Books like The Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution

This book is something of a contradiction. It could be viewed as a “self help” book, but, unlike the majority of these, it does not reassure the reader or boost his or her confidence. It begins from the premise that most of our thoughts and actions are mechanical, and proceeds to suggest that it requires years of hard work to “remember one’s self” for more than a few seconds at a time. It does not claim that simply reading the book once is enough to change your life. Unlike some of the cults it has influenced, the book does not offer up a catalog of increasingly expensive courses, gadgets, or further books one must buy in order to achieve this, although it does recommend seeking out a “teacher” who works within a “school.” Prior to the publication of this book, Ouspensky had worked with Gurdjieff within the “Fourth Way” school he founded. At some point, Ouspensky found that he could “no longer understand” his teacher, so he left the school and began to lecture on the techniques for self-remembering. After some years of this, he condensed his lectures into this book. It probably was easier for Ouspensky to show students what he meant in the context of a live lecture than it is on paper, but as he is dead now this is likely to be the first contact most people have with his ideas. A first reading is bound to be associated with a good deal of friction and internal resistance on the part of the reader. If not, it will be uncritically swallowed whole but not actually understood, which is probably much worse. I believe that it is possible to get a great deal from reading this book, but only if one is honest with one’s self about the friction and resistance one experiences while reading it. Its purpose is to help you to take control over your own mind, and that begins with experiencing yourself in the here and now, and when you are reading it, the here and now is precisely what you experience as you take in each word, sentence, and idea. Therefore, it should not be read quickly, but rather in short bursts of self-awareness, which are stopped when the strain of remaining self-aware becomes too much. The reader will probably not agree with everything Ouspensky says, but the point is to work to Understand it before dismissing it. Never say “I already knew that,” because chances are that if you think so, you aren’t really hearing what he is saying, or at least are ignoring the context as it affects you. In short, this book is not for everyone, and certainly not appropriate for all times in anyone’s life, but can be a powerful tool if you choose to use it.