Books Folder - 2008 onwards!!!

[ramana]

War, Politics and Society in Early Modern China, 900-1795 (Warfare and History)
Peter Lorge

This comprehensive survey of Chinese military history is the only book in English to span the significant years from 900 – 1795. Peter Lorge questions current theories on China’s relationship to war, and argues that war was the most important tool used by the Chinese in building and maintaining their empire. Emphasizing the relationship between the military and politics, chapters are organised around specific military events and, Lorge argues, the strength of territorial claims and political impact of each dynasty were determined by their military capacity. Ideal as a course adoption text for Asian military studies, this is also valuable for students of Chinese studies, military studies and Chinese history.

Critical book as even Mao Zedong used war to expand and consolidate China in the Civil War, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Tibet. They would have rolled into Nepal and the five fingers but were constrained by the PLA's capability. They still tried with regard to Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.

[ramana]

The Making of Medieval Panjab: Politics, Society and Culture c. 1000–c. 1500
Surinder Singh

This book seeks to reconstruct the past of undivided Panjab during five medieval centuries. It opens with a narrative of the efforts of Turkish warlords to achieve control in the face of tribal resistance, internal dissensions and external invasions. It examines the linkages of the ruling class with Zamindars and Sufis, paving the way for canal irrigation and agrarian expansion, thus strengthening the roots of the state in the region. While focusing on the post-Timur phase, it tries to make sense of the new ways of acquiring political power.
This work uncovers the perpetual attempts of Zamindars to achieve local dominance, particularly in the context of declining presence of the state in the countryside. In this ambitious enterprise, they resorted to the support of their clans, adherence to hallowed customs and recurrent use of violence, all applied through a system of collective and participatory decision-making.
The volume traces the growth of Sufi lineages built on training disciples, writing books, composing poetry and claiming miraculous powers. Besides delving into the relations of the Sufis with the state and different sections of society, it offers an account of the rituals at a prominent shrine. Paying equal attention to the southeastern region, it deals with the engagement of the Sabiris, among other exemplars, with Islamic spirituality. Inclusive in approach and lucid in expression, the work relies on a wide range of evidence from Persian chronicles, Sufi literature, and folklore, some of which have been used for the first time.

and


Medieval Panjab in Transition: Authority, Resistance and Spirituality C.1500 -C.1700
Surinder Singh

[ramana]

The allure of battle: a history of how wars have been won and lost
Cathal J. Nolan

"History has tended to measure war's winners and losers in terms of its major engagements, battles in which the result was so clear-cut that they could be considered "decisive." Cannae, Konigsberg, Austerlitz, Midway, and Agincourt all resonate in the literature of war and in our imaginations as tide-turning. But these legendary battles may or may not have determined the final outcome of the wars in which they were fought. Nor has the "genius" of the so-called Great Captains--from Alexander the Great to Frederick the Great and Napoleon--played a major role. Wars are decided in other ways.

Cathal J. Nolan's The Allure of Battle systematically and engrossingly examines the great battles, tracing what he calls "short-war thinking," the hope that victory might be swift and wars brief. As he proves persuasively, however, such has almost never been the case. Even the major engagements have mainly contributed to victory or defeat by accelerating the erosion of the other side's defences. Massive conflicts, the so-called "people's wars," beginning with Napoleon and continuing until 1945, have consisted of and been determined by prolonged stalemate and attrition, industrial wars in which the determining factor has been not military but matériel. Nolan's masterful book places battles squarely and mercilessly within the context of the wider conflict in which they took place. In the process it helps corrects a distorted view of battle's role in the war, replacing popular images of the "battles of annihilation" with a somber appreciation of the commitments and human sacrifices made throughout centuries of war, particularly among the Great Powers. Accessible, provocative, exhaustive, and illuminating, The Allure of Battle will spark fresh debate about the history and conduct of warfare."--Provided by publisher.

Something to understand in the context of India's wars with Pakistan and China. So all these battles for the end is not settled yet. Except for the First India-Pakistan war in Kashmir, all the wars were between two to four weeks. We should reconsider them as great battles and not wars.

[ramana]

Two books to read:

A History of Strategy: From Sun Tzu to William S. Lind
Martin van Creveld.

Castalia House, 2015. — 140 p. — ISBN: 9527065542.


"Martin van Creveld ranks high among military historians, and given the changes in technology since Napoleonic Times, his work is a necessary supplement to Clausewitz." Jerry Pournelle.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu and On War by Carl von Clausewitz are known to everyone who studies war. But in the approximately 2,327 years that separated Man’s two most famous works of military tactics and strategy, a considerable number of less well-known works were published. Some, such as those written by Vauban and Douhet, were focused on specific aspects of war, while others like Onasander and Jomini wrote works that were more general in nature. But all of them were written with the objective of permitting generals and other leaders of men to wage war more effectively. .

There are few better suited to write the history of strategy and military thought than Dr. Martin van Creveld, who has himself been a significant contributor to the literature of war. A Professor Emeritus at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Dr. van Creveld is one of the world’s leading writers on military history and strategy, with a special interest in the future of war. He is fluent in Hebrew, German, Dutch, and English, and has authored more than twenty books, including the influential Technology and War: 2000 BC to the Present (1988), The Transformation of War (1991), and The Culture of War (2010). He is known for his development of the concept of “nontrinitarian” warfare as well as contributing two books to the 4GW canon.

