Philosophy

Philosophy lends itself to sociology, whilst psychology lends itself to criminology.

Paradise Lost by John Milton Norton critical edition is my choice // essential theology.  Michael is Michael I Ledeen.  Angels and Demons (1967) features him prominently.  The movie is no longer available.  His likeness is in the character creation of Eye of the Beholder - the knight with long black hair.  He is the man appearing in the old testament as the "lord, thy God" not Jehovah.  This explain his appearance in Monty Python an the Quest for the Holy Grail.  I wish there were an unredacted version of this.  In the audiobook version, Michael and Satan exchange several strikes and parries in their sword fight, and near the end the angel Uria is watching everything.  I believe the angel Uria can be related to the movie the Color Purple, the song "Amaranth" by Nightwish, which means the color purple, and "The Name of the Rose" by Iron Maiden.  Also, the show Explorers.  At the end, that's supposed to be her.

The Code of Hammurabi by LW King. Older than the 10 commandments, I looked here to find out what adultery means.  Not exactly uplifting stuff.  It has to do with a separated, married couple

"If she had been a bad wife, the Code allowed him to send her away, while he kept the children and her dowry; or he could degrade her to the position of a slave in his own house, where she would have food and clothing. She might bring an action against him for cruelty and neglect and, if she proved her case, obtain a judicial separation, taking with her her dowry. No other punishment fell on the man. If she did not prove her case, but proved to be a bad wife, she was drowned. If she were left without maintenance during her husband's involuntary absence, she could cohabit with another man, but must return to her husband if he came back, the children of the second union remaining with their own father. If she had maintenance, a breach of the marriage tie was adultery. Wilful desertion by, or exile of, the husband dissolved the marriage, and if he came back he had no claim on her property; possibly not on his own."

Hammurabi. The Code of Hammurabi . Kindle Edition.

By way of comparison, The Crucible seams to imply adultery means marital infidelity.  The relationship between John Proctor and Abigail Williams.  Remember, the commandment against adultery is the one John Proctor can't remember when interrogated by his lawyer, Daniel Webster.  It is also about being a scapegoat.

Also, the movie implies that Abigail Williams may be the girlfriend of the unnamed boy who was not baptized and later sodomized.  Also, the age of consent in Massachusetts was 16, so the underage sex angle is not that scandalous.  

By the laws of the Roman Republic, what John Proctor has done is adultery, because he is shagging someone else's wife!  Abigail Williams.  That would let Abigail off.

Rig Veda by Devajyoti Sarkar  (1st millenium BC) //The first book of Indian philosophy in not particularly exciting but it has been misconstrued as horse love, particularly by the Five Dialogues.  It is the beginning of a warrior ethos, but they don't really go anywhere with it because they don't have a war to talk about yet, not until the Markendeya Purana which reads like an adventure.  This is like the Books of Enoch.

Bhagavad Gita by Anonymous // This is the equivalent to Paradise Lost.  It does describe Hinduism, their deity is named "Brahman."  There is no creation story - as far as translation has progressed.  This is not a completely translated work.

by Eknath Easwaran, I think that's the real author

The Book of Rites by Confucius  This beginning of Chinese philolosophy says that there are 4 occupations farmer, artisan, scholar, merchant

The Art of War by Sun Tzu (Chinese)

Sophocles, the Oedipus Cycle by Sophocles (2002) This is not a complete works of Sophocles, it does focus on the philosophical importance of not fucking your ma.

Protagoras by Plato, the origin of "man is the measure of all things" and agnosticism.  I was also looking for the origin of hedonism and couldn't find it.  Protagoras is supposed to be the first Greek philosopher, and Plato decided to write down his philosophy.

The Five Dialogues by Plato, Jowett edition (origin of "swan song"), the hypothetical swan song would be for Socrates.  This translation translates Stygian with an 'a' like Paradise Lost.  This version has a nice meaning to "swan song'" as the final performance before entering heaven.  There is a dispute in the translations over the meaning of "swan song."

Symposium by Plato (Butcher's wife seams to refer to this)
The Republic by Plato // essentially predicts a future democracy and does not think it will ever equal the Republic of Rome
Plato's Theory of Knowledge (makes a reference to The Republic's, "Knowledge and Opinion," which indicates The Repblic is not a complete work.  It seams to be saying that knowledge should be construed as infallible whereas options can be right or wrong.)

Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle // Aristotle was a student of Plato, an investigation into the nature of good and evil

The Art of Rhetoric by Aristotle // The first nice Greek philosopher

 

Selected Speeches by Demosthenes // This would be a brief Athenian silver age after the defeat of Sparta by the Boeotian league and before the Macedonian conquest, this is very much about the nuts and bolts of government and the press

Ancient Skepticism by Harald Thorsrud (2014) // this preceded Cyrenaic philosophy.  This is still the silver age of Greece.

