Winter Break: Time to get "intellectual".

Wiseguy

I've been sitting around chatting on the internet or playing on my DS all day. It feels like and is a huge waste of time. I like to constantly improve myself, mentally or physically, so I'm gonna start jogging, quitting cigarettes, and achieving a better sleep schedule.

To improve in ze brain area, I would like to read books on Political Philosophies (since I am a Poli Sci major) and on just plain old philosophy. Anything you guys would recommend that was a very "fun" and thought provoking read?

contraband

snap to it!

Wiseguy

Oooh, Nietsche. I've always wanted to get around to reading something from him. Thanks.

HiredGun

Well, you've always got the standard enlightenment texts. Hobbes' Leviathan. Jean-Jacques Rousseau's The Social Contract. John Locke's Two Treatises of Government.

For something more modern, John Rawls' A Theory of Justice is a good one to pick up.

Joseph Stalin

For the love of God, don't read Walden.

Wiseguy

Joseph Stalin wrote:

For the love of God, don't read Walden.

Reason, sir?

HiredGun

Oh, and if you want to read something hot-button, pick up Samuel Huntington's The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order (from half.com or the library, for the love of god). It's not political philosophy, but there's a conversation to be had there about the scope and methods of social science and it's at least a provocative read.

contraband

Joseph Stalin wrote:

For the love of God, don't read Walden.

booo

hissss

you just don't like thoreau

kaliyama

Wading through locke, etc. isn't going to be very rewarding if you don't plug into the intellectual debate around the stuff. look for survey texts on political philosophy or more focused publications. i advocate depth over breadth.

Wiseguy

kaliyama wrote:

Wading through locke, etc. isn't going to be very rewarding if you don't plug into the intellectual debate around the stuff. look for survey texts on political philosophy or more focused publications. i advocate depth over breadth.

good point, man. :^:

Thanatos

contraband wrote:

Joseph Stalin wrote:

For the love of God, don't read Walden.

booo

hissss

you just don't like thoreau

Only because Thoreau is totally full of shit.

I'll second Locke, especially over Nietzche, who is also full of shit. Locke has a much more pragmatic viewpoint, that actually applies to real life. In fact, his philosophies are some of the foundations of the republican form of government.

Lucky Cynic

Wiseguy wrote:

Oooh, Nietsche. I've always wanted to get around to reading something from him. Thanks.

I don't think you can go wrong with Nietsche though I don't know too much about'em...

KalTorak

I'm biased against Locke b/c my roommate read one of his books last year and then proceeded to shoehorn him into every single goddamn discussion, no matter how fabricated the connection, just to make sure everyone knew that he had read Locke and that he was great.

I hate it when people poison me against good books.

Wiseguy

Thanatos wrote:

I'll second Locke, especially over Nietzche, who is also full of shit. Locke has a much more pragmatic viewpoint, that actually applies to real life. In fact, his philosophies are some of the foundations of the republican form of government.

I read Locke's Two Treatises of Government and actually preferred Rousseau's The Social Contract.

Both good reads, though. Basic stuff for micropolitics.

Thanatos

Wiseguy wrote:

Thanatos wrote:

I'll second Locke, especially over Nietzche, who is also full of shit. Locke has a much more pragmatic viewpoint, that actually applies to real life. In fact, his philosophies are some of the foundations of the republican form of government.

I read Locke's Two Treatises of Government and actually preferred Rousseau's The Social Contract.

Both good reads, though. Basic stuff for micropolitics.

Are you American? Well, whether you are or not, Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville is excellent.

Wiseguy

Thanatos wrote:

Wiseguy wrote:

Thanatos wrote:

I'll second Locke, especially over Nietzche, who is also full of shit. Locke has a much more pragmatic viewpoint, that actually applies to real life. In fact, his philosophies are some of the foundations of the republican form of government.

I read Locke's Two Treatises of Government and actually preferred Rousseau's The Social Contract.

Both good reads, though. Basic stuff for micropolitics.

Are you American? Well, whether you are or not, Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville is excellent.

Yes, I'm American. And thanks for the suggestion.

I was surprised myself, to find that I liked Rousseau's ideas better, for I consider myself very "individualistic". But, this is not D&D so I won't elaborate.

Thanatos

Wiseguy wrote:

Thanatos wrote:

Wiseguy wrote:

Thanatos wrote:

I'll second Locke, especially over Nietzche, who is also full of shit. Locke has a much more pragmatic viewpoint, that actually applies to real life. In fact, his philosophies are some of the foundations of the republican form of government.

I read Locke's Two Treatises of Government and actually preferred Rousseau's The Social Contract.

Both good reads, though. Basic stuff for micropolitics.

Are you American? Well, whether you are or not, Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville is excellent.

Yes, I'm American. And thanks for the suggestion.

I was surprised myself, to find that I liked Rousseau's ideas better, for I consider myself very "individualistic". But, this is not D&D so I won't elaborate.

I'm gonna guess you've probably already read The Federalist Papers?

Andorien

Thanatos wrote:

Only because Thoreau is totally full of shit.

Such a hippy.

If you're not afraid to get sciency, I recommend The Elegant Universe.

TroubledTom

kaliyama

oo! zizek seconded. i was hoping to get him to sign stuff when i visited ljubljana, but of course he's always in new york...
i like the metaphysical club and the alcoholic republic, both accessible but brainy.

matthias00

Oh jeez. All I can say is stay the heck away from Walden.

Gotcha Force

matthias00 wrote:

Oh jeez. All I can say is stay the heck away from Walden.

there was a small reading assignment on a section of it and i fell asleep in about 20 seconds so if you want to sleep well..

ege02

If your purpose is self-improvement, I don't think you should stay away from any author or book. You should read everything you can, and then figure out which ones you agree/disagree with. People here might have their own reasons for recommending against, say, Nietzsche, but he offers a different kind of wisdom that you might appreciate, even if you don't agree with it.

Grid System

I second the Rawls suggestion. Nietzsche can be fun to read, but don't take anything of his seriously.

Solvent

I may get shouted at for this, but I really liked Bertrand Russell's A Brief History of Western Philosophy. It gives you a chronological run-down of the ideas of the most recognised thinkers of Western culture, beginning with the ancient Greeks and into (almost) the present day. Of course, the book is tainted by Russell's personal views (he is plainly biased towards/against some figures, although he makes absolutely no pretense of being 100% objective so I didn't mind), and I found his writing style to be very easy to read, and he has an awesome humour slightly like my grandad's (incredibly dry, sarcastic British wit).

So yeah I'd say if you're looking for a primer on Western philosophy that's a pretty decent start. I gather though that Bertrand Russell experiences a bit of the love/red-hot-hatred relationship with many of the philosophically inclined academic populace.

Dirtchamber

I also recommend Nietzsche, but I'd say you're better off with The Gay Science rather than BGE. Not that BGE isn't one of his better works - it's just a bit of a chore to read if you're not interested in his moral philosophy. GS has a much broader appeal, I think.

(And you can take Nietzsche seriously - provided you learn to recognise when he isn't being serious.)

HybridTheory8376

TroubledTom: Is Enjoy Your Symptom more accessible than his other texts? I've gone through Revolution at the Gates and am reading another one (I can't remember the name) and while I could understand them well, they had shitloads of psychoanalytical jargon that confused me at times.

EDIT: On topic, if you find a book you'd like to read, search online first. I've found tons of books that way for free.

Wiseguy

HybridTheory8376 wrote:

EDIT: On topic, if you find a book you'd like to read, search online first. I've found tons of books that way for free.

Thanks for the tip and all, but when I read, I love to have a book in my hand. Something special and particular about it.