Chapter 01.01 OBJECTIVE REALITY AND HUMAN EXISTENCE

    Objective Reality

    Subjective Reality

    The Nature of Existence

    Human Perception of Objective Reality

Chapter 01.02 MYSTICISM, SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY

    Mysticism

    Science

    Philosophy

Chapter 01.03 MAN AND THE LAWS OF NATURE

Chapter 01.04 THERE IS ONLY ONE OBJECTIVE REALITY

Chapter 01.05 SELF-INTEREST AND PLEASURE

    Origins of Life

    What is Life?

    The Pain/Pleasure Principle

    The Evolutionary Origins of Emotions

    The Quest for Happiness is the Essence of Evolution

Chapter 01.06 HAPPINESS AND OBJECTIVE REALITY

    We Need to Understand the Nature of Objective Reality

    We need to Align Ourselves with Objective Reality

    We Choose to be Happy or Unhappy

Chapter 01.07 FREE WILL VS. DETERMINISM

    Causality

    Deviations from Causality

    Chaos and the Uncertainty Principle

    The Merger of Causality and Chaos

    Confirmation of Free Will

Chapter 01.08 SEMANTICS, THEORIES AND NATURAL LAWS

    Semantics

    Theories

    Natural Laws

Chapter 01.09 TRUTH, LOGIC AND RATIONALITY

    Truth

    Fallacies and Lies

    Logic

    Illusions and Delusions

    Proof

    Occam’s Razor

Chapter 01.10 THE PROBLEM WITH TIME

    The Nature of Time

    The Arrow of Time

    The Past

    The Present Moment

    The Future

    How to live in the present Moment

Chapter 01.11 LIFE, DEATH AND LIFE AFTER DEATH

    Life

    Death

    Life after Death

    Immortality

Chapter 01.12 GOD, RELIGION AND RATIONALITY

    The many Facets of Religion

    Religion and Rationality

    The Need for Religion

    Does God exist?

    Essential Components of all Religions

Chapter 01.13 THE UNIVERSE AND HUMAN PERSPECTIVES

    Our Limited View of the Universe

    What we do know of the Universe

Chapter 01.14 THE MEANING OF LIFE

    Human Existence and the Meaning of life

    Meaning or Randomness

    To be or not to be

    Perspectives on Human Purpose

    Conclusion: The Meaning of Life

Chapter 01.15 ETHICS AND MORALITY

    The Origins of Ethics, Laws and Morality

    Ethics and Society

    Ethics and the Law

Chapter 01.16 SUMMARY: OBJECTIVE REALITY AND MAN

Chapter 02.01 OVERVIEW

Chapter 02.02 COSMOLOGY

Chapter 02.03 ASTRONOMY

Chapter 02.04 RELATIVITY

Chapter 02.05 QUANTUM MECHANICS

Chapter 02.06 MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Chapter 02.07 ABSTRACT MATHEMATICS

Chapter 03.01 INTRODUCTION

Chapter 03.02 GRAVITY

Chapter 03.03 MASS AND INERTIA

Chapter 03.04 ENERGY AND ENTROPY

Chapter 03.05 TIME AND SPACE

Chapter 03.06 CAUSALITY

Chapter 03.07 CHAOS

Chapter 03.08 BASIC MATHEMATICS

Chapter 03.09 PROBABILITY AND LUCK

Chapter 03.10 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Chapter 04.01 THE DEFINITION OF LIFE

