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Author Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading?  (Read 396913 times)
TheDeadFlagBlues
Junior Chimp
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« Reply #875 on: November 14, 2013, 05:32:51 PM »
« edited: November 14, 2013, 05:34:48 PM by TheDeadFlagBlues »

PPE is basically an apprenticeship degree for aspiring political hacks.

In the states, Economics is basically an apprenticeship degree for aspiring hedge fund managers so I'd much prefer the former. Even at my crunchy, "learning for learning's sake" college a good half of Econ majors are in the program because they're good at math and want a six-figure salary.

Maybe British political hacks are more tolerable because PPE has good required courses? I might study abroad at Oxford next year so I'll be sure to check them out.

edit: the one thing that makes me want to consistently change my major is the fact that mathematical prowess is exalted above perceptive social scientific insights in econ departments. it's hard for me to even consider it a social science at times.
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TheDeadFlagBlues
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« Reply #876 on: November 17, 2013, 09:03:17 PM »

about to invest weeks of my life into these books:





please pray for me as my brain flexes hard and gets swoll.
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Filuwaúrdjan
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« Reply #877 on: November 17, 2013, 09:11:46 PM »

If it's any consolation Thompson, at least, is a good read. Weird book: in some respects not just ahead of its time, but ahead of what is written now; but he also repeats some arguments and theories that were pretty much discredited by the 1960s, even going out of his way to defend one of them. But then that's Thompson for you.
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TheDeadFlagBlues
Junior Chimp
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« Reply #878 on: November 17, 2013, 09:23:41 PM »

If it's any consolation Thompson, at least, is a good read. Weird book: in some respects not just ahead of its time, but ahead of what is written now; but he also repeats some arguments and theories that were pretty much discredited by the 1960s, even going out of his way to defend one of them. But then that's Thompson for you.

One of my professors mentioned that social history/marxist approaches has gone the way of the dodo in favor of more cultural/anthropological approaches since the 80s, is this true? If so, my tiny interest in having History as a fallback major is out of the question.
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Tetro Kornbluth
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« Reply #879 on: November 17, 2013, 09:38:47 PM »

If it's any consolation Thompson, at least, is a good read. Weird book: in some respects not just ahead of its time, but ahead of what is written now; but he also repeats some arguments and theories that were pretty much discredited by the 1960s, even going out of his way to defend one of them. But then that's Thompson for you.

One of my professors mentioned that social history/marxist approaches has gone the way of the dodo in favor of more cultural/anthropological approaches since the 80s, is this true? If so, my tiny interest in having History as a fallback major is out of the question.

Basically, yes (not so basically, it's more complicated)... and no bad thing too.

Thompson's book is still great although it's greatness is partly due to its obvious bias and at times ranting nature.
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Lincoln Republican
Winfield
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« Reply #880 on: November 17, 2013, 10:00:22 PM »



Franklin Delano Roosevelt Champion of Freedom by Conrad Black
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TheDeadFlagBlues
Junior Chimp
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« Reply #881 on: November 17, 2013, 10:12:37 PM »

If it's any consolation Thompson, at least, is a good read. Weird book: in some respects not just ahead of its time, but ahead of what is written now; but he also repeats some arguments and theories that were pretty much discredited by the 1960s, even going out of his way to defend one of them. But then that's Thompson for you.

One of my professors mentioned that social history/marxist approaches has gone the way of the dodo in favor of more cultural/anthropological approaches since the 80s, is this true? If so, my tiny interest in having History as a fallback major is out of the question.

Basically, yes (not so basically, it's more complicated)... and no bad thing too.

Thompson's book is still great although it's greatness is partly due to its obvious bias and at times ranting nature.

Why do you think it's "no bad thing"? All I see is the erosion of the left in academia at all levels and it breaks my heart.

