What are you reading?

@zefloid13,

I'm working on

Nietzsche Beyond Good and Evil ... enjoying this immensely, can't get enough
Bhagavad Gita
Descartes Meditations
Heidegger An Introduction to Metaphysics
Aristotle The Metaphysics
McKenna The Archaic Revival

@rhinogrey,

Can I be a philosopher here? I read the objects in my collections, the Book of Nature and the Eyes of my Beloved. Yes, that's what I'm reading for the moment and that's what I will be reading forever, and that was the question no? At least that was the question as expressed by the title of this thread, the starter of it narrowing it down immediately in an all too predictable way. Why did nobody ask what the notion of "reading" actually means? Didn't those books teach you anything? And besides, what's a book here? I'm a librarian for twenty years now and I still would hesitate about a definition. Do you mean books or texts? I read a lot of poetry and a poem often goes on one page, and it may not be a good idea to read the whole bundle like one is reading a novel. Another thing: what's the point of telling somebody what books you're reading if the other never heard of them and/or may be unable to read them (take books in dutch; yes some people read these, and some are good)? But let's be social and ignore all the biases here. I'm browsing a lot through "Thorpe's Dictionary of Applied Chemistry" lately (I'll drop the reference). But hm, you say that's not philosophy? Oh boy, what an ass I am... :whistling:

The private library of somebody I don't know (me) :

[ATTACH]37[/ATTACH]

@Catchabula,

Rhinogrey,

If you like metaphysics, Descartes, and the Bhagavad-Gita, you might be interested in "Classical Indian Philosophy" by Jihindrenath, or more commonly J.N. Mohanty. I read it as an undergraduate and it is a very good and thorough read. There is a very good section on central metaphysical issues like the problem of causality , absolutism versus nonabsolutism, and the existence of an external world.

Amazon.com: Classical Indian Philosophy: An Introductory Text: J. N. Mohanty: Books

@Catchabula,

Catchabula wrote:

Can I be a philosopher here? I read the objects in my collections, the Book of Nature and the Eyes of my Beloved. Yes, that's what I'm reading for the moment and that's what I will be reading forever, and that was the question no? At least that was the question as expressed by the title of this thread, the starter of it narrowing it down immediately in an all too predictable way. Why did nobody ask what the notion of "reading" actually means? Didn't those books teach you anything? And besides, what's a book here? I'm a librarian for twenty years now and I still would hesitate about a definition. Do you mean books or texts? I read a lot of poetry and a poem often goes on one page, and it may not be a good idea to read the whole bundle like one is reading a novel. Another thing: what's the point of telling somebody what books you're reading if the other never heard of them and/or may be unable to read them (take books in dutch; yes some people read these, and some are good)? But let's be social and ignore all the biases here. I'm browsing a lot through "Thorpe's Dictionary of Applied Chemistry" lately (I'll drop the reference). But hm, you say that's not philosophy? Oh boy, what an ass I am... :whistling:

The private library of somebody I don't know (me) :

[ATTACH]37[/ATTACH]

I want to do things to that collection that I haven't done to a book collection in a long time. It is truly sexy.

@Catchabula,

Catchabula wrote:

Can I be a philosopher here? I read the objects in my collections, the Book of Nature and the Eyes of my Beloved. Yes, that's what I'm reading for the moment and that's what I will be reading forever, and that was the question no? At least that was the question as expressed by the title of this thread, the starter of it narrowing it down immediately in an all too predictable way. Why did nobody ask what the notion of "reading" actually means? Didn't those books teach you anything? And besides, what's a book here? I'm a librarian for twenty years now and I still would hesitate about a definition. Do you mean books or texts? I read a lot of poetry and a poem often goes on one page, and it may not be a good idea to read the whole bundle like one is reading a novel. Another thing: what's the point of telling somebody what books you're reading if the other never heard of them and/or may be unable to read them (take books in dutch; yes some people read these, and some are good)? But let's be social and ignore all the biases here. I'm browsing a lot through "Thorpe's Dictionary of Applied Chemistry" lately (I'll drop the reference). But hm, you say that's not philosophy? Oh boy, what an ass I am... :whistling:

The private library of somebody I don't know (me) :

[ATTACH]37[/ATTACH]

Hmm, I thought I had left the question rather open-ended. I don't know about you, but I tend to approach matters from a more logical (analytical) perspective. One of the first steps toward solving a problem or refining inquiry, I believe, is defining the problem itself; that is, to outline precisely the question one seeks to answer, and not merely bounce off tangents. Not to say that I am not guilty of any of the above...:bigsmile:...I've learned from experience that it helps to define exactly what one is looking for...

Not to mention, I am a book hound, and I was just curious...

And to be a philosophical jerk, if the post was truly predictable, why bother check it out?

