What, Why & How do we Know ?
Hat tip to David Gurteen for the link. [Post Note Update April 2015 see Charlie Hebdo, see Hebdo Twist, see Freedom Regained.] Been thinking about people like Ricky Gervais and Frankie Boyle, and “rights” concerning insult and offence generally. If you are the court jester and your audience recognizes you as such, then being offensive … Continue reading “Well Said”
A lot of reading recently. I finished and blogged some views of Chris Hitchens – God Is Not Great. [Here][Here][Here] I’m currently very much enjoying Brian Boyd – On the Origin Of Stories. Will blog some initial review in a moment. I also have to read …. Denis Dutton – The Art Instinct, wich refers to the above … Continue reading “Reading Update”
After finishing and blogging posts about Hilary Lawson’s “Closure” and Jared Diamond’s “Collapse”, I realized I’d read a few other books recently that I hadn’t mentioned yet. After reading and enjoying the Booker-of-Bookers, Salman Rushdie’s “Midnight’s Children” a few years ago, I also tried but struggled with his “Haroun and the Sea of Stories”. Recently … Continue reading “Reading Catch-Up”
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 ?”
John Stuart Mill of his own free will, On half a pint of shandy was particulary ill. Will. The Pythons’ song memeing itself in my brain the last day or so, was prompted by listening to the BBC’s “In Our Time” this last Thursday. Anthony Grayling, Janet Radcliffe Williams, and Alan Ryan discussing the life … Continue reading “Of His Own Free Will”
Whilst the Christian / biblical tradition seems determined to degenerate backwards to ancient dogmas, witness the contagious spread of Intelligent Design Creationism meme from Bush’s mouth to the mainstream press here in Western Australia, and (god forbid) the science classrooms of future generations, one beacon is the suggestion from Salman Rushdie that the Qu’ran could … Continue reading “Evolving Religion ?”
Bought Kerouac some time ago; as the seminal beat-generation road story, it seemed de-rigoeur to have read it, since it forms part of the backdrop to Pirsig. Anyway I’m well into it at last. (Thinking out loud – Plenty of parallels with Pirsig’s mid-west already, though Pirsig’s timing does not overlap – his back-packing days … Continue reading “On The Road”
Struck by this quote from Salman Rushdie’s Ground Beneath Her Feet, 1999 [Quote] But Sir Darius Xerxes Cama wasn’t listening. He was standing at the great window of the library, staring out at the Arabian Sea. “The only people who see the whole picture,” he murmured, “are the ones who step out of the frame.” … Continue reading “Thinking out of the box”