The Cyrenaics by Ugo Zilioli (2014) // Philosophy from Cyrene in North Africa.  This philosophy dates from the Spartan occupation.

The Cyrenaic Handbook by Cicero et al.(2016) // double check on what these philosophers thought.  I thought the word cyrenaic meant don't fuck your "ma."

 

On Ancient Medicine by Hiprocates (2015) // Contains the hippocratic oath in its original form.  This essentially was the oath of a doctor never to take a human life.  Euthanasia got in the way.

 

The Birth of Hedonism by Kurt Lampe (2017) // It was born out of "Cyrenaic" philosophers.  The philosophy is reborn as utilitarianism in 19th century England.  The only practice of the ancient world rumored to have anything to do with Hedonism is the orgy, something featured in stories of the emperor Caligula, who would have prince of Rome at the time of Christ.  See Caligula, definitely played by Malcolm Mcdowell, considered a hardcore *or* movie, or see Jesus Christ Superstar, where Benny Hill plays the role, comically. 

The Art of Happiness by Epicurus (2012) // mentioned in Les Miserable unabridged.  This is Hellenistic, meaning the Macedonian Empire.  I thought this was the beginning of Hedonism, not Materialism!  Senator Hugo is partial to Epicurus.  But it is bishop Monsieur Myriel who is supposed to be the devil.  Hugo is the senator in the story!  Myriel is the bishop of Digne and Hugo is the senator of Digne.  It is a southern French city.  Senator Hugo is indeed supposed to be the author.  It says he is a senator of the empire - well according to Britannica.com the French empire ended in 1870 with the defeat of Napoleon III; when the 3rd French republic started.  So I don't think there is a need to jump to bold conclusions that he is a senator of the Roman empire.  Napoleon was coronated French emperor and Italian king separately.

  

Epicureanism by Tim O Keefe (2017) // This is ancient materialism.  It started after the Macedonian conquest and is considered Hellenistic.

Tao te Ching by Lao Tzu.  Confucianism is older, this is the quintessential taoism book because it mentions the "three treasures."

Tetrabiblos by Claudius Ptolemy - the classical book on astrology and geocentrism.  Written under the Macedonian empire.  Claudius Ptolemy was a mathematician, general of Alexander the Great, and pharaoh of Egypt.

Delphi Complete Works of Plautus by Plautus (2016) // Far more plays here than the Oxford History of the Roman World would have indicated possible.  Delphi is a Greek city, but the setting for these plays is Rome.

Stoicism by John Sellars (2014) // This is Greek origin for Marcus Aurelius's book

The Art of Love by Ovid (2002) // This is a Latin and not a Greek poem.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and Gregory Hayes (1558|2006) // a stoic philosopher and Roman emperor, this means the defining philosophy of the Roman empire was stoicism, while Greece was agnostic.

// Amazon sales rank 92 in books,

#1 in philosophy,

#1 in Greek and Roman philosophy,

and #2 in Classic literature and fiction

see movie The Fall of the Roman Empire, and Gladiator, which is a remake.

Confessions 2nd edition by Saint Augustine

The Rule of Saint Benedict by Saint Benedict

// I thought Joseph Fiore was a medieval philosopher, what was printed was modern

 

Hugh of Saint Victor by Paul Rorem (15 books) // I don't remember this well, but this is medieval philosophy just before the crusades, and it would be terribly interesting to see how European thinkers justified the conflict.  After the fall of Damascus in 635 the notion of going back to the middle east and kicking butt should have been a nonstarter.  Not for a 1000 more years of recovery.

The Complaint of Nature by Alain of Lille (famous quote "All roads lead to Rome.")

Summa Theologica by Saint Thomas Aquinas

Summa of the Summa by Peter Kreeft // confirms the meaning of "marriage debt"

Death Judgement Heaven Hell by Saint Alphonsus Liguori  // authentic images from the Sistine Chapel of the Final Judgement

Raphael, Painter by Stephanie Storey  // see the movie Faust, Raphael is supposed to be God.  Theologically, he's supposed to be the Holy Ghost and Michael I Ledeen is God the father.

Magna Carta by King John of England  // The original human right against wrongful imprisonment is here

The Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres by Nicolaus Copernicus(1543|2024)  // heliocentrism

The Complete Essays by Michel de Montaigne (1580|2016) // invented the essay.  French Renaissance.

Utopia by Thomas More (late 15th early 16th, the copyright information is quizzical)

Galileo's Mistake by Wade Rowland // they mean heliocentrism.  Which makes me wish that Hubble had worked.  Then Christianity might embrace the Copernican revolution.  Maybe we should have waited for Christianity to embrace the Copernican Revolution before we tried?  A papal bull on the side of liberalism might have helped.  It should have been designed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Caltech.  The best ground observatory is at The University of Chicago.  See Star Trek TNG episode "First Contact"

The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Mushashi (martial arts philosophy from Japan.  This is 16th century.  You would need to go back to the 11th century for the first book that is potentially translatable, but it is considered an undercooked philosophy)

Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes  // leviathan is the welfare state.  Socialism before Karl Marx.

