There is a reason why everybody hates moral philosophers. Fans of "The Good Place" will enjoy this book. It's written by the show's creator, exploringThere is a reason why everybody hates moral philosophers. Fans of "The Good Place" will enjoy this book. It's written by the show's creator, exploring many of the same philosophies in the show.
The book focuses on non-secular moral philosophy. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant, J.S. Mills, Bentham, Singer (...the list goes on) are discussed. He also delves into existentialism/absurdism with a discussion of Camus and his contemporaries.
Do those names mean nothing to you? If so, you might want to pick up this book. Even though all those great philosophers are wrong (except maybe Camus?), their thoughts helped develop Western society.
It's a fun read, even for me... and I think the whole concept of "moral" philosophy is as dumb an idea as "reality TV" philosophy. At the least, you'll enjoy Schur's humor (but only about 1 out of 10 of his attempts). If you get the audiobook, it's narrated by the cast of "The Good Place."
Soapbox: Schur treats all schools of thought with dispassionate respect...except Objectivism. He admittedly doesn't get it and states he gave up reading about it (but can read Kant easily for some reason). He then criticizes it and uses ad hominem attacks against Ayn Rand for some reason to discredit it. Schur, if you are reading this (and you're not): It's all subjective. Rand is as right and wrong as Socrates... wait are you projecting anti-Objectivism ideas because you're in the Objectivism closet?
Ultimately, like every great moral philosopher, Schur doesn't give you any answers and says you are wrong. But whatever, morals are stupid and relative. Read the book. ...more
If you are looking for a challenging book on linguistics that tackles how language affects women, look elsewhere. Because this book is not challengingIf you are looking for a challenging book on linguistics that tackles how language affects women, look elsewhere. Because this book is not challenging at all.
Amanda Montell (a formally trained linguist) superbly communicates how the English language was shaped, used, and where it is going; examining it from a feminist perspective. The writing style is refreshing, somehow personal and academic... like having a friend tutor you in a new subject. It's also humorous, Montell's wit often helps illustrate examples. However, this less formal manner should not be confused for taking the matter lightly.
On a personal note: as a male reading this book, I got a lot out of it. I stopped a few times in introspection because as much as I like to think I'm aware of my biases and "on the right side" of things, I'm not always. A few of the author's examples clearly showed me where I was wrong, so I can say that book has affected my behavior for the better.
Reading the chapter titles should be enough for anybody to want to read this book, so here are some of my favorites:
- Chapter 1: Slutty Skank Hoes and Nasty Dykes: A Comprehensive List of Gendered Insults I Hate (But Also Kind of Love?) - Chapter 3: "Mm-hmm, Girl, You're Right": How Women Talk to Each Other When Dudes Aren't Around - Chapter 4: Women Didn't Ruin the English Language—They, Like, Invented It - Chapter 5: How to Embarrass the Shit Out of People Who Try to Correct Your Grammar - Chapter 6: How to Confuse a Catcaller (And Other Ways to Verbally Smash the Patriarchy) - Chapter 9: Time to Make This Book Just a Little Bit Gayer
A must-read for leaders. It might be uncomfortable and unconventional, but that's why you need to read this and understand....more
An unapologetic and intimate look at the American Caste system. Models of American society tend to highlight how race plays a significant role in relaAn unapologetic and intimate look at the American Caste system. Models of American society tend to highlight how race plays a significant role in relations between people. Wilkerson, argues it's not that simple. Often, focusing on race serves to obfuscate the issues of caste, a far more entrenched and difficult social problem to solve. Caste serves as a system to keep those with power in power, using tools such as race, lineage, or religion to secure the place of those on top.
"Caste is the bones, race the skin".
Wilkerson inspects American society and history using this model, comparing it to other notable caste systems in India and Nazi Germany. Seeing America as a caste system provides new perspectives and further deconstructs some revisionist history.
Throughout her narrative, she interjects anecdotes of her life as a black woman in America and her treatment as a member of the system's lowest caste. Her accounts strengthen the book; empathic readers will feel the sting of caste through her words.
