This book on the island of Nantucket With chapters all made to half-share it. Philbrick penned bios real fast, 'bout Pokanokets & the Quaker caste, "I'lThis book on the island of Nantucket With chapters all made to half-share it. Philbrick penned bios real fast, 'bout Pokanokets & the Quaker caste, "I'll either be Egan's peon, or I'll lay it."
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I've been a fan of Nantucket for years. Remotely. The last couple years I've been out a couple times to the Whale Museum, etc., and biking with my family East along Polpis Rd to the Sankaty Head Light and back to the Straight Warf along Milestone Rd. I've not yet bought those funky Nantucket Red shorts, but that is only a temporary limitation. My interest was first kindled by Moby-Dick, and later by Philbrick's book about the Whaleship Essex (that inspired Moby-Dick). I've grown to enjoy Philbrick's style as a popular biographer, so figured I might as well read this early book about an Island I love and a people who are fascinating to me.
This was Philbrick's first book, and as the title basically suggests, it is about the island (and mostly people) of Nantucket. Written as a series of biographical essays of important historical figures, this approach allows Philbrick to explore the character and people of Nantucket through selected examples through time. This approach leaves many gaps, but for a subject like Nantucket, there will always be gaps and myths to contend with.
Some of those Philbrick covers in this book:
1. Mashop, Roqua, Wonoma, Autopscot 2. Thomas Macy 3. Tristram Coffin 4. King Philip, JOhn Gibbs, Peter Folger 5. James Coffin, John Gardner 6. Ichabod Paddock 7. Mary Starbuck 8. Richard Macy 9. Timothy White 10. Peter Folger 11. Kezia Coffin 12. Jethro Coffin & William Rotch 13. William Coffin 14. Obed Starbuck & George Pollard 15. Absalom Boston & Abram Quary 16. Maria Mitchell 17. FC Sanford...more
"The difficulty Akhenaten and Zarathustra faced is that people generally have a hard time relating to a god who, having no human features or attribute"The difficulty Akhenaten and Zarathustra faced is that people generally have a hard time relating to a god who, having no human features or attributes, also has no human needs." - Reza Aslan, God: A Human History
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A basic overview of the development of Monotheism written for popular consumption. Nothing really new, except for Aslan's obvious narrative skill (there are a certain band/level of nonfiction writer that always seems like the nonfiction version of a TED Talk, Aslan fits into this band). His basic thesis is that the need to humanize god (make him like us) is neurological, etc. At the root of this book, Aslan travels from early ideas about the development of religion down to Islam and Sufism to explain how pantheism progressed to monotheism through several iterations.
Personally, I prefer Bob Wright's 'Evolution of God' (Loved) and Karen Armstrong's 'History of God' (perused, but haven't finished). Here is where Aslan's book is different. He isn't telling a history of God as much as he is telling the story of Man told through the developement of our God(s)*. Aslan's book deserves to be near these books, while not perhaps, to be treated as an equal among God books.
* One of the great takeaways from this book was the term politicomorphism: "the divinization of earthly politics."...more
"The economic and marketing forces of modern society have engineered an environment...that maximize[s] consumption at the long-term cost of well being"The economic and marketing forces of modern society have engineered an environment...that maximize[s] consumption at the long-term cost of well being." - Brandon Hidaka, quoted in Sebastian Junger, Tribe
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In a series of four essays that grew out of an article Junger wrote in 2015 for Vanity Fair called How PTSD Became A Problem Far Beyond The Battlefield, Junger explores how we can learn from tribal societies about loyalty, belonging, the quest for meaning, and strategies for surviving the communal issues that the modern world thrusts on us.
I liked this book more than I expected to. I was hoping for a series of essays written by a writer I respect for his clarity of prose and thought. Sebastian Junger holds a special place in my heart. He reminds me a bit of my little brother. They are both great writers, both have both written for Vanity Fair, share friends, share an affinity for Native Americans/American Indians* (my little brother loves the Jicarilla Apache). In fact Junger wrote a blurb for Matt's new book: American Cipher. So, it was nice to see part of the last chapter of this book deal (a bit) with Bowe Bergdahl.
