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Fred Kiesche
https://www.goodreads.com/fredkiesche
“In the final book, Achilles treats the suppliant Priam with mercy, and allows for a brief cessation of fighting to enable the dignified burial of his enemy Hector. The limitless wrath of Achilles can end only once he recognizes that no absolute, permanent victory is ever possible. Everyone must bear unbearable losses, for which no compensation could ever be enough. In the end, we all lose. Our best hope is to accept partial, temporary limits on conflict, accepting human companionship and community as our only, always inadequate compensation, for the pervasive experience of loss.”
― The Iliad
― The Iliad
“From the drawer where I had put them on returning, I got a gun and holster and put them on. Wolfe sat scowling at me. Physical commotion and preparations for it irritate him, but as a practicing detective he defers to the necessity of putting people—me, for instance—in situations where they may get plugged or knifed or shoved off a cliff. In view of his distaste for such doings it’s damn generous of him.”
― The Golden Spiders
― The Golden Spiders
“But The Iliad suggests that “good” and “bad” kinds of conflict cannot be so easily disentangled. The desire to outdo rivals inspires brave, glorious actions, and also leads to massive loss of life. Battle is the “sphere where men win glory” (kudianeira), but also where many lose their lives—so war is also “the cause of many tears,” “the cause of so much grief” (polydakrytos, polystonos). The work of war entails a constant struggle to gain glory or a win (kudos) and an opportunity to boast (euchos), which must be achieved by outdoing fellow warriors on the battlefield, gaining both the glory and the material wealth that comes from slaughtering, stripping, and humiliating the enemy. The more people you kill, the greater your triumph. An individual fighter gains an aristeia (“bestness”—a period of extraordinary military success) when he robs numerous opponents of their lives, their weapons, and their honor, and thus shows himself the “best” among his peers. Warriors compete against not only their enemies but also, simultaneously, their own comrades, who are their rivals for the title of “best” (aristos).”
― The Iliad
― The Iliad
“When the self-selected, self-confident, highly educated Jasons were stuck on a calculation, they took it to Dyson. Set up the calculation right, you can solve it on a laptop or maybe you need giant computers, said one Jason, “but if you have Freeman, you don’t need either one.”43”
― "Well, Doc, You're In": Freeman Dyson’s Journey through the Universe
― "Well, Doc, You're In": Freeman Dyson’s Journey through the Universe
“Tonight the controls of the Big Eye belonged to a man who had once been a barber in San Antonio and Pecos, Texas, himself no astronomer, because nobody in their right mind would let an astronomer touch the controls of one of the most powerful telescopes on earth.”
― First Light: The Search for the Edge of the Universe
― First Light: The Search for the Edge of the Universe
Deep State Radio Book Group
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— last activity Mar 23, 2022 06:13AM
This is a group for Deep State Radio Nerds and all who are interested in and inquisitive about the world and how it works. We will read fiction and no ...more
Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff Bookshelf
— 174 members
— last activity Nov 13, 2023 03:59AM
Books mentioned on beloved podcast KEN AND ROBIN TALK ABOUT STUFF since July 2021
Fred’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Fred’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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