Tag: New Thought

• March 10, 2026

  A Defense Of The Prosperity Gospel

  John S. Haller Jr.’s treatment of “the prosperity gospel” in his book The History of New Thought: From Mind Cure to Positive Thinking and the Prosperity Gospel (2012) shows all the marks of the contemporary academy’s small-mindedness. Of course, it would be easy to say, with Haller, that the 1920s (“the roaring twenties”) effected a…
• February 6, 2026

  Creation Is A Beautiful Dream

  Question Concerning New Thought One conversation partner puts his question thus: The logical line goes like this: thoughts create your habits, your actions, your character; they color the world around you and thus ultimately create the world around you. If you think everyone is evil, you will ultimately see everyone as evil, respond accordingly, and ultimately…
• February 3, 2026

  A Minimum Viable Metaphysic For Thought Power

  In order for thought power to make any sense, you’ll have to go beyond “mere technique” as well as “mere psychology.” You’ll need a minimum viable metaphysic. To render a first sketch of this metaphysic, let’s begin by distinguishing between what’s inside of me and what’s outside of me, what’s internal and what’s external. Start…
• February 2, 2026

  Stoicism Is No Match For Thought Power

  In 2011, when I was interviewed by The Washington Post, I recommended Stoical philosophical exercises with the aim of preparing the reader for Hurricane Irene. To be sure, Stoicism was then all the rage–it’s carried on, even grown in popularity since–and so it wasn’t surprising that I would have implied that Stoical philosophy was suitable…
• January 30, 2026

  How Did You Sleep?

  Innocent questions can be loaded guns. When a loved one asks you, “How did you sleep last night?,” don’t dig in and say, “Oh, you know, I slept all right. I fell asleep easily, but in the middle of the night my mind was racing. I fell back asleep ultimately but I feel a bit…