Review of 'Hubs that Provoke'

Reviewed by

Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Hubs that Provoke is a non-fiction philosophical collection written by Roy T. James. In this work, James offers a selection of his Hub Pages that deal with a wide-ranging variety of subjects. His opening Hub explores libido and gender, and further Hubs discuss religion and contrast the material and the spiritual worlds. Some of his more provocative Hubs examine terrorism and extremism, and in them he attempts to find the roots of each in other, more mundane and acceptable aspects of thought and culture. James briefly covers GMO crops, chemical fertilizers and organic farming, and offers his own take on the uses and benefits of each. He also presents an historical view of global warming and considers how differing philosophies may see the phenomena as something to adapt to rather than to attempt to curtail. His concluding Hub deals with intolerance, citing its possible roots and causes, and offering avenues towards solutions.

Roy T. James' non-fiction philosophical collection, Hubs that Provoke, offers much that will provoke, even infuriate the reader at times. There were times when I could feel my figurative eyebrows raising in disbelief or I wanted to reach out to the author and dispute something I knew was not correct. I think, in retrospect, that those reactions are exactly what the author had in mind in writing these Hubs and eventually compiling them in this collection. This is not an easy work to read nor one to be read through from cover to cover. Rather, I think, James meant for it to be doled out sparingly, one Hub at a time, to be read slowly and be doled out sparingly, one Hub at a time, to be read slowly and deliberately, pondered on a bit, and read once again. This author knows when he steps just outside the bounds and he seems to revel in his ability to do so. Stepping outside cultural norms and viewing them dispassionately is a brave step indeed, and challenging others' perceptions while doing so, a worthy enterprise. As I finished reading the last of Mr. James' Hubs, I wondered at the scholarly learning and life experience that went into the creation of the author's philosophy and found myself suitably impressed. Hubs that Provoke is not an easy read, and it may make you angry at times, even passionately so, but it's well worth both the effort and the angst.

My Latest Book!

I have been publishing ‘hubs’ at hubpages.com, reflecting my views on historical and contemporary issues of interest, which after a while I found amusing to read again. These are now being published as a book, 'Hubs that Provoke', thinking that my views may be of relevance in the present atmosphere of strife and mutual suspicion. All of my essays were penned with the idea that there is a lighter side to everything, however horrid may be the ‘thing’.

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Book Review: The Three R’s: Government That Works!

‘The Three R’s: Government That Works!’ by Anthony Horn doesn’t just paint a rosy picture of life and then leave you hanging.  It tells exactly how to get from here to there, taking note of questions: Where we are now, How we got here, and Where we want to be, the desired state for a healthy, happy human. Beginning with a chapter titled ‘life is what you make it’, and telling that love, hope, fear, faith, and spirituality are what make life, life, this book examines all aspects of life and living that contributes to a happy, blissful existence. What is hundred percent life and what prevents humans from achieving it, where do humans fit in this world, what are the enemies of a happy and healthy life, what role, our government, our society or the world at large can play with our life and, what future, we stand to get, are some of the discussions contained in the following chapters. Exploding population with associated ills, like cancers, pestilences, blights, outbreaks, viruses, and disease, large, lopsided central governments that create wealthy, manipulative, dishonest, and ruthless leaders and impotent, powerless, and financially struggling citizens, failing economies, damaged environment, and total lack of peace are identified as our challenges. Then comes the solution, transfer power nationally and even globally to people in their families and communities. Towards this is what is proposed by the author, the three R’s- REDUCE, the size of government as well as the corporate load, RETURN, whatever saved thus, immediately to people, to get RESULTS, surprising to all.

Throughout this book, author can be seen to be engaged in reflecting on our present and future, giving allocations to different scenarios and living style, and reaching relevant conclusions. He has also made judgments about the nature of future humans, the characteristics of the next human species and, the type of future governments. In addition, a system of governance of future society is proposed and also examined. However I feel, the arguments or reasoning that supported such conclusive analysis could have been shown a little more clearly.  

Book Review: The Will to Doubt

‘The Will to Doubt’, by Alfred H. Lloyd is an essay addressed to the general reader, or rather to the general thinker. Like the declaration by a great philosopher, Schopenhauer that man walks only by saving himself at every step from a fall, this book places doubt, as an essential element of ones belief. How, we continue reasserting our beliefs by constantly getting our doubts answered.

In introduction, author mentions the present times as the age of doubt.  The next chapter, The Confession of Doubt, examines the confession of doubt, of our doubt, and other aspects like how doubt is necessary to life, while explaining how, humans came to be dependent on one another as they are ‘universal doubters’. Difficulty in the ordinary view of things is explored next, as a variation between the physical or of the substance of matter, and, the ideal or of the substance of mind or spirit. When we come to next chapter, The View of Science: its Rise and Consequent, the author states of the challenge: “To understand and appraise the view of science we must trace its rise as clearly as we can, and then critically examine its peculiar conceits, its own ideal methods and attitudes”. Which is the theme of the coming chapter, Character V, the author, comparing how, tracks which limit the locomotive to a certain course are essential to its successful movement, mentions of the need for something of the same kind, in respect of science. Hence, he continues, we have attributed certain characteristics or limitations for science, giving rise to, The Objective nature of Science, How Science is Specialized, and Why not Science would not be Agnostic. Nature of experience it self is analyzed next. It is truly and essentially social, the book proclaims, no individual was meant to dwell alone, which is the trigger of an unperturbed brotherly love, and of a quiet life. An essential defect of experience, a doubt, must be for something good, the author exclaims, and goes on to examine the possible worth of the original defects of experience. The author concludes with projecting Descartes as the finest doubter in history, whose famous words Dubito, cogito; ergo sum. I doubt, I think; I as doubter and thinker am, places doubt in its prime position.

This book, though is a tough one to read, is a scholarly discourse on many aspects of common logic. The author has found the unmistakable presence of doubt as an integral part of our social history. “To come down to more recent times, for open belief in what they doubted, for doubt well controlled in its expenditure, for doubt as raising questions of meaning rather than the more radical questions of reality and existence, perhaps no people of Christendom has been so conspicuous as the English.” Is nothing but an acknowledgement that the questioning nature of the British was greatly relevant in forming the British Empire. Throughout the book, he presents a strong case for doubt as the initiator of every good thing the world went through, every sage the world has listened to reach in the end, five demonstrated facts: (1) We are all universal doubters. (2) Doubt is essential to all consciousness. (3) Even habit, though confidence be the horse, has doubt sitting up behind. (4) Like pain or ignorance, doubt is a condition of real life. (5) And the sense of dependence, so general to human nature, gives rise to doubt, although also, like misery, it always seeks company--the company of nature, of man, of God. By proclaiming that we believe through our doubts; we believe, not in something apart, but in the very things we doubt, the author places this as an essential feature of our existence. 

Book Review: ‘GOVERNMENT FOR A NEW TOMORROW’

‘GOVERNMENT FOR A NEW TOMORROW’ by Anthony Horn begins with a thought provoking remark, 'that political parties always represent the extremes of opinion, always is the view, of only a negligible few'. The book tries to identify the problems of tomorrow, and examines sustainability, complexity, shortage of resources, and a few others.  Author notes, as estimated by scientists, while the world is busy adapting to Western levels of consumption (as they are rapidly doing), the resources of 'four planet Earths' will be required to support the population. At the same time, people can and want to throw off oppressive regimes. The present balance of international trade also is under threat, even though China is the largest lender of USA, it continues to get foreign aid from US. In search of a root cause, the book identifies that the various symptoms that we presently mistake as the cause for world problems, like overpopulation, needs to be examined further.

While examining human history from the very beginning, author finds that humans, abandoning their groups and communities, joined in favor of subservience and bondage to a larger body (powerful rulers, government). That was by believing a lie, that all our questions will be taken care of, and we will have nothing to worry about. We have been living in an artificial existence since then, and time is coming now to group ourselves according to our natural propensity. The author proposes concrete steps for achieving this, both for the United States and for rest of the world.

A set of questions and answers is provided in the book to further elaborate the proposal clearly, while answering many of the questions of its implementation.

I find, as the author has pointed out at many places in this book, the most significant problem facing modern communities, whether in governance, distribution of resources, meeting the needs of people, or of survival, is the alarming rise of world population. The author attributes this to our ‘unsuccessful’ living. He has a point I think. The increase in population is giving us a false sense of success, effectively barring us from realizing our failures. While reading the book, mainly owing to the nonconformist ideas encountered at each flip, I could find myself saddled with a lot of questions. The author foresaw this I think; an extensive set of questions and answers found at the end of the book was greatly helpful in clearing many of those. This book left me with a lot to think, especially after I closed the back cover.

Book Review: Stumbling on Happiness

‘Stumbling on Happiness’ by DANIEL GILBERT has the author wondering at the remarkable achievements of human brain. In Part I, the author identifies ‘making future’ as one of its main business and, along with the other feature of anticipating future, how, the impacts from unpleasant events are minimized. In Part II and part III of this book is found, an exploration into the science of happiness. How we beautifully steer ourselves toward the futures that we think will make us happy. Sometimes our journey takes us to unseen horizons, using our imaginations to look into time. Just as our eyes sometimes lead us to see things as they are not, our imaginations sometimes lead us to foresee things as they will not be. The shortcomings of imagination that give rise to the illusion of foresight are dealt in this book. When we come to Part IV, one of the principal causes of dismay, the wide difference between the products of imagination and the results of reality is analyzed, and how we adjust to our shortcoming in imagination. Thereafter in Part V, another major difficulty for we humans, how to reconcile with actual present, while maintaining that we are highly imaginative, is put to test. If we have trouble foreseeing future events, then we have even more trouble foreseeing how we will see them when they happen. Finally, in Part VI illusions of foresight are examined. Like why we remember our previous mistakes more often than our appropriate responses, just because mistakes were unusual. As our ability to simulate future selves and future circumstances is by no means perfect, and as we imagine future feelings, we find it impossible to ignore what we are feeling now and impossible to recognize how we will think about the things that happen later, we end up stumbling on happiness.

This is an interesting book, a page turner. Witty observations, interesting narratives and sharp, incisive comments make this an engaging one.  For example, about futuristic literature, the author says, “If you leaf through a few of them, you quickly notice that each of these books says more about the times in which it was written than about the times it was meant to foretell”. A rich collection of anecdotes and real life stories enliven the ambience. I could notice one thing protruding, though the author mentions in the book that certain corrective measures are suggested to improve our ability to predict correctly, the relevant discussion could have touched these issues a little more deeply.

Thoroughly enjoyable and informative.