Now Reading

[Michelle]

The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer (very quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite nonfiction books)

The Experience of Nothingness by Michael Novak (a quasi-religious meditation on experiencing aimlessness and internal emptiness - in short, a kind of nihilist awareness)

What are you reading?

Edited May 27, 2009 by Michelle R

[Ed Hudgins]

Hoffer's True Believer is an excellent little book. I used to assign it when I taught various politics classes decades ago. Hoffer makes the important connection between the thinking and mindset of political fanatics--Nazis, Klansmen--and religious fanatics.

I'd add that the deeper truth is the primacy of reason and critical thinking. Today many theists counter arguments from thinkers like Hitchens, Dawkins, and Harris about atrocities committed in the name of religion by pointing out that atheists--principally communists--have committed terrible atrocities as well. Hitchens has excellent counters to this argument but I would add that the issue is not theism versus atheism but irrational and dogmatic reality-evading--which includes religious and political nuts--versus rational and open-minded truth-seeking.

[Michelle]

Hoffer's True Believer is an excellent little book. I used to assign it when I taught various politics classes decades ago. Hoffer makes the important connection between the thinking and mindset of political fanatics--Nazis, Klansmen--and religious fanatics.

I'd add that the deeper truth is the primacy of reason and critical thinking. Today many theists counter arguments from thinkers like Hitchens, Dawkins, and Harris about atrocities committed in the name of religion by pointing out that atheists--principally communists--have committed terrible atrocities as well. Hitchens has excellent counters to this argument but I would add that the issue is not theism versus atheism but irrational and dogmatic reality-evading--which includes religious and political nuts--versus rational and open-minded truth-seeking.

My problem with those three is that they overemphasize the danger of religion. Reading their works, you get the sense they think that if Christians and Muslims were to be eradicated there'd be world peace.

Edited May 28, 2009 by Michelle R

[BaalChatzaf]

I am current reading -A History of Philosophy- by Frederick Copleston S.J. Copleston is a Jesuit, yet his historical handling of philosphical issues and historical material is remarkably even handed and fair, and noticably devoid of any visible bias flowing from his religious commitments. I am just finishishing up Volue 1 (1 of 6 volumes) which covers Greece (pre-and post Socratic), Rome and the Neo-Platonist schools. His treatment of Plato and Aristotle is very thorough and insightful. He made clear many passages of Aristotle's -Metaphysics- and Plato's -Timeaus- that I found difficult to understand while reading them on my own. His comparison and contrast of Aristotle and Plato is very well done. In some important respects (particular in the area of ethics and politics) Aristotle did not stray all that far from his mentor Plato.

I am also re-reading -The Development of Mathematics- by E.T.Bell which I read about ten years ago. It is even better the second reading than the first. Bell is a bit of a curmudgeon but he is generally on point.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[Selene]

I am reading:

Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin - simply put brilliant, well written from a conservative/libertarian/religious view of the Constitution. statism and the civil society that is being destroyed from within.

Rich's The Universe in a Single Atom by the Dalai Lama which is a really well written journey, but I am only in the first chapter.

Toqueville in America by George Wilson Pierson about a 100 pages into it and it is beautifully written and quite revealing.

River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard - really engrossing true story of TR about 1/3 thru.

The Three Laws of Performance by Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan - This is in the Warren Bennis series which did Self Esteem at Work by Branden

The Tao of Chess - re-reading it.

and At Dawn We Slept which I have been working through for over a year because it is so detailed and documented that it is a difficult read, But exhaustive in terms of the documentation of the despicable attack on Pearl Harbor.

Adam

[kiaer.ts]

I am current reading -A History of Philosophy- by Frederick Copleston S.J. Copleston is a Jesuit, yet his historical handling of philosphical issues and historical material is remarkably even handed and fair, and noticably devoid of any visible bias flowing from his religious commitments. I am just finishishing up Volue 1 (1 of 6 volumes) which covers Greece (pre-and post Socratic), Rome and the Neo-Platonist schools. His treatment of Plato and Aristotle is very thorough and insightful. He made clear many passages of Aristotle's -Metaphysics- and Plato's -Timeaus- that I found difficult to understand while reading them on my own. His comparison and contrast of Aristotle and Plato is very well done. In some important respects (particular in the area of ethics and politics) Aristotle did not stray all that far from his mentor Plato.

