The Art of Expression and the Principles of Discourse by William Walker Atkinson

Ultimately, I have read the first book in the compilation which is titled 'The Art of Expression and the Principles of Discourse' by William Walker Atkinson.

If, someone, reading the opening line of the post, is surprised at the expression, tone and diction of the sentence, then, kindly continue to read the next paragraph which explains the reason for framing such a sentence.

A Report:

I have a compilation of the unabridged works of William Walker Atkinson. I had virtually discovered it for myself. I was trying to find a good work on Patanjali. When I was searching it on the internet, I was attracted towards a portrait on a title. The title of the book was The Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism. The name of the author was Yogi Ramacharak.

It was Patanjali who first gave the idea of Yoga. It was from his Yoga, the idea of Yogi developed. I was seeking knowledge on Patanjali. The desire to know Patanjali is basically a quest to know Yoga. A person who knows Yoga is called a Yogi. The price of the book by Yogi Ramacharak was also around ₹ 60/-. It was the amount which I could afford to spend. When I was able to find a book on Patanjali, which was by Swami Vivekananda and it was also available in a form of a compilation, I bought that book for ₹300/-. It was like getting a bonus when I also bought this unknown author Yogi Ramacharak, at least to me, along with the anthology of the works of Swami Vivekananda. I did not read Swami Vivekananda. I started reading Yogi Ramacharak. The narration was such that it grabbed my attention. Gradually I learned that the author knew about the Christian religion. He was also referring to numerous English authors. I developed a doubt about the learning of the author Ramacharak. I started searching for him on the internet. Soon, I learned that the name was an adopted name of William Walker Atkinson.

In the Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy, W. W. Atkinson had referred to many of his other titles. He had talked about the title of Raja Yoga, Hatha Yoga etc. In between, whenever I browsed the internet, I was attentive about the titles by William Walker Atkinson. Soon, I located this compilation by the publisher e-artnow (I do not know who are they.). It was priced at ₹ 48.23/-. It included the title The Fourteen Lessons. It also contained the title 'The Advance Course in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism'. In the book, the Fourteen Lessons, the author had repeatedly mentioned that he would elaborate on different points in his next book and he specifically mentioned it as the Advance Course. Therefore, after completing the reading of the book, I started the book the Advance Course. Again, in that book, he mentioned some of his other titles and suggested that one should also consult them in order to fully understand his elaboration in his book on The Advance course. Therefore, a sequence developed. I read the book and then shifted to another book as suggested in the course. I could do that because all those books were available to me in the compilation. Gradually I found that there is no sequence in my selection of the next title. After reading nearly 20 books out of that compilation, I thought of starting the compilation from the very first book as given in the compilation by the publisher.

The first book in the compilation by e-artnow is "The Art of Expression and the Principles of Discourse".

Now, let us review the experience which I had undergone while reading the earlier titles by W. W. Atkinson. In every book, he was suggesting and recommending a name of his other title which should also be read. I experienced that if you followed his suggestions, you could appreciate the contents of his books. I decided upon a plan that I should read the compilation from the beginning. Now, these two thought-sets worked together. I picked the first book which is 'The Art of Expression'. I read the first page. On the first page he suggested that one should read his book on Thought Culture and Logic in order to fully appreciate the contents of the book. I left the reading there and by following his instructions, I picked the book as suggested by him. I read the book on Logic. I read the book on Thought Culture. There were some more titles dealing with Thought Cutlure. However, in these two books, that was on Logic and Thought Culture, he talked about the aspects of Memory. He suggested that one should also read his book on Memory Development. I then read his books on Memory Training and Memory Culture. After reading these four books, ultimately, I read this book.

The Review of the Book:

There are fifteen chapters in this book.

Among all the chapter, I will like to emphasise that the Chapter X, The Argumentative Discourse, the Chapter XI, Argumentation and the Chapter XII, Evidence and Proof have attracted my attention and interest. William Walker Atkinson was a lawyer by profession. The ideas which he has taken up in the selected chapters has an imprint of his training and professional experience. The contents and topics are also relevant to my subject of History. I have virtually found a set of notes which I am going to use for my students. Let me take up a particular topic.

He has discussed the Cause and Effect relations. I had been teaching about the Cause and Effect relations to my students. I use the elaboration by E. H. Carr in "What is History" and also the Idea of History by R. G. Collingwood. It is substantiated by the book by an Indian author B. Sheik Ali. E. H. Carr had discussed it in his chapter on Causation. He has his style of explaining the topic. But, somewhere, I felt as if, E. H. Carr might have read his book. No, I do not pass any judgement here. I am just sharing by impression. Atkinson might have published this book before 1920. He had his bookseller agent based in London. E. H. Carr wrote essay somewhere around 1950 and his book was first published in 1954. Collingwood wrote his draft for the Oxford University Press in 1935 and it was later that his incomplete work was published. Now I am going to use them in my class.