Featuring a foreword by Dr. Jerrry Pournelle, A History of Strategy: From Sun Tzu to William S. Lind begins with the Chinese military literature, then reviews the Greek, Roman and Byzantine works before proceeding to the Middle Ages. From Machiavelli and Montecuccoli to Guibert and Frederick the Great, van Creveld chronicles the gradual transition from medieval to Napoleonic warfare. Subsequent chapters delve into the literature of naval warfare, including Mahan and Corbett, then examine the works of the leading strategists of the early 20th century, including Moltke, Liddell Hart, and Ludendorff. The final chapter considers the modern strategists behind such concepts as Mutually Assured Destruction, terrorism, insurgency, and 4th Generation War.

This brief, but wide-ranging history is an effective education in military thought. It is an excellent introduction to the various strategic works for the neophyte, and an illuminating summary of them for armchair and professional experts alike. Van Creveld not only describes each thinker and his most important contributions, but explains how one conceptual.

Table of Contents.
Chinese Military Thought.
From Antiquity to the Middle Ages.
1500 to 1763.
From Guibert to Clausewitz.
The Nineteenth Century.
War at Sea.

and

Strategy: A History
Lawrence Freedman

Selected as a Financial Times Best Book of 2013
In Strategy: A History, Sir Lawrence Freedman, one of the world's leading authorities on war and international politics, captures the vast history of strategic thinking, in a consistently engaging and insightful account of how strategy came to pervade every aspect of our lives.
The range of Freedman's narrative is extraordinary, moving from the surprisingly advanced strategy practiced in primate groups, to the opposing strategies of Achilles and Odysseus in The Iliad, the strategic advice of Sun Tzu and Machiavelli, the great military innovations of Baron Henri de Jomini and Carl von Clausewitz, the grounding of revolutionary strategy in class struggles by Marx, the insights into corporate strategy found in Peter Drucker and Alfred Sloan, and the contributions of the leading social scientists working on strategy today. The core issue at the heart of strategy, the author notes, is whether it is possible to manipulate and shape our environment rather than simply become the victim of forces beyond one's control. Time and again, Freedman demonstrates that the inherent unpredictability of this environment-subject to chance events, the efforts of opponents, the missteps of friends-provides strategy with its challenge and its drama. Armies or corporations or nations rarely move from one predictable state of affairs to another, but instead feel their way through a series of states, each one not quite what was anticipated, requiring a reappraisal of the original strategy, including its ultimate objective. Thus the picture of strategy that emerges in this book is one that is fluid and flexible, governed by the starting point, not the end point.
A brilliant overview of the most prominent strategic theories in history, from David's use of deception against Goliath, to the modern use of game theory in economics, this masterful volume sums up a lifetime of reflection on strategy.
The Interwar Period.
1945 to the Present.

[ramana]

Divided China: Preparing for Reunification 883-947
Wang Gungwu

The oneness of China is the norm. Periods of divisions are aberrations. This is how Chinese thinkers, leaders and ultimately the majority of Chinese people have regarded Chinese politics and history for more than 2,000 years. The oneness was never perfect. As long as certain minimal conditions were met and the polity which proclaimed that oneness was widely acknowledged, that was enough. Chinese ruling elites adopted this pragmatic approach so they could ensure that the ideal could always approximate China s reality. This is a revised edition of a study undertaken to explain what happened during one of the worst periods of division in Chinese history. What were the key factors that helped the centripetal forces to get back to the imperial norm? It begins with the final stage of decline of the Tang dynasty (618-907) and ends 50 years later when it became clear that the foundations for a last push towards unification were in place.

[ramana]

The Eurasian Core and Its Edges: Dialogues with Wang Gungwu on the History of the World
Ooi Kee Beng

With China's transformation into a republic after two millennia as an empire as the starting point, Ooi Kee Beng prompts renowned historian Wang Gungwu through a series of interviews to discuss China, Europe, Southeast Asia and India. What emerges is an exciting and original World History that is neither Eurocentric nor Sinocentric. If anything, it is an appreciation of the dominant role that Central Asia played in the history of most of mankind over the last several thousand years. The irrepressible power of the Eurasian core over the centuries explains much of the development of civilizations founded at the fringes - at its edges to the west, the east and the south. Most significantly, what is recognised as The Global Age today, is seen as the latest result of these conflicts between core and edge leading at the Atlantic fringe to human mastery of the sea - in military and mercantile terms. In effect, human history, which had for centuries been configured by continental dynamics, has only quite recently established a new dimension to counteract these. In summary, Wang Gungwu argues convincingly that "The Global is Maritime".

[ramana]

Saluting the Yellow Emperor: A Case of Swedish Sinography
Perry Johansson

Saluting the Yellow Emperor tells the fascinating story of a group of Swedish scholars who rediscovered the pronunciation of the Chinese classics, buried Silk Road cities, and a Chinese Stone Age, while spiriting antiquities out of Asia. Mining Swedish archives and drawing on letters, diaries, personal papers, and published accounts, it is the first collective history on this group of China scholars. In his analysis, Perry Johansson turns Edward Said s argument about orientalism inside out. Rather than simply serving Western imperialism, Bernhard Karlgren, Johan Gunnar Andersson, Sven Hedin, Osvald Siren, and Jan Myrdal were opportunists who highly appreciated the Chinese Empire whose civilizing mission in East and Central Asia they supported in word and deed. Whether friendly with Mao or Hitler, their occidentalist disdain of Western egalitarian societies made them champions of the Chinese mythology of obedient peasants ruled by an enlightened autocracy."

