Month: January 2025

How to Flourish

Background

Published in June 2023, “How to Flourish: An Ancient Guide to Living Well” is an abridged translation of Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics” by Susan Sauvé Meyer. This work distills Aristotle’s exploration of human flourishing, emphasizing the cultivation of virtue through habitual practice and intellectual engagement. Aristotle provides practical guidance on various aspects of daily life, including managing emotions, financial prudence, and social interactions, while also distinguishing different forms of wisdom essential for a fulfilling life. Meyer’s translation aims to make these classical insights more accessible to contemporary readers, offering connecting commentary and presenting the original Greek text alongside the English translation.

How to Flourish
How to Flourish

My Thoughts

Honestly, I read this nearly 3 week ago and I don’t remember any takeaways from the book. It gave a lot of generalizations but nothing worth remembering.

Recommendation

Just read the Nicomachean Ethics straight from the source.

Politics

Background

Published in the 4th century BCE, “Politics” by Aristotle is a foundational work in political philosophy that examines the structure and purpose of the state. Aristotle argues that humans are inherently political beings and explores different forms of government, including monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses. He emphasizes the role of virtue and education in governance and considers the relationship between the individual and the state. The work also discusses economic structures, the role of slavery, and the concept of citizenship, laying the groundwork for later political thought.

Politics
Politics

My Thoughts

I find Aristotle to be a master of classification and observation. This narrative was delivered in “books” which seem to be delivered as a series of lectures. Of course, it was so long ago that we aren’t quite sure what form they were in while Aristotle delivered them. Who knows how much was lost in time or through translation. Again, it would be helpful to know Greek since there is so much nuance of meaning that I believe is missing.

I find I want to stop and ask questions as he is going along a train of thought. That it can certainly be frustrating to read. I should spend more time to wrestle with the ideas, but I’m not sure I have that much attention span at the moment.

Recommendation

I enjoyed it but it was hard to follow.

Masters of Greek Thought: Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle

Background

Published in 2008, “Masters of Greek Thought: Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle” is a 36-lecture course by Professor Robert C. Bartlett that delves into the philosophies of these three seminal figures. The course examines Socrates’ method of inquiry and his focus on ethical questions, Plato’s development of the theory of forms and his vision of an ideal state, and Aristotle’s extensive contributions across various fields, including logic, metaphysics, and ethics. Through these lectures, the course explores how each philosopher built upon the ideas of his predecessor, shaping the foundation of Western philosophical thought.

Masters of Greek Thought: Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle
Masters of Greek Thought: Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle

My Thoughts

My head hurts… Honestly, this lecture series really slowed my intake of information as I was grappling with the concepts and implications of these differing perspectives. Layer on a few thousand years of criticism and experience and it is surprising how well the ideas have held up.

It is very hard to identify a takeaway from this experience as I’m not through processing all of it. Professor Bartlett does an admirable job of pointing these roots of Western thought, but having grown up in the West, very little was new or surprising.

Recommendation

This series requires time to derive the value. However, it was worth it.

Shatter Me

Background

Published in 2011, “Shatter Me” by Tahereh Mafi follows Juliette Ferrars, as she navigates a dystopian world ruled by the oppressive Reestablishment. Imprisoned for accidentally killing someone, Juliette grapples with her guilt and fears while discovering her powers can be both a curse and a weapon. When she’s released to become a tool for the Reestablishment’s leader, she faces emotional and moral dilemmas, alongside a complicated connection with Adam Kent, her guard and former crush.

Shatter Me
Shatter Me

My Thoughts

This book was recommended to me by a teenaged girl of a family I’ve known for years. We were talking about dystopian books and she mentioned this one. She said she loved the book and even her younger sister popped in saying she was enjoying it. I didn’t understand it was a romance at the time. My wife pulled up the cover and said I should have known while showing me the cover with a young woman in a white dress. Makes sense, I only saw the eye you see on this page when I made the reservation.