I'm looking forward to it!
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Filuwaúrdjan
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« Reply #882 on: November 18, 2013, 01:44:40 PM »

Well, most work produced as part of the History from Below movement was pretty dreadful.
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Filuwaúrdjan
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« Reply #883 on: November 18, 2013, 01:54:28 PM »

Anyway, that brief summary isn't entirely true as it omits the influence of (grossly misunderstood and badly applied) poststructuralism in the 1980s and 1990s, out of which much of the current emphasis on culture, identity and so on emerged. Oh yes, that is indeed the original sin of the currently dominant historical 'parochialism' (i.e. excessive specialism, an over-focus on aspects of history that seem marginal to outsiders, etc). But then it's difficult to argue that it's seriously worse than the ten-a-penny crude Marxist screeds that were so characteristic of the 1970s.

Essentially what good stuff there is tends to be produced by people who are at least a little out of step with dominant trends.
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True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)
Ernest
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« Reply #884 on: November 27, 2013, 01:04:32 AM »

I'm currently slogging thru Aquinas' Summa Theologica.  Maybe it's the translation I'm reading, but I'm not impressed so far.  He makes assumptions that while doctrinally sound are still assumptions yet he casts them as self-evident truths.  He also asks some questions I don't really see the point of, such as "Is God a superior example of oneness to all other ones?"  First off, as far as I'm concerned one is one.  Something is either one or it is not and I fail to see how one one can be different from another one its quality of oneness.  Even if it were possible for there to be differing types of oneness, how would one judge one one to be superior another one?  Aquinas doesn't say, nor does he say (at least in what I've read so far) why he considered the question worth asking.  He just points out that he had previously shown that God is one and that God is superior to all else, therefore He must be the superior epitome of oneness.
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Gustaf
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« Reply #885 on: November 27, 2013, 10:10:09 AM »

Finished Down and Out. Interesting read, although I did sort of mind the racism and anti-semitism. I also felt it wasn't sufficiently real for him - as far as descriptions of hunger and poverty go I've read better. Still liked it a lot, of course.

After that I did No Country for Old Men which was good but worse than the other McCarthys I've read. Also I had seen the movie so no surprises in it really.

Then a bunch of Wilde novels that were hilariously nonsensical. After that I finally got around to finishing The Quiet American which was fantastic. I really do love Greene a lot.
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Filuwaúrdjan
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« Reply #886 on: November 27, 2013, 11:53:38 AM »

Finished Down and Out. Interesting read, although I did sort of mind the racism and anti-semitism.

Something he was himself quite mortified by in later life.
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World politics is up Schmitt creek
Nathan
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« Reply #887 on: November 27, 2013, 03:32:14 PM »

Continuing my survey of modern Irish poetry by mainlining MacNeice and Heaney; also revisiting some of the Heike monogatari for the first time in a while. I still have some Mann and Greene coming down the pipeline, at least in theory.
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The world will shine with light in our nightmare
Just Passion Through
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« Reply #888 on: November 27, 2013, 03:56:04 PM »
« Edited: November 27, 2013, 03:57:47 PM by Speaker Scott »

I'm currently slogging thru Aquinas' Summa Theologica.  Maybe it's the translation I'm reading, but I'm not impressed so far.  He makes assumptions that while doctrinally sound are still assumptions yet he casts them as self-evident truths.  He also asks some questions I don't really see the point of, such as "Is God a superior example of oneness to all other ones?"  First off, as far as I'm concerned one is one.  Something is either one or it is not and I fail to see how one one can be different from another one its quality of oneness.  Even if it were possible for there to be differing types of oneness, how would one judge one one to be superior another one?  Aquinas doesn't say, nor does he say (at least in what I've read so far) why he considered the question worth asking.  He just points out that he had previously shown that God is one and that God is superior to all else, therefore He must be the superior epitome of oneness.

I can't really argue for or against Aquinas' position here since I don't know what he means by 'oneness' in this context, but most philosophical/hypothetical arguments are based in 'self-evident truths,' are they not?  God, for example, is superior to everything else purely by how He's defined and conceived in the realm of philosophical thought.  I don't quite understand your dilemma with the text you're reading.
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Filuwaúrdjan
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« Reply #889 on: November 27, 2013, 06:44:40 PM »

Continuing my survey of modern Irish poetry by mainlining MacNeice and Heaney;

What dost thou think?
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World politics is up Schmitt creek
Nathan
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« Reply #890 on: November 27, 2013, 07:00:39 PM »
« Edited: November 27, 2013, 07:02:40 PM by asexual trans victimologist »

Continuing my survey of modern Irish poetry by mainlining MacNeice and Heaney;

What dost thou think?

