Books discussion

[Edguy_Forever]

Yes, I can totally understand why one might think that. The simple truth is that we have made a lot of progress since then. However, the reason the classics seem so simple and obvious, is because (as I said before) The discoveries found within them have been incorporated into every work that followed in some way. I personally find it important to understand where all of our current ideas come from. Also, you should give Socrates/Plato a little more credit than you are, some of their stuff may seem silly or dated, but its still really thought provoking stuff.

[Aethaeryn]

Of course, by reading "Plato and Socrates" you mean reading "Plato and Plato-incorporating-a-character-named-Socrates-in-dialogues." Socrates never wrote anything himself and anything about him is thus indirect.

And yes, so much of Western thought is Greek in origin.

[Edguy_Forever]

Well, there is speculation both ways as to whose ideas were really recorded. But yes, I do acknowledge that fact. that is why I put their names between a slash in the post above. I personally think its a little bit of both.

[Aethaeryn]

Well, there is speculation both ways as to whose ideas were really recorded. But yes, I do acknowledge that fact. that is why I put their names between a slash in the post above. I personally think its a little bit of both.

Here's an interesting point I've heard before: The issues raised and methods used in Plato's The Republic may have been introduced by Socrates, but the conclusions Plato came to were probably his own. This kind of answers why there's a contradiction: how questioning everything leads to a regime that would fit in perfectly among those of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. (In fact, I was surprised how much The Republic when I was reading it reminded me of Brave New World.) Still, it's difficult to tell where Socrates ends and Plato begins: Plato probably intended it to be that way.

[Blarumyrran]

I for one never understood what was evil about the bravenewworld society. The only unhumane act of it was not forcing itself upon the savages, leaving them to their misery. There was never any reason for that, other than to introduce the tarzan kid to the plot.

[Aethaeryn]

I for one never understood what was evil about the bravenewworld society. The only unhumane act of it was not forcing itself upon the savages, leaving them to their misery. There was never any reason for that, other than to introduce the tarzan kid to the plot.

I guess the largest thing in common between Brave New World and The Republic is the absence of individual freedoms and liberty, a concept that simply didn't exist in Plato's time. If you're not an individualist, you might not have that much of a problem with either hypothetical society.

[Blarumyrran]

I guess the largest thing in common between Brave New World and The Republic is the absence of individual freedoms and liberty, a concept that simply didn't exist in Plato's time.

Huh, from what I remember from school, most major greek societies were based on slavery

[Skizzaltix]

Unless I'm mistaken, that's what he meant--that the Greeks didn't really have a concept of individual freedom and liberty.

[Blarumyrran]

Oh i read it he meant the concept of the absence of *. Yeah it makes more sense your way.

[Coaxke]

I just finished The Princess Bride and I'm not sure what to read next... maybe Fight Club.

[Aethaeryn]

Oh i read it he meant the concept of the absence of *. Yeah it makes more sense your way.

Yeah. Sorry for being unclear...

[Bellerophon]

Finished reading Cell by Stephen King some days ago, now fully busy reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.

[HomerJ]

Finished reading Cell by Stephen King some days ago

Whats your impression? I liked the idea itself, but unfortunately the book turned more to "Frie-the-Zombie".
But anyway it taught me this nice bon-mot: "Asume makes an ass out of you and me."

Greetz
HomerJ

[Bellerophon]

Altogether it was pretty good, as are most of King's books. What like a lot about it is the contrast between the first and the second half of the book, the former being painfully brutal and realistic(as realistic as zombie books can get ) and the latter being somewhat more dreamy and fantastic, especially with the phone-people getting a grasp at telekinesis and telephaty.

As for the "Frie-the-zombie" part, it's hard to look the other way when you're surrounded by crazies whose only desire is to kill you, especially after the crazies become vengfeul...oh and let's not forget that they can control your mind and make you do naughty, naughty things part

[HomerJ]

...and the latter being somewhat more dreamy and fantastic, especially with the phone-people getting a grasp at telekinesis and telephaty.

Somehow that felt weird to me although I'm usually pretty open towards these kind of things, but maybe it developed to quickly and to a extreme extend (levitation). Ok but nice to hear that someone else read that book because the basic idea is interesting.


Greetz
HomerJ