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Desayuno con Sócrates: la filosofía del día a día
¿Gracias a Nietzsche va a mejorar tu trayecto de casa a la oficina y de la oficina a casa?
¿Qué opinaría Freud de tu costumbre de ir de compras a modo de terapia?
¿Y qué diría Platón sobre cómo lees los libros?
Desayuno con Sócrates cuenta lo que habrían dicho los grandes pensadores de la historia sobre nuestros actos cotidianos, desde ir al trabajo a acudir al gimnasio, pasando por preparar la cena o volver a la cama. Rara vez nos paramos a pensar en que estas actividades cotidianas están relacionadas con conceptos más amplios sobre el mundo. Robert Rowland Smith ilustra estas conexiones con ingenio, gracia y fundamento.
A lo largo de esta jornada de nuestra vida cotidiana, glosada hora a hora, el lector se encontrará con Lucrecio, que le explicará por qué es bueno no estar preparado, o con Emerson, que le dará consejos sobre cómo hacer las reservas para unas vacaciones. Jung aportará sus comentarios sobre lo que ha soñado, Mill dirá algo sobre la costumbre de hacer novillos y Aristófanes le pondrá al tanto en cuestiones de cópula carnal.
Inspirándose en la filosofía, la literatura, la política y la psicología, Robert Rowland Smith muestra cómo podemos mejorar nuestra vida cotidiana si tomamos en consideración las ideas más interesantes del mundo. El desayuno, así como el almuerzo y la cena –junto con todo lo que va antes y todo lo que va después– no volverán a ser lo mismo.
¿Qué opinaría Freud de tu costumbre de ir de compras a modo de terapia?
¿Y qué diría Platón sobre cómo lees los libros?
Desayuno con Sócrates cuenta lo que habrían dicho los grandes pensadores de la historia sobre nuestros actos cotidianos, desde ir al trabajo a acudir al gimnasio, pasando por preparar la cena o volver a la cama. Rara vez nos paramos a pensar en que estas actividades cotidianas están relacionadas con conceptos más amplios sobre el mundo. Robert Rowland Smith ilustra estas conexiones con ingenio, gracia y fundamento.
A lo largo de esta jornada de nuestra vida cotidiana, glosada hora a hora, el lector se encontrará con Lucrecio, que le explicará por qué es bueno no estar preparado, o con Emerson, que le dará consejos sobre cómo hacer las reservas para unas vacaciones. Jung aportará sus comentarios sobre lo que ha soñado, Mill dirá algo sobre la costumbre de hacer novillos y Aristófanes le pondrá al tanto en cuestiones de cópula carnal.
Inspirándose en la filosofía, la literatura, la política y la psicología, Robert Rowland Smith muestra cómo podemos mejorar nuestra vida cotidiana si tomamos en consideración las ideas más interesantes del mundo. El desayuno, así como el almuerzo y la cena –junto con todo lo que va antes y todo lo que va después– no volverán a ser lo mismo.
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 22, 2009
238 people are currently reading
1870 people want to read
About the author
Robert Rowland Smith
12 books29 followersRobert Rowland Smith was for seven years a Prize Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford and is a consultant, lecturer and writer on philosophy, literature and psychoanalysis. He has written for The Independent and The Evening Standard, been profiled in The Sunday Telegraph, Time Out and The Observer, and contributed to books on philosophy for children. As well as broadcasting for BBC Radio and television, he has contributed to the Philosophy Bites podcast series and currently has a column on everyday dilemmas in the Sunday Times Magazine.
Smith has taught in the UK, France, Norway, and California; he was invited by the British Council to undertake a European lecture tour, and was closely involved with the Oxford Amnesty Lectures.
Smith is a faculty member at The School of Life, where he runs a breakfast Club, teaches courses on Love and Family and practices constellations. He is a founding editor of the award-winning journal, Angelaki, to which he has contributed articles and sits both on the editorial board and that of its associated book series, Angelaki Humanities.
In conjunction with his literary ventures, Smith is also an independent management consultant. He specializes on issues of strategy and change with boards and senior teams as well as coaching chief executives.
Smith has taught in the UK, France, Norway, and California; he was invited by the British Council to undertake a European lecture tour, and was closely involved with the Oxford Amnesty Lectures.
Smith is a faculty member at The School of Life, where he runs a breakfast Club, teaches courses on Love and Family and practices constellations. He is a founding editor of the award-winning journal, Angelaki, to which he has contributed articles and sits both on the editorial board and that of its associated book series, Angelaki Humanities.
In conjunction with his literary ventures, Smith is also an independent management consultant. He specializes on issues of strategy and change with boards and senior teams as well as coaching chief executives.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
January 20, 2021
The premise of the book goes like this - if it is true that the unexamined life is not worth living, instead of waiting for philosophy lectures, why not examine your life in the moment? The everyday is 99% of our lives and if we dont think about it, while we live it, we might miss the meaning hidden amongst our trivial lives. And if we do, we might get a few glimpses of this, with appropriate help, enriching it in the process.
To this end, various philosophers comment on various aspects of your daily routine and try to take you along some of their favourite tangents. At least, that is what they were supposed to do. The idea was to bring meaning to the mundane by getting these surprise guests to shock us with their radical perspectives on these routines and force us to look afresh on the familiar.
Instead we get a few loose essays, mostly filled with the author's thoughts on the various aspects like waking up, driving to work, having food, fighting with spouse etc, with the occasional comment about how a philosopher, if consulted, might have chipped in on the matter. Barely an interesting section in the entire book, except for the one about driving to work. Splendid idea for a book, decent title, but poor execution.