I’m not fond of romances. I believe this one makes #4 on this blog and I doubt I had read many others throughout my life. This book was no exception. I would class it firmly with the Twilight series. A grossly overpowered female for no particular reason, who everyone thinks is amazingly beautiful, for no particular reason (we don’t know anything other than her hair is long), and who blunders through the story while whining about her anxieties. Also as a special bonus, she falls in love immediately with the male protagonist who, of course, falls in love immediately with her. It’s ok though, they went to school together years before. Irrespective that they had never spoken, they dreamt of meeting one day. Oh, also in line with the Twilight series, there is a good deal of “mature themes” and sexual wording. In short, I don’t think anyone should read it, but I recognize my bias here. This book wasn’t written for my demographic.

Recommendation

I really didn’t like this book.

How to Tell a Story

Background

Published in around 335 BCE (as a treatise, not a book in the modern sense) “How to Tell a Story” by Aristotle is not a book Aristotle himself wrote, but rather a modern work summarizing and interpreting his ideas from Poetics, Aristotle’s influential treatise on storytelling and drama.

How to Tell a Story
How to Tell a Story

My Thoughts

Interesting notes able were the interesting stories are those that can be related to but not too predicable. Don’t have too much plot or you risk losing your audience. Use plot points that are possible and believable. Keep the voice of the author to a minimum and allow the characters to tell the story. There was a large amount of time spent on the formation of words and their placement in the work. This isn’t too much of a surprise as the ancient writers were poets. For example, Aristotle says the iambic is the closest meter to common speech and therefore should be used if the author seeks for clarity. This type of thought seems foreign to my modern sense of writing which is more focused on meaning than meter. It’s a pity I don’t speak Greek so I could see the applications of the works.

Recommendation

Very interesting read. I think this could stand reasonably well today.

How to Innovate

Background

Published in 2021 “How to Innovate: An Ancient Guide to Creative Thinking”, edited by Armand D’Angour, draws on Aristotle’s philosophical concepts to explore the nature of creativity, problem-solving, and innovation. This is a modern work interpreting Aristotle’s methods and ideas. The book delves into how Aristotle’s views on rhetoric, ethics, and practical reasoning can inspire fresh thinking in contemporary challenges. By examining ancient wisdom, the text provides insights into fostering ingenuity, addressing obstacles, and applying logical yet imaginative approaches to innovation in various fields.

How to Innovate
How to Innovate

My Thoughts

I don’t know that I came away with anything practical in this work. There seemed to be a number of anecdotes and various ideas spread throughout the book but there wasn’t much of a takeaway. For example, the image on the cover was Aristotle’s famed “Eureka” moment of figuring out how to discover the volume of a complex object. The story was told but there wasn’t much in the way of how to apply the principles to everyday life. Perhaps I’ve read too much on the subject of creative thinking to notice the point the author was trying to make.

Recommendation

I’d skip this one.

The Hope of Elantris

Background

Published in 2006, The Hope of Elantris by Brandon Sanderson is a short story that serves as a companion piece to his novel Elantris. The story is set during the climax of Elantris and provides additional perspectives on the events from the point of view of a minor character, Ashe, a seon, who plays a critical role in aiding the protagonists. The narrative expands on the magical and political intricacies of the world, offering a deeper understanding of key moments in the main novel.

The Hope of Elantris
The Hope of Elantris

My Thoughts

This was a quick short story and a welcome diversion as I am wading through the Ancient Greek philosophers and their thoughts. Luckily, it hasn’t been long since I read Elantris and I could easily recall the plot points and characters to quickly come up to speed in the story. Typically, I don’t include short stories into this blog but this one seemed good enough to include.

Sanderson is a master of bringing the reader into a story and making them care about the personalities in the book. This short story was no exception. Who wouldn’t care about what happened to the children in Enlantris after they were all healed?

Recommendation

A good read but it wouldn’t stand alone. You must read Elantris first or it won’t make any sense.

