From 5a71fd467602329627204a3a6ae0aa88635f6989 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Marcin Chrzanowski Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2022 14:34:24 +0100 Subject: Add books read in 2021 --- src/blog/books-read-in-2021.html.erb | 136 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 136 insertions(+) create mode 100644 src/blog/books-read-in-2021.html.erb (limited to 'src/blog') 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 +--- +

+Here's a list of books I read this past year. As mentioned at the end of +'>last year's post, 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. +

+ +

+Anyways, here's the list: +

+ +

+

    +
  1. +

    + The Shallows, 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. +

    +
    2. +
  2. +

    + The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Finally got around to reading + this classic. +

    +
    3. +
  3. +

    + The Enchiridion, Epictetus. A very quick read, works as a nice + summary of the stoic position. +

    +
    4. +
  4. +

    + Foundation, Isaac Asimov. Finally got around to reading this sci-fi + classic. +

    +
    5. +
  5. +

    The Technological Society, 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. +

    + +

    + Ellul takes a deep dive into how technology (or more generally, + technique, 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. +

    +
    6. +
  6. +

    + First Philosophers (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. +

    +
    7. +
  7. +

    + Can Life Prevail, 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. +

    +
    8. +
  8. +

    + Crisis of the Modern World, 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. +

    +
    9. +
  9. +

    + 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: +

      +
    1. +

      Euthyphro. Happens days before Socrates' trial. Socrates + and Euthyphro discuss the meaning of piety and justice. +

      +
      2. +
    2. +

      + Socrates' apology. Plato's rendition of Socrates defending + himself in court against the charges of impiety and corruption of the + youth. +

      +
      3. +
    3. +

      + Crito. 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. +

      4. +
    4. +

      + Phaedo. 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. +

      5. +
    5. +

      + Theaetetus. 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. +

      +
      6. +
    +
    10. +
+

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