To this end, various philosophers comment on various aspects of your daily routine and try to take you along some of their favourite tangents. At least, that is what they were supposed to do. The idea was to bring meaning to the mundane by getting these surprise guests to shock us with their radical perspectives on these routines and force us to look afresh on the familiar.
Instead we get a few loose essays, mostly filled with the author's thoughts on the various aspects like waking up, driving to work, having food, fighting with spouse etc, with the occasional comment about how a philosopher, if consulted, might have chipped in on the matter. Barely an interesting section in the entire book, except for the one about driving to work. Splendid idea for a book, decent title, but poor execution.
August 7, 2011
Not what I was expecting... but still pretty damn good. Reminds me of Barthes, essentially a book of essays that attempt to breakdown an event or action (going to the gym, waking up, arguing with your partner, etc) that occurs in the average day-to-day life. I was hoping to walk away learning a bit more about actual philosophical concepts and famous philosophers, but instead felt like I was listening to a person who just smoked a bowl and started having random existential conversations with me in some dark corner of a house party. However, I tend to enjoy random musings (whether inspired by being under the influence or by someone stone cold sober!) such as the ones Smith presents in his book, and he left my mind feeling stimulated and inspired. Overall, it's a great piece of work. :)
March 26, 2022
Knyga nepasakyčiau, kad bloga. Matau ko autorius siekia, tačiau turiu pripažinti, kad tai buvo nuobodžiausia mano skaityta knyga ir mano gyvenimo ji nepraturtino.. manau, kad mano filosofinis klaustukas ir toliau kabo nejudėdamas iš vietos.
Tačiau supratau viena, kad aš jau moku džiaugtis mažais kasdieniais dalykais savo gyvenime - gal dėl to knyga ir nepalietė manęs...
Tačiau supratau viena, kad aš jau moku džiaugtis mažais kasdieniais dalykais savo gyvenime - gal dėl to knyga ir nepalietė manęs...
October 4, 2018
The book puts you in a dazzling journey into philosophy through your routine everyday life. Dazzling and routine? How can these get together?
Well, Robert does well in discussing big philosophical ideas from the greatest philosophers in an entertaining literary way. Enjoy your breakfast with Socrates (and your lunch and dinner with the other philosophers for that matter).
Well, Robert does well in discussing big philosophical ideas from the greatest philosophers in an entertaining literary way. Enjoy your breakfast with Socrates (and your lunch and dinner with the other philosophers for that matter).
April 14, 2020
Summary:
Philosophy arms you to make wise, practical decisions in a complex world.
The questions this book answered:
Why is philosophy important?
Philosophy arms you to make wise, practical decisions in a complex world.
How do ideas from the greatest thinkers impact my everyday life?
Descartes: If you are awake, you are thinking, and therefore you must exist.
Freud: The morning routine is a fierce psychological competition between our ego and superego
Nietzsche: Abandon the herd’s fantasies, master your destiny and join the ranks of supermen.
Marx: Work is wage slavery. You have nothing to lose but your chains.
Weber: If you work hard and live simply, you will become wealthy.
How can philosophy relieve my suffering and reconnect me to the world?
Learn from French feminists: Let go of your gender and live in peace with your partner.
Buddhism: Meditation releases you from suffering.
Jung: Dreaming connects you to the collective unconscious, the world’s soul.
Philosophy arms you to make wise, practical decisions in a complex world.
The questions this book answered:
Why is philosophy important?
Philosophy arms you to make wise, practical decisions in a complex world.
How do ideas from the greatest thinkers impact my everyday life?
Descartes: If you are awake, you are thinking, and therefore you must exist.
Freud: The morning routine is a fierce psychological competition between our ego and superego
Nietzsche: Abandon the herd’s fantasies, master your destiny and join the ranks of supermen.
Marx: Work is wage slavery. You have nothing to lose but your chains.
Weber: If you work hard and live simply, you will become wealthy.
How can philosophy relieve my suffering and reconnect me to the world?
Learn from French feminists: Let go of your gender and live in peace with your partner.
Buddhism: Meditation releases you from suffering.
Jung: Dreaming connects you to the collective unconscious, the world’s soul.
December 20, 2022
A decent read. It gives me some things to think about while doing everyday things, whether it’s waking up with Descartes or going to bed with Freud.
I think the point of the book was to push the reader to look at things from many different perspectives, which is pretty good advice looking at the world today.
The chapter on reading books was the best one in my opinion. I like the implication that all words are just meaningless ink blots until someone puts their eyes to them and interprets them in their own light. A shelved book is basically just a graveyard of characters and ideas until the reader puts them to work in their imagination.
I think the point of the book was to push the reader to look at things from many different perspectives, which is pretty good advice looking at the world today.
The chapter on reading books was the best one in my opinion. I like the implication that all words are just meaningless ink blots until someone puts their eyes to them and interprets them in their own light. A shelved book is basically just a graveyard of characters and ideas until the reader puts them to work in their imagination.
January 9, 2011
What a great idea for a book, but what a disappointment to read. I mean I liked it well enough, but I was expecting something quite different, something a bit more philosophical. It makes me want to start writing my own version the way it should be done. For one thing, these chapters, such as "Going to the Gym" and "Taking a Bath" and "Having Lunch With Your Parents" are just a bit too yuppyish for me. And there are only touches of famous philosophers in each chapter. It would have been better to just give some philosophical ideas from say the Greek philosophers to think about over the course of a day, no matter what you are doing. One edition could have been on Greek philosophy, another on existentialism, and so on. I think I'll start writing it.
February 15, 2017
Što bi rekli Sokratu kada bi se slučajno našli s njim za kavu? Ili bolje pitanje – što bi rekao on Vama kada bi čuo kako razmišljate i na koji način živite? I ono najvažnije- tko bi platio račun?
