Showing posts with label Philosophy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philosophy. Show all posts

Friday, December 11, 2015

Currently Reading: Career of Evil and The History of Western Philosophy (Book Club)

On Monday, while I was searching the library's website, I took a chance and put my name on the hold list for Career of Evil. I'm glad I did because yesterday I got a call that the book was available to pick up.

The second book I will be reading is another Book Club pick, The History of Western Philosophy. I can't say that I enjoyed reading Republic by Plato but it didn't damper my interest in reading more Philosophy books.




Book: Career of Evil (Cormoran Strike book #3) by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)

Source: Library

Description:

When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman’s severed leg.

Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible – and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality.

With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands, and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them…

Career of Evil is the third in the highly acclaimed series featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. A fiendishly clever mystery with unexpected twists around every corner, it is also a gripping story of a man and a woman at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives.







Book: The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell

Book Club: Philosophy Books Club

Description:

Hailed as “lucid and magisterial” by The Observer, this book is universally acclaimed as the outstanding one-volume work on the subject of Western philosophy.

Considered to be one of the most important philosophical works of all time, the History of Western Philosophy is a dazzlingly unique exploration of the ideologies of significant philosophers throughout the ages—from Plato and Aristotle through to Spinoza, Kant and the twentieth century. Written by a man who changed the history of philosophy himself, this is an account that has never been rivaled since its first publication over sixty years ago.

Since its first publication in 1945, Lord Russell’s A History of Western Philosophy is still unparalleled in its comprehensiveness, its clarity, its erudition, its grace, and its wit. In seventy-six chapters he traces philosophy from the rise of Greek civilization to the emergence of logical analysis in the twentieth century.

Among the philosophers considered are: Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, the Atomists, Protagoras, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Cynics, the Sceptics, the Epicureans, the Stoics, Plotinus, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, Benedict, Gregory the Great, John the Scot, Aquinas, Duns Scotus, William of Occam, Machiavelli, Erasmus, More, Bacon, Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, the Utilitarians, Marx, Bergson, James, Dewey, and lastly the philosophers with whom Lord Russell himself is most closely associated—Cantor, Frege, and Whitehead, coauthor with Russell of the monumental Principia Mathematica.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Book Review for Book Club: Republic


Book: Republic by Plato with translations by Benjamin Jowett

Book Club: Philosophy Books Club


Rating: 2 stars

Review:

I finally finished reading this book and it only took a little over three months to do it. I know this is held in such high regards in the world of philosophy but I wasn't thrilled with it.

This was a disappointing read, not only are the characters extremely long winded but they can't even stick to the topic of discussion for long. Their conversations skip around a lot with most of it feeling like nothing more than hot air or the strong desire to hear themselves speak.

There were parts of this that I found interesting but a majority of this book dragged on with no real purpose. I also feel like if it was up to the characters in this story, the world that they had envisioned would be really restrictive and leaving no area for creativity or discoveries.

For a philosophy book, I found it hardly contained anything that was really thought-provoking.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Book Review: Plato for Plumbers

I just finished Shoe Addicts Anonymous and I will have the review posted tomorrow.



Book: Plato for Plumbers by Francis Gideon

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

The week before an important philosophy conference, Kenneth is struggling to finish both the last chapter of his book and the paper he's writing for the event. His efforts are thwarted by a leaky faucet—and his life as a whole is turned upside down by the plumber who shows up to fix it.


Rating: 4 stars

Review:

This short story takes a look at a burned out Philosophy Professor who may have found inspiration from an unlikely source.

When 44 year old professor of Philosophy Doctor Kenneth McLaughlin sat down to write his paper for an upcoming conference, he couldn't concentrate. First, he was dealing with signs of being burned out and second, the constant dripping faucet in his bathroom was making it impossible to focus.

The faucet almost seemed like the perfect excuse for not being able to write especially since he has been stressed out and already off to a bad start trying to piece together his paper. But really his main problem was he didn't seem to be enjoying philosophy as much as he used to. Over the years, all he has done is invest his time into his career that now that he looked at his life it seemed a little empty despite all his accomplishments. In his pursuit of career advancement he has forgone social interaction and making new friends, love and romance and his passion for writing anything non-academic.

Not being able to take the dripping any longer he finally called a plumbing company and was told a plumber would stop by that day.

As he thought over a recent phone call he had with his former professor and now colleague, it had Ken thinking back to his time in grad school when his approach to philosophy was more enthusiastic. He was starting to feel like he was turning into one of those bitter professors he used to have when he was in school and that was something that he didn't want to become. But most importantly he seems to have lost his drive and passion.

When the plumber Mark showed up, he gave Ken an unexpectedly new look at philosophy. Mark had a great understanding of the subject which made for an easy conversation between the two. After the talk, Ken started to rethink his current take on how he viewed philosophy. It also didn't hurt that he had a bit of an attraction to Mark, how could he not the guy had brains and good looks.

I like that the story had a nice build up and even though there is a bit of insta-love in the story which is usually a pet peeve of mine but this time it didn't annoy me. I guess since the characters are a little older and have a better grasp on who they are, the some what rushed romance near the end didn't seem to be a problem.

Since I started reading Philosophy again (thanks to joining the Philosophy book club) I've really become fascinated by the subject and I thought the author did a great job of including it in the story. Plato for Plumbers although a short story has a full and interesting plot with very likeable characters.

This is a romance story but what I found interesting was that it didn't delve into the erotica or racy scenes but instead focused on the connection building between theses two characters. I also like how the story showed not to judge someone because although Mark didn't have a college degree he understood Philosophy better than most scholars.

I enjoyed this, it was a fun read and I thought the sample of that corny and cliché story that Ken was working on was actually really funny. It showed that Ken was finally starting to relax and get back into writing again even if his story wasn't the greatest.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

An Upcoming Book Club Read for September: Republic

I recently joined the Philosophy Books Club on Goodreads and the group is planning on reading Republic by Plato. I've seen this book titled as both The Republic and also as Republic, does anyone know if there is a reason for the difference?

I've never read this and I think it would be interesting to see what it is all about. The funny thing is I don't really read a lot of philosophy books but since I was invited to join this group, I figure this would give me a chance to read more of them.

This is the edition (that I surprisingly already had) that I plan to read:



Book: Republic by Plato with translations by Benjamin Jowett

Description:

One of the greatest works of philosophy, political theory, and literature ever produced, Plato's Republic has shaped Western thought for thousands of years, and remains as relevant today as when it was written during the fourth century B.C.

Republic begins by posing a central question: "What is justice, and why should we be just, especially when the wicked often seem happier and more successful?" For Plato, the answer lies with the ways people, groups, and institutions organize and behave. A brilliant inquiry into the problems of constructing the perfect state, and the roles education, the arts, family, and religion should play in our lives, Republic employs picturesque settings, sharply outlined characters, and conversational dialogue to drive home the philosopher’s often provocative arguments.


It has been said that the entire history of Western philosophy consists of nothing more than "a series of footnotes to Plato." Vastly entertaining, occasionally shocking, and always stimulating, Republic continues to enrich and expand the outlook of all who read it.