I read those chapters with great interest. I believe that these chapters can be included in his title on Logic also. He made his book as logic as per the elaboration by William Stanely Jevons and other Logicians. No doubt, while talking about Logic, you must understand the core rules and principles. But, by incorporating it in that book, the rules and principles can be substantiated for the better understanding of the common reader. It can definitely be made a part of the book on Thought Culture.

On the sideline, I will also like to discuss a similar feature concerning one of his elaboration. In his Advance course, he has discussed about the features of the Absolute. While giving the features of the Absolute, he has written an essay which is as good as a note on Japaji Sahib, an Utterance of Guru Nanak Dev. I teach Sikh history also. We have to explain the features of the concept of the Absolute as given by Guru Nanak Dev. I have read many textbooks because of my professional needs for that topic. All the text books give a similar elaboration. Somewhere, I felt as if, all those text book had been borrowing from a common source and among them, the perfect elaboration is given by Atkinson. In his elaboration, nowhere, Atkinson has mentioned about Sikhism or Guru Nanak Dev. It is a feature of his writings that while discussing the Indian Mystic thoughts, he does not mention a single Indian name associated with scriptures or any Sanskrit work. He refers to Latin and Grecian origin of English words. He referred to words like Gyan, Raja, Hatha, Prana etc. But, he uses only those terms which are now readily included in the English dictionaries.

The topics of the first three chapters are Expression, Languages: It Beginnings and the Evolution of Language. It makes a fascinating reading. If one knows about the history of these topics, then it can be appreciated with great admiration that how these topics had dominated the intellectual circle of the world at the beginning of the twentieth century. I will suggest that in order to appreciate these topics in historical context, one should read this essay  titled Philosophy of Language on Internet Encylopedia on Philosophy, 

From chapter IV to Chapter IX, the topics are the Words, the Building of Vocabulary, The Choice of Words, the Figurative Speech and the Discursive Expression. While I was reading these chapters, I felt that he should have also given a chapter on Grammar or suggested the need for the grammar. I am a native of India. I live in Punjab. My dialect is Punjabi. But, I generally write and think in Hindi. I keep a grammar of English by Wren and Martin even today. I consult it again and again. But, suddenly, I realized that I do not have any grammar book of Hindi. If somebody asks me about the forms of Verbs or Kriya, or Adjectives or Vianjan, I will not able to tell. I do not even remember the alphabets of Hindi. I believe, because Atkinson was an English speaking native of America, therefore, he did not feel the need to suggest it. It is taken for granted that you know the rules of grammar in a natural way. It is another thing, that in his book on developing Memory, he has given a doggerel rhyme on Parts of Speech. It seems there is a difference in teaching methods at school level between India and Western World. One of my elders had told me that in his times, the history was always taught in the form of doggerel rhymes. Now a day, it is all that research based history and no one remembers the history.

In the chapter on the Expression, he has given the central idea of this book. He says there that the art of expression is concerned with oral expression or speaking and the rules and principles that can also be used for writing and composition. He has laid the limits in his explanation itself that the extent of the discourse in the book is limited. He has not talked about the skills of uttering a word, the stress on the different part of speech, the modulation of voice while explaining the elocution etc. On the whole, whatsoever he has given, can be made a good starting point to learn about elocution, speaking, oration and also the writing methods.

I end by repeating that I liked the chapters on Argumentative Discourse and Argumentation.

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Memory Culture: The Science of Observing, Remembering and Recalling by William Walker Atkinson

Memory Culture: The Science of Observing Remembering and Recalling by William Walker Atkinson is the book which I read after reading his other book titled Memory: How to Develop, Train and Use It.

In the compilation by e-artnow.com, this book on Memory Culture is listed before the book Memory: How to Develop. I read the book Memory: How to Develop first and then read Memory Culture. If you just try to ponder and reflect upon the title, you may be amused and think that both the titles convey the same thing. Well, there is a little bit of difference. If you focus on the meaning of each title, you may yourself identify that there is a little bit of fine difference in the meaning and motive of the titles. You should develop the ability of Memory to remember, recall and recognise. Yes, this can be achieved. I do not know that what the qualified Psychologists and Neurologists have to say about that. They have developed drugs and processes which can make any person to reveal out his or her thought and memory under their observation. But, as a common man, when you are not under the observation of a psychologist or neurologist, you have to deal with your memory on your own. It is there, that you need it, that you must have the ability to remember, recall and recognise your knowledge. Now, How can you do that? What type of activities should be performed by the mind? What type of culture should one adopt to use his or her memory? These questions give you these two titles.

Now, I will not call that one book is an adjunct to other. It is not that it supplement each other. They exist as a separate identity. They are not two eyes of the same man. They are heart and brain of the same man. That is it. They are rather two heads of the same body. They synchronised their activity and the body achieves its full potential. You can not have a memory culture without developing memory. You can not do much by developing memory without having a memory culture. That is the relation.

When you read this author, somewhere you feel that he ends a chapter abruptly and carves out a fresh chapter to continue his narration. You desire that he should have said the thing in the same chapter, there and then. You adjust to his writing by giving a view that it is his style. However, it is not simple as that.

