Recommend Books on This Thread

Abe de Ville Saturday 8 Feb 2014

History of the Byzantine Empire by Enno Franzius

It's hard to find information about this guy. It appears that he was a professor at Columbia University in NY and a prolific writer on various topics of history. However, most of his works seem to be out of print, and I suspect why which I'll get to in a minute.

This history starts at the Late Roman period because this allows him to lay out the background of the later Roman state centered on Byzantion. It ends with the final conquest of New Rome at the hands of the Osmanli hordes many centuries later.

It's written in an interesting style, almost like a novel at times in its narrative, including strange anecdotes and poetic styles. It also uses names that have fallen out of common use, calling early Russian raiders 'Northmen' and calling the troublesome steppe nomads 'Patzinaks'. The stylistic elements combine to make it a pretty strange but interesting read compared with the dry styles of current historiography.

He is not always PC in his descriptions and makes an attempt to classify all the peoples associated with this long period by race. He includes to this end descriptions by chroniclers and observers of the times. This is something you'd never see in a contemporary book and it definitely is this sort of thing that makes me feel it is unlikely to re-enter print given the biases of modern publishers.

In addition to covering the major historical developments, he also does a good job with the political-economic organization of the empire at various times. Examples include development of the Thematic system at the imperial apex, or the central-bureaucratic meddling that ruined things later on. He also describes the factional struggles of the various families of the time in some detail.

Other interesting things are found here too. For example, occasional descriptions of particular rulers, both physically and with respect to their character. Or, in-depth discussions of the cultural currents of the time, such as Justinian's building program, or the Iconoclasm controversy, or the theological struggles that split the empire at times. These cultural observations I found surprisingly rich.

I could go on, but I won't. It's a book well worth reading should you be able to find a copy. For a book that covers ground many others have trod before, it actually does a good job of making it seem fresh.

Slavoj Zizek Sunday 9 Feb 2014

It's not a book, but I found this article very informative: Peak Civilization: the Fall of the Roman Empire

It looks at Rome's collapse in a Tainteresque way.

Bob Dylan Roof Saturday 12 Apr 2014

Death on the Installment Plan , Celine

Published shortly after Journey to the End of the Night , Celine's second book is also autobiographical, dealing with his life up until his decision to join the military. The book, beginning with a seemingly random digression on Celine's life as a physician, is rather difficult to follow at first.

Journey earned notoriety in part because of Celine's semi-aphoristic style, which harkened back to the psychological and philosophical literature of the 19th century. This probably contributed to Celine’s popularity among the Beat generation before they discovered that he thought 1942 Berlin was too Jewish.

Death on the Installment Plan is very different. Although there are a few aphorisms and psychological observations throughout the book, the majority of the narrative is comprised of Celine's unique elliptical style. Death is a portrait, depicted through staccato dialogue and pure description, while Journey is analysis.

In my final estimation I must say that Death is superior to Journey. I read Journey again immediately after finishing Death in order to be certain of this. Death's style allows for more of Celine's dark humor to show through - the elliptical style seems to lend to those dry, casual observations of horrific and deplorable phenomena, like Englishmen having the tendency to bugger each other.

The misery and meaningless also feels more authentic in Death. In Journey, the aphorisms and frequent analytical diversions suggest that, despite the hopelessness of his life, Celine maintained a sort of control over, and indeed extracted some sort of meaning and pleasure out of, the "journey". In Death there is almost never that connoisseur of misery standing back to draw philosophical lessons from the struggle of life.

To conclude, I believe it would be prudent for those higher members of the American regime to include Death on the Installment Plan in the American Common Core literature curriculum.

Cornelio Wednesday 28 May 2014

Some books I've read lately:

Young Stalin - SS Montefiore. Good book, very entertaining. The story of how a murderous bank robber became the ruler of the greatest empire ever known to mankind. Iosif is an example to all entrepreneurs worldwide. :thumbsup:

The Path to Power (The years of Lyndon Johnson pt 1) - RA Caro. Well written, but Johnson was a boring asshole and doesnt make a good subject for such a detailed bio.

