Customer Reviews

Drive Yourself Sane : Using the Uncommon Sense of General Semantics, Revised Second Edition

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One of the more readable books on General Semantics and how to use it in a practical manner. Among other things General Semantics focuses on the fact that what we perceive to be fact and reality is only a portion or one aspect of true reality. By opening your understanding to more fully grasp all of reality it opens the doors to deeper understanding, happiness and better communication in all areas of life.

At several points the authors refer to "Science and Sanity" by Korzibsky. This was the first authoritative text on General Semantics but was written in a very technical style that most people would find very difficult to follow and digest. All the major points of Korzibsky's work are included here in a much more readable style that allows the reader not only to understand the concepts but to actually start applying them right away.

An excellent book for those who are interested in bettering their communication with others, NLP students and other communication professionals, as well as those interested in General Semantics, it is a recommended read.

This is an excellent introduction and explanation of Korzybski's work, and I recommend it to both newcomers and experts alike. Alfred Korzybski was one of the unacknowledged geniuses of the twentieth century. He influenced a host of other thinkers and writers, among them Buckminster Fuller, Robert Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard. Korzybski's great work, "Science and Sanity" (1933), can be a difficult book. I thus I tried to get this book, "Drive Yourself Sane," but the at that time it was out of print. I was forced to tackle "Science and Sanity" alone. I had to read it three times through over a period of several years. I wish I'd had "Drive Yourself Sane" to help me through some of the rough spots. It is well organized, nicely laid out, and has a valuable glossary in the back. It also includes valuable personal accounts from the authors. However, even an expert can gain knowledge from this book. I found that it filled in gaps in my knowledge of the subject (general semantics), gave me some new insights, and told me what others had been doing in the field since 1933. Regardless of whether you are interested in Korzybski or not, you won't finish this book without a little IQ rise.

Having followed NLP training (up to Trainer's Level) I have tried for years to live the expression "the map is not the territory". NLPers (including myself) often use this expression from Korzibsky methophorically to indicate that what we are saying or percieving is only a part of reality. Much of NLP as a field (as well as of my book on emotional intelligence) has to do with taking apart our "subjective experience" and trying to avoid mixing up what we think (our interpretation) with "hard facts".

NLP borrows some of its ideas in this area from a field known as "general semantics" and points to Korzibsky and his writings. But there is a "small" problem": most people I've met find "Science and Sananity", Korzibsky's main book, "quite challenging" to read (to say the least).

For me, the authors of this book have succeeded to render the ideas of General Semantics more accessible. What I appreciated especially was that this book does more than explaining Korzibsky's concepts: it also makes them usable as a tool to formulate what you want to say, so that you prevent being misunderstood (in stead of having to catch up after that people have misunderstood you).

Whether you have had NLP training or not, if you want to communicate in a way that helps to avoid misunderstanding, this book may be a welcome source for help!

Patrick E.C. Merlevede, -- co-author of "7 Steps to Emotional Intelligence"

I first read S&S in my late teens while in college probably in 1960. I truly believe that it kept me sane during that decade.
Thank you S&S for helping to save me from abandoning myself to profound confusion. Thank you S&S for helping me to question the events of that period by applying reason and the principles revealed to me by Korzibsky. When I was drafted into the military in 1968 I realized that I had 'under-defined' patriotism by excluding the terms Marine Corps(yes they were drafting people also), rifle and killing. Over 35 years have pasted and now I continue to apply S&S ideas to get me through each day as I hear the double-speak coming out of my government. Thank you S&S for helping me to understand that people who don't question will allow others to cast the definition of words for them. Democracy IS invasion, freedom IS our way, justice IS killing. Thank you S&S for reminding me that democracy, freedom and justice are just words and that their truer meaning can be more fully learned only by the way we define and live our individual lives. After all , democracy is just a word unless you live it!

Now in its revised second edition, Drive Yourself Sane: Using The Uncommon Sense Of General Semantics by Susan and Bruce Kodish (recipients of the J. Talbot Winchell Award for their work in general semantics) is a practical-minded look at the semantics of the English language, how they affect interpersonal communication, and how individuals can use knowledge of the underlying meanings between phrases and words to improve their understanding and interaction with fellow human beings. Drive Yourself Sane is highly recommended for its informed and informative examination of the practical side of language science, and for its accessible to both the formal student of linguistics and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the effects of communication upon personal development.

Drive Yourself Sane takes the core principles from Alfred Korzybski's book Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics (International Non-Aristotelian Library), and presents them in simple format that anyone can use. I regularly recommend this book to my coaching clients. You learn tools to make your own thinking processes more effective so that you can better understand situations and people. You learn communication tools that will help in personal and work situations. This really is a primer for experiencing your internal and external worlds with more ease and enjoyment. Would it be helpful to leave behind misleading thoughts that lead to anxiety and turmoil? This book could be a start. Each chapter has practical exercises that you can do on your own, with a friend or a group. The authors use humor and a clear writing style to guide you through the information and tools. This is a great tool for team building whether at work or with those you love!

General semantics provides a very clear, lucid way of understanding reality, and of building linguistic structures to express our understanding more clearly. I highly recommend this book for its clarity and ease of explanation, not to mention totally righteous, mind-blowingness.

This book covers the basics of general semantics in a very concise way. In my opinion it should be required reading in every high school. Learning to use the tools of semantics can be life-changing. It is stress reduction at its quintissential best. It should be read and the re-read until the recommendations are internalized.

Having never been able to plow my way through all of Science and Sanity, I've mostly been searching for summaries of general semantics, and anything I can get my hands on. This book was an excellent overview of general semantics. GS along with the help of this book has completely overhauled my thinking. I can think -far- more clearly than I ever have in my entire life. I owe great debt to Korzybski et al! Definitely worth the read for those interested in evaluation & general semantics.

The company was good at communicating with me and the order arrived in a timely mannner. I would use them again.