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  • The Parasitic Mind

  • How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense
  • Written by: Gad Saad
  • Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
  • Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (947 ratings)

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The Parasitic Mind

Written by: Gad Saad
Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
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Publisher's Summary

“Read this book, strengthen your resolve, and help us all return to reason.” —JORDAN PETERSON

There’s a war against truth … and if we don’t win it, intellectual freedom will be a casualty.

The West’s commitment to freedom, reason, and true liberalism have become endangered by a series of viral forces in our society today. Renowned host of the popular YouTube show The Saad Truth, Dr. Gad Saad exposes how an epidemic of idea pathogens are spreading like a virus and killing common sense in the West.

Serving as a powerful follow-up to Jordan Peterson’s book 12 Rules for Life, Dr. Saad unpacks what is really happening in progressive safe zones, why we need to be paying more attention to these trends, and what we must do to stop the spread of dangerous thinking. A professor at Concordia University who has witnessed this troubling epidemic first-hand, Dr. Saad dissects a multitude of these concerning forces (corrupt thought patterns, belief systems, attitudes, etc.) that have given rise to a stifling political correctness in our society and how these have created serious consequences that must be remedied—before it’s too late.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Gad Saad (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

What listeners say about The Parasitic Mind

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    4 out of 5 stars

Many strong points, a few misguiding implications

I liked this book a lot. It had a lot of humour and delivered Gad delivered his messages very well.

Although when it comes to speaking up against Islam, Gad fails to highlight that ISIS is not a representation of Islam. It is implied multiple times throughout this book, that all terrorist acts that are committed in the name of Islam (by thugs who know nothing about Islam) are a clear representation of muslims around the world.

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10 people found this helpful

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Saad demonstrates intellectual courage

Saad takes you on the journey through the dark side of sociology. Showing the degradation of the foundations of western society. Only Saad could remember his honor in these times as he writes about the nuclear bomb that is critical race theory and conflict theory.

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9 people found this helpful

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  • SK
  • 2021-11-30

Bigotry Masquerading as Enlightenment

The author posits his misguided opinions as facts and flaunts his intolerance as if it were a badge of honor,

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8 people found this helpful

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Opinion Masquerading as Science

Dr. Saad postulates that his opinion is rooted in scientific fact and is based solely on logic. However, this is an utter fallacy. Dr. Saad does not offer any scientific data to back his opinions. Instead he just drones on about how the progressives and the left leaning students and faculty in universities rely on emotions when making their conclusions.

At the opening of his book he states that he will not even critique right wing ideologies. How can a so called man of science not even entertain the thought of examining both sides with as fine of a microscope. By not examining both side equally one can only hypothesize that his argument is not rooted in verifiable data but is just mere conjecture.

Don't both wasting your time or credits on this absolute drivel.

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8 people found this helpful

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great book, the reader did a great job, but..

Reader did a great job but would have been that much better if Gad read.

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6 people found this helpful

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Silly, narrow minded naive view point.

The author hypothesized that everyone or anyone should have the unlimited right to explore any question as an area of research so long as one does so within the spirit of truth seeking. This view point is naive and selectively ignores the extensive history of unethical research pursuits. It is silly to assume that such research would occur in a vacuum free of bias, politics etc. I could not finish the book as I found it to be nothing but a long stream of tantrums written by an obviously narrow minded bias author who finds culturally heterogenous societies irrational. This author has employed science to satisfy his agenda... I would not recommend this book or author.

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5 people found this helpful

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Profoundly impactful

This book was profoundly impactful
Opened my mind to so many ways of thinking
Thank you!

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Wish he read it

Great book. I just wish Gad had read it himself. Serious and funny. A mix of intellectual and comedian. He knows how to write what we all are thinking that we don’t have the words for.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

A handbook for 2021

how not to be offended and survive society. fight the good fight. must read.

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4 people found this helpful

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"Progressivism has become the enemy of reason"

Took many notes to add to the quiver in defence against the thought police. Thank you Mr. Saad

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4 people found this helpful

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  • chris boutte
  • 2020-10-11

Some pros and some cons

I heard about this book a couple months ago, and it sounded interesting since I love reading about the irrationality of people. Previously, I never heard of Gad Saad, so I followed him on Twitter and checked out his YouTube channel. Within about a week, I unfollowed him. I'm 100% for debating and the sharing of ideas, but like many of the current SJW-bashing "intellectuals", they seem more interested in arguing than having a debate. Nevertheless, I still purchased the book on release day. 

This book definitely falls into the category of books I'm reading of people I disagree with, but not by much. If I had to break it down into percentages, I'd say I disagree with about 60% of what Gad Saad has to say, but I agree with 40%. But when it comes to his overall argument that we should be able to have logical, rational discussions without people becoming outraged, I 100% disagree. 