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  // a parody of the Austrian monarchy

The Institutes of the Laws of England (1628) by Edward Cook // This is OOP but I once had a copy at Stingley.  This is a true landmark.  It is also an academic publication suitable for a college term paper.  This is related to Commentaries on the Laws of England by Sir William Blackstone.

A Model of Christian Charity (1630) by John Winthrop // this is the sermon that is the theological basis of American exceptionalism, the original American philosopher, and a Democrat

Principles of Philosophy (1644) by Rene Descartes // I think therefore I am, the defining book of rationalism

A Pigsah sight of Palestine and the Confines Thereof by Thomas Fuller (2017) // Origin of the phrase "it is always darkest before dawn."  Conservatives parody Christianity with the phrase "time before dawn."  Originally pubbed about 1650.  I think this is an English commentary on America.  I thought this might be confused with the Protocols of the Elders of Zion but I don't see a history of it.

Performing Libertinism in Charles II's Court by J Webster (2005)  // A British monarch.  Not a French one.  And I thought the word was French in origin.  I think libertinism is generally considered the modern term for hedonism.

The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy by Sir Isaac Newton (1687|2019)  // Physics was originally called "natural philosophy"

Two Treatises of Government and a Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke (1689|2016)   pre revolutionary American philosophy

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke (1689 |1996) pre revolutionary American philosophy

The Analogy of Religion by Joseph Butler (1736|2021) // tries to argue against hedonism

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume (1748|2007) // He came after John Locke!

The Polanders by Pigault-Lebrun (2023) // European skepticism begins to turn into parody.  I've read some when I was young and think it is very important.

The Spirit of the Laws by Baron de Montesquieu (1748|2011) // This is the forgotten pre-Revolutionary (American) thought, the separation of powers!  This is supposed to be the most important philosopher

Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765) by Sir William Blackstone // This is the commentary after years of reflection on the laws of England done a century after Edward Cook

Common Sense: The Origin and Design of Government by Thomas Paine  // American revolutionary justification does not cover civil rights, rather it covers the nature of government!

The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith (1776)// I am not overly impressed but I hear people react better before you take economics if you read it.  This is supposed to be the beginning of conservativism but it doesn't say anything meaningful.

The Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men by John Witherspoon (1776)  // A Princeton University professor inducted into the American Philosophical Society.  This is sometimes considered a speech and sometimes a sermon.  Compares well to the Declaration of Independence when you consider happiness is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

This sermon is supposed to be the origin of the conservative movement.  There was no real conservative movement!  The conservative movement basically means the conspiracy to keep you poor and stupid! Or the illiteracy movement!

The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson (1776|2014) // the pursuit of happiness.  Huh huh huh.

Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792) by Mary Woolstencroft Shelley // author of "Frankenstein."

Philosophy in the Bedroom (1795) by the Maquis de Sade // French libertinism, some say French call it, "libertinage."

Jefferson's Declaration of Independence by Allen Jayne (1998|2000) // Discusses men's need for "social intercourse."  Ahem.  The need to talk to girls?  How about the need for the "pursuit of happiness?"  This is not good enough commentary for a modern society.

The grader Christine Maxwell made a point to bomb out any essay on the Declaration of Independence that didn't admit that it was about "f-u-c-k-i-n-g." (I think that was in AP American history.)

The damn video is on Youtube, see 2:20

The American Crisis by Thomas Paine (1776) "These are the times that try men's souls..."  I thought that was a reference to winter quarters at Valley Forge, December 1777.  I'm skeptical of the date.

Critique of Pure Reason, Critique of Practical Reason, Critique of Judgement by Immanuel Kant, (1781) a trilogy // calls itself "telelogy"  defines "theurgy" which is a term used in Civilization II Gold the fantasy world.  Also has the term "crude matter" used in Star Wars.  Dubbed "metaphysics."  Considered necessary to open your mind to abstract reasoning.

The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, Arthur Morey, and James Madison (1787|2010) // Look here to justify the federal power to tax, a federal currency, and centralized banking.  For the original human right against wrongful  // the most legit name is James Madison, a future president

   imprisonment, see the Magna Carta.

Elements of the Philosophy of the Right (1821) by Georg Willhelm Friedrich Hegel // This might be important but it is rarely cited.

Democracy in America by Alexis de Toqueville (1840) // French commentary on America

Discourse in the Sciences and the Arts by Jean Jacques Rousseau

Discourse on Inequality by Jean Jacques Rousseau

An Essay on the Principle of Population by Thomas R Malthus

Self Reliance and Other Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1841|2020) // see General Emerson in Robotech.  I think he's supposed to be Leonard's XO if they did the series right, there was a redo of the series where that was the case with a lost redo of the series.