On the way - JK Huysmanns. The profound psychological torture that a man about to convert from nihilism to catholicism undergoes, brought to life with vivid detail. :thumbsup:

Lord of this World - RH Benson. Catholic fantasy about the endtimes. Valuable as the first really accurate sci-fi dystopia, although of inferior literary value.

Gates of Fire - S Pressfield. I enjoyed this novel about the battle of Thermopylae, despite the fact that it's dumb as hell. :thumbsup:

Cornelio Sunday 29 Jun 2014

The Great Heresies
by Hilaire Belloc
(1938)

This is the first book by Belloc I have read. I am very impressed by the clarity and force of his style. I think it was CS Lewis who remarked that a belief in God improved the quality of one's thinking.

Belloc reviews the major heresies of the Catholic faith: Arianism, Mohammedanism, Abigesianism, Protestantism, and what he denominates "The Modern Phase".

For me some of the chapters were more informative than others: I knew nothing about Arianism and Albigesianism, for example, so the author's research was highly instructive. For me the Albigensians (or 'cathars') were some hippies from the middle ages who were massacred by the nazi Church for being too peaceful and too kind to animals. This and other danbrownesque conceptions are dispelled mercilessly by Belloc: the Albigensians were a dangerous manichean heresy which was seized by the feudal lords of Occitania and used as a battering ram against the hegemony of the French Monarch; Islam is not, as it is thought today, a separate religion, but a Catholic heresy; etc.

However, this is a slim volume and its intent is not to pile up facts, but to reflect on the nature of heresy, and on the role played by the Church in oposition to these deviations. The last chapter, about "the modern phase", is tremendously insightful: you can read it here online, it won't take you more than one hour.

In this last chapter Belloc makes the same mistake, I think, that Robert Hugh Benson makes in his dystopian novel "Lord of this World" when considering the future scenarios available for the Church. Belloc says that either the Church will diminish in the number of her members, being reduced to a tiny outpost in Rome where the few faithful remaining will take refuge and await Christ's return (this is RH Benson's prediction as well); or, and he's honest about admitting that this is not likely to happen, there will be a reaction against modern degeneracy commanded from Rome and a new golden age will be established. Both authors, due to both their deep catholic convictions and to their pre-Vatican II perspective, cannot conceive the possibility of a Church declining not in her quantity but in her quality -- her doctrine diluted, her philosophy being mocked from inside, her voice as moral guide silenced, her tireless struggle against heresies abandoned. (What would have Belloc thought about a Pope kissing the Koran?). Alas, this is what has come to pass.

Cornelio Saturday 9 Aug 2014

A Fish in the Water
by Mario Vargas Llosa
(1993)

"A fish in the water" is an autobiographic work by peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa which chronicles two periods of his life: his childhood and early youth, and his failed campaign for the presidency of Perú in 1990. Both periods end with the author's self-imposed exile in Paris, and he intermingles both stories by presenting them in alternative chapters.

I won't say much about the part where he addresses his early years in Perú, because it won't be of interest for the audience. I loved it because it speaks of a world which stands in gleaming contrast to the grey, dismal mediocrity that are our lives today: the middle class life in Perú in the 40s and 50s, with its deep catholicism in decline, and its cultural life on the rise, with some peruvians representing the art avantgarde worldwide (César Vallejo). The newspapers, the universities, the cafés, the brothels; all teeming with men of ideas and men of will. A highly enjoyable story.

But the meat of the book is the account of the campaign for the presidency of Perú. Let me say first a few words about MVL political positions: he's a bleeding heart libertarian, his influences being Popper, Berlin, Aron, Revel, Hayek, etc. He truly believes in the equality of men: through education and effort any man can achieve anything; an inca can become an astronaut. He believes that an open economic policy, strict free market and foreign investment are the path to progress in Latin America. MVL is a honest man and I don't think he was a CIA pawn (there were rumours) in this campaign nor ever; he's independent and well-meaning.