[ramana]

Principles of Maritime Strategy.
Corbett, Julian S.

This brilliant exposition established British naval historian Julian Corbett (1854-1922) as one of the great maritime strategists. Corbett placed naval warfare within the larger framework of human conflict, proposing that the key to maritime dominance lies in the effective use of sea lines for communications and in denying that use to the enemy. His concept which regarded naval strategy not as an end in itself but as a means to an end, with that end defined by national strategy makes this a work of enduring value. Principles of Maritime Strategy emphasizes precise definitions of terminology and ideas as the antidote to loose and purposeless discussion and the direct path to the fundamental data on which all are agreed. As Corbett notes in the Introduction, "In this way, we prepare the apparatus of practical discussion; we secure the means of arranging the factors in manageable shape, and of deducing from them with precision and rapidity a practical course of action. Without such apparatus no two men can even think on the same line; much less can they ever hope to detach the real point of difference that divides them and isolate it for a quiet solution." Much quoted and referenced, this ever-relevant work is an indispensable resource for military professionals, historians, and students.

[Cyrano]

Just finished reading the historical novel "YALGAAR : The 1659 Event That Changed Hindustan's Destiny" by Arnold Boleman, recounting the story of young rebel leader Shivaji confronting Afzal Khan, the much feared commander of the Bijapur Sultanate.

A story marvellously retold with great attention to local detail and vividly captures the resurgent Maratha spirit behind the "Har har Mahadev!" war cry. Holds nothing back in describing the Muslim rulers attitude, power games, wanton cruelty and destruction towards Hindus.

This book is an eye opener regarding the exploitation, violence, destruction and desecration that Hindu Maratha people endured, and a tribute to their rise and fight back under Shivaji Maharaj's leadership which changed the course of history. Their sacrifices and bravery have made the survival of Hindu Dharma in Bharat possible. I can only offer a humble pranaam for the debt of gratitude owed to our Maharashtrian bretheren.

Amazing work by a non Indian, so pranaam to Mr Boleman as well.

Recommended.

https://www.amazon.in/Yalgaar-Event-Cha ... 1419519901

[Vayutuvan]

The above book is available in the US too. Kindle ebook is usd 7.99. I snagged a copy just now.

[ramana]

The Book of Master Mo
Mo Zi

A key work of ancient Chinese philosophy is brought back to life in Ian Johnston's compelling and definitive translation, new to Penguin Classics.

Very little is known about Master Mo, or the school he founded. However, the book containing his philosphical ideas has survived centuries of neglect and is today recognised as a fundamental work of ancient Chinese philosophy. The book contains sections explaining the ten key doctrines of Mohism; lively dialogues between Master Mo and his followers; discussion of ancient warfare; and an extraordinary series of chapters that include the first examples of logic, dialectics and epistemology in Chinese philosophy. The ideas discussed in The Book of Master Mo - ethics, anti-imperalism, and a political hierarchy based on merit -remain as relevant as ever, and the work is vital to understanding ancient Chinese philosophy.

Translator Ian Johnston has an MA in Latin, a PhD in Greek and a PhD.

[ramana]

All Hell Let Loose: The World at War 1939-45
Max Hastings
[quote]
A magisterial history of the greatest and most terrible event in history, from one of the finest historians of the Second World War. A book which shows the impact of war upon hundreds of millions of people around the world- soldiers, sailors and airmen; housewives, farm workers and children. Reflecting Max Hastings's thirty-five years of research on World War II, All Hell Let Loose describes the course of events, but focuses chiefly upon human experience, which varied immensely from campaign to campaign, continent to continent. The author emphasises the Russian front, where more than 90% of all German soldiers who perished met their fate. He argues that, while Hitler's army often fought its battles brilliantly well, the Nazis conducted their war effort with 'stunning incompetence'. He suggests that the Royal Navy and US Navy were their countries' outstanding fighting services, while the industrial contribution of the United States was much more important to allied victory than that of the US Army. The book ranges across a vast canvas, from the agony of Poland amid the September 1939 Nazi invasion, to the 1943 Bengal famine, in which at least a million people died under British rule- and British neglect. Among many vignettes, there are the RAF's legendary raid on the Ruhr dams, the horrors of Arctic convoys, desert tank combat, jungle clashes. Some of Hastings's insights and judgements will surprise students of the conflict, while there are vivid descriptions of the tragedies and triumphs of a host of ordinary people, in uniform and out of it. 'The cliche is profoundly true', he says. 'The world between 1939 and 1945 saw some human beings plumb the depths of baseness, while others scaled the heights of courage and nobility'. This is 'everyman's story', an attempt to answer the question: 'What was the Second World War like ?', and also an overview of the big picture. Max Hastings employs the technique which has made many of his previous books best-sellers, combining top-down analysis and bottom-up testimony to explore the meaning of this vast conflict both for its participants and for posterity.
[quote]