Walden by Henry David Thoreau (1854|2023) // post revolutionary philosophy called Transcendentalism, often confused with Naturalism

On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (1859|2009) // this I think is the beginning of "humanism"

An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation by Jeremy Bentham (2010) // 19th century hedonism ... is defined here, and it is a criticism I'm sure, but I'm trouble finding anything hedonistic although this author is supposed to be related to the topic

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx

Beyond Good and Evil (2023) by Friedrich Nietzsche

Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill (2017) // This is the evolution of hedonism

The Strenuous Life (1899) by Theodore Roosevelt (American president)

On the Shortness of Life (1900) by Lucius Seneca

Bushido The Soul of Japan (1905) by Inazo Nitobe (modern martial arts philosophy - Japanese) // didn't realize how recent this was

A Square Deal by Theodore Roosevelt (1906|2021) // The conversion of the United States to a mixed economy starts here

The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation (1911) by David Ricardo // Written by an Englishman.  The world's most important book on economics.  Published after Mises, but thought through beforehand.  Mises is so prolific he doesn't have a definitive work like this one.  This is the book that John Maynard Keynes is arguing against, so this counts as the definition of libertarianism.  As far as I know the Republican party just doesn't embrace his ideas which is why I don't think conservativism exists except as a movement of illliteracy.

Democracy and Education by John Dewey (1916|2021)  // described as intrumentalism and pragmatism, gave rise to naturalism 

The Devil and Daniel Webster by Stephen Vincent Benet (1936) // This is a call for help for a better justice system, whether the story is real or fiction

The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money by John Maynard Keynes (1936|2016) // John Maynard Keynes is considered the father of modern economics.  The Democratic party needed more help from the UK to govern America even with the Republicans voted out.  Very curious history.  You'd like to see a demographic of Democrats and Republicans wouldn't you?  He's arguing that David Riccardo is too far to the right.  He is showing a lot of respect for libertarianism by doing that.  He's not arguing against conservativism, he's not arguing against liberalism, he's arguing against libertarianism.  It's not clear what he means.  Counterfeiting, properly understood, proves that the business community is insane and needs government oversight, arguing for a grey market in platinum coins until the government makes it official policy to do so, is one interpretation of where he is going.  Well, they have finally done so.  Part of the argument is the intrinsic value of gold is so high, gold can't be handled by most people.  The intrinsic value of silver and copper are too low.  You need platinum coins for the economy to work right.

 

Dialectical and Historical Materialism by Joseph Stalin (1938)

Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler (1939|2021) // parodied as Mein Bungle by Tom Toles

The Rights of Man and Natural Law by Jacques Maritain (1943|2012) // This is WWII era philosophy, not Revolutionary War era as I thought.  The clearest definition of the rights of man during the Rovolutionary War is the Declaration of Independence.  The problem is that this guy is supposed to be the dauphin; the French king in exile.  Modern human rights coming from the French king?  I don't think the Republican party likes the idea.  I'm not overfond of it.  Human rights derive from the laws of the Roman republic and the king of Norway.

Existentialism is a Humanism by Jean Paul Satre (1943|2007)

The Road to Serfdom (1944) by Friedrich A Hayek  // Considered part of the "Austrian" school

Nihilism (1962) by Eugene Rose // This is the book that defines modern philosophy, it is called "nihilism" not "science."  The origin of hedonism, which is comparable, is a good question.  Some think hedonism is modern and made up.

The Four Cardinal Virtues (1966) by Josef Piper  // This modern book and What Christians Believe by CS Lewis are what I was raised to believe.  The book by Joseph Fiore is supposed to be the best, but I am not familiar with it. // Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance

The Open Society and it's Enemies by Karl Raimund Popper (1945|1994) 

On the Road by Jack Kerouac (1959|1976) // see Quantum Leap episode "Rebel without a Clue"

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics by Michael Wheeler (1976) // an attempt to derail supply side economics before Reagan had credibility

Naturalism and Ontology by Wilfred Sellars(1979|2017) // naturalism as it follows from John Dewey's instrumentalism

Quality is Free (1980) by Philip B Crosby  //anti supply side economics

A Nation at Risk (1983) // A historical landmark is seeking education reform.  The biggest problem the United States has - developing AP classes led to deeper academic fraud than ever because the teachers didn't have degress in their specialty; especially economics.

