Category: Books

  • Logicomix

    Apostolos Doxiadis, Christos H. Papadimitriou, Alecos Papadatos (Illustrator), Annie Di Donna (Colorist)

    I have to confess I gamed this a little. This is my 300th review on goodreads, so I wanted it to be a special. So I chose a unique book – a graphic novel whose title also includes “an epic search for truth”. And thankfully, it was a fantastic experience. 

    While the story is based on the life of Bertrand Russell, it is presented through the different perspectives of its makers too. In a sense, we get to see the debates they had and how they progressed on the storytelling. Self-referential is a multi-meta when we’re talking of logic, and paradoxes! Russell is a mathematician but mathematics is also his language to engage with philosophy and thus “the truth”. Indeed, it is difficult to draw clear lines between the two deep subjects, and it only gets deeper when you add logic into the mix. The journey is as spiritual as it is scientific. And many believe it is solvable. To quote Hilbert, “In Mathematics, there is no Ignorabimus (Latin for “we shall not know”). As Russell continues to work on his Herculean task of establishing a logical foundation for all mathematics, he crosses paths with some of the foremost thinkers of the era, and probably of all time. Kurt Gödel, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Alfred North Whitehead, Henri Poincaré and so on. (the creators note that some instances have been created for narrative purposes)

    The story is rendered in flashback mode, as Russell is asked to lend his voice to those who oppose US involvement in WW2. I found it a perfect setting as he practically narrates his life thus far, and in the end, his response to the protesters pretty much summed up what he learned from his life and his quest. Though the novel is primarily about Russell’s pursuit, it also gives the reader a view of his life in the real world – his lonely childhood, his many marriages, his friendships, his relationship with his student Wittgenstein, his passion to bring a sense of order, the connection between madness and logic, and his stance on the two world wars. All of this makes it a deeply layered book with some wonderful thoughts. “The tragic loneliness of every human being. The finiteness and profound futility of life”

    But I think the reason why I loved this book was also because it resonated a lot with my perspectives, my affection for logic, and the lessons I have learned when I have tried to bend reality to fit it. (“Sure, Frege, Russell, Whitehead were excellent map-makers, but maybe eventually they confused their reality with maps” “All the facts of science are not enough to understand the world’s meaning“) This also leads to a lot of over analysis. (As Russel writes, “Like me, he was constantly analysing everything, a habit deadening to the emotions“). And something about the genesis of it all – “Maybe what brings them to logic is a fear of ambiguity and emotion“. But of many moments, I think my favourite is when Wittgenstein survives a near-death experience and understands that”The meaning of world does not reside in the world“.

    Even if you’re not into graphic novels (I am not), this one is a must read.

    P.S. If you have read similar books, do share.

    Logicomix : An Epic Search for Truth

  • The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction

    Tarun K. Saint (Editor), Manjula Padmanabhan (Foreword)

    Once upon a time, the only fiction I used to read were those written by Indian authors. The reason was a relatability to the contexts and references. The only exception was science fiction, in which the situation was exactly the opposite. After I read Strange Worlds! Strange Times!, I realised that a further exploration of Science Fiction from this part of the world was warranted. And that’s how I picked up this book. Though the title has ‘South Asian”, the entries are from only India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It’s a collection of 28 works – mostly prose, with some poetry, and many stories actually fall under the broader ambit of speculative fiction. As with other fiction, there was an immediate affinity for many of the contexts and references in this book too. While the premise in many were promising, I really liked only a handful. 

    Harishankar Parsai’s “Inspector Matadeen on the Moon”, translated by C.M. Naim, is satire on full throttle and takes some excellent digs on the police force, bureaucracy and attitudes of citizens. Anil Menon’s “Shit Flower” has wordplay in the title itself, and continues that trend all through the story. But set in a Mumbai of the future that has suddenly lost control of its “bowels”, it also has a wonderful take on life and memories, while taking jabs at organised faith. 

    Shovon Chowdhury’s “The Man who turned into Gandhi” imagines Gandhi in contemporary times and is packed with humour and irony. Tarun Saint, also the editor of the book, authors “A Visit to Partition World”, with the story set in a “Westworld” with a Partition theme. A very interesting idea that I think might actually happen at some point! Mirror-Rorrim by Clark Prasad is an exciting thriller with its protagonists trying to solve mysteries across both identity and time. And it has Star Trek references! Manjula Padmanabhan’s Flexi-time is an intriguing mix of “Arrival” and Indian idiosyncrasies. 

