Amy’s
Comments
(group member since Jan 19, 2021)
Amy’s
comments
from the EconTalk Books group.
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Alice wrote: "About Book Two... what are your thoughts? We will continue to post a question for discussion on one Book per week (there are ten). It would be easy to catch up and join us!"....it is no easy task..."
Only (partly) in jest... let's not forget Socrates was put to death for "educating" the youth of Athens...
Can virtuous activity be "faked?" [Or, what is the role of intentionality for Aristotle?]
Jorge Lara wrote: "The schedule sounds good. Initial (guidance) questions is a good idea."Thanks!
OK- here's what I suggest... Desperately seeking feedback!Let's start in three weeks (i.e., Monday, April 26), and discuss two books per week? So we'd discuss Book 1 (Happiness) and Book 2 (Virtue of Character) the week of the 26th.
Is this schedule too much/ not enough?
Should we designate folks to pose initial questions?
Eager for thoughts from the group!
OK, we'll get started!
You bet!So we have the beginning of one here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...
Thus far, I've added books that are COMING up on EconTalk (or greatly referred to, like the Aristotle title.)
What else should we include?
Loving the response!What format do you all suggest? Should we just start a sub-group? post questions/comments/observations here? Open to suggestions!
Who's interested in an online reading group here on the Nicomachean Ethics?(inspired by the recent episode with Leon Kass)
Don't you think we should have a reading group on the Nicomachean Ethics???What does it mean to really be happy- to experience what the Greeks called eudaimonia? And how can a centuries old text help you achieve it? In this episode, EconTalk host Russ Roberts welcomed a long-time teacher-and reader- of classic works, Leon Kass, to explore this question.
https://www.econtalk.org/extra/seekin...
Sorry that I've fallen a bit behind with follow-up questions... Hope to be back on track this week.Russ's recent conversation with poet Dana Gioia- the subject of which sparked some ire among commenters- was profoundly moving. (And as I report here- led to me purchasing my first-ever volume of [adult] poetry.
Here's the link. We'd love to hear from you.
Dana Gioiahttps://www.econtalk.org/extra/what-l...
What’s the best way to really learn about life in another community? Is it ever possible for industry to really connect with a community? In this episode, author Lamorna Ash describes her experiences in a Cornish fishing villages- and time spent working on a trawler- to EconTalk host Russ Roberts.And here are our questions for continued conversation:
https://www.econtalk.org/extra/keep-t...
Why do we help strangers? Is there a genetic basis for compassion? Or does evolutionary biology tell us a just-so story about why we care for others? These questions lie at the heart of this conversation between EconTalk Russ Roberts and Michael McCullough, who joined Russ to talk about his new book, The Kindness of Strangers.Here's the link to all the questions: https://www.econtalk.org/extra/why-do...
How deep has your experience with reading William Shakespeare been? Is that experience tied to your formal education, the theater or movies, or your own personal reading? Do you prefer the comedies to the tragedies, or vice versa? Perhaps you love his sonnets best?Find all our questions for thought and discussion:
https://www.econtalk.org/extra/to-lea...
For those who want to read before Monday!
Choosing just 5 is hard...Here were some of my favs: Emily Oster, Dwayne Betts, Arnold Kling. But there are definitely more than five I loved!
If we want to combat violence in the world, what’s the best way to go about it? Perhaps thinking of people like Pablo Escobar, Joseph Kony, and Osama Bin Laden as criminals is insufficient. What if we were to think of them instead as entrepreneurs? What if we assessed their actions and organization as a venture capitalist, rather than a politician or soldier?These questions are at the heart of the work of Gary Shiffman, who EconTalk host Russ Roberts welcomed to talk about his book, The Economics of Violence, in this episode.
1- What’s wrong with thinking about terrorism as a religious issue, according to Shiffman?
2- What are “fictive kinships,” and how does this concept add to Shiffman’s entrepreneurship framework?
3- Consider Shiffman’s three “case studies” as entrepreneurs. Roberts reminds us all three died violent deaths at a young age. As Roberts asks, how is this rational??? To what extent are cases such as these really comparable to famous legitimate CEOs?
4- What does Roberts mean when he said, “The idea that you could make something illegal and therefore solve it is really important.” Consider the case of Escobar. Which government- the American or Colombian- had stronger incentives for the drug trade to be illegal?
5-Shiffman argues that understanding the incentives, institutions, norms, values that folks have can not only help us understand violence, but also fight it. To what extent has Shiffman convinced you?
Have you voted for your favorite episode of the year yet?Here's the link to our annual survey:
https://tinyurl.com/y6tzqvg6
EconTalk host Russ Roberts welcomes Postrel back to the show to discuss her most recent book, The Fabric of Civilization. They discussed the evolution of spinning thread, fabric dying, and textile manufacturing. (Did you know that it takes more than SIX MILES of thread to make a pair of jeans???) What most surprised you in listening to this episode? Do you have a new appreciation for your own closet? For human innovation and ingenuity?https://www.econtalk.org/extra/where-...
The idea of happiness plays a central role in our personal and public lives. But what does it mean? And what does it mean to have a right to it? And should we have such a right?Questions like these are what you get when EconTalk host Russ Roberts welcomes philosopher Daniel Haybron to the show to talk about his new book, Happiness: A Very Short Introduction.
https://www.econtalk.org/extra/about-...
