Being and Nothingness, Jean-Paul Sartre
"Its revolutionary approach challenged all previous assumptions about the individual's relationship with the world... challenging the reader to confront the fundamental dilemmas of human freedom, responsibility and action."
I have never heard of this book or author before, meaning I have no idea where I would obtain this text from. In the event no local library or store carries it, I will rely on Barnes and Noble to at least order it (if possible).
Meditations on First Philosophy: In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction of the Soul from the Body Are Demonstrated, Descartes (Donald A. Cress-translator)
"Many other matters respecting the attributes of God and my own nature or mind remain for consideration... Now... my principle task is to endeavour to emerge from the state of doubt into which I have these last days fallen, and to see whether nothing certain can be known regarding material things."
Again, to rely on book purveyors is most likely required if I am to obtain this/these books.
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, Edwin Abbott Abbott
"Part geometry lesson, part social satire, this classic work of science fiction brilliantly succeeds in enlarging all readers' dimensional prejudices... This new edition of Flatland illuminates the social and intellectual context that produced the work as well as the timeless questions that it raises about the limits of our perception and knowledge."
As the other two books, research must be conducted as to how to obtain the book and then be acted upon.
The standard fiction has begun to bore me. The modern nonfiction never interested me. Only so many "classics" exist - 1984, Farenheit 451, I, Robot, Of Mice and Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the works of H.G. Wells and Robert Louis Stevenson, etc. - therefore, new parameters for reading must be crafted for the prevention of reading becoming monotonous. Philosophy has always interested me and the books I have listed prior to this paragraph seem to be written on subjects I wish to learn more about.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Second Quarter Reading List
Ginsberg, Allen. "Howl And Other Poems." San Francisco: City Lights Books. 1956, 1959.
Ginsberg wrote "Howl" for a friend of his, Carl Solomon. If Solomon had not been in his life, Ginsberg may have committed suicide as he had "...from all the evidence, been through hell." The "Other Poems" do not seem to have any relevance to "Howl," other than the seemingly incomprehensible way in which Ginsberg wrote and the similarities of his condemnations (he blames drug use, capitalism, the modernization of the world for destroying "the best minds of [his] generation,"). "Howl" is a sort of love letter to Solomon in which Ginsberg dons insanity; the reader is allowed to delve into the minds and the relationship of the two men, with all the consequences surrounding them being revealed. The "Other Poems" seem to be written for the same reason; an almost tangible plea from Ginsberg: "know what I know, see as I see, I Dare You."
Some of Ginsberg's words ("Mohammedan angels," "who vanished into nowhere Zen New Jersey," "migraines of China," "who burned cigarette holes in their arms protesting the narcotic tobacco haze of Capitalism,") make little sense taken literally, logically, but, his words being poetry, may have a deeper meaning understood by those crazy enough to. The boundaries between religions are hazy; that which is applauded by the masses may very well be evil.
Sleator, William. "The Boy Who Couldn't Die." New York: Amulet Books. 2005.
Sixteen-year-old Ken undergoes a spiritual procedure to become "invulnerable" to death after his best friend dies in a plane crash. He unknowingly agrees to becoming a zombie, his soul being controlled by the bokor who granted him "immortality." With the aid of a native girl who knows of these spiritual matters, Ken embars on a journey to reclaim his soul.
The book, narrated by the "uppity teenager," is set off with italicized passages that are reminiscent of old vampire stories in the content and the way they are written. Still first person, the actions Ken committs and the details surrounding those actions seem otherworldly. The way in which Sleator embeds these pieces keeps the reader interested, even after the explanation of what these (") dreams (") mean is revealed. Two seemingly unrelated, parallel stories intertwined into one proves Sleator an experienced author.
Thompson, Hunter S. "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas." New York: Vintage Books. 1971.
Hunter S. Thompson, a reporter on location in the (south)western United States, is expected to cover his various assignments (a massive race and a police convention among them) professionally and ably. The persuasion endowed him and his attorney through inhuman substance abuse allows him to to gather "necessary supplies" (an extremely impressive, to say the least, collection of intoxicants) completely unrelated to his mission (through the eyes of his superiors). What begins as a journalistic endeavour, in the warped hands of Thompson, morphs into a work of nonfiction more twisted and entertaining than some of the best fantasy; that dissects human nature through the altered perception of users.
