The Irreducible Primary

Rob Taylor’s The Irreducible Primary is a thoughtful examination of consciousness and how self-awareness can bring about positive changes in the world. The main thesis of Taylor’s ambitious book is that every individual is responsible for pursuing unconditional love and that this is the only hope for peace and a return to the balance of all creation. The Irreducible Primary opens with a strong plea for peace and equality, expressing that neither can be achieved amongst humans until everyone is committed to casting off any indifference towards others and to intentionally display unconditional love. He further explains that humans are responsible for disrupting the peace and equality inherent in nature, and that it is the responsibility of human beings to unify with creation in order to achieve a perfect existence. Taylor proceeds to make a case against divine intervention, positing instead that humans are responsible for controlling what happens through his or her unique use of mindfulness, gratitude, and compassion. Taylor outlines the five laws of influence and impresses on his readers the importance of understanding how influence is working in their own lives; he hopes this self-awareness will lead readers to recognize the influences that shape their personal life and to decide the ways in which they will influence other humans and nature. Taylor makes clear his opposition to organized religion, political thinking, governments of and by human beings, and the divisiveness of privacy; instead, he values personal spiritual growth, a society governed by the structure of unconditional love, the yearning for a unified relationship with the creating force, and transparency among humans. Perhaps Taylor’s strongest writing lies in the penultimate chapter, where he proposes that self-examination is key to outward improvement and encourages spiritually active people to strive to be conscious of the real-time influences at work and manage them well by adopting the regular habit of productive meditation. He continues to give specific handles on how to do this, leaving the reader with a tangible goal to work toward.

Although short in length, The Irreducible Primary is not for the casual reader. It covers a multitude of complex concepts, and Taylor’s disjointed stream-of-consciousness style is difficult to follow at times as it meanders from thought to thought. But this book offers a lot of valuable theory, so careful reading of the text is worth it. A total of 23 original poems appear periodically throughout the text, which offers a nice creative touch to Taylor’s ideas; however, the placement of the poems is a bit jarring as they interrupt the flow of Taylor’s explanations. Perhaps these poems would work better as epigraphs, placed at the opening of each chapter to act as an introduction to the upcoming topic. Taylor offers a fine balance between criticism and positivity. While acknowledging past destructive mistakes of the human race, Taylor offers an overall hopeful outlook on the future; he expresses confidence in the human ability to choose love in order to be unified with one another. The Irreducible Primary is a challenging book, perfect for the introspective and spiritually-curious mind.