Author: Dr Rod O’Connor
Review by Sam Garrett-Jones
In 1946 Einstein was worried. On the 23rd of June, he gave the New York Times his “message.” He warned, “A new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive.” Einstein was fearful of nuclear war and human nature. He thought we might destroy ourselves. Since then, our situation has become worse. We now have climate change and far-reaching destruction of the natural world.
Why are we in this situation? Dr Rod O’Connor, an international healthcare researcher and cognitive psychologist, takes us on an extraordinary ride to find out.
In this original, compelling account, we discover there are four mental worlds nested within each other, like Russian dolls, and we think differently in each. Together, they make our wise decisions and our poor ones.
- The mechanical world – the outermost, where we imagine the universe and ignore the obvious
- The realm of people – where we empathise, yet judge too quickly
- The inner self – we want happiness, and we will harm to gain it
- Our sense of right and wrong – if we have the right values, we will know what to do
Based on the scientific literature and an examination of real-life decisions, Dr O’Connor explores our four thinking worlds, and shows our thought processes are remarkable. These processes determine how we act; they are the source of our behaviour. The best are inspired and magical, while the worst are terrifying.
‘Einstein’s Last Message’ provides the way to a better, safer world. By understanding how we think, we can change how we behave – and by doing so, save ourselves and nature too.
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