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: Mikhail Gorbachev: The Soviet Innovator by Steve Otfinoski

 

This biography of Mikhail Gorbachev by Steven Otfinoski is of the series produced by Great Lives. It starts with the early life of Gorbachev to his rise to power, and the challenges which he faces as a leader of the Soviet Union. The soviet leader was son of a peasant born in 1931, in the Stavropol territory. His father wanted his son to acquire good education. Gorbachev got into law school at Moscow State University. He married a lady named Raisa in early 1954 in senior year. After completing his education Gorbachev and his wife returned to Stavropol. He remained for twenty-three years at this place. Gorbachev worked for the party and gradually made his way up the party ranks.

On Andropov’s insistence during Brezhnev’s time, Gorbachev got a chance to become the twentieth most powerful man in the country at the age of forty-seven. After Brezhnev’s death Andropov took over and provided more working opportunity for Gorbachev as he had trust in him. They retired old politicians and replaced them with young blood. They dispensed more power to regional and local leaders. Moreover, they introduced western technology into soviet industry. Gorbachev got the opportunity to travel to other countries which include France, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Belgium and Great Britain. This provided him opportunity to learn more from other countries.

In Feb 1984 Andropov died of kidney failure. In March 1985 Chernenko passed way without changing much as he was one of the last old guards who tried to hold together the Soviet Union of Joseph Stalin. Gorbachev was chosen as the General Secretary by the Central Committee. Gorbachev removed corrupt and lazy party leaders. He launched an anti-drinking campaign. Later he introduced Perestroika (restructuring in Russian) and glasnost (openness in Russian). Ligachev and Yeltsin now emerged as heading two different groups within the political system. Ligachev was head of the conservatives and Yeltsin of the opposite camp who grew frustrated at the slowness of reform. Here Gorbachev very skillfully comforted the conservatives and encouraged his fellow reformers.

As far as foreign policy is concerned in November 1985 Gorbachev met Ronald Regan in Geneva. In September 1986 they met again, but this time in Iceland. In December 1987 Gorbachevs arrived in Washington for four days. Regans visited Moscow in June 1988. In December 1988 Gorbachev spoke before the General Assembly in New York. George Bush was the vice-president at that time. A 6.9 earthquake had struck Armenia in Soviet Union. Gorbachevs had to cancel his trips to Cuba and the Great Britain. Thy flew back home.

A chapter titled ‘The Road Ahead’ presents the key to future challenges. The author of the book suggests that ‘energy, political wisdom, and statesmanship' would be required to manage problems in the future. At times the author presents Gorbachev as the only intelligent soviet leader since Soviet Union's inception. The reader of this book would surely manage to dissect this short reading.

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Truth, Love & a Little Malice by Khushwant Singh

One of the most interesting works of Khushwant Singh is his autobiography Truth, love and a little malice. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Living in pre-partition Punjab which has now become Pakistan Singh recalls his childhood memories. He talks about his village life, his grandmother, family and his surroundings.

Starting from his primary education Singh narrates how he moved to Dehli for his college. Later in Lahore he attended Government College. The interesting story of how he was inducted into the college is presented in detail. The student groupings, biases, antagonisms at Government Collage are also mentioned by the author.

After completing his education in Lahore Singh moved to London to start his Law degree at Kings College. His experiences at London are really worth reading. Starting his journey from India and traveling to England on ship with other Indian students was a new experience for him. The complexities, observing new things, encounter with other students and the time spent in England are well narrated. Singh befriended many people in England. He writes in detail about Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and the British who lived in London back in those days.In a chapter Singh writes about the loot and plunder that took place in 1947 when the partition took place. He adds that the environment was very tense and hostile. Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims were all involved in the massacre.

Khushwant Singh served an appointment at the Indian High commission London. He writes extensively about the politics within the Indian staff present there. Moreover, in the book the author also covers his travel and work experiences. His affiliation with the UN is also reflected. Singh also moved to Canada where he had other experiences. The author of this now started developing an interest in Sikh religion and history. He got a grant and sponsor went to London to do some serious work in this regard. From writing to publishing he writes about all the difficulty, opponents and criticism he faced. Singh was contacted by many leading universities of the world. He lectured at universities and joined the academia.