But more than seeing my little brother in this book (which I do; Matt is a combat vet with PTSD), it was nice seeing an author not just attempt to diagnose some of the ills of our nation (there are plenty), but actually explore interesting and relevant answers. sometimes, I feel Junger gets close to PTSD but still just misses it. I’m sure I would miss the mark a bit too (because combat-based PTSD is really ONLY experienced and understood by those who have lived the trauma of combat). Anyway, there are few politicians that are doing this, so it is nice when I see writers take a stab at ideas to help heal and "thread back" the core aspects that might not have been extinguished from our nation, but are certainly (except in instances of disaster, war, or violence) hidden.
* I live in Arizona, roomed with a Navajo roomate my freshman year, have several Apache, Navajo, Métis, etc., friends. But I will be the first to tell you that I know so very little about so very much concerning these tribes that I am not going to claim to know if Junger gets things right, wrong, or insultingly wrong about some or all of his tribal information. Every year I try to learn more, become more exposed, and listen when I am corrected. What I can say, however, is I believe Junger's heart is directed in the right way and he is trying purposefully not to offend, but I'm always a bit nervous about claiming to know something I don't know....more
"The more that America understands about political power, the better informed our votes will be. And then, hopefully, the better our democracy should "The more that America understands about political power, the better informed our votes will be. And then, hopefully, the better our democracy should be." - Robert Caro, On Power
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This was produced as an hour and forty-three minute "Audible Original" looking at the major theme of Robert Caro's political biographries: power. There is no paperback or little hardback associated with this, it is only on Audible. So, if you are as craven a fan of Caro as I am, it doesn't really matter. You will get it however you need to get it. My kids know how much I love Caro. There is a joke at my home that nightly prayers involve praying to God to keep Caro alive to finish his 5-book series on LBJ. They are THAT good. I can't even name a popular biographer I would put in his class.
This small "talk" is really Caro talking about how he got his start in writing, journalism, and writing biography. He talks about how his interest in Robert Moses developed and how later his interest in LBJ. He is a fascinating talker (which makes sense because his narrative histories are amazing). He is a man who understand that a good story also requires amazing details, told well. Well, this is kinda a nice throwaway. I'm glad to read anthing Caro writes or listen to anything he says, but I'm still waiting...paitently...for Book 5....more
"History does not repeat, but it does instruct." - Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny
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Dr. Snyder, the Levin professor of history at Yale, delivers a shor"History does not repeat, but it does instruct." - Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny
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Dr. Snyder, the Levin professor of history at Yale, delivers a short and powerful primer on resisting fascism/tyranny in the 21st Century, using the rise of fascism in 20th Century as a guide. In easily digestible chapters (twenty, obviously) Snyder seeks to use lessons from the rise of Fascism (and Totalitarianism) to assist readers in this current moment globally. We are seeing the rise of Nationalism. It isn't meant to be comprehensive, but more of a hornbook for resisting movements away from democracy and towards fascism. It is also meant to highlight early signs of tyranny in government and media.
I enjoyed all the chapters, and like in a nice restaurant with small portions, my major complaint was I was still hungry when I finished. While there are 20 ideas/lessons/chapter, the book really has a couple of themes. One is community: defend and participate in it. Another is language and truth: seek it, pay for it, respect it. Another is taking a risk: stand up, or at a minimum, do not surrender to the crowds or lazy thinking. Finally, and this makes sense, one is historical: understand that history is not inevitable or mythical. We need to understand things DO happen and we CAN impact the future. The individual chapters (small lessons) included in the book are:
1. Do not obey in advance. 2. Defend institutions. 3. Beware the one-party state. 4. Take responsibility for the face of the world. 5. Remeber professional ethics 6. Be wary of paramilitaries. 7. Be reflective if you must be armed. 8. Stand out. 9. Be kind ot our language. 10. Belive in truth. 11. Investigate. 12. Make eye contact and small talk. 13. Practice corporeal politics. 14. Establish a private life. 15. Contribute to good causes. 16. Learn from peers in other countries. 17. Listen for dangerous words. 18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives. 19. Be a patriot. 20. Be as courageous as you can....more
"Thoughts are the enemy of the inadvertent, for if one thinks about how something will seem to others, if one thinks about if something is important o"Thoughts are the enemy of the inadvertent, for if one thinks about how something will seem to others, if one thinks about if something is important or good enough, if one begins to calculate or pretend, then it is no longer inadvertent and accessable as itself, but only as what we have made it into." - Karl Ove Knausgaard, Inadvertent
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The second book published in the Windam-Campbell and Yale Press series 'Why I Write'. This short book is the lecture Knausgaard gave at the 2017 Windam-Campbell Prize ceremony at Yale. Knausgaard reflects on why he writes and his approach to writing. He travels a lot of the same ground he has traveled in his fiction, auto-biographical fiction, and his writing about art. He describes his motivations, inspiriations, frustrations, and theories of literature, art, life, form, and writing.