Chapter 04.02 THE FORMATION OF LIFE ON EARTH

Chapter 04.03 NATURE, THE ENEMY OF MAN

Chapter 04.04 PLEASURE, PAIN AND HAPPINESS

Chapter 04.05 SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

Chapter 04.06 PSYCHOLOGICAL EVOLUTION

Chapter 04.07 BASIC HUMAN DRIVES

Chapter 05.01 HUMAN NEEDS AND DRIVES

Chapter 05.02 FROM ALGAE TO MODERN MAN

Chapter 05.03 THE EVOLUTION OF EMOTIONS

Chapter 05.04 HIERARCHICAL MOTIVATIONS

Chapter 05.05 THE SURVIVAL INSTINCT

Chapter 05.06 THE SEX DRIVE

Chapter 05.07 THE NEED FOR SECURITY

Chapter 05.08 SOCIETY AND THE INDIVIDUAL

Chapter 05.09 EXTENDED SOCIETAL SUPPORT

Chapter 05.10 THE SEARCH FOR KNOWLEDGE

Chapter 05.11 ADVANCED PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS

Chapter 05.12 ESTHETICS, RELAXATION, ARTS

Chapter 05.13 HUMAN RACES

Chapter 05.14 INDIVIDUAL SELF FULFILLMENT

Chapter 05.15 LIVING STANDARDS

    a. Intelligence and Education

    b. Assertiveness

    c. Availability of Energy

Chapter 05.16 THE POPULATION EXPLOSION

Chapter 05.17 THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY

Chapter 06.00 PSYCHOLOGY, PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE

    Psychology

Philosophy

Science

Chapter 06.01 EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY

Chapter 06.02 BASIC HUMAN MOTIVATIONS

Selfishness vs. Altruism

Survival: The First Imperative of Human Existence

Sex: The Second Imperative of Human Existence

Security: The Third Imperative of Human Existence

Chapter 06.03 THE NATURE OF HAPPINESS

Chapter 06.04 PERCEPTION AND REALITY

Chapter 06.05 CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE MIND

    The Nature of Consciousness

    The Soul

    Intelligence

    Intuition

    Imagination

    The Conscious and the Subconscious Mind

Chapter 06.06 GENES AND GENETICS: NATURE VS. NURTURE

Chapter 06.07 INTELLIGENCE

    Intelligence: An Overview

    Intelligence and Heredity

    Intelligence and Race

    Intelligence and Culture

    Intelligence and Money

    Intelligence and Religion

    Intelligence and Discrimination

    Intelligence and Happiness

Chapter 06.08 NORMALCY AND MENTAL ILLNESS

Chapter 06.09 EMPATHY AND COMPASSION

Chapter 06.10 TALENT AND GENIUS

Chapter 06.11 RAW EMOTIONS

    General

    Fear

    Vengeance

    Anxiety

Chapter 06.12 AGGRESSIVENESS AND VIOLENCE

Chapter 06.13 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CROWDS

    The Nature of Crowds

    Spectator Sports and Participant Sports

    Crowds and Wars

    Crowds and Religion

    Gangs

    Crowds and Politics

    Riots

    Committees

    Crowds: Perspectives on Happiness

Chapter 06.14 THE DARK SIDE OF HUMOR

Chapter 06.15 THE MANY WAYS OF LOVE AND JEALOUSY

    Love

    Jealousy

    Conclusion: Love, Sex and Jealousy

Chapter 06.16 COURAGE AND HEROISM

    Heroism vs. Courage- General

    Heroism in Politics

    Heroism in Religion

    Heroism in Spectator Sports

    Heroism in Pop-Culture

    Conclusion: Courage, Heroism and Happiness

Chapter 06.17 SELF ESTEEM AND PRIDE

Chapter 06.18 OUR CONSCIENCE

Chapter 06.19 FRUSTRATION, GRIEF AND GUILT

    Frustration

    Grief

    Guilt

Chapter 06.20 CREATIVITY

Chapter 06.21 SLEEP AND DREAMS

    The Mystery of Sleep

    The Need for Sleep and the Stages of Sleep

    Why do we Sleep?

