War and Peace

I`m not so sure about that to be honest Aaron, we are actually percentage wise more literate than any of our previous generations, and a wonderful thing is happening, we are enriching our manner of communication-I know some hate text speak and the like, but just like the LOL and ROFL and other stuff it`s a new, dynamic and alive way of communicating.

Books are ok as they go, but it`s taken me years and a lot of money to acquire my collection. Not to mention the expense of bookshelves and moving them with me to new houses and such.

That`s why things like e books and online books are so exciting to me. The entire world can download and read any author in any language anywhere. Books such as War and Peace aren`t so daunting-or so heavy LOL.


Of course online works have the almost insurmountable disadvantage of not being safe to take your laptop in the bath with you. LOL.

 

Yep, fallen asleep in the bath more than once as well here :hehe::hehe:

 

Nietsche.... Not at all familiar with that name, but I shall check it out ..thanks
robert

 

Nietsche:::::
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15, 1844 â?? August 25, 1900) (German pronunciation: [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈvɪlhəlm ˈniːtʃə]) was a nineteenth-century German philosopher and classical philologist. He wrote critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy, and science, using a distinctive German language style and displaying a fondness for metaphor and aphorism. Nietzsche's influence remains substantial within and beyond philosophy, notably in existentialism and postmodernism. His style and radical questioning of the value and objectivity of truth raise considerable problems of interpretation, generating an extensive secondary literature in both continental and analytic philosophy. Nevertheless, some of his key ideas include interpreting tragedy as an affirmation of life, an eternal recurrence (which numerous commentators have re-interpreted), a rejection of Platonism, and a repudiation of both Christianity and Egalitarianism (especially in the form of Democracy and Socialism).
Nietzsche began his career as a classical philologist before turning to philosophy. At the age of 24 he was appointed to the Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel (the youngest individual ever to have held this position),[1] but resigned in 1879 because of health problems, which would plague him for most of his life. In 1889 he exhibited symptoms of insanity, living out his remaining years in the care of his mother and sister until his death in 1900.
...

May be a little deep for me but I shall give him my best attention some time.
robert

 

Ok.. thats "A town Like Alice"finished. It tells the story of Jean Paget; as a prisoner of war in Malaya during World War II and then her return to Malaya after the war where she discovers something that leads her on the search for romance and to a small outback community in Australia where she sets out to turn it into 'a town like Alice'.
Fascinating read based in Malaya and Australia. Having spent a few years in Malaya I could relate to the story very well. I can recommend this as a good casual read.

I am now going to start on "A princess of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Not got a clue whats it about but I like the title!
robert

 

Never read that book Capney, Nietsche, in fact any pure philosophy is at first daunting, BUT and a big but at that, it is actually intensely interesting-which is 75% of the battle. I think you would like him.

 

Full of swordplay and daring feats, the story is considered a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction.
A princess of Mars was Edgar Rice Burroughs first book so it may well be the start of a fruitful relationship.

Nietsche.... seemed to quite a character in his time... I have not managed to source any of his matarial yet, but not giving up yet.
robert

 

I now have some Nietsche to read. Found some to download onto my e book.
Beyond good and evil.....
robert

 

An excellent choice Capney, by the end of it you`ll either be very cynical or very buoyant about the world.

I came out of it buoyant, I realised what prats people can be-myself obviously included.

 

Sorry to say I had to give up with "A princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs" I found I was struggling with the style of writing.
So...Edgars books are now on the back shelf collecting dusk. (If that is possible with an e book)
I have started on Nietsches Beyond good and evil.
Watch this space.......................
robert

 

Nietzche is the philosopher who made the famous and often misinterpreted statement "God is dead" in The Gay Science, for those who haven`t read him.

Misinterpreted because so few who quote him have read his works in context. He was erroneously linked with Nazism-in much the same way as Darwinism was, and is one of the great philosophers of contemporary times.

 

Oddly enough, some of this thread has some relevance to the Israel thread-title included,

"After buddha was dead, his shadow was still shown for centuries in a cave- a tremendous, gruesome shadow. God is dead; but given the way of men, there may still be caves for thousands of years in which his shadow will be shown. And we-we still have to vanquish his shadow, too." (Nietzche)


It`s important to note that Nietzche is not talking about a non existence of God/s, he is talking about our ability to rely on men`s teachings and words regarding him.

 

Morning Claire
I have to say after making a good start with Nietzche I had to give him up for now.
I feel, at this stage I do not nave the intellect to do the writings justice.
Maybe later, when I settle in a nice quite area outside in the sun I can start over and feel enlightened by his writings.
robert

 

Morning yourself Capney.

I still don`t fully understand him-I need the aid of study books to help me-and the aid of a very very clever friend to dumb it down enough for me to grasp. Like most "intellectuals" he is as guilty as any of them in using terminology that he knew would exclude people, to have people think of him as beyond their understanding.

Intellectual snobbery.

What a shame you have set it aside for now, I could have done with you to enlighten me.

So what`s next on your list? I am reading The Code of the Woosters by PGWodehouse and it`s very funny.

 

Must admit while reading Nietzche I found myself regularly referring to my Oxford for some form of explanation to specific word.

I have just started on ..
The great secret by E Philips Oppenheim
I have no idea which direction this tale is about to take me.
robert