First and Last Things Annotated edition by HG Wells Politics Social Sciences eBooks
Download As PDF : First and Last Things Annotated edition by HG Wells Politics Social Sciences eBooks 
First and Last Things was written by H.G. Wells and first published in 1908. It is a work of philosophy, that sets forth his beliefs in four books, entitled Metaphysics, Of Belief, Of General Conduct, and Some Personal Things. Certain parts of the book were published originally in Independent Magazine between July and August 1908 Parts of the book were published in the Independent Magazine in July and August 1908. The major intellectual influences on the work are Darwinism and German thought, particularly August Weismann. William James, a friend of Wells, was also a definite influence. 1929 that restored much of the book to its earlier form. The work emphasises scepticism, and a quasi-mystical approach to humanity overall.
First and Last Things Annotated edition by HG Wells Politics Social Sciences eBooks
Wells wrote this non-fiction book as an observation on his inner world, his thoughts and opinions. His first sentence in the introduction announces this intention to "put down" what he believes, "the frank confession of what one man of the early Twentieth Century has found in life and himself." In this, his observations are sometimes quaint, and his writing is often very descriptive and illuminating.He writes: "I want most urgently to know and feel, for the sake of knowing and feeling. I want to go round corners and see what is there, to cross mountain ranges, to open boxes and parcels." He loves life, and seeks life with adventure and curiosity.
He speaks of religion, most specifically Christianity and Jesus: "I admit the splendid imaginative appeal in the idea of a divine-human friend and mediator...But I do not find such a being in Christ...I cannot imagine such a being. I wish I could. To me the Christian Christ seems not so much a humanized God as an incomprehensibly sinless being neither God nor man."
On what he calls the arrogant and aggressive conception of raising (elevating) human beings: "When it comes to the idea of raising human beings, I must confess the only person I feel concerned about raising is H.G. Wells, and that even in his case my energies might be better employed. After all, presently he must die and the world will have done with him. His output for the species is more important than his individual elevation...No, I do not want to raise people using my own position as a standard, I do not want to be one of a gang of consciously superior people. I do not want arrogantly to change the quality of other lives. I do not want to interfere with other lives..." However, he did believe in the collective mind, and seemed to place it above individuality, even though he himself exalted in his individualism.
He favored Socialism as a form of conducting our lives, but seemed to ignore the regimentation involved even as he listed the things that should be regimented. He espoused a certain form of Socialism, but discredited what seemed to be the prevailing form, and the form it seems to have taken today. His criticism is prescient: "...I disavow and deplore the whole spirit of class-war Socialism with its doctrine of hate, its envious assault upon the leisure and freedom of the wealthy. Without leisure and freedom and the experience of life they gave, the ideas of Socialism could never have been born." He goes on to describe a recent new group inspired by his writings called The Samurai. While he differed in many respects with the rules of the group, and doubted he could ever join it, he did seem to admire its dedication.
He made another prescient observation on modern warfare (before WWI): "It is impossible to imagine now what a great war in Europe would be like; the change in material and method has been so profound since the last cycle of wars ended...there can be little or no doubt that it would involve a destruction of property and industrial and social disorganization of the most monstrous dimensions...and the near advent of practicable flying machines opens a whole new world of frightful possibilities...a collision of such powers as Great Britain, Germany, or America, might well involve nearly every other power in the world." And he goes on to describe in great detail what such a war would like like. He was not far wrong.
He also makes other valuable observations on how a man might interact with modern women without "a faint suggestion of the reserves of a cat which does not wish to be suspected of wanting to steal the milk." He also speaks of the loss of friends, and how he now regards them.
I found the book very readable and highly interesting in most places, while somewhat vague and pedantic in others. If you're interested in the world outlook of an educated and brilliant man whose mind was formed primarily in the late Nineteenth Century, I do recommend this book, and rate it at 3 out of 5 stars.
Product details
|
Tags : First and Last Things (Annotated) - Kindle edition by H.G. Wells. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading First and Last Things (Annotated).,ebook,H.G. Wells,First and Last Things (Annotated),Philosophy General
People also read other books :
- Heal Your Stomach Ulcer with the Cabbage Juice Cure eBook David Banks
- The King Cavalry Forgotten Emperor Book 4 Paul Bannister 9781523388868 Books
- Timeless Dennis Clarke 9781483977959 Books
- The Accidental Dragonrider eBook Steven J Pemberton
- How to Kill a Lawsuit Brian Turner 9781629020556 Books
First and Last Things Annotated edition by HG Wells Politics Social Sciences eBooks Reviews
Many famous novelists wrote about their religious beliefs. Most famous is Leo Tolstoy. Herbert George Wells (1866-1946), known for his The Time Machine and The Invisible Man, is another. He writes about metaphysics, beliefs, and general conduct. His final section is about some "personal things." The book is the result of meetings that he had with some of his educated friends where they discussed these philosophical subjects. Wells took the notes that he prepared for these meetings and turned them into a book.
Wells admits that he is not a specialist in the field and that he is writing for similar people. Yet, he is being overly modest. Wells is certainly a profound thinker. He mentions many philosophers and comments upon them. In fact, this makes his book somewhat tedious and difficult to read. It is not a simple book.
