Nominate books to be a philosophy book of the month
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If you have any questions regarding certain issues, just start a new thread and ask. I haven't read the book yet, but I have read a lot of similar books and I love sociobiology.
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One question that has come to mind is really more of an anthropological/logistics question. It does not change the validity of Pinker's argument against the myth of the noble savage, but deals with the vagueness of the argument that some might use, poorly, to dismiss his point. He has a graph (p. 57) based on data taken from other sources comparing percentage of male death rates caused by warfare in order to illustrate that hunter/gatherer societies are not as peaceful as the myth suggests (according to the graph, the deaths are far higher for hunter/gather societies than the data he includes for US and Europe in the 20th century). However, he does not give the time period he is including for the hunter/gather societies, which could influence the numbers if it encompasses a small time period that contained an unusual historical event for a particular group, nor does he acknowledge (I think, I should re-read, though, to be sure) that modern medicine not accessible to hunter/gatherers could improve the survival of fighters in US and European modern battles. I do not at all argue his point that hunter/gatherer societies are just as violent as any societies that have existed. [I remember meeting a Navajo (Dine) elder some years ago that told me (translated by his grandson) that he got very tired of white people romanticizing his culture into one-dimension and not recognizing Native American were just as human and multi-faceted and flawed as any other group of human.] I just wonder if there's a better way to present the evidence or if I am not reading it correctly. I am in the process of trying to locate Pinker's original source for the graph.
It really is a fun book .
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Regarding modern medcine, that's of course true it did save a lot of lives. On the other hand, hunter gatherers don't have machine guns or atomic bombs to kill each other, so it kinda evens out. I think the technology is deliberately omitted, the death rates speak for themselves.
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I am new to this site and this is my first post.. And with that being said if anyone could help me in anyway with the site and how it works that would be great..
As for my book recommendation where does one begin? I have so many books flying threw my brain begging to be chosen.. lol.. Well, I have to chose My Ismael By Daniel Quinn as it is truly one of my favorites. However, My favorite author is Thact Nicht Hanh anything you read of his is sure to inspire and enlighten you.
Thanks
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- Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
- The admin formerly known as Scott
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BookCloseOuts has marked this down 68% and it is selling like crazy. I want to see what all the fuss is about.
"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.
Public domain classics
I'm not a philosopher by profession, so I've not read Aristotle's Ethics & Politics
(these are originally one work),
so I'm going to read that soon. I think this is the most important philosophical book to read until I write my Ethics & Politics (of course, with another title ).
I'm sorry that Aristotle supported slavery; maybe if he could write his Ethics & Politics better, Christianity would not be so widespread now. By the way, I think feudalism was an inventition after Aristotle's Ethics & Politics.
So if you are interested in philosophical books, I suggest Project Gutenberg where you may find some classics.
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Fekarp's suggestion that Aristotle invented feudalism, is most exciting and should be taken up in a different forum, which I shall begin. It goes with discussion of Scholasticism, and how the church changed its position on the classics, from rejecting them to using them to support the church's authority.
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Re: Vote for the November 2011 philosophy book of the month
Lisa Randall - Knocking on Heaven's Door. Especially the second half of it on scientific method and reason.
Here is a link to it and to 23 customer reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Knocking-Heavens- ... amp;sr=8-1
- Stirling
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Re: Nominate books to be a philosophy book of the month
The Faith of a Heretic by Walter Kaufmann
Critique of Religion and Philosophy by Walter Kaufmann
Neurophilosophy of Free Will by Henrik Walter
The Enigma of Capital by David Harvey
The Ticklish Subject by Slavoj Zizek
"By a sarcasm of law and phrase they were freemen." - Mark Twain
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Re: Nominate books to be a philosophy book of the month
- Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
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Re: Nominate books to be a philosophy book of the month
Please continue to use this topic to post nominations for the philosophy 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.
- Blizzard
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Re: Nominate books to be a philosophy book of the month
On Certainty- by Ludwig Wittgenstein
Discipline and Punishment: The Birth of the Prison- by Michel Foucault
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Re: Nominate books to be a philosophy book of the month
2024 Philosophy Books of the Month
2023 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