The Dream Weaver by Jack Bowen - Annotated Bibliography Example

The Dream Weaver by Jack Bowen Irrespective of the popular belief that one does need to be capable of speculating in complex matters to be able to enjoy philosophy, the reality is that each and every human being happens to be a philosopher in one’s own unique way. In fact it is very simple to support and understand this assertion. Every individual is often bothered and perplexed by some essential aspects of life, an understanding of which could endow life with a form and a purpose. Hence, it is indeed sad that many a times even the most accomplished of individuals do decide to leave a query into the philosophical matters, to the philosophers, as people prefer to leave mathematical problems to the mathematicians. In that context the book, The Dream Weaver by Jack Bowen is indeed amazing in the sense that it is one of those few books that happen to bring the discipline of philosophy within the grasp and scope of the lay and ordinary people. This book is indeed praiseworthy in the sense that it rescues philosophy away from the domain of the philosophers and specialists and brings it back to its proper place, which is the centre of the human curiosity and inquisitiveness. Hence, The Dream Weaver is indeed a must read for any student of philosophy as this is a book that explores the thoughts and views of some of the most important philosophers and thinkers in history in context of the everyday concerns of an ordinary teenager. Through the medium of an inquisitive and curious teenager, Jack Bowen leads the readers through a journey into some of the most important aspects of life, and reveals as to how interesting life could get, if examined from a philosophical perspective. The entire gamut of Jack Bowen’s philosophical explorations is presented in The Dream Weaver in the form of dialogues between a young teenager Ian and a mysterious Old Man, which form the substance of the recurring dreams that Ian has. In these dreams Ian happens to deal with many important philosophical issues like morality, life, matter, soul, knowledge, ethics, good, evil, etc. It would indeed be true to say that the character of Ian and the mysterious Old Man represent two essential features of any philosophical query, which endow the discipline of philosophy with its innate vigor and substance. Ian as a character in The Dream Weaver is a symbolic representation of the youthful and nascent sense of curiosity and inquisitiveness, without which it is next to impossible to initiate a philosophical discussion or argument. Ian as a character represents the impressionable and youthful teenager hiding in every reader, who approaches all important aspects of life with a sense of freshness and naivety. Thereby, the character of Ian is symbolic of the raw and bold human sense of inquisitiveness that never shies away from any important issue or problem. However, it is but evident that philosophy will be totally incomplete, if left to youthful freshness and charm only. In that sense the character of Old Man in The Dream Weaver that engages in lively discussions with Ian in his recurrent dreams represents the mature and mellowed side of life, which has the ability to approach serious issues from multiple perspectives. It is mostly this Old Man in the book who approaches the philosophical issues bothering Ian from multiple sides. It is the Old Man in the story who happens to take a contradictory or opposing stand on the issues being analyzed by Ian. Thereby, it is this interaction between the two essential instruments of philosophy that are the youthful inquisitiveness and the aged maturity, which moves ahead the story, dissecting an array of philosophical issues and problems. Once Ian awakens from his dream state, he is shown to use the mature and sophisticated intellect of his parents as a clean slate over which he draws and traces the connections between varied contradictions and conflicts set in motion by the Old Man in his dreams. Thereby, in these thought provoking discussions the focus of philosophical inquiries shifts from the brainstorming sessions that Ian had with the Old Man in his dreams, to an attempt towards consolidation. In this aspect of the story, Ian and his parents contrive an array of scenarios aimed at accessing and evaluating a particular philosophical issue from diverse angels. Though each of these observation and analysis sessions that Ian has with his parents pertains to the salient queries imminent on a specific philosophical issue, yet the story never loses its sense of ordinariness and simplicity. Each of the philosophical evaluations that Ian has with his parents are reinforced by the associated quotes from varied philosophers and famous historical personalities occurring on the sidebars accompanying the story. It would not be wrong to say that these quotes have both their pros and cons. If on the one side these quotes occurring on the sidebars deepen the readers understanding of the issue under consideration and help the reader approach that issue from diverse facets, on the other side they do tend to distract the reader’s attention