Highly recommend to all readers striving to understand the world we live in and those who want to equip themselves with more ideas on how to better it. Fans of examining history from a new perspective will also enjoy it. The stories about Martin Luther King's time in India or Albert Einstein's advocation for Black people's rights are fascinating.
Each reader will likely get something different from the book, but they will be better for it.
Quotes:
"Caste is insidious and therefore powerful because it is not hatred, it is not necessarily personal. It is the worn grooves of comforting routines and unthinking expectations, patterns of a social order that have been in place for so long that it looks like the natural order of things."
"In debating 'how to institutionalize racism in the Third Reich,' wrote the Yale legal historian James Q. Whitman, 'they began by asking how the Americans did it.'"
"The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power"
"Slavery in this land was not merely an unfortunate thing that happened to black people. It was an American innovation, an American institution created by and for the benefit of the elites of the dominant caste and enforced by poorer members of the dominant caste who tied their lot to the caste system rather than to their consciences."
"What’s most disturbing about the Nazi phenomenon is not that the Nazis were madmen or monsters. It’s that they were ordinary human beings.”
Based on its namesake podcast about hidden design and architecture, this is a book about cities. Specifically, many of their features which go unnoticBased on its namesake podcast about hidden design and architecture, this is a book about cities. Specifically, many of their features which go unnoticed; but are intentional. Easy to read topics, loosely tied together by a shifting theme, allows for both ordered or sporadic random reading of chapters. Illustrations support some of the chapters but aren't required (an audiobook version would be just fine without).
This is a fun, clever book to read and leave on your coffee table for the uninitiated. For listeners of the podcast, there isn't much new material; reading is still enjoyable. ...more
Amateur etymologists will love this book. Stephen Fry takes the confusing, anachronistic, and ambiguous record of Greek mythology and expertly shapes Amateur etymologists will love this book. Stephen Fry takes the confusing, anachronistic, and ambiguous record of Greek mythology and expertly shapes it into a cohesive narrative. From before the beginning of time until the end of the gods' age, many of the most famous stories are imaginatively retold. Fry takes time to connect accounts and names to their modern-day incarnations, whether in vocabulary, astronomy, or contemporary religious text.
Entertaining, light, and perhaps educational, not a bad read. ...more
George Washington is not lacking biographies, but he is lacking diversity in the perspective of those biographies. Coe's perspective is different, maiGeorge Washington is not lacking biographies, but he is lacking diversity in the perspective of those biographies. Coe's perspective is different, mainly because she is different from the average historian apt to write about the first president.
Her account of Washington's life is intentionally incomplete; she chooses not to detail aspects well covered in other biographies. Her focus is on the forgotten parts of his life the make him more of a person and less a historical figure. This includes the joyful details about his favorite snacks, many pets, and early love life. However, darker aspects are not spared, including accounts of his anger getting the better of him, and some physical abuses to the slaves he owned (sometimes by his hand).
When she does discuss topics that are common to most of his biographies, she does so with a critical eye. She examines his legendary military victories, but notes he has more defeats than wins. She summarizes his abilities, and elaborates on his not-so-well-known skills, such as his prowesses in espionage, which may have been his most critical military strength.
Most avid readers of founding-father biographies may not like this biography. It illuminates unsavory parts of his life, discusses seemingly trivial topics like his sense of fashion, and is not afraid to call him out for his mistakes. But that's what makes this an excellent read for somebody looking to have a complete picture of the man. But be warned, you should never meet your heroes. ...more
Am I a Racist? No. Is that enough? No. Am I an Antiracist? I am now.
Kendi's book is an in-depth exploration of the concept of race, from its roots in sAm I a Racist? No. Is that enough? No. Am I an Antiracist? I am now.
Kendi's book is an in-depth exploration of the concept of race, from its roots in slavery to its present branches of discrimination. His account is partially biographical, using his experiences to illuminate ideas, define words he has learned, and then relearned. Each chapter begins with terms and definitions and expands into his narrative. Subjects covered are broad (power, biology, capitalism, ethnicity, culture, sexuality, gender, color, success).
