As someone who majored in philosophy with a virtue ethics specialization (who also happened to love The Good Place), this book was a joy to read. It wAs someone who majored in philosophy with a virtue ethics specialization (who also happened to love The Good Place), this book was a joy to read. It was a nice refresher of the concepts I learned in school with some great current examples and lots of levity. I'd recommend the audiobook if you enjoyed the show as the actors make delightful cameos....more
These were beautifully written stories hypothesizing how time could be different than it is--they're positioned as dreams Einstein is having. They're These were beautifully written stories hypothesizing how time could be different than it is--they're positioned as dreams Einstein is having. They're wonderfully done, but something about them felt a little too much like an academic exercise and less like stories. Still very much worth reading! They can be devoured in a sitting. ...more
This needs to be read twice: once to read it straight through without Le Guin's comments, and then a second time to reread each section with her thougThis needs to be read twice: once to read it straight through without Le Guin's comments, and then a second time to reread each section with her thoughts.
For the most part, while her comments added value, they were distracting from the simplicity and beauty of the Tao Te Ching itself.
A note: Le Guin did not translate this work. She took a bunch of existing translations and created her own poetic version. This is her interpretation, and it's beautiful.
It definitely made me want to read other versions of the Tao Te Ching to compare....more
This was beautiful and philosophical and incredibly dense.
Set in the 14th century, there are two main story lines: a murder mystery and a ideological This was beautiful and philosophical and incredibly dense.
Set in the 14th century, there are two main story lines: a murder mystery and a ideological clash between the Pope and the order of the Franciscans.
If you're looking for a light summer read, leave this at home. If you're looking for a quick, page turner, murder mystery, pass this one over. If you're looking for classic romantic historical fiction, definitely avoid this one.
But if you're looking for solid historical fiction about life in an abbey, detailed theological and philosophical discussions, and an intriguing slew of murders, this might be your book. If you love libraries, this could be your book. There are in-depth discussions of the thoughts of Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and William of Ockham (the last even is a character in the book, albeit one we never see but only hear of)--if you don't mind pushing through these (or if, better yet, this is right up your alley), this could definitely be your book.
The pretentious part of me tried really hard to love this play, but I just couldn't.
Nothing happens in it. I mean that so much that I'll say it again.The pretentious part of me tried really hard to love this play, but I just couldn't.
Nothing happens in it. I mean that so much that I'll say it again. Nothing happens in it. And I knew that going in (an oft-quoted reviewer of the play famously said, "[Beckett] has written a play in which nothing happens, twice.") Hey, it's existentialism, nothing's supposed to happen in it. But nothing happening can still be interesting. (Camus, anyone?)
The two main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, spend the duration of the play trying to pass the time. We're watching them attempting to evade boredom. Look, I get it. It's an exploration of the meaning of human existence, but my god, it's so tedious.
The thing is that's probably the whole point. It's like modern art in a way--it's not about the actual product but what you think or feel when you take it all in. This play isn't about the play itself; it's about the discussion you're supposed to have afterwards. If you're not planning to discuss the play once you finish, there's no point.
Lesson: Don't read it outside of class or a book club if you have to read it at all. As a standalone work, it's not worth the half hour it'll take you to read....more
This is one of the best primers for philosophy I've ever read. And I've read a LOT of them.This is one of the best primers for philosophy I've ever read. And I've read a LOT of them....more