from the mental action imminent in a chapter and make things more complex and theoretical. In other words these quotes do pose a disruption to the actual flow of the philosophical discussions that Ian has with his parents. It is these discussions that Ian has with his parents that allow the reader to grasp as to how easily one could engage in a philosophical analysis and debate, and conveys as to how essential the discipline of philosophy is to leading a fulfilling and meaningful life. It is the ordinariness of Ian’s engagements with the Old Man and his parents that manages to help the readers understand the fact that philosophy is an integral part of human life rather than being a mere academic specialty. The other amazing thing about the book is that the list of philosophical issues delved upon by Ian happens to be exhaustive and includes almost most of the issues that are of interest to the human intellect and heart. In that context this book does make an interesting introduction to the nature and scope of philosophical inquiry and discussion. In fact, the book is so gripping that it is bound to spark the interest of even the most prosaic of people in the art and science of philosophy. The book readily extends to the readers a brief but stimulating discussion into varied philosophical concerns and issues. Yes, it is indeed true that this book no way happens to be an exhaustive resource on philosophy. However, when it comes to introducing an inquisitive personality to the discipline of philosophy and stimulating the philosopher hiding within the mind of every person, The Dream Weaver indeed comes out as great source. The philosophical topics are introduced to the readers in the form of easy to understand and crisp discussions between Ian and his parents. The list of philosophical topics covered by the book is indeed vast and thorough. The book does make an interesting, stimulating and thought provoking introduction to the wonders and charms of philosophy. The other interesting thing is that the book covers the opinions of a large number of philosophers and thinkers regarding specific philosophical issues and problems. This brings in an element of variety and diversity into the text. The book aspires to be philosophical without trying to be complicated, complex or confusing in any way. In a way, the book provokes the readers to eke out, analyze and consider their views pertaining to varied aspects of life like God, evil, goodness, time, happiness, right, wrong, etc. In that context the book is bound to encourage and enhance self analysis and self understanding on the part of readers. The book indeed opens up the readers’ mind and intellect to the wonders of philosophical query, instead of obstructing the readers’ inquisitiveness with complex ideas and analysis. The book is bound to enhance the interest of even those readers in the subject of philosophy, who earlier considered it to be a somewhat dry and brainy subject. The Dream Weaver is a good source for all such readers who hitherto aspired to study philosophy, but did not know as to where to start. The language used by the writer is simple and easy to understand and no way frightens or intimidates the readers who are new to philosophy. Yet, this does not mean that the book is an easy read. Though, it is easy to follow the plot constructed by the writer, still it takes a degree of genuine interest on the part of the readers to make sense of the philosophical issues discussed in the book. Like any good book, The Dream Weaver does have its flaws and weak aspects. One ironic thing about the book is that it’s very simplicity makes it incapable of presenting an authentic insight into any serious philosophical issue or thinker. The book does make a good appetizer but is too insufficient to fulfill the need for any serious study and understanding of philosophy. Hence, the reader does need to opt for more serious works of philosophy to build on the interest and understanding acquired from this book. The other big flaw in the book is that sometimes the writer tries really hard to make some banal and weak ideas seem interesting and tenable. This excess of effort on the part of the writer sometimes makes the book seem a bit heavy. The writer has also overlooked some important philosophers and thinkers. Besides, the book may seem to some readers to be a high school textbook on philosophy, camouflaged as a novel. Still, overall, the book really comes out as being quiet interesting and thought provoking. The Dream Weaver is indeed effective when it comes to shattering the widespread beliefs and misconceptions about the discipline of philosophy. In fact it comes out as a book that has done much to humanize philosophy and to augment the general readers’ interest in philosophical works. It allows the common readers to relate to the grand concepts of philosophy in an easy and feasible manner. Jack Bowen has adhered to a writing manner and style that is readily understandable by readers of diverse age groups and maturity levels. The Dream Weaver can even be relished by those readers who do not have an academic background in philosophy. Read More