In their third episode, Alex and Steven explore Scott Barry Kaufman's summary and reworking of Abraham Maslow's seminal account of self-actualization, which he details in his excellent work, Transcend. Alex and Steven examine questions such as: in what sense is Maslow/Kaufman's theory of human nature optimistic?; what is the nature of self-actualization and how can we achieve it?; how does self-actualization differ from ego enhancement and aspiration?; to what extent might social media hinder our self-actualization?; and what are peak experiences and how might they be essential to our mental health?Further Resources:Scott Barry Kaufman's Amazon UK page can be found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scott-Barry-Kaufman/e/B00415YDNU/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1    Two prominent intellectuals, Scott Barry Kaufman and Sam Harris, discuss SBK's book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE5tLIEH4Zw&ab_channel=SamHarrisScott Barry Kaufman's website with information about his psychology podcast: https://scottbarrykaufman.com/One of the most thorough presentations of Maslow's ideas is his book, Motivation and Personality: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Motivation-Personality-H-Maslow-ebook/dp/B07VWP9X6J/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=motivation+and+personality&qid=1634038597&qsid=262-7832069-2751859&s=books&sr=1-1&sres=B07VWP9X6J%2C0060419873%2C0060442417%2C1513672703%2CB09FC6C2K8%2C0521089735%2C3030539237%2C1841690244%2C1847691277%2C162755467X%2C1462536034%2CB09HFXWV6W%2C1633880702%2C0395798671%2C0367172909%2C0593083318&srpt=ABIS_BOOKColin Wilson dedicated his life to the study of peak experiences, and in his book New Pathways in Psychology: Maslow and the Post Freudian Tradition, he shows how radical a thinker Maslow was at the time: https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Pathways-Psychology-Maslow-Post-Freud/dp/0800855132/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Colin+wilson+maslow&qid=1634038864&qsid=262-7832069-2751859&s=books&sr=1-2&sres=B01LPCP38A%2C0575027967%2CB0070YHFIY%2C1906787093&srpt=ABIS_BOOKIn his book Order of Assassins, Wilson also wrote about how acts of violence can be construed as the price we pay in a society that doesn't foster self-actualization, leading to boredom and frustration: 

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