We want to be known for having original ideas, inspired hunches, and gut feelings that make a difference. Indeed, a "well-honed sixth sense"' is considered a measure of the good clinician. But being a good doctor also requires sticking with… — Robert A. Burton Copy Share Image
No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life." Yes, we should engage in ruthless self-reflection and harsh scrutiny, but we should simultaneously acknowledge that such introspection will, at best, only result in a partial view of our minds at work. Complete objectivity is not… — Robert A. Burton Copy Share
“the brain has developed a constellation of mental sensations that feel like thoughts but aren’t.” — Robert A. Burton Copy Share Image
“Imagine how different dialogue might be with future generations raised on the idea that there are biological constraints on our ability to know what… — Robert A. Burton Copy Share Image
“How different the science-religion controversy would be if we acknowledged that a deeply felt sense of purpose is as necessary as hunger and thirst… — Robert A. Burton Copy Share Image
Good science requires distinguishing between "felt knowledge" and knowledge arising out of testable observations. "I am sure" is a mental sensation, not a testable… — Robert A. Burton Copy Share Image
“Though not necessarily aware of when we feel purpose and meaning, we are nearly always aware of the sickening feeling when we don't possess them. This isn't an intellectual misapprehension; it is a gut sense of disorientation and a loss of personal direction. Rarely are brute mental effort and self-help pep talks able to rekindle the missing feeling. For most… — Robert A. Burton Copy Share
Properly conducted scientific studies . . . give us a pretty good idea of when something is likely to be correct. To me, pretty… — Robert A. Burton Copy Share Image
“If a conservationist has more stathmin, less risk-taking gene, and the pro-drilling advocate has less stathmin, more risk-taking gene, how can the two have… — Robert A. Burton Copy Share Image
“The history of science is the back-and-forth movement of trial-and-error advances and retreats, punctuated by moments of brilliance and marred by periods of excess.” — Robert A. Burton Copy Share Image
Our mental limitations prevent us from accepting our mental limitations. — Robert A. Burton Copy Share Image
