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A Reader's reviews
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-08-14 09:56:01 for The Trial.
(Language: English)
 
This one was very interesting. I'm not sure if it was the author's intent, though I think it was, but the the way it was written instilled the same feelings that the character was going through - frustration, confusion, and helplessness.I read it among some other works by Kafka, such as "In the Penal Colony" to better understand the term "Kafkaesque". Needless to say, I have a more certain understanding of the word. Since I myself have experienced similarly frustrating situations of inevitable uncertainty, I can appreciate the way Kafka captures it in this book. 
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-30 11:02:54 for Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values (P.S.).
(Language: English)
I had mixed feelings about this book. The idea that there is something ("Quality"?) that that can bring together logic and aesthetics is quite interesting.As I reached the middle of the book, I started to think that the author may indeed be nothing more than a megalomaniac. By the end, I felt that Pirsig had gotten back "on track" and made some interesting points on the topic of virtue that seem to bring together some aspects of eastern and western philosophy... and even religion. I think this is a keeper, but before I put too much faith in it, I will have to brush up on both eastern and western philosophy.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-10-20 10:46:49 for A Salty Piece of Land.
(Language: English)
Coming down off of Ayn Rand and Niccolo Machiavelli, this was the intellectual equivalent of shifting into 1st gear while cruising down the interstate. However, once I got into it it was a fun adventure. Having been to a few of the locations mentioned in the book made it that much better. By the end, I was truly enjoying the ride.
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![The Prince and Other Writings (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) [PRINCE & OTHER WRITINGS (BARNE]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41IEXyW0cjL._SL75_.jpg "Click to see other reviews for this book") |
A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-31 08:34:08 for The Prince and Other Writings (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) [PRINCE & OTHER WRITINGS (BARNE].
(Language: English)
I had to pick this one up to truly understand the term "Machiavellian". To accept the most common definitions that range from ruthless to downright evil is ignorant. The book includes "The Prince", two letters, and several chapters from the "Discourses on Livy". At worst, I would describe Machiavelli as a empiricist in a world that honors idealists. Machiavelli coldly and objectively illustrates how, sadly, that world is one that often destroys those idealists soon after they attempt to migrate from the abstract to practice. The reality of the world is that those with an interest in maintaining the status quo will resist attempts to reform and ambitious unscrupulous men will attempt political change for the sake of his own profit. Machiavelli's writings present a list of what has and hasn't worked to effect change without focusing on motive. He seems to appreciate morality, ethics, and republican ideals but he is a pragmatist. Both the "Discourses" and "The Prince" emphasize adapting tactics to compensate for external forces that are beyond control - Fortune as he puts it. He does not argue that the ends justify the means, but that historically they sometimes have. It is rare to find an idealist who consistently adheres to his ideals in practice. It is even rarer to find one who does so and achieves success. There are valuable lessons in this book however one must learn them with a cautious mind. A philosophy which emphasizes pragmatism over principle is analogous to the accepting the rule of men over the rule of law.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-29 03:50:20 for 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four.
(Language: English)
I picked this one up because of the fact that, since its writing, its concepts have become ingrained in our society. I suppose I originally thought the book would be something like a bad conspiracy theory due to the fact that the terms "Big Brother" and "1984" have been thrown around so often. The book turned out to be one of the greatest lessons I have ever had. While the idea of telescreens and erasing the past seem unlikely to reach such an extreme, the book has relevance even today. Even in the US, the government is becoming more involved in everyday life as information gathering becomes easier and easier. While we probably won't see such a large scale manipulation of history, it is easy to see smaller examples of propaganda and manipulation of public thought. I think that it serves as a strong warning. Such control will not come through some great communist revolution, but it will continue to tighten through small, barely noticeable advances in government. As our two parties gain and loose favor, each will expand in their own ways. It is more difficult to undo these changes once they are in place. As a result, despite having two seemingly opposing parties, we have a single steadily advancing government. The ideas presented in the "Brotherhood"s book and those of collective solipsism are interesting to consider as well. Overall, this is definitely one to build on my own personal philosophy. A must read for anyone.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-29 03:14:33 for The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium.
(Language: English)
This book was a pleasant surprise. My wife had it left over from a history class and I thought I'd give it a read. It really paints a good portrait of the period in a way that is easy to visualize. The seasonal theme gives structure, though sometimes you can tell that the author is stretching to stick with it. What I found most interesting is the comparisons with modern life that show that, despite the fact that we may no longer build our lives around the production of food, it is easy to see the links between now and then.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-15 01:48:52 for Freakonomics A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything.
(Language: English)
This was a great book. As trivial as much of the subject matter may seem, I think Dr. Levitt has broadened the scope of his field with the work that fueled this book. Since Adam Smith published the wealth of nations, the field has been narrowly focused on the role of tangible - usually financial - incentives and how they affect decision making and productivity. By looking at the economic toolbox with an interdisciplinary eye, Levitt has shown that the invisible hand controls much more than one might think. This book does an excellent job of conveying that message to the general public.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-02 02:12:13 for Arguing About War.
(Language: English)
At first, I really liked this. I like the idea of Just War theory over Realism or Pacifism. The problem is that it is way to easily manipulated to suit political ideals and Walzer clearly comes from the left with this one arguing in favor of humanitarian intervention, despite a generally non-interventionist tone. I think that one thing that really needed to be addressed is a definition of "war" in addition to definitions of "just". Any offensive "battle" is just if the "war" is. But when we expand the definition into the abstract... (i.e. War on Terror) it becomes to easy to justify the "war" and therefore the "battles" that are pitched as "part of" that war (i.e. Afghanistan, Iraq, whatever else is next) require less justification. That's dangerous!!!
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