The Book list...
The Philosophical Writings of Descartes (Volume I) - translated by:John Cottingham Robert Stoothoff Dugald Murdoch
About
In order to think like the best you have to read the best. Reading the philosophy of Descartes will give you insight into one of the greatest minds in history.
While reading Descartes' writing you will not cease to be amazed at the gems that are hidden within this expanisve collection of his work. The bredth and depth of his intellectual endeavors will give any mind instant stimulation and lasting insight.
Quotes
"We ought to read the writings of the ancients, for it is of great advantage to be able to make use of the labours of so many men."
- pg 13
"[The rules for the direction of the mind] should contain the primary rudiments of human reason and extend to the discovery of truths in any field whatever."
- pg 17
"... bear in mind that on the basis of our knowledge of the most simple and primary things we can make many discoveries, even in other disciplines, through careful reflection and discriminating inquiry."
- pg 24
"For it is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to apply it well. The greatest souls are capable of the greatest vices as well as the greatest virtues; and thosewho proceed but very slowly can make much greater progress, if they always follow the right path, than those who hurry and stray from it."
- pg 111
"To this extent it is certain that, provided our soul always has the means of happiness within itself, all the troubles coming from elesewhere are powerless to harm it."
- pg 382
Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
Synopsis
This is a fast and entertaining read that the movie version can't even touch. There are different scenes and the ending of the book is much more intense and along the lines of what Palahniuk is trying to get across.
This book is a knockout. The chapters are short and the philosophical implications are deep. Wether you like this book or not you will won't be able to deny the quailty of the writing. If you're intrigued by the title or the movie this book is a must read. To accomplish this much in such a short and entertaining read speaks to the quality of Palahniuk's writing.
Einstein: The Life and Times - Ronald W. Clark
Quotes
"I have little patience with scientists who take a board of wood, look for its thinnest part, and drill a great number of holes where driling is easy."
- Albert Einstein (quoted by Philipp Frank in "Einstein's Philosophy of Science," Reviews of Modern Physics, Vol. 21, No. 3, July 1949)
"... [in the family legend] Hermann Einstein asked his son's headmaster what profession his son should adopt, the answer was simply: 'It doesn't matter; he'll never make a success of anything'."
- pg 27
"[Einstein's] reaction to the living world was illustrated one day as he stood with a friend watching the flocks of emigrating birds flying overhead: 'I think it is easily possible that they follow beams which are so far unknown to us'."
- pg 35
"Einstein's God thus stood for an orderly system obeying rules which could be discovered by thoes who had the courage, the imagination, and the persistence to go on searching for them.
- pg 38
nbsp; "Einstein revealed two aspects of his approach to science which became the keys to his work: the search for a unity behind disparate phenomena, and the acceptance of a reality 'apart from the direct visible truth'."
- pg 77
"Just as beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, so does each man carry with him his own space and his own time.
- pg 121
Blink: The power of thinking without thinking - Malcolm Gladwell
Synopsis
From what you've seen and read so far you're either going to read this book or not; this is an example of blink. Instead of telling you what the book is about (as I've done for his other Books) I'm going to describe the writing of Malcolm Gladwell.
Gladwell is like a great magician; if only more so. Instead of giving you goose bumps with a trick, he slowly tells you about the trick he's about to perform. He explains exactly how it's going to be done down to every interesting detail and you're fascinated. He tells you about how slight of hand is simpler than you've ever though; how a 48-year-old man from a small town in Pennsylvania taught him this trick. How they sat together in his dilapidated camper within smelling distance of the local brewery. The history of magic: death, tragedy, romance. He then brings you back to the stage your standing in-front of and performs a trick that leaves you spell-bound.
Before bowing and leaving the stage however Gladwell again tells you about the trick, this time illuminating things you saw but probably didn't "see." You're jaw drops as he explains details that stole the attention of your subconscious, slipping right past your conscious bouncer.
As you walk out of the theatre and chat excitedly to your companions and neighbors you reach into your pocket only to find that he's given you your very own ace of spades to impress your friends with.
Food Rules - Michael Pollen
Synopsis
Again we see the motif of the omnivore's dilemma. What should I eat?
This book is an essential "rule" book for any healthy eater. It covers everything from table etiquette to grocery store navigation. Even covering to what extent you should be following these rules. (Everything in moderation... Even moderation..?)
If you even follow most of these rules you cannot but live a healthier lifestyle. So again you may ask; what should I eat? Even the rules just got simple.
The China Study - T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II
Synopsis
To what extent is diet related to cancer and heart disease? We all know that food can make us obese but can it rid our dependence on drugs and surgery? Is it possible to prevent and even reverse disease, diabetes, and cancer?
After conducting the largest epidemiological study in history, Dr. Campbell has compelling evidence that prevention and treatment of the leading threats to America's heath is as simple as a healthy diet.
But what should I eat you may ask? The answer is surprisingly simple.
Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami
Synopsis
Murakami again walks the line between reality and dreams. With profoundly interesting characters and a plot that winds like a forest path, Murakami will take you on an unexpected journey. The story is nothing short of blind-sighting at times.
Murakami is able to touch the depth of human existence while observing the simplicity of everyday life. For anyone looking for something a bit different this book is sure to please.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
Synopsis
If you’ve had enough luck to land upon Junot Diaz, you’re offered what has turned out to be a awesome modern novel. Diaz covers the trials of growing up in New Jersey and the tribulations of life under the demonic Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo; oscillating between the 1930’s and the present day.
The writing style is simple and refreshing. The story structure is enticingly layered with an ending that leaves your literary pallet cleansed of past expectation and prepared for a taste of wonder and intrigue.