    The Need for Dreams

    Do all Animals Sleep and Dream

    The Interpretation of Dreams

    Sleep, Dreams and Happiness

Chapter 06.22 THE INVISIBLE POWER OF INCENTIVES

Chapter 06.23 STRESS

    General Aspects of Stress

    Primal Stress

    Stress Resulting from Anticipated Problems

    Stress Resulting tom Real Problems

    The Stress Scale

    Stress and Health

    Stress in Modern Society

    Stress and Happiness

Chapter 06.24 INAPPROPRIATE COPING MECHANISMS

    General

    1. Abuse of Chemicals

        a. Depressants

        b. Stimulants

        c. Hallucinogens

    2. Abuse of Raw Emotions

        a. Sex: The Three Faces of Sex

        b. Money: The Aphrodisiac of Power

        c. Religion

        d. Food: A Popular Palliative

    3. Conclusion: Inappropriate Coping Mechanisms

Chapter 06.25 MAN's FOIBLES: FROM PETS TO WEDDINGS

    Overview

    01. Pets

    02. Funerals

    03. Weddings

    04. Last Wills

    05. Fireplaces

    06. Barbecues

    07. Gambling

    08. Children

    09. Religion

    10. Alternative Medicine

    11. Archaic Measurements

    12. Lawn Mowers

    13. Crusaders

Chapter 06.26 ESTHETICS AND ART

Chapter 06.27 MAJOR PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS

Chapter 06.28 PSYCHOTHERAPY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS

Chapter 06.29 COMING TO TERMS WITH LIFE

Chapter 06.30 THE BASIC LAWS OF HUMAN EMOTIONS

Chapter 07.10 EVOLUTION AND RATIONALITY

Chapter 07.20 THE PAIN/PLEASURE COMPLEX

Chapter 07.30 THE ADVANTAGES OF RATIONALITY

Chapter 07.40 RATIONALITY AND HAPPINESS

Chapter 08.01 THE NATURE OF MORALITY

Chapter 08.02 PERSPECTIVES ON MORALITY

    1. A Rational, Scientific Perspective

    2. A Theological Perspective

    3. A Biological Perspective

    4. A Sociological Perspective

    5. A Cosmological Perspective

Chapter 08.03 MORAL CONUNDRUMS AND ENIGMAS

Chapter 08.04 A NEW MORALITY

    A New Morality, Part 1: The Natural Rules of Morality

    A New Morality, Part 2: The Negative Golden Rule

    A New Morality, Part 3: A Personal Morality

Chapter 08.05 MORALITY - SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Chapter 09.01 THE ORIGINS OF RELIGION

Chapter 09.02 LIFE AFTER DEATH

    Death and the Soul

    The Illusion of Life after Death

Chapter 09.03 GENERAL ASPECTS OF RELIGION

    1. Prehistoric Benefits of Religion

    2. Religion versus Rationality and Science

    3. The Existence of God

        a. Pascal's Wager

        b. Epicurean Postulate

        c. Rock Lifting Paradox

        d. Conclusion: The Existence of God

    4. Miracles

    5. The Equivocation of Deism/Pantheism

    6. The Origins of God and the Universe

    7. Atheism

Chapter 09.04 ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF ALL RELIGIONS

    1. A God or Gods

    2. A Church Hierarchy

    3. Moral Dogma

    4. Rituals and Prayer

    5. A Last Judgment

    6. Life after Death

Chapter 09.05 COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF RELIGION

    A. Costs and Benefits of Believing in Religion

    B. Costs and Benefits of NOT Believing in Religion

Chapter 09.06 RELIGION AND RATIONALITY

    Religious Beliefs

    Religion and Intelligence

Chapter 09.07 THE BENEFITS AND HORRORS OF RELIGION

Chapter 09.08 THE FUTURE OF RELIGION

Chapter 09.09 RELIGION: CONCLUSION

Chapter 10.10 PSEUDO-SCIENCE AND PARANORMAL EVENTS

    General Observations

    Why People Believe in Claims for the Supernatural

    Why Claims for Supernatural Events are False

    Introduction: The World of the Supernatural

Chapter 10.20 ASTROLOGY

Chapter 10.30 NUMEROLOGY

Chapter 10.40 FAITH HEALING

Chapter 10.50 MAGIC AND MIRACLES

Chapter 10.60 OTHER ARENAS OF THE SUPERNATURAL

    Atlantis

    Bermuda Triangle

    ESP - Extrasensory Perception

    UFOs

    Life after Death

    Finis

Chapter 10.70 CONCLUSIONS: Paranormal Phenomena

QUOTATIONS

Chapter 11.01 THE NATURE OF WAR

Chapter 11.02 THE VICTOR ALWAYS WRITES THE HISTORY

Chapter 11.03 WAR AND THE EVOLUTION OF MAN

Chapter 11.04 HOW TO START A WAR

Chapter 11.05 ALL WARS ARE ECONOMIC IN NATURE

Chapter 11.06 WARS INVOLVING THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1776