I just wonder that he was a contemporary of Mark Twain. The USA feels proud of Mark Twain and considers him its icon. However, Atkinson may have been popular for his writings. One can judge that from the fact that it is stated at a number of places on the internet that his titles are still in publication. I have come across them because of that. I am not a person from a literary background. I read and read a lot. But that does not make me qualified for being a literary person. But, for me, he has done a good job. My criticism and sarcasm of his writing is my way to deal with the information which I gather. I have an admiration for his work.

Now, Let us see the contents of the title.

He deals with this topic by alluding to the importance of subconsciousness in the first chapter. In the case of Memory development title, he has emphasised the importance of having a good memory.

After that chapter, he again takes up the topics on sense organs based information, abstraction, perception, developing ideas and using logic. He repeats the chapters on the ear and the eye use. All these aspects have been mentioned as separate chapters in the Memory Development. However, here, he has tried to tell that there is a culture which one should develop while dealing with memory.

I am interested in emphasising the contents of the last chapter which is titled Artificial Systems. In this chapter, he has tried to give the history of the development of the artificial systems. He has covered a number of methods of artificial systems to develop the memory. You may come across books and paid courses which try to help you to learn such artificial methods of developing the memory. However, in between, Atkinson has remarked that many people get frustrated with such type of methods. They feel cheated when they fail to maintain the practices taught in such courses and books. He is not against these methods. He has suggested that if you get to benefit from them, then incorporate them into your practice of developing memory. It is there, he has also raised a question. He has tried to emphasise that the feature of memory is a natural thing. One should make efforts to develop and harness that natural ability first. It is just like developing your muscles. You go to gym for that. You can do it at your home. But it is you who have to do it. He has a point.

I do not want to say that he has given the ultimate truth on the development of memory. I do not undervalue the achievements of scientific psychology. It is a result of scientific psychology that we know today that generally, we try to remember things in a set of three facts. You remember a long number by remembering them in a set of three figures. The neurologist has come with many such drugs which can make a person a captive of a neurologist. The intelligence agencies use the work of their outcome. The drug addicts can be treated only by the expert. In their cases, the works of Atkinson will not be a help. But, it is for the common man, that he is more relevant.

A Suggestion:

One should read the following combination of his titles in order to fully get the benefit on the subject which he has taken up. The subject is the use and development of Memory.

Set One:

The Subconsciousness and Superconsciousness Planes of Mind

Suggestion and Auto Suggestion (I have to add to the contents of the review of these titles. However it will be a good plan if someone follows my suggestion and read these books. After that, he read my reviews.)

Thought Culture, Or, Practical Mind Training.

Set Two:

Memory: How to Develop, Train and Use it

Memory Culture: The Science of Observing, Remembering and Recalling

The Art of Logical Thinking; Or, The Laws of Reasoning

It is my suggestion that they may be read in that order.

I would like to add. You can download the Kindle Software which is a freeware. It can be downloaded on a tablet, mobile phone and PC. You can buy the compilation from the Kindle store. It cost you ₹48. 23/-. If you are in India, I do not think, this combination can be any issue. I have used e.artnow compilation. There are many more compilations and individual titles by the same author available on the internet on Google Books also. The free copies can also be downloaded from Internet Archive or Guttenberg project. However, I find the compilation by the e-artnow as the cheapest possible option. There are some flaws in this compilation but if you have visualised and accepted the game plan, then it is the right set that can be adopted.

Ending Message:

I have started the reading of The Art of Expression.

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Memory: How to Develop, Train and Use It by William Walker Atkinson

Memory: How to Develop, Train and Use It by William Walker Atkinson

The Idea of Selecting This Title for Reading:

It is a repetition of that which I have already explained as the reasons to read the titles by William Walker Atkinson. I have a collection of the works by Atkinson. I have already read some of its titles. Now, I have decided to read the compilation from the first title in the list. The title is "The Art of Expression and The Principle of Discourse".

Atkinson had written numerous books. In every book, he alluded to his other books and suggested to his reader to consult the other book in order to explore the full benefit of the title. I had read his different books without any plan or sequence. But, in between, I have developed this view that his suggestions should be followed. Therefore, when I started his book on the Art of Expression, I found that there was a suggestion that one should read his book on logic and also the thought culture. In his book on thought culture, he advised that one should read his book on memory culture. There were two books on memory topic. One of the book is this one which is the subject of this review and the second one is titled "Memory Culture: The Science of Observing, Remembering and Recalling". I am on the verge of completing the reading of that book. Now, here is the review on Memory: How to Develop, Train and Use It.

The Book Structure:

The book has twenty chapters. The chapters can be safely divided into two sections. The section one may contain first nine chapters. The second section, which may contain chapters from Chapter X to the end, can be called the section of practical suggestions and instructions.

In the first section, he has emphasised those aspect of psychology which I believe should be taught to every student. In schools, reading and writing are taught. These aspects, which are explained in this book, should also be incorporated in the instructions and made the part of the practice of study as the sports and other co-curricle activities are emphasised as the part of schooling.