Some of my favorite gems from this book:
"Literature is not primarily a place for truths, it is the space where truths play out." (pg 2).
"That is what writing is: creating a space in which something can be said." (pg 3).
"All language casts a shadow, and that shadow can be more or less apprehended, but never quite controlled" (pg 13).
"Writing is about making something accessable, allowing something to reveal itself." (pg 27).
"This is because I have hit upon it inadvertently, or it has to hit upon me. It is one thing to know somehthing, another to write about it and often knowing stands in the way of writing." (pg 40).
"Yes, I write because I want to open the world." (pg 46).
"What we seek in art is meaning. The meaningful carries an obligation. With obligation comes consequences." (pg 65).
"This was what I had been longing for. This was writing. To lose sight of yourself, and yet to use yourself, or that part of yourself that was beyond the control of your ego. And then to see something foreign appear on the page in front of you." (pg 81).
"A thousand details add up to one impression." -- Cary Grant, quoted in John McPhee's 'The Patch'
"...an interloper [at Princeton], a fake professor, a "A thousand details add up to one impression." -- Cary Grant, quoted in John McPhee's 'The Patch'
"...an interloper [at Princeton], a fake professor, a portfolio without minister." -- Robert Fagles & Robert Hollander, both describing John McPhee
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In my Goodreads "About Me" I'm pretty blunt:
"I won't review your self-published book. I promise. Even if your book is published by a traditional publishing house (Penguin, etc), I'm not going to read and review it UNLESS I've read you before (most likely). If your name is Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo, John le Carré, Robert Caro, John McPhee, etc., sure... PLEASE send me ALL your books. I'm totally game. Otherwise, you are just wasting both of our time."
That usually scares away most self-published prose pimps, but the other day I landed a REAL fish. Someone at Farrar, Straus and Giroux sent me a quick note complimenting me (I'm a whore for compliments) AND asking if I wanted a soon-to-be-published book by John McPhee to read, enjoy, and yes ... perhaps ... review?
My kids would tell you that in a choice between meeting John McPhee and God, I'd be hard pressed to choose, because to me John McPhee IS GOD. So, of course I took the book. I got it a couple days ago and just finished it today.
[image] Ann Baldwin May's quilt 'Great Blue Heron at Dusk'
Lovely. The book is essentially a memoir, told through prose patches and resurrected scratches. Pieces that have been overlooked or published and never reprinted were culled, edited, and sewn together (at 87, there is a lot of past prose to examine).
Part I of the book contains six sporting essays that range from fishing for pickerel in New Hampshire (The Patch), to chasing errant golf balls (The Orange Trooper), to golf at St. Andrews (Linksland and Bottle), to coach Bill Tierney (Princeton's and later Denver's) championship lacrosse coach (Pioneer).
Part II is essentially a collection of small pieces (some just a paragraph, others several pages) that seem random. They span McPhee's interests and curiosities from people, to places, to science, sports, and errata. It is only as these patches come together that you begin to realize McPhee is essentially taking you on a trip through his memory as a writer, a father, and a person. McPhee's talent as a writer bubbles up, but so too does McPhee's essential humanity. His narrative nonfiction informs, seduces, and entertains.
McPhee, along with Tom Wolfe, Gay Talese, etc., helped spread New Journalism through his essays and books. His writing is curiosity distilled with patience + carefully filtered through literary prose + reduced with McPhee's unique talent of observing the crucial character in the perfect place at the exact right time. It is a gift from a literary starets, a psalm from our desert father of nonfiction. In this book McPhee is unfolding a quilt whose patern slowly transforms into McPhee. It is a love note from a father to his family (the book is dedicated to his 10 grandchildren) and most certainly to his readers and fans....more
“Perfect nonsense goes on in the world. Sometimes there is no plausibility at all” ― Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol, The Nose
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Vol N° 46 of my Penguin“Perfect nonsense goes on in the world. Sometimes there is no plausibility at all” ― Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol, The Nose
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Vol N° 46 of my Penguin Little Black Classics Box Set. This volume contains Gogol's short story/novella "The Nose" published in 1836, and written while Gogol was living in St. Petersburg.