There is no basis for comparison while analyzing the style in which this book was written. It being a massive article, "Fear And Loathing," contained several exerpts from various documents and articles Thompson encountered throughout his adventure(s). Chapter 9 of Part 2 begins with an Editor's Note in which it is revealed that "the original manuscript [was] so splintered that [the team at Rolling Stone magazine] were forced to seek out the original tape recording and transcribe it verbatim." The entire chapter is written as dialogue in a script is written.
Burgess, Anthony. "A Clockwork Orange." New York: W.W. Norton & Company. 1962, 1986.
Alex, a mentally disturbed fifteen-year-old, participates in horrific crimes with his fellow droogs in a futuristic nightmare world. When his soft side (his adoration of women who sing opera) clashes with his companions' strictly horrorshow look on life, they double-cross him, leaving him to be incarcerated. Desperate to resume his criminal career, with revenge closer to the front of his mind, he agrees to participate in a program guaranteed to reform him and which would allow him release much earlier than his sentence length. Alex's fantasy is put to the test and the conclusion of the story was cause for much controversy.
Burgess's Introductino reveals that the book was among his least favorite works, despite the world renown it gained, the American film adaptation being one of the main reasons for each of these. This version of the book contains the original final chapter; the next to last chapter was the end of the film - the ending the majority of the "readers" knew. One ending leaves Alex at peace and completely reformed and mature, his violent urges a product of adolescence. The other leaves him still violent, still rebellious, still a droog. In respect to the last chapter, the actual ending, Burgess wrote: "I meant the book to end in this way, but my aesthetic judgement may have been faulty."
Smith, Alexander Gordon. "Escape From Furnace: Lockdown." New York: Square Fish. 2009.
Alex, while robbing a house with his friend, experiences his last moments of freedom in pure horror. Massive blackcoats and a wheezer infiltrate the house, kill Alex's partner, and taunt Alex to run. Futilely, he flees, to be captured within grabbing distance of his home. He is sentenced to Furnace Penetentiary for the murder committed by the overseers there; that he was blamed for. The tagline of the book correctly elaborates: "Beneath Heaven is Hell. Beneath Hell is Furnace." Along with a few accomplices, not all invited, friendly, Alex devises a plan to escape, in the face of a fate worse than death, leering ever closer because of snitches.
Although the book was written to appeal to pre-teens, Smith crafted a text that leaves all readers in suspense, eagerly awaiting the next segment (especially because of the Sneak Peek at the next piece) of the series. One of the ways he does this is by appealing to peoples' dramatic side: revealing the conditions of the prison. The standard ideas of prison gangs adn small scale riots, real to us, blend with his fiction: the sadistic, otherworldly guards and their mutated minions and assistants, the rumors that are all too real, the psychotic warfare waged on the inmates; lockdown means more than boredom and slight physical pain/discomfort.
Ginsberg wrote "Howl" for a friend of his, Carl Solomon. If Solomon had not been in his life, Ginsberg may have committed suicide as he had "...from all the evidence, been through hell." The "Other Poems" do not seem to have any relevance to "Howl," other than the seemingly incomprehensible way in which Ginsberg wrote and the similarities of his condemnations (he blames drug use, capitalism, the modernization of the world for destroying "the best minds of [his] generation,"). "Howl" is a sort of love letter to Solomon in which Ginsberg dons insanity; the reader is allowed to delve into the minds and the relationship of the two men, with all the consequences surrounding them being revealed. The "Other Poems" seem to be written for the same reason; an almost tangible plea from Ginsberg: "know what I know, see as I see, I Dare You."
Some of Ginsberg's words ("Mohammedan angels," "who vanished into nowhere Zen New Jersey," "migraines of China," "who burned cigarette holes in their arms protesting the narcotic tobacco haze of Capitalism,") make little sense taken literally, logically, but, his words being poetry, may have a deeper meaning understood by those crazy enough to. The boundaries between religions are hazy; that which is applauded by the masses may very well be evil.