[ramana]

Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945
Max Hastings

From one of our finest military historians, a monumental work that shows us at once the truly global reach of World War II and its deeply personal consequences. World War II involved tens of millions of soldiers and cost sixty million lives—an average of twenty-seven thousand a day. For thirty-five years, Max Hastings has researched and written about different aspects of the war. Now, for the first time, he gives us a magnificent, single-volume history of the entire war. Through his strikingly detailed stories of everyday people—of soldiers, sailors and airmen; British housewives and Indian peasants; SS killers and the citizens of Leningrad, some of whom resorted to cannibalism during the two-year siege; Japanese suicide pilots and American carrier crews—Hastings provides a singularly intimate portrait of the world at war. He simultaneously traces the major developments—Hitler’s refusal to retreat from the Soviet Union until it was too late; Stalin’s ruthlessness in using his greater population to wear down the German army; Churchill’s leadership in the dark days of 1940 and 1941; Roosevelt’s steady hand before and after the United States entered the war—and puts them in real human context. Hastings also illuminates some of the darker and less explored regions under the war’s penumbra, including the conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland, during which the Finns fiercely and surprisingly resisted Stalin’s invading Red Army; and the Bengal famine in 1943 and 1944, when at least one million people died in what turned out to be, in Nehru’s words, “the final epitaph of British rule” in India. Remarkably informed and wide-ranging, Inferno is both elegantly written and cogently argued. Above all, it is a new and essential understanding of one of the greatest and bloodiest events of the twentieth century.

[ramana]

Last War of the World-Island: The Geopolitics of Contemporary Russia
Alexander Dugin

Alexander Dugin traces the geopolitical development of Russia from its origins in Kievan Rus and the Russian Empire, through the peak of its global influence during the Soviet era, and finally to the current presidency of Vladimir Putin. Dugin sees Russia as the primary geopolitical pole of the land-based civilizations of the world, forever destined to be in conflict with the sea-based civilizations. At one time the pole of the seafaring civilizations was the British Empire; today it is represented by the United States and its NATO allies. Russia can only fulfill its geopolitical mission by remaining in opposition to the sea powers. Today, according to Dugin, this conflict is not only geopolitical in scope, but also ideological: Russia is the primary representative and defender of traditional values and idealism, whereas the West stands for the values of liberalism and the market-driven society. Whereas Russia began to lose sight of its mission during the 1990s and threatened to succumb to domination by the Western powers, Dugin believes that Putin has begun to correct its course and return Russia to her proper place. But the struggle is far from over: while progress has been made, Russia remains torn between its traditional nature and the temptations of globalism and Westernization, and its enemies undermine it at every turn. Dugin makes the case that it is only by remaining true to the Eurasian path that Russia can survive and flourish in any genuine sense - otherwise it will be reduced to a servile and secondary place in the world, and the forces of liberalism will dominate the world, unopposed. Alexander Dugin (b. 1962) is one of the best-known writers and political commentators in post-Soviet Russia, having been active in politics there since the 1980s. In addition to the many books he has authored on political, philosophical, and spiritual topics, he is the leader of the International Eurasia Movement, which he founded. For more than a decade, he has been an advisor to Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin on geopolitical matters and was head of the Department of Sociology at Moscow State University. Arktos has also published his books, The Fourth Political Theory (2012), Putin vs Putin: Vladimir Putin Viewed from the Right (2014), and Eurasian Mission: An Introduction to Neo-Eurasianism (2014).

[Hriday]

It seems that aliens had established a permanent base in Earth. Location at the 500 acre Skinwalker ranch in Utah, USA.

The above is the cover of the book describing the recent investigations on UFO (Unidentified Flying Objects) done by USA govt. Some interesting info about it.

From the year 2008 to 2010 USA created a program called AAWSAP to thoroughly study the UFO phenomenon and its effects on humans, mainly due to the push by parliament majority leader Harry Reid. Before that govt is usually in denial or suppressing the UFO related events. It is AAWSAP that collected most of data related to the most famous UFO incident, Tic-Tac UFO. USA Navy's video of this UFO acknowledged by govt is now in internet. AAWSAP then found another UFO incident in Skinwalker Ranch, Utah, USA which created far bigger effects and still spreading but hadn't attracted much media coverage. Despite their great performance USA govt refused to extend the AAWSAP and closed it.

In Skinwalker Ranch AAWSAP found that
since the year 1700's there were a lot of reports of paranormal and UFO incidents such as

1. Orbs, mostly in blue colour and in the size of a baseball. They looks like glass made and two different blue colored liquids rotating inside. They can hover, move very fast avoiding obstacles. A neighbour of the ranch complained that one of this orb incinerated 3 of his dogs when they chased the orbs. In one case they moved through the body of a man. In most cases those who had close contact with them developed long lasting radiation sickness and auto immune diseases.
2. Most people who took stones, tree branches as a souvenir from this ranch later attracted to their family members and neighborhoods;
A. Poltergeist phenomenon (disembodied person walking, throwing clothes, books around),
B. Visit of orbs,
C. A large wolf often standing, running on two legs like a human on their house compound and staring at them through their house window.
Thus a wolf is depicted in the cover of the book.

3. Vortexes appearing in the sky, and UFOs entering into it and disappearing had been sighted multiple times.
4. In many cases recording instruments placed in the ranch malfunctions or digital recordings get erased.