Izvrsna knjiga mladog, u filozofskim krugovima prepoznatljivog i nadasve elokventnog autora koji je na mene ostavio velik utisak. Ono što je izvrsnost ove knjige jest to što je uspjela približiti filozofiju svakidašnjice ''običnom'' čitatelju i što razmatra svakidašnja pitanja na jednostavnom jeziku filozofije. Možda bi neki rekli da i to nije filozofija. A možda je i u tome sam filozofski problem.
Mladi Smith svakako ne podučava filozofske pojmove bitka i bivstva, već potiče čitatelja (a samim tim ga i uči) da propituje smisao nekih svakidašnjih pojava i pitanja:
- što je filozofija buđenja, te da li je moguće da spavanjem čovjek zapravo niti ne postoji (ako je vjerovati Decartesu i njegovoj slavnoj izreci: ''Mislim, dakle jesam)
- što nam govori odjeća koju svakodnevno oblačimo na svoja tijela (pitanje ega i superega)
- nije li putovanje na posao zapravo i nešto više od pukog zamišljanja kako bi sada radije bili u Toscani na osunčanom brežuljku i brali grožđe (nego li se gnjavili gužvama po autobusima i podzemnim željeznicama)
- kakvu nam poruku daje crveno svijetlo na semaforu kada se pred njim zaustavimo prilikom odlaska na posao
- da li je istina da u timskom radu na poslu bolje djelujemo i dajemo kvalitetnije rezultate
- što nam govori autoritet liječnika i zašto pobogu postoji više viceva o liječnicima nego o veterinarima ili pak smetlarima
- mogu li zbilja bogati bez siromašnih i koja je velika ''utjeha'' krvavog kapitalizma
- što smo pred televizijom, a što smo u kinu (ima li uopće razlike?)
- pojava ''ring and ping'' – a u današnjem društvu – (prijevod bi bio: zvonjava dostavljača pizze ili pištanje mikrovalne pećnice)
- zašto čovjek smatra kanibalizam odvratnim (volite li više kuhanog ili sirovog čovjeka?)
- da li ste ikada pritisnuli pauzu kada ste gledali uvodne scene Kuma i zapitali se gdje se zapravo odvija prava zabava?
- da li su zdrave svađe s vašim partnerom?
- trebamo li zapravo platiti račun nedjeljnog ručka u restoranu koji smo pojeli zajedno sa svojim roditeljima, u znak poštovanja što su nas lijepo odgojili i pružili nam sve te mogućnosti?
- da li je zabušavanje na poslu i pitanje vlastite slobode?
- zašto u Dubaiu (ispod užarenog pijeska) postoje zatvorena skijališta i zašto je to toliko dobro i cool? (Odgovor na ovo pitanje možda bi Vam mogla dati i rampa koja se podiže prilikom vašeg ulaska na parkiralište šoping-centra ;) )
- ima li Proust kakve veze sa vašom željom da putujete i konačno se fotografirate ispred Andersenove Male sirene u Danskoj
- da li ste znali da je najbliži srodnik televiziji zapravo poligraf (detektor laži)
- zbilja su nam potrebni kompjuterizirani kardiostrojevi u teretanama ili oni osim otkucaja našeg srca dok se znojimo na trkaćoj traci broje i još neke otkucaje?
- znate li da postoje opisan postupak na WikiHow-u kako se treba kupati? Pa zar se čovječanstvo prije toga češkalo cijeli život jer nije znalo kako bi trebalo oprati svoje tijelo nakon radnog dana
- što je tako magično i toliko realistično u knjizi slavnog nobelovca ''Sto godina samoće''
- …
Zanimljivo, pomalo duhovito, inspirativno i nakon svega račun ovog doručka i nije bio tako velik. Pohvale.
January 9, 2019
Revin destul de des la carticica asta. Cred ca pentru mine, filo sophia s-a declansat in facultate, dupa cursul de introducere in filosofie. Pentru ca la Bookster nu aveau atunci prea multe carti, am dat de aceasta in 2015. Mi-a placut intr-atat, incat m-am decis sa o si cumpar pentru ca imi doream sa o insemnez si sa imi adaug propriile impresii.
Ce mi-a placut foarte mult la ea este ca are multe referinte catre alte carti si nu se limiteaza doar la filosofie, ci si literatura, psihanaliza sau sociologie. Spre exemplu, abia acum la aproape patru ani, cumva inconstient, am inceput sa "citesc" (audiobook pe Audible) zilele trecute In cautarea timpului pierdut, dar si Un veac de singuratate (de fapt, urmeaza sa o incep, dar am primit-o cadou de Secret Santa). Probabil ca de fiecare data cand am citit mi-am tot spus ca vreau sa aflu ce e cu astea doua. La prima sunt pe la jumatatea ei, iar pe a lui Marquez, urmeaza in curand. Cred ca mi-a fost teama in tot timpul asta, pentru ca pareau niste carti grele, iar eu am inceput sa citesc carti putin mai grele abia anul trecut. Acum sunt aproape pregatit pentru asa ceva.
In fine, cartea lui Robert Smith trece prin toate fazele pe care le avem in viata: trezirea, mersul la munca, chiulitul de la munca, shoppingul, vacantele, mersul la sala, cina cu parintii, mersul la petreceri, somnul, cat si sexul, plus altele, cu referinte filosofice. Practic, a facut un amalgam frumos de parafrazari filosofice ce se aplica asupra aspectelor vietii.