If you are a student, you must go through this book. It will benefit you in your studies. You have to study the titles which are suggested in the first paragraph of this post. You may find it cumbersome. However, it is more result oriented if you read the combination of the titles as suggested in the first paragraph. I am also amused when I find that in his every book, the author suggests another book. But, I feel, that if he has taken up all the topics in one single title, it would have not been that attractive and useful.

Let me now take up some aspects of the contents. The author is again perfect and best in his art of writing. He has written a simple English. You do not have to consult a dictionary to understand his discourse. You do not encounter any Latin or other archaic or technical terms. Well, in the case of these titles, he has not quoted numerous authorities as he has done in the case of the titles on esoteric and mystic topics.

Kindly check this list.

You have Five sense organs viz. Eye, Ear, Nose, Tongue, and Touch sense and their corresponding sensations. 

You get information on your surroundings through your sense organs.

You gather the information guided by following mind features. They are

Your Desire
Your Interest

Your Attention

Your Concentration.

The information which you gather through your senses is confined to and restricted by your ability to Abstract the data from the sensation of your sense organs. You can learn to polish your ability to Abstract in this book.

The Abstraction is kept in your brain or rather the abstraction gives you the Perception.

The Perception is utilized by the brain to develop the Idea.

An Idea is identified with the help of terms and images. The book tells about the simple methods to develop this process consciously. The extra thing that is required is your consistency and ability to utilize it with a commitment.

Now if you are interested in this elaboration and it conveys you some meaningful talk, then, this book can be used to develop your memory.

I have full regards for the Psychologists and Neurologists. If they are there to tell that their field of research has progressed far ahead than the content of this book, then I will definitely like them to suggested me the titles of the books which they want to recommend.

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Finis

Thought Culture, Or, Practical Mental Training by William Walker Atkinson

Thought Culture, Or, Practical Mental Training by William Walker Atkinson

After reading sixteen titles written by W. W. Atkinson, I thought of reading the first title in the compilation. The first book in the compilation is the "Art of Expression". On the first page, it is recommended that one should first read a book on Logic and then on Thought Training in order to fully utilize the content of the title. I have read the book on Logic. A review is already on this blog. This is the next book.

A Reminisance:

The books or the titles which I have already reviewed and commented upon on this blog, were mostly on esoteric sciences. There is a story behind it. I wanted to read about Patanjali. On the basis of my prior knowledge, I tried to acquire the book written by Swami Vivekananda on Patanjali. While I was searching for that on the Internet, I came across a book on Philosophy of a Yogi by Yogi Ramcharaka. The discourse in that book was written in such a manner that I was highly impressed by the thought process that it was inducing in my perception and understanding. Gradually, I observed that it was written by a person who had good knowledge of Christianity and Western literature. I directed my attention and efforts to learn about Yogi Ramcharak. In due course, I discovered that the real author was W. W. Atkinson. Soon, I was able to find a compilation of his writings for a very small amount.

One of the supporting factor in facilitating this reading was the free software of Kindle. I had learned about Kindle when it was not available in India. As it is a general response of most of the people, that when something new is introduced, the people tends to pass a judgement without caring to know that whether they are really genuine, right, and they are fully qualified to pass that judgement. I am no different from such people. Therefore, I did not care to look into the Kindle. I had learnt there were many more e-book reader softwares. However, in between, I was able to collect PDF format books from Google Books ( When I started, it was called Google Print). They were free. They were related to my subject of History. They were providing me such documents which I could have acquired only from archives. If I had ever tried that, at the maximum, I would have been declared a good research scholar and obtained a PhD. I have not done that. The technology has proved itself a blessing for the creatures like me. I was happy and content in realing PDFs of old books provided by Google Books. I even bought some google books also. But there I encountered a problem. I needed internet when I desired to read them. I could read them offline as I could do in case of PDF books. In India, the continuity of electricity supply and consistency of the internet are an issue. No doubt, it is gradually improving but, it is still there. I do not know what actually is the situation in the developed countries. But anyhow, let me come back to my topic of this post. When I was able to locate, Swami Viveknanda on Kindle store, then came the issue of getting that software. The bait was that the price was very less. Soon, I learnt that I could get the Kindle software free of cost. I downloaded it. Then I bought the books of Swami Vivekananda and also the book by Yogi Ramchakara. Till this day I have not read the books by Swami Vivekananda which I have downloaded. I had been reading W. W. Atkinson.

