Vote for the January Book of the Month
- Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
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Vote for the January Book of the Month
A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne
Philosophy: The Great Thinkers by Philip Stokes - "This book brings together the world's greatest philosophers in one comprehensive and easy to use volume. Designed to be dipped into again and again, this book will please people with both a casual and more serious interest in philosophy. Philip Stokes has contributed to Philosophy: The Great Thinkers as an author. Philip Stokes graduated with a BA (Hons) in Philosophy from the University of Reading, where he is now on the faculty. He also has a master's degree from Bristol University."
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Readings In Ancient Greek Philosophy: From Thales To Aristotle by Cohen, Curd and Reeve
Introduction to Greek Philosophy by John Victor Luce
Two Treatises of Government by John Locke
The poll will be open for 1 week. Whichever book has the most votes by then will be the January book of the month.
"The mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master."
I believe spiritual freedom (a.k.a. self-discipline) manifests as bravery, confidence, grace, honesty, love, and inner peace.
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If we do not rebuild our connection with nature, we can not think as the ancient Greeks were thinking. As I look into this, I think Native American concepts are essential to our understanding of democracy, and perhaps a consciousness of our connection to nature is essential to understanding ourselves and morality?
Thanks, to Belinda for turning the light on, by correctly interpreting my meaning about nature and morals. I think we need to expand our thinking beyond our cultural limited consciousness. The way we perceive reality is not the only way to perceive reality, and sure is not the way to harmonizing with nature and the rest of the world.
I don't know if Locke's materialism can be harmonized with spiritual considerations such as the Native American consciousness of harmony with nature, and this materialism is a cultural block that may prevent us from realizing truth? However, relying on science is a saving grace, providing we can remove the cultural block of materialism.
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The N. Philbrick book ‘Mayflower’ is a good study in the nature of man as well as an historical account. Native Americans, it seems, had very similar tendencies as the Europeans entering their habitat. There were frequent wars between tribes as various chiefs came to believe their particular harmony should be for the whole. I am coming to think the native Americans natural life styles without formalized ownership rules was more due to thinner populations respecting the natural abundance at hand than their intentional angelic harmony. Locke dealt singularly with political science, a subject we contend with in these forums heavily. Presently it is becoming fashionable to promote single world governance. That is a fascinating subject finding contentions in all sorts of direction. The Frankl ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ sounds too interesting to pass. Will read.I don't know if Locke's materialism can be harmonized with spiritual considerations such as the Native American consciousness of harmony with nature, and this materialism is a cultural block that may prevent us from realizing truth? However, relying on science is a saving grace, providing we can remove the cultural block of materialism.
- Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
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Anyway, if you want to suggest other books, you can do that in the thread for nominations:
http://onlinephilosophyclub.com/forums/ ... php?t=1214
I think it's a great idea to read a book of one philosophy one month and then a book with a different philosophy another month. For instance, one month we can read a book by a materialist philosophy and another month we can read one by a nature-focused non-materialist. One month we can read a book about Greek philosophy; another month we can read one about Native American philosophy.
"The mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master."
I believe spiritual freedom (a.k.a. self-discipline) manifests as bravery, confidence, grace, honesty, love, and inner peace.
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I most certainly was not suggesting anyone restrict his/her reading to only those points of view to s/he is agreeable with. At the moment of expressing my thought, it was on my mind that we tend to be culturally limited, and our understanding of everything would be increased by gaining a different cultural perceptive. Especially our understanding of the Greeks, who were not as materialistic as the Romans. I thought this was pertinent to responding to your question.
Locke's book turns out to be an interesting study in history, when those in power were butchering those not in power and hanging the body parts on trees, doors and fences. An experience so terrify to the peasants they still avoided places where someone was hung 200 years later.
Moral, such brutality is very effective, and can kick back with the opposite of the intended effect. That is rebellion. This history of Locke's thinking makes comparing him to Cicero pointless. However, the patriarchy of non Christian Rome and that of Christian England are the same, and Rome did become brutal, so may be a comparison does have some point.
For sure having a book to study over the holidays has greatly improved everything for me. It is preventing me from getting sucked into family drama, and giving me much happiness, so my neighbors think I am great person to know. Thank you so much for hooking me into this.
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We are so secular minded today, it is hard to comprehend when our reality was defined by the bible instead of science. In Locke's day, the English feared the Catholics as we came to fear the Communist, and royal linage resulted in them having a Catholic king. The history of Locke's philosophy is much more interesting than I expected. However, the wording of "Two Treatises of Government" is awkward to us today. Fortunately, it is a short book.
It is interesting to read Locke's words and think of how Thomas Jefferson felt when he read them. Jefferson must have been very uneasy with this ideology, as it conflicted with his reality as a slave owner and his esteemed standing in his own community of slave owners.
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When reading Locke's consideration of natural law and property rights, I thought, the first most important possession would be a person's place in relation to the leader. The people could be nomadic, and what would matter is a person's position in the tribe. This would determine where his tent was placed and where he would ride or sit and eat. This has everything to do with power, verses being in hiding for fear of one's life, as Locke was for awhile. Foucault's book seems a perfect follow up to Locke's.
2023/2024 Philosophy Books of the Month
Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul
by Mitzi Perdue
February 2023
Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness
by Chet Shupe
March 2023