I am also re-reading -The Development of Mathematics- by E.T.Bell which I read about ten years ago. It is even better the second reading than the first. Bell is a bit of a curmudgeon but he is generally on point.

Ba'al Chatzaf

I would strongly recommend Giovanni Reale's four volume History of Ancient Philosophy, especially volumes I and III, From the Origins to Socrates and The Schools of the Hellenistic Age. They are much better than Copleston. Reale is very enthusiastic. His works are full of quotes and fragments from the originals given in the greek or latin and with a full translation. I came across this series in the Rutgers University Library, it is a gem. You can get the volumes cheap used at abebooks or a bit more new at amazon. Volume II on Aristotle and Plato is okay, but Reale is a Platonist and he interprets Aristotle as a Platonist. Volume IV, the Imperial Age deals with the decline of the schools and the triumph of Skepticism, Platonism and Christianity.

[Michelle]

I am reading:

Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin - simply put brilliant, well written from a conservative/libertarian/religious view of the Constitution. statism and the civil society that is being destroyed from within.

Rich's The Universe in a Single Atom by the Dalai Lama which is a really well written journey, but I am only in the first chapter.

Toqueville in America by George Wilson Pierson about a 100 pages into it and it is beautifully written and quite revealing.

River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard - really engrossing true story of TR about 1/3 thru.

The Three Laws of Performance by Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan - This is in the Warren Bennis series which did Self Esteem at Work by Branden

The Tao of Chess - re-reading it.

and At Dawn We Slept which I have been working through for over a year because it is so detailed and documented that it is a difficult read, But exhaustive in terms of the documentation of the despicable attack on Pearl Harbor.

Adam

I used to read seven books at a time, until I kept getting halfway through a book only to forget about it for months because of something else I was reading.

Oh, and

Night of January 16th by Ayn Rand

[Barbara Branden]

On my new Kindle -- the greatest invention since fire-- I'm reading:

Intuition: Its Powers and Perils, by David G Meyers. He begins the book with two quotes: Pascal's "The heart has its reasons which reason does not know"-- and, from Proverbs, "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool." I've just begun reading, but so far I'm fascinated.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie. I'm re-reading this. It's the book that, deservedly, made her famous, and is a superb mystery -- one of the rare ones which, as you read, you feel it's impossible to figure out who-dun-it -- but when the guilty party is revealed, you feel it was clearly evident from the beginning.

The Biology of Belief, by Bruce H. Lipton. Again, I've just started it, but I got it because one of the endorsements said: ". . . provides solid evidence from quantum biology to dispel the myth of genetic determinism -- and implicitly, determinism."

Renascence & Other Poems, by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Exquisite poetry.

Barbara

[Judith]

On my new Kindle -- the greatest invention since fire

I can't decide whether to get one of these or not. I've found the original version to be quite klutzy in my hands, although I've heard that the new version is only 3/4 inch thick. On the original I found that I had to blow up the font to nearly its largest size and thus have to turn the pages every two or three seconds. I just bought a new house a few months ago to accommodate all my books, and I'm already wondering where they're all going to go considering the rate at which I buy them, and something like this would be a big problem solver. On the other hand, things like illustrations in color won't work very well on a monochrome device. (Of course, most of my books aren't illustrated.) I suppose my biggest worry is that the format will become obsolete, and that I'll thus lose thousands or tens of thousands of books that way. I also like having and looking at my biggest treasures, i.e., my books, in hard copy. But when I travel, my luggage is usually overweight because of the large numbers of books I have to bring with me. Sigh. If only it were an easy decision....