After his return to India Khushwant Singh joined journalism. During this phase he also got into the Raja Sabha. The Sikh population was massacred during this time period as Mrs Gandhi used strong measures against them. In this affair thousands of people including women and children were killed. Singh’s close affiliation with Indira Gandhi’s family and later his distance from them are explained in detail. Khushwant Singh writes a separate chapter on Pakistan which is also very interesting. Singh’s thinking towards major religions and his own agnosticism are also explained in great detail. After that the author writes about the art of writing and his interaction with different writers. His own inspiration in the field of writing are also included by him.

Overall this is a very interesting autobiography which not only tells us about the life of Khushwant Singh but explores the intricacies of recent history which Singh saw through his own eyes. Every person living in the Indian sub-continent should read this book.

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Book Review: The Richest Man in Babylon by George Samuel Clason

Buying this book, one important thing that came to my mind was that this book would serve to explore the in-detail study of the life of the Babylon people. Unfortunately, it did not. Instead, after reading a few pages I realized that in fact this book provides the success secrets on wealth of the ancient people of Babylon. This book provides an insight to the secrets of personal wealth.

The author of this book George S. Clason, was born Louisiana in November 1874. He served in the United States army during the Spanish Civil War. Moreover, he became a successful businessman. In 1926 he published a famous series of pamphlets on thrift and financial success. For this he used parables from the ancient Babylon to make his points. The most famous of these was the Richest Man in Babylon, from which the present volume takes its title.

Clason frequently quotes from the parables of the ancient times. If one applies his writings to the present time one can extract some teachings from them. His aim is to promote savings by methods of thrift, advise struggling entrepreneurs in establishing their business and encourage young people to benefit form the wisdom of the old. The author views ancient Babylon as wealthiest of the ancient cites because he thinks that its people knew the value of money, they practiced “sound financial principles in acquiring money, keeping money and making their money earn more money”. Even today, after thousands of years, money is governed by the same laws.

Some of the chapters of the book are about gold, lean purse, goddess of good luck, five laws of gold, gold lending walls of Babylon, camel trader and the last chapter is about the historical sketch of Babylon. Babylon had fertile land and river water. The Babylonians built canals by brilliant engineering techniques which helped greatly in crop production. Wisdom, enterprise and justice made Babylon famous through history. They were an educated and enlightened people who were the first engineers, first astronomers, first mathematicians and first financiers. In addition to that, they were also the first people to have a written language.

Babylon was never said to have been entered by hostile armies until about 540 years before the birth of Christ by Cyrus who entered the open gates of the city and took possession without resistance.

 

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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: Savage Frontier- A History of the Anglo-Afghan Wars by D.S. Richards

First published in 1990, and the later edition of 2003 of this book is what I read. Richards was a RAF navigator in the second world war. He developed an interest in military history and this book of his is an account of the British Indian Army’s struggle against the enemies on the frontier region. Richards tries to cover various important events from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The various campaigns of the British in fighting, defending and helping various Amirs of Afghanistan are mentioned. Some of the rulers were supported by the British whereas other did not get the same amount of attention. The first, second and third Afghan war are also briefly discussed by the author. With that the significant developments in between are also under discussion. The Chitral Campaign of 1895 is also highlighted as a separate chapter in this book.

Campaign against Faqir of Ipi in 1937, soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the turmoil within Afghanistan is discussed by the author. The ferocity of the Ghilzais, murder of Burnes brothers, war of succession between the Amirs and the role of fanatics in war making is also debated by Richards.

The areas of Kabul, Kandahar and Herat, Jalabad, Khyber and Waziristan are presented by the author as these areas had major encounters with the British on the frontier during the great game. Classification of tribals, their movements, habits and war making skills are also included by the author in this account. At times the author also shows the biases of the colonial forces when describing the local social environments of the region under focus.

Overall this book is not a comprehensive one yet, it provokes the reader into events and other accounts of colonial officers who played pivotal role in the great game period and beyond.

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Book Review: The Idea of History Through Ages by Tahir Kamran

Tahir Kamran, the author of this book helps the reader understand important aspects of historiography. Various theoretical forms are discussed in this work. In the introduction of this book history as a subject is discussed. Whether history is a science or art is debated. The historical method of history is given which divides into a). Preliminaries, b). Analytical method and c). Synthetic method. Detailed classification of historical evidence is also covered in the first chapter.

