{"id":96661,"date":"2023-03-24T17:44:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-24T21:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=96661"},"modified":"2023-03-29T10:29:44","modified_gmt":"2023-03-29T14:29:44","slug":"the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/","title":{"rendered":"The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are we individual beings, or is that a false sense of identity? Is everything relative<\/a>? What’s wrong with reductive science?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Westerners internalize the idea that each of us is an individual\u2014separate from others and our surroundings. However, in The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are<\/a><\/em>, British philosopher Alan Watts<\/a> argues that the concept of humans as separate beings is an illusion: the ego trick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more for an overview of this thought-provoking book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Overview of The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This concept of individualism is so foundational to Western society that most people never question it. However, in The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are<\/em><\/a>, Alan Watts contends that it’s a false idea\u2014the ego trick. According to Watts and the Vedanta Eastern spiritual philosophy, each of us is a manifestation of one Cosmic Being that encompasses everything in the universe. (Vedanta is a teaching from the Upanishads: a collection of Hindu texts composed around 800 BC.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watts asserts that the ego trick alienates people from the rest of creation and causes destructive tendencies<\/strong>. Ignorance of our interdependence puts Westerners in conflict with other people and <\/strong>nature, causes chronic dissatisfaction<\/a> with the present, and makes them fear death<\/a> as the endpoint of existence. His solution is for Westerners to release their ego and embrace the experience of unity with the universe.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alan Watts was an English scholar and philosopher who interpreted Eastern spiritual philosophies for a Western audience starting in the 1930s. His ideas in The Book<\/em>\u2014published in 1966\u2014draw primarily on the Vedanta philosophy, but his writing is also based on principles from Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watts claims that his ideas aren\u2019t meant to be moralistic or to encourage people to behave in a certain way, but rather to serve as a tool to help people experience their oneness with the universe\u2014an especially pertinent philosophy in an era characterized by anxiety and competition. In the preface, he explains that he used the generic title The Book <\/em>to represent a spiritual manual that he imagines all parents could give to their children to help them make sense of the world and their existence. He notes that the philosophy is a starting point for exploration rather than a specific doctrine to follow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To start, we\u2019ll define the ego trick and what Watts believes is our true identity. Then, we\u2019ll explain how Western society perpetuates the ego trick, its dangerous consequences for humankind, and how Westerners can release the ego and embrace the experience of cosmic unity<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ego Trick and Our True Nature<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll start by describing the ego, the ego trick, as well as how Watts defines our true identity as being one with the universe\u2014which we\u2019ll call the Cosmic Being. The ego is essentially feeling like an \u201cI\u201d\u2014an individual consciousness contained in a body<\/strong>. Watts defines the ego trick as the false sense of being an individual who exists as an entity separate from other people and the environment. Watts argues that this is the fundamental assumption that guides Westerners\u2019 relationship with the rest of the world, causing them to feel isolated and at odds with nature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another aspect of the ego trick is the Western idea that we enter the material world when we are born and then later depart it when we die. Although people have different beliefs about an afterlife, there\u2019s still an underlying assumption among Westerners that humans are individual entities who cease to exist on the earthly plane after death. For atheists, humans physically decompose, and that\u2019s the end of their existence. For most Christians, people\u2019s individual souls move on to the spiritual realms of heaven or hell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our True Nature<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Despite this Western concept of individual identities, Watts argues that we\u2019re not really isolated beings, and we don\u2019t enter or leave the world because we\u2019re all part of the Cosmic Being that has always existed. In fact, more than being part <\/em>of the Cosmic Being, each of us is<\/em> the Cosmic Being, taking different forms and playing pretend in different roles<\/strong> (different humans, animals, plants, and minerals). What we think of as \u201cI\u201d is just one expression of the Cosmic Being in a particular time and place, but our real identity is the entire collection of beings and their environments and their relationships to one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Limitations of Language<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Watts writes that the Cosmic Being transcends language, which is inherently limiting, so it\u2019s impossible to adequately explain the concept with words. \u201cKnowing\u201d ourselves as the Cosmic Being is more of an experience than an intellectual understanding<\/strong>. He notes that because of the inadequacy of human languages, the Cosmic Being has many names, including \u201cGod,\u201d \u201cUltimate Ground of Being,\u201d and \u201cExistence.