Book Review: Pleased to Meet Me

I had great expectations for Pleased to Meet Me because it promised to explore "our behavior through the lens of genetics, microbiology, psychology, neurology, and family history, revealing the hidden forces that drive our individual natures." Two of my favorite topics are genetics and neurology. I should have realized from the outset that the author is a materialist (believing nothing exists except matter). His biased perspectives were sometimes downright unscientific. In his chapter on what shapes our political perspectives he cited a study that observed preschoolers, noting behavioral characteristics, then followed up on these individuals, documenting their political leanings. Their conclusion: the "resourceful, initializing, autonomous, confident ... and self-involving" boys ended up as liberals and the "visibly defiant, ... easily offended, anxious when confronted by uncertainties, distrustful of others, ruminative, and rigidifying when under stress" boys ended up as conservatives. What a skewed load of crock!

His terminology follows his philosophical leanings. He asserts "nature invented sex" and "science is the elixir that allows us to rise above our demons." Why speak of demons if you don't even countenance a spiritual realm? If anyone displays a confirmation bias, it is this author. To me, it seems far more of a stretch to believe that our mental capacities, the physical intricacies of the body and the world, the deep desire for meaning, somehow all stem from a big bang that simply set all of this in motion without a prime mover or intelligent designer and with no more purpose than a cocktail of chemicals and matter.

What was most annoying, though, were the almost constant references to pop culture (several per page). It was as if the author felt he must dumb down his discussion to make his lofty thought accessible to the ignorant masses. Indeed, he talks down to anyone who does not share his perspective on scientific materialism. It is ironic. In the grand scheme of things, he may truly be the one blind to the truths of both the material and spiritual realms. Poor man! Trapped in a construct that allows for nothing further than a bunch of atoms randomly dancing around in the universe. What a sterile, pointless existence! Somehow, when the time comes, I don't think he'll be pleased to meet his maker.