“The Parasitic Mind” – Book Review

Unless your brain’s activity completely flatlined in the last couple of years under the pressure of irrational ideologies and ridiculous so-called social justice movements, then you have no excuse not to read “The Parasitic Mind” by Gad Saad.

It takes courage to write a book like “The Parasitic Mind” nowadays. It shouldn’t be the case that we congratulate each other whenever one of us has the guts to publicly address ideas that feeble minds deem unpleasant or upsetting, but here we all are in the 2020s. A time when simply exercising one’s freedom of thought and freedom of speech may land a person in the middle of a storm of threats and other forms of incredibly aggressive harassment, produced by none other than those claiming to protect civil rights and bring about social progress.

So, in the era of civilian-driven thought police and that of cancel culture – whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean, there are intellectuals such as Gad Saad, daring to critically analyze the worse of the worse when it comes to products of the modern irrational mind.

And in my opinion, he does an impeccable job.

“The Parasitic Mind” is the uncomfortable read that we all need to make ourselves a little more comfortable in the life that’s likely about to happen to us, whether we like it or not.

Yes, uncomfortable for everyone, regardless of what your opinions are about the subjects analyzed in the book. If you agree with Saad, which is my case for most of the topics, the uncomfortable part is that we have to waste valuable time to deal with idiotic, completely unsupported ideas that threaten scientific and social freedoms.

If you don’t agree with Saad, then you’re likely already uncomfortable in the world you live in, which triggers your drive to make life miserable for the rest of us as well, by acting on your views and trying to make them the new norm. Nonetheless, read this book – and maybe dare to educate yourself even further. I believe that you will slowly find alternatives to your perspectives, some that make sense even outside of your small group of like-minded individuals.

“The Parasitic Mind”‘s table of contents is an impressive “Who’s Who” of idiotic ideas that unfortunately permeated our world, especially the Western one, over the last decades. The fortunate part is that Saad is fantastic at detangling the conceptual mess and its social implications by applying critical thinking strategies and by supporting his views with a variety of scientific data rooted in fields such as evolutionary psychology.

A selection of the topics addressed in the book: University “safe spaces”, gender ideology, trans-activism, academic feminism, postmodernism, victim playing as identity generator, and racism. Professor Saad also wrote about truth and hurt feelings, free speech and social media companies, “anti-science, anti-reason, and other illiberal movements”. He also encourages readers to use their voice to bring about social change, recommends against virtue signaling, and suggests we all “release our inner honey badger” – meaning to have the courage to go all-in when fighting these ridiculous ideas and supporting our own.

I do not agree with all of his conclusions, but that is all part of the game: people like Saad, myself – sorry for getting my face in the picture -, and luckily, many others, appreciate the opportunity and challenges that lie in open discussions on any topic. Emotional management and resilience are skills much needed in academic and general social environments. Silencing your opponent is not victory. It’s aggressiveness and the road to overall destruction. No scientific or social progress ever raised from neverending social wars. We need common goals, not an infinity of criteria to divide us.

The discomfort of having to read a book like “The Parasitic Mind” – when I am sure Saad has plenty of other great ideas to write about – was significantly attenuated by the confirmation that reason is still present in academia – even if mainly in Canada lol – and in many other personal and professional settings. It makes me think of those plants that push through concrete and somehow manage to live and thrive.

I’m saddened that we are here, socially. But my mind is more at peace knowing that reason, decency, and human rights are protected by daring, courageous intellectuals like Saad.

I think it’s gonna get worse before it gets any better, but what other choice do we have but… Onward!

So, my recommendation to you is to get the first dose of the antidote against infectious, common sense-killing ideas: Read “The Parasitic Mind” by Gad Saad and start the treatment. Even if it’s prophylactic.

P.S. I often use “idiotic” to refer to ideologies such as those analyzed in “The Parasitic Mind”. I am glad to announce that I will now add “imbecilic” to my list of adjectives, courtesy of Dr. Saad. Thank you.