Guru Ratings
L. Ron Hubbard
Bad.
Remember my ratings criteria. I’m not judging these gurus on “global” or moral values, but very specific criteria. Many of my favorite books would be rated “bad” by my criteria for self-help (probably, because they are not self-help books). My ratings don’t reflect how well an author met his own goals, but how well they met my criteria for useful, accurate self-help.
Hubbard invented the Scientology religion, apparently to make money. It worked. He sold millions of books.
Hubbard also wrote some pseudoscientific, self-help gibberish called Dianetics.
Extensive criticism of Scientology and Dianetics can be read here.
Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health (1950)
Here’s a detailed critique. Also see the links above.