Chapter 11.07 THE FUTURE OF WARS

Chapter 11.08 WAR AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

Chapter 12.10 THE NATURE OF WORK

Chapter 12.20 ECONOMIC SYSTEMS

    1. Coercive Economic Systems

        a. Seigniorialism

        b. Slavery

        c. Collectivism

        d. Socialism

    2. The Free Market System

    3. Conclusion - Economic Systems

Chapter 12.30 PARTICIPATION IN THE WORKPLACE

    1. Employment

    2. Contract Labor

    3. Buying and Selling

    4. Production of Goods

Chapter 12.40 WORK AND HAPPINESS

Chapter 13.01 ORIGINS OF FAMILIES

Chapter 13.02 THE NUCLEAR AND THE EXTENDED FAMILY

Chapter 13.03 ALTERNATIVES TO MARRIAGE

    1. Polygamy

    2. Cohabitation

    3. Communes

    4. Singles

Chapter 13.04 THE MODERN FAMILY

Chapter 13.05 FAMILIES: DELIGHTS AND PITFALLS

    Courtship: How to select a Partner

    Mate Selection Process

Chapter 13.06 TO BE MARRIED OR NOT TO BE MARRIED

Chapter 13.07 THE WEDDING

Chapter 13.08 JOYS AND STRESSES OF FAMILY LIFE

Chapter 13.09 CHILDREN: PROS AND CONS

Chapter 13.10 DIVORCE

QUOTATIONS

Chapter 14.01 THE NATURE OF GOVERNMENT

Chapter 14.02 HISTORY AND PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNMENTS

    1. A Brief History of Government

    2. Principles of Government

Chapter 14.03 GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY: RIGHTS AND LAWS

    1. Rights and Laws

    2. Animal Rights

    3. Curtailment of Rights

    4. Justice and Fairness

    5. Lawyers

Chapter 14.04 FREEDOM, EQUALITY AND DISCRIMINATION

    1. Freedom

    2. Equality

    3. Equality in Employment

    4. Racial Equality

    5. Discrimination

Chapter 14.05 GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMICS

    General Observations

    Sources of Government Income and Expenditures

        a. Government Income: Taxation

        b. Government Income: Inflation

        c. Government Income: Economic Manipulation

        d. Government Income: Plunder

        a. Government Expenditures: Adam Smith

        b. Government Expenditures: Education

        c. Government Expenditures: Health

        d. Government Expenditures: Infrastructure

        e. Government Expenditures and our Happiness

Chapter 14.06 GOVERNMENTS: RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

    01. You and the Government

    02. Involvement with Government

    03. Patriotism

    04. Gratuitous Benefits

    05. Bureaucracies

    06. Opposition to Government

    07. Demands of the Government

    08. Elections and Voting

    09. Government and Security

    10. Government and the Law

    11. Dealing with the Government

Chapter 14.07 CONCLUSION: GOVERNMENT AND HAPPINESS

QUOTATIONS

Chapter 15.01 HUMAN SEXUALITY

Chapter 15.02 PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF SEX

Chapter 15.03 AUTONOMIC PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSES

Chapter 15.04 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX

Chapter 15.05 SEX AND SOCIETY

    1. Heterosexual behavior

    2. Homosexual behavior

    3. Deviant Sexual Behavior

        a. Sadism

        b. Rape

        c. Incest

        d. Celibacy

Chapter 15.06 LOVE AND SEX

    1. The many kinds of Love

    2. Merging Love and Sex

Chapter 15.07 HEALTHY SEXUALITY

Chapter 15.08 SEX AND HAPPINES

QUOTATIONS

Chapter 16.01 THE ELEMENTS OF FINANCIAL SUCCESS

    1. The Nature of Success

    2. Luck

    3. Risk

    4. Energy

    5. Strategy

    6. Conclusion - Financial Success

Chapter 16.02 INVESTMENTS AND PROBABILITY

Chapter 16.03 FUNDAMENTALS OF MONEY AND INVESTMENTS

Chapter 16.04 INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISK MANAGEMENT

