This will Make You Smarter?

The title probably increase our curiosity. What do I mean by ''this?'' is it related to after effect of this writing? Not at all. What I mean this is referring to a book entitled, ''This will make You Smarter'' a collection of scientific concept and idea that the numerous authors who wrote in the book said to be giving us a tool to think about the world better and help us in our daily and practical life. 

Actually, nothing wrong with the title and the content for it is true, the world after scientific revolution in 17 century and so on are gradually can be said as better-age than previous in many ways. People today are smarter; in fact, they even can create ''smart phone!'' [It is unimaginable that dead things like rock, metal, coal can be said as ''smart'' at best is ''mystical'']. And thanks for scientist and their novel concepts that help to enhance the quality of human life in general, we are getting smarter and smarter. 

Reading that book will indeed make us smarter in the sense we gain a lot of concepts that we probably never think before, and it broaden our horizon of thinking. Let us take the example the preliminary chapter from P.Z Mayers whereby he introduces the concept known as The Mediocrity Principle. It starts with a very bleak idea and not romantic that the world is not about us. For we are here just by accident [random mutation + luck]. But having said that, the good news is as Mayers says, ''it is not just you.''

Everything in in the universe are governed by a universal rule or what we can understood as natural pattern, and it is our duty is as conscious being to observe those patterns rather than bring forth the assumption that there is an infinite being who created the world per se. 

From here we can see how Mayers really bold and honest [most scientist who dislike the notion of transcendent, deny that the world is merely an accident and argue for beautiful-rare event] to hold unto the reality that the world is come by accident and our duty is to trace the history of it and explain its mechanism. Mediocrity principle stand as an opposition of religious myth of any sort. Thoroughly, this principle can build a rigid and realistic science [not just poetic but prosaic side of nature] and by that principle being applied, we are ready to dismantle any myth and superstition in the subject of science that could hinder us from objectivity. 

The other concept that captive my attention is ''Holism principle'', a chapter written by Nicholas A.Christakis. It is an idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Like for instance a castle that build by a sand or a bunch of metals that create airplane. And of course, life is important not because of the parts of the stuff such as iron, oxygen, atom, iron but the totality of it that emerge into a grander reality. This help us to understand that science is not all just about atomistic inquiry [Breaking down matter], whereby we study parts and parts until we are confused with the myriad parts of complex reality. The idea of holism can help us to see the world out of the Cartesian/Modern world assumption that parts matter most! From this holism principle we can appreciate more the united assembly of things or things as it appears to us, not as it is breaking down by us into tiny parts.

Last but not least, the imaginative chapter from Danniel C. Dannet also worth to read for as it expand our imagination. The title of his writing is this, ''living without internet for a couple of few weeks''.

In his writing, Dannet argue we are today dependent on technology [Me myself write this blog using my laptop and definitely, internet!] and it create a ''shocking new vulnerability.'' However, Dannet does not just present the fact, he posts a crucial question to be answered by the reader. 

If there is a disruption of internet today [Internet-Blackout], what shall we do to prevent the panic? How can we cope with it? Do we have an expert who can help us to deal with this? 

The writing of Dannet was short but provocative. It shares some light on how not just we as human being need to be open and celebrate always the advancement of technology that we might possibly create in the future but also the reverse, we need to be ready at least, to be ready to live with or without it as well [We rarely think about this]. The point is this, technology is there to help us, but it should not be the ''attachment of us.'' We can still live without it, and we must! Why cannot we do that, since in the past we can all survive without internet? This is my take on from Dannet's imaginative case. Dannet teach us to think about the art of not just having but the art of losing. 

Well, as I read all the book from cover to cover, I can conclude that his will make You Smart book can make us ''smart'' [know a lot of ''tools'' of thinking] if we read and ponder upon it without quickly disagreeing or agreeing with what the various writer wrote. The endeavor of reading 500 more pages its real. Daunting. Intimidating. It requires a lot of times to finish but it worth the try!