[7PH]≫ Download A Better Ten Commandments A guide to living life with and on purpose edition by James Miller Politics Social Sciences eBooks

A Better Ten Commandments A guide to living life with and on purpose edition by James Miller Politics Social Sciences eBooks

Download As PDF : A Better Ten Commandments A guide to living life with and on purpose edition by James Miller Politics Social Sciences eBooks

A Better Ten Commandments A guide to living life with and on purpose edition by James Miller Politics Social Sciences eBooks

This is a really good book! I should probably state that I had a very religious upbringing and as a result hold many of the same "anti-religious" ideas so many of statements that some people could be offended by had no effect on me. What I love about the book is:

1) the author cites many different scientific, psychological, historical, etc. studies (experiment, fact, ect.)
2) it is well reasoned and thought out
3) the exception to the rule, cognitive dissonance, blind spot, etc. are concepts that are understood and explained
4) the "replacement" commandments are stellar ideals to live by and he quoted others and gave inspirational examples of other humans

What I do not like is the religious "bashing". It is a very difficult thing to be able to address your own blind spot and I am sure he tried to do it. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, this is not a book that I could give a religious person and expect that they would be receptive to it. It saddens me because this book could have been more. It could have been book that opened people's minds to a slightly different way of thinking.

At the end of the day though, well done for what it is--a recipe book for living a more fulfilling and satisfying life.


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A Better Ten Commandments A guide to living life with and on purpose edition by James Miller Politics Social Sciences eBooks Reviews

This book was very well-written, and had some interesting philosophies on life and religion. Miller writes his own version of the ten commandments, and they are quite a unique perspective. This book is thought-provoking and would be a great implementation or guide on how to live life the right way. The commandments are more like ethical principles for life. It's a way of looking at "thyself" and self-discovery. The words paint a grand picture and whether or not the reader is religious, it gives a new thought for self-wisdom.
In writing this review, I am finding it difficult to concentrate on commenting on the writing and the way it is presented. I keep getting sidelined into imaginary arguments with the author about his ideas.
Which, if you are a writer of this sort of book, is a good sign. If your readers are caught up in your ideas so much that they miss the little errors that interfere with the reading, then you’ve got powerful ideas. A benefit that this writer needs, because the execution of his philosophy is not as smooth as the ideas that produce it.
So, Let’s Get Content out of the Way First
I had all sorts of fun with Miller’s discussion of the biases that keep humans from making logical decisions conformation bias, the placebo affect, and my favourite, the blind spot bias, where you don’t believe that you have biases at all. Which, I’m afraid, applies to most people. Perhaps even me, but I don’t think so
On the other hand, I find it hard to agree with his argument that ethics can be objective. “I think, however, that ethics can operate just like chemistry or biology.” Given the changing nature of human society and ideas, I’m not sure that an ethical ideal that seems perfectly logical and correct today might not be anathema in a hundred year’s time. Dare I mention Manifest Destiny and the White Man’s Burden?
Another one that bothered me “To a certain extent, we are by nature fundamentally good.” This strikes me as just the flip side of the old coin that mankind is inherently sinful, and hardly belongs in the philosophy of an atheist who finds the absolutes of organized religion the source of many of our society’s problems.
But in the long run, I have to agree that these new commandments are far more appropriate to our society than the original edition, so in that respect, Miller has achieved his objective.
Presentation
As with most of this type of literature, this book contains a lot of great quotes. Miller states that he doesn’t take credit for the great thoughts, just the act of compiling them. So he borrows freely from Buddha, Aristotle, Thoreau, Einstein, and Yogi Berra for his ideas. He doesn’t pretend to be creating a new ethos. He just draws our attention to ideas that have stood the test of time.
Most of the arguments are presented in conversational language that is easy to follow, with regular dips into more complex philosophical style, lightened by a few small dashes of humour. I greatly enjoyed the latter, and would prefer the more elaborate concepts cleaned up and straightened out a bit.
One suggestion for improvement would be the addition of at least two more layers of headings. In Nonfiction writing of this sort, creating headings and subheadings is a useful technique to keep readers in touch with the logic. Also a great way to keep the writer from wandering.
A last minor point, but still germane if you are discussing ideas, where the simple insertion of a comma can completely alter the meaning of a sentence, it is even more important not to disturb the flow of the reader’s involvement with poor sentence structure and the misuse of words. This book could use one more pass through by an editor who understands that grammar was created to enhance meaning.
To Sum Up
One of the most useful and enjoyable parts of reading a book like this is not what the text tells you, but where it sends your mind wandering when you lose track of what the author is saying.
As with all books in this genre, there is one criteria for deciding whether to recommend it or not; is it worth the time it takes to read it? In my case, the answer is yes. It wasn’t so much that I’m going to take Miller’s advice verbatim. It’s the thought processes and the introspection that those ideas sparked in my own head and my own life that were most worthwhile.
I want to preface my comments by saying I really was drawn to concept of the book, because I've also had thoughts about how the biblical 10 commandments do leave so many things unsaid ... like the omission of actions that we would consider to be highly immoral, such as infanticide, incest, or sexual abuse ... not mentioned ... so it made me wonder "what would be a good set of standards by which we should live?" Mr Miller does that here, and presents some very useful posits from which one could live a meaningful life. I like that about this book. The suggestions he forwards are nearly universal, and I would agree that the world would be a better place if most people would adopt these principles into their own lives. They are