    1. Fixed Income Investments

    2. Real Estate: The Personal Residence as an Investment

    3. Real Estate: Income Properties

    4. The Stock Market

    5. A Business of your Own

    6. An Analysis of Other Investments

    7. Retirement -- How to Retire at Age 40

    8. Synopsis of Prudent Investment Vehicles

    9. Fundamental Investment Principles for all Ages

Chapter 16.05 THE STOCK MARKET -- THE PANACEA AND THE TRAP

    1. Risk vs. Return in the Stock Market

    2. Stock Market Bubbles and Panics

    3. Crowd Psychology of Stock Markets

    4. Ponzi Schemes and other Frauds

    5. Prudent Investments: The P/E Ratio

    6. Conclusion: The Stock Market

Chapter 16.06 MONOPOLIES

    1. Definition

    2. Monopolies and the Free Market System

    3. Monopolies must be Enforced by the State

    4. Temporary Monopolies: Patents and Copyrights

    5. Permanent Monopolies

    6. Monopolies Operated by the Government

    7. Monopolies and the Free Market System

    8. The Future of Monopolies

Chapter 16.07 EXPLOITATION

Chapter 16.08 INFLATION

    1. Inflation and Human Nature

    2. What is Money?

    3. Man, Money and Inflation

    4. The History of Inflation

    5. Inflation: The Illusion of Wealth

    6. How to Create Money out of Thin Air

    7. Inflation Price Indexes: Smoke and Mirrors

    8. How to Benefit from Inflation

    9. Conclusion -- Inflation

Chapter 16.09 TAXATION AND INVESTMENT STRATEGY

Chapter 16.10 IMPERATIVES FOR ECONOMIC SUCCESS

Chapter 16.11 ECONOMIC SYSTEMS: GENERAL

    1. The Evolution of Economic Systems

    2. The Future of Economic Systems

Chapter 16.12 ECONOMIC SYSTEMS: THE FREE MARKET SYSTEM

    01. The Free Market Economy: An Overview

    02. Principles of the Free Market Economy

    03. Free Markets and Politics

    04. Recessions and Depressions

    05. The Great Depression

    06. Free Trade and the Global Economy

    07. Public Works Projects

    08. Pork Barrel Projects

    09. Price Controls Cannot Suppress Inflation

    10. Price Controls in Disasters and Wars

    11. Conclusion – The Free Market System

Chapter 16.13 TAXATION AND OTHER NECESSARY EVILS

Chapter 16.14 MONEY AND HAPPINESS

QUOTATIONS

Chapter 17.01 PRINCIPLES OF OPTIMIZATION

    1. Evolution of Human Needs

    2. The Principle of Diminishing Returns

Chapter 17.02 SPECIFICS OF OPTIMIZATION

    01. Housing and Shelter

    02. Transportation

    03. Sex

    04. Children

    05. Food

    06. Clothing

    07. Travel

    08. Money

    09. Health and Healthcare

    10. Entertainment   

    11. The Arts and Education

    12. Hobbies

QUOTATIONS

Chapter 18.01 THE NATURE OF HAPPINESS AND UNHAPPINESS

Chapter 18.02 OUR ALIGNMENT WITH OBJECTIVE REALITY

Chapter 18.03 ACCEPTING OBJECTIVE REALITY

Chapter 18.04 LIFE IS PERFECT, WE ARE PERFECT

Chapter 18.05 PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER

Chapter 19.01 THE BASICS OF HAPPINESS

Chapter 19.02 OPTIMIZING HAPPPINESS

Chapter 19.03 A UNIVERSAL PERSPECTIVE

Chapter 19.04 A PERSONAL MORAL CODE

Chapter 19.05 THE ULTIMATE PROBLEM-SOLVER

Chapter 19.06 A SMILE COSTS NOTHING

Chapter 19.07 SIMPLIFY AND OPTIMIZE LIFE

Chapter 19.08 CHOOSING TO BE HAPPY

Chapter 19.09 THE LAWS OF HUMAN EXISTENCE

Appendix A: Entropy

Appendix B: The Prisoners Dilemma

Table of Contents

Interesting Links

Copyright 1998 - 2006 ©  Walter E. Requadt  All Rights Reserved