CONTENTSIPREFACE1. ON THE PURPOSE OF THIS VOLUME2. THREE DISAPPOINTED METHODS OF REFORMII3. ON VARIOUS KINDS OF THINKING4. RATIONALIZING5. HOW CREATIVE THOUGHT TRANSFORMS THE WORLDIII6. OUR ANIMAL HERITAGE. THE NATURE OF CIVILIZATION7. OUR SAVAGE MINDIV8. BEGINNING OF CRITICAL THINKING9. INFLUENCE OF PLATO AND ARISTOTLEV10. ORIGIN OF MEDIAEVAL CIVILIZATION11. OUR MEDIAEVAL INTELLECTUAL INHERITANCEVI12. THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION13. HOW SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE HAS THE CONDITIONS OF LIFEVII14. "THE SICKNESS OF AN ACQUISITIVE SOCIETY"15. THE PHILOSOPHY OF SAFETY AND SANITYVIII16. SOME REFLECTIONS ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF REPRESSION17. WHAT OF IT?THE MIND IN THE MAKING1. ON THE PURPOSE OF THIS VOLUMEIf some magical transformation could be produced in men's ways oflooking at themselves and their fellows, no inconsiderable part of theevils which now afflict society would vanish away or remedy themselvesautomatically. If the majority of influential persons held the opinionsand occupied the point of view that a few rather uninfluential peoplenow do, there would, for instance, be no likelihood of another greatwar; the whole problem of "labor and capital" would be transformed andattenuated; national arrogance, race animosity, political corruption,and inefficiency would all be reduced below the danger point. As an oldStoic proverb has it, men are tormented by the opinions they have ofthings, rather than by the things themselves. This is eminently true ofmany of our worst problems to-day. We have available knowledge andingenuity and material resources to make a far fairer world than thatin which we find ourselves, but various obstacles prevent ourintelligently availing ourselves of them. The object of this book is tosubstantiate this proposition, to exhibit with entire frankness thetremendous difficulties that stand in the way of such a beneficent changeof mind, and to point out as clearly as may be some of the measures to betaken in order to overcome them.