Customer Reviews

How the World Can Be the Way It Is: An Inquiry for the New Millennium into Science, Philosophy, and Perception

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Steve Hagen clearly emphasizes again and again throughout the book, through numerous examples, how the habit of the human mind to immediately conceive (package in terms of words, in terms of memories, in terms of the known) what it sees inevitably leads to contradiction in Reality. By proving Nagarjuna's tetra-lemma, the author demonstrates how conception of objects leads to an artificial, man made, mind made, separation of the object from the Whole and why this is the root of human misery. Hagen shows us that the assumption about "I", the individual ego that is distinct from the Whole, is the most deep rooted concept of all that the entire humanity suffers from. The discussions here echo the principles of Jnana Yoga from ancient Indian Upanishads. Hagen clearly shows how inspite of all the progress that science has made, we still remain distanced from the Ultimate Reality and also how no matter how much progress science makes, this will ever remain to be the case because science, by its very nature, is enmeshed in concepts. An absolutely enthalling book that I would recommend to all readers whose minds are ripe.

I think this is a great book. I wanted to write a review of it because I think a few of the other Amazon.com reviews are a little misleading. First, one reader questions "whether it is possible - through zen meditation or otherwise - to 'see the world the way it is'" and goes on to say that he doesn't believe it is possible. It seems to me that he is too quick to dismiss what Hagen calls "just seeing." Obviously, it is not something that can be believed or disbelieved, because it is beyond conceptual thought and therefore, doubt. This seems too important to simply write off as being impossible without giving it much consideration.

Another reader says, "To be a little more blunt, the author sure seems to waste a lot of words and concepts trying to convince us of the uselessness of words and concepts." I don't think Hagen is trying to say that words and concepts are useless, in fact, I know that isn't what he is saying. It would be impossible to get by on a day-to-day basis without concepts and words. How could this book have even been written if words and concepts were useless? I think that Hagen is actually trying to say is that we tend to mistake concepts for what is Real and completely lose sight of what is directly in front of us. Words and concepts are very important, but they cannot be substituted for Reality without causing a lot of harm to us. "Just seeing" does not mean that one becomes completely free from all concepts, it simply means that one becomes aware of all conceptual thought and is not confused or misled by it.

While this book may not be "groundbreaking" (in fact, it is simply a modern version of teachings that have existed for hundreds of years), it presents everything clearly and does not require a strong background in science, mathematics, or philosophy to appreciate. If you are interested, I would highly recommend reading this book.

The title of Steve Hagen's book is as fittingly paradoxical as its contents. Although it begins as a fairly straightforward dissection of how our brains/bodies process the outside world - the chronically piecemeal conceptual mind - and how this always gives rise to dissatisfaction, it soon launches into quantum physics and becomes quite a serious scientific analysis (although it is still expressed in layman's terms). It's stimulating and challenging (especially for this 'soft humanities' brain) and definitely recommended if you want a handle on "a world without handles".

Of all the books on Philosophy, Religion, Science, and their parts in the Big Picture, I have found this book by Steve Hagen the most helpful. Why? Because it puts into language I can understand--simple and to the point--the essence of Buddhism as exemplified in the story of the Eighty-Three Problems (qv) which is resolved by Gautama saying we all have all kinds of problems which he cannot help us with. But he can help us with the 84th problem: that we do not want problems in our lives. Everything depends on how you see things. That is the solution. Just see clearly. This book shows how. Not a slick and easy read, because it deals with the ultimate. But even at a first reading you can taste the truth in it.

It is hard for people to grasp how profound this book is because we tend to read it with the commonsense mind that Hagen is telling us fools us. So it takes a patient reading to understand that this book actually is pointing to the answer to ALL difficult questions. There is a bit of math which I had to skip or read several times, but I got it from the rest of the pages with examples. I wish there were more examples. But the time I spent going slow on this book was so worth the time. It is adding greatly to my thinking about how to work with people and systems in a more consciousness way, which is my work.

This book is about learning that we have two levels of engaging with, seeing, the world and we are not using the second or more perceptive one very often or very well and it is the one that would remove paradox for us and contradictions. Our on common sense which gets trapped in our categorizing and conceptualizing, gets in our way of really seeing. Learning to see the flow of life that makes things more complex than we every imagined but also very graspable if we look with the right mind is the reward. I almost have the feeling that it is like squinting to shut out part of what gets in our way so we can see more clearly. But that is too simple.

