The Science of Mind: A Philosophy, A Faith, A Way of Life

The Science of Mind

Don't be fooled by the title - I was, but only until the third paragraph. I don't remember how it got on my list, but once started, I felt I had to train wreck through it. I've read a number of real mind science books in the last couple of years and this this is a simply a largely Christian religious text with a few scientific mentions in it. There is a bit of pseudoscience, but Holmes clearly doesn't think so.

It's unfair to ding Holmes for a 1920s perspective, and it's unfair to pick on the non-science as this is clearly religious. Any reader without a critical eye can be taken in by the wrong definitions/examples. His examples of something as simple as inductive and deductive reasoning are wrong, but sound show more convincing.

I made a lot of notes, but after a while it became comical, so I decided to give up. Some of the gems is this one:

Take electricity as an example; we know that there is such a thing as electricity; we have never seen it, but we know that it exists because we can use it;... That logic evades me - we can make predictions about electricity, and test those predictions...but the simpler answer wasting scientists's time is because "we can use it".

It is known that certain people can read our thoughts, even when we are not aware of the fact... Um, wow.

The conscious mind controls the subconscious; and in its turn, the subconscious controls the body. No. Really no.

...as we have found that man is threefold in his nature, so we must also deduce that God is threefold in His Nature... "must"? Dude, there is no "must"...save in your manufactured very odd world. Non sequitur.

Psycho-analysis is a system of analyzing the soul, or the subjective mentality. It is a mental process of diagnosis which seems to be technically perfect when used by those who understand it. Right. Because psycho-analysis is an absolute science.

Strange as it may seem, we do not have the same physical bodies that we had a few months ago; they have completely changed; new particles have taken the place of the old; and the only reason why they have taken the same form is, that Instinctive Man has provided the same mold. Huh. No comment necessary.

So, I was a bit surprised to learn that the mythical (Biblical?) flood was caused by psychic confusion. Never heard/read that ever. I was also unaware that "very few diseases are inherited". I'll chalk that up to a 1926 understanding of genetics.

I think I should qualify this review...I looked up comments on other editions and learned that this may have been an abridged version. I can't imagine plowing through anything longer. This is a tortuous read. Holmes is all over the map here and doubles back on himself throughout. He obviously believed he was coherent. He wasn't.

I didn't like this, but not enough to rate it one-star. show less

A book that demands to be digested slowly and not devoured. Truly profound. If you're looking for something to rewire your brain completely, this it is.

Hard to understand and slow reading, but an interesting point of view.

“The Science of Mind” by Ernest Shurtleff Holmes (1926)

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS
Consumed Audiobook compliments of Los Angeles Public Library and Libby
PRINT: (Original © 1926, Revised by Ernest Holmes and Maude Allison Latham in 1938.)
DIGITAL: I purchased from Kindle for reference.
AUDIO (“1938 version with an added introduction by Jean Houston and a one-year study program”) Released: June 18, 2013; Ascent Audio; 11 hours, 50 minutes; Unabridged.
(All bib info from Audible app)

FILM: No

SERIES: No.

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
SELECTED:
I was thinking of visiting the High Desert Center for Spiritual Living(church) in my new neighborhood, and, seeing that they base their teachings on this Church of Religious Science’s primary book, wanted show more to refresh my memory of its philosophy.
LIKED:
All of it, although I may have to hold off accepting his assertion that believing in horoscopes, or in anything that rules a person (any form of limitation; Karma, fatalism) other than God, is a hypnotic condition.
DISLIKED:
N/A
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
As mentioned, I’d read this before and this was a refresher. I still find it inspiring.

AUTHOR:
Ernest Holmes:
(From Wikipedia, minus reference notations) “Ernest Shurtleff Holmes (January 21, 1887 – April 7, 1960) was an American New Thought writer, teacher, and leader. He was the founder of a spiritual movement known as Religious Science, part of the greater New Thought movement, whose spiritual philosophy is known as "The Science of Mind." He was the author of The Science of Mind and numerous other metaphysical books, and the founder of Science of Mind magazine, in continuous publication since 1927. His books remain in print, and the principles he taught as "Science of Mind" have inspired and influenced many generations of metaphysical students and teachers. Holmes had previously studied another New Thought teaching, Divine Science, and was an ordained Divine Science Minister. His influence beyond New Thought can be seen in the self-help movement.

Biography
Holmes was born January 21, 1887, in Lincoln, Maine, to a poor family. He was the son of Anna Columbia (Heath) and William Nelson Holmes. He left school and his family in Maine for Boston at the age of 15. From 1908 to 1910 he worked in a store to pay for his tuition at the Leland Powers School of Expression in Boston. There he was introduced to Mary Baker Eddy's Science and Health, as well as Christian Science.

In 1912 Holmes joined his brother Fenwicke in Venice, California. In addition to taking up a job with the city government, Holmes and his brother, a Congregationalist minister, studied the writings of Thomas Troward, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Walker Atkinson, and Christian D. Larson.

In 1927 Holmes married Hazel Durkee Foster. She died in 1957. He died on April 7, 1960.”

NARRATOR:
Don Hagen:
(From NLS – National Library Service) “Don Hagen started narrating audiobooks in 1997 as a volunteer at Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D), now called Learning Ally. Over the years, he maintained a twice-weekly recording schedule at Learning Ally and logged more than seven hundred hours in the booth. Although Learning Ally’s mission revolves around textbooks, he also recorded several novels and biographies during his time there.
Don joined the team of narrators at NLS in 2004. He had the opportunity to narrate a wide variety of genres: biographies, memoirs, historical fiction, nonfiction, thrillers, suspense, adventure, essays, short stories, young adult books, and classics such as Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea (DB10319). He has probably recorded more Civil War-era books than anything else, and because he grew up in Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, this part of history has interested him since boyhood.
Although Don no longer narrates for NLS, he continues to record books for a variety of publishers. He narrates commercial audiobooks in his home studio and is active in the local voice-over community, recording commercials and documentaries throughout the year. He takes an active role in the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Screen Actors Guild, the two unions that have jurisdiction over much of the production work performers do across the country.
For those who may wonder, no, he is not related to Ray Hagen. Don does value Ray's outstanding work at NLS, however—even if he’s not a relative!
While Don Hagen no longer works for the NLS Studio, his work can still be found in the online catalog and on BARD.”

GENRE:
Spirituality; Religion and Spirituality; New Thought; Psychology; Nonfiction; Philosophy; Inspirational

SUBJECTS: (Not comprehensive)
Spiritual Enlightenment; Metaphysics; Practical Guidance; Prayer; Meditation; Spiritual Healing; Developing Self Confidence; Universal Mind; God; One Spirit, many forms; Soul Immortality; Emancipation From Discord; Mental Discipline; Personal God; Creative Mind; Mind Over Matter; Positive Thinking; Law of Attraction; Mysticism; Instinct; Intuition; Christ; Psychic Phenomena; Subjective Mind; Telepathy; Human Aura; Clairvoyance; Psychometry; Clairaudience

DEDICATION:
N/A

RATING:
5 stars.

STARTED-FINISHED
4/23/2026 - 5/5/2026 show less

A powerful way to change your life for the better.