Brain-washing Starts In The Cradle.

The New Frontiers To Be Conquered Are Mainly In The Convolutions Of The Cortex.

If There Is A Lesson In Our Story It Is That The Manipulation, According To Strictly Self-consistent Rules, Of A Set Of Symbols Representing One Single Aspect Of The Phenomena May Produce Correct, Verifiable Predictions, And Yet Completely Ignore All Other Aspects Whose Ensemble Constitutes Reality.

The Creativity And Pathology Of The Human Mind Are, After All, Two Sides Of The Same Medal Coined In The Evolutionary Mint. The First Is Responsible For The Splendour Of Our Cathedrals, The Second For The Gargoyles That Decorate Them To Remind Us That The World Is Full Of Monsters, Devils, And Succubi.

Chemically Induced Hallucinations, Delusions And Raptures May Be Frightening Or Wonderfully Gratifying; In Either Case They Are In The Nature Of Confidence Tricks Played On One's Own Nervous System.

The Inner Defenses Are Unconscious. They Consist Of A Kind Of Magic Aura Which The Mind Builds Around Cherished Belief. Arguments Which Penetrate Into The Magic Aura Are Not Dealt With Rationally But By A Specific Type Of Pseudo-reasoning. Absurdities And Contradictions Are Made Acceptable By Specious Rationalizations.