    “The Other Side” by Payal Dhar features a young girl who discovers family secrets in an authoritarian future. Aliens and railways collide in the racy 15004 by Sami Ahmad Khan. The inspiration for “The Last Tiger” is evident – “modelled on the Great Leader from the early 2000s”. A satirical tale on an unusual Republic Day event involving the last tiger. Rimi B Chatterjee’s “A night with the Joking Clown” has a cyberpunk feel to it but also has a view on genders and relationships. Vandana Singh’s “Reunion”, the last story in the book, introduced me to cli-fi (climate fiction!) and made me wonder if the scenario she describes is the future. 

    Overall, if you want to to get a sense of Science/Speculative fiction from this part of the world, give it a shot. 

  • Weapons of Math Destruction

    Cathy O’Neil

    Humans have had biases for the longest while. But they have come a long way from from the simplistic ones that helped the species band together and survive, or even the the heuristics we have applied and continue to use at an individual level. As search engines and social networks move from tools to utilities, we have now begun to see the dark side of “software is eating the world” – when biases and discrimination are being codified into systems, resulting in blind discrimination that widens inequality by preventing people from climbing out of poverty, unemployment, homelessness and all the things that we as society should be ashamed of. 

    The author, thanks to her education and experience, is well placed to write on the subject. She calls the mathematical models or algorithms WMDs – Weapons of Math Destruction. They have three common characteristics – scale, opacity and damage. To elaborate, they typically use data sets to create scoring systems that evaluates people in various ways. Most of these systems are proprietary. The scale at which these systems operate is really large, and therefore the damage they cause is also equally massive. Most of the people affected don’t even realise they’re being discriminated against and sent on a downward spiral. And most importantly, there is no feedback loop to make the system better. 

    The author frames it very well through examples across life stages – how teachers and students are evaluated in schools and universities, how employees – potential and existing – are screened, how online ads for predatory services like payday loans are targeted, how insurance premiums are decided, how law and order systems end up “creating” criminals simply based on location data, and perpetrates injustice, how scheduling software destroys any sense of work-life balance. These are not dry, statistical examples, but backed by stories of actual humans devastated by an unfeeling algorithm, with nearly no chance to work their way out of it.

    In the future, what really stops us reaching “Minority Report” scenarios? Arresting people because they could be potential criminals, screening applicants based on health issues they could have in the future, and so on. And since everything is based on users sharing data, it seems certain that privacy will come at a price. In the past, when greed and business “progress” began to have harmful effects on society, the government stepped in and put laws in place to safeguard us. But now governments themselves use these systems! We still have a chance to work our way out of this and bring back dignity. For instance, the European model, in which data collection must be approved by the user and is opt-in, and the reuse of data is prohibited. 

    But will we? In our efforts to remove biases, we have ended up creating systemic monstrosities that lack empathy, and only focus on efficiencies. Those who learn to game the system profit. Winners keep winning, losers keep losing, as fairness is forgotten because entire business models are built on them. As the author rightly points out, “The technology already exists. It’s only the will we’re lacking.” And that, really, is the problem, because “Algorithms are opinions embedded in code”. An important book for the times we live in, and the future.

  • How Fascism Works

    Jason F. Stanley

    In “The Origins of Political Order“, Francis Fukuyama talks about three institutions that have to be in stable balance for democracy to take root and thrive – the state, the rule of law, and accountable government. When that doesn’t happen is when we get contemporary Russia or China. But in various countries, there has been a sharp spike in fascist organisations, either overt or covert, and a polarisation in political discourse. Nations such as Myanmar, India, Poland, Hungary and even the United States may not be called fascist at this point, but are increasingly vulnerable. 

    In “How Fascism Works”, Jason Stanley looks at the structures that are common to Fascist movements – the ten tactics that are the pillars on which the narrative of “us vs them” is created and reinforced. A mythic past that breaks down common history and is rewritten to support the Fascist vision for the present and future. Propaganda that twists democratic ideals to serve their purpose. Anti-intellectualism that attacks universities and academia in general who might challenge their ideas. These three work in tandem to create an “unreality”, followed by the onslaught of conspiracy theories and fake news.

    Group differences are then highlighted, and scientific support for hierarchy is formed. As divisions multiply, victimhood among the dominant population is stoked the moment any minority moves towards progress. As gender equity advances, patriarchy gets threatened, increasing sexual anxiety, which is used to fuel conflict even further. Law and order is then cast as a tool for the majority “us” to be used against “them”. The narrative of us is most applied in the rural heartland, where “our” pure values and traditions still survive. And finally, unions and any social organisation that tries to build unity among diverse citizens is dismantled. So is public welfare since “they” are exploiting “our” generosity. 

