidence that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God? Former atheist and Chicago Tribune journalist Lee Strobel says yes! In this revised and updated bestseller, The Case for Christ, Strobel cross-examines a dozen experts with doctorates from schools such as Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis, asking hard-hitting questions - and building a captivating case for Christ's divinity.

Strobel challenges them with questions like, How reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence for Jesus exist outside the Bible? Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an actual event?

Winner of the Gold Medallion Book Award and twice nominated for the Christian Book of the Year Award, Strobel's tough, point-blank questions read like a captivating, fast-paced novel. But it's not fiction. It's a riveting quest for the truth about history’s most compelling figure.

The new edition includes scores of revisions and additions, including updated material on archaeological and manuscript discoveries, fresh recommendations for further study, and an interview with the author that tells dramatic stories about the book's impact, provides behind-the-scenes information, and responds to critiques of the book by skeptics.

As The Case for Christ and its ancillary resources approach 10 million copies in print, this updated edition will prove even more valuable to your spiritual journey.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lee Strobel was the award-winning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune and is the bestselling author of The Case for Christ, The Case for Christ Devotional, The Case for Christianity Answer book, The Case for Faith, The Case for a Creator, and The Case for Grace. With a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale, Lee has won four Gold Medallions for publishing excellence and coauthored the Christian Book of the Year. He serves as Professor of Christian Thought at Houston Baptist University. Visit Lee’s website at: leestrobel.com




Product details

Series: Case for ... Series

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Zondervan; Updated, Expanded edition (September 6, 2016)
Language: English
› Visit Amazon's Lee Strobel Page

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Biography
Lee Strobel (www.LeeStrobel.com), with a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale Law School, was the award-winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune and a spiritual skeptic until 1981. His books include four Gold Medallion winners and the 2005 Christian Book of the Year (coauthored with Garry Poole). He and his wife live in Colorado.



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996 customer reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
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lee strobel case for christ jesus christ highly recommendgreat book must read new testament well written son of godeasy read excellent book open mind years ago search for the truthrecommend it to anyone many questions well researchedclear and concise death and resurrection eyewitness


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Larry Hilton
5.0 out of 5 starsTo Infinity & Beyond!May 23, 2017
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Lee Strobel's "A Case for Christ" was highly instrumental in leading me to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord & Savior. Coming from a scientific background, I was also skeptical about this whole "religion thing". However, the methodical scientific approach and evidence he discovered in his search for the truth, convinced me it is far more logical to place my faith in Jesus than not. I can do nothing but highly recommend this book and the movie if you are searching for the truth about Jesus Christ.

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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsRead the book! Watch the movie!June 11, 2017
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Lee was an Atheist, and his wife, an Agnostic.What makes this book so interesting, even as a believer, is the fact that Lee, former legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, embarked on a 2 year investigation into the reality of Christ. 

Was Jesus who He said He was? Did He really exist in the flesh? Are the biblical accounts just made up? Were there eye witness testimonies to miracles that supposedly happened through Jesus? Can groups of people maintain eye witness accounts without those stories becoming totally altered after passing down through even the first 20 people let alone generations?

The really great thing about Lee's "investigation" was that he set out to prove that his wife, who became a believer, and all the rest of us, were caught up in a huge scam. Experts in the fields where Lee's questions could be addressed were engaged in this quest. This book is not fiction!

Also, the movie, if you see it, does a great job of summarizing the whole investigation, and you get to "meet" those who were called on to fully answer Lee's questions, and they are not actors.

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Amazon Customer
2.0 out of 5 starsApologetics for beginnersAugust 30, 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

As a student of Christianity and other religions for a while now, I found this book to be a big disappointment. I was drawn to it given the description of it by many of my peers - a hard look at the evidence from a skeptics perspective. Some even go as far as to say an atheist seeking to disprove Christianity being convinced by the evidence. This interested me in the book - what did Strobel find that was so compelling that it could change a staunch atheist's mind? I was genuinely interested in the answer for my own faith journey.