Sleator, William. "The Boy Who Couldn't Die." New York: Amulet Books. 2005.
Sixteen-year-old Ken undergoes a spiritual procedure to become "invulnerable" to death after his best friend dies in a plane crash. He unknowingly agrees to becoming a zombie, his soul being controlled by the bokor who granted him "immortality." With the aid of a native girl who knows of these spiritual matters, Ken embars on a journey to reclaim his soul.
The book, narrated by the "uppity teenager," is set off with italicized passages that are reminiscent of old vampire stories in the content and the way they are written. Still first person, the actions Ken committs and the details surrounding those actions seem otherworldly. The way in which Sleator embeds these pieces keeps the reader interested, even after the explanation of what these (") dreams (") mean is revealed. Two seemingly unrelated, parallel stories intertwined into one proves Sleator an experienced author.
Thompson, Hunter S. "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas." New York: Vintage Books. 1971.
Hunter S. Thompson, a reporter on location in the (south)western United States, is expected to cover his various assignments (a massive race and a police convention among them) professionally and ably. The persuasion endowed him and his attorney through inhuman substance abuse allows him to to gather "necessary supplies" (an extremely impressive, to say the least, collection of intoxicants) completely unrelated to his mission (through the eyes of his superiors). What begins as a journalistic endeavour, in the warped hands of Thompson, morphs into a work of nonfiction more twisted and entertaining than some of the best fantasy; that dissects human nature through the altered perception of users.
There is no basis for comparison while analyzing the style in which this book was written. It being a massive article, "Fear And Loathing," contained several exerpts from various documents and articles Thompson encountered throughout his adventure(s). Chapter 9 of Part 2 begins with an Editor's Note in which it is revealed that "the original manuscript [was] so splintered that [the team at Rolling Stone magazine] were forced to seek out the original tape recording and transcribe it verbatim." The entire chapter is written as dialogue in a script is written.
Burgess, Anthony. "A Clockwork Orange." New York: W.W. Norton & Company. 1962, 1986.
Alex, a mentally disturbed fifteen-year-old, participates in horrific crimes with his fellow droogs in a futuristic nightmare world. When his soft side (his adoration of women who sing opera) clashes with his companions' strictly horrorshow look on life, they double-cross him, leaving him to be incarcerated. Desperate to resume his criminal career, with revenge closer to the front of his mind, he agrees to participate in a program guaranteed to reform him and which would allow him release much earlier than his sentence length. Alex's fantasy is put to the test and the conclusion of the story was cause for much controversy.
Burgess's Introductino reveals that the book was among his least favorite works, despite the world renown it gained, the American film adaptation being one of the main reasons for each of these. This version of the book contains the original final chapter; the next to last chapter was the end of the film - the ending the majority of the "readers" knew. One ending leaves Alex at peace and completely reformed and mature, his violent urges a product of adolescence. The other leaves him still violent, still rebellious, still a droog. In respect to the last chapter, the actual ending, Burgess wrote: "I meant the book to end in this way, but my aesthetic judgement may have been faulty."
Smith, Alexander Gordon. "Escape From Furnace: Lockdown." New York: Square Fish. 2009.
Alex, while robbing a house with his friend, experiences his last moments of freedom in pure horror. Massive blackcoats and a wheezer infiltrate the house, kill Alex's partner, and taunt Alex to run. Futilely, he flees, to be captured within grabbing distance of his home. He is sentenced to Furnace Penetentiary for the murder committed by the overseers there; that he was blamed for. The tagline of the book correctly elaborates: "Beneath Heaven is Hell. Beneath Hell is Furnace." Along with a few accomplices, not all invited, friendly, Alex devises a plan to escape, in the face of a fate worse than death, leering ever closer because of snitches.