Ce mi-a placut foarte mult la ea este ca are multe referinte catre alte carti si nu se limiteaza doar la filosofie, ci si literatura, psihanaliza sau sociologie. Spre exemplu, abia acum la aproape patru ani, cumva inconstient, am inceput sa "citesc" (audiobook pe Audible) zilele trecute In cautarea timpului pierdut, dar si Un veac de singuratate (de fapt, urmeaza sa o incep, dar am primit-o cadou de Secret Santa). Probabil ca de fiecare data cand am citit mi-am tot spus ca vreau sa aflu ce e cu astea doua. La prima sunt pe la jumatatea ei, iar pe a lui Marquez, urmeaza in curand. Cred ca mi-a fost teama in tot timpul asta, pentru ca pareau niste carti grele, iar eu am inceput sa citesc carti putin mai grele abia anul trecut. Acum sunt aproape pregatit pentru asa ceva.
In fine, cartea lui Robert Smith trece prin toate fazele pe care le avem in viata: trezirea, mersul la munca, chiulitul de la munca, shoppingul, vacantele, mersul la sala, cina cu parintii, mersul la petreceri, somnul, cat si sexul, plus altele, cu referinte filosofice. Practic, a facut un amalgam frumos de parafrazari filosofice ce se aplica asupra aspectelor vietii.
February 4, 2018
Iš skambaus pavadinimo tikėjausi žymiai daugiau. Tačiau tikrai..perskaičiau paprastą kasdieninio gyvenimo filosofiją.
Gyvenimą iš tiesų nugyvename taip kaip kiekvieną savo dieną.
Gyvenimą iš tiesų nugyvename taip kaip kiekvieną savo dieną.
May 31, 2018
a beautiful combination of different ideas, wonderful book.
October 7, 2020
Philosophie = Liebe zur Weisheit
Lebe die Philosophie und stell Fragen:
- Willst du gewinnen oder clever leben?
- Warum ist das Aufwachen eine Überraschung?
Lebe die Philosophie und stell Fragen:
- Willst du gewinnen oder clever leben?
- Warum ist das Aufwachen eine Überraschung?
September 2, 2012
“Given that Socrates was effectively assassinated by poison, you might think twice before accepting his invitation to breakfast”. This is how Robert Rowland Smith opened his book, Breakfast with Socrates.
People know I'm a slow reader. It takes me ages to read a book. Slow enough to get bored of books I am reading and leave them before finishing them. But this one was interesting enough that I couldn't but finish it. The thing about this book, not only that it introduced me to names like Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes, Julia Kristeva and Jacques Derrida, and reintroduced me to others such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Max Weber and René Descartes, whom I rediscovered his most famous phrase "Cogito ergo sum" here. But also - just like other philosophy books - it makes you discover new meanings and interpenetration for your everyday life.
We wake up everyday, but it's nice to know how "waking up" and "discovering the truth" are related: “The associations get only richer and more intense when you realise that the very concept of truth - the cornerstone of philosophy and religion alike, let alone law - also rests heavily on the meaning of waking up. And you don't need a philosopher to appreciate it, because there are clues to its dependency in everyday phrases such as 'waking up to the truth', 'my eyes were opened' and even 'wake up and smell the coffee'. If such phrases hint that waking up and truth are bedfellows of some sort, you need only go back to the ancient Greek for corroboration. There you'll find that the word truth is 'aletheia', from which in English we get the word for 'lethargy'. But see how the Greek word is 'a-letheia' rather than letheia - that is truth is the opposite of lethargy. And what is opposite of lethargy, if not waking up?”
After waking up, you put on your clothes and make yourself ready to go to work. But don't we all feel too lazy to go to work most of the time? May be Freud has interpretation for this: “Getting ready is that point in the day when the rivalry between the two needs is likely to peak, because we are making transition from being at home and pleasing ourselves (ego) to going out and having to conform to a series of norms an conventions (superego). We become less ego and more superego with each button we fasten”.
How come on the one hand we cover our pubic with clothes, yet on the other hand, we want to attract the opposite sex? “Clothes exist to hide the pubic from the public and therefore make you socially acceptable. The irony is that, precisely because they are a prerequisite for social inclusion, wearing clothes has become almost more natural than being naked ... To that established irony, we can add a more subtle one. As anyone who has been on a date well knows, clothes aren't just about covering you up: while you need them to hide your sex, you want them to show your sexuality”.
Smith later discusses lots of things, such as shopping. “Let's remember you can still go shopping without buying, because where buying is a matter of need, shopping is a question of want”. As well as credit cards. With money you buy things using the money you earned from work you have done in the past, but with credit card you are buying things for work yet to be done in the future. “Credit' comes from the Latin 'credere', 'to believe', for credit is the belief that the money you're borrowing will someday be returned, a belief that needs the future to function in”.
The write also discusses languages, and reading, and how words in a book needs reader as well as the writer to put meanings to them. “[Roland] Barthes turned the thable on the author, saying no only the a book needs a reader to wake it into life, but that in so doing the reader becomes nothing less that the author, who reveals in the book's hermeneutic possibilities, releases them and so becomes its own creator.”
The book consists of 18 chapters, each discussion one single detail of your day, from waking up to travelling to work, to bunking off, to going to the gym, to watching TV, to having sex, to sleeping. And since it serves as an introduction to philosophy, the author recommends a list of books to read after you finish this one, such as:
The Discourse on the Method, René Descartes
The Last Days of Socrates, Plato
Basic Writings of Nietzsche, Friedrich Nietzsche
Points...: Interviews, 1974-1994, Jacques Derrida
The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud
Memories, Dreams and Reflections, Carl Jung
A Barthes Reader, Roland Barthes
Nausea, Jean-Paul Sartre
The Foucault Reader, Michel Foucault
From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, Max Weber
Illuminations: Essays and Reflections, Walter Benjamin
The Raw and the Cooked: Introduction to a Science of Mythology, Claude Levi-Strauss
Capital: An Abridged Edition, Karl Marx
The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli
And let me add three more:
The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin
Rhetoric, Aristotle
The Nature of Things, Lucretius
http://www.tarekamr.com/2012/09/break...
