Review of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
-
Eriny Youssef
- Posts: 471
- Joined: 11 Aug 2020, 07:35
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 97
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-eriny-youssef.html
- Latest Review: Yesterday by Samyann
Review of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" by P D Botha.]
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow by P D Botha is not a purely scientific or a purely spiritual book. It is a combination of both. Botha starts his explanation with condensed summaries of some scientific concepts which he gave specific names: cosmogenesis, planetogenesis, geogenesis, homogenesis, biogenesis, and finally the noogenesis. You can guess by the terms used what the topics are about. For example, planetogenesis is the word he used for the genesis or the birth of the planets. Then, we are introduced to Teilhard de Chardin's concept of the noosphere, and Botha connects the scientific facts presented earlier in the book with this concept. The book ends with the coming of the Christ and how this all will come to an end, or what is normally thought of as an end.
The noosphere, following Teilhard de Chardin's framework, is the area where the spirit enters and differentiates humans from other animals. It follows, therefore, that it is also the development of intelligence, as the author puts it, and that thoughts have a noospheric nature. This means that thoughts operate on a different level. The author relates this to telepathy and the work of Caroline Leaf on the subject.
One of my favorite parts of this book is the author's inclusion of Gebser's theory of development. Out of the theory's four developmental stages, Botha suggests that humanity's problem is being stuck in the last stage: the mental stage. He then explains that the noosphere is the means to step above the mental stage and into the spiritual stage. Another thing that I really loved was his interpretation of the alpha and omega concepts. He explained that omega is not an end that corresponds to nothingness, but a completion.
There are a few things that I didn't appreciate in this book. One of them is an attribution error of one of the theories presented. The author lists the eight types of intelligence that Caroline Leaf describes in her study without mentioning that they are actually based on Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. A reader unfamiliar with the theory will assume it was Leaf's, as Gardner's name wasn't mentioned. Also, I found it hard to follow some argument progressions. A good example of this is the progression that started in the eighth chapter. It started with a definition of intelligence as the differentiating quality between humans and other creatures, then discussed telepathy, the eight types of intelligence, and was followed by an example that proposed Europeans and Africans have different types of intelligence. This progression didn't register well with me. I get that it was part of the process to explain the noospheric nature of thoughts, but I still had a hard time following the aforementioned sequence. There was also a general lack of relating the scientific facts that were presented in the first chapters to the concept of the noosphere. The last chapter did a good job in that area, but it would have been better if it was more frequently elaborated.
I give Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 3 out of 4 stars. The reasons for this rating are mentioned in the previous paragraphs. As for the text itself, I thought it was clear, adequate, and seems to be professionally edited. I only found a few errors.
This book should appeal to science lovers and readers who like to read about proposed spiritual theories. In general, the book gives a commendable scientific overview of our world from most, if not all, its aspects. This is the book's strong suit. Additionally, it introduces and discusses a worthy, albeit less-talked-about, concept of the spiritual world as per Teilhard de Chardin. It should be mentioned that the last chapters have a Christian outlook, so readers should take this into consideration.
******
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow by P D Botha is not a purely scientific or a purely spiritual book. It is a combination of both. Botha starts his explanation with condensed summaries of some scientific concepts which he gave specific names: cosmogenesis, planetogenesis, geogenesis, homogenesis, biogenesis, and finally the noogenesis. You can guess by the terms used what the topics are about. For example, planetogenesis is the word he used for the genesis or the birth of the planets. Then, we are introduced to Teilhard de Chardin's concept of the noosphere, and Botha connects the scientific facts presented earlier in the book with this concept. The book ends with the coming of the Christ and how this all will come to an end, or what is normally thought of as an end.
The noosphere, following Teilhard de Chardin's framework, is the area where the spirit enters and differentiates humans from other animals. It follows, therefore, that it is also the development of intelligence, as the author puts it, and that thoughts have a noospheric nature. This means that thoughts operate on a different level. The author relates this to telepathy and the work of Caroline Leaf on the subject.
One of my favorite parts of this book is the author's inclusion of Gebser's theory of development. Out of the theory's four developmental stages, Botha suggests that humanity's problem is being stuck in the last stage: the mental stage. He then explains that the noosphere is the means to step above the mental stage and into the spiritual stage. Another thing that I really loved was his interpretation of the alpha and omega concepts. He explained that omega is not an end that corresponds to nothingness, but a completion.
There are a few things that I didn't appreciate in this book. One of them is an attribution error of one of the theories presented. The author lists the eight types of intelligence that Caroline Leaf describes in her study without mentioning that they are actually based on Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. A reader unfamiliar with the theory will assume it was Leaf's, as Gardner's name wasn't mentioned. Also, I found it hard to follow some argument progressions. A good example of this is the progression that started in the eighth chapter. It started with a definition of intelligence as the differentiating quality between humans and other creatures, then discussed telepathy, the eight types of intelligence, and was followed by an example that proposed Europeans and Africans have different types of intelligence. This progression didn't register well with me. I get that it was part of the process to explain the noospheric nature of thoughts, but I still had a hard time following the aforementioned sequence. There was also a general lack of relating the scientific facts that were presented in the first chapters to the concept of the noosphere. The last chapter did a good job in that area, but it would have been better if it was more frequently elaborated.
I give Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 3 out of 4 stars. The reasons for this rating are mentioned in the previous paragraphs. As for the text itself, I thought it was clear, adequate, and seems to be professionally edited. I only found a few errors.
This book should appeal to science lovers and readers who like to read about proposed spiritual theories. In general, the book gives a commendable scientific overview of our world from most, if not all, its aspects. This is the book's strong suit. Additionally, it introduces and discusses a worthy, albeit less-talked-about, concept of the spiritual world as per Teilhard de Chardin. It should be mentioned that the last chapters have a Christian outlook, so readers should take this into consideration.
******
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Yesterday by Samyann