However, after reading this book, I can say the atheist narrative simply does not hold water with me. Strobel was clearly not trying to disprove Christianity here - not even to "give it a fair trial by weighing the evidence".

In the first chapter, he describes what began the journey - his wife converted to Christianity (much to his dismay), but then he noticed that she was becoming a better person. He says, “Instead, I was pleasantly surprised – even fascinated – by the fundamental changes in her character, her integrity, and her personal confidence ... I wanted to get to the bottom of what was prompting these subtle but significant shifts in my wife's attitudes". This is a great motivation to investigate the religion - but it is certainly not what the narrative suggests - something like "I set out to show her that Christianity is a sham".

Secondly, every scholar Strobel interviews is a Christian, most seminary-educated and many actively working at a seminary. We know this from the pages of credentials Strobel gives us and his habit of asking every expert if their research has strengthened or reduced their faith (spoiler: all say strengthened). This is not to say Christians aren't good scholars (two of them are undeniably genuine experts in their fields - hailed by Christian and secular scholars), but I find it very hard to believe a committed atheist would forego all secular scholars and seek out only Christians for an objective look at the evidence. I suspect the purpose was to present the illusion that all biblical scholars are strengthened in their faith due to their research, which simply is not the case.

Thirdly, and most importantly for me, I do not feel Strobel gives skepticism the trial he claims to, nor the trial it deserves. He is content to accept vague and/or circular explanations (we should trust the disciples' word in the Bible because we have no reason not to - after all they wrote the Bible) and toward the middle and end of the book he is actually putting arguments for Christianity into the mouths of the experts (isn't it true that there is proof of the eclipse at the Crucifixion because a church historian quoted a lost text that talked about it?). He ignores major controversies outright and skirts legitimate problems about biblical authorship, biblical inconsistency, translation/transcription issues, etc. that any half-interested skeptic would know about and takes almost every assertion presented without question.

In the rare case that Strobel does raise a somewhat skeptical objection, he generally presents the most outrageous position a skeptic could take, setting up a strawman argument. An example of what I mean (obviously paraphrased for brevity):

Strobel: Are there non-Christian sources that support the story of Jesus as described in the Bible?
Expert: Yes (a generally cogent argument here)
Strobel: But wait, this author says that Jesus never even existed! What do you say to that?
Expert: We're confident Jesus existed because we have tiny snippets of text that mention him in a Jewish religious book, a pair of Jewish/Roman histories, and a Roman letter.
Strobel: Clearly, there is overwhelming corroborative evidence that Jesus is the unique Son of God!

My problem with this is that the objection raised is extreme - *most* academics and people at large - including atheists - believe that a man named Jesus existed, they're just not sure that he was who Christians have claimed he was (God). Secondly, showing that a human being named Jesus very likely lived does not prove that he is divine or that anything else written in the Bible is true. By presenting the argument this way, he is waving off all the legitimate concerns scholars have raised over the centuries by deconstructing the least plausible of them all.

In sum, what all of these means to me is that Strobel is either dishonest in his motivation/backstory (setting out to disprove Christianity) to create a more compelling apologetic, or he is criminally negligent in his investigation. Either way, I do not recommend this for anyone who want more than superficial confirmation of their active Christian faith. For anyone else who is interested in a real investigation, there is no shortage of books or courses - see Bart Ehrman's books and/or the religious curriculum on The Great Courses for a good start.

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Chef Perry
5.0 out of 5 starsBest book next to the Bible.April 3, 2017
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It's hard to rate this book with only 5 stars. I was raised a Mormon. After leaving the cult due to the Mormon inconsistencies and contradictions I found myself in a state of limbo. I didn't know what to believe. I knew that a God existed but wasn't sure if it was the Christian God, the many many Hindu gods or maybe some deity that was unknown and impersonal.
The Case for Christ was a critical look at Christianity from the perspective of an atheist. Lee Strobel left no stone unturned. He tackled the historicity of the person Jesus, the resurrection account, miricals and every objection to which I wanted answers.