People know I'm a slow reader. It takes me ages to read a book. Slow enough to get bored of books I am reading and leave them before finishing them. But this one was interesting enough that I couldn't but finish it. The thing about this book, not only that it introduced me to names like Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes, Julia Kristeva and Jacques Derrida, and reintroduced me to others such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Max Weber and René Descartes, whom I rediscovered his most famous phrase "Cogito ergo sum" here. But also - just like other philosophy books - it makes you discover new meanings and interpenetration for your everyday life.
We wake up everyday, but it's nice to know how "waking up" and "discovering the truth" are related: “The associations get only richer and more intense when you realise that the very concept of truth - the cornerstone of philosophy and religion alike, let alone law - also rests heavily on the meaning of waking up. And you don't need a philosopher to appreciate it, because there are clues to its dependency in everyday phrases such as 'waking up to the truth', 'my eyes were opened' and even 'wake up and smell the coffee'. If such phrases hint that waking up and truth are bedfellows of some sort, you need only go back to the ancient Greek for corroboration. There you'll find that the word truth is 'aletheia', from which in English we get the word for 'lethargy'. But see how the Greek word is 'a-letheia' rather than letheia - that is truth is the opposite of lethargy. And what is opposite of lethargy, if not waking up?”
After waking up, you put on your clothes and make yourself ready to go to work. But don't we all feel too lazy to go to work most of the time? May be Freud has interpretation for this: “Getting ready is that point in the day when the rivalry between the two needs is likely to peak, because we are making transition from being at home and pleasing ourselves (ego) to going out and having to conform to a series of norms an conventions (superego). We become less ego and more superego with each button we fasten”.
How come on the one hand we cover our pubic with clothes, yet on the other hand, we want to attract the opposite sex? “Clothes exist to hide the pubic from the public and therefore make you socially acceptable. The irony is that, precisely because they are a prerequisite for social inclusion, wearing clothes has become almost more natural than being naked ... To that established irony, we can add a more subtle one. As anyone who has been on a date well knows, clothes aren't just about covering you up: while you need them to hide your sex, you want them to show your sexuality”.
Smith later discusses lots of things, such as shopping. “Let's remember you can still go shopping without buying, because where buying is a matter of need, shopping is a question of want”. As well as credit cards. With money you buy things using the money you earned from work you have done in the past, but with credit card you are buying things for work yet to be done in the future. “Credit' comes from the Latin 'credere', 'to believe', for credit is the belief that the money you're borrowing will someday be returned, a belief that needs the future to function in”.
The write also discusses languages, and reading, and how words in a book needs reader as well as the writer to put meanings to them. “[Roland] Barthes turned the thable on the author, saying no only the a book needs a reader to wake it into life, but that in so doing the reader becomes nothing less that the author, who reveals in the book's hermeneutic possibilities, releases them and so becomes its own creator.”
The book consists of 18 chapters, each discussion one single detail of your day, from waking up to travelling to work, to bunking off, to going to the gym, to watching TV, to having sex, to sleeping. And since it serves as an introduction to philosophy, the author recommends a list of books to read after you finish this one, such as:
The Discourse on the Method, René Descartes
The Last Days of Socrates, Plato
Basic Writings of Nietzsche, Friedrich Nietzsche
Points...: Interviews, 1974-1994, Jacques Derrida
The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud
Memories, Dreams and Reflections, Carl Jung
A Barthes Reader, Roland Barthes
Nausea, Jean-Paul Sartre
The Foucault Reader, Michel Foucault
From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, Max Weber
Illuminations: Essays and Reflections, Walter Benjamin
The Raw and the Cooked: Introduction to a Science of Mythology, Claude Levi-Strauss
Capital: An Abridged Edition, Karl Marx
The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli
And let me add three more:
The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin
Rhetoric, Aristotle
The Nature of Things, Lucretius
http://www.tarekamr.com/2012/09/break...
November 2, 2011
Confession: I did not read this book cover to cover. I picked it up because I need to summarize it for a book proposal I am writing, so I skimmed it and certain chapters with more depth than others.
However, the tastes that I did get left me with such a consistent sense of the most shallow, pathetic, ridiculous blandness I wish one of these stars was "I hated it" not just "I didn't like it." I am stunned that this actually passes for philosophical reflection even for the layman and published by Free Press no less? How did THAT happen? The publisher who has the likes of Roger Scruton, Leon Kass, and Wendy Shalit on its list, how oh how did this sneak in under the radar?
The basics: going through the general actions of a day, including normal things that you may not do everyday, and, ostensibly, reflecting on them with the aid of philosophers from Socrates to Derrida and Bataille to develop and enhance how we go about the ordinary things. What drove me to distraction?
--The conclusion to "Having Lunch with Your Parents": Since they fed and clothed you growing up, let them pay for lunch when you go out as a sign of your gratitude, and then do that when your children are adults. (p. 75)
--Part of the conclusion to "Booking a Holiday": The way to avoid feeling guilty about exploiting the natives of wherever you visit and the carbon footprint from all that airline fuel is to be a good host when people are tourists in your area. Then they'll be nice to you when you go there. (p. 108-109)
-- In the chapter on "Having Sex" Smith states that the Catholic position is that it's better if you never have sex but if you must, then do it with love, in marriage, and only for procreation. His colossal, and boringly stereotypical mistake in equating the requirements of love, marriage, and openness to procreation as equaling "don't do it" as the Catholic view shows that the man did absolutely no research, and I mean none, into this issue but just went on pre-Vatican II stereotypes. (p. 198)
-- This was the corker. This was where that wonderful moment on BBC radio where some book reviewer said (of another book), "This is not a book to be taken lightly. It is to be hurled across the room..." came to mind. In the chapter on sleeping and dreaming, he says this of their connection to death, "...if you're someone who's afraid of dying, for example, you can console yourself that every night you will have experienced a version of death---or, rather, you didn't experience it at all because you weren't conscious enough to be experiencing anything--and it wasn't so bad." (p. 216) Wow, I feel better already...
