The Strange Death of Europe by Douglas Murray

This is such a strange book. It has the arguments which are wrong at so many levels that it is a bit of a surprise that someone wrote something like this when the world around us are changing so fast.

It sticks to the idea that the world around us is changing so fast, and people are doing nothing about it. It dreams of a utopia where all the people will be same. A lot which speak same language, eat same food, are of similar skin colour and what not. Anyone else is either not desired or has to change to this mould. Of course, you can go exotic but on my terms.

It is no different from what is already out there in the news, on the streets, and in the politics.

Peace

Open Socrates by Agnes Callard

The philosophy is more about the right questions rather than right answers. Which is why it is labelled as a subject for rich or lazy.

Socrates lived a long life considering the era he was living in, and he did influence a lot of people who were either his students or the fellow citizens from a closed successful/ambitious group. His students build him a pedestal which immortalized him but his philosophy is not an answer for everyone. Of course people from all walks of life fall into a type of philosophical bucket knowingly or unknowingly but then it is more of a way of life which the modern philosophers try to templatize.

And often the most important part of all philosophies is debate which is mostly not a constructive discussion but more of a one-upmanship.

So, in this book the writer shares a lot of what is said and written about Socrates along with her personal experiences and views but by the end of the book it looks like you don't really get much of this. Maybe it requires a re-read but that is to be seen.

Philosophy is not what we read in the books but it is something that people live by.

Love

Foolproof by Sander van der Linden

In the age of information, information is considered to be the biggest challenge. But it is not the information which is a challenge, it is actually mis-information which causes all the trouble.

And what is the reason for this mis-information? Of course, the vested interests of different groups be it commercial, public, political or anything else. This mis-information is cultivated, and nurtured to create an environment which nourish those vested interests.

This is one thing because morality never serves these interests. But the mechanism behind how these get accepted and adapted in a real world should be real focus point. The sad part is that it doesn't take some brilliance to build these informations but the sheer operation that goes into amplifying it. And the repercussions of it.

The book does cover a framework of how this can be countered but this doesn't sound like foolproof. Important thing to note is that the people should never be considered to be fools to fall for this but most of the times there is no chance to survive the onslaught. The whole narrative gets so murky that it is next to impossible to separate the chaff from the grain.

There is not coating in the world that can shield people from mis information but eventually it depends on what tools people have to counter any mis information. It is a huge task to equip people but it is more important to create an environment where the mis information falls flat, and countered by natural element of knowledge and rationality. Easier said than done.

Peace

Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here by Jonathan Blitzer

Choosing a different life while leaving everything behind is not an easy decision but it comes with extreme situations caused by various reasons.

This book focuses on the story of the migrants from the central america but this can be easily replaced by other names, cities, and languages, and the narrative will remain same. People do look for a different life which is expected to be better which is why these migrant stories are important. While these people are looking for a better life others are looking for a narrative. Migration is not because of the narrative, it is because of the migration different narratives come up.

The book is well researched, and goes deep into painting a wider picture. Of all the things peace was the most important thing that featured above all of what people were looking for. But maybe that was not so easy to come.

Peace

Miracles and Wonder by Elaine Pagels

Does the over explanation answer a question if it is not actually answering the question?

The idea of researching the Biblical accounts from a different point of view does the same. It never answers anything but just gives a new explanation for something which has already been there. It never gives one direction but obfuscate one thing after the other to keep it as opaque as possible.

This book does the same job. It quotes from different sources with varying explanations but always fall short of what it wants to establish.

It is difficult for an author to keep the things straight and say the things they want to say without committing to an idea. Without that its a lot of research which just enriches your vocabulary on the topic without any answers.

Love

Let Only Red Flowers Bloom by Emily Feng

The people are not same. They can be similar based on language, food preference, religion or any other factor but that a very broad specification of anything. We can make a lot of Venn diagrams to find the right view or to see the largest overlap to define a group but there is still a lot which falls out of any overlaps.

Hence, it is important to let the people be but that can be against the objective of the authorities. The similarity keeps a lot of things smooth but how far this can be pushed. In an era of consumerism where people don't agree on one shade of a colour, it is naturally not possible bring the uniformity to a desired degree of liking. Which is where the force, and other tools come into the picture which tries to build a narrative on the expanse of differences which make humans human.

The book has the story of different people who struggled to keep their identity in a great blender but most of them sound like a compromise or a lost cause in the end. This also raises the question that if we are all different we'll remain so, maybe on a different level irrespective of the leveller.

Peace