Economics, Happiness and Optimism - It's Natural For Humans - A Book Review

By Lance Winslow
(Book-Reviews/Philosophy)

If you are tired of reading all the negative news in the newspaper, and watching all the economic doom and gloom in the cable TV media, then boy do I have a decent book to recommend to you! This book is written by a very knowledgeable scientist who has spent a lifetime studying human civilization, societies, and evolution. The name of the book is:

"The Rational Optimist - How Prosperity Evolves," by Matt Ridley, Harper Publishing, New York, NY, (2010), pp 448, ISBN: 978-00614-5205-5.

It turns out that the rich actually are happier, but not by much, Ridley suggests that if you are 10-times as rich, you are not ten-times as happy. Nevertheless you are somewhat happier overall.

"We should judge wealth not only by money in the bank, but rather we should be also counting the benefits received," and he explains that if you get free health care, what is the relative value of that? If you get a housing allowance, or are fortunate enough to rent from a landlord under rent control, what is the benefit of that, and how does that attribute to your standard of living, or quality of life.

The book has many themes, it seems to discuss similar issues to "The World is Flat" and "Tipping Point" and even a little "Black Swan" and since it is written by Matt Ridley you know he comes from a evolutionary perspective, and is well studied in human historical migration. He speaks specifically to the reality of billions living with very little, even challenged for water, and the number of people living in less than a dollar a day.

He shows how religious people seem to do better with regards to commerce and capitalism - fairness in buying and selling. He appears to be a capitalist as well, showing how capitalism has done quite well for lifting people out of poverty. He shows how it is the mission of human beings to build a better life for himself and his family, and in this quest we should see future optimism for ecology, economics, and happiness.

Improvements in modern first world environment are extremely better today, than they were 50 years ago. As people have more money, they tend to demand a better quality of air and water, and food. And as the society does more industrialization and commerce in the beginning - things are problematic to a point, then there is a shift. He discusses Chinese Cities, and Mexico City and India, and how in the future they will clean up their acts, cities, and environment and Matt, shows how this is a natural progression.

Matt Ridley gave a great talk in NY City at the New York Academy of Science for Book CSPAN2 TV on May 18, 2010. You can view this on YouTube, CSPAN, or the Rational Optimist (dot) com. Please consider all this.

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Title - Decoding the Language of God - Author - George C. Cunningham, MD, MPH - Book Review

By Gary R. Sorkin
(Book-Reviews/Philosophy)

Dr. Cunningham "peels the onion" by exposing, revealing layer by layer, the intricacies of human belief in the existence of God, from the perspective of a scientist subscribing to scientific reasoning. Dr. Cunningham's platform stems as a rebuttal, a clarification of inaccuracies of the renowned work of Dr. Francis S. Collins, The Language of God. Dr. Cunningham goes

further by "Decoding" his colleague's truisms using critical logic, analytical reasoning, citing historical and contemporary sociological influences and conforming to explanations based on scientific reasoning.

This forms the basis of a systematic, logical, and expertly written series of, what are essentially "White Papers" of expert analysis; each taking incremental steps towards his conclusions. Dr. Cunningham writes, "The universal application of scientific theories to explain nature has been one of the most productive uses of the human mind." He uses this powerful methodology to answer, to the best of his ability, the questions of theology.

As an example, Dr. Cunningham, in his retort to the question; Can science explain the need for religion, explains the following medical research conducted by Dr. Andrew Newberg using a PET Scan of Buddhist monks while praying. "He found decreased brain activity in the posterior superior parietal lobe, an area that helps us locate ourselves in three dimensions and separate ourselves from the world outside. Newberg believes that without the parietal lobe, the concept of god or God would not exist. No scientist or rational person would deny that while god or God might exist elsewhere, god or God also has to exist as a mental state in the brain."

"Decoding the Language of God: Can a Scientist Really Be a Believer?" discusses very personal and sensitive issues of belief in God, with the utmost politeness and highest regard for the personal opinions of the reader. The innate quality in the writing of Dr. George C. Cunningham makes this book as enjoyable as if one was to spend an evening in conversation, or perhaps attend one of his lectures. His written "voice" rings true to his belief and his personal opinions, while carefully respecting the intelligence of the reader. He makes it clear his research on the topics is based on logical plateaus others have already proven or disproved.

This is very delicately done, revealing the "gentleman" within the scientist. He professes the humble teachings of a man that has performed immeasurable research, has devoted much of his life's work toward achieving his skillful articulation of his reasoning. He carefully and successfully postures his work not to offend any of his intellectual readers. As a literary piece, his use of footnotes and indexing are impeccable. With the respect he gives, I certainly reciprocate, as I believe all that read his work would agree in his soundness in his determinations, even if contradicting their own belief.

To Dr. Cunningham, I say, "Q.E.D. Quod erat demonstrandum." You certainly have decoded Collins' work. This book is for the open-minded person that isn't afraid to challenge the standard belief system of religion, science, and the question regarding the existence of God.

READ MORE - Title - Decoding the Language of God - Author - George C. Cunningham, MD, MPH - Book Review