The problem with reading non-fiction is that often times the titles of other books come in to the reading and you want to set down the current tome to pick up the source. Having written down those that are most interesting to me, I now have a pretty good list of books to read for the rest of the year. So in an attempt to at least post something today, no matter how uninteresting to anyone else here is the list:
Wittgenstein’s Poker: I read a chapter of this in Grad school, a middle chapter to be exact. This chronicles the only way philosophical arguments should be settled; one professor chasing another around a room with a fire poker. A future book in the same vein will be titled: Rdxdave’s Chainsaw and the Post-modernists.
The Shed: I’ve heard about this book from a couple different people. Sometimes inspirational literature can be good (hopefully).
Years of Talking Dangerously: I know I have that title wrong, but it’s something close to that. A book discussing the current state of the English language through all the texting and internet speak.
The Clouds by Aristophanes: It kept coming up in Hitchens and in the current book “Doubt” and piqued my interest. It’s a play, and a satire on Greek religion.
The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine: One thing that the religious right seems to get wrong is their assertion that all of our founding fathers were good christians, this book is the argument against religion by one of our patriots.
History of the Pelopenessian Wars by Thucydides trans. Thomas Hobbes: Having spent six months last year reading Herodotus this is the next book in the history of history. The Hobbes translation should be good considering I just kept teaching his philosophy over and over again.
Dialogue on Language (!)-Niccolo Machiavelli: for obvious reasons but this is my missing Machiavelli book. I’ve looked all over for it (internet) and have only found it referenced in other books. After this there is only the Clizia to read and everything that we have from the ambassador I will have read.
History of the Devil: again for obvious reasons.
Metaphysics-Aristotle: Somehow I took an entire seminar on Aristotle and didn’t have to read this book. Curious fact about this is that the title “metaphysics” was coined because an Oxford professor who ordered the works of Aristotle put this book after Aristotle’s “Physics.” The word “metaphysics” meaning “after physics” having nothing to do with the supernatural.
Letters to Moeneceus by Epicurus: I’m getting into classical philosophy again, Epicurus being one of the most important Roman Philosophers.
Voodoo Histories: a skeptical look at conspiracy theories, just my speed. And I’m trying to see if someone already wrote the book that I would like to write.
De Natura Deorum-Cicero: “On the Nature of the Gods” Cicero’s take on religion from the points of view of a Skeptic, Epicurean, and a believer.
A Year of Living Biblically: one man’s attempt to follow all of the bible literally for one year. They should make a movie out of it.
That’s it for vanity.
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