books
-
The Antidote to Ayn Rand < Truthout.org
The last word of Ayn Rand’s dystopian novella Anthem is “EGO.” Grasping the significance of this forbidden word is a kind of divine revelation for the novel’s protagonist, signaling his emancipation from the benighted, collectivist society into which he was… Continue reading
-
Review for new book: “What Can You Really Know?”
A tad meandering for a book review, but the conclusion is of interest. When and why did philosophy lose its bite? How did it become a toothless relic of past glories? These are the ugly questions that Jim Holt’s book… Continue reading
-
Book Review: John Cage biography explores Zen Buddhist influence » TCPalm.com
In a new biography of this pioneering artist, art critic Kay Larson links Cage’s daring presentation of “the sound of no sound” to his growing interest in Eastern religion, particularly Zen Buddhism, at a time of personal crisis in the… Continue reading
-
In the beginning, there was fan fiction: from the four gospels to Fifty Shades | Books | guardian.co.uk
I always a enjoy a good piece of sober thinking that points out the implicit slippery slope fallacy lurking in so many Jeremiah like wailings of the “end is nye”… It’s tempting to get caught up in paradigm-shift apocalypticism, but… Continue reading
-
Soul Spelunker: Dostoevsky And Existentialism
Existentialism was a movement that took place in philosophy after the Second World War, but its roots go back many centuries. It was a break with the Enlightenment mindset which attempted to bring mankind to a state of perfection… via… Continue reading
-
Discipline & Control
An op/ed piece by David Brooks accidentally (i suppose) lays out the very differences within the distinction DISCIPLINE vs. CONTROL. Brooks musings point out the hierarchical structure of book reading. That there are books which are perennial as well as… Continue reading
-
Serving the Masses
When the titanic apparatus of the mass-order has been consolidated, the individual has to serve it, and must from time to time combine with his fellows in order to renovate it. If he wants to make his livelihood by intellectual… Continue reading
CALL ME MAGGIE 