It you value the idea of Systems thinking, which has become very popular now days, you can see what it is really about when you submit yourself to understanding this work. It is not what the popular folks say systems thinking is, because they have used Hagen's first level commonsense view to define and decribe it and not the consciousness view offered by Hagen from the Buddhist way of seeing.

REad it if you love philosophy which can really make a difference

Steve Hagen spent a number of years as a "science researcher" prior to embarking on the study and practice of Buddhism, and his writing is largely reflective of that orientation. Steve Hagen has managed to express the ancient wisdom of Buddhism in a language which resonates for me with the greatest clarity and force. And for that I am deeply grateful.

Hagen does a good job at getting you to challenge your beliefs and "just see" as he calls it. He has one of the best laymans descriptions of Bell's Theorm and the problem of faster than light communication.

This lucid book is yet another zen-inspired invitation to let go of the `metaphysical' prejudices which unduly clutter our thinking about the mind, the world and existence. As such, it is a healthy exercise in debunking. Welcome as it is, Hagen's criticism of Descartes's cogito is hardly groundbreaking (the demanding reader will be more rewarded with Varela, Thompson and Rosch's "The Embodied Mind"). When Hagen treads the paths of physical science, one must also be reminded his conclusions are no deeper than are the popular presentations he relies on (in regard to the infamous conundrums of quantum mechanics, the genuine `problems' may well turn out to lie elsewhere entirely...). Besides, I must admit I failed to be impressed by the author's reference to imaginary numbers in his introduction to the tetralemma (which, by the way, is by no means proven!). Finally, whether it is possible - through zen meditation or otherwise - to `see the world the way it is' in a truly (?) noncontextual, non-deceptive manner is up for grabs. In that respect, I would rather side with Lakoff and Johnson, who sensibly contend that "We cannot, as some meditative traditions suggest, "get beyond" our categories and have a purely uncategorized and unconceptualized experience. Neural beings cannot do that" ("Philosophy in the Flesh", p.19). Or can they? All those limitations aside, that book is a pleasure to read.

This book is well worth a read and I agree with the general ideas and thoughts. And if you're at all new to the subject or interested in Zen related looks at consciousness and the conceptual world it is definitely a good choice.

I would give it 5 stars for subject matter because it takes an unusual and much needed view of life/consciousness. And in general Hagen gets his points across pretty well. But the annoyance factor, and the "what could have been factor" (I have so many questions that should have been addressed) cause me to drop my rating to 3 stars.

Here are some of the problems I have with the book. It is repetitive, it pounds home the relatively easy concepts. It is occasionally obscure and glosses over difficult ideas that need some pounding. It uses sloppy logic at times.

An example of sloppy logic. Hagen is speaking of the NOW. He uses a time-line thought experiment of a tadpole growing into a frog. A picture is taken once per second over the period (say two weeks, I forget exactly). Hagen says if you look at the photos one at a time you never see the NOW moment when the tadpole suddenly is a frog. At first thought that makes sense. But a little deeper thought tells you that even without a timeline we "know," that tadpoles evolve into frogs; Which means that tadpoles gain frogness moment by moment and when we decide enough frogness already we call it a frog. No great mystery. So if we were to look at the photos we would keep zeroing in until we find the one where just enough frogness is evident to pronounce him FROG. We may not be aware that we decide things that way, but we do (what other way is there?). We could have many more terms for forms of tadpole/frog in the language and then we could zero in on other points of the timeline to find the photo that defines those terms.

I find this sort of thing frustrating and really annoying. Why? Because his points on an important subject, the NOW, were really good and interesting. But he missed the most salient point, or didn't explain it well enough or in a timely manner, namely that the NOW is infinitely short (one of the many infinities in life that go in all directions IMO). And instead went off on a tangent using this ill conceived, logically sloppy thought experiment which obviously explains nothing.

There are other moments like those, but on the other hand it's the only book of its kind I've found so...

I really like this book. It shows me that my understanding of the world is based on assumptions I didn't even know I was making. In a practical sense, it's helped me reduce stress in human interaction by better understanding how differently people perceive the world.