Although the book was written to appeal to pre-teens, Smith crafted a text that leaves all readers in suspense, eagerly awaiting the next segment (especially because of the Sneak Peek at the next piece) of the series. One of the ways he does this is by appealing to peoples' dramatic side: revealing the conditions of the prison. The standard ideas of prison gangs adn small scale riots, real to us, blend with his fiction: the sadistic, otherworldly guards and their mutated minions and assistants, the rumors that are all too real, the psychotic warfare waged on the inmates; lockdown means more than boredom and slight physical pain/discomfort.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Reflection: Reading
Catch-22 was the first book i attempted to begin my eleventh grade reading career with; failure. This caused me to, basically, give up on reading for a while. Once this passed, more than halfway through the quarter, I, Robot was the next attempt; success. Though it took longer than it should have, I finished the book and comprehended the content. Brave New World, assigned by the mediator, was embarked upon in a different manner: reading was accomplished in irregular, far-between intervals, though when reading was done, several chapters were behind the left hand. Life: The Movie was read daily. Being in bed by 2300 hours is demanded of me; after reading, 0100 is a more prominent bed-time.
"Inking your thinking," though thought tedious and, somewhat, unnecessary, the benefits have been realized. The friendship I sustained with the dictionary has recently been renewed. I think that my "inking" my thougts has broadened my mind, but the thougts translated into text on paper may not be able to be comprehended by others of a name not mine.
If only I knew how to more precisely render my thoughts tangibly, it would be done. How to go about doing this though, as said, is unknown. Trial-and-error/experience seems to be the only way.
I used to favor fiction that allowed for the derived evaluation of human nature and the components of life (I, Robot); now, with the discovery of Life: The Movie, more philosophical texts that actually reveal components of human nature and of life are desired. The cataloging and genres of nonfiction, however, are unknown to me; perusing of libraries will now take much longer to find that which interest me.
"Inking your thinking," though thought tedious and, somewhat, unnecessary, the benefits have been realized. The friendship I sustained with the dictionary has recently been renewed. I think that my "inking" my thougts has broadened my mind, but the thougts translated into text on paper may not be able to be comprehended by others of a name not mine.
If only I knew how to more precisely render my thoughts tangibly, it would be done. How to go about doing this though, as said, is unknown. Trial-and-error/experience seems to be the only way.
I used to favor fiction that allowed for the derived evaluation of human nature and the components of life (I, Robot); now, with the discovery of Life: The Movie, more philosophical texts that actually reveal components of human nature and of life are desired. The cataloging and genres of nonfiction, however, are unknown to me; perusing of libraries will now take much longer to find that which interest me.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Socratic Seminar Reflection
The point of the socratic seminar seems to have been lost on me. The forced simulation of deep, intellectual discourse to be viewed and critiqued by others; the fixed time limit in which the discussion must be accomplished in; the strict regulations that could potentially hinder/intimidate the participants: all criticisms of the act.
The idea of an organized meeting designed to nurture the intellect and thought is, of course, a noble idea and something that should be pursued. Gathering information from the indicated source in the light of a proposed question/idea yields a greater understanding of the text, a greater understanding of the underlying themes.
My actual experience in the socratic seminar is not comparable to what is desired, ideal. Not liking the idea that the conversation is forced (though I do understand upon retrospect that this is really the only perceptible way to be able to grade the act), the fact that interrupting others is frowned upon and that anything mispoken or thought wrong by the majority would result in ridicule or a complete unacknowledgement in the future, to speak seemed an impossibility. Again, the concept is respectable; the actual act in action leaves much to be desired.
The idea of an organized meeting designed to nurture the intellect and thought is, of course, a noble idea and something that should be pursued. Gathering information from the indicated source in the light of a proposed question/idea yields a greater understanding of the text, a greater understanding of the underlying themes.
My actual experience in the socratic seminar is not comparable to what is desired, ideal. Not liking the idea that the conversation is forced (though I do understand upon retrospect that this is really the only perceptible way to be able to grade the act), the fact that interrupting others is frowned upon and that anything mispoken or thought wrong by the majority would result in ridicule or a complete unacknowledgement in the future, to speak seemed an impossibility. Again, the concept is respectable; the actual act in action leaves much to be desired.
Annotated Bibliography for Brave New World
Miller, Stuart. "http://media.www.the-standard.org/media/storage/paper1059/news/2003/05/02/Opinion/California.Embraces.Dangerous.Excessive.Textbook.Censorship-3364436.shtml". Missouri (State University). "The Standard." 2003.
