Cauf, could you publish a reading list for the beginner? Some of your top readings that can get a person on the road to being grounded in history, and thought?
Thanks, Danny. I'm not sure I'm the best person to come up with a reading list, as I tend to be disorganised and read things at random. However, maybe sharing my experience could be helpful to people struggling with these issues... I might post something over the next few days. To address your question in a practical manner, if I had to pick two books—one on philosophy and one on history—as reading guides, I would go with "History of Western Philosophy" by Bertrand Russell (especially because it's very critical of many authors I admire, but still beautifully written and comprehensive -- plus, I like the challenging aspect of being contradicted) and "On the Origins of War" by Donald Kagan (a somewhat underrated book that gives you a good overview of the backbone of Western history—Peloponnesian War and Punic Wars to WWI and WWII—using a Classical framework). From the authors/events described in these books (and especially today, when I wouldn't shy away from using ChatGPT as a reading companion), I think they open up many opportunities for delving further into specifics and jumpstart your journey.
Cauf, could you publish a reading list for the beginner? Some of your top readings that can get a person on the road to being grounded in history, and thought?
Thanks, Danny. I'm not sure I'm the best person to come up with a reading list, as I tend to be disorganised and read things at random. However, maybe sharing my experience could be helpful to people struggling with these issues... I might post something over the next few days. To address your question in a practical manner, if I had to pick two books—one on philosophy and one on history—as reading guides, I would go with "History of Western Philosophy" by Bertrand Russell (especially because it's very critical of many authors I admire, but still beautifully written and comprehensive -- plus, I like the challenging aspect of being contradicted) and "On the Origins of War" by Donald Kagan (a somewhat underrated book that gives you a good overview of the backbone of Western history—Peloponnesian War and Punic Wars to WWI and WWII—using a Classical framework). From the authors/events described in these books (and especially today, when I wouldn't shy away from using ChatGPT as a reading companion), I think they open up many opportunities for delving further into specifics and jumpstart your journey.
Thank you so much! I will check those out.