ISBN: 1862077800 reviews Julian Baggini This interesting book devotes a first short section to a consideration of SCIENCE, the next to EXPERIENCE and the final section to RELIGION. The introduction states that the book relates his personal journey in search of answers to the mystery of human destiny. I found the book clearly written and I particularly valued the chapters summarising a broad range of World Scriptures, the chapter on Meditative Prayer, and those exploring Mind and Consciousness.
The section on SCIENCE includes outlines (albeit sometimes sceptical) of ‘The Big Bang’; Darwinian Evolution of Species by Natural Selection; DNA coding; and Survival of the Fittest. The author’s early working experience was as an apprentice for the Ministry of Aviation and he reflects that the ‘assembly of thermionic valves had, to some extent, copied the process of evolution. For evolution is a process where seemingly random chance produces order out of chaos.’ ...‘I concluded that survival of the fittest may well be part of the micro process of evolution, but the more dominant macro process was associated with order and co-operation!’ Later in the book he writes of Evolution as a ‘superb working hypothesis’ that ‘could turn out to be another flat earth theory’. My own Zoology degree studied the complexity of Evolution. I am now convinced that our human capacity for spiritual awareness has also evolved.
The second section headed EXPERIENCE concerns our Brains, our Memory and Consciousness, including Awareness of Self; with a Chapter entitled ‘The Land of the People’ where he narrates certain life experiences in his own childhood and adult beginnings of wisdom.
In the Chapter headed ‘The Land of Religion’ there is an excellent outline of Lectio Divina, a method of meditative reading of Scriptures which the author has applied to such different sacred texts as the 600 BC Buddhist Dhammapada and Bodhisattva; the Iranian c. 500 BC Zoroastrian Avesta; the Hindu 400 BC Upanishads; the 300 BC Bhagavad-Gita; the 600 AD Muslim Qur-an and the Bible. He has certainly travelled widely in his searches for ‘Truth’. The final chapter concludes ‘that we are not after all just mindless grains of sand, rocking back and forth at the bottom of a restless sea ... but unique conscious individuals who have the opportunity to allow God’s compassionate love to flow through us and into the world.’ Readers may find that Dr. Meredith’s thoughtful Guide will not only stimulate reflective reading of other texts, and their own lives, but also inspire them to spend more time on meditation, shutting out mundane thoughts and permitting deeper insights to emerge, though these insights may not coincide with Dr. Meredith’s Realist conclusions.
My own evolutionary viewpoint is that our capacity for Spirituality evolved to aid early Primate groups to survive, and was only later codified within varied World Religions. I reflect that we have been endowed by Evolution with the capacities to make a positive difference in the lives of our neighbours and neighbourhoods. This book may encourage us to explore our own spiritual understandings of life, and develop our own capacities for shaping our destinies via regular reflection about our circumstances and acting on the wisest choices ahead. It is a responsibility for us all to build up our personal ‘Thoughtful Guides’, adjusting these as the years pass by. Perhaps it will be those who most disagree with the author’s conclusions who will be most stimulated to build up well considered alternatives? Read this book if you dare! It will challenge you to accept the author’s tightly structured reasoning or it could stimulate you to construct alternative signposts for living.
Margaret Ogden studied zoology at University College London. She is a retired teacher and member of SoF Steering Committee.