Most Popular Books by Ian Jackson

Geoffrey Parker spent 15 years writing this ambitious history of the tumultuous 17th century, a period in the grip of what historians term the General Crisis (2013).

John Locke’s 1689 Two Treatises of Government is a key text in the history of political theory – one whose influence remains marked on modern politics, the American Constitution and beyond. Two Treatises is more than a seminal work on the nature and legitimacy of government. It is also a masterclass in two key critical thinking skills: evaluation and reasoning. Evaluation is all about judging and assessing arguments – asking how relevant, adequate and convincing they are. And, at its heart, the first of Locke’s two treatises is pure evaluation: a long and incisive dissection of a treatise on the arguments in Sir Robert Filmer’s Patriarcha. Filmer’s book had defended the doctrine that kings were absolute rulers whose legitimacy came directly from God (the so-called “divine right of kings”), basing his arguments on Biblical explanations and evidence. Locke carefully rebutted Filmer’s arguments, on their own terms, by reference to both the Bible and to recorded history. Finding Filmer’s evidence either to be insufficient or unacceptable, Locke concluded that his argument for patriarchy was weak to the point of invalidity. In the second of Locke’s treatises, the author goes on to construct his own argument concerning the sources of legitimate power, and the nature of that power. Carefully building his own argument from a logical consideration of man in “the state of nature”, Locke creates a convincing argument that civilised society should be based on natural human rights and the social contract.

Francis Fukuyama’s controversial 1992 book The End of History and the Last Man demonstrates an important aspect of creative thinking: the ability to generate hypotheses and create novel explanations for evidence. In the case of Fukuyama’s work, the central hypothesis and explanation he put forward were not, in fact, new, but they were novel in the academic and historical context of the time. Fukuyama’s central argument was that the end of the Cold War was a symptom of, and a vital waypoint in, a teleological progression of history. Interpreting history as “teleological” is to say that it is headed towards a final state, or end point: a state in which matters will reach an equilibrium in which things are as good as they can get. For Fukuyama, this would mean the end of “mankind’s ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government”. This grand theory, which sought to explain the end of the Cold War through a single overarching hypothesis, made the novel step of resurrecting the German philosopher G.W.F. Hegel’s theory of history – which had long been ignored by practical historians and political philosophers – and applying it to current events.

The micro Amusings of Australian author Ian Jackson suggests a definitive ''without fanfare'' approach to humour and satire. His stories and ditties sweep across different genres and subjects with a thought-provoking approach to debate and discussion. A former London resident, his narratives are ensconced deep within the heart of Hampstead, the traditional London borough that is home to some of the richest inhabitants of our planet, yet also harbours the lower orders of the population, such as the jobless man at the end of his wits who finds himself thrust into the limelight when he suddenly inherits divine spiritual aptitude. Then there is the uber ambitious estate agent hatching a plot to use counter intelligence to inject dynamism into the housing market and the erstwhile leader of a secret mystical organisation burdened by the calling to make the most important announcement of his life to his followers. Jackson also tackles domesticity with the long suffering wife wondering how to spice up her staid marriage and politics comes under the radar when a Parliamentary Senate Committee is recalled to discuss the most far reaching scientific discovery of our age. Jackson''s writing takes in spies, extra terrestrials, religion and intergalactic Superheroes in equal measure. Whether the reader is a political observer or a radical dreamer, has interest in religion or race, society or nature, conservation or the vagaries of one super power or t''other, Amusings tickles the edges of humour with its eclectic and succinct micro narratives. Subtle, laconic, surrealist and at times acerbic witticisms offer a translucent glance at generic satire, whimsically casting a glance at our post modern world.

Thomas Paine’s 1776 Common Sense has secured an unshakeable place as one of history’s most explosive and revolutionary books. A slim pamphlet published at the beginning of the American Revolution, it was so widely read that it remains the all-time best selling book in US history. An impassioned argument for American independence and for democratic government, Common Sense can claim to have helped change the face of the world more than almost any other book. But Paine’s pamphlet is also a masterclass in critical thinking, demonstrating how the reasoned construction of arguments can be reinforced by literary skill and passion. Paine is perhaps more famous as a stylist than as a constructor of arguments, but Common Sense marries the best elements of good reasoning to its polemic. Moving systematically from the origins of government, through a criticism of monarchy, and on to the possibilities for future democratic government in an independent America, Paine neatly lays out a series of persuasive reasons to fight for independence and a new form of government. Indeed, as the pamphlet’s title suggested, to do so was nothing more than ‘common sense.’