@zefloid13,

In the last few months I did not touch any philosophy, unless you count my failed attempt to read Plato. When a decision has to be made between sleeping or reading Plato, iI can be said to be human.

Currently I finished Damian Thompson's Counterknowledge which deals with all the false arguments used by certain people. The book was quite easy and fast to read, but was somewhat vague and never got into the specifics and simple listed their argument, his argument and all the fuss around it, which was contrary to the subtitle/coverpage. The subtitle page says: How we surrendered to conspiricy theories, quack medicine, bogus science and fake history.

I'm reading Jeffrey Kluger's Simplexity now, and its about the simplicity of things that seem rather complex. Haven't gotten far yet but so far so good.

Next on the list is Niel Postmans Amusing Ourselfs to death, which i already started reading some time ago, but abbandoned because his sentences can be rather complex for a non native English reader.

@Vasska,

In my posting replace "if the other has never heard of them " by "if the other is not able to obtain them" (I feel I cannot edit my post anymore as it has been quoted). Pretty difficult to think in ingles when it's not your first language, you have to mind both form and content very attentively. Still so much to learn here. Oh well, my fault.

To the point. Defining "reading" is indeed of interest. There is quite something to "read" in the expression "reading" (as in any expression). I'm pointing to a more general concept of it, inspired by semiotics. We are surrounded by signs, some conventional and immutable, others the result of an individual act of signification. And there are incredibly many signs surrounding us, we read the whole day long (the clock, the traffic signs, all the various expressions of our fellow human beings...). Reading is so encompassing, it is almost the whole receptive side of our being. One could make a bad aphorism again here. We have to read life and live books, both going smoothly over in each other. So when confronted with the question "what are you reading" I am inclined to say: everything, because I live. But of course there is reading and Reading, "good" reading being active, intentional, conscious, critical... just like "good" living. I hope somebody will comment on this. If not I will (no pushing please! Yes, you can use the emergency exit) ;-) .

@Catchabula,

Ok, no reaction, as was to be expected. Does not matter really. Can there ever be thinking without loneliness, both being each other's cause as well as each other's effect? Besides who needs a reader when there is a public? Both can be imaginary but at least the last can make you dance. That's the nice thing about this kind of Forum: it simplifies communication, reducing the immense complexity of human encounter to just masks, nodding, grinning... Let me talk about reading then and to hell if nobody reads what I'm writing, just give me some time to read it myself. What is reading then and what can be considered as such? First take books, should they be read or should they be committed to the flames? Of course their worsest problem are these terrible words, always just means, carriers, limitations. Books are only words, they are filters with small pores, low-efficient lightbulbs. They are such holy cows that people always put the blame on themselves when they can't understand them (take Wittgenstein; if you don't understand him it's because he should have explained himself better). As Plato said, better than reading books is oral conversation, listening to the spoken word, enriched by context, by presence, gestures, smells... still bound by words though, driving us away from what is important. And beyond oral conversation there is meditation, getting rid of most words, the library being replaced by a drinking nap and by the surrounding desert, reading the universe in the sunset and in the inexhaustible well of our soul (*) (some make a huge step backwards and write a book: "Practical meditation for the 21th Century", by Swami S. Moneyliker). The last step is my secret and as you can guess it has something to do with my wife. To be continued.

(*) "Words become silence, silence becomes words. Words must be like worlds, emerging from the void. So many books are chatter..." (Swa-me).

@Catchabula,

Catchabula wrote:

Ok, no reaction, as was to be expected. Does not matter really. Can there ever be thinking without loneliness, both being each other's cause as well as each other's effect? Besides who needs a reader when there is a public? Both can be imaginary but at least the last can make you dance. That's the nice thing about this kind of Forum: it simplifies communication, reducing the immense complexity of human encounter to just masks, nodding, grinning... Let me talk about reading then and to hell if nobody reads what I'm writing, just give me some time to read it myself. What is reading then and what can be considered as such? First take books, should they be read or should they be committed to the flames? Of course their worsest problem are these terrible words, always just means, carriers, limitations. Books are only words, they are filters with small pores, low-efficient lightbulbs. They are such holy cows that people always put the blame on themselves when they can't understand them (take Wittgenstein; if you don't understand him it's because he should have explained himself better). As Plato said, better than reading books is oral conversation, listening to the spoken word, enriched by context, by presence, gestures, smells... still bound by words though, driving us away from what is important. And beyond oral conversation there is meditation, getting rid of most words, the library being replaced by a drinking nap and by the surrounding desert, reading the universe in the sunset and in the inexhaustible well of our soul (*) (some make a huge step backwards and write a book: "Practical meditation for the 21th Century", by Swami S. Moneyliker). The last step is my secret and as you can guess it has something to do with my wife. To be continued.