A psychic, Joseph McMoneagle employed by AAWSAP used his remote viewing ability to accurately describe the Skywalker ranch area and the nature of humans in the ranch. He also found a short, hairless alien who remain invisible to others and sending a test communication to the humans to see their responses.

The book gives a short summary of alien/UFO sightings from around the world since 1940's. With each passing decade the interaction with aliens are increasing.

[chetak]

Hriday ji,

not to rain on your parade but these days one can easily find UFOs on the many footpaths of hyderabad, bangalore, dilli, kolkata, and numerous other cities in India, given that the month of fasting is not only in vogue but also upon us.

Unidentified Fried Objects...

a vast majority of these UFOs are alien (to the digestive system) and one is then forced into an immediate research mode desperately trying to locate and access the nearest public facilities where one can launch their lunch in peace, trebuchet their tea and "snakes" or even deviously dispose of their dinner and emerge from said facilities, a much relived and a far more culinarily savvy individual than the one who went in..

One would have thought that the forum cognoscenti were done and dusted with aliens since the Area 51 days

Hriday ji, don't mind me. Welcome to the forum.

[Hriday]

The above book, 'Skinwalkers at the Pentagon' had something interesting to Hindus. The staring wolf on the face of the book and described in it is most likely of astral origins. For those who are unfamiliar with these, I will give a short summary of two books related to it here later.

For now think about what you had read in Purana's; Krishna, Devi etc killing various demons who often come in the shape of animals.

[Hriday]

Hriday ji,

One would have thought that the forum cognoscenti were done and dusted with aliens since the Area 51 days

Hriday ji, don't mind me. Welcome to the forum.

Hmm.. There is a recent USA govt acknowledged video of UFO in internet, called Tic-Tac UFO. Tracked by US Navy fighter jets using their IRST probe. It does instant turns, , not getting hot even when speeding at around 20,000 km/h etc. Related news reports available in internet.

I am not asking anyone to believe.

[Cyrano]

I always wondered why all these UFOs invariably end up in the US. They too fall for milk and honey ?

[Hriday]

I always wondered why all these UFOs invariably end up in the US. They too fall for milk and honey ?

One reason could be that western people tend to study and research more. Also being rich, many could afford to skip jobs and pursue their own interests..

I remember of reports of UFO sightings in Ladakh in India several years ago. A Indian science expedition team found a human shaped being covered in space suit like thing. When it detected the human presence it suddenly went up in air and disappeared amongst the hills.

[chetak]

I always wondered why all these UFOs invariably end up in the US. They too fall for milk and honey ?

Cyrano ji,

illegal immigrants perhaps, easy entry via the mexican border

not one "sighting" in India, no bored pilots reporting aliens partying and living it up at 40,000 ft

nothing in cheeni, but can't complain about the cheeni because all their aliens are members of the CPC

not one Indian abducted by aliens, though off hand one can easily suggest a couple of dozens of woke Indians who need to be abducted and experimented upon.

khujliwal and rubbish coomar will top the list, closely followed by turdesai and his bitter 1/2

next few names are too obvious to repeat

[Hriday]

A short summary of Graham Hancock's book 'Supernaturals' and Dr. Rick Strassman's book 'DMT: The Spirit Molecule'

There are news reports which says that several states in USA had legalised various mind altering drugs which contains Psilocybin, DMT (Di Methyl Tryptamine) to treat mental illnesses like Depression, PTSD, smoking addiction etc. Researchers have so far found very favorable results. Probably the best medicine for the above mentioned illnesses.

Many of these are banned in most of the countries in the world. Some interesting info about it.

Graham Hancock's book Supernaturals gives a thorough history and effects of its use.
He says that since very ancient times this chemical was used to access another world and their inhabitants. Many of them appear as therianthropes (part animal and part human). They can also appear as normal human beings or animals as they wish. Many of these beings still deal with our world. DMT tourism to experience another world is slowly growing in several parts of the world where these drugs are not prohibited. For a long time he was advocating for the controlled usage of these drugs considering its many benefits. Now his wishes are coming true. He also explains Soma rasa which is used in ancient India which gives similar results.

Dr. Rick Strassman who recently did a thorough experiments with DMT says that almost all of volunteers who consumed DMT says that they are certain that the experience of another dimension or world is not a hallucination at all. In many cases they reported that these beings of another world are far more intelligent than humans. His book, DMT: The Spirit Molecule explains all the details about his experiments. He proposed that DMT most likely acts on Pituitary gland. In Hindu literature it is the third or all knowing eye.

Another feature of DMT experience is of the disappearance of ego and feeling of oneness with the universe. Sir Francis Younghusband had stated about the similar experiment he underwent when he consumed LSD.

[chetak]

A short summary of Graham Hancock's book 'Supernaturals' and Dr. Rick Strassman's book 'DMT: The Spirit Molecule'

There are news reports which says that several states in USA had legalised various mind altering drugs which contains Psilocybin, DMT (Di Methyl Tryptamine) to treat mental illnesses like Depression, PTSD, smoking addiction etc. Researchers have so far found very favorable results. Probably the best medicine for the above mentioned illnesses.

Many of these are banned in most of the countries in the world. Some interesting info about it.