\u201d The Cosmic Being isn\u2019t a supernatural, all-powerful being who controls everything, but rather is <\/em>everything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cosmic Being Framework: Everything Is Relative<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Watts elaborates on his Cosmic Being framework by explaining that everything in the universe exists in relationship to its environment and other beings<\/strong>. In other words, we can\u2019t define anything except in relative terms. Everything is interconnected, and nothing can have an identity in isolation, including humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watts also explains that organisms are really a process<\/em> of interacting with their environment. This reinforces the idea that everything in existence depends on mutuality and relationships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Perpetuates the Ego Trick?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now that we\u2019ve defined the ego trick as well as Watts\u2019s concept of the Cosmic Being, we\u2019ll explore what perpetuates <\/em>the ego trick in Western society: How does an entire culture maintain this false idea about the nature of existence? Watts claims that the myth of the individual ego is reinforced by language and by having a narrow scope of attention that focuses on components rather than connections<\/strong>. Then, the ego trick manifests in Western society through paradoxical cultural expectations for each person to be an individual. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Language and a Narrow Scope of Attention<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

First, Watts asserts that Westerners create the ego trick by putting boundaries on things that don\u2019t really have them and by narrowing their field of view. For example, people create a false boundary when they refer to a river as one discrete object, even though it\u2019s constantly changing in composition, shape, and size. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of humans, most languages use some sort of \u201cI\u201d pronoun and nouns that define organisms as separate entities that perform actions. However, as explained in the previous section, Watts says nothing exists in isolation, so when Westerners speak about the self, they\u2019re actually narrowing their field of view to the human body and falsely referring to it as a separate ego. He notes that even human skin is highly dynamic and is more like a connection to the environment rather than a rigid boundary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Western Science Is Reductive<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Watts uses Western science<\/a> as another example of how Westerners narrow their scope of attention and create the illusion of separateness. Because science focuses on reducing things to their parts and analyzing how those parts work<\/strong>, Westerners imagine the phenomenon of cause and effect. Watts writes that the concept of cause and effect is another example of the ego trick since the Cosmic Being is one unified process with no cause and effect (similar to the way a circle has no beginning or end).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watts illustrates this idea with the example of looking through a narrow gap in a fence and watching a cat walk by. If you saw the head first, followed shortly after by the tail, you might assume that the head caused<\/em> the tail when they\u2019re actually parts of one whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watts explains that, just like the head and tail of a cat are interlinked, all events and organisms exist mutually, with no singular cause or effect<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the tendency in science to focus on individual components, we can only understand things in context. For example, if scientists are studying how the human heart works, they\u2019re not just studying the heart in isolation\u2014they\u2019re observing what it does inside the human body when connected to other organs under very specific conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watts emphasizes that things can only be separated in linguistic terms, and Westerners confuse the name for the true identity of something. For example, if you call one thing \u201cback\u201d and another the \u201cfront,\u201d they have different names, but they\u2019re just two different sides of the same thing. In this way, language is constantly reinforcing a concept of separateness that doesn\u2019t exist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Societal Conditioning<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

After explaining how the ego trick arises from language and reductive tendencies, Watts explains how Western society perpetuates the ego trick through underlying community expectations for each person to be independent<\/strong>. Society reinforces the mandate for individuality by using expressions like \u201cBe yourself,\u201d or \u201cThat\u2019s not like you.\u201d Watts writes that everything about a person is transferred to them from society\u2014our genetics, our cultural beliefs, our language\u2014and yet Western society tells people they\u2019re separate individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This creates a paradox where society demands that everyone be an individual<\/em>, but the fact that the mandate comes from society means that people are inherently linked to society and defined by it<\/strong>. When Westerners go along with society\u2019s idea that everyone is an individual, they become simply a product of society and thus not<\/em> fully independent agents. Therefore, Western society is based on a contradiction\u2014a situation Watts refers to as the \u201cdouble-bind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This situation is like when people tell you, \u201cDon\u2019t care what other people think of you\u2014do what you want.\u201d It\u2019s a paradox because if you follow the advice, then you\u2019re actually doing what someone else wants and showing that you do <\/em>care what other people think.