Gogol was Kafka before Kafka. He is King Missle's "Detachable Penis" before King Missle was a Missle or a King. He is Dali before Dali. His writing is surreal, funny, cheeky, and amazing. It was modern in the 1836 and feels contemporary 180+ years after originally written. Gogol was doing stuff that would take the rest of the world 100 years to catch up to (perhaps not Swift or Sterne). He was surreal in 1836....more
"Our house was a castle, turreted and open to the sky." - Shirley Jackson, We have Always Lived in the Castle.
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This is my second Shirley Jackson "Our house was a castle, turreted and open to the sky." - Shirley Jackson, We have Always Lived in the Castle.
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This is my second Shirley Jackson in two days. I'm running full-speed into Halloween I guess. This year, as I mentioned in my previous review, I wanted to read something literary, but scary. Lucky for me, Penguin's Deluxe Classics set has two nice editions of Jackson: We Have Always Lived in the Castle and 'The Haunting of Hill House".
Having now read both, I'm not sure which I like the most. This one, probably. It is just a crazy, hot mess. It leaves you, even in the end, wondering who in the story is crazier (more unsettled)? Jonathan Lethem, in his introduction, made a good point, that Jackson's writing, at its core "conveys a vast intimacy with everyday evil, with the pathological undertones of prosaic human configurations: a village, a family, a self. She disinterred the wickedness in normality, cataloguing the ways conformity and repression tip into psychosis, persecution, and paranoia, into cruielty and its masochistitic, injury-cherishing twin."
Perfectly stated. That's why Lethem makes the big bucks. Jackson gets the big bucks because like David Lynch, Alfred Hitchcock, and Patricia Highsmith, Jackson has the pulse on suburban American wickedness. As I was reading this story, it made me think of the tribal and vicious nature of my Arizona neighbors and friends when presented with something different, odd, and perhaps a bit scary. But not just in my home town. It could be in Montgomery, Pittsburg, Charlottesville. We are living NOW in an era when it doesn't take much for your neighbor to grab a torch, a pitchfork, and come after YOU....more
I tuck into the shade of your boughs, the tang of fruit on my tongue." - Song of Solomon 2: 3, paraphrased b"You are an apple tree in a forest of pines.
I tuck into the shade of your boughs, the tang of fruit on my tongue." - Song of Solomon 2: 3, paraphrased by Adam S. Miller
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Like Miller's other two paraphrased books: "Grace is Not God's Backup Plan: An Urgent Paraphrase of Paul's Letter to the Roman" and "Nothing New Under the Sun: A Blunt Paraphrase of Ecclesiastes," Miller is able to bring a unique read to the scriptural canon. Miller's thoughtful examination and modest paraphrasing of this old poem of love, sex, eroticism, and love revived the Psalm of Solomon for me. It was beautiful, powerful, and spare. It reminded me of the poetry of May Swenson and Marge Piercy mixed with a voice (always present in translations, retranslations, and paraphrases of scripture and poetry) that is layered, lush, and resonant.
Even Miller's Introduction to Solomon's Song of Songs is worth the price of admission with its insight and beautiful prose:
"At the crossroads of blind drive and enduring devotion, sex unmasks us. It unmakes us. It shows us to one another--and to ourselves--as paper-thin fictions, as vulnerable bodies, as intimate strangers, as unfinished things. It shows us to each other as uncanny powers to love, to make love, and to make life. Sex, rather than abolishing this strangeness, shares it."...more
"Gmorning, love. Your best impulse, that selfless impulse, let it take the wheel. Let it drive you toward the person you dreamed you'd be." 7:46 AM - 21 No"Gmorning, love. Your best impulse, that selfless impulse, let it take the wheel. Let it drive you toward the person you dreamed you'd be." 7:46 AM - 21 Nov 2017
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I got my daughter Lin-Manuel Miranda's book of daily affirmation/pep tweets. I guess that is a thing. They are sweet. I stil don't regret spending her future college money on Tickets to Broadway's Hamilton in July, 2016. I thought that would finally quench my daughter's interest in Hamilton, L-MM, etc., but I neglected to plan for what a crafty, creative, and charismatic little man in a rollneck, two-button sweater he is. Hamilton isn't a one-off. Miranda is going to be with us (all of us; my family, etc.) for a long, long, long time. That isn't a bad thing.
