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A remarkable volume of philosophical overview by a Tokyo-based healthcare consultant who has spent time in more than thirty countries, this book sheds new and illuminating light on that which are generally considered to be three primary branches of philosophical pursuit. This includes the notions of truth, ethics, and aesthetics. In his fascinatingly unique take on such age-old questions, Dong illustrates that any meaningful assessment of these three primary focuses necessitates an interdisciplinary approach. Thus, such disparate fields as quantum mechanics, neuroscience, comics and anime, Einsteinium relativity, psychoanalysis, genetic modification, Darwinian evolution, artificial intelligence, human sexuality, utilitarianism, literature, music, and visual arts enter the picture. One of the author's key interests includes implications for applying philosophical insights into the near and distant future for humankind.
Much of Dong's monograph, though driven by a studious and deep dive into the complex quirks and nuances of philosophical inquiry, reads (in some passages) like pure poetry. At once entirely academic—including the use of mathematical equations which the casual reader might find difficulty grasping—this gorgeously unique and extremely novel take on some of the basics of the time-honored discipline of philosophy brings overwhelming flashes of unexpectedly pleasing insight in a manner as engaging as it is unafraid to push the envelope. In reading the entirety of his book, a strong case could be made that this author possesses qualities of a polymath, whether or not that is technically true. Furthermore, he does not shy away from the occasional controversy. He has set a new course on his motley subject matter, which forces one to question boundaries and, at times, conventional wisdom vis-à-vis "traditional" philosophical assumptions.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review