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Paul Muwanguzi
5.0 out of 5 starsCompellingAugust 20, 2017
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I am a christian. My parents were born again long before I was born. My father was immensely and I mean it, immensely transformed after receiving christ. We prayed three times a day, and I was a firm beleiver in Christ simply by reading the bible and listening to men of God. Mama always spoke vividly about the Kingdom yet to come. It is the happiest time of my parents lives, speaking about Christ. I therefore knew christ without reviewing the evidence. Reviewing the evidence in this book has given me a new drive and commitment to the cause and now I am altogether stronger and better grounded. I wish I had read this book years ago! I would definately have had better use of my time witnessing for christ.

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B. Neuls
5.0 out of 5 starsFive StarsFebruary 23, 2017
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Well written and logical. A must for anyone investigating the validity of the claims of the Gospel.

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The Curse of the Self: Self-Awareness, Egotism, and the Quality of Human Life 1st Edition
by Mark R. Leary (Author)

3.8 out of 5 stars 16 customer reviews





Despite its obvious advantages, our ability to be self-reflective comes at a high price. Few people realize how profoundly their lives are affected by self-reflection or how frequently inner chatter interferes with their success, pollutes their relationships with others, and undermines their happiness. 

By allowing people to ruminate about the past or imagine what might happen in the future, self-reflection conjures up a great deal of personal suffering in the form of depression, anxiety, anger, jealousy, and other negative emotions. A great deal of unhappiness, in the form of addictions, overeating, and domestic violence, is due to people's inability to exert control over their thoughts and behavior. Is it possible to direct our self-reflection in a way that will minimize the disadvantages and maximize the advantages? Is there a way to affect the egotistical self through self-reflection? In this volume, Mark Leary explores the personal and social problems that are created by the capacity for self-reflection, and by drawing upon psychology and other behavioral sciences, offers insights into how these problems can be minimized.

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Kindle from $10.96


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Editorial Reviews

Review
"Get ready to drop your ego and step into the real world. If you ever wanted to know why everybody else always seems one step removed from reality - Beware - Leary's well researched deadly accurate book, proves once and for all that the common denominator in all your failed relationships is you! Read The Curse of the Self and unlock the door to the bizarre inner workings of the human mind." --Lisa Earle McLeod Syndicated columnist, Lifetime Radio commentator and author of Forget Perfect (Penguin/Putnam)

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"represents an impressive level of scholarship, presented in a pleasant and accessible way, with anecdotes and touches of humor. Leary is clearly an expert on the topic-I doubt you would find anyone better qualified to write this book." -Roy Baumeister, Professor, Department of Psychology, Florida State University
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"Many years ago Whitney Houston sang that the greatest love of all was love for the self. She wouldn't feel that way if she read Mark Leary's refreshing and provocative analysis of how our 'selves' cause many of our greatest disasters and disappointments. Ironically, this book generates considerable introspection, even as it provides inspiration for learning not to let our selves get in the way of healthful and meaningful living." -Todd F. Heatherton, Champion International Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College
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"The Curse of the Self is a thinking person's self-help book, not in the trivial, superficial sense in which the term 'self-help book' is usually used, but in the sense of being both intellectually stimulating and offering useful, practical advice and insights." -Lee Jussim, Department of Psychology, Rutgers University
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About the Author

Mark R. Leary is Professor of Psychology at Duke University. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and former president of the International Society for Self and Identity. He was named by the Institute for Scientific Information as among the 25 most productive scholars in psychology (1986-1990).
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Product details

Paperback: 236 pages

Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (January 4, 2007)
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Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars 16 customer reviews

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Top customer reviews


Nicholas Kadar

5.0 out of 5 starsYou Must Read This BookSeptember 21, 2015

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This is the best book written for lay people on behavioral and cognitive psychology that I have read (and I've read most of them). It achieves a synthesis rarely found in these types of books, and applies modern ideas about dual process theory to human nature with spectacular clarity. Books dealing with similar subject matter have catalogued the illusions of the self and the illusoriness of free will in a way most people find difficult to relate to, but this book is entirely different. It explains many of the personal and social problems of modern society in easy to understand and easy to relate to terms, and explains, pari passu, positive psychology and the principles underlying meditation with refreshing simplicity and clarity. Everyone would benefit from reading this book - and so would society at large.