The book is basically a series of AM/PM tweets Miranda sent over the course of 100+ days in 2017, etc. (there are 200 pages, so I'm guessing it wasn't exactly 100 days and some rougher tweets were left on the editor's floor). They are encouraging, positive, funny, and like a lot of Lin-Manuel's art -- open and personal. They aren't perfect and some seem a bit uncooked, but overall, I liked the idea, effort, and execution. Plus, it bought me a bit of cred with my 16 year-old daughter. So, totally worth the modest price of admission.
Oh, and I almost forgot ... Jonny Sun's doodles were on every page and sometimes stole the whole damn show.
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"Gnight, love. That need to rest, that constructive impulse, let it take the lead. I hope you dream the best, coolist shit. Let's go." 7:21 PM - 21 Nov 2017...more
"The presence of Hinduism as a religion alongside others requires Hindus to think about and articulate what is important to them in ways which can be "The presence of Hinduism as a religion alongside others requires Hindus to think about and articulate what is important to them in ways which can be understood by outsiders. Yet the challenge of passing down what is sacred to new generations of insiders remains ever presssing..." - Kim Knott, Hinduism: VSI
This is another example of an early Oxford VSI trying to work through the format constraints (length) of Oxford's Very Short Introductions AND (as Justin Evans pointed out in his review) ALSO confront the handicap of the "general academic climate". I'm not sure the current academic climate is bad. But when constrained to introduce a large topic like Hinduism in 150 pages or less AND need to spend some of that space giving alms to various critiques (feminist, marxist, colonial, etc), it DOES come at a cost.
The book was well written and she does a very fine job of covering most of the ground you would expect. I was hoping for a bit more on rites, Hindu scripture, etc. While I just got done lightly critiquing Knott (or Oxford) for the limits of the form, I was still fascinated by Knotts exploration of the place of women, the Dalits (undesirables), Black Waters, and other modern challenges for Hinduism and Hindus.
My favorite parts dealt with Hinduism and its relationship with other religions and the West (especially Great Britain). The way Hinduism (and as a short-cut I'm calling all the various Vedic religions Hinduism) has changed and evolved as it bumps and grinds into other cultures and gets reflected back, adapted, fragmented, and/or upgraded.
Anyway, it was worth the time and left me with a better 30,000 foot understanding of Hinduism(s). I still don't feel on real solid ground (like I do with many forms of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, etc). I need to spend more time reading the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Epics, and the Sutras. I've danced around them, periodically, but I've never come close to studying any at length....more
"Classical mythology only happens when the stories become active agents; when people use them." - Helen Morales, VSI Classical Mythology
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An inte"Classical mythology only happens when the stories become active agents; when people use them." - Helen Morales, VSI Classical Mythology
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An interesting take on Classical Mythology. Just like Mary Beard begins and ultimately frames her examination of the Classics for VSI by exploring the British Museum's Bassae room and the Temple of Bassae in Greece, Helen Morales uses Europa on the Bull (on the Euro and on a 3rd Century Roman coin) to BEGIN to examine how myth is used and transformed by cultures, governments, etc., as emblems and powerful statements. While she travels beyond the myth of Zeus (as Bull) and Europa (and beyond governments), she will often return again and again to this myth to explain and illuminate other aspects of classical myths.
In the book Morales looks at the context of Classical myths, Gods and heros, the metaphorphoses of mythology (muthos to logos), she looks at Freud's role in our modern view of Classical Myths (how myth impacted analysis and analysis impacted Classical myths), the sexual politics of myth, and myths and the New Age.
I liked it. I'm always interested how scholars will attempt to tackle the distilation process of VSI. Some cram, some thin, some find creative ways to obliquely tackle and introduce their subjects to amateurs. It is a venture that is (for many subjects) a challenge worthy of a mental Hercules (Heracles). ...more
"You may conquer but you will never convince." - Miguel de Unamuno, quoted in Helen Graham's The Spanish Civil War: VSI
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This subject and project,"You may conquer but you will never convince." - Miguel de Unamuno, quoted in Helen Graham's The Spanish Civil War: VSI
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This subject and project, for me, seems like the perfect realization of the goal of Oxford Press with the VSI. Some subjects just aren't easily made for or summarized in 100-150 pages. And while Graham necessarily left much unsaid in her brief introduction to the Spanish Civil War, she covered a lot of ground and effectively introduced the subject to me.
