The idea of deception is easy for most people to understand. It is not a puzzle that some people are able to deceive others. It is not difficult to think of many reasons why they would do so. But why self-deception? It appears paradoxical, that a person would harm themselves. Why would you, an intelligent … Read more
This is a graduation speech by David Foster Wallace that was made into a book. In this speech, Wallace relates to us to what we need to me aware of throughout our lives. What to Think The purpose of a liberal arts education is to teach you what to think about. It has nothing to … Read more
Fear and Trembling was written by Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher who was a controversial figure, his work was unpopular during his lifetimes, and in no small part, this was due to his criticism of the Danish church for pushing a diluted form of Christianity and his rejection of widely accepted ideas. Appreciation for his writing … Read more
Leo Strauss was a German-American political philosopher, and in this book records his oral commentary of Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Chapter 1: Introduction (Nietzsche’s Philosophy, Existentialism, and the Problem of Our Age) There is a connection between Nietzsche and fascism. Although Nietzsche was not a fascist, his philosophy is an extreme version of conservatism, and … Read more
The Superman Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Nietzsche is about Zarathustra, the prophet, who has come to preach the meaning of life: to strive towards becoming the Superman. Zarathustra was historically a Persian prophet, and Nietzsche’s style in this book, is to mimic religious text, in an ironical way, to show how the profound can be … Read more
Defining the Soul The philosophy of six thousand years has not searched the chambers and magazines of the soul. In its experiments there has always remained, in the last analysis, a residuum it could not resolve. In The Oversoul, which may have played a big part in inspiring Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Emerson discusses his … Read more
Summary In Homo Deus, Harari brings up many of the same ideas that he discussed in Sapiens – including crediting our success as a species to our ability to communicate and believe stories efficiently. But after transcending our primordial roots, our ambitions have grown. Today, the conversation about attaining immortality is not speculation, but a … Read more
In 1985, Neil Postman wrote a book called Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. The book is a criticism of television and its effect on society. Postman argues that TV has dumbed down public discourse, making it more entertainment-focused and less informative. Postman criticizes the effects of television on … Read more
“You see, Dad, Professor McLuhan says the environment that man creates becomes his medium for defining his role in it. The invention of type created linear, or sequential thought, separating thought from action. Now, with TV and folk singing, thought and action are closer and social involvement is greater. We again live in a village. … Read more
A man must either imitate the vicious or hate them both are dangerous things, either to resemble them because they are many or to hate many because they are unresembling to ourselves. There is nothing so unsociable and sociable as man, the one by his vice, the other by his nature. Real transformation cannot occur … Read more