[quote]Worf wrote:
You didn’t mention in your thread that you enjoyed economics but as I am an economics professor so it’s pretty much all I read so here’s what I recommend. None of these are scholarly works, which means that you can actually understand them.
Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt.
How Capitalism Saved America by Thomas Dilorenzo.
Free to Choose by Milton Friedman.
These books are about economics, but they discuss history and philosophy as well. One thing is for sure, there is no romance in them at all![/quote]
So I’m guessing you don’t think that Keynes and Guttenberg solved all of the money problems?
The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell (a trilogy, starting with the Winter King - a “historically accurate” portrait of the Arthurian Legend, set in Dark Ages Britain) - absolutely INCREDIBLE books.
Also, the Master and Commander series by Patrick O’Brien - another amazing series of books, but this one has like 20… I’m on number 9.
I didn’t check every post so excuse me if it hasn’t been said before.
For a school class, I’m reading a lot of philosophy, the well-known stuff, and I think it’s really very interesting. By far though, my favorite has to be Plato’s Republic. It’s a lot to swallow, and you really have to focus, it’s not light reading at all, but it’s so rewarding, and once you’re into it, it’s hard to put down. Someone said that “All modern philosophy is a series of footnotes to Socrates,” and while of course he’s exaggerating, there’s a good amount of truth in that statement. Great book!
Dammit, I just realized Republic’s already been mentioned, oh well. =P Here are some others though which are good, I’m sure you’ve heard of them, they are quite influential.
Sartre’s Existentialism is a Humanism
A quality existentialism book.
Descartes - Discourse on Method
Do you know the phrase “I think, therefore I am?” It’s from here.
Hesse - Siddhartha
Novelized version of the Buddha’s life, as far as actualy Buddhist doctrine and thought goes, it’s not great, it has too many Hindu influences, but it’s a lovely book
[quote]msuchancey wrote:
I’d also recommend ‘Fahrenheit 451’ by Ray Bradbury, ‘Suttree’ by Cormac MacCarthy, and ‘Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven’ by Sherman Alexie.
All good reads.
CR[/quote]
“Suttree” is good - but his “Blood Meridian” is ridiculous. That would make a bad-ass flick.
[quote]Ren wrote:
I hate you all, my reading list has multiplied and I think it might start reproducing asexually within a few days. At the moment I am waiting on my copies of The Art of War, The Book of Five Rings, and Hagakure to come in from amazon so I can dig into them. any other recommendations for books along those lines?
[/quote]
[quote]danmaftei wrote:
Dammit, I just realized Republic’s already been mentioned, oh well. =P Here are some others though which are good, I’m sure you’ve heard of them, they are quite influential.
Sartre’s Existentialism is a Humanism
A quality existentialism book.
Descartes - Discourse on Method
Do you know the phrase “I think, therefore I am?” It’s from here.
Hesse - Siddhartha
Novelized version of the Buddha’s life, as far as actualy Buddhist doctrine and thought goes, it’s not great, it has too many Hindu influences, but it’s a lovely book
[/quote]
People still read Sartre’s philosophical works ? That guy was completely full of shit. His plays and novels on the other hand, are quite brilliant, but not as dope as Camus. Much cooler and not as much intellectual masturbation.
[quote]Charlie wrote:
IMHO the list should have on it:
For just plain weirdness: Gravity’s Rainbow (Jerzy Kozinski is next in line)
(or Joyce’s Finnigan’s Wake if you can read it)
Generally anything by Joseph Conrad
Ann Rand is boring…good reads if you enjoy England of the 1820-1830’s
S.M. Stirling’s Draka series.
Friedrich Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom (an economist who witnessed first hand the results of leftist arguments) and to counter it John Maynard Keynes’ General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money (an economist who made his fortune in the stock market before being well known)
The Republic by Plato
Lord of the Rings (Ballantine’s Publication of the 1960’s-best maps)
Common Law by Oliver Wendell Holmes
For the opportunity to laugh at psychology: Totems and Taboo by Freud
Bloom’s Closing of the American Mind
P.J. O’Rourke’s stuff tends to get good laughs…
Bertrand Russell’s Why I am Not a Christian…and Bishop Ware’s Orthodox Faith.
Should keep you busy for a bit…
[/quote]
I found Gravity’s Rainbow boring and confusing. I felt like I was missing like a million references and didn’t really care to find out what they were.
[quote]danmaftei wrote:
“All modern philosophy is a series of footnotes to Socrates,” and while of course he’s exaggerating, there’s a good amount of truth in that statement. Great book![/quote]
[quote]Charlie wrote:
For just plain weirdness: Gravity’s Rainbow (Jerzy Kozinski is next in line)
(or Joyce’s Finnigan’s Wake if you can read it)
[/quote]
I read Crime and Punishment, but The Brothers Karamazov made my head hurt somethin’ bad.
[quote]swordthrower wrote:
Nobody mentioned Dostoyevsky! You have to read Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov before you die, or you go straight to hell.[/quote]
I’m about to co-opt this thread a tiny little bit.
Thanks to the economists for providing a reading list. I’d also love to study up mathematics and philosophy.
For math, I’d just like to get a clue. The way it was taught back in the Stone Age, when I was in school, was “just memorize the formula and apply it when I tell you to.” Any suggestions on reading material that would deepen my understanding?
For philosophy, how about a suggested survey of readings from Western philosophers spanning, say, Aristotle to Wittgenstein?
We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread, already in progress.[/quote]
fermats last theorem, the man who loved only numbers, and the man who knew infinity are good
[quote]
“Rainbow Six” by Tom Clancy-another page-turner.[/quote]
One of the best books I’ve ever read, hands down!
Some others I like:
“The Great Gatsby” (read it for English class, and it was actually good IMO if you’re interested in the 1920’s era, the symbolism pissed me off though…:D).
“Prey” by Michael Crichton (interesting sci-fi book)
“Timeline” by Michael Crichton
(I was addicted to this book!)
“Net Force” (forgot who wrote it, but it was also good)
I really did not care for “rainbow six”. Bt the end of the book I was really rooting for the bad guys to win. And the bad guys were really gay.
For Tom Clancy books I liked “red storm rising” and “without remorse” both were much better than rainbow six to me.
[quote]GhostOfYourMind wrote:
“Rainbow Six” by Tom Clancy-another page-turner.
One of the best books I’ve ever read, hands down!
Some others I like:
“The Great Gatsby” (read it for English class, and it was actually good IMO if you’re interested in the 1920’s era, the symbolism pissed me off though…:D).
“Prey” by Michael Crichton (interesting sci-fi book)
“Timeline” by Michael Crichton
(I was addicted to this book!)
“Net Force” (forgot who wrote it, but it was also good)