My past experience with the Spanish Civil War was usually through the literary works of Hemingway, literary reporting of Orwell, or the historical fiction of Alan Furst (Midnight in Europe, etc). Because these are fragments of the story, beyond that I only picked up pieces here and there while reading other historical books on WWII. Graham filled in the gaps perfectly. She went over the events and issues that lead up to the military coup, described the protacted fight between the rebels and the Republic, explained the involvement of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, and the difficulties (for the Republic) of the International Non-Interventionist embargo. She also spends an appropriate amount of time on the anti-fascists fighting with the International Brigades. She ends the book with a fascinating chapter on memory and silence in the post-Franco Spain.
The book was moving, well-paced, and wet my appetite to learn more. It also serves as a parable about how quickly Republican government can be overturned by apathy, aggression, and cultural wars between the haves and have nots, the military and civilian leadership, the church and state, etc., etc.. The Spanish Civil war also serves as a reminder about how differently things might have gone if England and France had stood with the Republic....more
"But when we speak of music we are really talking about a multiplicity of activities and experiences; it is only the fact that we call them all 'music"But when we speak of music we are really talking about a multiplicity of activities and experiences; it is only the fact that we call them all 'music' that makes it seeem obvious they belong together." -- Nicholas Cook, Music: VSI
'Music: A Very Short Introduction' is one of the very first books in Oxford's series. It is both MORE and LESS (not to be confused with more or less) than what I was expecting. It was more of an academic, post-modern, post-colonial, Marxist look at music. Since the Western Canon is the elephant in the room for any discussion of Music, it gets most of the attention, but Cook also spends a lot of time wandering around the idea of Music as cultural system, language, and representation of culture and society. He also explores critical theory, musicology, music theory, and the potential for music as a means of cross-cultural understanding and insight. There was a part of me (the part that will occassionally flirt with Wittgenstein AND John Cage) that enjoyed the academic and cerebral approach to understanding Music.
There was also a part of me that wanted to tightly wrap a brass trumpet around Cook's neck. I don't think these books need to be easy, but part of the issue with academics in many fields is their tendency to write for their own little group (the less of my more AND less). I'm not sure this book would be of interest for many beyond a MUSIC501 (Introducton to Musicology) course at Duke, etc. I guess for me this type of a book, as an amatuer music listener, would be more Schönberg and less Mozart. It is aimed at the few and not the many....more
"...rather than devote years of one's life to learning to walk on water it was simpler to engage the services of a boatman!" - Buddha, quoted in Damien"...rather than devote years of one's life to learning to walk on water it was simpler to engage the services of a boatman!" - Buddha, quoted in Damien Keown's Buddhism: VSI
I've been fascinated with Buddhism for years and for years jokingly called myself a Zen Mormon. Although that probably undersells my relationship with Mormonism and oversells my relationship with Buddhism. I do, however, follow many secular Buddhist practices and read several books on Buddhism every year. I try to meditate, but I'm really, really bad at it. I joke that if I could meditate properly for just one minute, I might at that point achieve Nirvana, or at least begin to float a couple inches over my cushion.
Anyway, I've got several books on Buddhism sitting on my shelf to read, but this year I wanted to read a simple overview of Buddhism. Damien Keown's contribution to Oxford's Very Short Introduction seemed to fit the bill perfectly. It summarizes Buddhism and the Buddha, looks at its history, schools (Mahāyāna, Theravāda, etc.), while also giving an overview of karma, the Four Noble Truths, meditation, ethics, etc. Finally, Keown ends the book discussing Buddhism in the West and the possibilities of development and enlightenment as Buddhism grows in a new field.
