Book Review: Ethics and Modern Thought, by Rudolf Eucken

Ethics and Modern Thought, by Rudolf Eucken, winner of Nobel prize (1908), describes the path taken by ethical considerations or morality, from the olden days to the present and examines its flow forward. Beginning by identifying the origins of ethics in the basic tendency of man to find in everything an inner world, it studies how ethics caused man to raise himself to a higher plane of life, differentiating humans from all other forms of life. In a chapter titled a defence of ethical principles, the author describes the opposition to these and how, they were overcome. The first challenge it faced, ‘as all human actions must lead to self-preservation, which should have made self-interest a prime requirement, how is morality, which is the absence of self interest, possible?’ is probed. He finds an answer, the independent and different individuality possible in the higher plane. For example, the pain and suffering of telling truth is overshadowed by certain gains (spiritual gain) in the higher plane.

Since ethical principles can now identify clearly a different form of life, spiritual life, further growth of these tenets is closely linked with spiritual life. During such progress, whenever spiritual world and ethics happen to face doubts, obstacles, and adversaries, what came to its help was religion. Or rather this can be taken as the reason behind religion, something to defend the ethical principles against the onslaught by time.

In the last chapter, which is ‘the present state of morality’ is recounted, the profits and losses to ethical principles from the present times. As religion lost out on its prime role in governing the society, significant changes also happened. The reprehensible punishments of yesteryears are no more in our midst, but morality took a good beating.

But he makes an interesting observation. Modern society is more confused than the earlier ones, but less error prone. As we do not commit errors, the opportunity to find the truth is eluding us. Quoting Bacon the author says ‘Truth can more easily emerge from error than from confusion.’ By encouraging confusion but suppressing errors, we are affecting our future.

This book gives a good overview of the formation of ethical principles and moral rules. It identifies towards the end, how modern work culture makes us more united and caring but wary about the quest for truth. He however ends on a sad note. ‘If we review the whole and consider the balance of moral profit and loss in our day, the result cannot be a favourable one. No full substitute is offered for what is lost. We have gained in breadth, but we have lost in depth and strength.’

Book Review: A Revolutionary New Concept of Economics

‘A Revolutionary New Concept of Economics’ By Richard J. Wilson J.D.   

Imagine a future when machines are available to do complex jobs and perform beyond human capacity, while working for nothing. Our monetary system, which is the cardinal pole, on which the transactions that make our society possible, rests, is going to be pushed towards oblivion. This being a possible scenario of the future, there is a need to set aside our attachment and look for alternatives to the present system of money.

Richard begins with the observation that our economic system, which was a good one for the age in which it was adopted, is not a fit one for the age of science. But we, even when our financial system was failing, showing inefficiency, instability and injustice, never thought to blame the system, instead profusely are blaming a few people, calling whomever we do not like by repugnant names.

He thereafter suggests a new economic system based more on nature and its properties, while overcoming the impediments of the old system, which we still use. For example he notes: in the absence of money, people would have produced what they need, as any excess would have been spoiled and lost. Money, which got introduced as a convenience, however changed all that when it overstayed its useful period. A new system of self-correcting labor and a money-less society will evolve, which shall not be based on the idea that people need to be ‘driven’ to work.

Then he discusses the possible ways of organizing society into an industrial conglomerate, and how all the activities like planning, conflict resolution, exchange and rights can be dovetailed.

In the next chapter, Blind Adversary, Richard ponders on the challenges ahead for such a system. Just like the ancient Greek sages, who thought that everything is built of fire, earth, air and water, the founder of economics, Adam Smith, thought of wealth in terms of similar qualitative divisions of labor, capital etc. Millenniums have flown by, and in the age of science, just as we have adopted the ideas of matter and its constitution greatly different from what the sages thought, we need to replace the present theory of economics with one based more on science rather than a couple of solid pillars like labor and capital. Economics need to evolve into a new branch of thought, say econoscience, which will replace the system of money to something more fitting to a society on the move.
I found many of the ideas presented, a welcome departure from the routine. Though towards the end, I felt the discussions on what should have been the most interesting part of the book, the new idea of controlling production, coming to a rather abrupt end. Even in spite of this, it is a brilliant dissertation and an engrossing book.

