You guys, I am way too caught up in my Secret Life of Bees discussion group to even think of another book club.
So I'm gonna go ahead and put you down, mmkay?
_________________ "Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires." -- John Steinbeck
So much for me bragging on Amazon. My order still hasn't shipped. They're estimating that it'll ship on Monday.
_________________ "Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires." -- John Steinbeck
Joined: Wed Dec 13, 2006 4:37 am Posts: 3610 Location: London, UK Gender: Female
sod's law: it was taken out of my local library on the day I went to get it it's at another branch which is quite a bit further (on bike or public transport)..playing a softball game nearby on Tuesday so will try to get it then, otherwise I'll buy it (but as it's not the kind of thing I'd ever re-read I'd rather not)..so definitely won't start the discussion on the 1st... but realise i had the BBC 3 part documentary "Iran and the West" on my PVR so will check that before (though it covers a latter period, it refers to previous events)
_________________ 2009 was a great year for PJ gigs looking forward to 2010 and: Columbus, Noblesville, Cleveland, Buffalo, Dublin, Belfast, London, Nijmegen, Berlin, Arras, Werchter, Lisbon, some more US (wherever is the Anniversary show/a birthday show)
I'm thinking about reading All The Shah's Men even without the whole book club idea behind it. I'm not interested in discussing the book with you all so much as I am just interested in reading it.
So, thanks for the book idea. I have Siddartha coming in the mail. I still have Leopold's Ghost to start as well. ....I should read that one next by rights, because I actually stole it from the library by accident. I want to go back to finish Crime and Punishment even though the first 8 chapters made my head explode. Wealth of Nations is another book on my list to read.....then Ayn Rand's stuff....and some more Fitzgerald........not to mention several white papers on network security and how to land an INFOSEC job. Even though I probably never will land an INFOSEC job. Or maybe I will, I dunno...
There's not enough time in the day. Someone please..... kill me now.
_________________ "A waffle is like a pancake with a syrup trap." - Mitch Hedberg
Yeah that's what I was thinking. I'll probably start it tonight or tomorrow.
_________________ "Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires." -- John Steinbeck
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 12:47 am Posts: 46000 Location: Reasonville
I recommend adding this to the list:
Blackburn is philosophy professor at Cambridge. It is a fantastic book, extremely well written. Something like 150 pages, so not a terribly long read, but it's packed with the different ethical ideas, and how to make sense of ethics in both broad and specific situations.
This is not your typical ethics book: its sleek physical dimensions mirror Simon Blackburn's intelligent but unencumbered treatment of the main threats and origins of ethics. In Being Good, Blackburn addresses the fear that "ethical claims are a kind of sham" before sketching a road map of the history of ethics, its practical consequences, and its ultimate foundations. All this is an ambitious task for such a diminutive volume.
A professor of philosophy at the University of Cambridge, Blackburn is one of the giants of contemporary moral theory and a trustworthy guide through its labyrinth. He prefers parsimony to complexity--helpful for readers with only a casual acquaintance with philosophy--yet he manages to avoid trivializing his subject matter. Moreover, Being Good is wonderfully enlivened by illustrations by Paul Klee, William Blake, Eugène Delacroix, Francisco de Goya, and even Vietnam War photography and cartoons. Blackburn concludes on a promising note:
"If we are careful, and mature, and imaginative, and fair, and nice, and lucky, the moral mirror in which we gaze at ourselves may not show us saints. But it need not show us monsters, either."
_________________ No matter how dark the storm gets overhead They say someone's watching from the calm at the edge What about us when we're down here in it? We gotta watch our backs
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum