Tower of Babel by R W Wetherill

the author has created a theory he calls humanetics to explain what causes a person to be unable to think rationally. he offers several methods of restoring the function of accurate thought.

he claims human beings deliberately install distortions in their thinking process in order to conclude that something they want to do is 'right' while knowing it is 'wrong'. this goes beyond rationalization and justification in that it sets up pathways of faulty reasoning that subsequent decisions involving similar issues will be filtered through beneath the level of conscious thought. distortions are added as needed to support the originals which begin in childhood, forming categories and chains of dependent distortions.

Wetherill's concept of absolute right is intriguing assuming one believes there is such an attribute as a conscience. (I suspect there is, but am still searching for an adequate definition, description and proof). he states as a basic law that right action = right results, defining right action as that act which satisfies these three criteria: logic (for the intelligence) expedience (for desire) and morality (for the conscience). however, even if you doubt there is any such thing as morality and conscience, you may gain a lot of insight from the processes of distortions in rational thought, which surely everyone has noticed in others. this book presents ways of identifying it in ourselves and correcting our logical deviations.

the theory enters the domains of philosophy, psychology and ethics, maybe more, and seems to explain human behavior very well. it was published in 1950 but I would say its content is of a timeless nature. it is written in simple terms, obviously learned by participation in a variety of human interaction, deep introspection and careful observation in many life situations, rather than through books or in the classroom.

I read this about ten years ago and was very impressed, and now re-reading it I can identify the workings of the theory in my own life quite vividly. other paths may certainly set us out in the right direction, and these faults will correct automatically, but it is always nice to be conscious of what is going on. I have the book saved in five pdf documents comprising a total of 120 pages, which I dont remember how I found, but I will email to anyone who is interested if they send me their address by PM.

I find striking similarities to L Ron Hubbard's Dianetics, but in my opinion scientology is riddled with a lot of material that is illogical, unbelievable and simply far out, which I do not find in the Tower of Babel. I have only now, however, discovered that there is some controversy and negative stories, some of which are told by family members, concerning R W Wetherill, so I would suggest reading the material first before doing any research on the background and personal life of the author.

here is an excerpt:
"Each person has his peculiar distortions of logic. Because of his distortions, whatever they are, he displays a more or less consistent pattern of distorted thinking, irrational conversation, and illogical conduct. If we question him, we learn that each example of distorted thinking is quite inflexible. If we criticize him, we discover that he considers his misguided conduct intelligent under the circumstances that stimulate him to indulge in it. If we challenge him, we find that he defends his illogical thinking under almost any sort of condemnation or reproach. The more illogical it is, usually the more hotly he defends it."