The guiding query, interest and motive were to read about Patanjali and Yoga and what he had told about Yoga. The books by Yogi Ramchakara was on Yogic practices. From there on, the event of reading on Kindle continued. The features on Kindle, like highlighting, which I had been doing on PDF also, the online dictionary, the facility to read it offline etc, all these facilitated my reading urge. But I was hooked to Ramchakara. My discovery of Atkinson behind that Yogi, was an award to me by my ownself. My topic was study of Yoga Philosophy. I knew little bit before hand. Therefore, there was enough grounds to explore the compilation which I had obtained as a lottery. However, I gradully learned about the method and style of writing by Atkinson. I found that he had developed numerous titles on different Ideas related to Yoga. There was no sequence. Therefore, I had then decided to read the compilation from the first title itself. I had an experience of the style of title making by Atkinson. I picked the first title called "The Art of Expression". In the first chapter itself, rather on the very first page, he had suggeted that one should read his book on Logic before fully appreciating his title. I did not continue with the Art of Expression book. I picked the title which he had suggested on Logic and immediately shifted to the book of Logic. I have posted the review on it on my blog already. It was in the book on the Logic,that, he suggested that one should also read his book on "Thought Culture". I, then, started that book. In the book on Thought Culture, he suggested that one should read his book on developing Memory. I completed the book on Thought Culture and started the reading of Memory Development. But, here I did not fulfill my commitement with this blog. I have completed the reading of book on Memory Development but had not written the review on Thought Culture. Now I am trying to do that.

The Review:

Thought Culture; or, Practical Mental Training is one of the title in which the smooth English of the writer is well demonstrated. I read it within few hours. In this book, it is suggested that one should also read his book on Memory development. I started that book after completing the reading of this book without posting my first impression on the blog. It was the attractiveness of the writing which was the motivation to learn about the memory development. Memory development is one issue which is cherished by people from all age group. Therefore, I should eagerness to read that book without writing any post.

No doubt, I had highlighted many lines within the book. I also recorded some comments. But, I did not write anything on the register which I usually did while reading. I even tried to look towards other titles also, which carried the term 'thought' in its title. However, I moved to the title of Memory development and then later to Memory Culture.

This book is definitely required to be read if you want to fully explore and get benefit out of his book on Logic titled the Art of Logical thinking about which I have already posted my comment.

The book contains fourteen chapters. In this way, it is one of the smaller book as compared to other books. It is a smaller book because it has a lesser number of chapters.

The firt four chapters are merely an introduction type chapters. He introduces you to the ides of Thought and Thought Culture or motivate to go for Mental Training.

The substantial topic begins in Chapter 5 titled Attention. Kindly look into the following list.

Senses

Sensation

Attention, concentration and Desire

Perception

Representation

Abstraction

Association of Ideas

Generalization

Judgement

Derived Judgement (A difficult and technical chapter probably based on the hypothesis of William Stanely Jevons.)

Reasoning.

If you are student and want to improve enjoyment of study, then learn the meanings of the terms given in the above list. You may learn the meaning of these terms from a dictionary or the Internet. However, I will suggest you to learn their meaning from this book written by William Walker Atkinson. Each term is a heading of a chapter. You can now make it out the actual nature of the suggestion. Those of you, who may have some training in psychology, may join in to talk about these topics in reference to the content in the book. It is a request that kindly do not give your modern research narrative here. Kindly come up with a narrative which everyone could understand in a way that it may benefit them without paying any fees to an expert. After all, everyone has his mind and owner of his or her mind. Help them to use it without imposing your intitutionalised degree on the society. I am not here to hurt some one but everyone owns his or her brain and mind. If you help to get optimum benefit of it, then it is right of the society of to get it as it is the society which has provided to you a setup in which you acquired your degree.

Now I will talk about "Memory: How to Develop, Train and Use It" as explained by W. W. Atkinson, in the next post.

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The Art of Logical Thinking; or, The Laws of Reasoning by W. W. Atkinson

The Art of Logical Thinking; or, The Laws of Reasoning by W. W. Atkinson

Before I say my thing, I will like to ask few questions to the readers of this post.

Are you a student?

Are you a fresh research scholar?

Do you want to understand the research methodology in any field of enquiry?

Are you troubled by your thoughts and seeking some clarity?

If the answers to above questions are in affirmative then kindly be attentive.

I strongly recommend it to you to read this book.

A Confession:

I have been reading books on logic. I am having notes on research methodology. I have books on this topic. I have J. S. Mills book on it. I have Kant's book on Reasoning. I listen to many people who claim that they are talking logically. I have confronted the opposition that had questioned my ability to do a logical thinking. I read and come across the statements which appeal to logic. I confess I am not sure about the concept of LOGIC and reasoning. I have read the books on this topic but I have never completed the books. I struggle to read through the pages of the established scholar which have been declared the semantic discourses. I have never completed the reading of such authorities. I have read about the writing of the philosophers and logicians. I have pretended to understand them but have never developed the concrete comprehension of the subject.

Now, here is a book, which I have completed. I feel satisfied to some extent. Therefore, I invite you to use it.

I have displayed the compilation of the complete works on Atkinson. This title is listed on number two in the list the compilation which I use.

I had actually started the first book in the compilation. The title of that book is The Art of Expression and The Principles of Discourse. It was suggested in the first chapter of that book that the title on Logic should be read.