(*) "Words become silence, silence becomes words. Words must be like worlds, emerging from the void. So many books are chatter..." (Swa-me).

Wow, it was to be expected on this forum but i never saw someone taking a "what are you reading/watching/listening/doing" thread so seriously.

Anyhow you do make some points regarding we are always reading, and thereby learning, as well the oral conversation thing. Maybe you should start a new thread about it in the episomology section?

@Vasska,

Catchabula makes some great points. Just looking at the society around me I can't help but be impressed at how many people can read. Literacy in the developed world is probably higher than at any other time in history.

What troubles me, though, is that people do not read. They are decidedly non-literate. They can read a menu, find their favorite clothing store and all of that, but they take no time to read a good book. If they do read a book chances are it's a harlequin romance novel or some silly action/adventure story. Nothing against those books, that's fine, but if that's all you read... well, what a waste of literacy.

I hope that, among other things, forums like this will inspire people to read at increasingly higher levels. Power of moral example is very real.

@zefloid13,

I just finished a book called "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal." I just realized that's the longest titled book I've ever read. Anyway, it was hilarious.

@Aphoric,

@zefloid13,

Ibanez, Javier - Noe, The Philosophical Foundations of Nietzsche's Ethics, Very well done so far.

@Catchabula,

Catchabula;36610 wrote:

Would any of you consider it silly if I said I read the rain on my face or the smells of autumn? Books are not an aim in themselves, they are only a gateway to the world. Books expand our thoughts as they expand our senses, but there is more than "just books". But say that after you have read Plato, we had to read him in the original greek when I was in highschool. Of course he is inexhaustible. The reading of both books and life only expiring with life itself.

That's going to stay on my mind for ages.

@Catchabula,

Catchabula;36610 wrote:

Would any of you consider it silly if I said I read the rain on my face or the smells of autumn?

Yea, kind of. Sorry if that was a rhetorical question.

Anyway, the 2 books I picked up from the library today:

God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question - Why we suffer
by Bart D. Ehrman

Quote:

Ehrman began studying the Bible and its original languages at the Moody Bible Institute and is a 1978 graduate of Wheaton College in Illinois. He received his Ph.D and M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, where he studied under Bruce Metzger. He currently serves as the chairman of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was the President of the Southeast Region of the Society of Biblical Literature, and worked closely as an editor on a number of the Society's publications.

Bart D. Ehrman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I saw this was a new book in at my local library, and since I had been discussing the Problem of Evil recently, I decided to go ahead and pick it up.

The Probable Universe: An Owner's Guide to Quantum Physics[/url]
by M. Y. Han

Was at the library and looking for something short and about science and I came across this one. I have no idea if it's any good, but it's short and about science. I've had a lot of questions about QP for awhile so maybe this will help me understand a bit better.

@Deftil,

Originally Posted by Catchabula

http://www.philosophyforum.com/forum/images/PHBlue/buttons/viewpost.gif

Would any of you consider it silly if I said I read the rain on my face or the smells of autumn?

Yea, kind of. Sorry if that was a rhetorical question.

[10] You are completely right, it is kind of ridicilous. Thanks for pointing that out to me. I feel so ashamed and humbled. I promise I will never say such childish things again. Sorry again. Please don't mind me [start over at 10]

Ok, that's settled. Really, this is wisdom: effectively creating the space to be your own dumb self. Oh well, back to Wordpad. The Forum belongs to the wise.

@Catchabula,

Catchabula;36656 wrote:

[10] You are completely right, it is kind of ridicilous. Thanks for pointing that out to me. I feel so ashamed and humbled. I promise I will never say such childish things again. Sorry again. Please don't mind me [start over at 10]

Ok, that's settled. Really, this is wisdom: effectively creating the space to be your own dumb self. Oh well, back to Wordpad. The Forum belongs to the wise.

Don't be insulted. I say things I think are silly all the time. You asked a question and I couldn't resist answering.

@Deftil,

Ok, forgiven and forgotten (really, no irony here). You see, my problem is not so much a rash temper, it is conformity, lack of character. When people around me are behaving like asses I do my utmost best to be one of them. When they are relativating, gentle, wise, I try to be like them too. I never grew up really, not being an ass the whole time. Hm, this goes back to the designer's board :Not-Impressed:

@zefloid13,

I'm currently reading The Open Society And Its Enemies Vol 1: Plato and shal read Vol 2 once im through with the first volume. I'm also reading Bertrand Russell's The Problems of Philosophy, which i really ought to finish.

@Aphoric,

Aphoric wrote:

I just finished a book called "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal." I just realized that's the longest titled book I've ever read. Anyway, it was hilarious.

I loved that book and it is definately Christopher Moore's best work. Most of Moore's books (the handful I have read anyway) are worthy of reading.

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