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consequences of the Ego Trick<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After explaining the ego trick and how Westerners fall into the trap of the ego trick, Watts explores what all of this means for people practically. Watts writes that ignorance of interdependence and the Cosmic Being makes Westerners feel alienated<\/strong> from the rest of the world and constantly in competition with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because Westerners feel alienated from others, they try to destroy nature and their human enemies, experience dissatisfaction with the present, and fear death as the ultimate endpoint of their existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Destroying Nature and Enemies<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Watts claims that the ego trick is a driving force for environmental destruction<\/strong>. When Westerners believe they\u2019re separate from all other beings, it fosters a sense of hostility and competition that justifies relentlessly extracting resources, destroying animal habitats, and killing other organisms for the sake of advancing the human race. Since we are all one Cosmic Being, this unknowingly causes harm to all of existence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even within the human community, Watts argues that people define themselves in contrast to others. This, he argues, is an inherent aspect of existence. Humans designate certain people as outsiders to bolster their own position as part of a superior community<\/strong>. However, when people ignore the interdependent nature of the Cosmic Being and conflict is taken to the extreme, this leads to war and the destruction of the Cosmic Being in its various forms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watts writes that Westerners irrationally try to destroy the enemies<\/strong> that their community fundamentally depends on. For example, Christians might reinforce their identity by disparaging the behavior of non-Christians. However, if they violently eliminated all non-Christians, people would feel compelled to make a new distinction to define themselves in comparison to others. If those new groups then fight to the death, this pattern of destruction would continue endlessly until nothing is left.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an alternative to the destructive, competitive model of conflict, Watts proposes the idea of de-escalating conflicts so that people can still have opposing views<\/a> without wanting to kill each other. In this paradigm, groups can (and should) fight with each other while keeping in mind that both groups depend on each other, and all conflict is a game of push and pull where no one group should ultimately win or destroy the other. He also suggests that a deep sense of interconnectedness<\/a> will naturally lead to more harmony with others\u2014a love that comes from knowledge and not from guilt or duty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dissatisfaction With the Present<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the destructive tendencies associated with the ego trick, Watts explains that it also causes Westerners to experience a constant sense of dissatisfaction because they\u2019re always trying to advance their own ego and emphasize practicality over simply being<\/em><\/strong>. He argues that only children in the West can fully enjoy the bliss and magic of every moment before they\u2019re indoctrinated into the ego trick. But, if Westerners embrace the idea that they\u2019re one with the Cosmic Being, they can then appreciate the miracle of existence without feeling anxious about the future or comparing themselves to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear of Death<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, Watts claims that the ego trick causes Westerners to fear death because they\u2019re so attached to their ego and the seemingly finite time each precious ego has to live. By observing the way that Western adults react to death and behave during funerals, children internalize the idea of dreading death. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Watts argues that if Westerners truly embrace the idea of the Cosmic Being, they would realize that there\u2019s no entering or leaving the world because we are one with all of creation. He suggests that death is a spiritual opportunity for a person to finally release their attachment to the ego<\/strong> and remember that there\u2019s no \u201cself\u201d and no beginning or end of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Path to Abandoning the Ego<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now that we\u2019ve explored why the ego trick causes so much destruction and hardship in Western society, we\u2019ll discuss Watts\u2019s recommendation for how people can escape from the ego trick. Watts claims that there\u2019s no surefire way to experience cosmic unity, but people can get closer to it by steering clear of rigid religious doctrines, doing more things for pure enjoyment, and increasing their own self-awareness around their egos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organized Religion Reinforces the Ego<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

First, Watts advises against organized religion as a pathway to releasing the ego. This is because religions reaffirm a person\u2019s sense of self rather than allowing them to reject it<\/strong>. Religions, or even specific techniques like yoga meditation<\/a>, tend to make people feel like they\u2019re part of an in-group. This hinders the experience of feeling unified with the Cosmic Being because the group is defined in contrast to outsiders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Watts asserts that specific religious doctrines make people narrow-minded<\/strong> about what they should be doing and how they should act. To experience the Cosmic Being and escape the ego trick, Westerners have to expand their mind in order to reject the basic assumptions that society tells them about their existence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increased Self-Consciousness<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In addition to organized religion, Watts asserts that wanting<\/em> to release the ego is yet another way that people inadvertently reinforce it<\/strong>. He suggests that the only way for Westerners to get closer to experiencing the Cosmic Being is to increase their awareness of their own ego attachment. Every time a person notices their sense of self\u2014their feeling of being an \u201cI\u201d\u2014 they should embrace that sensation and examine it so closely that eventually, it starts to dissipate. The more Westerners recognize their tendency to advance their own ego and fight outsiders, the more they\u2019ll realize they need <\/em>enemies to prop up their sense of self and the fact that they\u2019re parts of one whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do Things for No Reason<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, Watts suggests the simple practice of doing things for pure enjoyment, for no practical reason at all. Paradoxically, he says that doing things for no reason actually does<\/em> help us survive, but only if we don\u2019t intentionally<\/em> do it for survival. But if Westerners do things that bring them joy, just for the sake of their own happiness, they\u2019ll incidentally focus less on advancing their sense of self. He claims that people will get closer to experiencing the Cosmic Being when they have a sense of humor with regard to the world and recognize it as a game<\/strong> with only one player and no beginning or end. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are we individual beings, or is that a false sense of identity? Is everything relative? What’s wrong with reductive science? Many Westerners internalize the idea that each of us is an individual\u2014separate from others and our surroundings. However, in The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, British philosopher Alan Watts argues that the concept of humans as separate beings is an illusion: the ego trick. Read more for an overview of this thought-provoking book.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":93610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,21,6],"tags":[952],"class_list":["post-96661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-philosophy","category-spiritual","tag-the-book","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, Alan Watts says the concept of humans as separate beings is an illusion. Learn more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, Alan Watts says the concept of humans as separate beings is an illusion. Learn more.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-03-24T21:44:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-29T14:29:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Image-2-25-23-at-9.46-AM-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1636\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1230\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-24T21:44:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-29T14:29:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/\"},\"wordCount\":2753,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Image-2-25-23-at-9.46-AM-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"The Book\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Books\",\"Philosophy\",\"Spiritual\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/\",\"name\":\"The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Image-2-25-23-at-9.46-AM-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-24T21:44:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-29T14:29:44+00:00\",\"description\":\"In The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, Alan Watts says the concept of humans as separate beings is an illusion. Learn more.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Image-2-25-23-at-9.46-AM-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Image-2-25-23-at-9.46-AM-1.jpg\",\"width\":1636,\"height\":1230},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.\",\"sameAs\":[\"rina@shortform.com\"],\"award\":[\"Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)\",\"Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)\",\"Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)\",\"Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"History\",\"Theology\",\"Government\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are - Shortform Books","description":"In The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, Alan Watts says the concept of humans as separate beings is an illusion. Learn more.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are","og_description":"In The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, Alan Watts says the concept of humans as separate beings is an illusion. Learn more.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2023-03-24T21:44:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-03-29T14:29:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1636,"height":1230,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Image-2-25-23-at-9.46-AM-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Elizabeth Whitworth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Whitworth","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13"},"headline":"The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are","datePublished":"2023-03-24T21:44:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-29T14:29:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/"},"wordCount":2753,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Image-2-25-23-at-9.46-AM-1.jpg","keywords":["The Book"],"articleSection":["Books","Philosophy","Spiritual"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/","name":"The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Image-2-25-23-at-9.46-AM-1.jpg","datePublished":"2023-03-24T21:44:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-29T14:29:44+00:00","description":"In The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, Alan Watts says the concept of humans as separate beings is an illusion. Learn more.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Image-2-25-23-at-9.46-AM-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Image-2-25-23-at-9.46-AM-1.jpg","width":1636,"height":1230},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13","name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth Whitworth"},"description":"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.","sameAs":["rina@shortform.com"],"award":["Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)","Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)","Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)","Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)"],"knowsAbout":["History","Theology","Government"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Image-2-25-23-at-9.46-AM-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96661"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97112,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96661\/revisions\/97112"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}