ESSAYS on MORAL & POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

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APTIOUS THINKING

by David Roseman        ISBN  0-9531372-2-8
 UK: £9.99 inc  p&p US: $16.19 plus  p&p Canada: $ 19.95 plus p&p

CONTENTS             Introduction.
.

......1.......Truth
......2.......Nature & Humanity
......3.......Morality
......4.......Why?
......5.......Nationhood
......6.......Government
......7.......War
......8.......Taxes
......9.......Democracy

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......10.....The Law
......11.....Crime
......12.....Discrimination
......13.....Gambling
......14.....Sports and Games
......15.....Humour
......16.....Charity
......17.....Procreation
......18.....Homosexuality

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......19.....Terrorism
......20.....Industrial Relations
......21.....Wealth
......22.....Anger
......23.....Love
......24.....The News Media
......25.....Utopia
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APTIOUS THINKING

INTRODUCTION

The Utopians are long gone?

Not so!

The purpose of this collection of short dissertations is to contribute to the re-emergence of Utopian thinking. I believe the pendulum has swung too far towards pragmatism; even approaching fatalism. So much effort is spent trying to find short-term ways to cope with various problems the world faces, that we no longer consider where we would really like to be. It may be that we can not yet get there from here, but even that knowledge could be useful, if we were to isolate the reasons why. At present we are in the paradoxical position of collectively not knowing what we do want, but we are quite prepared to fight for it! An old jibe, but never more true.

A secondary theme is that I wish to provoke people into thinking for themselves. I therefore present what I consider to be a logical and consistent (but not necessarily original) set of ideas and assertions about human society, the consequences of which will challenge many of the implicit assumptions people have come to accept. One might facetiously call my collection: "United Notions"(sic), but I call this process of reconsideration: "Aptious Thinking".



Aptious is a coined word based on two ideas:

a. APT

With a new millennium upon us, I believe that the time is ripe to review which bases of day-to-day philosophy are apt for the future. "Aptious" is intended to be synonymous with, but more penetrating than, "apt".

b. UTOPIAS

"Aptious" is another way of looking at Utopias -- a simple anagram -- symbolising the notion that the re-emergence of utopian ideas is apt today.

Some may find the ideas puzzling, even disturbing, but I hope thereby to encourage them to re-examine their own hypotheses. I may not be able to persuade people to agree with my views, but I can hope to spur people to reappraise their own, instead of relying on what others have told them. Truth cannot be self contradictory. Differences of opinion can be instrumental in the assessment of hypotheses. In the world of ideas and ideals, reality is only what you accept to be true. I believe there is still too much unquestioning acceptance of the past.

It is commonly quipped that "There are some as sits and thinks a bit; there are some as only sits!". I hope that by reading the aptious thoughts I shall present, the reader may spend some absorbing time in the former category.
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