Judith

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

The Biology of Belief, by Bruce H. Lipton. Again, I've just started it, but I got it because one of the endorsements said: ". . . provides solid evidence from quantum biology to dispel the myth of genetic determinism -- and implicitly, determinism."

Barbara,

I took a look at this on Amazon. It looks fascinating. Here is the blurb from the product description.

The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles

Product Description

With more than 100,000 copies sold of his self-published book, The Biology of Belief, Bruce Lipton teams up with Hay House to bring his message to an even wider audience. This book is a groundbreaking work in the field of new biology, and it will forever change how you think about thinking. Through the research of Dr. Lipton and other leading-edge scientists, stunning new discoveries have been made about the interaction between your mind and body and the processes by which cells receive information. It shows that genes and DNA do not control our biology, that instead DNA is controlled by signals from outside the cell, including the energetic messages emanating from our thoughts. Using simple language, illustrations, humor, and everyday examples, he demonstrates how the new science of Epigenetics is revolutionizing our understanding of the link between mind and matter and the profound effects it has on our personal lives and the collective life of our species.

I skimmed a few pages of the reviews to look at the negative comments, since there is mostly positive reaction. Interestingly enough, I did not see any bashing by scientists. When people complained, they griped about the book being too technical and not being a "how to" guide.

Michael

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Judith,

From what I have observed on the Internet, so long as Amazon is in existence, I don't think you have to worry about Kindle becoming obsolete. There is an enormous content support project behind it in addition to Amazon's nonstop aggressive marketing, which is so successful that I doubt it will stop anytime soon. And the books cost a fraction of what they cost in print.

Michael

[Barbara Branden]

On my new Kindle -- the greatest invention since fire

I can't decide whether to get one of these or not. I've found the original version to be quite klutzy in my hands, although I've heard that the new version is only 3/4 inch thick. On the original I found that I had to blow up the font to nearly its largest size and thus have to turn the pages every two or three seconds. I just bought a new house a few months ago to accommodate all my books, and I'm already wondering where they're all going to go considering the rate at which I buy them, and something like this would be a big problem solver. On the other hand, things like illustrations in color won't work very well on a monochrome device. (Of course, most of my books aren't illustrated.) I suppose my biggest worry is that the format will become obsolete, and that I'll thus lose thousands or tens of thousands of books that way. I also like having and looking at my biggest treasures, i.e., my books, in hard copy. But when I travel, my luggage is usually overweight because of the large numbers of books I have to bring with me. Sigh. If only it were an easy decision....

Judith

Yes, the Kindle 2 is very thin, and very easy to operate. And I haven't had to change the font. It is indeed a big problem solver; like you. I've run out of wall space for more book shelves. And it makes waiting for doctors and dentists a pleasure; I carry the Kindle with me almost always, and I don't have to read 5 year old Motorcycle Magazines in people's offices. Further, the Kindle people are very helpful, and are reachable through an 800 number. And finally, Kindle books are remarkably inexpensive; there is rarely a book over $9.99 -- and there is no mailing charge; a book you order usually appears on your Kindle two minutes after you order it. A wonderful feature is that if a book looks interesting, you can order a free sample,and decide if you want to buy it after you've read the sample.

I agree with Michael that the Kindle won't become obsolete -- but even if it did, the books you bought will remain on your kindle and you'll still be able to read them.

I like my Kindle so much that I've even ordered for it a number of books i already bought in hard cover.

Barbara

[Judith]

And it makes waiting for doctors and dentists a pleasure; I carry the Kindle with me almost always, and I don't have to read 5 year old Motorcycle Magazines in people's offices.

(*laugh!*) I've noticed that the waiting time in offices seems to be inversely proportional to the quality of the reading material i've brought with me. Back in the mid '90s when I had to take my horse to a teaching veterinary hospital that had only opened the week before, the only magazines in the waiting room were things like People Magazine with Princess Di and her new baby. I don't know why they brought the old magazines over to the new hospital instead of buying new ones....