BE THE BEST VERSION OF THYSELF
DISCOVER SERENITY
LOVE SELFLESSLY
PRACTICE POSITIVE RECIPROCITY
FIND PERSPECTIVE
BE GRATEFUL
CULTIVATE A RATIONAL COMPASSION
CHOOSE GROWTH
BALANCE
KNOW IT’S ALWAYS NOW

This is where the book is powerful.

Here is where the book is not. Taking away from his overall positive message is his overwhelming and seething disdain for people who hold different beliefs ... this seems to be in conflict with some of the ideals of the framework, like loving selflessly and practicing positive reciprocity. Hard to do that when one expresses so much disdain for the "other."

He also has a fairly simplistic understanding of the reason for the biblical ten commandments. He doesn't cast them in their original context and therefore loses a lot of the reasoning behind the intent. For example he seems to minimize coveting, when under the surface, coveting leads to discontent, jealousy, entitlement, anger, and eventually murder. So it's actually a big deal. To ignore the ramifications is not looking deep enough and missing the goal of another postulate, "finding perspective."

I gather that this is the least appealing conversation the Mr Miller would entertain.

The biblical ten are about placing the self in the correct life context; the point is that you are not autonomous, but must position one self in relation to God or creation, nature, your origins (family), your immediate relationships, and society. I don't personally believe they were meant to be comprehensive, but serve as a base from which to build life experiences from the proper understanding of your orientation to God and others. So they, like Mr Miller's ten, are a good starting place.
This is a really good book! I should probably state that I had a very religious upbringing and as a result hold many of the same "anti-religious" ideas so many of statements that some people could be offended by had no effect on me. What I love about the book is

1) the author cites many different scientific, psychological, historical, etc. studies (experiment, fact, ect.)
2) it is well reasoned and thought out
3) the exception to the rule, cognitive dissonance, blind spot, etc. are concepts that are understood and explained
4) the "replacement" commandments are stellar ideals to live by and he quoted others and gave inspirational examples of other humans

What I do not like is the religious "bashing". It is a very difficult thing to be able to address your own blind spot and I am sure he tried to do it. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, this is not a book that I could give a religious person and expect that they would be receptive to it. It saddens me because this book could have been more. It could have been book that opened people's minds to a slightly different way of thinking.

At the end of the day though, well done for what it is--a recipe book for living a more fulfilling and satisfying life.