Hegel’s 1807 Phenomenology of Spirit is renowned for being one of the most challenging and important books in Western philosophy. Above all, it is famous for laying out a new approach to reasoning and philosophical argument, an approach that has been credited with influencing Karl Marx, Jean-Paul Sartre, and many other key modern philosophers. That approach is the so-called “Hegelian dialectic” – an open-ended sequence of reasoning and argument in which contradictory concepts generate and are incorporated into a third, more sophisticated concept. While the Phenomenology does not always clearly use this dialectical method – and it is famously one of the most difficult works of philosophy ever written – the Hegelian dialectic provides a perfect template for critical thinking reasoning skills. A hallmark of good reasoning in the construction of an argument, and the searching out of answers must necessarily consider contradictory viewpoints or evidence. For Hegel, contradiction is key: it is precisely what allows reasoning to progress. Only by incorporating and overcoming contradictions, according to his method, is it possible for thought to progress at all. While writing like Hegel might not be advisable, thinking like him can help take your reasoning to the next level.

David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion is a philosophical classic that displays a powerful mastery of the critical thinking skills of reasoning and evaluation. Hume’s subject, the question of the existence and possible nature of God, was, and still is, a persistent topic of philosophical and theological debate. What makes Hume’s text a classic of reasoning, though, is less what he says, than how he says it. As he noted in his preface to the book, the question of ‘natural religion’ was unanswerable: so ‘obscure and uncertain’ that ‘human reason can reach no fixed determination with regard to it.’ Hume chose, as a result, to cast his thoughts on the topic in the form of a dialogue – allowing different points of view to be reasoned out, evaluated and answered by different characters. Considering and judging different or opposing points of view, as Hume’s characters do, is an important part of reasoning, and is vital to building strong persuasive arguments. Even if, as Hume suggests, there can be no final answer to what a god might be like, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion shows high-level reasoning and evaluation at their best.

The eighteenth-century philosopher Immanuel Kant is as daunting as he is influential: widely considered to be not only one of the most challenging thinkers of all time, but also one of the most important. His Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason takes on two of his central preoccupations – the reasoning powers of the human mind, and religion – and applies the full force of his reasoning abilities to consider the relationship between them. In critical thinking, reasoning is all about constructing arguments: arguments that are persuasive, systematic, comprehensive, and well-evidenced. And any examination involves stripping reasoning back to its barest essentials and attempting to get at the nature of the world by asking what we can know about God and morality from the power of our minds alone. Beginning from the axiom that God is, by definition, unknowable, Kant reasons that it is humans who bear the responsibility of creating the Kingdom of God. This, he suggests, we can do by acting morally in the world we experience – with a morality that can be shaped by reason alone. Dense and challenging, but closely and persuasively reasoned, Kant’s case for human responsibility shows reasoning skills at their most impressive.

A specialized study of the evening and weekly regional press.

C. Ian Jackson was one of four graduate students who embarked upon Operation Hazen, part of Canada''s contribution to the 1957-58 International Geophysical Year. Their work at the weather and research station at Lake Hazen on Ellesmere Island exposed them to unusual cold -- 121 days with temperatures below -40o -- as well as isolation. The failure of their radio shortly after their arrival deprived them of contact with the world beyond. Based on lengthy letters written to his fiancée during their twelve month separation, this account of the physical challenges, intellectual excitement, and quiet rewards of Operation Hazen is an engrossing and often humorous narrative in the tradition of some of the classic accounts of polar exploration.

Presents realistic illustrations of animals, including the flamingo, manatee, and marmoset. Split pages allow the reader to mix and match portions of the illustrations and thus create new kinds of animals.

Interdisciplinary in scope, The Earth''s Mantle is a comprehensive overview of the composition, structure and evolution of the mantle layer that strikes a balance between established consensus and continuing controversy. Written by internationally recognized scientists, the book provides an authoritative review of this important part of our planet.

Pat Rafter by Ian Jackson. The Real Lives books are about famous people from the worlds of: Sport; Film and Music; Politics and History. This book tells the story of the great tennis champion Pat Rafter. It has many photographs of Pat winning the US Open and other tournaments.