In this book on Logic, the author has also suggested that one should also read the title on the Subconscious and Supreconscious in order to fully understand this book. I have already reviewed that book. However, I may again read that book and write a fresh review on that. But, in any case, you can read this book without consulting the suggested title.

The Content:

It is written in the peculiar style of the author about which I have commented again and again. No doubt, he has quoted many authorities. But, in this book, there is a discernable difference. He provides the quotation to take forward or explain a point. The narration is straight. It is without the Latin or Grecian terms. It is in simple English. That is the mark of the author. It proves highly effective in case of a topic like logic.

The books which I have read earlier, they generally talk about Deductive Logic. There are many books which provide rules of syllogism. The understanding of the aspect of syllogism is required to clear entrance tests to many courses and even jobs. I have found that the similar type of tests are conducted in different countries. My experience is that all such books are not meant for everyone. Some people highly recommend them. But many fail to get benefit out of them. It may also prove true in case of this title. I am enthusiastic in recommending this very particular title. But, it may not prove useful to others. Even then, I suggest that it is worth trying. Atkinson writes small chapters. It helps a lot in developing the comprehension of the subject.

Atkinson has not directly taken up the Deductive Logic. He has taken up the topic in the following order.

He talks about the concept of Reason.

Then, he talks about the idea of concept, image, term, judgement and propositions. In this way, he lays the foundation of the subject. If you are able to grasp the gist of these lessons then you are ready to move to the actual topics.

He takes up Inductive Logic first. That has played the trick. It is more useful to understand the Inductive Logic before the deductive logic. In general books, which are actually written to prepare you for the entrance examinations, they lay more stress on deductive logic. They are actually guided by the form of questions which appear in the question papers. But when they try to explain the rules of Syllogism, for many students, it becomes a herculean task to understand them. They actually try to learn the lessons in place of polishing their deductive logic abilities.

In case of preparing experiments and developing hypothesis, this book may seem to many as an old version of research. The field of research methodology has progressed much. You may find it an archaic work. Even the arrangement and sequence of research methodology may be found bit out of order. You will find that there is less stress on issue of framing the question. But, on the whole, he is able to bring in the right discourse. I am quite sure, those who will follow this book, may appreciate my suggestion. You will definitely develop the right understanding of Inductive Logic and Deductive Logic from the quantity of the content which he has given.

In case of Fallacy, he has not devoted much efforts. However, he has tried to cover up many points.

Finis. For me, it is a new thing, that he ends his book with a term written as "FINIS". He has written a similar end to his other books also.

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The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy is the book which I take up here as a topic.

The edition of the book by Dr. Joseph Murphy, which I have read was published in India by Manjul Publishing House. It is the sixth impression by the publisher released in India in the year 2017. The ISBN is 978-81-8322-500-7. The copyright is with The Joseph Murphy Trust.

How did I choose this book?

I picked this book on Kindle Store while I was compiling the review on "Mental Power: The Secret of Mental Magic" by W. W. Atkinson.

I write small notes on Kindle itself as well as on a register while reading the book. The review is generally developed on the basis of the notes which are handwritten on a register. While reading the book 'Mental Power', the word 'Mental' was irritating me. The word 'mental' conveys a derogatory and negative meaning also. Among the Hindi speaking people, it is generally remarked कि वह तो mental है ! It is an abuse. Atkinson has used this word excessively and extensively. He has written titles of many chapters using this term.

It so happened that when I was converting the written notes, on W. W. Atkinson, typing it for blogging, I thought of selecting a title to be displayed under the advertisement section. I used the phrase 'Mind Power' for the search on Kindle Store. In the result section, I located this book. When I explored the reviews on the title, I read the notes written in appreciation on writings of Dr. Murphy. I made further searches. I found author was actually a contemporary of Atkinson. Dr. Murphy was born in the later years of the nineteenth century. Atkinson started writing in the beginning of the twentieth century. Atkinson died in 1933. Dr. Murphy died in 1982. Dr. Murphy was decorated with a university degree. A brief summary of the content conveyed that the subject of the title was similar to what I had been reading for sometime by now. The price of the book was on the  higher side but within the range. There was a variation in prices quoted with different vendors. So, I selected the lowest prize and bought it. The subject was similar to the topics on which I am presently writing. Therefore, I started reading it after completing the reviews on "Mental Power".

The Observations:

When I was reading the book, I was reminded again and again of the contents of the books written by W. W. Atkinson. I felt as if I was reading a subject content which I had already read. It was like having an old wine in a new bottle.

However, there were some discernable differences also in dealing with the subject. Dr. Murphy openly talked about the content of the Bible. Atkinson was very particular in abstaining from the use of any term which was associated with religious scriptures.

The term 'science' is a fashion. You talk about universal forces. Then, here and there, you insert the term 'science'. You use the term scientific way of Prayer. What is this 'Scientific Prayer'? Do we conclude that there can be a prayer, which is 'a scientific prayer' and another 'a non-scientific prayers'?