5 people found this helpful



Camber

5.0 out of 5 starsPacked with practical insightsAugust 14, 2010

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Ironically, this is an excellent self-help book because, based on extensive psychological research, Mark Leary explains the importance of controlling and even diminishing the activity of the self. This is because the self is perhaps as much of a curse as a blessing (hence the book's title). The book provides practical techniques for managing the downsides of having a self and, though the book is written with academic rigor, it's also very enjoyable to read and easy to understand.




Because of the quality of Leary's writing (on which I can't improve), I'm quoting from the book extensively in this review in order to provide a rather detailed summary of the book. That will hopefully convince you of the value of the book and will encourage you to read it in its entirety.




Leary begins with the premise that "... the defining difference between human beings and other animals involves the nature of the human self. As we will see, evidence strongly suggests that most other animals do not have a self at all and that those species that do possess a self have only a very rudimentary one compared with human beings."




This leads to variety of conclusions, which are summarized in the preface of the book: "The ability to self-reflect offers many benefits by allowing us to plan ahead, reminisce about the past, consider options, innovate, and evaluate ourselves. However, self-awareness also sets us up for a host of problems that are unlike the difficulties faced by any other species. Among other things, the capacity for self-reflection distorts people's perceptions of the world, leading them to draw inaccurate conclusions about themselves and other people, and prompting them to make bad decisions based on faulty information. Self-awareness conjures up a great deal of personal suffering in the form of depression, anxiety, anger, and other negative emotions by allowing people to ruminate about the past or imagine what might befall them in the future. The inherently egocentric and egotistical manner in which the self processes information can blind people to their own shortcoming and undermine their relationships with others. The self also underlies a great deal of social conflict, leading people to dislike those who are different from them and to fight with members of other social groups. It also leads people to endanger their own well-being by putting egoistic goals over personal safety. For those inclined toward religion and spirituality, visionaries have proclaimed that the self stymies the quest for spiritual fulfillment and leads to immoral behavior. And, ironically, using self-reflection to help us deliberately control our own behavior can often backfire and create more problems than it solves."




To elaborate further, the following are more specific points from the book which I found particularly noteworthy:




" ... the self evolved under conditions much different from those under which most people live today."




"We spend much of each day in an automatic mode with our selves quiescent ... The self is sometimes engaged as we do these things, but it's not necessary."




"To the extent that we are self-focused and living in the inner world inside our heads, we are not able to live fully in the world outside."




"Once a behavior becomes well-learned, self-preoccupation can interfere with its execution."




"Perhaps the most tried-and-true method of quieting the self and reducing it effects on behavior is meditation."




"Perhaps the biggest bias in people's perceptions of themselves involves their penchant for overestimating their own positive qualities."




"Most people think not only that they are better than the average person, but that their friends, lovers, and children are above average as well."




"People tend to judge themselves as better than the average person on virtually every dimension that one can imagine."




"... self-serving attributions may be seen when people work together in groups, such as committees or teams. When the group does well ... each group member tends to feel that he or she was more responsible for the group's success than most of the other members were. When the group performs poorly, however, each member feels less responsible for the outcome than the average member."




"Although people typically keep their egos well inflated, occasionally the balloon pops, sending self-image into an uncontrolled dive. Even minor failures, setbacks, rejections, and disappointments can prompt harsh self-criticism."




"... people tend to think that the characteristics that they personally possess are more important and desirable than the characteristics that they do not possess."




"People are relatively blind to their own biases, but they see other people's biases much more clearly."




"We each tend to think that our view of the world is the correct one and that other reasonable, fair-minded people will (or at least should) see things the same way we do. When other people disagree with us, we naturally assume that they are deluded, ignorant, or biased."




