What, Why & How do we Know ?
I’m reading The Arabs – A History by Eugene Rogan – lots of positive reviews by the likes of Max Hastings for example as well as Arab speakers. I’m only 90-odd pages in (out of 600ish), but I’m baffled. There are less than 10 pages from 1200 to 1500, and by page 90 we’re already … Continue reading “What are Arabs ?”
Finished Rebecca Goldstein’s “Betraying Spinoza” the other day, and found it an excellent piece of work. Having been very busy for a couple of days, I’ve not really had a chance to compose a detailed review. For now … Radical objectivism. Ultimately the self-other dualism is dissolved by expanding the scope of self. I am … Continue reading “Cosmic Man”
As I mentioned, I’m reading Hitchens’ “God Is Not Great”, after originally avoiding it as just part of the God vs Science hysterical debates of the past two years, but discovering I like what Hitchens has to say. OK so GING is “the case against” religion, an unrelenting damnation that could easily offend his target … Continue reading “Fascinating And Open Question”
I’ve just thoroughly read and re-read a piece by Slavoj Zizek in The Cabinet entitled “From Western Marxism to Western Buddhism“. Zizek is on my “must read” list for various reasons, so this was a good start, and I quoted briefly from this particuar piece in responding to Chris Locke’s reference to it in his … Continue reading “Authentic Radical Fundamentalism ?”
1 Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen (X) 2 The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien () 3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte (/) 4 Harry Potter series – JK Rowling () 5 To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee (X) 6 The Bible – (/) 7 Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte (/) 8 … Continue reading “Too Much Reading ?”
Incidentally, being 50 next birthday was not the reason that I followed this link. I too have only recently begun reading Gibbon. No, the reason I followed it was for this Mark Bernstein post next door, on US news priorities. [via Oliver Wrede] Made me smile.
BBC Radio 4 Today programme, yesterday (6th Sept 07:44) discussed this list of books assembled by Penguin as representing the works with most impact on the world, in chronological order. After some debate it was concluded that perhaps these were the easier appetisers, rather than the less digestible main-courses, from these specific authors or schools … Continue reading “20 Works With Most Impact on the World”