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diff --git a/src/blog/books-read-in-2021.html.erb b/src/blog/books-read-in-2021.html.erb new file mode 100644 index 0000000..dfb1bb1 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/blog/books-read-in-2021.html.erb @@ -0,0 +1,136 @@ +title: Books Read in 2021 +date: January 17, 2022 +--- +<p> +Here's a list of books I read this past year. As mentioned at the end of +<a href='<%= path_to 'blog_books-read-in-2020' %>'>last year's post</a>, I +started out the year with quite a few positions finished cover-to-cover, but as +the amount of time I needed to spend on work and my thesis increased during the +year, there were a few months where I had no time at all for leisure reading. By +the end of the year I once again started finding more time for reading and +decided to jump into Plato's works. +</p> + +<p> +Anyways, here's the list: +</p> + +<p> +<ol> + <li> + <p> + <b>The Shallows</b>, Nicholas G. Carr. Words of warning about how the + internet and computer technologies negatively affect our lives. In my + opinion, Carr's takes aren't quite spicy enough, and the Ellul book + mentioned below gives a much fuller picture of how cautious we should be of + technology. That said, this might work as a decent wake up call for anyone + not quite yet ready to jump into 300 pages of dense sociology that Ellul + presents. + </p> + </li> + <li> + <p> + <b>The Great Gatsby</b>, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Finally got around to reading + this classic. + </p> + </li> + <li> + <p> + <b>The Enchiridion</b>, Epictetus. A very quick read, works as a nice + summary of the stoic position. + </p> + </li> + <li> + <p> + <b>Foundation</b>, Isaac Asimov. Finally got around to reading this sci-fi + classic. + </p> + </li> + <li> + <p> <b>The Technological Society</b>, Jacques Ellul. I actually started + reading this in 2020 but didn't get far, picked it up and finished the rest + of the way in 2021. A very good read, highly recommended reading if at any + point you've run across Ted Kaczynski's manifesto and any part of it + intrigued you. + </p> + + <p> + Ellul takes a deep dive into how technology (or more generally, + <i>technique</i>, which by his definition is any process that is the best + currently known for achieving a particular goal) has interacted with and + changed our humanity. + </p> + </li> + <li> + <p> + <b>First Philosophers</b> (second half, on the sophists), Robin + Waterfield. As mentioned in last year's post, I read half of this in 2020. + Honestly the first half on the presocratics was much more interesting. Now, + at the end of 2021, I don't remember much from the sophists at all. + </p> + </li> + <li> + <p> + <b>Can Life Prevail</b>, Pentti Linkola. A much more radical take on + what it means to "save the envrionment" than what you'll hear on TV. Linkola + spent his life studying the declining health of European forests and bird + life, and fishing using traditional methods. He speaks about nature from the + point of view of a brother, not a virtue signaling committee. + </p> + </li> + <li> + <p> + <b>Crisis of the Modern World</b>, René Guénon. Though written in the + 1920s, the symptoms of crisis Guénon described have only grown stronger by + the 2020s. He ends up dealing with some of the same subjects as the Ellul + book mentioned previously, but from the point of view of esoterics and + tradition rather than technology. + </p> + </li> + <li> + <p> + Plato's dialogues. I'm reading from the version of his complete works edited + by John M. Cooper and D. S. Hutchinson. I haven't officially committed to + going through the whole thing, I'll just keep going until I'm bored and + decide to switch to something else. Here's the dialogues I got through this + year: + <ol> + <li> + <p> <b>Euthyphro</b>. Happens days before Socrates' trial. Socrates + and Euthyphro discuss the meaning of piety and justice. + </p> + </li> + <li> + <p> + <b>Socrates' apology</b>. Plato's rendition of Socrates defending + himself in court against the charges of impiety and corruption of the + youth. + </p> + </li> + <li> + <p> + <b>Crito</b>. Socrates' friend visits him in prison, trying to convince + him to attempt an escape before his execution. Socrates explains, much + to Crito's disappointment, why it would be improper for him to do so. + </p></li> + <li> + <p> + <b>Phaedo</b>. Several of Socrates' friends visit him the day of his + execution. Socrates attempts to lift their spirits with a discussion + about death and the afterlife, before (spoiler alert) drinking the + kool-aid. + </p></li> + <li> + <p> + <b>Theaetetus</b>. Socrates speaks with a young student of philosophy + about the nature of knowledge. They try out a few different potential + definitions, unhappy with each, arriving at absurdities and + contradictions with each attempt. This dialogue has an overall very + conversational and even light-hearted style, while getting into some + really complex and dense case analysis at times. + </p> + </li> + </ol> + </li> +</ol> +</p> |