"It is instructive that people who show the least evidence of self-serving illusions also tend to be the most depressed and that people who show the greatest biases in self-enhancement are most happy."




"... people who view their romantic partners in overly positive ways and who overestimate how much their partners care about them are more satisfied with their relationships than people who perceive their partners and their commitment more accurately."




"The tendency for people to perceive themselves and the world in self-serving ways reflects a method of reducing anxiety, uncertainty, and other unpleasant feelings by a back door route. In the short run, doing so undoubtedly makes us feel better about ourselves and our plight, and, as we have seen, it may have other beneficial consequences as well. But, in the long run, these illusions may compromise our ability to deal effectively with the challenges of life."




"... viewing emotions as natural reactions to real events overlooks the fact that people's emotions are often affected by how they talk to themselves, if not created entirely by the self."




"Many, perhaps most, of the things people worry about never materialize and, even when they do occur, worrying about them in advance is rarely beneficial."




"People who worry a great deal tend to be more depressed, report more physical symptoms, and have higher blood pressure than people who worry less."




"... the hunting-gathering lifestyle of human beings prior to the advent of agriculture did not evoke a great deal of rumination about the future. Life was lived mostly day to day, with no long-term goals to accumulate possessions, succeed, or improve one's lot in life, and, thus, few distal events to worry about. People's attention was focused primarily on what needed to be done today, and tomorrow was left largely to take care of itself. With the emergence of agriculture, however, people moved from and immediate-return environment ... to a delayed-return environment ... Modern society is a profoundly delayed-return environment."




"Anticipatory anxiety about death seems to be a uniquely human characteristic, another by-product of our ability to self-reflect. Only because we are able to imagine ourselves in the future can we worry about death at all ... When people think about their death, their reactions appear to arise not only from the fact that they will no longer function as a living organism but also that they will cease to exist as a mental self."




"People may be focused on the present moment yet still conjure up a good deal of unhappiness by wishing that, at this moment, they were somewhere else ... The solution to this particular curse of the self is to fully accept whatever situation one is in at the moment."




"Human beings expend much of their anger on symbolic events that 'threaten' something abstract that they hold dear, such as their ideas, opinions, and particularly their egos."




"... a person's sense of identity involves not only the person him- or herself but also his or her house, romantic partner, children, friends, prized belongings, and accomplishments."




"Once formed, people's self-concepts strongly influence their behavior."




"People who want to escape the aversiveness of self-reflection may watch mindless television, listen to music, read, exercise, shop, sleep, meditate, or have sex. Assuming that the person is not so self-absorbed that escaping the self is impossible (for example, when one is grieving), these diversion can decrease self-thought by focusing one's attention on other things. Some of the pleasure of these sorts of activities comes from their ability to quite the self."




"People with the highest status and power often need to escape the burdens of the self because they are chronically overwhelmed by their authority and responsibility."




"Various religions construe the problem a bit differently, but they concur that the self is an impediment - perhaps the chief impediment - to spiritual realization, religious practice, and moral behavior, and that a spiritual person must take steps to neutralize the self's negative effects."




"All organisms possess internal mechanisms by which they regulate themselves automatically, but human beings are unique in their ability to control themselves intentionally."




"People typically control themselves by telling themselves to do or not to do certain things."




"People do not purposefully control their behavior in ways that are not consistent with their attitudes, values, and goals unless they are self-focused and monitoring themselves. Self-control requires self-awareness."




"Failing to monitor themselves sufficiently allows impulses that were previously held in check by deliberate self-control to emerge. Research shows that people often behave in uncharacteristically dishonest, cruel, and antisocial ways when they are deindividuated."




"People cannot exert self-control ... unless they have an explicit goal ... Many failures of self-regulation occur because one urge or goal overrides another."




"... people have greater success controlling themselves if they do so early in a sequence of temptations when the impulse is not yet too strong."