How to fight terrorism

All that is unpleasant with our world can also be traced to the large scale proliferation of terrorism or, our fight against activities that even remotely resemble terrorist. Why is that, notwithstanding our best efforts, terrorism continues to remain a scourge?

Is it that our idea about terrorism is wrong? I feel so. Published a hub on this topic.
http://hubpages.com/politics/How-to-stop-terrorism
http://hub.me/akdBZ

Male Chauvunism - The real story

All that is unpleasant with our world can also be traced to the restless nature, especially of the male. What else can serve as an example but our incessant struggle for success, or our objections to someone else’s fight for the same. Is it that we are mistaken in our idea about the male? I have published a book covering these aspects of life

Is Language, for Communication?

I Published a few Questions that Provoke!

All that is unpleasant with our world can also be traced to the cacophony we generate in our longing for success in life, or our objections to someone else’s search for the same. Is it that our idea about language is wrong? Published a book asking such questions.

More Reviews...

Two Tales of the Moon by Jennifer Sun has Lu Li, young daughter of a Chinese doctor, who escapes to USA, pursuing her studies to become a successful investment banker. Sage Donovan is her friend, whose brother Will is the proud owner of a flourishing cyber-security firm. The Chinese show interest in acquiring certain business interests in this country, which includes Will’s firm and he requests the services of a professional expert, Lu Li. Business interests take them to China, where Lu meets face to face with her past life and charts new avenues, to ponder about the future. Both the takeover, which comes to a fruitful end but not without unexpected twists, and their romance, which flourish but not without ethical dilemmas, life choices and coming to terms with the past, take place as planned.

Two Tales of the Moon by Jennifer Sun is a gripping tale. All characters are marked by their independent presence throughout the story, each familiarizing us with one facet of the modern business world, its international dimensions of the present times. The book is also replete with intriguing turns, sentimental moments and warm thoughts characteristic of a good romance, woven into the plot befittingly for the ripe and mature industrialist, the friendly banker and his doting sister who attempts to add romance into the life of her brother as well as her friend. All the events, the settings and their progression blend beautifully with the chosen characters, thus making the narration riveting while smooth flowing. A very good read, I didn’t really notice the pages turn, till I reached the last one.

‘THE  REAL REASONS YOU ARE STILL POOR’ by JAMES WAMANI is book about success, suggesting, an approach in facing the issues of life to achieve any thing. It gives a long list of reasons for ones failure, with a good discussion to elaborate each. Beginning with the most likely cause, You work hard but not smart, ten different reasons like, You think small, You will not ask or seek information/ advice from those who know better, are covered in this book. The book then turns to answers, how we can overcome these pitfalls. Propounding a four phase solution, it offers a comprehensive arsenal to help one in his quest for success. Describing the four A’s of success, namely, Aspire – Choosing ones dream. Create a clear vision of what your financial dream and financial freedom look like to you. Hold onto your vision throughout your journey, Acquire - Learning, the education, the facts, the figures, and the data you need in order to take action. The acquire stage is ongoing because the markets and the economy are always changing, Apply - Put the knowledge you’ve acquired to real use. Take action. With a small amount of acquired knowledge, you can quickly move into the apply stage, which will produce results, and, Achieve – One should feel involved throughout ones journey, achieving with each and every win or success.

‘THE  REAL REASONS YOU ARE STILL POOR’ by JAMES WAMANI book can boast of an easy narration and a friendly tenor. Simple explanations adds to its reader friendliness, however, as the points are covered more in its abstract, these might have to be tweaked to suit ones industry or business environment before adopting for use. Or this can act as a guide while forming ones plans or procedures for consolidating or bettering performance.