Since it's a library book, I didn't hurl it across the room. But believe you me I'm posting this review on my library's website too, as I think the fewer people exposed to such thoughtless, badly researched, empty-headed, stereotype-ridden pseudo philosophy the better. If you want to have breakfast with Socrates, read the Symposium while sipping your coffee. Really.
However, the tastes that I did get left me with such a consistent sense of the most shallow, pathetic, ridiculous blandness I wish one of these stars was "I hated it" not just "I didn't like it." I am stunned that this actually passes for philosophical reflection even for the layman and published by Free Press no less? How did THAT happen? The publisher who has the likes of Roger Scruton, Leon Kass, and Wendy Shalit on its list, how oh how did this sneak in under the radar?
The basics: going through the general actions of a day, including normal things that you may not do everyday, and, ostensibly, reflecting on them with the aid of philosophers from Socrates to Derrida and Bataille to develop and enhance how we go about the ordinary things. What drove me to distraction?
--The conclusion to "Having Lunch with Your Parents": Since they fed and clothed you growing up, let them pay for lunch when you go out as a sign of your gratitude, and then do that when your children are adults. (p. 75)
--Part of the conclusion to "Booking a Holiday": The way to avoid feeling guilty about exploiting the natives of wherever you visit and the carbon footprint from all that airline fuel is to be a good host when people are tourists in your area. Then they'll be nice to you when you go there. (p. 108-109)
-- In the chapter on "Having Sex" Smith states that the Catholic position is that it's better if you never have sex but if you must, then do it with love, in marriage, and only for procreation. His colossal, and boringly stereotypical mistake in equating the requirements of love, marriage, and openness to procreation as equaling "don't do it" as the Catholic view shows that the man did absolutely no research, and I mean none, into this issue but just went on pre-Vatican II stereotypes. (p. 198)
-- This was the corker. This was where that wonderful moment on BBC radio where some book reviewer said (of another book), "This is not a book to be taken lightly. It is to be hurled across the room..." came to mind. In the chapter on sleeping and dreaming, he says this of their connection to death, "...if you're someone who's afraid of dying, for example, you can console yourself that every night you will have experienced a version of death---or, rather, you didn't experience it at all because you weren't conscious enough to be experiencing anything--and it wasn't so bad." (p. 216) Wow, I feel better already...
Since it's a library book, I didn't hurl it across the room. But believe you me I'm posting this review on my library's website too, as I think the fewer people exposed to such thoughtless, badly researched, empty-headed, stereotype-ridden pseudo philosophy the better. If you want to have breakfast with Socrates, read the Symposium while sipping your coffee. Really.
January 23, 2013
Judging a book by it's cover would be fair in this case. Here we have a philosophical jaunt through the day, fueled by a provocative web of associations spun by author Robert Rowland Smith, running the gamut from psychological observations to tie-ins with Eastern religions. Smith has a good use of language and does a good job of making philosophy vivid, which could be a major plus, depending on what you want out of a book like this. I personally found it lacking as far as lasting impressions go (you're kidding yourself if you think someone uninitiated with Foucault or Deleuze is going to meaningfully make hay with a throwaway reference to going to the gym as a form of social control), but there's no denying that the author does have a familiarity with this subject. And there is certainly much value in what he's trying to do here: expand the scope of what “philosophy” encompasses by using in a reference to our daily routine. I think of it as a philosophy of lifestyle, and that in itself is an interesting field. In addition, Smith makes reference to One Hundred Years of Solitude, which is heartwarming since that's one of my favorite books and I liked getting his spin on it. However, I have developed a socratic notion that an argument is best addressed by mentally wrestling with it. So while Smith may point to some interesting ideas, there are certain questions that need to be asked of the pointer.
If Philosophy, pretentious capital P and all, concerns ourselves with the understanding and the embodying of ideas, isn't it a little presumptuous on our part to think we can really absorb these great ideas by way of an intermediary selling a bite-sized version of it? And it bears repeating: Smith makes some provocative philosophical suggestions. But if you're going into this book without having a vast understanding of Philosophy (I don't, I minored in it), but looking to walk away feeling like you've really absorbed some profound stuff, you're going to be disappointed. And if you do have a vast understanding of philosophy, you'll probably be more interested in picking apart Smith's game of play by assocation than in reveling in his brilliance. In other words this book conceptualizes, but does so quickly and haphazardly. The risk of such an approach is that we do not do justice to the men and women who created these ideas, for in shrinking these ideas down to the scope of being able to “understand” them through the prism of our oft mundane routine we basically do violence to the way philosophy actually functions.
To conclude, what one very important philosophical idea does the book tellingly leave out? A reminder that in the rush of our days, the thing we neglect most is our ability to dwell on an idea.
If Philosophy, pretentious capital P and all, concerns ourselves with the understanding and the embodying of ideas, isn't it a little presumptuous on our part to think we can really absorb these great ideas by way of an intermediary selling a bite-sized version of it? And it bears repeating: Smith makes some provocative philosophical suggestions. But if you're going into this book without having a vast understanding of Philosophy (I don't, I minored in it), but looking to walk away feeling like you've really absorbed some profound stuff, you're going to be disappointed. And if you do have a vast understanding of philosophy, you'll probably be more interested in picking apart Smith's game of play by assocation than in reveling in his brilliance. In other words this book conceptualizes, but does so quickly and haphazardly. The risk of such an approach is that we do not do justice to the men and women who created these ideas, for in shrinking these ideas down to the scope of being able to “understand” them through the prism of our oft mundane routine we basically do violence to the way philosophy actually functions.