"Perhaps the most surprising thing about self-control strength is that it can be depleted by previous acts of deliberate self-regulation. Each time a person controls him- or herself, self-control strength is temporarily weakened - as if some of it were used up - making subsequent efforts to control oneself more difficult ... In fact, simply making choices and decisions also depletes self-control strength. Even when people are not asked to control their behavior, they show signs of self-depletion when they must make difficult decisions."




" ... the self did not evolve to exert the amount of control that we require of it in modern life."




"... the insight that many of our problems, mistakes, and misbehaviors stem from the inherent nature of the self should lead us to cut everyone, ourselves included, a little more slack than we usually do. After all, we are all in this boat together, doing the best we can, using psychological equipment that isn't perfectly suited for the job."




"... chronically setting and pursuing goals can lead to a situation in which the purpose of life today is always the achievement of some goal tomorrow. Today simply becomes a means to some future end, leading us to forget that the only life we really have is the one going one right now. The self's ability to project into the future keeps us focused on the distant prize and distracts us from living fully today ... The solution may be to have goals, but not to become too attached to them."

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Nik

3.0 out of 5 starsKindle version not so greatDecember 17, 2016

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The kindle version is a lazy effort. The note superscripts in the text are not linked to the notes in the back, so I had to have two kindle devices open at once to easily refer to the notes while reading the text. The sections of the book are not delimited in the kindle version. And the index is not hyperlinked - in fact the index is not even text but is just images of pages.




As far as the content goes - chapter 1 was great. The rest was ok with a lot of material and self-help strategies I've seen before.




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Simply Curious

5.0 out of 5 starsThinking about our own thoughtsJuly 6, 2007

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Humans have the remarkable and perhaps unique ability to think about our own thoughts. This Strange Loop allows us to become aware of our self, to plan for the future, reflect and ruminate about the past, think about our selves as separate from others, imagine the thoughts of others, project our experiences into the minds of others, and judge our own actions. Self-awareness provides us the unique ability to control ourselves intentionally by imagining ourselves in the future and talk to ourselves about options for our future.




Self-awareness allows us to imagine the world from a variety of perspectives. Not only can we contemplate what we perceive now, but we can reflect on the past and imagine a variety of futures. We can also imagine what others are thinking now, or were thinking in the past, or will be thinking in the future. Self-awareness allows us to travel through time and read minds. But our awareness is less accurate than it may seem.




Self-awareness, introspection, and self-consciousness open us up to the emotions of pride, envy, jealousy, guilt, shame, and hope. Our ability to imagine the world from another's perspective allows us to feel empathy, compassion, pity, envy, and jealousy as it improves our emotional competency.




This excellent book explores the potentials and pitfalls of our self-awareness.

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Drew J Stapleton

4.0 out of 5 starsToo academic to be real, but such a great topic!January 10, 2014

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This author is a professional psychologist who specializes on this topic, however the beginning is the typical evolutionary wash of needless and almost weak-to-the-point-of-invalid causal links between evolution and the bases of our characters. Having said that, if you're into the academic tone (i.e., Stephen J Gould, etc etc) then its not going to be annoying to you at all. The great thing about this book is how you are faced with the reality of the situation you're in having a self which can be wrong and is always being re-worked in your own personal narrative and all that. I believe now that awareness of the mind games we play with ourselves can lead to massive healing. Thank you Dr. Leary.




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Meghan

5.0 out of 5 starsBuy it!August 26, 2014

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Amazing book. Needed it for a class. Loved every word. Doesn't read anything like a textbook, but your mind will definitely be expanded by the information contained within. If you buy one Psychology book- get this one.




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Joseph Dalton

5.0 out of 5 starsWell written and extensively researched.January 31, 2017

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This is a very good book if you want to understand why you're stressed out and are willing to try to do something about it. I highly recommend the book as well as a series of lectures that Professor Leary did for The Great Courses.







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How to Boost Your Physical and Mental Energy

How to Boost Your Physical and Mental Energy

How to Boost Your Physical and Mental Energy

Dr. Kimberlee Bethany Bonura | Fitness and Wellness Consultant

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Wouldn’t it be great if you could wake up every morning full of life and enthusiasm for a brand new day? If you loved going to work, and got a positive charge out of all your relationships? If you always had an unending reserve of energy?