What the Dog Saw - Malcolm Gladwell
Synopsis
Are childproof medicine bottles actually safer for children? Can you rate a teacher or a potential employee based on a two-second clip with no audio just as well as you could after an hour or a year? Was the Enron scandal a mystery or a puzzle? Is a mammogram better than a manual examination? Does criminal profiling actually work? Is panicking different from choking?
Malcolm Gladwell hand picks his favorite articles from the New Yorker and presents them to us in a single volume. If diversity of subject and short morning reading sessions are your thing, then his book is perfect. If nothing else, What the Dog Saw offers us alternative insights into what most people would classify as obvious.
Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
Quotes
"My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."
"Man is an end in himself."
"Give me liberty of give me death."
Her self-titled philosophy "objectivism" is a philosophy for living on earth. The pinnacle of her writing career, Atlas Shrugged, is an all-time classic.
Justice: what's the right thing to do? - Michael Sandel
Synopsis
Sandel has a clean and clear writing style that permeates the entire book. He starts off much like he would a lecture in his classroom at Harvard, with a few questions to whet your appetite.
The anti-pasta is a review of political-philosophical terms (Utilitarianism, Libertarianism, markets, morals, Kant, Rawls, Aristotle) with current and recent politics that are sure to stir conversation.
Covering the basic foundations of what Justice and Politics mean today with thought provoking insights comprises the main course of the book. Here we find questions about what a just society is, covering anything from Immigration Rights, Affirmative Action, to the roles of government and its relationship to religion and morality.
The finishing touch is Sandel's very own recipe for finding out for ourselves what a just society should be and what role politics is to play. This dessert allows us to digest the philosophy at the core of the book yet allows us some guidance and perspective.
Quotes
"...This is an example of what Kant would call heteronomous determination - doing something for the sake of something else,
for the sake of something else, and so on. When we act heteronomously, we act for the sake of ends given outside of us.
We are instruments, not authors, of the purpose we pursue."
- pg 110
"...Kantian respect is respect for humanity as such, for a rational capacity that resides,
undifferentiated, in all of us."
- pg 123
"Some people would rather be spared harsh truths at vulnerable moments, while others the truth, however painful. You might well conclude that, if you found yourself in your mother's condition, you would rather not be told.
For Kant, however, this is the wrong question to ask. What matters is not how you
(or your mother) would feel under these circumstances, but what it means to treat persons as rational beings,
worthy of respect. Here is a case where compassion might point one way and Kantian respect another.
From the standpoint of the categorical imperative, lying to your mother out of concern for her feelings would arguably use her as a means to her own contentment
rather than respect her as a rational being."
- pg 125
"Freedom of the will is not the kind of thing that science can prove or disprove. Neither is morality. It's true that human beings
inhabit the realm of nature. Everything we do can be described from a physical or biological point of view.
When I raise my hand to cast a vote, my action can be explained in therms of muscles, neurons, synapses, and cells.
But it can also be explained in terms of ideas and beliefs.
Kant says we can't help but understand ourselves from both standpoints - the empirical realm of physics and biology, and an "intelligible" realm of free human agency."
- pg 126
"...for each may seek happiness in whatever way he sees fit, so long as he does not infringe upon the freedom of others [to do the same]."
- pg 139, Kant
"Justice is not only about the right way to distribute things.
It is also about the right way to value things."
- pg 261
"Moral virtue comes about as a result of habit. ...we become just by doing just acts,
temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts."
- pg ???, Aristotle
The Dancing Wu Li Masters - Gary Zukav
Synopsis
Physics and philosophy, quarks and quacks, z bosons and Zen Masters. Gary Zukav has written a cosmic anomaly; an absolutely entertaining and enlightening book about Physics.
A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
Synopsis
Meet Ignatius J. Reilly.
Fall 2011 and Winter 2012
- Group Theory in the Bedroom
- Fermat's Last Theorem: Unlocking the Secret of an Ancient Mathematical Problem
- White Noise
- Consider the Lobster: And Other Essays
Spring and Summer 2011
- Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs : A Low Culture Manifesto
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
- The Lost City of Z
- A Confederacy of Dunces - Again
- Infinite Jest
- Rant
- The Age of Wonder
- Godel, Escher, Bach; An Eternal Golden Braid - Again
Winter 2010-2011
- The Philosophical Writings of Descartes (volume I)
- 100 Essential things you didn't know you didn't know
- Biocentrism
- The Grand Design
- The Tipping Point
- Fight Club
Fall 2010
- Blink
- Food Rules
- The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
- The Call of the Wild
- Kafka on the Shore
- The China Study
- Outliers
- Fearful Symmetry
- Sputnik Sweetheart
- Atlas Shrugged
Summer 2010
- What the Dog Saw
- The Brief Wondrous life of Oscar Wao
- Justice
- On The Road
- Confederacy of Dunces
- Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior
- Orthodoxy
- Godel, Escher, Bach; An Eternal Golden Braid
- One Hundred Years of Solitude
- So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish
- Mostly Harmless
- Albert Einstein: the life and times
Winter and Spring 2010
- Life, the Universe, and Everything...
- Walden
- Hiroshima
- The Journey Of Self-Discovery
- The Dancing Wu-Li Masters
- An Anthropologist On Mars
- The Way Of Chuang Tzu
- The Conscious Universe
Summer 2009
- Irresistible Revolution
- Flow
- Hard Boiled Wonderland
- Catcher In The Rye
- The Brothers Karamazov
- The Fountainhead
- House Of Leaves
- Ishmael
- Tao Of Pooh
- Mere Christianity
- Loaves and fishes
- The Alchemist
- Existentialism: A short Introduction
- Born To Run
- The Pilgrimage
- Conversations With God Book 1
- The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe
- Siddhartha
- Candide
- The Phenomenon Of Man
- Snuff
