The Two Ages of War
René Girard and Benoît Chantre explore the religious and apocalyptic implications of their dialogue on Clausewitz and modern violence. They begin by considering Péguy's attempt to oppose a chivalric conception of the…
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152 readings · 61–72
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The Birth of Tragedy Summary (8/10)
It’s been two weeks since I’ve started reading Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy, and I’m finally finished. It was a dense read, but well worth it for anyone interested in the origins of drama and tragedy.
Ch 3: The Civilizing Process (The Better Angels Of Our Nature)
There are less homicides today among unrelated men. But there has not been as much decline in violence within families (women or kin). Manuals such as Everyday Etiquette and Miss Manners’ Guide to Excruciatingly…
What's Happening to Us
In part 2 of The War on Normal People, Andrew Yang tells us a story about the typical life of an American. After college, many smart people end up working in big fields like finance, tech, law, medicine, and…
The Forever War Summary (8/10)
The Forever War, written by Joe Haldeman, is a science-fiction novel that explores the horrors of war and the toll it takes on the human spirit. The story follows William Mandella, a physicist drafted into the United…
Hegel and Calusewitz
In Chapters 2 and 3 of Battling to the End, René Girard and Benoît Chantre discuss the relationship between the key ideas of Hegel and Clausewitz, both of whom were deeply influenced by Napoleon. While Hegel saw…
The Bed of Procrustes Summary (7/10)
Following in the great tradition of Nietzsche and La Rochefoucauld, Nassim Taleb has written The Bed of Procrustes*. For those who are interested, the name of the book comes from Greek mythology.
The Mechanized World Picture
In his thought-provoking 1971 book, "The Pentagon of Power," Lewis Mumford delves into the profound impact of the mechanized world picture on our understanding of the cosmos, nature, and humanity itself. He traces…
Simulacra and Simulation Summary (7/10)
In Simulacra and Simulation*, Baudrillard produces a theory about cultural materialism. What is the simulacra? It is whatever replaces reality with its representation. The simulacrum is never that which conceals the…
Farewell to Humanity’s Childhood
“The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity" by David Graeber and David Wengrow challenges conventional narratives about human history, particularly the origins of inequality. The authors argue that most of…
The Culture of Narcissism Summary (8.5/10)
The Culture of Narcissism* by Christopher Lasch was published in 1979. Lasch argues that the “me generation” that Tom Wolfe previously celebrated, was in fact, dysfunctional, empty, and worthy of contempt.
Madness From Civilization
In The Narcissistic Personality of Our Time*, I discussed the trade-off of modernity, which recapped the ideas of A Culture of Narcissism* by Christopher Lasch.
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