Most of us no doubt feel energetic some of the time, but as we get older, the stressors and responsibilities of life, and the weight of our myriad obligations, inevitably take their toll, leaving us feeling tired, worn out, and generally depleted.

While energy is a limited resource within the body, there are things you can do to help you conserve the energy you have and tap into hidden energy reserves.

• Perform daily exercises, breathing rituals, and meditations to recharge your batteries.
• Adjust your diet and sleeping habits to operate more efficiently from one day to the next.
• Re-allocate wasted energy toward higher priorities, such as your family and friends.
• Find purpose in your work and relationships to boost your energy for the long run.

How to Boost Your Physical and Mental Energy offers a step-by-step curriculum for tapping into those hidden wells of energy and injecting your life with a much-welcomed jolt of vitality—that joie de vivre we all wish we had. Taught by Dr. Kimberlee Bethany Bonura, a highly acclaimed fitness and wellness consultant, these 12 accessible lectures serve as a toolkit for a more energetic you. Dr. Bonura shows you a series of practical exercises that will increase your energy in the short term, and you also learn how to make a personalized blueprint for long-term success.

When physicists talk about human energy, they talk about calories and joules, whereas most of us simply want to feel good and charged up. There is a science behind that ineffable sense of vitality, and Dr. Bonura shows you the latest research on everything from sleep to mindfulness to the importance of play and emotional well-being. How to Boost Your Physical and Mental Energy shows you how a few simple strategies could mean the difference between guzzling coffee while slouched over the breakfast table and walking out the front door with a spring in your step.

Learn Strategies for Self-Care

There are no shortcuts to an energetic life—no miracle tonic or 10 superfoods you must eat every day—but like weeding a garden for optimal growth, daily self-care is nonetheless critical to maximizing your energy. Dr. Bonura reveals several practices that can make a profound difference in how you feel throughout the day. In this course, she examines energy’s relationship to:

• Breathing: Facilitate relaxation through meditation and mindfulness.
• Work: See how to manage and protect your energy on the job.
• Relationships: Make sure your social life nurtures your energy levels.
• Environment: Streamline your life by simplifying daily decisions.
• Diet: Discover a few sensible guidelines rather than obsessing over calories.

You might be surprised to learn that one of the simplest ways to increase your energy is by sleeping eight hours a night. We’ve all heard that recommendation, but research confirms that people who get enough rest are in fact more alert, and more precise in their thinking, than those who only sleep a few hours a night.

Such advice is simple—eat well, sleep eight hours a night, nurture good relationships—but rather than being a luxury for those with unlimited time, proper self-care is a matter of self-preservation. Following Dr. Bonura’s guidelines will be a powerful step toward invigorating your life.

Discover a Toolkit of Practical Exercises

This course’s goal is ambitious: it seeks to help you build a more meaningful, enjoyable life. But these lectures also constitute a practical toolkit, offering a wealth of exercises you can try right away in your living room alongside Dr. Bonura, including:

• Meditation and mindfulness
• Breathing exercises
• Restorative yoga
• Acupressure

You’ll also discover some “quick fixes” for an immediate boost of energy, such as chewing mint gum, drinking a glass of water, or simply walking in place. These exercises integrate physical well-being with mental health, helping you maximize your energy on all fronts.

Consider How to Live a Purposeful Life

While self-care is crucial for boosting energy from one day to the next, sustainable physical and mental energy is only possible within the framework of a meaningful life. An energetic life is a purposeful life, so Dr. Bonura challenges you to think about how you spend your days: are you satisfied with your career? With your relationships? What does success mean to you?

Energy is a limited resource, and may be wasted if channeled unproductively. The good news is that you can consciously choose where and how to allocate your energy. Practicing mindfulness, making time for play, considering your emotional perspectives, and reducing your cognitive load all help you move from a quick boost to sustained energy. The key is making choices that promote a happy life.

