Control: The Foundation of Life

by Lance Packer, Lance V. Packer

As the title suggests, the book offers a broad perspective which uses one simple fact of life, control, to analyze how that fact is actually an integrative concept which ties together not only an explanation for the basic existence of life forms but also how and why those life forms exhibit their typical behavior. This includes every living being from plants and microbes to humans. All live according to the same necessity of control.

The topics covered are quite diverse since the perspective encompasses many aspects of living, especially those of humans—from concepts of self and memory to religion and government to AI and the future. It is a paradigm of reality which is important for undersanding of life in general and is applicable to the reader's own daily existence.

Genres: Nonfiction

190 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2020

About the author

I have been a retired public school teacher since 2002, an important milestone after 27 years in Alaska employed in that rewarding profession. The most time was spent at middle school level teaching social studies and English, primarily composition, although I did teach at all levels 1-12, eventually.

My wife, Ginny, was a music teacher, and we spent much of our teaching time together at the same school. Actually, we have spent virtually all our lives sharing everything we have done: gardening, crafts, working on farms, mountaineering, camping and hiking, sailing, skin and scuba diving, traveling, and Peace Corps. Consequently, it has been a life of companionship and exploration.

Academically, I have a Ph.D. in anthropology and that focus has oriented my interest in viewing the world as an integrated spectrum of humanity, all other species of life, and the forces and elements of nature. Hence, my interest in just about everything and writing about it.

I have always enjoyed writing, but never got manuscripts published that I wrote earlier in life since the demands and enjoyments of simply living took precedence. Now that circumstances, primarily Ginny's Alzheimer's, have brought about a reorientation, I have published my first book, "Control: The Foundation of Life," and set up a website with blog and forum to further my interests in writing and sharing.

Many of those blog entries are posted here and are themed around the concept of control in our daily lives. My website forum (just starting) is intended to provide another opportunity to discuss most any aspect of life that anyone wants to bring up. All are invited to take a look and join in if they wish. https:www.lancepacker.com

Reviews

[Matt McAvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely well written, well presented and professional study textbook, in which Lance – clearly a very knowledgeable author and academic mind – presents what amounts to a vast and comprehensive thesis on the subject of control. He uses all the basic schools of psychology, sociology and even philosophy and biology, to give as detailed an explanation as he can – and suffice to say it is an admirable feat, which he achieves well. It is fair to say that he leaves no stone unturned in explaining the objectives, predispositions and motivations of the need of species to control, not just in the animal kingdom, but in nature generally. The humanities and sciences are all brought together under one umbrella, to create an entire unique category, presented as a module.

There are no big revelations here, nor really expert scientific conclusion as such – it more accurately presents a surface level correlation between the desire to control, and literally everything else. A simplistic study, which is probably not aimed at the more learned in any of the related fields, but it definitely has a good deal of educational value, from a universal point of view. It’s food for thought for students, and an articulate example of a study textbook, informative without being too stuffy.

Control… is not a cover-to-cover book, as I read it, but a profound and detailed reference guide. It does digress continuously, with a lot of factoids and other information, and the degree of this does make it tough to gel with at times; I felt that the comprehensive bank of information could perhaps do with a touch more cohesion, and a more defined narrative. It is also hugely philosophical at times. But, overall, Lance’s study is a piece of hard-worked, superbly constructed academia, and it could be a very useful tool for intermediates or students of the humanities. Control is, after all – certainly as the author suggests – one of the fundamental cornerstones of the self, whether you’re a tree, a human or a fish; Lance has just found a way to collate and articulate it as a subject better than I believe anyone else ever could have. Definitely a worthy book for the serious non-fiction shelf, and I recommend it.

[Sasha Vosk · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for an easy read, this book is not for you. To me, it was a welcome getaway from the concerns of my everyday life. It was an intellectually pleasing and stimulating conversation with the author about many areas and ways where control is applied over both this planet and humanity’s. It was truly a conversation, because I had to read some passages aloud to hold the thought’s thread more firmly or just clarify a concept for myself. The vast arsenal of the author’s arguments came from his obviously broad experience in a number of areas; history, science and philosophy to name a few. His thoughts on the matter come across as surprising to me at first, but in a short time, Lance makes them quite evident. I thoroughly enjoyed the read.