While Gad Saad uses quite a bit of research to back his arguments, it's only on specific subjects. For people like Gad Saad, Sam Harris, Dave Rubin, and others, I feel there are some low-hanging fruit subjects that they love capitalizing on. When it comes to implicit biases, they avoid discussing the research because they either A) know the research isn't on their side or B) are afraid of what the research shows. Rather than looking at the research of people like Dr. Jennifer Eberdhardt, they try to simplify the message of the book White Fragility. Personally, I'd love to see someone like Gad Saad go head-to-head with Dr. Eberdhardt or Keith Payne to discuss biases and inequality.

Lastly, I gave this book a 3-star rating because there's a group of these authors that don't really present anything new in their books, but they know they'll make money off of the echo chamber they've built, so they figure "why not?".

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129 people found this helpful

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  • Noah Urbina
  • 2020-11-07

Please allow the author to read their book

That was an abomination of Saad’s thoughts and words. Hiring a voice to pretend to care absolutely destroys the poignancy of his work. The amount of mispronounced, underwhelming, and incorrectly emphasized language detracts from the intention of this book. Saad himself is fun, witty, sarcastic, and extremely intelligent in his analysis, and your voice actor pales in comparison to the author. The $ you save by hiring a vocal ‘professional’ is lost immediately as the audiobook has no ‘sticking power’ when reduced this way. I love the content, I despise the delivery.

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76 people found this helpful

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  • Mr. Johnson
  • 2020-11-28

Thank you, King Honey Badger!

I read through all the one-star reviews: a lot of invective and ad hominem attack - not to mention atrocious grammar and spelling errors - but not a single specific criticism grounded in the text. I'm a college professor and can attest to the climate of self-censorship that's come to reign over the past few years. It's stifling and deeply joyless, and it constitutes a war on reason and the pursuit of truth. But students ARE thus all the more hungry for serious inquiry, even if they no longer know what it looks like.

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  • Jamshed
  • 2020-10-07

Amusing yet terrifying book

You will smile at various phrases that the author has invented but after a while you will realize how deep his thoughts are. What distinguishes this book from others on the fall of Western Civilization is the accurate and wholesome diagnosis of the problem, choice of clear words and the broadness of the solutions offered. This book must be part of college curriculum and beyond.

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46 people found this helpful

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  • A. Dudevoir
  • 2020-12-02

An Inculation to Disordered Thinking and Chaos

I graduated from The Evergreen State College in 2017, the year a mob of angry students overran the school and caused a disruption that garnered national attention. I stood by and watched as my alma mater was debased to pander to the hero fantasies of a group of self-indulgent children. I knew if I followed my conscience, I would pay the price and lose the good will as an ally that I had worked so hard to achieve. 

What happened at Evergreen was very serious, and very wrong. Now, the sentiments of those students have scaled to encompass the nation, and the moral development of a generation has been stunted because responsible people have continued to indulge them.

Actions, and inactions, have consequences. When faced with a tough moral choice, I chose silence. Consequently, I was helpless when a cause I supported upended an institution I held so dear.  I won’t make that mistake again.

If you have any love for virtue, character, responsibility, or achievement read this book and spread it widely. If only a handful students at Evergreen had received this inoculation, they could have "flattened the curve" of infection and saved thousands, if not millions of innocent minds.

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38 people found this helpful

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  • Libor Novotny
  • 2020-10-07

the most important book of our time

I can not stop listening to this book. it is antivirus to the crazyness everywhere

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37 people found this helpful

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  • DanthaMan
  • 2020-10-16

AMAZING

Do you question everything you have seen in 2020. Well read this book and become Woke....The Real Woke not that nonsense that is being peddled on mainstream or legacy media. The Gadfather brilliantly explains all the bs we have been subjected to and more importantly what our kids have been subjected to. Thank you Gad for fighting the good fight. Everyone time to must up courage and grab your intellectual spear and defend yourselves. Enjoy

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31 people found this helpful

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  • purplecrayon88
  • 2020-10-22

Another Entry for the Echo Chamber

The author's style is engaging, and I'm sympathetic with most of his positions, but I can't give this book more than a middling review. It's bag of intellectual potato chips. You'll consume the whole thing in one sitting, but don't expect to be better for it.

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27 people found this helpful

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2020-12-17

80% Nonsense, 20% Narcissistic Filler

Illogical claptrap claiming "Truth" while denying it. First 2 sections about his victimhood while championing truth/freedom.

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25 people found this helpful

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  • T. B. Donovan
  • 2020-10-10

Life changing book!

Gad Saad is a witty, brilliant scientist and teacher. He is also widely known for his magnifent looks! This book is terrific. Gad discusses complex ideas in an easy going way that is understandible to the great unwashed

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23 people found this helpful

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  • Nella Fauve
  • 2023-11-30

What an ugly book

What a sad and mean book filled with fear of people who approach the world with love and compassion. Written by an old and bitter man scared of losing his privilege in society.

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  • Antoine
  • 2023-01-14

Scientific, but to a point…

Could have been shorter, but still interesting. Didn’t like the last part, which lacks the scientific approach initially used and is way too biased by using biased evidence.

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  • Labat Antoine
  • 2020-11-27

tres ennuyant / very boring

Dommage, le sujet d'annoncait interessant mais le story telling permanent et le debut du livre est particuliement ennuyant.

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