Whatever your age and whatever your health circumstances, How to Boost Your Physical and Mental Energy is an invaluable guide for increasing your ability to do the things you want to do in life.

AVERAGE CUSTOMER RATING:  4.8 out of 5 Write a Review 75%of reviewers would recommend this series

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By: veek

(read all my reviews)

Location:CO

Top 100 Contributor

Useful, Well-Presented Summary Course

Date:February 19, 2016

" SUMMARY: I'm glad I took this helpfully practical course. I think it helped boost my energy and avoid things that can lower it.

GOOD POINTS:
--Although I've heard most material "somewhere" before, this course nicely links it together into a nice package focused on subjective energy management. The author's suggestions are simple to understand and they make sense, including definitely getting enough sleep, directing your attention appropriately, bringing purpose to your life, etc.
-- Although she gives no detours around the need for disciplined implementation she gives useful suggestions to motivate yourself.
--I got the idea she wanted to help us, rather than advance a personal agenda.
--The course syllabus nicely refreshes her main points, so you don't need to take notes.
--She generally gave a reasonable amount of detail, and stuck to her main topic without meandering.
--Finally, her voice was perky, professional, interesting ... and energetic.

WEAKER POINTS:
--The Bibliography consisted mainly of books and manuals, which unfortunately can be voluminous, opinionated, and quickly outdated. It gives some web resources but few direct medical sources, journal articles, and established leaders in the field for further research.
-- Not all the sources she mentioned were referenced. She often used one or two studies for backup, but nutrition and health are too controversial and complex to rely on one or two supporting studies.
--I personally don't think she adequately covered energy problems with processed sugars (they seem ubiquitous enough to deserve lots of coverage).
--I would have appreciated her experienced insights on separating the good from the garbage when evaluating all the energy claims that are out there.

HINTS TO HELP YOU ENJOY IT MORE:
--I suggest beginning with the first and last lectures, which nicely summarize the goals and planned outcome of the course, and using the guidebook to preview and review the lecture's main points.
--Audio was a fine way to enjoy this course. It's a nice course to listen to as you commute and prepare for a day when you may need whatever good energy increase you can get. "

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By: Skrytis

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Location:Sweden

Top 500 Contributor

Self help course without the "self help-mentality"

Date:August 21, 2015

" The great courses has a unique way of making even the most fuzzy subject practical and useful. Yes, this is a self help course but it doesn't have the "self help mentality". The speaker is lovely. Yes, it sounds corny but she projects so much care and respect that I feel that there's no better word for it.

They are VERY clear on what they mean with energy in the context of the course. Many alternative sources toss around the word energy and make it mean what ever they feel like:

The focus of the course is the practical aspects of it. This is not a course to listen to in your car because of the many meditation exercises. But I highly recommend it! "

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By: caserdy

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some useful techniques

Date:January 29, 2016

" I liked some of the breathing techniques that were presented in this course. Some of the other information was a bit abstract. If I were to listen to it again (which I probably won't since I did find it somewhat boring), I would do it with a journal handy and write down the techniques that I thought I could and WOULD actually use. I remembered the breathing techniques and use them, probably not as much as I should! "

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By: Nicolee

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Wonderful course with easy to apply tips!

Date:October 1, 2015

" I took Dr. Bonura's course to try to find new ideas for increasing my energy throughout the day. I found her instruction to be incredibly informative and liked the scientific basis that she used to help explain why we should change our behaviors, nutrition, routines, etc. The information she provided was helpful, easy to apply, and integrate into my daily life. I look forward to more courses with Dr. Bonura in the future! "

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COMMENTS (1)

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Anthony8

November 7, 2015

Hi, I see in your review you mention that her instructions are based in science, which is great and exactly what I'm looking for. I am a little concerned that in Dr. Bonura's otherwise impressive bio, it states that she is a peer reviewer for The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. This makes me worry that some of her teachings won't be up to par.

Does she spend any time on alternative therapies, or anything non-evidenced based in this course? And if so can it easily be distinguished from genuine science? Thanks for your review, any help would be greatly appreciated!