Hearing the author speaking on television and not liking his, what I mistakenly thought, militant attitude on race, I purchased this book as part of my "outside of my comfort zone" genre. These are usually books I do not want to read but will give a chance because they have buzz. They are also books I think will be a waste of time (in this case because I was already "not racist", what else do I need to learn?). But every once in awhile I read something so different, it changes me. This is one of those books.
This book helped me realize my thoughts on race had stagnated. What I mistakenly thought was a full understanding of this issue, was in reality, understanding just what I was comfortable with. I started reading before the death of George Floyd, and after his death, reading each word weighed heavier. The concepts explored in this book did not ring hollow, but my old thoughts on race did.
Change does not happen overnight in an entire population, but it can happen overnight in an individual. Reading and applying this book are my first steps toward change. I implore everybody to read this book, especially those who label themselves as "not racist" and see no gain from this book. You can be better; You can do better.
Some quotes:
The language of color blindness—like the language of “not racist”—is a mask to hide racism.
The defining question is whether the discrimination is creating equity or inequity. If discrimination is creating equity, then it is antiracist.
The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination.
In my first course with Mazama, she lectured on Asante’s contention that objectivity was really “collective subjectivity.” She concluded, “It is impossible to be objective.”
Well written, entertaining, and informative. The author has an excellent way of navigating through medical jargon and explaining concepts simply. He tWell written, entertaining, and informative. The author has an excellent way of navigating through medical jargon and explaining concepts simply. He takes pains to weave in historical significance and tangents that make the narrative engaging. This includes significant pharmaceutical contributions made by minorities and women, often ignored. Additionally, the narrator is slightly unreliable, which is usually a plot device in fictional stories. In this case, it is the author discovering and reforming ideas as he learns more about drugs and the industry. Highly recommend to all readers, except medical professionals; the cognitive dissonance caused by reading this would be too much for them....more
Physics and poetry are a strange mixture; forcing science through art doesn't always brew the best blend. The science is fascinating, particularly thePhysics and poetry are a strange mixture; forcing science through art doesn't always brew the best blend. The science is fascinating, particularly the first part of the book discussing the properties of time and entropy. The author systematically dismantles the concept of time, well written, and grounded in solid logic. In the second part of the book, dealing with quantum physics is a bit more fuzzy, as this subject is apt to be. But the third part is fanciful speculation, losing touch with the first part of the book. Delving into a weird dreamlike dialogue on the author's thoughts and philosophies, and tieing this into Hindu mythology. Recommend the first part to readers wanting to learn how modern physics understands the idea of time. What readers get out of the rest of the book is up to how much they want to believe. ...more
A story of the American western frontier, told through historical records and written personal accounts. It chronicles the expansion of the union untiA story of the American western frontier, told through historical records and written personal accounts. It chronicles the expansion of the union until about the 1920s. If this were a novel, Theodor Roosevelt would be the protagonist of this book, as his experiences are in the prologue, story, and ending.
As the book relies on western written accounts, there is a noticeable lack of information from the native people of the land. White men write many of the accounts, so their historical bias from these times is present. To the author's credit, he does seek to add stories of Native Americans, women, and some minorities. However, it still does not feel like a complete story.
Recommend to those who enjoy history books and cowboy/westerns entertainment (to read of the stark differences between reality and the depiction of it in media)...more
A sobering read, likely to spark introspection in most readers. The central premise being:
"He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.
A sobering read, likely to spark introspection in most readers. The central premise being:
"He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how."
A quote Frankl attributes to the philosopher Nietzsche, who is often associated with the philosophy of nihilism. Nihilism is the antithesis of Frankl's school of thought that finding meaning in one's life, even if that meaning is suffering, is the purpose of one's existence. Not power or pleasure as others argue.
