The Underhill Journal

Grasping the Thistle by Dennis MacLeod and Michael Russell
This is the book I am currently reading, and it makes an interesting case not only for Scottish Independence but also for a complete revision in Democracy in Scotland. It calls for Scotland to become a "Participation Democracy" more along the lines of the ancient Athenian model of democracy than the current "Representative Democracy". Michael Russell was yesterday appointed as a member of Alex Salmonds new cabinet as a Junior Minister, and he is a list MSP for South of Scotland - which is my area.
I haven't finsihed reading this yet, but it has been an intrigueing read so far. It's clearly and accessibly written, with a large amount of thought and discussion having gone into it's creation. It has wider implications than just the state of Scottish Democracy, and there are lessons that any democratic country can learn from it.

Grasping the Thistle

Richard Dawkins is an accessible writer with a witty style that makes this book as much an entertaining read as an informative one. I am already a confirmed atheist, but the argument that Richard Dawkins puts forward gave me plenty of fresh food for thought and material for the next knock on the door I get from Jehovah's Witnessses.
Throughout the book he calls for people to make rational judgements about religion and to use the methodology of scientific thought to come to their own understanding about God. This is an approach famously shunned by Evangelists and religoius extremists, but in truth I think the real target of this book is the moderates who accept Science and Evolution but cannot take God out of their lives.
This is not just a book that everyone should read, this is a book that everyone should own.

In future I will try to provide full reviews of these books, but for this first post I have so many books I would like to reccomend that a couple of words per book will have to suffice. Sorry. These books can all be purchased from Amazon using the links provided. Enjoy!

1. This book by Joe Hyams is a nice concise little introduction to the use of Zen philosophies in Martial Arts. He was a former student of Bruce Lee. It's an excellent book with some really nice insight.




2. This is a little book I was given for christmas and it's so nicely laid out and so intrigueingly thought provoking that it's worth owning just for that. It won;t give you any answers, but it will give you lots of questions to ponder for yourself.



3. Jean Baudrillard died earlier this year, and it was a great loss to the world of modern philosophy. He was unconventional and often controversial in his philosophy and was never at home with mainstream thinking. This book is a collection of essays about September 11th and looks at it from the point of view of it's symbolism, not the act itself.



4. This is the work for which Jean Baudrillard is most famous , and it was used to underpin the philosphy behind the Matrix films.




5. This book was another inspiration behind the Matrix films, and is a fascinating account of the direction in which technology and society might be heading. A must read book for anyone interested in technology, philosophy or biology really.



6. The original Cyberpunk novel. A brilliant book worth reading many times.




7. Richard Bach's writing is succint and deeply philosophical. Illusions is a book that should be read by absolutely everybody, and since it is a short, easy read it can be read by everybody.



8. A very useful reference book for Martial Arts.




9. Full of excellent exercise routines and methods for improving your technique while training alone, this is a great book for a keen Martial Artist who wants to do more than just attend a class once a week.




10. This book brings the philosophy of Martial Arts together with training methods, dietry advice and psychological tips together. It's useful, interesting and enlightening.