In 1987 the then president of Perú Alan García, from the APRA party (center-left populists), decides to expropriate all business that he deems of national interest. MVL and others launch a campaign against this measure, supported by most of the shrinking middle class of Perú, and García has to revoke his plan. Surprised by the success and seeing a glimmer of hope in the movement created for that fight ("Movimiento Libertad"), MVL determines to make use of the momentum and announces his candidacy for the 1990 elections. Until then the author had never been involved in politics, save for the occasional article in newspapers. He was 51, a respected author already, having received several prestigious international prizes and having written what I think is his ultimate masterpiece, "The War of the End of the World" (1981). He was craving a new adventure I suspect, willing to test himself against the giant machine of corruption and prejudice that was Perú.

MVL failed because he took an anti-populist stance, taking great pains to explain his economic policies to the illiterate indios, and refusing to cater to the lower instincts of the plebe. Movimiento libertad joined forces with several other center and demo-christian parties to create Frente Democrático (FREDEMO), and there was a lot of internal turmoil because of this anti-populism. MVL even went as far as forbidding TV ads for his candidates.

The then unknown engineer of japanese descent Alberto Fujimori ended second in the first round of the elections, with FREDEMO in the lead by little margin. In the second round Fujimori, a text-book Latin American populist/manipulator/man-of-power made use of his japanese ancestry to side with the oppressed indios, cholos, mulatos and negros of the lower classes, presenting himself as the herald of a despised minority against the sinister machinations of the rich white urban politicians, represented by MVL. Fujimori also mobilized the evangelical churches in his favor, and attacked ceaslessly MVL's agnosticism, a polemic position in a christian nation. He also used the press to create a pile of fantastic stories about MVL funds coming from the CIA, his love of prostitutes, etc. The result: Fujimori's Cambio 90 crushed FREDEMO in the second round.

The rest is history: Fujimori made a self-coup 2 years later, established a dictatorship, and ruled Perú with an iron fist during the 90s. He then had to flee the country and after some rocambolesque adventures ended up in a peruvian jail some years ago, accused of corruption and murder. However, his daughter Keiko Fujimori almost won the last elections in Peru, and she will probably win the next by a landslide.

In my view this book proves that "real" democracy, as is understood in northern european countries, cannot be applied to third world, multi-racial nations. There populism and appeals to base instincts always win. MVL uses several times the cases of Chile and the four asian tigers as examples of third world nations that arose from poverty through free market policies, but he forgets to mention that all those countries were dictatorships and/or ethnically homogeneous. But of course when you are blinded by a sacrosanct reverence to democracy and equality, you cannot see or admit this.

Antonius Blockhead Julius Ebola Abe de Ville Inkarri Gruppenführer Glitter popfop Welund Bronze Age Pervert Byssus Broseph

Welund Saturday 9 Aug 2014

California's social-Christian future?

The then unknown engineer of japanese descent Alberto Fujimori ended second in the first round of the elections, with FREDEMO in the lead by little margin. In the second round Fujimori, a text-book Latin American populist/manipulator/man-of-power made use of his japanese ancestry to side with the oppressed indios, cholos, mulatos and negros of the lower classes, presenting himself as the herald of a despised minority against the sinister machinations of the rich white urban politicians, represented by MVL. Fujimori also mobilized the evangelical churches in his favor, and attacked ceaslessly MVL's agnosticism, a polemic position in a christian nation. He also used the press to create a pile of fantastic stories about MVL funds coming from the CIA, his love of prostitutes, etc. The result: Fujimori's Cambio 90 crushed FREDEMO in the second round.

Thoughts Tuesday 28 Oct 2014

The following post is mostly addressed to Roland and Macrobius.

I recommend some ebooks online that you cannot realistically find in print (or which is too freaking expensive . An acquaintance of mind recently uploaded the following (click on the links to download):

Frank P. Ramsey - Notes on Philosophy, Probability and Mathematics [Virtually impossible to find anywhere now. The well-known author discusses psychoanalysis, why he is a purely destructive thinker, and other subjects.]

