Scientific Introspection is a monograph on philosophical psychology in 45,000 words.
It is neither sci- nor fi-, but very psi (psychological). Psi-non-fi? It’s an essay, something I’ve been working on for twenty-five years.
I started writing it when I realized how incredibly strange it is that of all the billions of creatures on this planet only one type has the ability to think about thinking. And we are the only ones who can say what we’re thinking. It’s bizarre, when you think about it (see?).
The ability to introspect makes no evolutionary sense. All the other animals get along fine without it. And yet all of human civilization depends on introspection. If we couldn’t articulate what we thought, there would be no art or science, no government or justice, no medicine or space ships.
Why is that? I don’t know. Whatever the reasons for our ability to introspect, it would be crazy to let it go to waste. Right now, we do not have good methods for harnessing our introspective ability into a generally-accepted method for studying the mind. Scientific psychology is not up to the task. It needs a little help. Help has arrived.
Scientific Introspection describes a method, a tool to reveal the mind.
Also, as it turns out, Scientific Introspection is a foundation of my psi-fi fiction. All my novels are guided by a lifetime of inquiry into the mind. That includes the Newcomers trilogy, which featured highly socialized AI androids who wondered if they were really conscious or just simulations?
My latest, Alien Panic, coming out in January 2021, features aliens stranded on Earth who need help from friendly humans. It’s a fun adventure story but it’s also about an imagined alien psychology and how it might differ from our own.
All my fictional themes derive from my work in philosophical psychology. I decided to publish one of the key source documents.
If you’re curious about the real, not the fictional mind, give Scientific Introspection a try.
You can get Scientific Introspection here:
Smashwords.com
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1036489
Epub download ISBN: 978-1-7355412-0-4 $2.99
Amazon Kindle
Kindle (Mobi) download 978-1-7338927-8-0 $2.99
Amazon Paperback (161 pages)
Paperback: 978-1-7338927-9-7 $6.99
