02-13-2020, 01:59 PM | #1 |
Junior Member
Posts: 5
Karma: 123450
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Paris, France
Device: Kindle PW4
|
Philosophy book club, anybody?
(DISCLAIMER: I have no idea if this is the right place to make this suggestion, if it indeed isn't, please forgive me and have the good will to redirect me to where it would be appropriate)
I absolutely love philosophy, whatever shape or size it may come in, and was wondering if like-minded individuals, active or lurking, would be interested in starting a book club for us to be able to read and discuss works, authors, ideas; best of all, get involved in some spicy debates on the way things are or the way things should be. What would be especially important to me would be that NO PRIOR PHILOSOPHICAL KNOWLEDGE BE REQUIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We all have brains, and so we can all discuss ideas, the whole point would be to have a strong diversity of perspectives. On top of that, philosophy can be quite an intimidating domain because of all the intellectualism and disdain involved, and it's always easier to tackle these sorts of challenges as a group. Of course, this would all be up to those interested, but the format I initially envisioned would be similar to the other book clubs you find on the forum: book suggestions, a vote, and a read per month, or perhaps bimonthly, since philosophy can sometimes require a more minutious read. Anybody interested? |
02-13-2020, 02:50 PM | #2 | |
o saeclum infacetum
Posts: 20,550
Karma: 224837692
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: New England
Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5
|
Quote:
|
|
02-13-2020, 11:38 PM | #3 |
cacoethes scribendi
Posts: 5,812
Karma: 137770742
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Australia
Device: Kobo Aura One & H2Ov2, Sony PRS-650
|
I do enjoy the occasional foray into philosophy, but doubt I could manage monthly. Bi-monthly might work. I've not studied philosophy, it's very much an amateur's interest, as a result I tend to prefer works that don't take themselves too seriously, but sometimes it's interesting to dive a bit deeper.
|
02-14-2020, 05:43 AM | #4 |
Wizard
Posts: 4,461
Karma: 429063498
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Mauritius
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 4
|
I'm in.
|
02-14-2020, 07:35 PM | #5 |
Literacy = Understanding
Posts: 4,833
Karma: 59674358
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The World of Books
Device: Nook, Nook Tablet
|
If you are into philosophy, here are a couple of recent books I'd highly recommend:
I'd also suggest the Peter Adamson series, "A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps." It is currently up to 5 volumes with the fifth volume, "Classical Indian Philosophy", due to be released June 1, 2020. Of course, philosophy covers many things. I am currently reading Simon Wiesenthal's "The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness" which includes Wiesel's original story plus contributions from contributions from the Dalai Lama, Harry Wu, Cynthia Ozick, Primo Levi. Iit is a fascinating look into the question of what would "I/you" do in the circumstances. Last edited by rhadin; 02-15-2020 at 10:29 PM. Reason: corrected author name for "The Sunflower" |
02-15-2020, 06:29 AM | #6 |
Connoisseur
Posts: 72
Karma: 1039391
Join Date: Aug 2017
Device: N/A
|
Thank you for these interesting suggestions. The Peter Adamson books look particularly intriguing.
(Just to mention, I think "The Sunflower" book is by Simon Wiesenthal) |
02-15-2020, 10:31 PM | #7 |
Literacy = Understanding
Posts: 4,833
Karma: 59674358
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The World of Books
Device: Nook, Nook Tablet
|
|
02-15-2020, 10:41 PM | #8 |
Literacy = Understanding
Posts: 4,833
Karma: 59674358
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The World of Books
Device: Nook, Nook Tablet
|
If you are interested in contemporary US philosophers, an excellent one to read is Martha Nussbaum. Her "The Monarchy of Fear: A Philosopher Looks at Our Political Crisis" and "The Cosmopolitan Tradition: A Noble but Flawed Ideal" are excellent.
I haven't yet purchased/read Nussbaum's 2012 book, "The New Religious Intolerance: Overcoming the Politics of Fear in an Anxious Age", but it seems prescient to the intolerance of Trump and rightwing America in 2020. (This thread is inspiring . I just ordered a copy of this book.) |
03-04-2020, 11:06 PM | #9 |
languorous autodidact ✦
Posts: 4,235
Karma: 44667380
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: smiling with the rising sun
Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage
|
It sounds fun and I might be interested, though I'm a slower reader generally and wouldn't want too many commitments. I would prefer for the most part shorter/easier works and/or maybe on a slower time frame of like a book every two or three months instead of every month. I'm just throwing out ideas should you start the club up but you can do whatever you like.
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
MobileRead Book Club September 2016 Book Club Nominations | WT Sharpe | Book Clubs | 56 | 08-27-2016 12:04 AM |
MobileRead Book Club March 2013 Book Club Nominations | WT Sharpe | Book Clubs | 65 | 02-21-2013 02:59 PM |
MobileRead Book Club March 2012 Book Club Nominations | WT Sharpe | Book Clubs | 49 | 02-21-2012 10:48 PM |
Bargain (Kobo/Sony): The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith | Britomart | Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) | 3 | 10-03-2011 10:26 PM |