In particular, there is this (p. 321-322):

What is meant by sublimation can be simply illustrated by the story told by Heine of a boy who delighted in torturing rats and cutting off their tails; when he grew up he became a famous surgeon. [snip] Forbidden direct satisfaction by our consciences, we seek an indirect and displaced satisfaction, which cannot in the nature of things be as intense as the one we forego. The surgeon never enjoyed operating, as much as the little boy enjoyed being cruel. Of course, the boy felt wicked afterwards; for unless he had felt guilty about it he would never have given it up, so the boy suffered in a way from which the surgeon may have been free. But this was the effect of his guilty feelings, which are the chief sign and consequence of civilisation. [snip] We spend much of our time seeking for truth, but if we found it I don’t think it would make us happy; because we are not interested in it really for its own sake. Our interest in it is derived from the diversion of other instincts, perhaps infantile sexual curiosity or some desire to triumph over our parents. And it is not the truth which will make us really happy, but the satisfaction of those other repressed desires which our conscience will not allow us. In my own case I think that my interest in philosophy and all kinds of criticism, which is much greater than my interest in constructive thought , is derived from a fairly well repressed infantile rivalry with my father and wish to kill him. This means that I can never get any great satisfaction from philosophising, never anything like the pleasure I should have got from killing my father, which my conscience or rather my love for him forbade me to do when I was small.

Collected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce, Vol 4: The Simplest Mathematics [Yes, I know there is some other low-quality pdf online, but this (djvu) one is an actual scan of the book with all the diagrams properly put in, and errata. This is especially important in the part about EG (existential graphs) and the Amazing Mazes.]

Charles S. Peirce - The New Elements of Mathematics, Vol I: Arithmetic [On secundals, the importance of the Leibnitzian notation, other matters.]

Charles S. Peirce - The New Elements of Mathematics, Vol II: Algebra and Geometry

Charles S. Peirce - The New Elements of Mathematics, Vol III/1: Mathematical Miscellanea [The full Lowell Lectures of 1903 on the existential graphs (not to be confused with the 1903 Harvard Pragmatism Lectures, or the 1898 Cambridge Conference Lectures), more work on Mazes, and many model-theoretic ideas. Of especial interest is the development of cyclic arithmetic, p, 557-622, continuing the “Amazing Mazes” of CP4: The Simplest Mathematics above.]

Also he gives an interesting argument for political conservatism (p 615-616):

I think I ought to saw a few words more concerning the advantages of the sextal system, which I seriously hold to be so superior to the decimal or any other that were I a radical, by which I understand one of those minds who hold that it is every man’s duty to endeavor to improve the condition of humanity in every way, and bestir himself to bring about every condition of society which he is quite sure would be the best, I would certainly agitate in favor of revolutionizing numeration. The argument in favor of radicalism I take to be that since any reform will cost less the earlier it is undertaken, and since the expenditure will cease as soon as the reform is accomplished, while an abuse or bad state of things involves a fixed disadvantage per head of the population and per annum , it follows that its cost must in the indefinite future indefinitely exceed the cost of the reform. This is a specious argument, but it does not convince me by any means. I grant, at once, that it would not be right to calculate upon the dying out of the human race or otherwise upon the ultimate cessation of the cost of any abuse, in the absence of any definite and sufficient reason to believe that it will cease within a time capable of being estimated. But my objection is that every man finds many more good works any one of which he might probably bring to a successful issue, if he devoted himself to it, than the wildest dreamer could think of sensibly furthering all at once. Man must economize his life. He must select his first task, and not undertake a second until he sees his way to achieving it without unduly interfering with the first. He should begin with the most solemn and mature deliberation upon the present value to him of the different ends, to each of which he should attach a numerical estimate. For everything, eternal felicity included, bears a finite present value. Next he should consider the probabilities of each of these different good ends coming about without any particular effort on his part, the probable cost to him to each one, and the present subtractive value to him of the uncertainties of his various estimations. It will generally be found that those things which he has peculiar facilities for doing are the best worth doing; while undertakings that are unlikely to succeed are least worth doing. Most tasks are of such a nature that the achievement may be followed out further and further most indefinitely. These will be worth prosecuting as long as the man has great facilities for prosecuting them, and ought to be dropped as soon as another man’s increased facilities, or some other circumstances have rendered some other task better worth the labour. For example, in the present case, I can perhaps more clearly present the advantages of sextal numeration than anybody else, my attention having been drawn to it, and also because I am practised in sanely estimating the value of intangible things. But when I have done so much, I shall neither myself engage further in the conceivable reform, nor counsel anybody else with whom I am at present acquainted to undertake anything so quixotical.