In Defense of Secular Humanism by Paul Kurtz (1983)

The Right to Private Property by Jeremy Waldron (1991)

Evil by Roy F Baumeister (1997)

Private Truths, Public Lies by Timur Koran (1998)  // I remember this one sounds potentially interesting

Informed Consent by Jessica W Berg (2001)  // availability of medical service

Trusted Advisor by David H Maister (2001)

Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames (2002)  // Buddhism

Lies, and the Lying Liars who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right (2003) by Al Franken

What Christians Believe by CS Lewis (2005) // author died 1963 so this has been laying around for a long time, I swear people have been quoting this my whole life, this is

Garretts and Pretenders: A History of Bohemianism in America by Albert Parry (2005)

The Bourgeois Virtues: Ethics for an Age of Commerce by Deidre Nansen McClosky (2006)

Book of Concord by Martin Luther 2nd edition 2006, first edition 2005 original Latin edition published 1580, Geman edition 1584.  This identifies the Holy Spirit as the one we call God and explains Faust and Nosferatu?  Looks like the same actor.  Ahem.

The Dictionary of Corporate Bullshit by Louis Beckwith (2006) 

Ethics for dummies
Philosophy for dummies
Existentialism for Dummies
Taoism for dummies
Confucianism for dummies

Christianity for dummies
Catholicism for dummies

Balance of Payments by Robert Stern (2007) a modern re-analysis of supply side economics

Competitive Debate by Richards Edwards (2008)

Anatomy of the State (2009) by Murray Rothbard.  I remember this being an older work, back when Rothbard was young, spry, and taken seriously.  Same author as Alban Butler and The Lives of the Saints.  Must be considered a modern work because one of the saints in 19th century.

Panic! The Story of Modern Financial Insanity by Michael Lewis (2008) // yes, the explanation for the GFC is here

Holier than Thou by Ergun M Caner (2009)  // listen to "Holier than Thou" by Metallica

Start with Why by Simon Seek (2009)

The Myth of the Rational Voter by Bryan Caplan (2010)

Rise to Globalism: American Foreign Policy by Stephen E Ambrose (1938|2010)  // anti-isolationism.  The nice philosophy for the modern person.

What is Humanism by Stephen Law (2011) // secular humanism becomes humanism?  

Asymtotics for Associated Random Variables (2012) // important book on how to use your graphing calculator correctly

Write a Great Synopsis by Nicola Morgan (2012)  // there is confusion between literary analysis and writing a synopsis

Rape is Rape by Jody Raphael (2013)

Argumentation and Debate by Austin J Freeley (2013)

Bismarck the Man and the Statesman by Otto von Bismarck 2 volumes (2013) // This is the original story of socialism. 

Disagreement by Bryan Franklin (2014)

Cynicism from Diogenes to Dilbert by Ian Cutler (2014)

Literary Criticism and Theory by Pelagia Goulimari (2014)  // more literary analysis

McNamara's Folly: The Use of Low-IQ Troops in the Vietnam War by Hamilton Gregory (2015) 

Indigent by Frederick Eugene Feeley (2015)

Libertinism and Marriage by Louis Jullien (2015) // why not?

Colonialism/Postcolonialism by Ania Loomba (2015) // This is the modern philosophy I keep forgetting, D'oh!

Jesus' Copernican Revolution by James P Danaher (2016) // this is a reference to heliocentrism and Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion

Literary Analysis: Celena Kusch (2016)

Theory of Constraints by Introbooks (2016) 

In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam by Robert McNamara (2017) // parodied by Tom Toles in the New Republic

Al Franken, Giant of the Senate (2017) // when you read this you wonder how the American welfare state ever got overblown.  It was never meant to be a no strings attached construction.  It also reminded me of the math club and how it is supposed to give scholarships - but only if your local highschool follows the rules.  There is an assumption of national policy and the American idea is that you don't have to do what we say, but if you don't we don't give you the money.

Star Finder! by Doctor Maggie Adarin Pocock (2017) // a Smithsonian publication, this is the best book I've found on constellations, which are an important branch of knowledge for serenity

there needs to be a better book.  The Zodiac is the most important 12 constellations.  Perhaps Stargazing for Dummies?  It's better than the competition.  But IIRC - the only really good book is available through the cub scouts for like $4000.  I'd get it.  You need it to get an A on that 6th grade astronomy exam.  It's hard.

Materialism by Terry Eagleton (2017)  // Listen to "Material girl" by Madonna.  Wasn't this supposed to be the philosophy of the 80s?  Or the "Greed is good" speech by Michael Douglas in Wall Street.  That speech, however, is subtly defeatist.  After the British investor told him off, he switched from ambition to greed, the difference is whether there is any idealism inherent in what he's saying.  Linked with the Coca Cola kid, and I haven't had a chance to rewatch both movies in years, especially without being interrupted, I'm not sure what they are saying.

Bourgeois by Equality by Deirdre N McCloskey (2017) // I really wonder what they say.  How much equality do the bourgeois think we can muster?  There are a few technological innovations that I think are important, advances in coal power (by combining with nuclear engineering) and geothermal.  