And finally, Kindle books are remarkably inexpensive; there is rarely a book over $9.99

On that I've seen wide variety. Many of the books in which I've been interested have had little to no difference between the hardcover price and the Kindle price, which has surprised me greatly. (I can't find an example offhand; the price may change a few weeks after the book has been released.)

I agree with Michael that the Kindle won't become obsolete -- but even if it did, the books you bought will remain on your kindle and you'll still be able to read them.

Unless the device itself breaks. :-( I'm not quite so sanguine about Amazon never going out of business; someone told me that they have yet to make a profit, although I heard that BEFORE the first Kindle came out, so it may be old news. If I sound a bit paranoid about losing information, it's only because I value it so highly. Hardcopy is the ultimate backup (except for fires and other disasters, of course); if I knew how to back up the information, and could back it up in a standard format I could trust to be around for many years, I'd finally convert. :-)

Judith

[Michelle]

I am resolutely old-fashioned when it comes to books. I can't do digital books. Just can't. It just isn't the same as reading a paper book, and reading from a digital display gives me a headache after a while.

This might sound odd, but I love my books. I love the feeling of flipping through pages and the texture of the paper on my hands. I love the smell - especially old and new books. Old books have this great must to them when you turn the pages. New books are even better. They smell great. Some people like the smell of freshly cut grass. I love the smell of fresh books. They smell like I imagine spring should smell. Flowers don't do it for me. They're just plants. The smell of a book, though, that is the symbol of ideas. Ink and wood and you have a medium which revolutionized the flow of information the world over. Granted, so has the internet -- it might be termed the new printing press -- but that is just information. One click of a button and you can delete it. The battery runs out - the device dies. A book though, you can take anywhere, and read anytime. Keep a lighter with you, and you can even read in the dark. You can hold the shivering wisp of flame near the book in the dark, which gives the page a luminous quality, as if the page is writhing with the same tension and anticipation as the steady flame of ideas, reason, and imagination in your mind.

This is why I've never been able to work directly on the computer with my writing. I need to work it out first on paper, and then it can be transferred over to the PC for transcription and editing. Forum posts and school projects are my limits with direct computer work.

I love books. Not apart from the stories printed on them, but as a synthetic whole, paper and story both.

[BaalChatzaf]

Is there a Kindle feature that permits underlining or high lighting?

I Hi Lite my books quite a bit. I also underline.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[Selene]

What Ba'al raises is critical to me. I carry on extended "discussions" with the future reader of my book, including me, in the margins and in different colors, mostly in pen.

Additionally, I have always enjoyed re-reading a book that I have written in.

The actual book is the ultimate backup.

Finally, Michelle is also correct in that there is a tactility to the pages and the action of being able to spin the pages in your eyes looking for something either forward or backward.

So I am completely undecided as to whether to even add kindle, but I do see it's application when traveling, but I would still carry one book in order to engage people and lead the conversation to objectivism.

Adam

[merjet]

Is there a Kindle feature that permits underlining or high lighting?

I Hi Lite my books quite a bit. I also underline.

Ba'al Chatzaf

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/dis...p;#highlighting

Oh, Amazon has made a profit every year since 2004 (earliest year shown) per the WSJ online.

Edited May 30, 2009 by Merlin Jetton

[Selene]

Bows to Michelle and says thank you.

[anonrobt]

I am resolutely old-fashioned when it comes to books. I can't do digital books. Just can't. It just isn't the same as reading a paper book, and reading from a digital display gives me a headache after a while.

This might sound odd, but I love my books. I love the feeling of flipping through pages and the texture of the paper on my hands. I love the smell - especially old and new books. Old books have this great must to them when you turn the pages. New books are even better. They smell great. Some people like the smell of freshly cut grass. I love the smell of fresh books. They smell like I imagine spring should smell. Flowers don't do it for me. They're just plants. The smell of a book, though, that is the symbol of ideas. Ink and wood and you have a medium which revolutionized the flow of information the world over. Granted, so has the internet -- it might be termed the new printing press -- but that is just information. One click of a button and you can delete it. The battery runs out - the device dies. A book though, you can take anywhere, and read anytime. Keep a lighter with you, and you can even read in the dark. You can hold the shivering wisp of flame near the book in the dark, which gives the page a luminous quality, as if the page is writhing with the same tension and anticipation as the steady flame of ideas, reason, and imagination in your mind.