    The nation replaces the state, creating a group identity, and using a sense of collective victimhood to call for the defence of that shared identity – ethnicity, religion, skin colour etc. Pluralism and tolerance are targeted in order to isolate “them”. The nation then artificially creates the conditions that would legitimise ethnic cleansing or genocide. 

    If you live in India, as I do, you are bound to recognise a lot of these – the pure Hindu past, love jihad, the sacred cow and lynching of Muslims, attacks on universities, imprisonment and/or killing of writers and activists, the biased use of law and order, and so on. The plight of the Rohingyas in Myanmar is a nearby example too. So is the United States under Trump. 
    There is a systematic normalisation that would make any charge of Fascism seem like an overreaction. This too is part of the process. The way to combat this is by first understanding the tactics, see them for what they are, and share the perspectives widely. That’s why this book is an important read for everyone.

  • Coromandel

    Charles Allen

    For once, I’d judge the book by its cover, because the multiple themes, the detailing and the overall quaint, charming imagery are a good representation of what the book will deliver. While the title of the book is an indication of its focus, it actually does more in terms of coverage, and provides a fantastic narrative of South India – historical, social, societal, cultural and political facets. 

    Over a period of time, history becomes stories, then legend, and finally myths. This is the journey that Charles Allen undertakes, and while he smartly calls it a “personal history” to avoid religious minefields, it is a comprehensive and erudite discussion. 

    He begins at the end of the subcontinent – Cape Comorin (Kanyakumari) and traces the tectonic shifts that created the Indian Plate, which we know as the Deccan, and its rock walls on one side – the Western Ghats, with Palakkad providing the only gap until the railways were built in the nineteenth century. The rest of the first chapter provides a good summary of the hunter-gatherer populations that resided in this part of the world in the Mesolithic era. 

    There’s then a detour – to the North and the Harappans. It also contains a clear, scientifically backed commentary of the Aryans, the location of the Saraswati and the connection to the Zoroastrians, the historical account of the Vedas, and the epics – Mahabharata and Ramayana. 

    We then return to “Agastya’s country”, early Tamil literature and the sage himself, who is credited with bringing Sanskrit to the South. The chapter clarifies and rebuts the paradox of him (also) being the person who brought Tamil to the South! This chapter is also interesting because it touches upon the origins of Vishnu and Shiva in mythology. The next few chapters were quite an eye opener for me, because it showed how both Jainism and Buddhism were dominant in the south, including Kerala. To the extent, where even Sabarimala, Ayyappa’s abode, has its origins in Buddhist shrine. Dharmashasta’s devotees chanting Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa seen side by side with Buddham saranam gacchami. Fascinating! It also captures the reasons behind the migration of Jains to the South, whose ranks include the first great emperor of India – Chandragupta Maurya. Speaking of empires, the Chola, Chera and Pandya dynasties were the result of a three way split between brothers who didn’t want to share power. 

    A following chapter throws light on one of the most under-acknowledged dynasties in India, who ruled for almost five centuries – the Satavahanas. Muziris finds a mention too, as the primary trading port for Romans. In other international voyages, we find Bodhidharma, the South Indian monk who exported Mahayana Buddhism to China – which became Chan and finally in Japan, Zen. But contrary to pop culture, Shaolin kung fu wasn’t something he introduced to China. 

    “Juggernaut” covers the origins of Vishnu (including the avatars) and Shiva in greater detail, and is made even more interesting by the suggestion that the lord of Puri was (again) originally a Buddhist shrine. Apparently ‘palli’ was the original term for ‘vihara’ and in Kerala, it became the common term for any non-Hindu place of worship. This section also covers Adi Shankara and his role in resurrecting Hinduism. Chapter 8 finally gets us to the title, which is appropriate from a historical perspective too – its first appearance was only in 16th century maps. That also brings us to Vasco Da Gama’s terrorism, and the slow but steady entry of European powers in the Deccan. The next chapter is a deep dive into Malabar and Kerala in general, and I learned a lot – the origin of the Nambudiris and Kerala’s caste order, the context of Vivekananda calling Kerala an asylum, and that Narayana Guru had a quarrel with Gandhi during the Vaikom satyagraha. The final chapter is named after Tipu, and it also covers the rise of Islam in the South. 
    The endnote is a must read, and shows how nationalist forces have been trying to reshape historical narratives for a while now. It also contains a good perspective on how the cleansing of textbooks in the early 80s and their glossing over of communal clashes actually provided ammunition to those who reverse engineer history to meet their interests. 

    What I really loved is the systematic deconstruction of mythology into its historic components, with an amazing amount of detail. As a person who loves both mythology and history, it was an absolute treat!I am quite miffed at myself for not having read Charles Allen earlier, but plan to rectify that for sure! If you’re interested in history, this is a book I cannot recommend enough.