To conclude, what one very important philosophical idea does the book tellingly leave out? A reminder that in the rush of our days, the thing we neglect most is our ability to dwell on an idea.
July 17, 2018
"Mas há uma última coisa na qual poderemos querer pensar. Dizer adeus, assim como dizer olá, é algo tão comum que raramente pensamos no que implica. À semelhança do que acontece com o adios espanhol ("A Deus") e o francês adieu (também "a Deus"), o inglês goodbye ("Deus esteja contigo") entrega a outra pessoa à protecção do Senhor. É como se estivessemos a dizer:"Nenhum de nós sabe o que vai acontecer depois de nos separarmos, mas seja o que for, espero que Deus tome conta de ti"; é um reconhecimento das incertezas que nos esperam, e da nossa vulnerabilidade perante elas. "
January 18, 2015
How it made sense of our everyday tasks was so simple and easy to understand that I felt sad it ended already. I especially liked how the chapter ended in full circle and the fact that if you're impatient, you can read each chapter separately too. I know I've said it a million times that philosophy drags everything out and pretends to be all smart assed but thankfully this book had none of that pretentious stuff.
December 9, 2012
A really neat book on philosophy that relates to our everyday tasks that we do in a fun, educational way. If you would like to know why it's good to bunk off from work, never pay for dinner when out with your parents, to sleep early isn't a bad thing, and so many more great examples then this is the book for YOU! :)
March 23, 2021
It’s not that it’s bad I just got bored... I think I’m just over my philosophy phase. Ethics are overrated
August 25, 2017
2.5/5 stars
By reading the concept of the book, I carried a generous amount of expectation, hoping it would deliver what it promised. I mean, the thought of reading a book which describes what we do daily from waking up, going to work, having, em, sex, etc. from a philosophical viewpoint is quite anticipating, but it took me six months and five tries to go through it. The book is interesting by parts, yes, but not enough to fulfill expectation; moreover, the content isn't what I was hoping for.
By reading the concept of the book, I carried a generous amount of expectation, hoping it would deliver what it promised. I mean, the thought of reading a book which describes what we do daily from waking up, going to work, having, em, sex, etc. from a philosophical viewpoint is quite anticipating, but it took me six months and five tries to go through it. The book is interesting by parts, yes, but not enough to fulfill expectation; moreover, the content isn't what I was hoping for.
August 2, 2019
**อ่านภาษาไทย
หนังสืออีกเล่มที่ถูกบังคับอ่านตอนเรียนมหาลัย
สนุกดีนะ ทำให้รู้สึกว่าปรัชญาเข้าถึงง่าย และใช้ในชีวิตประจำวันได้ ทั้งที่จริงก้ไม่จำเป็นต้องใช้ 6555
"ชีวิตที่ปราศจากการพินิจนั้นไม่สมควรกับสิทธิในการมีชีวิตอยู่ ปรัขญา = ความรักในภูมิปัญญา"
หนังสืออีกเล่มที่ถูกบังคับอ่านตอนเรียนมหาลัย
สนุกดีนะ ทำให้รู้สึกว่าปรัชญาเข้าถึงง่าย และใช้ในชีวิตประจำวันได้ ทั้งที่จริงก้ไม่จำเป็นต้องใช้ 6555
"ชีวิตที่ปราศจากการพินิจนั้นไม่สมควรกับสิทธิในการมีชีวิตอยู่ ปรัขญา = ความรักในภูมิปัญญา"
October 20, 2019
I enjoy it at first, but there are too many references to Western culture like shows and movies I don't watch and activities I can't relate to.
June 6, 2020
Knyga prasmę įgauna tada, kai yra skaitoma, kai suaktyvinama skaitytojo galvoje. Kai guli lentynoje, ji yra knyga tik tuo atžvilgiu, kad turi puslapius, viršelius ir tekstą, bet tai nėra knyga tikrąja to žodžio prasme, žodinis akvariumas, kupinas personažų ir kai ją atsivertėme, ji tapo savimi.
November 28, 2022
2.5 maybe 🤔
April 15, 2021
Good book for
a) complete beginners to philosophy
b) Blinkist subscribers.
a) complete beginners to philosophy
b) Blinkist subscribers.
Read
October 2, 2011It’s exactly what it says it is, but is exactly less hokey than it sounds. The book allows the reader to see various philosophical concepts and phenomena in the everyday—Nietzsche is with us when we commute to work, Foucault when we’re working out at the gym, Barthes when reading a book, and (of course) Freud when we’re having sexy times. It’s a book that makes us aware of what philosophers have gone on and one about, it’s a book that grounds usually lofty and hazy dogmas using the routines of our daily lives. It’s not just about a study (or studies) perpetuated, but the concepts behind them.
In effect, they’re mini-lectures on the fact that there are lectures as we move along with what we’d previously thought of as our un-philosophy-ed lives, and an elaboration on that. And—take the word of this chick who’s sat through semester of them—these lectures are definitely easier to swallow, to comprehend. To integrate. To say, Wow, you’re right, I’ve never thought about that before.
