Classics and the Western Canon discussion

Hello other members. I just joined this group. I'm reading Bertrand Russell's excellent book, and I'm wondering who all has read it or is interested in reading.

Actually, I'm listening to it as an audiobook. The reader is one of the best I've come across. He captures the spirit of Russell quite well. Listening to it seems like being in Bertrand Russell's class. Quite good.

Donald wrote: "Hello other members. I just joined this group. I'm reading Bertrand Russell's excellent book, and I'm wondering who all has read it or is interested in reading. "

Welcome. I'm sure a number of us here have Russell's book. I have browsed in it from time to time, but haven't read the full book (nor am I sure Russell expected people to).

If you're interested in philosophy generally, while we do read some philosophy here, there's another Goodreads group that is exclusively committed to philosophy, if you're interested.

I've read it, and I keep it around as a reference book for certain philosophers who Russell was in sympathy with. Of course there is nothing there of the last 120 years. The writing style is hypnotic, but as a reference book I use the Oxford Companion to Philosophy, Critical Terms for the Study of Buddhism, Collins's The Sociology of Philosophies, and the philosopher-specific books on my shelves. I'm rather stupid in this field and need a lot of guidance and I don't feel safe on my own.

Charles wrote: "I've read it, and I keep it around as a reference book for certain philosophers who Russell was in sympathy with. Of course there is nothing there of the last 120 years. The writing style is hypnot..."

I have it in Word format and as an audiobook. They picked the right guy to do the reading. He does the best job of capturing the spirit of the author than anyone I've ever come across. It's like sitting in the best class room in the world.

Everyman wrote: "Donald wrote: "Hello other members. I just joined this group. I'm reading Bertrand Russell's excellent book, and I'm wondering who all has read it or is interested in reading. "

Welcome. I'm sure..."

I have a group. No members. I'm interested in discussions that go deeper than what would be found on a bumper sticker. Haven't found that yet in the social media I've been using. Maybe I'll have better luck here.

I think you will, Donald.

Donald wrote: "I'm interested in discussions that go deeper than what would be found on a bumper sticker. Haven't found that yet in the social media I've been using. Maybe I'll have better luck here. "

I don't think it's unreasonably blowing one's own horn (which I'm allowed to do since in decades past I was a semi-professional French horn player) to say that I'm quite sure you will.

Given your interest in philosophy, you might want to go back and stroll through our previous discussions of Descartes and Three View of Socrates (both in the Interim Readings folder) and our full book discussions of Plato's Republic, Three Platonic Dialogues, and Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy. I think you will find them considerably deeper than bumper stickers or social media!

Everyman wrote: "Donald wrote: "I'm interested in discussions that go deeper than what would be found on a bumper sticker. Haven't found that yet in the social media I've been using. Maybe I'll have better luck her..."

Thanks for the tip. It's not just philosophy, though. I want to know what other people think and why they have the ideas and opinions that they do.
I'm interested in something similar to what the universities that study the great books do. That's their method of learning: reading and discussing. There's about a half dozen such colleges.
I just looked over a conversation your group is having. Pretty good. I think I found the right place.

Do we have any scholarly philosophers in this group? What I mean by that is anyone with education in philosophy, optimistically one with a PhD

Nate wrote: "Do we have any scholarly philosophers in this group? What I mean by that is anyone with education in philosophy, optimistically one with a PhD"

I don't know about PhDs, but we have several people here who are very well steeped in philosophy, and love talking about it. I won't name specific names, because I would be sure to inadvertently leave somebody out, but you'll figure it out soon enough (as soon as we start Cicero and Hume, for sure.)