Toxic Positivity

Background

Published in 2022, “Toxic Positivity: Keeping It Real in a World Obsessed with Being Happy” by Whitney Goodman examines the societal pressure to maintain constant positivity, even during challenging times. The book delves into how dismissing negative emotions in favor of a perpetually cheerful outlook can hinder genuine emotional processing and personal growth. Goodman provides insights into recognizing and addressing toxic positivity, advocating for a more balanced approach to emotional well-being that acknowledges the full spectrum of human experiences.

Toxic Positivity
Toxic Positivity

My Thoughts

For the most part, Goodman’s book was in line with my preconceived notions of a healthy individual. Putting a happy face on everything is not the answer. You can’t “manifest” good health, money, skill, or a better partner with positive affirmations. I also appreciated Goodman’s seemingly heretical idea that you don’t need to live in a state of pure bliss all the time (perhaps skipping through fields while holding hands and singing isn’t sustainable in the long term). I really enjoyed her grounded approach to life and her attempt to manage expectations. I feel many people are chasing the wrong ideal and that leads to disappointment if not outright tragedy.

However, I struggled with the author’s need to fully distance herself from the experiences of people with different perspectives. While validating another person’s unique experiences is essential to their acceptance of your validation, the principle cuts both ways. If no one can fully understand another person’s experience, then they can’t claim to understand the experience of any other person. Thus, when Goodman says she can’t understand the experience of a Black person or struggling with gender issues, she is inconsistent to assume understanding of groups she belongs to, such as all women, mothers, or wives. As a practicing counselor, she likely has valuable insights into the diverse groups she works with daily, regardless of her inclusion into their groups. Of course, I can certainly understand the practical challenges of writing books that address sensitive diverse audiences (myself included).

Recommendation

A solid read with many good ideas.

Aristotle for Everybody

Background

Published in 1978, “Aristotle for Everybody” by Mortimer J. Adler serves as an accessible introduction to Aristotle’s philosophy. Adler simplifies complex ideas, covering topics such as logic, ethics, and metaphysics, to make them understandable for general readers. The book outlines Aristotle’s theories on human nature, reasoning, happiness, and practical wisdom, illustrating how these concepts are relevant to everyday life. Adler aims to present Aristotle’s work as a guide for achieving intellectual growth and ethical living.

Aristotle for Everybody
Aristotle for Everybody

My Thoughts

This book was written as an application of the principles of Aristotle rather than expounding on the teachings directly. As such, it would be useful for someone who is struggling to understand how Aristotle would see our world today and how his system of reasoning would be applicable to everyone. I found it useful.

Recommendation

A bit stuffy, but a great primer into basic philosophy.

Aristotle: An Introduction

Background

Published in 2008, “Aristotle: An Introduction” by Hugh Griffith offers an accessible overview of Aristotle’s philosophy, emphasizing his belief in underlying systems and order governing all aspects of life, including human conduct. The work includes introductions and excerpts from Aristotle’s treatises, notably “The History of Animals” and “Nicomachean Ethics,” exploring topics such as the best kind of life and the ideal society to facilitate it.

Aristotle: An Introduction
Aristotle: An Introduction

My Thoughts

This work centered much more on the content of the collective works of Aristotle including several lengthy readings directly from the originals. Aristotle tried to put the entire world in order and was interested in just about everything. Most of his work would even stand up to our modern definitions despite the lack of our instruments and technology.

There were many interesting observations on several subjects like the sheep as not particularly intelligent and the hind (deer) as much more so among non-non-predatory animals. Praising bees for working together and lions for the same. His thoughts about when to marry (18 years for women and 37 years for men) were interesting as well. (As noted from a previous book, this was when he himself was married so it was fun to see it in his own text). His reasoning was a woman needs to be old enough to have children but not too old to be at risk. Whereas a man should be past the action part of his life and gaining wisdom. Unlike Plato, Aristotle did not see the sexes as equal. He also saw manual labor to be the dominion of slaves (servile) and the labor of thinking to be the dominion of the free peoples (liberal). Of course, this was as much a reflection of the ancient world as it was of Aristotle himself.

Recommendation

The book was easily approached and understood. A good read.