Book Review: Money by Yuval Noah Harari

 

Harari was born in Israel in 1976. He studied at Oxford and lectures at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He specializes in the Middle Ages and World History. In this book the author starts with the history of money. He says that hunter-gatherers shared their goods and services through an economy of favors and obligations. Each village was a self-sufficient economic unit, maintained by mutual favors and obligations with a little barter trade with outsiders.

Rise of cities and kingdoms and the improvement in infrastructure created opportunities for specialization. Specialization also created a problem of managing the exchange of goods between specialists. For many societies creation of money was the answer.  Money could be anything that people use in order to represent systematically the value of other things for the purpose of exchanging goods. It isn’t a material reality, it is a psychological construct.  Harari stresses that money is the most efficient system of mutual trust ever devised.

Harari states that history’s first known money is the Sumerian barley money. The first coins in history were struck around 640 BC by King Alyattes of Lydia, in western Anatolia. The Chinese monetary system depended on bronze coins, silver and gold ingots. According to the author, money is based on two universal principles. First, it has universal convertibility and, second it has universal trust. On page 21 Harari states money ‘corrodes local traditions, intimate relations and human values, replacing the with the cold laws of supply and demand.’

From the author’s point of view, in the modern era the new capitalist elite is not made up of dukes and marquises, but of board chairmen, stock traders and industrialists. Capitalism played a very important role not only in the rise of modern science, but also in the emergence of European imperialism. The Dutch won the trust of the financial system as their courts were a separate branch of the government, unlike Spain where it was subservient to the King. This helped the Dutch merchants gain confidence. While the French overseas empire was on decline the British were expanding. Like the Dutch the British empire was established by private joint-stock companies based in the London stock exchange.  

Harari discusses whether intelligence or consciousness is important. He says that the idea that humans will always have a unique ability beyond the reach of non-conscious algorithms is just wishful thinking.  If algorithms outperform human capitalists, we might end up with an algorithmic upper class owning most of our planet. Harari is of the view that algorithms wont revolt and enslave us, they will be good at making decisions for us. With that the author also writes that not following their advice would be madness. New technologies of the twenty-first century may thus reverse the humanist revolution, stripping humans of their authority, and empowering non-human algorithms instead. The author adds that if one is horrified by this direction, one should not blame the computer geeks. The responsibility actually lies with the biologists.

The great human projects of the twentieth century including overcoming famine, plague and war- aimed to safeguard a universal norm of abundance, health and peace for everyone without exception. The new projects of the twentieth century- gaining immortality, bliss and divinity- also hope to serve the whole of humankind. According to the author this may result in the creation of a new superhuman that will abandon its liberal roots and treat normal humans no better than nineteenth-century Europeans treated Africans.

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Book Review: Principles of Social Reconstruction by Bertrand Russell

 

Principles of Social Reconstruction is a compilation of lectures written by Bertrand Russell in 1915 and delivered the very next year.  Based on eight chapters this book covers themes of growth, state, war, property, education, marriage, religion and the potential of the human race.

Russell says that ‘without understanding and sympathy it is impossible to find a cure for the evil from which the world is suffering’.  He further adds that all human activity springs from the two sources: impulse and desire. Russel thinks that men not only need material goods, but more ‘freedom, more self-direction, more outlet for creativeness, more opportunity for the joy of life, more voluntary co-operation, and less involuntary subservience to purposes not their own. The author says that public opinion is largely created by the state with the help of oratory and the influence of the press. Moreover, he adds that ‘public opinion is as great an enemy to liberty as tyrannous laws’.  Both for internal; and external affairs the worst enemy of freedom is considered war by Russell.

In the third chapter war as an institution is discussed. Power or wealth are the two objects identified by Russell, which are desired by groups which make war. Russell believes that a ‘large proportion of mankind have impulse to conflict rather than harmony. This is same in the case of private lives and relation of states. In this chapter a suggestion is provided which says: “If the world is to be saved, men must learn to be noble without being cruel, to be filled with faith and yet open to truth, to be inspired by great purposes without hating those who try thwart them’.