Graham Hancock's book Supernaturals gives a thorough history and effects of its use.
He says that since very ancient times this chemical was used to access another world and their inhabitants. Many of them appear as therianthropes (part animal and part human). They can also appear as normal human beings or animals as they wish. Many of these beings still deal with our world. DMT tourism to experience another world is slowly growing in several parts of the world where these drugs are not prohibited. For a long time he was advocating for the controlled usage of these drugs considering its many benefits. Now his wishes are coming true. He also explains Soma rasa which is used in ancient India which gives similar results.

Dr. Rick Strassman who recently did a thorough experiments with DMT says that almost all of volunteers who consumed DMT says that they are certain that the experience of another dimension or world is not a hallucination at all. In many cases they reported that these beings of another world are far more intelligent than humans. His book, DMT: The Spirit Molecule explains all the details about his experiments. He proposed that DMT most likely acts on Pituitary gland. In Hindu literature it is the third or all knowing eye.

Another feature of DMT experience is of the disappearance of ego and feeling of oneness with the universe. Sir Francis Younghusband had stated about the similar experiment he underwent when he consumed LSD.

Hriday ji,

aren't some of these chemicals available in magic mushrooms

[Hriday]

A short summary of Graham Hancock's book 'Supernaturals' and Dr. Rick Strassman's book 'DMT: The Spirit Molecule'



Another feature of DMT experience is of the disappearance of ego and feeling of oneness with the universe. Sir Francis Younghusband had stated about the similar experiment he underwent when he consumed LSD.

Hriday ji,

aren't some of these chemicals available in magic mushrooms

Yes, I once saw a video by Tech Insider in Twitter explaining the benefits of Psilocybin in magic mushrooms. Very well done video, less than 5 minutes.

[Hriday]

A summary of Graham Hancock's international bestseller book, The Fingerprints of the Gods and its sequel 'Magicians of the Gods'. Before starting, some background information about the subject is given below.

In a biography of Swami SriYuktesvar Giri he was quoted as saying that we entered Dwapara Yuga in the year 1900 from the previous Kali Yuga. And there will be catastrophic earth changes in near future after which a better world will come. His disciple, Paramahansa Yogananda, the author of famous book 'Autobiography of a Yogi ' confirmed the prophecy. Yogananda's disciple Swami Kriyananda who wrote extensively about the saints in India, the proofs of the present Dwapara Yuga, made one important observation. He said that each three times he visited India , the saints are progressively withdrawing from the general public. ( My personal opinion is that a catastrophe is nearing us).
Many other Yogis, psychics, ancient civilizations such as Red Indians in USA had predicted that a catastrophic earth change is near us.

A summary of Graham Hancock's international bestseller book, The Fingerprints of the Gods and its sequel 'Magicians of the Gods' is given below.

Several western newspapers had published Graham Hancock's findings about the possibility of a comet strike in 2030. I think newspapers found it credible enough to publish it. A summary of it from Graham Hancock's book, The Fingerprints of the Gods and its sequel 'Magicians of the Gods'.

1. Two astronomers, Victor Clube and Bill.N found that by 2030 comet Encke and its related fragments will have a high possibility of collision with earth.

On his interaction with several astronomers Graham asked why the high risk of comet collision around 2030 is not given due importance by govt establishments and science communities. The reply he got is; to avoid global panic, reverting of NASA budgets from various research studies to comet specific ones thus causing joblessness of a large section of researchers etc.

2. Author quotes Bible on the Earth change; 'last time with floods, next will be with fire'. The last catastrophe happened with a comet and its fragments striking on Laurentide ice sheet which covered Canada and USA in several km thick ice and also the northern European ice sheet. It melted ice sheets and water was drained to nearby ocean causing worldwide flood and destruction. It also caused a pole shift bringing even more destruction as evidenced by flash frozen bodies of Mammoth elephants in Alaska and Siberia with half chewed plants that can grow only in warm climates.
A comet and its large fragments can release heat energy equivalent to several nuclear weapons if it hits earth.

3. A major archaeological discovery at Gobekli Tepe shows the time period of 1980-2040 with the image of a headless man as a warning. Author says Mayan calendar also depicts the same period as a danger.

4. Author quotes a scientist that the present rate of ice build up in Antarctica will cause a pole shift in around 2030. As per news reports last year also Antarctica showed record ice build up. It is interesting that two science branches of astronomy and geology arrived at the same time period.

[ramana]