There is no power or pleasure in the first two-thirds of the narrative, it's Frankl's auto-biographical account of his years spent in a concentration camp. Stripped of everything, he found a way to endure, a way to find meaning in his suffering, and a reason to live. His intimate knowledge of suffering is almost zen-like in its dispensation. A lot of his ideas on psychology stem from his time as a prisoner.
The last part of the book is a discussion of "logotherapy." This is Frankl's school of psychotherapy, rooted in finding meaning in one's existence. He discusses its principles more formally and cites examples of his patients recovering from its use.
Overall, it's a disjointed book; medical text, philosophy, and biography. Subjective science, if you will, not to discredit it or discourage its reading. For all it's flaws (and what seem to be contradictions), it's a book that will leave most critical readers changed.
Some quotes:
Life is not primarily a quest for pleasure, as Freud believed, or a quest for power, as Alfred Adler taught, but a quest for meaning.
I think it was Lessing who once said, “There are things which must cause you to lose your reason or you have none to lose.”
If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete.
In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice.
That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.
American history, as told from the perspective of the entire domain of power and population. This book recalibrates traditional US history through theAmerican history, as told from the perspective of the entire domain of power and population. This book recalibrates traditional US history through the eyes of non-white, non-mainland, and non-powerful Americans. The book is separated into three sections; initial westward expansion, territorial gains through war, and World War 2 and modern globalism.
The first section of the book discusses the plight of the Native Americans and the pioneers settling the frontier. It makes the mistreatment of the indigenous people a point of fact and introduces some not so well known episodes of how badly they were treated. However, it does not dwell on this. Instead the author states this section of the book is to explain how America developed its imperial policies in its treatment of new lands and people.
The second section explores imperial America in its heyday. This is when the empire expanded to include Alaska, Guam, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, parts of Cuba, Philippines, and other territories — making all these lands and people American. It discusses the seldom talked about concentration camps in Alaska, where 10% of the natives died. The targeted sterilization, experimentation, and murder of Puerto Ricans by mainland doctors to help the "population problem". It explains how the US allied with Philippine's independence army to win the Spanish-American war then turned on this very allies.
The final section discusses how the idea of empire has changed since World War 2. How, with the advent of airpower, vast territories are no longer required for the reach of empire. The author focuses on military power projection and the "pointillist empire" the US now is. How the US treated Japan and other counties it occupied after the war, especially its territories.
Highly recommend this book to anybody interested in expanding their views of American history. It is a sobering account that is an essential perspective to help both complete the picture of America and understand how history is presented.
Regardless of how history is written, it is always revisionist. This book seeks to revise it with the account of the American people that were forgotten. ...more
The story of OKC is one of the strangest and interesting a city could have, who would have thought? Having lived in downtown OKC a few years, I know t
The story of OKC is one of the strangest and interesting a city could have, who would have thought? Having lived in downtown OKC a few years, I know the author has truly captured the essence of the city. It's a city that has been struggling for its place in the world since the day it was born right out of a gunshot. Anderson's proses are sublimely crafted in a way that the indescribable feelings many have about the city are put to words that are not only full of nostalgia, but full of "oh yeah, that is a perfectly weird but very accurate way to describe it!" head nods.
Most who live in OKC (or have done in the past) will thoroughly enjoy this book. Beginning with the prehistoric geography of the city to its ridiculous founding, on to the days of the bombing and the rise of the Thunder the author covers it all. For those not from OKC, still an excellent read... but highly recommend listing to this short podcast with the author describing one chapter from the book if unsure: The Worst Way To Start A City (99 Percent Invisible)
It's a hilarious, interesting, sad, beautiful, ridiculous book worth reading or listening too (perfect for road trips to/from OKC as I found). ...more
A very brief look at how the structure of modern society is a major cause of a lot of mental health issues faced by the population; particularly thoseA very brief look at how the structure of modern society is a major cause of a lot of mental health issues faced by the population; particularly those in professions that are close to violence. The lack of community when returning home being a key factoring in preventing proper adjustment to peacetime society for many veterans and the increasing prevalence of PTSD.