MacNeice is a little uneven but there are parts of Autumn Journal that really shine and 'Snow', 'Autobiography', and 'The Streets of Laredo' have been haunting me for days now--it probably helps that I find the original version of 'The Streets of Laredo' haunting as well. He comes across as definitely a creature of Frayn's 'Herbivore Britain', insofar as that term is meaningful. I also definitely appreciate the moments where he recognizes how ridiculously privileged he is. Heaney I haven't read enough of yet to have a particularly strong opinion but so far I've loved 'Churning Day'. Neither is nearly as politically problematic as for example Yeats but I'm not sure either is as artistically accomplished either (although again I haven't read enough of Heaney to say for sure yet).
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Gustaf
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« Reply #891 on: November 27, 2013, 07:27:01 PM »

Finished Down and Out. Interesting read, although I did sort of mind the racism and anti-semitism.

Something he was himself quite mortified by in later life.

Yes, I read anti-semitism in Britain (is that what it's called?) and I feel he's a bit rectified.
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HagridOfTheDeep
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« Reply #892 on: November 28, 2013, 07:15:08 AM »
« Edited: November 28, 2013, 07:18:41 AM by HagridOfTheDeep »

 


Right now I'm getting into some texts on the 1970 October Crisis and Trudeau's invocation of the War Measures Act. There is relatively little scholarship in support of Trudeau's response to the crisis, excepting a pretty interesting account from William Tetley, who was a cabinet minister under Bourassa at the time of the kidnappings. I'm getting the other side of the story from Pierre Vallières, the radical behind White N-ggers of America and, arguably, the FLQ itself. It's been an interesting pursuit (I've read a few other papers on the subject as well). To use Trudeau's words, there do seem to be a lot of "bleeding hearts" in the camp against the WMA, but the arguments from people like Tetley seem to rely more on excuses and blame than anything else ("the police were incompetent and couldn't give us the right information—we had no other choice but to use emergency powers immediately!"). It's a good topic.
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True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)
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« Reply #893 on: November 29, 2013, 12:03:33 AM »

I can't really argue for or against Aquinas' position here since I don't know what he means by 'oneness' in this context

If he means anything by one other than one, he never states it.  Perhaps I'm stuck with a bad translation.  I could see him arguing that "God is the supreme unity" far more readily than I could see him arguing that "God is the supreme one" and I can sorta see how a bad translation from Latin might confuse the two concepts.
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Nathan
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« Reply #894 on: November 29, 2013, 12:07:43 AM »

I can't really argue for or against Aquinas' position here since I don't know what he means by 'oneness' in this context

If he means anything by one other than one, he never states it.  Perhaps I'm stuck with a bad translation.  I could see him arguing that "God is the supreme unity" far more readily than I could see him arguing that "God is the supreme one" and I can sorta see how a bad translation from Latin might confuse the two concepts.

Based on what I know about Aquinas I'd be surprised if that weren't the issue here.
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TheDeadFlagBlues
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« Reply #895 on: November 29, 2013, 12:29:10 AM »



just finished this book

onto this one:
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They put it to a vote and they just kept lying
20RP12
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« Reply #896 on: November 29, 2013, 03:52:36 PM »

Selected works of Edgar Allan Poe. Feeling pretty emo today.
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The world will shine with light in our nightmare
Just Passion Through
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« Reply #897 on: November 29, 2013, 09:34:23 PM »



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minionofmidas
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« Reply #898 on: December 01, 2013, 10:16:06 AM »

Dead Souls
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H. Ross Peron
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« Reply #899 on: December 06, 2013, 01:42:08 AM »

Reading the Communist Manifesto online right now.
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