- Joined
- Thursday March 2, 2017
- Location
- London
'Anatomy of a Soldier' Harry Parker. Another kind gift from Iain AKA @Digimonkey.
'Anatomy of a Soldier' Harry Parker. Another kind gift from Iain AKA @Digimonkey.
Nope too scared.Reading the "Coming War with China"..By James Pilger..If Ya Wanna Read You're Destiny Read it..
Billy
Evening Iain. I have never read anything by Pinker but I'm aware of his work, and the debate surrounding his work. Evolutionary psychology? My problem is....so little time, so many books. Bloody work! Further to our discussion of Bruce Chatwin the other day, have you read his work of fiction 'On The Black Hill'? I somehow overlooked it when I went through my Chatwin period.B. - For me 'Homo Deus' by Yuval Noah Harari. The strap line - 'a brief history of tomorrow.' I read 'Sapiens' last year and it was one of the best books of the year for me. Harari is a proper polymath - in a similar vein - if you have about four or five weeks at your disposal I couldn't recommend Steven Pinker's - 'The Better Angels of our Nature,' too highly. In some considerable detail - 700 odd pages, thankfully including citations - it proves that is has never been safer to be a human. Obviously - you'll get the reference to Lincoln - Gettysburg. Yours - I.
Evening Iain. I have never read anything by Pinker but I'm aware of his work, and the debate surrounding his work. Evolutionary psychology? My problem is....so little time, so many books. Bloody work! Further to our discussion of Bruce Chatwin the other day, have you read his work of fiction 'On The Black Hill'? I somehow overlooked it when I went through my Chatwin period.
Very interesting Iain. It made me think of the Structual Marxists who were all the rage when I was at uni. Does Pinker talk about class at all? In the Structual Marxist model the working class could almost be seen as an 'out group' with regards to capitalism. In this model the state doesn't act as the 'instrument' of capitalism, as it does in traditional Marxist theory, but rather as a scientific certainty that naturally develops organically as a result of capitalism. The working class are 'assimilated' through the 'alturistic' giving of rights such as housing, health, and education. Of course, there is nothing alturistic about the giving of such rights. Just capitalism evolving and 'structurally' controlling the economy and culture (hegemony). Naturally, the leading Structual Marxist, Althusser, went mad and strangled his wife. Cheers, Barry.
Absolutely Iain. But the answer to the question would vary according to whichever Marxist theory one decided to adopt. So does Pinker argue that the assimilation of 'out groups' is 'structual'? In that it isn't a conscious, or planned, outcome.B. - Pinker doesn't talk of class - he's American. They obviously do have classes but I don't think they codify it in the way we Brits do? I cited Marxist theory once in an essay about the Peasant's Revolt - late 14c. The question asked was - ' Were peasant revolts in the late medieval period entirely motivated by economics?' Bang on for a bit of Marxist theory I would have thought? Yours - I.
In that it isn't a conscious, or planned, outcome.
Highly recommend Blood Meridian and The Border Trilogy (All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing and Cities of the Plain)No Country For Old Men. First book by Corman McCarthy that I read and I'm amazed by how simply and gracefully he can write.
I would certainly second those recommendations. Incidentally, for anyone who has enjoyed 'Blood Meridian' I would strongly recommend 'The Son' by Philipp Meyer.Highly recommend Blood Meridian and The Border Trilogy (All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing and Cities of the Plain)
I shall check it out, many thanks for the recommendation.I would certainly second those recommendations. Incidentally, for anyone who has enjoyed 'Blood Meridian' I would strongly recommend 'The Son' by Philipp Meyer.