great read: on being certain:Believing you are right even when you are not

​There are times in life when we feel with absolute certainty that we are totally correct.  It can be intoxicating.  Sometimes in mediation, I see parties who have this sense of absolute correctness.  They are certain about what they believe and about what is right.

"On Being Certain" explains in a way a non-scientist (like me) can understand how thoughts are created in our brains. Burton describes in easy to follow detail the mechanisms at work in our brains to stimulate thoughts.

I particularly enjoyed his description of the neural connections and that the "committee" of all relevant neural connections meets behind closed doors to decide what to do about the stimuli. I felt comforted by the thought that inside my head there are innumerable committees meeting to manage everything about me. Somehow, having all of those nameless bureaucrats working to support me as I go about my day, made me feel very supported.

The one thing I missed in this book was the ending.  After convincing me as to how certainty is created in our minds, Burton sadly did not explain how to shake the certainty.  Maybe this will be his next book?

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