PPT Style Structure:

He has adopted a 'PPT' style (Power Point Presentation). He wrote when there was no perception of the way of giving Power Point Presentations. He has written small paragraphs. A set of two or three paragraphs has a heading. Every chapter ends with a summary. The summary consists of points in form of a list. The whole book is basically a draft of contents, which can be easily converted into Power Point Presentation. The quantity of the content under each heading is such that each of it can be easily get settled in one slide.

Know-How of His Technique:

His technique of making the best use of the powers of subconscious mind is as follows:

Step 1:

Create a question, or raise a desire.

Step 2:

Visualise as if you have found and answer or realised your desire.

Step 3:

Go to sleep or develop the ability to move into a phase of slumber with a paryer having positive assertions. (No elaboration or criticism can be given here as the motive is not to write a book on it. No doubt, it can be a basis of an essay that can be written separately.)

Step 4:

The movement you awake, again raise the question and repeat the prayer.

The author, Dr Murphy, gives an assurance that if you "believe and persist", soon you will activate the mystic powers of the subconscious mind which are divine and omnipotent. There is too much stress upon the aspect of faith and belief.

Result:

Have patience. You will get a perfect answer and the desired result.

A Note:

In chapter 18, 'How Your Subconsious Removes Mental Block', under the heading "Three Magical Steps" he has given a similar practice. He has been repeating this suggestion throughout the book and virtually imparted a status of a ritual.

Remark:

Do not talk much about spirituality. Make it a 'a priori' knowledge that the subconscious is all powerful and omnipotent. It is not bound by space and time. It is a part of the Absolute.

Verdict or a conclusion:

The whole book aims at learning self-hypnotism. It is not a healthy approach.

Papa is Preaching Approach:

At many places during the course of the reading this book, your attentiveness and focus receive a jarring impact and jolt. He begins with an assertion. He appeals to the concepts of 'belief' and 'faith'. He tells an anecdote as a testimony. Most of the times, he claims that the quoted anecdotes are part of his personal experience and an empirical observation. He ends there. He takes the next heading. He repeats the same game plan.

The whole tone of the narration is like ' a Papa Preaches that ....'.

Dr. Joseph Murphy Trust description:

The site of the Trust claims that he was an heir to James Allen, Dale Carnegie, Napolean Hill and Norman Vincent Peale. He is a precursor, the trust claims, to Tony Robbins Zig Ziglar and Earl Nightingale. The site claims that there was a 'human potential movement' and Dr. Joseph Murphy was one of the pioneer. They give it as an evidence that the title has crossed the one million sale record and still counting. Well, even I am one of the buyers of the digital format of the book.

A Self Help book for a particular society and times:

It is a self-help and self-improvement book meant for the people who lived in the sixties and seventies of the twentieth century in the USA. The author has talked about the subconscious mind. He attributed it with unlimited powers guaranteed by the unknown source (you may call it divine if you learn it on your own.). The technique to access the powers of subconscious is the prayer – a scientific prayer. According to the author, you must perform this 'ritual' before going to bed. With such a package, at his disposal, which he preaches, he has talked about becoming rich and solving martial problems. In the case of the chapter on Martial Problem, Dr. Murphy is just giving his personal views. There is enough evidence in his suggestions and narration that the person is experienced and far ahead in the field of psychic growth and probably spiritual attainments than anyone who reads his book. But, somewhere, while reading him, you suddenly feel that here he is just giving his views. He is not talking about the topic. He is abstaining from telling something openly.

Similarly, in chapter 15, the author declares that the greatest discovery of 19^th century apart from the development in the field of physical sciences was the discovery of "power of subconsciousness touched by faith". He has attributted this thesis to William James, the American Psychologist. The similar thing is more apparent in a succeding chapter. The last chapter titled, "How to Stay Young in Spirit Forever" is a politicla statement addressed to his contemporary times.

I just wished that I should have skipped this title. I did not read it continuously. There was no continuity. Even, in the case of developing this essay, which was surprising written continuously, it took much time to get typed. In between, I went through many more books. It has created a type of clutter of half begun books. I am returning back to W. W. Atkinson and other books.

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Attention: Advertisements: Kindly note, the book of W. W. Atkinson, the complete work is displayed. I am using this compilation. It is available on Kindle. It costs ₹48.30 only. The  book  by Dr. Joseph Murphy is also displayed.

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Telepathy: Its Theory, Facts and Proof by W. W. Atkinson

I had completed the reading of this book on April 4, 2017. There is nothing much to say about this book. The contents of this book can be summarised in the following paragraph.

Atkinson believes that the Telepathy is true. It can be proved by scientific methods. A major experiment was carried out in America during 1907 to 1908. The name of the experiment is The Weltmer Experiment.

The survey of the chapters of the book reveals and approves what is written above. They are as follows.

Chapter I: What is Telepathy

Chapter II: The Nature of the Problem

Chapter III: Experimental Telepathy

Chapter IV: The English Experiments

Chapter V: More English Experiments

Chapter VI: The Weltmer Experiment

Chapter VII: Results of The Weltmer Experiment

Chapter VIII: Results of The Weltmer Experiment (Continued)

Chapter IX: The Theories.