Junger makes some great points, and his historical examples are fascinating. But I can't help but feel that he romanticises the idea of war while making the case that its absence in our society has a detrimental effect on the community. That might be true, but this short book does not go much further than pointing out the problem.
However, I'm not looking for a solution; I was looking for was a question. Is it worth it? Is this non-tribal civilization of relative comfort and security enjoyed by most, worth the mental health of a few? I'd like to think so. ...more
"A Short History of Progress", or as some may call it: "The Case Against Civilization", is a quick read about lessons not learned and history repeatin"A Short History of Progress", or as some may call it: "The Case Against Civilization", is a quick read about lessons not learned and history repeating itself. The author discusses major and minor civilizations from the past and the factors that lead to their declines. Resource management and the inability for governments to adapt and grow are cited as reasons for the decline in the case studies he outlines. He also points out today's modern global civilization is headed in the same direction of collapse base off of both resource usage and the trend towards conservative (his words) government policies.
Most of the arguments he presents are sound empirically, but he decides to use numbers to back up some of his claims as well. One particular claim he makes is that 125% of nature's yearly output was being used in 1996. Which begs the question, what is nature's output, and how is it measured? Looking up the citation of this reference is of little help, it discusses Brazilian land management policy. Furthermore, the author clearly has a liberal bias but carries on as if objective. Despite a dubious citation and liberal tilt, this is still a worthwhile read to understand historical civilization collapse. ...more
If the victors write history, why is it that the history of the most extensive contiguous empire to exist is so scant? And why is it that the little hIf the victors write history, why is it that the history of the most extensive contiguous empire to exist is so scant? And why is it that the little history there is casts this empire negatively?
Because the victors do not write history; we do. And regardless of how history is written, it is always revisionist. This book seeks to balance and reconcile the accounts of the Mongol History and its founder, Genghis Khan.
Born to a stolen mother forced to marry her kidnapper and bear his children, Genghis was not brought into a welcoming world. Before reaching puberty, he had already found his future wife, become the head of his house, and been taken into bondage as a child slave.
Escaping his circumstances, he went on to conquer more than any other ruler history, dwarfing the likes of Alexander, Caesar, and Napolean.
He did this with sheer willpower, the ability to shed outdated traditions, and a want to absorb the best from other cultures. A meritocracy based military, secular government that promotes all religions, universal paper currency, rule of law that banished torture, and government that invests in infrastructure to develop trade inside and outside his empire were just a few of the things he pioneered.
This is not to say all his accomplishments were noble, like many rulers, he was responsible for the deaths, rapes, and inhuman treatment of millions.
But the accounts of his misdeeds seem to be disproportionally negative relative to his peers, primarily due to propaganda campaigns by individuals and states not wanting to have an "Asian" like Genghis Khan to be associated with such significant accomplishments.
Ironically, these very states were the direct beneficiaries of the Mongol Empire, substantially benefiting from the flourishing empire's trade routes and scientific discoveries, eventually bringing about their renaissance age.
A nomad and warrior until his death at an old age, he built no permanent structures, his grave isn't even marked. There is an exception, however: bridges. Genghis Khan likely built more bridges than any other ruler, connecting the world everywhere he went.
If you want to see world history from your point of view, you'll see what you want to. If you want to try to see world history from the point of view of somebody who ruled more of it than anybody else, read this book. ...more
A good introductory book to cryptocurrency, although a little dated now. Discusses a brief history of "money" and its evolution, then dives into some A good introductory book to cryptocurrency, although a little dated now. Discusses a brief history of "money" and its evolution, then dives into some light technical details on cryptocurrency and its relationship to the idea of "money" and applications. This book is not completely objective, the authors admit to being bias for cryptocurrency becoming widespread. The focus is heavily on Bitcoin and Bitcoin's blockchain, however, some discussion of other currencies is also there (Not enough, especially considering Etherium and Litecoin's recent growth). How the Bitcoin blockchain works is discussed in detail (Proof-of-work), however, "smart contracts" (proof-of-state) were not discussed in detail. Overall, good read, but not as much technical information or explanation to be fully satisfied. ...more
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