Review by Silas Nyamweya -- Mythic Worlds and the One Yo...

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Silas Nyamweya
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Latest Review: Mythic Worlds and the One You Can Believe In by Harold Toliver

Review by Silas Nyamweya -- Mythic Worlds and the One Yo...

Post by Silas Nyamweya »

[Following is a volunteer review of "Mythic Worlds and the One You Can Believe In" by Harold Toliver.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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In this book, “The Mythic Worlds and the One You Can believe In” Harold Toliver presents an argument that many people have been made to believe in myths rather than reality. However, he is advising people to be quite careful in what they believe in and more so depend on the available evidence to ascertain the truth. Interestingly, many people are currently filled with false notions, myths and ideologies which have been imparted to them from diverse sources including philosophers, religious leaders, and scientists among others. According to this author, what man needs is the reality acquired through “unsweetened and unadulterated observations” (page 14).

At some point, it is clear that Toliver is attacking religion because of the way it has instilled fear and “unverified” believes among believers. In reinforcing this concept, he uses some level of evidence to showcase that what man believes in religion is uncertain or cannot be proved yet. According to him, some of the religious believes are almost impossible “Any mind would have to strain beyond its limits to number the sands and foresee events to the end of the world” (page 121) he says. He has noted that humans have been made to fear gods and other spiritual beings although they are not certain about their existence because they have been inspired to believe so by sect leaders.

Governments, political leaders and religious leaders have been able to employ the power of group think by influencing groups of people using false ideologies and myths. Toliver revisits the history of Hitler who used to thrill his audience mostly comprising of members of a war machine in undertaking whatever he wanted them to do, however, uncouthly it was. Accordingly, governments in the world have also been employing the logic of illusion and propaganda to influence group thinking of course with a successful measure.

For me, the book is well organized; in a logical and sequential order. The author has also used a mid-level sense of grammar, mixed with a limited set of humor. Literary devices are also used reasonably. Generally, the book is not only easy to read among many readers who will be able to access the book but the arguments presented are also interesting to explore.

Nonetheless, I find the subject of religion and its association with illusion controversial. It may not be easy to convince religious adherents that what they believe in is illusion and hence they should start looking for evidence. Furthermore, some of the sources used are too old, thus jeopardizing the relevance of the evidence in the current context. I would give the book a rating of 3 out of 4. This owes to good organization, use of grammar and syntax, use of literary devices and the use of credible sources.

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Mythic Worlds and the One You Can Believe In
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