2019-08-01_Mindful

Dr. Robert V. Levine has taught psychology
courses for over 50 years at California State
University, Fresno, and has written and edited
several books on social psychology. Given all of
this study and experience, he seems like an apt
person to put forward a scientific theory on what
a “self” really consists of—an endeavor that pro-
duced this latest work. What, Levine asks, does
science say about our search for the self, and
how should it inform the ways we think about
life purpose, self-improvement, mental health?
Psychology, biology, neuroscience, and sociol-
ogy are just a few of the fields Levine delves into,
serving up cutting-edge research and case stud-
ies from each (such as the first near-total face
transplant done in the US, or a person whose
dissociative identity disorder gave them over 20
distinct “selves”—with only certain of the alter
egos being aware of the other ones).
So what can we expect from Levine’s fascina-
tion with this question? The self “is just a story
we write—or, more precisely, are constantly
rewriting,” he tells us. “When the story works, it
enables us to think of ourselves as one person. It
creates a sense of unity and continuity. But good
storytelling should not be confused with accu-
rate reporting. The self is not a thing. We are, in
fact, ultimately undescribable.”
Not very satisfying, one might think. For eons
already, wisdom traditions have been teaching
the truth of impermanence of all things under
the sun, the individual self being no exception.
And any meditator will know the only constant
about our sense of self is that it changes. Still,
Levine manages to make the subject new, con-
veying the thrill of potential that exists in our
own intangibility.

STRANGER IN

THE MIRROR

The Scientific Search

For the Self

Robert V. Levine • Robinson

In this amusing novel, Sam

Lipsyte throws you into an

all-too-recognizable world of

desperate inequality, unceas-

ing conflict, and unshakeable

dissatisfaction, where the only

hope for the future is Mental

Archery: a “new” spiritual

path that’s part New-Age lore,

part yoga postures, part fake

history. Failed stand-up comic

Hark Morner rises to fame

and wealth as its guru, but

his motley bunch of apostles

have bigger plans for Mental

Archery than he can possi-

bly deliver on. Each of these

would-be heroes is consumed

by ideology and nihilism alike.

Yet along with his acerbic

humor, Lipsyte conveys a

buoying belief in belief itself:

the unifying potential of ideas

and of hope, not just as things

to be bought and sold, but as

what might actually save us.

HARK

Sam Lipsyte • Simon & Schuster

The moniker venture capital-

ist doesn’t usually gener-

ate warm, fuzzy feelings.

You might think “money-

obsessed know-it-all.” But for

Jerry Colonna, money is not

the big motivator. His experi-

ence tells him that anyone

who aspires to great things

will face challenges that test

inner resolve. That’s why

Reboot focuses on “radical

self-inquiry”: looking in places

we don’t want to look, where

we get stuck in a quagmire

of fears, doubts, and self-

criticisms. When we can

look in those places—using

the stability gained through

contemplative practice—it

can cultivate inner strength

to take on the inevitable

obstacles on the path to real-

izing our deepest aspirations.

REBOOT

Leadership and the Art of Growing Up

Jerry Colonna • Harper Business

August 2019 mindful 73

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