Being Logical: A Guide to Good Thinking
D.Q. McInerny

Whether regarded as a science, an art, or a skill “and it can properly be regarded as all three “logic is the basis of our ability to think, analyze, argue, and communicate. Indeed, logic goes to the very core of what we mean by human intelligence. In this concise, crisply readable book, distinguished professor D. Q. McInerny offers an indispensable guide to using logic to advantage in everyday life. Written explicitly for the layperson, McInerny’s Being Logical promises to take its place beside Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style as a classic of lucid, invaluable advice. As McInerny notes, logic is a deep, wide, and wonderfully varied field, with a bearing on every aspect of our intellectual life. A mastery of logic begins with an understanding of right reasoning–and encompasses a grasp of the close kinship between logical thought and logical expression, a knowledge of the basic terms of argument, and a familiarity with the pitfalls of illogical thinking. Accordingly, McInerny structures his book in a series of brief, penetrating chapters that build on one another to form a unified and coherent introduction to clear and effective reasoning. At the heart of the book is a brilliant consideration of argument–how an argument is founded and elaborated, how it differs from other forms of intellectual discourse, and how it critically embodies the elements of logic. McInerny teases out the subtleties and complexities of premises and conclusions, differentiates statements of fact from statements of value, and discusses the principles and uses of every major type of argument, from the syllogistic to the conditional. In addition, he provides an incisive look at illogical thinking and explains how to recognize and avoid the most common errors of logic. Elegant, pithy, and precise, Being Logical breaks logic down to its essentials through clear analysis, accessible examples, and focused insights. Whether you are a student or a teacher, a professional sharpening your career skills or an amateur devoted to the fine points of thought and expression, you are sure to find this brief guide to effecting reasoning both fascinating and illuminating.

[ramana]

RAF at the Crossroads: The Second Front and Strategic Bombing Debate, 1942-1943
Greg Baughen

The events of 1942 marked a pivotal year in the history of British air power. For more than two decades the theory that long-range bombing could win wars had dominated British defense policy. The vast majority of warplanes ordered for the RAF were designed either to bomb enemy cities or stop the enemy from bombing British cites. Conventional armies and the air forces that supported them were seen as an outmoded way of waging war.

During 1941 evidence began to mount that British policy was wrong. It had become clear the RAF’s bomber offensive against Germany had, until that point, achieved very little. Meanwhile, the wars raging in Europe, Africa and Asia were being decided not by heavy bombers, but by armies and their supporting tactical air forces. Britain had never had the resources to build a large army as well as a strategic bomber fleet; it had always had to make a choice. Now it seemed the country might have made the wrong choice.

For the first time since 1918 Britain began thinking seriously about a different way of fighting wars. Was it too late to change? Was a strategic bombing campaign the only option open to Britain? Could the United Kingdom help its Soviet ally more by invading France as Stalin so vehemently demanded? Could this be done in 1942?

Looking further ahead, was it time to begin the development of an entirely new generation of warplanes to support the Army? Should the RAF have specialist ground attack aircraft and air superiority fighters?

The answers to these questions, which are all explored here by aviation historian Greg Baughen, would help shape the development of British air power for decades to come.

[Cyrano]

Being Logical: A Guide to Good Thinking
D.Q. McInerny

Pramana is quite a comprehensive approach as per my limited understanding.

Is there such a book to learn Indian concepts on logic based on Tarka, Mimamsa, Nayaya shastras ?

[ramana]

If you find do post it.
We hope we are realists and make lemonade with the lemons given to us.
And we don't look for gilpam.

[ramana]

Nehru's India. A History in Seven Myths
Taylor C. Sherman

Nehru’s India brings a provocative but nuanced set of new interpretations to the history of early independent India. Drawing from her extensive research over the past two decades, Taylor Sherman reevaluates the role of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, in shaping the nation. She argues that the notion of Nehru as the architect of independent India, as well as the ideas, policies, and institutions most strongly associated with his premiership—nonalignment, secularism, socialism, democracy, the strong state, and high modernism—have lost their explanatory power. They have become myths.

Sherman examines seminal projects from the time and also introduces readers to little-known personalities and fresh case studies, including India’s continued engagement with overseas Indians, the importance of Buddhism in secular India, the transformations in industry and social life brought about by bicycles, a riotous and ultimately doomed attempt to prohibit the consumption of alcohol in Bombay, the early history of election campaign finance, and the first state-sponsored art exhibitions. The author also shines a light on underappreciated individuals, such as Apa Pant, the charismatic diplomat who influenced foreign policy from Kenya to Tibet, and Urmila Eulie Chowdhury, the rebellious architect who helped oversee the building of Chandigarh.
Tracing and critiquing developments in this formative period in Indian history, Nehru’s India offers a fresh and definitive exploration of the nation’s early postcolonial era.

[ricky_v]

Is there such a book to learn Indian concepts on logic based on Tarka, Mimamsa, Nayaya shastras ?

The Systems of Indian Philosophy: Subodh Kapoor
isbn: 8177558870

Traditionally, six schools of thought propagated Vedic wisdom, each from a different philosophical perspective. Each of these perspectives or darshanas is associated with a famous sage who is the author of a sutra (code) expressing the essence of his darshana. The sad-darshana (six philosophical views) are nyaya (logic), vaisesika (atomic theory), sankhya (analysis of matter and spirit), yoga (the disciplinie of self-realization), karma-mimamsa (science of fruitive work) and Vedanta (science of God realization). The sad-darshanas are termed astika philosophies (from asti, or “it is so”), because they all acknowledge the Veda as authoritative. Beginning with nyaya, each of the saddarshanas in their own turn presents a more developed and comprehensive explanation of the aspects of Vedic knowledge. Nyaya sets up the rules of philosophical debate and identifies the basic subjects under discussion: the physical world, the soul, God and liberation. Vaisesika engages the method of nyaya or logic in a deeper analysis of the predicament of material existence by showing that the visible material forms to which we are all so attached ultimately break down into invisible atoms. Sankhya develops this analytical process further to help the soul become aloof to matter. Through yoga, the soul awakens its innate spiritual vision to see itself beyond the body. Karma-mimamsa directs the soul to the goals of Vedic ritualism. Vedanta focuses on the supreme spiritual goal taught in the Upanisads.