In the chapter on property the author says that political institutions can play an important part by helping ‘individual creativeness, vigor, vitality, and the joy of life’. Russell opines that the evils in the current system result from the difference in the interest of consumer, producer and the capitalist. Chapter five of this book is on education. The author says: “Education is, as a rule, the strongest force on the side of what exists and against fundamental change: threatened institutions, why they are still powerful, possess themselves of the educational machine, and instill a respect for their own excellence into the malleable minds of the young”. He espouses that education should provide children with the knowledge and mental habits required for forming independent opinions. Russell says that ‘almost all education has a political motive.’ Preserving independence and impulse is more needed than instilling obedience and discipline by a teacher, says Russell. More money should be spent to secure teachers with more leisure and natural love of teaching. In addition to that the author says that men fear thought more than anything else on earth.

In chapter six the author addresses the question of marriage as a political institution. More and more women find motherhood unsatisfying, more and more there comes to be a conflict between their personal development and the future of the community, says the author. Russell states that: “It is the combination of love, children, and a common life that makes the best relation between a man and a woman. In chapter on religion and the churches, he is not in favor of professional priesthood. He is of the view that curiosity is the primary impulse out of which the whole edifice of scientific knowledge has grown. A reconciliation of instinct, mind and spirit is essential for men to remain whole. It is instinct that gives force, mind that gives the means of directing force to desired ends, and spirit that suggest impersonal uses for force of a kind that thought cannot discredit by criticism. He concludes chapter seven by saying that for those people who once enter the world of thought, it is only through spirit that happiness and peace can return.

In the last chapter titled ‘what can we do’ Russell explores the insecurities and possibilities of man on this planet. He says that ‘it is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly’. In the same chapter he further states that: “Education, marriage, and religion are essentially creative, yet all three have been vitiated by the intrusion of possessive motives”.  Russell is of the view that economic systems play an important role in promoting or destroying lives. According to him, after slavery, the present industrial system is the most destructive of life that has ever existed.

In this compilation of essays Bertrand Russell argues that impulse has more effect than conscious purpose in crafting men’s lives. Life built on creative impulses, according to him is the best life. Liberation of creatives should be the principle of reform both in politics and in economics. This conviction led Russell to the writing of these lectures.

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Book Review: Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking

Brief Answers to Big Questions has been drawn from the personal archive of Stephen Hawking. It was in progress when Hawking passed away. Hawking’s academic colleagues, his family and the Stephen Hawking Estate helped in compilation of the book.

In total there are ten questions which Hawking addresses in the book.  In the first chapter about the existence of God, the author says that his work is about finding a rational framework to understand the universe around us and he does not in any way give the impression to disapprove the existence of God by his work. He further says that the universe was spontaneously created out of nothing, according to the laws of science. Hawking personally believes that there is no God.

The discovery of the expansion of the universe was one of the great intellectual revolutions of the twentieth century, says Hawking. Hawking opines that the present rate of expansion one can estimate that galaxies must have been very close together 10 to 15 billion years ago. I find it difficult to understand when Hawking says that ‘it is meaningless to ask what came before the Big Bang’. He suggests so because according to him there is no notion of time available to refer to.  

The author is of the view that if there is intelligent life elsewhere, it must be very long away otherwise it would have reached the Earth. Furthermore, he talks about genetic engineering, DNA, nuclear war and many other questions of science. While defining a scientific law, the author says that a scientific law is not a scientific law if it only holds when some supernatural being decides to let things run and not intervene.

I personally did not know much about the black hole. Hawking writes so simply that things are easy to understand even when one reads it for the first time. Hawking writes that John Michell, a Cambridge man first discussed black holes in 1783. According to Hawking, a black hole is a region where gravity is so strong that light cannot escape. When a black hole is created by gravitational collapse, it rapidly settles down to a stationary state, which is characterized by three parameters: the mass, the angular momentum and the electric charge. A number of people using different approaches have confirmed that black holes emit thermal radiation. In addition to that, the author states that a black hole is a region of space-time where gravity is strong, space-time is violently distorted and so one expects its symmetries to be broken. Hawking is optimistic that we are moving towards a solution in discovering more about the reality of black hole.