Modern Slavery by Siddarth Kara (2017)

Present Concerns by CS Lewis (2017)

The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein (2017)

The Little Red Book by Mao Tse-Tung (2017)

Dare to Bare: Naturism by the Naked Naturalist (2017) // see Futurama episode "Naturama" 

Peddling Protectionism by Douglas A Irwin (2017) // they brought back Smoot Hawley

Birth Control and American Modernity (2018)

Understanding by Dr Hakim Saboowala (2018)

Then they Came for Me by Matthew D Hockenos (2018)  // about the Holocaust

Movies: "Never Forget" and "The Music Box"

How Marriage became One of the Sacraments by Philip L Reynolds (2018)

As a City on a Hill by Daniel T Rogers (2018)

City on a Hill by Alex Krieger (2018)

Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism by Kristen Ghodsee (2018)

Explaining Postmodernism by Stephen RC Hicks (2018) // here's modern philosophy, forget nihilism, its postmodernism!

Patriotism by Charles Jones (2018)

Land, Power, and the Sacred by Janet R Goodwin (2018)// A fair description of tokusei ikki.  Another word that is needed is the exact meaning of "retainer" and which peerage classes it includes.  Another word adequately described is "okusei" that is a swordsman who is not high enough to be a samurai.  I don't really hope to find the word "kotogai" but that would be helpful.

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion by Evan Mandery (2019) //the original 1905 publication was in Russia, considered an incomplete work, this is supposed to be the full version

// This reads like an antecedent to "Heavy Metal" or "The Cable Guy"

Understanding Logic: The First Order of Reasoning by Love Eckenberg, et al. (2019) Yale ties philosophy into first order logic, and mathematics

Welfare Populism and Welfare Chauvinism by Bent Greeve (2019)

The Truth about College Admission by Brennan Bernard (2019)

The Business Ethics Field Guide by Aaron Miller (2019)

Sex Trafficking by Siddarth Kara (2020)  // A key ethical dilemma is when prostitution, which is legal in most of the world, degenerates into sex trafficking

City on a Hill by Abram C Van Engen (2020)

America's Revolutionary Mind by C Bradley Thompson (2020)

Everything is F*cked  by Mark Mason (2021) // cynicism

Anglicanism by Gerald Bray (2021)

The Ethics of Beauty by Timothy G Patitsas (2021)

The Decline of Natural Law by Stuart Banner (2021)

The Four Hour School Day by Durenda Wilson(2021)

Secular Humanism by Dale Adema (2021) // I remember that image being much older, so the date confuses me.  Yeah, right.  Termisheep.  This is an explicitly Satanic cover.

Indivisible: Daniel Webster and the Birth of American Nationalism by Joel Richard Paul (2022)  // American nationalism explained here

Introduction to Literary Analysis by Louis Hebert (2022)

Profits Over People by Sherry Roe (2022)

Leadership by Henry Kissinger (2022)

Why do we say that? by Scott Mathews (2022) 3 books on the origin of idioms

Disinformation by Donald A Barclay (2022)

Worse than Nothing: The Dangerous Fallacy of Originalism by Erwin Chermerensky (2022)  // Originalism is a reaction to the natural law that led to the prosecution of the Holocaust.  It is a bad idea.

Why not? Lessons on Comedy, Courage, and Chutzpah by Mark Schiff (2022)

Materialism: The Downfall of Society by Muhammed Mirza (2023)

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson (2024) // cynicism

Sociology for Dummies. 

An elephant that is missing is the ... "farm policy holdup" or something like that.  It helped cause the Great Depression, and make it politically impossible to extricate ourselves from.  The answer is British farm policies, not French ones.  The question is, what side did Japan take in WWII, because that would be instrumental in them changing sides.  Also, how did we correct ourselves.  The British know how to keep land arable, not the French.  The controversy does go back to Clovis I's rebellion.

Also, there is no definitive book of supply side economics.  Arthur Laffer's early writings concern the Balance of Payments.  I don't see a 60s or 70s pub on that issue.  I think Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics might be the definitive warning that these guys are yo yos.  

Due to the number of farmer's markets in Montgomery County where I used to live the farms in this country must be doing very well.  More than one has a tractor ride to a pumpkin patch for Halloween.  

American history, it almost seems like the UK did long term sabotage as vengeance for not taking their side in the French Revolution.  

Republicans seam to think that you can have capitalism without class warfare which is ridiculous.  The objective of socialism is to manage class warfare, not eliminate it!  It was the French who observed if you markdown everything nobody can make any money.  The idea is the workshop economy, not mass production!  

Edited January 3 by dnewhous

I'm sure there's plenty more books you could add to that list

I seem to have read only the one by Niccolo Machiavelli out of the whole list, though I luv books a lot 🙂

On 10/6/2021 at 9:32 PM, dnewhous said:

Taoism for dummies

Nice, my library has a downloadable copy. But it does spread itself thin to encompass the traditions and religion instead of just philosophy, so I will have to consider other Tao e-texts.