A word on the tone, though: it’s not that easy. Think of it as having coffee with a philosophy professor friend who can’t help but giddily share the supposed awesomeness of his day job, and what concepts it were that made him go wee. And, to take the comparison further, in these conversations you’ll most likely feel like you’re in over your head, but he’s a patient man: he explains, with good nature, what cool things Hobbes has been up to, and how there’s actually a significant amount of Hobbes in your life. (I know, though, that it helps that I paid attention to some of my classes.) These are not stuffy lectures; for one, they’re not graded (ha). I mean, I like philosophy despite all the grousing—and I really do think the classroom set-up takes a lot from that liking. Smith brings to home what I like about philo: that, when least expect it, the eureka moment is there, you’re living someone’s words. You’re freaking multi-dimensionally Being.
Holy cheesecake. I just dorked myself out.
I read this over a period of days—it’s not quite light reading that it’s easily devourable. But I was happy enough to enjoy the chapter or two I read closely per day. The book is basically one jam-packed guide on a number of subjects. It’s a survey, echoing the thoughts of great philosophers and psychologists and artists and other figures in other fields like religion, cinema, etc., and how they surprisingly apply to our humdrum, unexamined lives (see what I did there?). It’s a fascinating read, and I definitely wish that a fraction of my philo studies had been taught this way; I wouldn’t have hated it so much then, haha. Ha. Haa.
But, seriously. Everyone who’s been scarred by philosophy in the classroom should pick this book up and spend several afternoons with it.
In effect, they’re mini-lectures on the fact that there are lectures as we move along with what we’d previously thought of as our un-philosophy-ed lives, and an elaboration on that. And—take the word of this chick who’s sat through semester of them—these lectures are definitely easier to swallow, to comprehend. To integrate. To say, Wow, you’re right, I’ve never thought about that before.
A word on the tone, though: it’s not that easy. Think of it as having coffee with a philosophy professor friend who can’t help but giddily share the supposed awesomeness of his day job, and what concepts it were that made him go wee. And, to take the comparison further, in these conversations you’ll most likely feel like you’re in over your head, but he’s a patient man: he explains, with good nature, what cool things Hobbes has been up to, and how there’s actually a significant amount of Hobbes in your life. (I know, though, that it helps that I paid attention to some of my classes.) These are not stuffy lectures; for one, they’re not graded (ha). I mean, I like philosophy despite all the grousing—and I really do think the classroom set-up takes a lot from that liking. Smith brings to home what I like about philo: that, when least expect it, the eureka moment is there, you’re living someone’s words. You’re freaking multi-dimensionally Being.
Holy cheesecake. I just dorked myself out.
I read this over a period of days—it’s not quite light reading that it’s easily devourable. But I was happy enough to enjoy the chapter or two I read closely per day. The book is basically one jam-packed guide on a number of subjects. It’s a survey, echoing the thoughts of great philosophers and psychologists and artists and other figures in other fields like religion, cinema, etc., and how they surprisingly apply to our humdrum, unexamined lives (see what I did there?). It’s a fascinating read, and I definitely wish that a fraction of my philo studies had been taught this way; I wouldn’t have hated it so much then, haha. Ha. Haa.
But, seriously. Everyone who’s been scarred by philosophy in the classroom should pick this book up and spend several afternoons with it.
June 18, 2010
The ingenious idea of analyzing and questioning our day-to-day, mundane activities and situations with the insights and theories from several philosophers and thinkers, have such a great result that allows you to open your eyes for things you don't really care about, but that make big part in our life - even though we don't know it.
I was particularly amused by the "Waking up", "Going to the Gym", "Arguing with your partner" and "Having sex" chapters, as they made a lot of sense and also addressed really interesting points in such activities.
One good lesson I took from it is that, the philosophical analysis - with whatever method used - is more about understanding why we have the reasons we do to have things the way we have it. Netting it out, is about going down on the reasons for the reasons, such level that we don't usually care to know about, or to question.
Good book for a freshman in philosophy knowledge. Good read!
I was particularly amused by the "Waking up", "Going to the Gym", "Arguing with your partner" and "Having sex" chapters, as they made a lot of sense and also addressed really interesting points in such activities.
One good lesson I took from it is that, the philosophical analysis - with whatever method used - is more about understanding why we have the reasons we do to have things the way we have it. Netting it out, is about going down on the reasons for the reasons, such level that we don't usually care to know about, or to question.
Good book for a freshman in philosophy knowledge. Good read!
July 18, 2010
The idea of this book intrigued me from the moment I set eyes upon it - take a journey through an ordinary day with the great philosophers as your guide(s) and analyst(s). I thought, "This can either turn out to be amazing, or the most boring book I have ever read!" Well, luckily for me, Mr. Smith is an excellent writer - this book was excellent!
If you are so inclined to ask why certain things need to be done a certain way, or at least why it seems society deems them so, then it sounds like it is time for you pick up this book and see what some of the greatest minds have in terms of explanations for even the most mundane of our daily acts. You will find a nice balance in each chapter as Smith provides multiple philosophies for each aspect of the day.
If you are so inclined to ask why certain things need to be done a certain way, or at least why it seems society deems them so, then it sounds like it is time for you pick up this book and see what some of the greatest minds have in terms of explanations for even the most mundane of our daily acts. You will find a nice balance in each chapter as Smith provides multiple philosophies for each aspect of the day.
March 10, 2011
I was hoping for a new and interesting approach to the philosophies of the past and their application to today. Unfortunately, in the parts I read, this was all stuff I'd heard/read/studied before. It's a good intro for those who don't know much about early psychology and epistimology, just not for me.
July 25, 2015
an enjoyable smorgasbord of philosophy, sociology, literature and popular culture - i took pleasure in revisiting some known authors and discovering new ones.. a light-hearted look on what's considered "serious living", as deep as you want to see it be. it takes a quick-witted mind to produce such work, and i should look forward to enjoying any more of the same!
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