Sarah > Recent Status Updates

The SC section was much better. Coates was much more involved in what was happening and didn’t keep us so much in his mind. I think the thesis of the book was much more interesting to read as a result- the goal of conservatives to kill the future by stifling thinkers of the present. Still a bit boring but I’m enjoying it more! On to Palestine!

I’m not gonna lie this is kinda boring. It’s so far way too introspective and confined to Coates’ mind to be interesting. I think the thesis of the Senegal portion “returning ‘home’” is interesting but the text didn’t engage enough with the Senegalese people. It’s almost a memoir and I don’t like them- very few people’s lives are interesting enough for them.

I’m only a few pages into this book and I’m already obsessed. This girl is legitimately insane and I loved the apartment-cleaning scene. The random Lizzo dig, “I hope they all die”… this book is so fun so far!

So far I feel like the book’s blurb was a bit misleading, especially because of the absolutely FOUL thing Marcos does at the end of part 1. Jasmine has hardly been featured so far, his view of her and other meat-people has been pretty consistent, and he’s relatively removed from the slaughter. Not a huge fan of the prose
but maybe I’ll blame the translation. Halfway through and only one thing has happened!

I’ve finished 18th century philosophy. While I still am not retaining what specific ideas specific philosophers had, I’m really enjoying the overarching themes of each period. The argument between rationalism and empiricism in this one was very fun to read about and I found the culmination into Kant’s philosophy sooo satisfying.

Just finished Medieval Philosophy. I most enjoyed reading about Ockam and Machiavelli. I think it’s interesting how religion influenced the period and how philosophers/theologians worked to work Plato and Aristotle into the Christian framework. Likewise, the competing theories on how and if God can be proven and perceived were cool.

I’ve finished reading about Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Though the book says that Aristotle has been the most influential, Plato’s philosophy was my favorite part. I’m kind of disappointed the whole copper/bronze blood thing wasn’t mentioned because I wanted a refresher from this author. But reading about the ideal state and the components of the soul was really interesting.

I finished the part about pre-Socratic philosophers. I’m really glad to have their views put into context because theories of a sphere called “Love” surrounded by “Strife” now sound utterly ridiculous. But I found Grayling’s disclaimer that, at the time, philosophers had nothing but their own generalized experiences to extrapolate onto the world useful. All to turn into the recognizable atomism theory.

I like Rousseau’s theory of the birth of government. I only engaged with Hobbes’ theory in a class and haven’t personally engaged with his work so I cant compare the two, but the notion that civilized society was created as a plot by the corrupt rich to subdue the corrupt poor is fascinating. I wonder if this theory comes from Rousseau’s political environment more than an accurate measure of ancient behavior.

Since my last note, my favorite essay has been either Nice People or Freedom and the Colleges. I think the beliefs held jn Freedom and the Colleges are important, but it made me think of the problem of tolerance. On what basis can an academic be censured? There are ideologies that no doubt are dangerous but still entice a majority, Nazism being a then recent example. Can the marketplace of ideas really combat hate?

Just finished the part where he talks about metaphysics does not give hope in the way religion does. I never heard of metaphysics before this section, and tried my best to piece together what it was amidst his arguments with the help of Google. I think I need to read it again when more informed to form a more solid opinion.

I really like it so far. It really affirms a lot of my own thoughts on religion and expounds upon ideas that I didn’t have the range to explain myself. I love his idea of the good life and think that’s probably what will stick with me the most after I’m done reading.