Arnold Hermann

Laszlo Erdelyi, El Pais Cultural (Uruguay), No. 831, 07 Oct 2005

PYTHAGORAS and PARMENIDES. The first use of a weapon of mass destruction occurred in the year 510 B.C. between the pre-classical Greeks of the cities of Croton and Sybaris, in the south of Italy. The fanatic and anti-democratic Crontonians, under the control of the famous Pythagoras, attacked and destroyed the Sybarites, known for being one of the richest communities, magnificent, democratic (and lovers of good food) people of the world. Soon the Crotonians redirected the course of the river to totally flood the city of Sybaris, killing almost the entire population.

This is one of the most vibrant points of the book by Arnold Hermann on the philosophy of Pythagoras and Parmenides, entitled The Illustrated To Think Like God (Parmenides Publishing), a beautifully illustrated book that brings closer to the general public the debates that happened 2500 years ago among the ancient Greeks, those who gave the start to the discipline called Philosophy. Because these Greeks were intelligent and short-tempered, confronting myths and superstition, they went out into the streets to develop the science of logic, to popularize the use of reason. The idea was to cause the superior organs, the brain, to elaborate something more than foolish ideas. Now, the reader may ask himself what the flood has to do with philosophy.

Since more than ten years Hermann has investigated the connections between Pythagoras and Parmenides, dealing with the highest scholars and getting himself dusty with all the related archeological excavations. He wants to know how and why philosophy was born, the idea of men who like to think like God and to replace him step by step, trying to resolve questions about things such as death, life, human existence and other trifles.

After all he wrote three versions of the same book, two for scholars and the one here which addresses itself to the general public. With masterful skill for writing simply about the complex, the book explains through his historical and biographical context why Pythagoras believed that the nature of all things was hidden in numerical relations while he went to the war in a brutal way. It also illustrates why Xenophanes believed that true knowledge was out of reach for mortals and why the great Parmenides made the light, questioning this affirmation by Xenophanes, saying that true philosophy must base itself in on tests rather than on exclamations, an approach that made him into the father of theoretical science.

In all this there were wars, deaths, treasons, ambitions, the human life in all its expression. There were also the famous philosophical debates soaked in this reality, not separate from it. Because the classical and pre-classical Greeks were also beings of flesh and bone.… (meer)

6) Thomas Peter von Bahr, for New Age Retailer, 30 Sep 05

This reviewer, as a graduate student of Philosophy, would observe with dismay the look of poorly concealed incomprehension upon revealing my field of study to others. Arnold Hermann has produced a magnificent reply to those who wonder to what value does one espouse Philosophy as a way of understanding. This book uses over 300 illustrations to provide a living, vibrant context for seeing Philosophy as an underlying, legitimatizing foundation for clear reasoning about not simply the world we sense, but about the process of thought itself. Hermann’s gift to the reader is a concise re-examination of the role of reasoning and how the ingredients of that process led to the scientific method which has brought the planet such incredible breakthroughs in medicine, engineering, energy, and communications. Think: viral vaccines, elegant suspension bridges, hydrogen vehicles, computer chips. Without some of the principles of logic that Parmenides advanced, steps such as verification, testing, elimination, and other key principles of consistency would not allow for scientific replication in the material world. Even many legal rules that we rely upon today, such as evidentiary proofs, come not from the oft-credited Magna Carta, but from his formulations for his native city of Elea. The author explores these concepts and credits in his Chapter V (page 152-161).

This beautifully illustrated book, measuring 10” x 8” is a reader’s delight because it is so carefully laid-out to balance text with photos and reproductions. Chapter VIII is a fine example of the author’s understanding of his subject and his ability to communicate. This section contains the 12 Provisos or theorems that any thoughtful person will recognize as essential for clear thinking. Parmenides was living at a time when often brute force was in clear conflict with the desire of many for methods of governance that would enable social organization that was sensible and reasonable (his dates were 515-450 B.C.). His philosophical predecessor, Pythagoras, managed to mark some progress, but he and his students and followers were still dealing with supernatural and pre-Historic ideas that owed more to mysticism than to identifiable powers of reason. In that worldview, our sense experiences produced some degree of reliability about how humans functioned, but trying to establish how thinking, much less matter might function in the Universe needed ways to separate what Hermann refers to as the wheat form the chaff. It might better be termed, imprecision had to be replaced by greater exactitude which could lead to reliable duplication and likeness. Only then can any order be reproduced with some certainty. How is this relevant today? Many ways; an educated consumer can distinguish between unscrupulous bait-and-switch and “like-to-like” comparisons. The list of laws and principles we owe to Parmenides is what Hermann stresses in his fine work.

The volume has a handsome cover, sewn binding, and quality paper which highlights the illustrations. It is divided into 11 chapters, 8 pages of notes, an 8 pages bibliography, and a short but specific index. The book can be marketed at our checkout counter easily because of its abundant color and enticing title. It also belongs in Law, Ancient History, and of course, Philosophy.

Awards
1) USABookNews.com, Best Books 2005 Award, 1st Place, “Philosophy”

2) Writers Notes, 2005 Book Award, 1st Place, “Reference”

3) ForeWord Magazine, 2005 Book of the Year Award, Silver, “Philosophy”

4) Benjamin Franklin Award, Finalist, “Metaphysics/Spirituality”… (meer)