Four hundred years ago the world made a major step forward
in its attitude towards information, learning and thinking. We call this period
The Enlightenment. It would see the emergence of the Scientific Revolution. The
United States of America would be founded on these principles and up until the
mid-20th century that same country would reflect The Enlightenment’s values.
Then something started to happen. Amidst the solid infrastructure in western
society that was built by the forces of reason, lurked an unchecked virus.
Irrational thinking was back and it had found its way into a whole range of
areas in our society. Francis Wheen believes it first properly blossomed with
the ascension of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Regan’s politics in the west
alongside the Ayatollah Khomeini’s rise to power in Iran. This is where his
2004 book, “How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World” begins.
Wheen, who was a good friend of the outspoken
anti-irrational journalist Christopher Hitchens, does not take the usual route
of most sceptical books. His politics may be very similar to Hitchens but he
does well not to simply argue for the left. He delivers telling blows to both
sides of the political spectrum with impunity. President Ronald Reagan’s
regular astrological consultation and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s
Puritanical Christian outlook are given as much time in Wheen’s critique as
President Bill Clinton’s heavy endorsement of self-help gurus and Prime
Minister Tony Blair’s use of New Age treatments. All of these are strong
examples of the worrying amount of mumbo jumbo influencing important decisions
in top places for a long time. The author’s argument is simple: western culture
has abandoned reason and bought a lot of snake oil.
The arguments for a retro-gradation are convincing. Back in
the 1920s, arguments against evolution by natural selection were not high on
the agenda of Europe or the USA. Wheen quotes the then US president ridiculing
the very idea that anyone would argue a case for Creationism. Fast forward
almost a century and Tony Blair is allowing certain schools to “teach the controversy”.
Think Ben Goldacre’s “Bad Science” levelled at society at
large and you are somewhere close to Wheen’s approach. Written at a time when
Tony Blair was prime minister and we were in the winter of New Labour’s many
follies, at a time when spin doctoring had made most people giddy with
cynicism, “How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World” exposes how many of those
driving education and politics were in a personal war with reality.
This last point I think reveals the strongest emerging theme
in his book, the philosophy of postmodernism. Postmodernism can provide us with
a powerful portal and its influence can be useful for broadening an outlook.
However, since World War II we have seen it taken to an extreme end for too
long. The result is the ridiculous concept that all ideas and opinions have
equal validity. By considering that reality is an illusion might be an interesting
intellectual exercise, but it can be destructive premise allowing in lazy
thinking and opportunistic zealots. This has provided a rich pseudointellectual
breeding ground for conspiracy theory, ethnocentricity and extremist religious
ideas. By devaluing so much, it has also allowed a state of apathy to come into
play. When this has been addressed, people tend to snap back with thoughtless
judgement calls using a very crude political compass.
Blind politics are a dangerous thing and possibly part of
the postmodern by-product. I wince at the way individuals will swing left or
right on an individual issue without really thinking about the argument. The irony
is that swinging one way too far can mean you will meet the other side. Wheen
is fast to point out how many in Socialist France supported the Conservative
Islamic fundamentalist stance of the Ayatollah Khomeini against the Capitalist
USA.
Wheen’s book is a tour de force of the way irrational
thinking took hold of the 20th century. The writing style is
accessible and frank. Wheen takes no prisoners and uses a range of different
sources to back up his arguments. Although one might hastily categorize “How
Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World” alongside the works of Richard Dawkins,
Michael Shermer, Sam Harris and, naturally, Christopher Hitchens, it isn’t an
overt attack on religion. Wheen’s targets are the enemies of common sense
intellectualism. His work, in terms of its era and content, sits more with
Damien Thompson’s “Counterknowledge”, David Aaronovitch’s “Voodoo Histories”
and Richard J. Evans’s “In Defence of History”. He references the last one in
his main chapter on postmodernism. I would recommend the work for those willing
to take a step back from western society and consider the roots of a lot silly
decisions. If anything it offers a chance to take an introspective look on how
we think and why we are thinking this way today.
I got my copy from a charity shop, so I can't fault the value, but the cover price for a paperback is certainly worth the investment. I have been using it as one of many resources for my upcoming book on martial arts scepticism, so I am definitely re-reading it and will be re-reading it some more. The information is accessible and it is very well researched. The writing style is not without humour. Jeremy Paxman found it "Hilarious!" apparently. There are slides here and there that reveal the author's socialist or liberal leanings, but I don't believe that undermines the general dispassionate approach the author takes with this work. It's a strong example of progressive and pro-rational 2005 journalism.
Don't forget to check out Jamie Clubb's main blog www.jamieclubb.blogspot.com
