marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
The Super Hero's Journey by Patrick McDonnell

A bit hard to rate because it's in a genre all its own. Half auto-biography, half superhero story, leavened with philosophy. About the impact of comics on his childhood imagination and lessons learned from them.
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
The Virtues of Captain America: Modern-Day Lessons on Character from a World War II Superhero by Mark D. White

A pop discussion of moral philosophy as embodied in Captain America. The discussion of virtues is unsystemic, and he's a little heavy on treating him as a single concept and discussing various treatments as if they were really the same even when writers hijack him. (Some of that may be my philosophical background.) Patriotism gets quite a bit of discussion as is only fitting for a contentious issue in moral philosophy.
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

This is a good book to not read just before you go to bed. At least the first part. . . .

The mind-numbing life and horrors of a concentration camp, and the effort to find meaning in life, and how much that meant.

And a discussion of finding meaning in life, its importance, that it's not a secondary excuse, and more
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
The Order of Things by James V. Schall

A philosophical look at order in the universe, from God down to political philosophy. The mind, beauty, discussion of various philosophers and exactly what is meant by rule.
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich A. Hayek

Published in 1944. An analysis of government authority vs. liberty.

Read more... )
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
A Conflict of Visions by Thomas Sowell

Sowell's discussion of the two visions: constrained and unconstrained (though there is a range between them) and their effects on views in economics, law, and other fields. The unconstrained basically admitting of no limits on human capacity.

Read more... )
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
Intellectuals and Society by Thomas Sowell

Intellectuals, as defined for this book, are people whose entire trade is in ideas. Not people like engineers or physicists, who have to put the ideas into action and see when they fail.

It's a painful history. The history of rejecting outside evidence -- such as praising the USSR during famine. The imposition of visions that assume that people's mundane and detailed knowledge of their own lives is not relevant next to the ideas of an intellectual who does not know them. The suppression of facts and the hyping of ill-found stories in the service of ideas. And much more.
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
The Quest for Cosmic Justice by Thomas Sowell

A sobering book.

A discussion of the attempts to work out great plans of justice and the knowledge necessary -- vastly more than humanly possible -- and the disasters that have ensued.
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
From Barsoom to Malacandra: Musings on Things Past and Things to Come by John C. Wright

A collection of essays.  Mostly centered on specific works of science fiction, but touching on issues of aesthetics and writing, and broader questions of philosophy.  Differences between science fiction and fantasy and between soft SF and hard SF.  Introducing his children to books.  And more.
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
The Great Chain of Being: A Study of the History of an Idea by Arthur O. Lovejoy

Tracing across eras from the age of the Platonists the notion of plenitude in a (rather!) academic study.

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marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
Wisdom of the Zen Masters: The Quest for Enlightenment by Tsai Chih Chung

An account of the arrival of Buddhism in China and its subsequent history.  Various Zen masters, making much of the futility of speech, avoiding good and evil, and many such anecdotes.  
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
Zen Stories: The Staff and Shout of the Venerable Ones by Tsai Chih Chung

A series of vignettes on Zen. A lot about the unity of all things, the need for intuition, tales of kindness to robbers, acceptance of the everyday, the auspicious nature of "Father dies.  Sons die.  Grandsons die."  and more.
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
Mencius Speaks: The Cure For Chaos by Tsai Chih Chung

Opens with a brief biography of Mencius, followed by vignette like topics on benevolence and profit, original heart, the importance of having a child as a filial duty, the difference between saving one's sister-in-law from drowning by touching her (expediency over propiety) and not saving the kingdom by expediency, which doesn't work, and more.
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
The Analects Of Confucius by Tsai Chih Chung

A Chinese classic in graphic novel form.

Structured in vignettes. On benevolence, respect for elders, disdain for profit, the need for study, and more.
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
The Book of Lord Shang. a Classic of the Chinese School of Law translated by J.J.L. Duyvendak

With a long introduction covering what is said in Chinese history about Lord Shang, and discussion of the text (both in content and existing text) before the translation of this classic of Legalist thought.

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marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
The Middle Path by Tsai Chih Chung

A Confucian classic in graphic novel form. A post-Confucian work, written down from his teachings by his followers, or it is claimed. Much on moderation, the value of study (even if others don't have to work as hard, or at all), relationships, and more. A bit random in form and lacking in structure.
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
Han Feizi Speaks: The Power of Pragmatism by Tsai Chih Chung

Another graphic novel of a Chinese philosophy text. Han Feizi was a philosopher of the Legalist tradition, calling for strict rule, stern punishment, and a sharp eye to self-interest.

Read more... )
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
Liezi Speaks: Thoughts To Ride The Wind by Tsai Chih Chung

A re-telling in graphic novel form of a foundational classic of Daoism.  

Stories of learning to float on the wind, master archery, dreams and reality, the dismissal of good and evil, the acceptance of death, how artistic expression works. and more.  Interesting introduction to Daoism -- or more, if you've already read Lao Tzu.
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
The Great Learning by Tsai Chih Chung

A graphic novel version of a Confucian classic, with an opening attributed to Confucius (posthumously written down by his disciples) and a commentary by Zhu Xi. The importance of self-cultivation, many variations on the principle of not treating people as you would not want to be treated by a person in the same relationship to you, and some about government.
marycatelli: (Golden Hair)
Sunzi Speaks: The Art of War by Tsai Chih Chung

Retelling The Art of War in graphic novel format.

Read more... )

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