This is why I've never been able to work directly on the computer with my writing. I need to work it out first on paper, and then it can be transferred over to the PC for transcription and editing. Forum posts and school projects are my limits with direct computer work.

I love books. Not apart from the stories printed on them, but as a synthetic whole, paper and story both.

Indeed - tis why have some 8,000 of them in my abode... B)

[Ross Barlow]

I am now reading Victor Hugo’s *The Toilers of the Sea* -- for the first time, as it was out of print for so many decades. It is the last of his major novels for me to read, and I will finish reading it tonight. Hugo could really write, and I am loving this book thus far, finding out just how much I miss reading him. This novel seems to be “slower” than his others, in that lacks the early snappy plot developments of, say, *Ninety-Three,* but I’m not minding that a bit.

Hugo’s legendary, but brilliant, tendency to go on and on for many pages with descriptions and historical notes about a particular locale takes up the early part of this novel, but I have eagerly followed his physical-geographical descriptions of the Channel Islands with an atlas in hand, fascinated by it. (I am coming to view Geography, in its larger reaches – i.e., cultural as well as physical -- as an all-inclusive science that may subsume all of the human arts and sciences within its domain.) There are scientific errors in this book, but keep in mind that it was written in 1866. The plot picks up speed in the book’s second half, and the portrayal of Gilliatt’s lone struggles show us a man of extremely powerful will and original intelligence. Maybe I am liking it so much is because of its lonely individuality – both the lonely landscapes and the lone protagonist – which fits my own personal history.

Of Hugo’s other novels, my favorites in order are first *Ninety-Three,* *Notre Dame de Paris* (The Hunchback), *The Man Who Laughs,* and *Les Miserables.*

On another note, as for being a person with a large book collection, my books are stored in my sister’s attic in the States, taking up a huge area there. My sister remarked that when I moved to Thailand she imagined that I would pack a couple pair of underwear and the rest books. But I brought very few with me. In three years here I have started a new collection. We have several good bookstores in Bangkok, such as Asia Books and Kinokuniya, and they can order books for me.

The next book in line for reading is *Our Enemy, The State* by Albert Jay Nock. It has been many years since I read this small classic, but, since it was very influential on my political thinking, it deserves another read.

.

-Ross Barlow.

[Michelle]

My family has never been terribly well-off, but I've still managed to work enough to build a decent library for myself. Two large bookshelves.

[James Heaps-Nelson]

Looking for Spinoza by Antonio Damasio

The Art of Thinking by Harrison and Bramson

Patent it Yourself by David Pressman

Lotus Sutra (Reeves Translation)

In Search of Memory by Eric Kandel

What is Life? by Erwin Shrodinger

Jim

Edited May 31, 2009 by James Heaps-Nelson

[Xray]

I am resolutely old-fashioned when it comes to books. I can't do digital books. Just can't. It just isn't the same as reading a paper book, and reading from a digital display gives me a headache after a while.

This might sound odd, but I love my books. I love the feeling of flipping through pages and the texture of the paper on my hands. I love the smell - especially old and new books. Old books have this great must to them when you turn the pages. New books are even better. They smell great. Some people like the smell of freshly cut grass. I love the smell of fresh books. They smell like I imagine spring should smell. Flowers don't do it for me. They're just plants. The smell of a book, though, that is the symbol of ideas. Ink and wood and you have a medium which revolutionized the flow of information the world over. Granted, so has the internet -- it might be termed the new printing press -- but that is just information. One click of a button and you can delete it. The battery runs out - the device dies. A book though, you can take anywhere, and read anytime. Keep a lighter with you, and you can even read in the dark. You can hold the shivering wisp of flame near the book in the dark, which gives the page a luminous quality, as if the page is writhing with the same tension and anticipation as the steady flame of ideas, reason, and imagination in your mind.

