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The Crisis of the Self in the Age of Information: Computers, Dolphins and Dreams
a book by Raymond Barglow
(our site's book review)
One expects something fishy when one sees the word “dolphins” in the book’s subtitle, but the author explains that: “. . . they represent mirrors of a kind in which we might hope to recognize ourselves.” The dolphin is a metaphorical vehicle, says Barglow.
Dolphins represent mirrors of a kind in which we might hope to recognize ourselves
He looks at the inadequacy of an unconnected selfhood, an isolated autonomy, opting instead for a connected one. The book seems to be a rather abstract intellectual and philosophical plea for a kinder, gentler world in which people would be more open to diversity and division in their lives, which would enhance the potentials of the self. He looks at therapy as only one possible response to psychological problems; repairing the social institutions that factor into such problems is sometimes a better idea. (Of course, that is what MCs are about: the creation of not just a "repaired" but an enhanced social institution that epitomizes optimal family, optimal neighborhood, and optimal community all at the same time. The effect of MCs is optimal childraising and parenting in the context of an optimal lifestyle.)