What, Why & How do we Know ?
Wonderful episode of In Our Time on BBC R4 this morning: Classic excellent edition of @BBCRadio4 #iot this morning on Gibbon and his Decline and Fall. Unfinished business for our time?https://t.co/w3lcBcBfg9 — What, Why & How do we know? (@psybertron) June 17, 2021 Fascinated by the biographical timeline of British and French connections to enlightenment … Continue reading “The Divine Gibbon … Again”
I mentioned  starting to read Gibbon only a few weeks ago, a “couple of years” after picking it up from the bookshelf at my parent’s home, and just noticed it was more like 4 years ago I first posted this. Anyway still reading it slowly, to and from work mainly. It is indeed the language that … Continue reading “Doing the Gibbon”
Why am I reading “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” (Edward Gibbon 1776, D  M Low 1960 abridgement, 910 page , 1974 edition by Chatto & Windus) ? I picked it up from my father’s book-case a couple of years ago because the Neil Hannon / Divine Comedy lyric “Gibbon’s divine decline and fall” … Continue reading “The Divine Gibbon”
“Vienna Interlude” is a chapter title from Cheryl Misak’s biography of Frank Ramsey, which I’m reading slowly between diversions domestic and professional. Still a little less than half-way through the whole, it’s a wonderful sketch of Cambridge, Bloomsbury (and Vienna) circles of the 1920’s. As with the words of Rebecca Goldstein, Margaret Wertheim and Alice … Continue reading “A Vienna Interlude”
I promised a fuller review of Nick Spencer’s “Atheism – The Origin of the Species” when I’d completed it. It’s a rather long review with plenty of spoilers and quotes here, since I’m gutting it for content I find useful, but a recommended read for anyone from Mrs Angry Atheist to Mr Tolerant Apologist and all … Continue reading “Nothing New Under the Sun When it Comes to Atheism?”
Reading Terry Eagleton’s Culture and the Death of God (2014) Only read the first chapter The Limits of Enlightenment, but already finding lots of interest. In fact the style despite his usual sardonic wit is more academic paper (based on what was originally a lecture) with lots of referenced quotes to make his arguments. A … Continue reading “Eagleton’s Latest”
It’s normal for a young upcoming artist to go through some packaging and maturation from first being noticed paying their dues and honing their skills in earliest bar gigs seen by a few, to the global media promotion of the act and a new album. Gary Clarke Jr is no different. Good and loud and … Continue reading “Gary Clark Jr.”
Just finished reading Tom Holland’s In the Shadow of the Sword – the battle for global empire and the end of the ancient world. Thoroughly referenced history of the place of Zoroastrian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim religions in warlike power politics of domination across the “civilised” world from the pre-Hellenic origins centred on the Tigris and … Continue reading “In the Shadow of the Sword”
I’m reading The Arabs – A History by Eugene Rogan – lots of positive reviews by the likes of Max Hastings for example as well as Arab speakers. I’m only 90-odd pages in (out of 600ish), but I’m baffled. There are less than 10 pages from 1200 to 1500, and by page 90 we’re already … Continue reading “What are Arabs ?”
Finished Rebecca Goldstein’s “Betraying Spinoza” the other day, and found it an excellent piece of work. Having been very busy for a couple of days, I’ve not really had a chance to compose a detailed review. For now … Radical objectivism. Ultimately the self-other dualism is dissolved by expanding the scope of self. I am … Continue reading “Cosmic Man”