‘For seeing eye dogs only:  A non-fiction treatise on intelligence’ by Robert S. Swiatek introduces laughter as a good medicine, that too, the only one available without health insurance. His observations of the funny take us through the common lanes of our townships to present them in an uncommon manner. Beginning with the ubiquitous forms (placed at every place a citizen has to approach) that invariably contains a standard caution – “Filling this form is optional” and misbehaving soda machines that take revenge on needy customers, to end with an apt definition of monotony – synonym for monogamy, this book took me through some of the best gems of humor. Looking for the printed data at the bottom of kittens, leaves perspiring to make dew, and politics becoming a combination of many ticks, are few of those that continue to be with me long after I finished the book. 

‘For seeing eye dogs only:  A non-fiction treatise on intelligence’ by Robert S. Swiatek is a very good book for light reading, as well as for a deeper consideration, especially of the possibilities of bureaucratic jugglery. Well done Robert! 

‘LAUGHTER 101’ by SAMUEL UFOT EKEKERE is a manual for laughing out ones life. It starts with a declaration that life is complex and one may never know why it is so. The therefore book proposes inevitability of sadness, no two people at identical circumstances can never find themselves equally fulfilled. Examining this and other factors that activate laughter, Samuel teaches us how, those can be put to use in surmounting life’s troubles. How one can derive more fun from life, how that can boost health and well being as well as, how to assess the effectiveness of the changes in approach to life, are discussed in this book.

‘LAUGHTER 101’ by SAMUEL UFOT EKEKERE is easy to read, the book being written in simple conversational style. Highlighted actions and numerical steps make it easy to adopt these techniques in practice. A set of review questions and an index would have been a wonderful addition.

In his book ‘Metaphysical Elements of Ethics’, Immanuel Kant presents moral philosophy as a doctrine specifying the duties of all humans. The duties that are easily understood have already been grouped together as jurisprudence or external laws. Though we generally regard them as separate, the laws should be considered as a subset of ethics and subject to the very same considerations that mould our ethical behavior. Kant has brought out an interesting aspect of moral principles, those ones, where the principle could be specified rather strictly and in an unambiguous manner, or the ends could be clearly measurable, became laws. And all duties where no tangible measurement is possible came to be termed as ‘virtues’, the field of ethics. Terming these as indeterminate duties, this book examines the many facets of ethics, of virtue, conscience and morality.

‘Metaphysical Elements of Ethics’ by Immanuel Kant is not an easy book to read, even when due allowance is given to the complexity of its topic. But it does examine many sides of the subject, which as the author mentions is a collection of ‘problems encountered while discussing duties’, answering many of the questions that were troubling my mind. Like “Love is a matter of feeling, not of will or volition, and I cannot love because I will to do so, still less because I ought (I cannot be necessitated to love); hence there is no such thing as a duty to love.” How all the questions that had answers of hazy nature happen to join together to make ‘ethics’, is one interesting idea narrated here.

This Book, ‘IT IS S.A.D.: THE LEFTIST BRAIN EXPOSED: Why Conservatives and Leftists Think so Differently’ by Rooster Bradford summarizes author’s efforts in trying to convince folks of the best form of government for us, given that we are flawed. Rooster Bradford, with his conservative roots and, an acquired leaning to the left thanks to the influence of his mother, examines the question – “Why leftists and conservatives think different?” The book notes the logical inconsistencies, recognize the differences and draws conclusions. The author identifies the most significant disability of the left, as an impaired common sense and, this book examines the origins of this feature.

Beginning with an interesting quotation from Winston Chuchill, “The inherent vice of Capitalism is the unequal sharing of the Blessings, the inherent blessing of Socialism is the equal sharing of its Misery”, the book, ‘IT IS S.A.D.: THE LEFTIST BRAIN EXPOSED’ by Rooster Bradford contains many episodes and reflections on the author’s journey from a conservative in his childhood, where his father’s influence played a pivotal role, to rather left leaning, when swayed by his mother’s convictions. It examines the qualitative differences between conservatives and the liberals, and how, the approaches differ on all matters of societal life like tolerance of power, debate, or representative functions. The antipathy, the left exhibits for certain words, for example divorce and the suggested replacements, dissolution, or disillusion (same sex couple), the varied perception on all matters affecting personal or social life and the penchant to embrace the unreal, and long list of other features of the left – right divide, the obscure ones in addition to the obvious, make this book a an interesting companionand a good reference.