In Brave New World, the collective government, namely The Controller, Mustapha Mond, directly decided what was able to be accepted by the public without stirring any (substantial) feelings or thoughts (at all). In this article, California is pasted onto the dartboard of scrutiny and is not allowed to fall off until the several spears of Miller's criticisms penetrate/reveal. "The whole politically correct, ultra-sensitivity movement continues to escalate," the whole "justified" censorship, over-protective elements of today's media, by the government (the whole point of the censorship being to protect the public from what we do not wish to hear), is not inching, maybe "mile-ing" us towards a newer, braver realm.
Dunn, Douglas. "http://www.wordwiz72.com/cloning.html". Douglas Dunn/World Wizards. 1998, 2001.
Directly referring to Brave New World in his article, Dunn, without hesitation, allows his rambling arguments to spill forth, with no actual evidence to support his claim that "In their hearts, human beings know that it is not so terrible to have a genetic double," hoping to disprove the world Huxley envisioned. Stating that in-vitro fertilization underwent the same skepticism from the public as cloning is now, apparently hoping for the conversion of people from "Cloning is morally wrong," to "It is but progress."
"http://www.scienceclarified.com/Qu-Ro/Reinforcement-Positive-and-Negative.html".
"Conditioning," in the context of Brave New World carries an evil connotation. This article reveals that conditioning is nothing to be feared or avoided at all; it is actually what enables us to learn (touch a hot stove, recoil; conditioning); strengthening the belief that the ones who crafted the world After Ford were in all reality evil, despite whatever the intentions were. The architects of this "improved" world utilized conditioning to teach the children/sprouts what they "needed" to be taught, rather than allowing natural conditioning to run its course, allowing the man-plants to be in control of their own destinies; the choices made in life yield exposure to different elements of life, different knowledge applicable to life, different paths through life. The latter is the way in which the world runs now-for now-is the best way for people to live.
In Brave New World, the collective government, namely The Controller, Mustapha Mond, directly decided what was able to be accepted by the public without stirring any (substantial) feelings or thoughts (at all). In this article, California is pasted onto the dartboard of scrutiny and is not allowed to fall off until the several spears of Miller's criticisms penetrate/reveal. "The whole politically correct, ultra-sensitivity movement continues to escalate," the whole "justified" censorship, over-protective elements of today's media, by the government (the whole point of the censorship being to protect the public from what we do not wish to hear), is not inching, maybe "mile-ing" us towards a newer, braver realm.
Dunn, Douglas. "http://www.wordwiz72.com/cloning.html". Douglas Dunn/World Wizards. 1998, 2001.
Directly referring to Brave New World in his article, Dunn, without hesitation, allows his rambling arguments to spill forth, with no actual evidence to support his claim that "In their hearts, human beings know that it is not so terrible to have a genetic double," hoping to disprove the world Huxley envisioned. Stating that in-vitro fertilization underwent the same skepticism from the public as cloning is now, apparently hoping for the conversion of people from "Cloning is morally wrong," to "It is but progress."
"http://www.scienceclarified.com/Qu-Ro/Reinforcement-Positive-and-Negative.html".
"Conditioning," in the context of Brave New World carries an evil connotation. This article reveals that conditioning is nothing to be feared or avoided at all; it is actually what enables us to learn (touch a hot stove, recoil; conditioning); strengthening the belief that the ones who crafted the world After Ford were in all reality evil, despite whatever the intentions were. The architects of this "improved" world utilized conditioning to teach the children/sprouts what they "needed" to be taught, rather than allowing natural conditioning to run its course, allowing the man-plants to be in control of their own destinies; the choices made in life yield exposure to different elements of life, different knowledge applicable to life, different paths through life. The latter is the way in which the world runs now-for now-is the best way for people to live.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Annotated Reading List for Independent Reading
(NO FORMATTING COULD BE APPLIED, IN ALL ATTEMPTS)
Huxley, Aldous. "Brave New World." New York: HarperCollins. 1932, 1946.In the year A.F. 632, there are is a significant difference in the ratio between types of people to number of people from our time. Inflicting a feeling of ominousness on the readers, achieved by enlightening the time travelers that "...the World State's motto [is], COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, STABILITY," it is almost certainly known before the end of the first chapter that some kind of, basically, moral dilemma is going to affect the way the world will evolve.