Charles S. Peirce - The New Elements of Mathematics, Vol III/2: Mathematical Miscellanea [Full correspondence, see especially the ones with William James.]

Somebody already has uploaded NEM Vol 4 , in which he summarizes all the important elements of his work on critical logic (nowadays the "philosophy of logic", this subject discussed very well by Haack, Graham Priest and others).

Charles S. Peirce, Victoria Welby - Semiotic and Significs [From the Preface: “In these letters [from Charles S. Peirce to Victoria Lady Welby], Peirce presents some of his more complex ideas in an informal and relaxed manner strikingly different from the style of his published works.”]

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz - The Labyrinth of the Continuum: Writings on the Continuum Problem, 1672-1686 [This should be complemented with the useful secondary source by Anapolitanos. As Leibniz says himself, “there are two labyrinths in which the human mind is caught. One concerns the composition of the continuum the other concerns the nature of freedom. And both arise from the same source, namely, the infinite.” (On Freedom, c. 1679).]

Robert Marty - L'algèbre des signes: essai de sémiotique scientifique d'après Charles Sanders Peirce [Absolutely incredible volume that completely expands on the formal semeiotic, but my French is not good enough to completely go through it yet. This book is generally impossible to find anywhere in print.]

Various authors - Studia Leibnitiana, Sonderheft 14: 300 Jahr "Nova Methodus" von G. W. Leibniz (1684-1984) [Both English and German articles - refutes myths about the Leibnitzian calculus.]

Contributions to the Nation (4 Vols) [Contains all of his book reviews on many miscellaneous subjects. In his discussion of the metric system he completely destroys most of the positive arguments for adopting it in the States, as it would lead to the total destruction of the American machine-building industry. See “The Metric Fallacy” in Vol 3.]

Vol 1 ( rtf , pdf ), Vol 2 ( rtf , pdf ), Vol 3 ( rtf , pdf ), Vol 4 ( rtf , pdf )

Endicott Peabody Macrobius

Welund Tuesday 18 Nov 2014

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living is a self-help book by Dale Carnegie . It was first printed in Great Britain in 1948 by Richard Clay (The Chaucer Press), Ltd., Bungay Suffolk (S.B.N. 437 95083 2). It is currently published as a Mass Market Paperback of 352 pages by Pocket (Revised edition: September 15, 1990), ISBN 0-671-73335-4 .
[IMG]

Fundamental Facts You Should Know About Worry [ edit ]

Live in "Day-tight Compartments"
How to face trouble:
1. Prepare to accept the worst
Keep calm and try to make it the best
Remind yourself of the exorbitant price you can pay for worry in terms of your health

Basic Techniques In Analyzing Worry [ edit ]

Get all the facts
Weigh all the facts - then come to a decision
Once a decision is reached, act!
Write out and answer the following questions
1. What is the problem?
2. What are the causes of the problem?
3. What are the possible solutions?
4. What is the best possible solution?

How to Break the Worry Habit Before It Breaks You [ edit ]

Keep busy
Don't fuss about trifles
Use the law of averages to outlaw your worries
Cooperate with the Inevitable
Decide just how much anxiety a thing may be worth and refuse to give it more
Don't worry about the past

Seven Ways to Cultivate A Mental Attitude That Will Bring You Peace and Happiness [ edit ]

Fill your mind with thoughts of peace, courage, health, and hope
Never try to get even with your enemies
Expect ingratitude
Count your blessings, not your troubles
Find Yourself and Be Yourself (Remember There Is No One Else on Earth Like You)
Try to profit from your losses
Create happiness for others

The Perfect Way to Conquer Worry [ edit ]

Pray

How To Keep From Worrying About Criticism [ edit ]

