Key Messages
How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered The World: Exploring The Role Of Superstition And Irrationality In Everyday Life
In How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World, readers can discover just how irrational philosophy and superstitious ideology are blighting our world today.
We now have $11 billion worth of self-improvement books that offer no real solutions, while people feel more and more disenfranchised by mainstream politics.
It is these false beliefs – from economic superstitions to post-structuralism – that contribute to increasing levels of income inequality and prevent us from addressing the real issues we face today such as the clash of civilizations.
It’s a sad truth that many aspects of society are determined by superstition, not reason.
This book examines why this is happening and provides us with insights into how it affects us all.
Neoliberalism’S Flawed Philosophies Have Proven Disastrous For The Working And Middle Classes Around The World
In Matthew Parker’s book, How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World, it’s clear that neoliberalism is an economic theory that is bad for society at large.
This idea of free markets being a path to prosperity arises in the 1980’s and has been supported by both the left and right side of politics.
This so-called “supply-side economics” is nothing more than a clever rebranding of exactly what it means – “trickle down” policies where wealth runs downhill within a society.
However, history suggests otherwise on its efficacy.
In 1979 when Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, she began dismantling the welfare state and slashing government spending.
As a result, inflation rose by 11 percent and unemployment skyrocketed from 5.7 percent to 13 percent in just three years!
On further analysis in the United States during Ronald Reagan’s time as President from 1981-89, his decision to cut top income tax rates from 70% to 50% resulted in drastic national debt increase from $900 billion to $3 trillion and real wages dropping significantly for working and middle classes as jobs were offshored for cheaper labor.
By the end 1982 unemployment had reached ten percent -the highest since the Great Depression – with little help from those who could afford to help them out due to trickle down policies not fully distributing wealth within society!
It goes without saying that neoliberalism does not work for society at large because history proves this idea wrong.
The Rise Of Self-Help Books: How Irrational Ideas Earned Famous Authors Their Fortune
It’s no surprise that self-help literature has seen a surge in popularity with the onset of neoliberal economic policies.
After all – in this time of economic vulnerability and uncertainty, many people have found themselves searching for new paths to success.
Sadly, though, some of these books claiming to make miracles are nothing more than lies.
Take Tony Robbins, for example: his net worth is an impressive $480 million – made from his best-selling title, “Unlimited Power”.
This book disguises simple common sense principles as revolutionary ideas—for instance, he cites the example of baking a chocolate cake by following its recipe; essentially suggesting that learning a skill comes from studying someone else’s example.
And yet despite its lack of originality or insight—he has achieved widespread fame and recognition.
This only serves to prove that when it comes to succeeding in the modern world—it’s not what you say but how you say it.
So too do we see with other famous figures like Deepak Chopra – earning $20 million per year through books and retreats despite selling irrational, unfounded ideologies – such as aging being a process we “learn” by observing others age or getting wealthy by imitating those who already have money.
People have been misled into buying books after books thinking they will “learn” to be rich though there is no merit to these teachings.
In conclusion
The Flaws Of Self Help Icons And “End Of History” Theories: Clothes Don’t Make The Man
The “end of history” and “clash of civilizations” theories are nothing more than bogus misrepresentations of our complex world.
Take for example, Francis Fukuyama’s best seller in 1992, The End of History and the Last Man, which suggests that Western neoliberal capitalism is the final political and economic force.
Yet it offers no logical arguments to back up this claim.
In fact, he argued that Nazism and Communism had little effect on current global dynamics – a ludicrous notion!
Samuel Huntington’s book The Clash of Civilizations also falls flat when attempting to explain the nuances of contemporary reality.
His attempt at understanding humanity by breaking it into seven or eight civilizations is based on distorted interpretations; labeling Greece as Slavic-Orthodox instead of Western because it experienced a military dictatorship in the 1960s and 70s.
However, he fails to acknowledge how Spain was still considered part of the Western Civilization despite experiencing a similar political regime at the same period of time.
It’s clear that these so-called “end of history” or “clash of civilization” theories don’t seem to account for our complex world.
Instead, they rely on persuasive rhetoric, dress them up with emotive prose and soundbites to capture people’s attention – rather than make meaningful contributions to today’s society.
Post-Structuralism: How Vague Definitions Of Words Led To A Disastrous Mis Interpretation Of History
Post-structuralism is an attractive school of thought, but you should be wary of it’s allure.
Ever since it became trendy in universities in the 1980s, post-structuralism has infiltrated both political mainstream and self-help literature, as well as academia.
On the surface it purports that stable meaning doesn’t exist, so solid fields like chemistry can be examined in the same way as a work of fiction.
But while its use of vague, complex language seems profound and intelligent on the surface, those terms are merely masks used to interpret the world however the poststructuralist likes.
As demonstrated by Paul De Man’s anti-Semitic articles – which Jacques Derrida defended – this way of thinking can lead to false interpretations and dangerous denial of history, like David Irving’s views on the Holocaust.
So if you’re tempted to adopt this school of thought for your own purposes, remember to think twice about its implications.
Beware the allure of poststructurelist nonsense!
The Tale Of Tony Blair: How New Labour’S ‘Third Way’ Ditched Leftism For Neoliberalism
When politicians attempt to brand their right-wing ideas as socially liberal and progressive, it’s important to look out for any misleading language they might use.
This bamboozling was popularized in Britain in the late 1990s when Tony Blair tried to pass his free-market neoliberal policies under the guise of a “new” and progressive Labour party.
Rather than focus on concrete policies such as raising taxes for public infrastructure, he instead spoke about abstract “progressive” values such as connectedness, empathy, and sexuality – all words that resonated with young voters.
He even went so far as to use this type of language to imply that his controversial policies would lead to social justice.
It’s important for citizens to be aware of stark contradictions between rhetoric and actual policy decisions by their respective governments – especially when these claims are made in the name of progressiveness.
The next time a politician attempts to push an agenda beneath thin veils of progressive sentiments, think carefully: what’s really beneath the surface?
Working Together And Drawing On The Past Can Help Us Challenge Bogus Irrationality
We should look to the past to provide examples of how we can counter false logic, like that seen in Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World.
One way is learning from each other and agreeing on rational solutions that serve the best interest of humanity.
To do this, we must look back at how civilizations have developed through exchanging ideas and cultures – just think about something as common as fish and chips!
This dish would not be possible without potatoes being introduced from America by way of trade in the 16th century, as well as Jewish traditions of frying fish.
Similarly, we must challenge nebulously defined concepts such as “Islam vs.
The West” which are often rooted in irrationality.
We have the founding fathers of America to thank for introducing enlightened philosophies which separated church and state, allowing for freedom of religion without persecution alongside secularism.
This stood in direct opposition to oppressive practices found throughout Europe at the time.
To protect our future from irrational thoughts and systems, it’s important to draw inspiration from those who fought against suppressive attitudes in the past.
By re-enforcing principles such as free thought, open debate and tolerance, we can create a society where illogical suffering is limited and human liberty is truly honored.
Wrap Up
The final conclusion of How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered The World is that our modern society is increasingly governed by irrationality and fear, with economy based upon outmoded theories and educational institutions filled with dogmatic teachers.
To fight back against these unjust forces, we must promote mutual understanding between nations, reject free trade propaganda and recognize the hidden costs that come with cheap labor markets.
Ultimately, this book encourages us to become more aware of the economic structures in place and how they are creating unfairness on a global scale in order to reclaim what is rightly ours: an equitable world for all.
