EP 387: Context Clues: Is there hope beyond positive thinking?

Vibe check: does positive thinking get in the way of recognizing real limitations and structural challenges?

Show Notes

“Positive thinking” comes in many forms: New Thought, the prosperity gospel, manifestation teaching, self-help guides, and more. It’s hard to argue with thinking positive thoughts! But when positive thoughts become a substitute for curiosity and inquiry about real challenges, positive thinking can lead us away from real solutions. In this episode, I explore my own encounters with the world of positive thinking and how facing reality has actually given me more hope.
 
 Footnotes:

• More about Mary Baker Eddy
• More about Ernest Holmes and The Science of Mind
• More about Norman Vincent Peale* The Power of Positive Thinking
• Mary Kay Ash on YouTube
• Confidence Culture by Shani Orgad and Rosalind Gill
• Rhonda Byrne on YouTube
• “Farm-To-Table: Reciprocity in Every Seam” (Christy Dawn ad)
• “Manifestation, eugenics, and flower oil” by Meg Conley
• Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
• At The Existentialist Cafe by Sarah Bakewell
• Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit

 
 Essay versions of each episode are available at explorewhatworks.com each Thursday. Get them delivered straight to you by signing up at explorewhatworks.com/weekly

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What is What Works?

"Work" is broken. We're overcommitted, underutilized, and out of whack. But it doesn't have to be this way. What Works is a podcast about rethinking work, business, and leadership as we navigate the 21st-century economy. When you're an entrepreneur, independent worker, or employee who doesn't want to lose yourself to the whims of late-stage capitalism, this show is for you. Host Tara McMullin covers money, management, culture, media, philosophy, and more to figure out what's working (and what's not) today. Tara offers a distinctly interdisciplinary approach to deep-dive analysis of how we work and how work shapes us.