Remember that unjust criticism is often a disguised compliment
Do the very best you can
Analyze your own mistakes and criticize yourself

Six Ways to Prevent Fatigue and Worry and Keep Your Energy and Spirits High [ edit ]

Rest before you get tired
Learn to relax at your work
Protect your health and appearance by relaxing at home
Four Good Working Habits That Will Help Prevent Fatigue and Worry
1. Clear your desk of all the papers except those relating to the immediate problem at hand
2. Do things in the order of their importance
3. When you face a problem, solve it then and there if you have the facts necessary to make a decision
4. Learn to organize, deputize, and supervise
Put enthusiasm into your work
Don't worry about insomnia

Cornelio Monday 16 Mar 2015

The Count-Duke of Olivares - The Passion of Power

Gregorio Marañón, 1936

Gregorio Marañón was a prestigious spanish doctor and essayist, often shortlisted for the Nobel prize for his work on endocrinology. In his biographies he chooses historical characters who showcase a very definite trait in exaggerated proportions, and tries to explain their personalities from a historical-phisiological perspective -- all in what is probably the best castilian prose written in the 20th century. For his study of betrayal he chose Phillip II's secretary and notorious scoundrel Antonio Pérez; roman emperor Tiberius for his examination of resentment; 19th century swiss diarist Amiel for his shyness. In the case of Don Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares (1587-1645), Marañón focuses on his most salient characteristic: his unquenchable thirst for power.

Don Gaspar ascended to become the King's favorite in his thirties, and remained in charge of the destinies of the Spanish Empire until 1643, two years prior to his death in exile. The King, Philip IV, who Marañón describes as a "cripple of the will", was the penultimate Augsburg to reign in Spain, being the last his son Charles II, who was mentally retarded and infertile. Philip IV, by contrast, had dozens of sons, most of them illegitimate. He was a man ruled by sensuality; a sensuality, Marañón says, "passive and feminine, and, as such, inexhaustible".

The source of Don Gaspar's power was two-fold: his aptitude for bureaucracy, and his hard-working disposition. He was indeed considered a "papelista" ("paperist"), the somewhat contemptuous way to refer to those who spent too much time among papers in those days; this approach had been pioneered by the Emperor Philip II, who realized that a dominion so vast as that under his rule, from Holland to Cape Horn to the Philippines, could only be controled with an ubiquitous and well-oiled bureaucratic machine. To this Don Gaspar added an industriousness so inordinate as to be almost abnormal. If you think that the spaniards of today are indolent, you should read about our ancestors in the 17th century. The country started to function at about noon every day, it was impossible to get anything done before that time. Marañón dedicates a full chapter to the laziness of that time, especially among the aristocrats, who refused to go to war and instead wasted their lives hunting, over-eating, and chasing women. In striking contrast to this infectious sloth, Don Gaspar woke up at 4 am every day, was heard in confession by his jesuit priest, and started writing letters at 4:30. He kept a strenuous work routine the seven days of the week, having a desktop installed in his carriage to be able to dictate to his secretary while travelling.

A man of these characterictics had of course no rival in the decrepit imperial court of the time; in fact he was only defeated when he started to lose his health. His greatest foreign adversary, the french Cardinal Richelieu, is remembered as the victor in the european chessboard of the time, and indeed the rise of France's power proves he was. The Count-Duke broke the peace in the Low-Countries, carefully kept by Philip III, and re-ignited the flame of Spanish imperialism, emphasizing again the role of the Empire as defender of the Faith. He obtained the last great victories the spanish Tercios would achieve before the start of their long decay (Breda [1625], Nördlingen [1635], Fuenterrabía [1638]), but his military failures were much more decisive.

A very instructive book which regrettably has not been translated into english (as far as I know the only Marañón that has been translated is his biography of Antonio Pérez). Published in 1936 just at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, it contains many valuable reflections on dictatorship and absolute power, and on the decline of the Augsburg monarchy.

Antonius Blockhead Nelson Van Alden Bronze Age Pervert Thoughts Abe de Ville Kobresia President Camacho Broseph Angocachi perkunos Welund

Recommend Books on This Thread

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