I have recently read the writings of Plotinus on happiness (On True Happiness, On Whether Happiness Increases with Time) from the first Ennead. I found the argument according to which true happiness resides in our intellect quite convincing, but the philosophy I fully embrace is Epicureanism in its original form (absence of pain, living a simple life, etc.). Plotinus is a neo-platonic philosopher so he should be at odds with Epicureanism, which criticised Platonism, but I find that the two are not completely incompatible.

I've included some more stuff, especially by Demosthenes!  He wrote during the golden age of Greece, just before the Macedonian conquest.

I can't believe some of the titles I forgot.  I don't suppose the Divine Comedy counts as philosophy, more like fiction.

On 10/7/2021 at 10:32 AM, dnewhous said:

Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler

May I ask your opinion about the book?

 

On 10/7/2021 at 10:32 AM, dnewhous said:

The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx

Jesus! I never read it myself 🙂 I know western folks would normally think of Russians as largely pro-communist (at least, as older generations are concerned), however by the time I was about to finish my high school they didn't teach us the history of the communist party or whatever it used to be called. Now they teach our kids other sh*t like the history of religion (often taught by the Orthodox priests) because we've got this twisted ex-KGB guy who attends the church service. 

On 10/7/2021 at 10:32 AM, dnewhous said:

The Five Dialogues by Plato,

I think some of Plato's dialogues were compulsory to read at uni (not much use though ). 

Edited January 3, 2022 by Novosedoff

1 hour ago, Novosedoff said:

May I ask your opinion about the book?

 

Jesus! I never read it myself 🙂 I know western folks would normally think of Russians as largely pro-communist (at least, as older generations are concerned), however by the time I was about to finish my high school they didn't teach us the history of the communist party or whatever it used to be called. Now they teach our kids other sh*t like the history of religion (often taught by the Orthodox priests) because we've got this twisted ex-KGB guy who attends the church service. 

I think some of Plato's dialogues were compulsory to read at uni (not much use though ). 

Containment of Germany was America's #1 foreign policy goal before the cold war, and both books are German!

I am about halfway through Mein Kampf and I don't understand the need to subjugate Austria to achieve Germanization.  When they threw off the yoke of Austrian repression, Germany invaded France (the Franco Prussian War).  Prussian cavalry was also instrumental at Waterloo.  Hitler is implicitly talking about conquering Austria (Anschluss), destroying their independent culture (that's not very nice), and then making Vienna the capital of a German super state?????? This man is insane.

Another angle - the notion that the bigger the metro area the worse it is is insane.  Berlin is big, and the capital of a war machine that had to be divided amongst 4 nations after WWII to prevent revanchism.  Now they make DAW software.  It does come from a fear of STDs and the truth that big metro areas are more likely to have prostitutes.  Syphilis in particular.  Nasty disease.  Metro areas also have higher wages, particular for those who would otherwise not be middle class such as school teachers.  

Did you know that Ferris Bueller's Day Off and ET are set in Los Angeles.  It is very beautiful.  Most of US private schools are located in NYC. 

He does say something human, no social policy should be pursued unless it is for the common good. 

The wikipedia has a map of Germania during the empire

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germania

Edited January 3, 2022 by dnewhous

4 hours ago, Novosedoff said:

I know western folks would normally think of Russians as largely pro-communist (at least, as older generations are concerned), however by the time I was about to finish my high school they didn't teach us the history of the communist party or whatever it used to be called.

Looking back on say the Andropov era when I visited Russia, we expected little enthusiasm for the regime but much in the way of nationalism. Sure enough, old WW2 vets toddling down the streets wearing a square foot of medals were met with warm adulation by passersby. Regimist policemen had everyone intimidated; in an underground street crossing folks would look around and if seeing no police there would suddenly have relaxed postures and smiles. I wore some slightly elastic jeans which caused a sensation by passersby wanting a similar western look.

We understood Russia as having an extreme regime due to confronting an extreme Czarist stalemate. The pity was various chances for evolutionary reform were intentionally sabotaged even by reformists, to whom a utopian end justified barbaric means. It was a strategy by calculating elites, not consensus of the masses. Now I think elements in the US also consider progressive ends justifying previously unacceptable means. Anyway, I am concerned by reports of Russian whitewash of the barbaric history of Stalin. He didn't kill as many fellow countrymen as Mao, but about matched internally what Hitler wreaked externally. I enjoyed meeting Maxim Shostakovitch, historically known for the regime forcing his fake denunciation of his world famous father.