The second chapter is regarding the Greco-Roman historians. The definition of myth, legend and epic is covered. Starting from Herodotus, Greek historiography is briefly explained. Muslim historians of the medieval times are enclosed in the third chapter. Starting with Al- Tabari and closing with Saqi Mustaid Khan of Aurangzeb’s time period, many historians are included. This includes writers of Arab, Turk, Central Asian and Indian origin. Ibn-e-Khaldun’s views on history, political sociology, geography, education and economics is discussed. His significance and knowledge is also presented before the reader. With that, under historiography many writers who worked under Mughal rule have also been included.

Chapter four brings to light the re-emergence of history in Europe. Vice, Montesquieu, Edward Gibbon and Leopold Van Ranke are under discussion. Their influence, arguments, biases and errors are also mentioned. Historians of Europe in the nineteenth century is the fifth chapter. Under this five schools of history are mentioned. Prussian School of History, Romantic School of History, Political School of History, Oxford School of History and Cambridge School of History are briefly discussed. The writers affiliated with these schools are also reflected upon. The limitations of various works by scholars under different schools are also addressed by the author.

The sixth chapter is on History and Dialectics. Hegel and Marx are explained by the author. How Marx uses Hegel’s method to devise his own ideas is mentioned. Their different methods are also mentioned. The last chapter is about Spengler and Toynbee. Spengler demonstrated that world history is city history and that great cultures are town cultures. Moreover, he writes about civilization. Toynbee has worked on the genesis, growth, and breakdown and disintegration of civilization. This book is certainly a good read as it provides a good overview of the idea of History through ages, as the book title suggests.

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Book Review: Being Pakistani- Society, Culture and the Arts by Raza Rumi

Being Pakistani is a compilation of articles by Raza Rumi that addresses topics related to devotion, literature, arts and personal experiences. Rumi writes about Sufis, legends related the Indus region and cult of the feminine in Sindh province. Moving on to literature, the author writes about Qurratilain Hyder, Manto, Intizar Hussain, Fehmida Riaz and Mustafa Zaidi. Rumi tries to bring out a new understanding embedded in the writing of these writers. He creates new meanings in their work, discusses their influence and also gives his personal encounters with a few of them. This also helps in introducing many of the contemporary writers to the readers.

Moreover, in the book, Rumi writes about arts. Within arts he explains the life and work of various maestros of the field. Some of the unsung heroes are also part of his list. Mehdi Hasan, Alamgir, Runa Laila and Asim Butt’s work are explained in great detail. Lastly, under personal essays Raza Rumi unveils his personal experiences of visiting Bangladesh. He traces the injustices with the people of Bangladesh and also talks about the hospitality that he receives in the country. Rumi’s life in Lahore and his love for the city are explained in the last chapter of the book.

Raza Rumi tries to reflect on the tradition and diversity of the South Asian region, and provides an alternate view in many subjects under discussion in the book.

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Book Review: Seven Years in Tibet By Heinrich Harrer

Seven Years in Tibet is a very powerful and adventurous story of by an Austrian mountaineer. Heinrich Harrer, the author of this book was in the Himalayas attempting the infamous Nanga Parbat mountain, when the second world war broke out. Due to his nationality he was jailed in India. After two failed attempts he finally made it in his third attempt and escaped into Tibet.

His hardships including hunger, hiding from wild animals, traveling through inhospitable terrain and finally entering Lhasa in Tibet, is a wonderful sorry to read. Harrer stayed there for seven years. During this time, he learnt the language, studied the local customs, befriended people, became friend and tutor of the Dalai Lama. In 1951 the red army invaded Tibet and Dalai Lama fled to India with a hundred thousand Tibetans. The author accompanied Dalai Lama to India.

Throughout the book the author has chronologically explained the events during his journey. His days in internment and his partners in the escapement of prison are explained. Furthermore, the rituals, social norms, religious festivities, means of livelihoods, entry into the forbidden city are clearly mentioned. The author works for the government, helps in gardening, makes a small cinema for the Dalai Lama and assists in saving parts of Tibet from flooding by improvising an embankment.

The author regrets leaving Tibet as the political realities change in Asia and the red army invades Tibet Heinrich Harrer leaves Tibet unwantedly. Lastly the author says: “My heartfelt wish is that this book may create some understanding for a people whose will to live in peace and freedom has won so little sympathy from an indifferent world.”

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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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