John the Savage, a man born of natural causes, (even mentioning this act in public arouses hysterical laughter or wary uneasiness of whoever spoke such "blasphemy") is actually quite civilized, rather as civilized as is possible, with being exposed only to the primitivity of, not really "his" people but the ones that he has been forced to live amongst. Because of this, it is quite plausible to believe that Huxley, in prophesying the dys-/u- topia that is sure to become, implied a certain, sort of devolution of the human race. Yes, the technology in this new world is extremely exceptional ("feelies" are movies that, by interacting with an apparatus, cause real emotions, sensations to be felt by the "viewers"), but by applying these advances (particularly to cloning), almost everything that makes humans human has been wiped from the civilized world (i.e., nothing but happiness is ever felt). This is what makes John such an easy character to identify with. Our world is constantly being "improved" by the daily technological developments, but humanity is still something to be treasured and flaunted (though it is slowly being marginalized by entertainment); John was raised by "savages," ones who forsook the progression of the world and decided to retain their traditionalist values (it is quite amazing how people in the future were able to revert back to a world almost identical to that of the Indians/Native Americans, especially with all history before the revolution (that brought on the "A.F." prefix to dates) being wiped from earth). ((259))
"I, Robot" began as seperate stories in science fiction publications.
Asimov, Isaac. "I, Robot." New York: Fictioneers, 1941; Street and Smith 1941; Street and Smith, 1941; Street and Smith, 1942; Street and Smith 1944; Street and Smith, 1945; Street and Smith, 1946; Street and Smith, 1947; Street and Smith, 1950. 1950A reporter, Asimov incarnate, is extremely eager to interview the most prominent robopsychologist in this year, 2057. Robots have completely overtaken assembly lines, and the popularity of these machines is balanced by the criticisms of the traditionalists, effectively outlawing their presence on the earth (interplanetary travel has been "mastered," colnies exist on several other planets). Every chapter in this book was once published as its own story; Asimov crafted the story of the reporter and his interviewee, one Susan Calvin, to tie these seperate entities into one anthology, which reveals the history of robotics, how what progress has been made was made, problems and solutions to quandaries pertaining to robots and the Three Laws that bound them into servitude.
Of course, to do all this, Asimov had to become a robot during the writing process; the transformation from entity of flesh to an object of metal is completely seamless. In "Reason," one of the most advanced robots, at that time, questions everything his "masters," those foolish beings "...made of...soft and flabby [material], lacking endurance and strength, depending for energy upon the inefficient oxidation of organic material...", inform him of: the Energy Converter that powers the Solar Station #5 is not a tool created by humans for humans, absurd, it is the Master; space is "exactly what it seems-a black material just beyond this glass that is spotted with little gleaming dots... That is all." ((272))
Gabler, Neal. "Life the Movie." New York: Vintage Books. 1998
Hypothesis: Entertainment is slowly overtaking reality, becoming reality even. Discuss: Through the natural progression of humanity in every field, particularly technology, (')men have become lazier but more rebellious (of the ever ruling aristocracies), more wary (of those in any kind of power) but (despite that) content, more advanced but even more delusional (/ignorant). Chronicling the path to our current situation, to be informed is less significant than to be entertained, (entertainment represents the baser instincts and art is equated to the pursuit of knowledge, of the betterment of oneself on a transcendic level ("the difference between entertainment and art is the difference between 'spurious gratification and a genuine experience as a step to greater individual fulfillment.'")), from the 1800's to the present, so in-depth and precisely, that Gabler's opinions are hard to actually be called that.
Gabler's overall mission in having spawned this literature is to enlighten people of what is happening to us: we have become blinded by our addiction to entertainment, which we are exposed to almost ceaselessly, and from birth even!, and, while it is satisfying to "us," it hurts us, the true inner beings that need legitimate intellectual discourse, no matter what the means of achieving this. That description makes Gabler seem more like a (far-out) philosopher, which he is not, than a true crusader for men to, at least acknowledge what he has discovered, at most change their ways in pursuit of a higher level of civilization. ((303))
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