This is why I've never been able to work directly on the computer with my writing. I need to work it out first on paper, and then it can be transferred over to the PC for transcription and editing. Forum posts and school projects are my limits with direct computer work.

I love books. Not apart from the stories printed on them, but as a synthetic whole, paper and story both.

I like to smell at books too. I love both the musty smell of the old ones and the smell of the brand-new ones.

I often read several books at the same time, which is why it takes me long to finally finish one book.

I'm currently reading Atlas Shrugged. I like to take my time with books, and often linger on sentences, reread passages, leaf back, etc.

I'm an avid but not a fast reader, and sometimes envy my husband who can absorb large volumes in triple the speed.

I can't read whole books online either, since my eyes hurt after a while from staring at the screen.

Edited June 1, 2009 by Xray

[Michelle]

I am resolutely old-fashioned when it comes to books. I can't do digital books. Just can't. It just isn't the same as reading a paper book, and reading from a digital display gives me a headache after a while.

This might sound odd, but I love my books. I love the feeling of flipping through pages and the texture of the paper on my hands. I love the smell - especially old and new books. Old books have this great must to them when you turn the pages. New books are even better. They smell great. Some people like the smell of freshly cut grass. I love the smell of fresh books. They smell like I imagine spring should smell. Flowers don't do it for me. They're just plants. The smell of a book, though, that is the symbol of ideas. Ink and wood and you have a medium which revolutionized the flow of information the world over. Granted, so has the internet -- it might be termed the new printing press -- but that is just information. One click of a button and you can delete it. The battery runs out - the device dies. A book though, you can take anywhere, and read anytime. Keep a lighter with you, and you can even read in the dark. You can hold the shivering wisp of flame near the book in the dark, which gives the page a luminous quality, as if the page is writhing with the same tension and anticipation as the steady flame of ideas, reason, and imagination in your mind.

This is why I've never been able to work directly on the computer with my writing. I need to work it out first on paper, and then it can be transferred over to the PC for transcription and editing. Forum posts and school projects are my limits with direct computer work.

I love books. Not apart from the stories printed on them, but as a synthetic whole, paper and story both.

I like to smell at books too. I love both the musty smell of the old ones and the smell of the brand-new ones.

I'often read several books at the same time, which is why it takes me long to finally finish one book.

I'm currently reading Atlas Shrugged. I like to take my time with books, and often linger on sentences, reread passages, leaf back, etc.

I'm an avid but not a fast reader, and sometimes envy my husband who can absorb large volumes in triple the speed.

I can't read whole books online either, since my eyes hurt after a while from staring at the screen.

I used to be awful. It had gotten to the point where I was reading seven books at once. Well, what would always inevitably happen is that I'd get more and more involved in one or two and less and less involved in the others, so I neglected them. The result is that a good portion of my unread books I've read 1/4 - 1/2 of.

I limit myself now. Two nonfiction and one fiction is my max.

[DavidMcK]

There are so many quotes from Eric Hoffer:

An empty head is not really empty; it is stuffed with rubbish. Hence the difficulty of forcing anything into an empty head.

Craving, not having, is the mother of a reckless giving of oneself.

Creativity is the ability to introduce order into the randomness of nature.

Disappointment is a sort of bankruptcy - the bankruptcy of a soul that expends too much in hope and expectation.

Every new adjustment is a crisis in self-esteem.

Faith in a holy cause is to a considerable extent a substitute for lost faith in ourselves

It is by its promise of a sense of power that evil often attracts the weak.

Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life.

Eric Hoffer worked as a longshoreman (unloading and loading cargo ships) I believe in San Fran. His other books are just as fascinating, but perhaps not as pithy and concentrated as 'True Believer'.