[Vayutuvan]

Being Logical: A Guide to Good Thinking
D.Q. McInerny

Pramana is quite a comprehensive approach as per my limited understanding.

Is there such a book to learn Indian concepts on logic based on Tarka, Mimamsa, Nayaya shastras ?

@Cyrano gaaru

Look for navya-nyaya. BK Matilal is an authority navya-nyaya which is an extension of nyaya byu Ganegesha Upadhyaya of CA 11th century AD.

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?&q=M ... ess%2C%20I

Recently there was a logic and religion conference in Benaras where several papers on navya-nyaya (NN) were presented.

There is quite a bit of overlap among the Philosophy of Math, mathematical philosophy, Foundations of Mathematics (FoM) -> Peano axioms, Set-Theoretic foundations, Arithmetic Hierarchy, Reverse Mathematics, Godel's theorems, Constructive mathematics, Proof Theory, Model Theory, Recursive Function Theory -> Turing Machines, Undecidablity -> Theoretical Computer Science, -> Computational Linguistics, Proof Theory, and Model Theory

Logics based on NN is as powerful as set-theoretic FoM. Of course, it is as per my superficial understanding of NN and a little less superficial understanding of FoM.

There is a big program in Logic where they are trying to construct new Category-theoretic FoM. The objective is to make Logic more understandable than the set-theoretic FoM.

[Vayutuvan]

A few more links to libre PDFs follow.

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/poll ... a(SEP).pdf
https://www.academia.edu/1174578/Navya_Nyaya_Logic
https://faculty.math.illinois.edu/~vddries/main2.pdf

If you are able to chase the references backwards to a book or two, please do post their names here.

[Vayutuvan]

A book (but seems to be more of an Historical bent) Seems to be an excellent introduction written by a student of BK Matilal.

https://archive.org/details/navya-nyaya ... attacharya

[Vayutuvan]

I quickly scanned this https://www.academia.edu/1174578/Navya_Nyaya_Logic

JOURNAL OF INDIAN COUNCIL OF PHILOSOPHICAL RESEARCH
Issue on the Theme of
“Logic and Philosophy Today”

This volume has four parts totalling 450+ PP and the second volume has two or three parts.

Part 1 has the paper on Navya-nyaya. Part 2 is a very good introduction to Foundations of Math, both set-theoretic and category-theoretic. Articles by Anand Pillay (used to be a prof. at UIUC but now at Univ. of Leeds) on Model Theory, S Barry Cooper on Computability, Jeremy Avigad's paper on Formal Verification, heck, all papers in Part 2, are a must-read while skipping the more technical parts. Rohit Parikh's paper in Part 4.

[ramana]

Death Wasn’t Painful : Stories of Indian Fighter Pilots from the 1971 War
Dhirendra S Jafa

Death Wasn’t Painful is a true account of the experiences of a former Indian fighter pilot, who was taken prisoner during the 1971 Indo-Pak/Bangladesh Liberation War. While depicting the intrepid life of fighter pilots in active combat, the book also has an introspective side where it portrays the soldier’s reactions to the terrifying realities of war. The experiences of prisoners of war are finely drawn, as we share the emotions of war—death, alienation, loneliness and grief. Through heart-warming anecdotes and conversational passages of interactions with Pakistani interrogators, attendants, jailors and civilians, the book juxtaposes the metaphor of physical battles in the sky with the conflict of minds between two nations.

[ramana]

Sepoys in the Trenches: The Indian Corps on the Western Front, 1914-15
Gordon Corrigan

October 1914. With the First World War underway, and desperately short of men, the British Army forms the two-division Indian Corps which is sent over to France just in time for the first battle of Ypres.
They find themselves in an unknown land, fighting an enemy about whom they know very little, and for a cause that is not their own. In recognition of their courage and bravery, many returned home with medals. But their fight was a unique and difficult one.
As customs and beliefs differed throughout the Corps, it was necessary to find British soldiers who understood and were, in turn, welcomed and admired by the Indian troops.
And even as they took terrible casualties, and morale suffered, the men of the Indian Corps fought on with dignity, honour and valour.

[Vayutuvan]

If you find do post it.
We hope we are realists and make lemonade with the lemons given to us.
And we don't look for gilpam.

Or gimbali mayabazar

[Cyrano]

Thank you Vayutuvan gaaru !

[ramana]

Theravada Buddhism and the British Encounter (Routledge Curzon Critical Studies in Buddhism)
Elizabeth Harris

This major new work explores the British encounter with Buddhism in nineteenth century Sri Lanka, examining the way Buddhism was represented and constructed in the eyes of the British scholars, officials, travellers and religious seekers who first encountered it. Tracing the three main historical phases of the encounter from 1796 to 1900, the book provides a sensitive and nuanced exegesis of the cultural and political influences that shaped the early British understanding of Buddhism and that would condition its subsequent transmission to the West. Expanding our understanding of inter-religious relations between Christians and Buddhists, the book fills a significant gap in the scholarship on Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka by concentrating on missionary writings and presenting a thorough exploration of original materials of several important pioneers in Buddhist studies and mission studies.