Back to books, I would say Hitler wrote incomprehensible gibberish except possibly in "Table Talk" which is more about tame civic issues brought up in "polite company" dinner chit chat. I think Zhuangzi is a more digestible book of philosophic Taoism rather than the enigmatic "Way" or whatever it's called. For a really good alternative to "The Prince" do a search on "the art of worldly wisdom pdf free download" by Gracian 300 years ago. Choose from many pdf versions ranging from messy to overly slick.

Edited January 3, 2022 by caesar novus

2 hours ago, dnewhous said:

Containment of Germany was America's #1 foreign policy goal before the cold war, and both books are German!

That's kinda curious. Have you heard of the Dawes plan? Dawes was American btw

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawes_Plan

Thanks to this plan in the period between 1924 and 1932 Germany borrowed the equivalent of 32 bln Deutschemark from foreign investors and paid back only 24  bln Deutschemark. So by 1933 (the year of Hitler's rise to power) Germany was net by 12 bln of unpaid debt, and 70% of all investments and loans that Germany had received were actually the American money (Americans acquired a lot of German companies stock) 🙂     

2 hours ago, dnewhous said:

Containment of Germany was America's #1 foreign policy goal before the cold war, and both books are German!

That's kinda curious. Have you heard of the Dawes plan? Dawes was American btw

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawes_Plan

Thanks to this plan in the period between 1924 and 1932 Germany borrowed the equivalent of 32 bln Deutschemark from foreign investors and paid back only 24  bln Deutschemark. So by 1933 (the year of Hitler's rise to power) Germany was net by 12 bln of unpaid debt, and 70% of all investments and loans that Germany had received were actually the American money (Americans acquired a lot of German companies stock) 🙂     

 

2 hours ago, dnewhous said:

Hitler is implicitly talking about conquering Austria (Anschluss), destroying their independent culture (that's not very nice), and then making Vienna the capital of a German super state?????? 

The second part of Mein Kampf seems particularly interesting as far as Russia is concerned. I am talking about the chapter 14. It came out in 1926. So the whole world had like 7 years before Hitler began to implement his plan, the whole world did nothing, paid no interest to the book. It's the same as if I had declared on this forum that I was gonna cut everyone's throat open and moderators did nothing to stop me 🙂   

Edited January 3, 2022 by Novosedoff

55 minutes ago, caesar novus said:

look around and if seeing no police there would suddenly have relaxed postures and smiles.

Well, I mean with all respect both of us are still living in police states. Nothing has changed. In the US the police is known not to be extra carefull with black folks. The paranoia is widespread with the broadcast of the Americans series etc. In Britain they also let loose their inherent paranoia against Russians with the constant news streams about Russian cyberattacks etc. In Russia it's pretty much the same picture. That's how the management system works: instilling fears and  keeping us on a short leash 🙂

55 minutes ago, caesar novus said:

We understood Russia as having an extreme regime due to confronting an extreme Czarist stalemate.

Precisely. Looking back I understand that Russia was doomed to a big political shift, given its economic reality in 1917. I posted something about this on quora back a few years ago https://qr.ae/pG64xV

55 minutes ago, caesar novus said:

Back to books, I would say Hitler wrote incomprehensible gibberish except possibly in "Table Talk" which is more about tame civic issues brought up in "polite company" dinner chit chat.

Yeah, I'd agree on that. Hitler writing seems a bit amateur as if a rather mediocre student decided to express his rather mediocre thoughts.   

Edited January 3, 2022 by Novosedoff

The only meaningful definition of Austrian culture that I can see is "don't invade France."  Likewise, the definition of German culture, other than anschluss with Austria, is invade France.  Hitler added a wrinkle, first he invaded Poland.

1 hour ago, Novosedoff said:

both of us are still living in police states. Nothing has changed. In the US the police is known not to be extra carefull with black folks.

Out of all the 3rd world police states and commie countries I visited, old Russia was unique. Police were intimidating everyone like foxes watching a henhouse. Explicit sinister behavior did not endear folks to the Marxism they enforced, which was the original point.

For US case, you should read Heather Mac Donald's book or articles on the war on cops in the US. Statistics show the opposite of your anecdote based impressions.  White cops are hesitating and being massacred by trying to halt black on black crime. Rather it is black cops who are tough with black perps. Everything is around the ratio of 10, like what are the chances of cops being shot rather than killing someone. Social media ruins all by fake narratives, and doesn't report the usual situation of juries declaring cops not guilty. Now the progressive response is to axe cop numbers and historic dropping crime trends are exploding upward in these places.

53 minutes ago, dnewhous said:

The only meaningful definition of Austrian culture that I can see is "don't invade France."  Likewise, the definition of German culture, other than anschluss with Austria, is invade France.  Hitler added a wrinkle, first he invaded Poland.

As I can remember, Christoph Waltz managed to explain the difference between Germans and Austrians in a rather comprehensible manner 🙂

 

 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2022 by Novosedoff