The chapterization in itself tells the actual content of the book. It is English Experiments and Weltmer Experiment.

I have developed the Wikipedia Book for it. The entries on Wikipedia also reveals some more features about the actual facts about the theory of the writer itself. Many of the scholars whom he had mentioned for substantiating his argument were not approved by the scientific world. The Wikipedia Book as developed by the blogger can be accessed HERE. It will take you to Wikipedia server. 

Another feature which emerges is that you can not fully depend upon the statements and elaboration of Atkinson. One of his strong argument was that it was first known to the Hindus. They had used it during the revolt of 1857. He claimed that at that the Telegraph was not available in India. As a result, the British administration suffered because of that. The rebels had extensively used this medium to communicate with each other and gave a tough fight because of the exchange of information through telepathy. He had made this claim in the first chapter titled What is Telepathy. It is all wrong. The Telegraph services were available in India. It is another thing that by May 13, 1857, it was disrupted by the revolutionaries. The revolution started on May 11, 1857. For two days, it was working and the British officer in Amery, Jalandhar, Phillaur and Ludhiana had received the information from the telegraph. Secondly, it was again restored by September1857, when the British army recovered Delhi. Hence, the writer himself had not verified his facts.

I do not have any opinion on this parapsychological phenomenon of Telepathy. However, now these days, we have the internet, twitter, facebook, instagram etc. We have smartphones. Do we need such a phenomena? Even if, it exists, then do we need it. We may research it to decide the actual issue. I do not know, how does psychologist deal with it? What do the neurologists tell about it? But, for all these matters, the reading of this book does not provide much material to work upon. It has rather revealed the weaker side of the writings and contents of the book of W. W. Atkinson.

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Attention Readers: It is an Advertisement. The link is for a Kindle product and paper back in hindi. Kindly use your discretion:

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Suggestion and Auto Suggestion by W. W. Atkinson

I had completed the reading of the book titled "Suggestion and Autosuggestion" by W. W. Atkinson on April 2, 2017. Before writing the preview immediately, I started another title named Telepathy by W. W. Atkinson. In between, I posted the review on Your Mind. I did not complete even that preview. I had completed the reading of the book titled Telepathy. These acts are not as per the motive this book. However, Time is a big constraint. While writing you have to observe some methods. I have faulted in that.

As far as the book is concerned, it is one of the simplest books by Atkinson. The suggestions or contents as based on personal views of the author. They are very pragmatic suggestions. One can pick this book out his numerous titles for the joy of reading. When you read it, you comprehend what he says. He is a good writer. The issues which he picks relates to you. You accept what he says. Rather you develop clarity in your own thoughts for the understanding which you believe you know. What do you know? You may not be able to answer. But, after reading it, you may be in a position to give  word to your thoughts on it.

First of all, I will reproduce what I have noted during the course of the reading of this book.

A NEW FEATURE: WIKIPEDIA BOOKS on W. W. ATKINSON Contents:

Well before that, I introduce to you a new feature of the contents of the review. It is a supplementary feature of the review but it relates to the reading as well the comments in the review. I have called it Free Wikipedia Books with the title W. W. Atkinson References. You may observe the list of such free books on the right hand sidebar of this blog. Presently it is on the top of the right hand sidebar. Those who are reading it on mobile version may pull down to the lower side of the displayed page and switch to website version. You will locate it through the link View web version.

As I have commented again and again on the writing style of W. W. Atkinson, he gives too many testimonies and references in support of his propositions, statements and conclusions. While doing this he refers to too many authorities and most of them are from the field of philosophy and science. In order to make a full picture of the knowledge which he may be able to introduce to you, you need an understanding of the views of those authorities. There are not one or two of them. They are many. From this paradigm, I have developed this paradigm. While reading, in order to make full sense of what he is saying, I keep on doing the web search. During that activity, I find that the articles on Wikipedia provide good support. It is out of that experience and realisation, this model has developed. I used the Bookmaking features on Wikipedia and developed such books. Those books are now shared with the readers. There are some of the technical problems also. But they are because of the Wikipedia Management issues itself. However, it is not the place to take up that issue. It has restricted me from giving a better result. Even then, the product which I have been able to develop, I have shared it here.

For this book, I have developed the book W. W. Atkinson Bibliography (Suggestion and Auto Suggestion). Click it. This will provide you with a PDF format book on the references used by Atkinson which he has used in different chapters. The book is formatted as per the chapters developed by Atkinson. 

In the case of other links, you click on the desired book in the right Sidebar. You will be guided to the side of the wikipedia books. You may locate an instruction "Download" and followed by two links PDF (A4) and PDF (Letter). Click any of them. The software on Wikipedia will compile the book for you with the message that you can download the book. Download it and go through the result. I believe that you may enjoy the product. There may be some technical glitches because of the issues related to the Wikipedia management. In any case, by merely clicking the link, you may be able to check the contents of the book.

(To be Concluded)

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