He points out, for example, in his first chapter, the one that is probably the most difficult, that one of the greatest problems is that people think they understand one another, but they are wrong. Both are using the same words, but do so with different meanings. He feels that real inquiry stopped after the ancient Greeks Plato and Aristotle and that we need to begin to ask the same questions they asked and go further and deeper than they did. There is much to learn. He tells how he began to think.
He is convinced that the human mind is imperfect, every mind is different than all others, and individuals must make their own decisions.
Strangely, despite his insistence on learning facts, Wells tells us that people need beliefs, made up notions that have no relation to facts. Remarkable also is his statement that fools should not laugh at what they consider irrational beliefs; after all, only fools laugh at great paintings. (Can one really compare the two items?) What is important to him is not truth, but what works for a person, what makes his life worthwhile. What is important is that they "WORK (his capitalization) for me and satisfy my desire for harmony and beauty. They are arbitrary assumptions, if you will, that I see fit to impose upon my universe."
His first article of faith is that the world is not chaotic; it has meaning. Second, he feels that there is something that is managing the world and he accepts the idea to call this something God. (This something could be the laws of nature, but Wells does not discuss this, and jumps instead to God.) Third, he believes in free will. He then discusses "What am I?"
Readers may agree with Wells or they may feel that his ideas are only ruminations that are not based on facts. All will agree that unlike Tolstoy, who we mentioned previously, Wells did not build his idea of God and the world from organized religion, in Tolstoy's case, from Christianity.
Of interest to spiritual scientists. Book explains and extols the greatness of the human species as a single "divine" entity throughout the ages. Wells shares his moral and civic minded plans to improve humanity. Spiritual socialism, where each individual lives for the good of the species by choice and by desire to do good.
Is ok, Cant do much better for the price, Can be a slow read at some times in the book.
The volume consists of four “books” and is a rather detailed explanation of Well’s personal philosophy. As such it may or may not appeal to each reader. I particularly enjoyed the first book explaining his skepticism and found it useful. I also enjoyed the lengthy third book explaining his beliefs on how man should behave, which was really a strong argument for socialism. I’ve since reread the second book on “essential beliefs” but still don’t quite follow his line of reasoning regarding God. The fourth book is a collection of his very-personal opinions on love, death and life. Bottom line - the book made me think about my own beliefs and also provided a better understanding of his novels and short stories.
Wells wrote this non-fiction book as an observation on his inner world, his thoughts and opinions. His first sentence in the introduction announces this intention to "put down" what he believes, "the frank confession of what one man of the early Twentieth Century has found in life and himself." In this, his observations are sometimes quaint, and his writing is often very descriptive and illuminating.
He writes "I want most urgently to know and feel, for the sake of knowing and feeling. I want to go round corners and see what is there, to cross mountain ranges, to open boxes and parcels." He loves life, and seeks life with adventure and curiosity.
He speaks of religion, most specifically Christianity and Jesus "I admit the splendid imaginative appeal in the idea of a divine-human friend and mediator...But I do not find such a being in Christ...I cannot imagine such a being. I wish I could. To me the Christian Christ seems not so much a humanized God as an incomprehensibly sinless being neither God nor man."
On what he calls the arrogant and aggressive conception of raising (elevating) human beings "When it comes to the idea of raising human beings, I must confess the only person I feel concerned about raising is H.G. Wells, and that even in his case my energies might be better employed. After all, presently he must die and the world will have done with him. His output for the species is more important than his individual elevation...No, I do not want to raise people using my own position as a standard, I do not want to be one of a gang of consciously superior people. I do not want arrogantly to change the quality of other lives. I do not want to interfere with other lives..." However, he did believe in the collective mind, and seemed to place it above individuality, even though he himself exalted in his individualism.
He favored Socialism as a form of conducting our lives, but seemed to ignore the regimentation involved even as he listed the things that should be regimented. He espoused a certain form of Socialism, but discredited what seemed to be the prevailing form, and the form it seems to have taken today. His criticism is prescient "...I disavow and deplore the whole spirit of class-war Socialism with its doctrine of hate, its envious assault upon the leisure and freedom of the wealthy. Without leisure and freedom and the experience of life they gave, the ideas of Socialism could never have been born." He goes on to describe a recent new group inspired by his writings called The Samurai. While he differed in many respects with the rules of the group, and doubted he could ever join it, he did seem to admire its dedication.
He made another prescient observation on modern warfare (before WWI) "It is impossible to imagine now what a great war in Europe would be like; the change in material and method has been so profound since the last cycle of wars ended...there can be little or no doubt that it would involve a destruction of property and industrial and social disorganization of the most monstrous dimensions...and the near advent of practicable flying machines opens a whole new world of frightful possibilities...a collision of such powers as Great Britain, Germany, or America, might well involve nearly every other power in the world." And he goes on to describe in great detail what such a war would like like. He was not far wrong.
He also makes other valuable observations on how a man might interact with modern women without "a faint suggestion of the reserves of a cat which does not wish to be suspected of wanting to steal the milk." He also speaks of the loss of friends, and how he now regards them.
I found the book very readable and highly interesting in most places, while somewhat vague and pedantic in others. If you're interested in the world outlook of an educated and brilliant man whose mind was formed primarily in the late Nineteenth Century, I do recommend this book, and rate it at 3 out of 5 stars.
0 Response to "[V8K]∎ Read Gratis First and Last Things Annotated edition by HG Wells Politics Social Sciences eBooks"
Post a Comment