Non-Fiction Book Suggestions Wanted: Mar. & Apr. 2009

Unread post Tue Feb 03, 2009 10:41 pm

zietz wrote:In no particular order, I would suggest the following five for non-fiction reads. After Eden: The Evolution of Human Domination, Kirkpatrick Sale God Is Not Great: Why Religion Ruins Everything, Christopher Hitchins Notes From Underground, Fyodor Dostoevsky
Original Wisdom: Stories of an Ancient Way of Knowing, Robert Wolff
Saving the Appearances: A Study In Idolatry, Owen Barfielder Hitchins
In his work, Sale argues for the problems inherent in the shift from early to late neolithic existence and its implications for civilized life today
Hitchins does a masterful job of laying out the atheistic critique of all faith.
Notes is Dostoevsky's classsic critique of modern rationalism (maybe considered fiction by some)
Wolff gives us a collage of knowledge gained from his time with indigenous peoples in places we have never been.
Barfield's is a classic critique of western philosophical and scientific rationality
These can all be found on amazon.com
This is my first, humble offering.
sandy krolick (zietz) - newbie

Thanks zietz. I would support Hitchins God is Not Great. It is much more coherent and articulate than most other recent atheist books, but still provides good room for debate. http://www.amazon.com/God-Not-Great-Rel ... 0446579807 provides 817 customer reviews, with the following the first publisher review

Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly
Hitchens, one of our great political pugilists, delivers the best of the recent rash of atheist manifestos. The same contrarian spirit that makes him delightful reading as a political commentator, even (or especially) when he's completely wrong, makes him an entertaining huckster prosecutor once he has God placed in the dock. And can he turn a phrase!: "monotheistic religion is a plagiarism of a plagiarism of a hearsay of a hearsay, of an illusion of an illusion, extending all the way back to a fabrication of a few nonevents." Hitchens's one-liners bear the marks of considerable sparring practice with believers. Yet few believers will recognize themselves as Hitchens associates all of them for all time with the worst of history's theocratic and inquisitional moments. All the same, this is salutary reading as a means of culling believers' weaker arguments: that faith offers comfort (false comfort is none at all), or has provided a historical hedge against fascism (it mostly hasn't), or that "Eastern" religions are better (nope). The book's real strength is Hitchens's on-the-ground glimpses of religion's worst face in various war zones and isolated despotic regimes. But its weakness is its almost fanatical insistence that religion poisons "everything," which tips over into barely disguised misanthropy. (May 30)
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DWill · Unread post Wed Feb 04, 2009 8:50 am

I picked up the Hitchens book recently and have had a chance to read just a bit of it. I like it so far, even though I don't agree with his refrain, "Religion poisons everything." I'd probably vote for it when it comes to that. I also finally got around to reading Dawkins' "The God Delusion" and did enjoy reading it. It didn't seem as much of an "attack" book as some reactions indicated. Dawkins is a good writer, which for me is the most important thing, no matter whether I agree with the writer or not. But I did find much of his argument to be strong.

Raving Lunatic · Unread post Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:48 am

I would have to go with Jimmy Carter's book. I heard a discussion about it on NPR and it sounds interesting.

zietz · Unread post Sat Feb 07, 2009 3:19 pm

I appreciate the endorsement of Hitchens; and he is an extremely relevant writer and speaker currently. He is right on topic today!

Problems with Bachelard, Poetics of Space; it is very philosophical and metaphorical; really tough to discuss intellectually. More like reading Zen Koans really. A great book, but I would think twice about it.

just some thoughts.

sandy

Grim · Unread post Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:27 pm

Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge by Vandana Shiva

In this intelligently argued and ethically principled book, internationally renowned Third World environmentalist Vandana Shiva exposes the latest frontier of the North's ongoing assault against the South's biological and other resources. Since the land, the forests, the oceans, and the atmosphere have already been colonized, eroded, and polluted, she argues, Northern capital is now carving out new colonies to exploit for gain: the interior spaces of the bodies of women, plants, and animals. Under agreements such as GATT, she argues, the North claims a need to be "protected" from the South so it can continue its uninterrupted theft of the Third World's genetic diversity. This theft, Shiva shows, has profoundly disturbing consequences for women, the Third World, and the environment. With specific considerations of gene-patenting, genetic engineering, and biotechnology, Biopiracy is essential reading for anyone concerned with technology, imperialism, feminism or the environment.

Grim · Unread post Sun Feb 15, 2009 1:16 am

Chris,

Is it almost time to start voting? Middle of the month now and little/no activity in terms of recommendations or nominations recently. Shipping always adds a second delay anyway so the sooner the better for me. Ditto on the Fiction selection.

Thanks.

Grim · Unread post Wed Feb 18, 2009 6:56 pm

March is almost a week away, can we vote now?

bobby408 · Unread post Thu Feb 19, 2009 2:49 am

This outstanding book effectively explains the contemporary political climate, especially in constitutional democracies around the world. The book's realist perspective is refreshing and reminds the reader that no matter the ideals, hopes, and goals of a person, if that person is not accustomed to making these ideals reality, then all is lost. Making ideals reality, and bringing about one's goals (hopefully virtuous) in today's increasingly complicated world is the subject of this book. The depth and explanation of many nuances and obscurities in our bureaucratic governments and administrations is extremely impressive. This book is for any idealist who really wants to change the world for the better, because the book explains the tools that are available for those in power to bring about and manifest these ideals. Truly extraordinary!

bobby408 · Unread post Thu Feb 19, 2009 2:57 am

This is another truly brilliant book in the explanation of the current international climate and how it came about in recent history. The author explains of the emergence of a global elite that is increasingly being less dependant on the United States for its interests. This elite, as written in the book, took its root in Reagan-Thatcher Laissez-faire ideology (neoliberalism) and its interests are now diverging from the American people's interests. Thus, neoliberal policies like NAFTA, globalization, and the WTO, as explained by the author, are bad for Americans as well as the rest of the world and, how the lack of an international governing body over this elite, is rendering them more and more powerful thus further exacerbating the divide between rich and poor. This realist and pessimistic perspective is backed up by many facts and a framing in history. Indeed, this book is a must read for anyone who wants to know why the current global and financial crisis REALLY came about. But, unfortunately, the author does a poor job in providing a solution to this global problem. It is still a must read and rather made me almost throw up due to the ruthlessness of how the elite is sucking more power from the bottom and how the world's power and resources are increasingly becoming more centralized.

Unread post Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:50 am

I'll jump into this thread today and get the poll process started. All my time has gone towards the server change issue, but I think I can handle this poll now.

Non-Fiction Book Suggestions Wanted: Mar. & Apr. 2009

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