Anyway, for a book that is limited to less than 150 pages, Keown did a great job and covered a lot of ground. The limits were Keown necessarily needed to leave unexplored a lot of Buddhist teachings (think bullet points of the main concepts)....more
"...with vagueness, nothing is straighforward." Graham Priest, VSI Logic
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I was going to try to write a VSR (Very Short Review) of this book using"...with vagueness, nothing is straighforward." Graham Priest, VSI Logic
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I was going to try to write a VSR (Very Short Review) of this book using symbolic logic, but abandoned that idea about 1/3 of the way through this book as I began to remember that while I enjoy logic in theory, the practice of formal logic and its symbols sometimes drives me batty. I think it stems not from my computing power, just my weak will power and general lack of interest. Some people love symbolic logic with its ability to dodge some of the difficulties of vagueness, equivocation, and confusion from emotive significance that comes from thinking carefully using languages that are, by nature, all a little fudgy. But, like any language, symbolic logic requires practice, discipline, and time. I guess I lack all three. I could write that in symbolic logic too, I guess, but like I said earlier. Nah, not really interested.
The book is, however, a nice overview of logic. Going through the basics of: validity, truth functions, names and quantifiers, descriptions, self-reference, necessity and possibility, conditionals, the future and the past, identity and change, vagueness, probability, inverse probability, decision theory, and a quick survey of logic from the Greeks to Bertrand Russell (and a bit beyond).
Probably, my favorite parts were probability and decision theory. But that goes back to my days doing economic analysis and econometrics. I felt like I was partially on terra firma. Partially. I should also disclose I read this in the bath. That is neither here nor there, but I think part of my difficulties with this book might have come from the lack of an oak table, green lamp, and chewed-up pencil....more
"It's the places in our government where the cameras never roll that you have to worry about the most." - Michael Lewis, The Fifth Risk
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I've rea"It's the places in our government where the cameras never roll that you have to worry about the most." - Michael Lewis, The Fifth Risk
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I've read several books about President Trump and his administration in the last couple years. They all depress me a bit. I feel like I'm reading some real-time version of Gibbons' 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'. But none of the other Trump books scared me like this one did. Lewis isn't interested in the Fox/MSNBC politics or the Twitter-level anxiety of the Trump administration. He is interested, in this book, in the systematic and bureaucratic failures of the Trump administration and what risks this administration's lack of professionalism (this is beyond politics, thisis about competency of governance) might mean to our country and our people.
Lewis does this using his usual approach (which is a bit similar to John McPhee's new nonfiction approach). He finds interesting people who become narrative heros and guides to an area and ties them together into a compelling story or narrative. The areas Lewis explores? Presidential Transitions (guide: Max Stier); I Department of Energy/Tail Risk (guides: Tarak Shah, John MacWilliams), II USDA/People Risk (guides: Ali Zaidi, Kevin Concannon, Cathie Woteki), III Department of Commerce/All the President's Data (Guides: Kathy Sullivan, DJ Patil, David Friedberg).
This is a short book. It is relevant but still not top-shelf Lewis. I enjoyed it, but just wished it was bit longer and a bit deeper*. It
* I get the irony. This books scared the shit out of me. It made me sad. Therefore, I wish it were longer. ...more
"Boston was known for its love of liberty, its piety, and its prostitutes." - Nathaniel Philbrick, Bunker Hill
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I'm an unapologetic fan of Nathani"Boston was known for its love of liberty, its piety, and its prostitutes." - Nathaniel Philbrick, Bunker Hill
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I'm an unapologetic fan of Nathaniel Philbrick. I've enjoyed his maritime histories: In the Heart of the Sea, Sea of Glory, Mayflower, etc., but I've also started appreciating his New England histories. Mayflower was actually not just about the Pilgrims and the Mayflower, but was also a solid history of King Philip's War.
Philbrick has moved solidly into the popular (find his books at Costco and Walmart) and award-winning historian category with others like of McCullough, Ellis, and Kearns Goodwin. I haven't read his history of the Little Big Horn yet, but now that I've finished a non-maritime history by Philbrick, I'm completely comfortable that he can write on land as well as on sea.
The book, like his history of the Mayflower, expands beyond the history of the title. The actual history is focused on Boston from 1773 to the evacuation of Bunker Hill in March of 1776, so it includes Lexington & Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Siege of Boston, and the fortification of Dorchester Heights. My greatest thrill with this book is the focus it give to General Joseph Warren. He, in my opinion, is underappreciated by most Americans for his contributions to the Revoutionary War. If he hadn't died prematurely, he would have easily been ranked up there with Hamilton, Washington, and Jefferson. He was a polymath and amazing....more
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