I started reading Scott Adams blog, the creator of Dilbert, about 18 months ago after hearing an interview with him on the Tim Ferriss podcast.  I have generally found him to be smart, funny and at times, a little over the top.  His writings about persuasion tend to be my favorite and there is no question that he has some fantastic insights into persuasion plays a critical role in our lives.   

He has mentioned God’s Debris on his blog multiple times and due to the constant repetition, I was ‘persuaded’ to read it.  

The premise, per the intro, is that one of the characters literally ‘knows everything’ and the book is supposed to make you really think about the critical questions around humanity and existence.  

The setting is a FedEx-esque driver dropping off a package and encountering an old guy who is the closest thing to a human god that exists in the universe.

They go back and forth on questions on topics like if God actually knows everything, why would he do or care about X, Y or Z.    

I would say 70% of Adam’s points made sense, 15% were illogical despite his attempts to make everything completely logical and 15% I didn’t agree with, including the main point which is that the only thing an omniscient being wouldn’t know is what would happen to them if they committed suicide (this is basically where the title of the book comes from).  By definition, if ‘someone’ knew everything, you could not create a scenario where they didn’t know what was going to occur. 

In the end, I believe Adam’s to be a level IV skeptic even though I believe he considers himself to be a level V.  Maybe I should say he is a level IV who knows all the right persuasive techniques to make himself sound like a level V.  This paragraph makes no sense unless you read the book. 

I found it interesting that the final few chapters points on how to make oneself more likable align perfectly with The Charisma Myth’s main tips and tricks.  Amazing how universal some advice is.

In any event, the book was short and entertaining enough for $5 to be worth reading.

Highlights:

My experience tells me that in this complicated world the simplest explanation is usually dead wrong. But I’ve noticed that the simplest explanation usually sounds right and is far more convincing than any complicated explanation could hope to be.

“Every generation of humans believed it had all the answers it needed, except for a few mysteries they assumed would be solved at any moment. And they all believed their ancestors were simplistic and deluded. What are the odds that you are the first generation of humans who will understand reality?”

“They say that they believe because pretending to believe is necessary to get the benefits of religion. They tell other people that they believe and they do believer-like things, like praying and reading holy books. But they don’t do the things that a true believer would do, the things a true believer would have to do.

“Religions are like different maps whose routes all lead to the collective good of society. Some maps take their followers over rugged terrain. Other maps have easier paths. Some of the travelers of each route will be assigned the job of being the protectors and interpreters of the map. They will teach the young to respect it and be suspicious of other maps.”

“You can’t judge the value of a thing by looking only at costs. In many countries, more people die from hospital errors than religious wars, but no one accuses hospitals of being evil. Religious people are happier, they live longer, have fewer accidents, and stay out of trouble compared to nonreligious people. From society’s viewpoint, religion works.”

“The human brain is a delusion generator. The delusions are fueled by arrogance—the arrogance that humans are the center of the world, that we alone are endowed with the magical properties of souls and morality and free will and love. We presume that an omnipotent God has a unique interest in our progress and activities while providing all the rest of creation for our playground. We believe that God—because he thinks the same way we do—must be more interested in our lives than in the rocks and trees and plants and animals.”

“Exactly,” he agreed. “Practicality rules our perceptions. To survive, our tiny brains need to tame the blizzard of information that threatens to overwhelm us. Our perceptions are wondrously flexible, transforming our worldview automatically and continuously until we find safe harbor in a comfortable delusion.

Importance is not an intrinsic quality of the universe. It exists only in our delusion-filled minds. I can assure you that humans are not in any form or fashion more important than rocks or steering wheels or engines.”

Humanity needs a metaphor that allows God and science to coexist, at least in our minds, for the next thousand years.”

The human mind is a delusion generator, not a window to truth. Everyone, including skeptics, will generate delusions that match their views. That is how a normal and healthy brain works. Skeptics are not exempt from self-delusion."

“We like to believe that other people have the same level of urges as we do, despite all evidence to the contrary. We convince ourselves that people differ only in their degree of morality or willpower, or a combination of the two. But urges are real, and they differ wildly for every individual. Morality and willpower are illusions. For any human being, the highest urge always wins and willpower never enters into it. Willpower is a delusion.