Carrying on from the multipart style of writing first introduced into his philosophy with Alpha and Omega (2002), this volume of aphoristic writings by John O’Loughlin is divisible into three six-chapter parts entitled 'Revaluations', 'Evaluations' and 'Transvaluations', and therefore approaches the task outlined in the title from three different standpoints, albeit without undue inflexibility or too methodical a distinction between them. Nevertheless the result, overall, is not logically displeasing, and each part has something new and different to offer, not least the third, which is closer to the 'transcendentalism' of the ideological title than to its 'social' aspect in the way the emphasis has been placed on transvaluating, that is, on shifting the concept of various notions or ideals or realities from alpha to omega, soma to psyche, not-self to self, in the interests of a transvaluation of society along lines likely, if not guaranteed, to lead to the sorts of positive outcomes which, disdaining devaluations, the author has identified with virtue and, hence, morality, as befitting an alternative kind of society to that which, dominated by a devaluating ethic, generally prevails at present; and not only in countries or contexts where it is demonstrably official, but also wherever it exists unofficially in consequence of the overwhelming influences and pressures which have been brought to bear on virtually all Western societies by their more powerful neighbours. Nevertheless this project is by no means defeatist but, on the contrary, cautiously optimistic as to the prospect of some kind of alternative dispensation, broadly identifiable with 'Kingdom Come', for the future. With certain revaluations of previous philosophical positions taken by Mr O’Loughlin and a number of fresh evaluations also included along with these transvaluations, he can confidently claim to have finally reached the upper reaches of his oeuvre and thus satisfied his claim to messianic credibility, whatever others may think. – A Centretruths editorial.
Copyright © 2024 Philosophy eBooks from Centretruths Digital Media