Addressing the question of time travel the author believe that keeping in view our present understanding rapid space travel and travel back in time cannot be ruled out. The Cambridge scientist further writes that climate change, deforestation, over-population, famine, lack of water, disease and war are solvable issues but so have remained unsolved. He informs the reader that populist politicians are being opted by the public, who have limited experience of government and who are yet to be tested in time of crises. Hawking says: “I am convinced that we should leave Earth. If we stay, we risk being annihilated”.

Answering the question of colonizing space by humans, Hawking says that: “If humanity is to continue for another million years, our future lies in boldly going where no one else has gone before”. Hawking adds that whatever human civilization has achieved is a product of human intelligence. He mentions Elon Musk warning that superhuman artificial intelligence could have both adverse and beneficial effects. How we connect to the digital world is key to the progress we make in the future, says Hawking. As far as communication is concerned, he opines that the future of communication is brain-computer interfaces. Moreover, the author supports the use of internet for educational purposes and summarizes our future in the following words: “Our future is a race between the growing power of our technology and the wisdom with which we use it. Let’s make sure that wisdom wins”.

Lastly one of the greatest scientist of this age does not want a super-elite to develop who would only have the understanding of science and technology. If this happens it would be dangerous, as per Stephen Hawking. It is because of this reason he wants the younger generation to know more about science and the discoveries in science.

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Book Review: Fallen Leaves- Last Words on Life, Love, War, and God by Will Durant

Some of the commentators espouse that this book was basically a reply to the challenge posed by Will Durant’s readers. Fallen Leaves addresses questions related to religion, morality, war, women, politics and art. Only if one reads this short book one would observe how easily the author brings down complex subjects into simple language for the readers to comprehend. 

Based on twenty-two short chapters this book is based on personal experiences which provides a gist of Durant’s thinking. Durant wants the youth to experience and cherish love. He emphasis on the need for moral development. Furthermore, the authors stresses that there are numerous problems which he highlighted in the book. This includes breakdown of marriage, breakdown of family, loosening of morals, crime in society and the decline of moral fabric of society by the cruelty of war. The solution which Durant suggests is that of mutual understanding. The younger generation with its innovation should have the support of the aged who have the experience. This method would help in creating solutions with a much better for the future generations.

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What is Corona Virus?

Last Saturday on the 14^th of March 2020 I was sitting with a small group of people at Melody Market Islamabad. Our conversation had just begun, when I saw a middle aged man of around 40, who directly approached us. 

He straight way objected me wearing a mask and did not engage with the others sitting next to me, as they were not wearing masks. Quickly without wasting any time, he asked me if I knew the origin of Corona Virus. When I asked him what exactly was the root cause, with a grin on my face (which certainly he could not notice). He instantly replied that Pakistani boys who go to China lick Chinese girls and when they come back to Pakistan they transfer it here via girls. This is what Corona is! He insisted.

Further he added that all those who do not wear a mask clearly show that their belief in God is strong (Imaan paka hai). As he left noticing our lack interest in extending the discussion, he said: “Mask laganay se kuch nahe hota. Musalmano ko kuch nahe hoga”.  When this untimely guest left. I said to all the others in the group: “This is the state of affairs here.”

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Libraries in ICT

Last month I visited libraries near my house and in total I found only three. One of them is in G-11 Markaz. This library is a dingy room with insufficient light. One corner of the roof gives a view of the sky as corrugated roofing sheet is not in place. An employee at the library informed me that the roof was affected by a storm a few years ago. This building needs serious renovation.

Travelling to another library in G-8/1 I saw a library located on the dead end of a street corner. This structure is a shanty metal container. In fact, it looks more like a makeshift shelter. Lastly I visited a library in F-9. This library seemed reasonable. I applied for membership when the staff informed me that it would take a maximum of two days. I got my membership card after three weeks.

I wonder who is responsible for all these ills. Is it inefficiency, lethargic attitude or red tape? When would this stop?

Note: This article was written in October 2018.

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