An Introduction to Literary Madness
Today, I was delighted to learn that three new books had arrived in the post from Amazon and I thought that, what better way to introduce myself than to introduce the books I purchased.
Of course, it seemed a slight moment of madness but here I am, writing away.
Before you decide to judge me for the books I purchased and damn me to hell for the blasphemy that it contains, let me introduce myself as a young author who is interested in language, law and philosophy. (If only I had a job that involved all three, I tell myself!)
I’ve often written posts on matters relating to philosophy and recent posts included a transcript on love and another on the emotional continuum, a term created between a friend and I.
Onto the books, I hear you cry! (I know they are more interesting than I am!)
The first book is one I have wanted for quite some time. You may know it. The Trial and Death of Socrates. I bought the Dover Thrift edition which is unabridged and contains the four dialogues.
You may think me a morbid man to read a book that is all about someone’s death but this is much more than just a book on death. It combines two different subjects; morality and existence.
It is written as though it were a script between actors and, to say the least, it is a delight to sift through some of the stylistic features of the book, although it has been modernised.
Second! This was a book that was recommended to me. I thought I’d buy it simply for its value to my extensive collection. Beyond Good and Evil: A Prelude to the Future of Philosophy.
Now there’s a title you won’t forget.
This is a famous book which has become something of a classic amongst literary circles, not only because of its philosophical value but also its linguistic value. It contains within it some of the key features of late nineteenth century writing.
The third book is one that I’m not certain about. In fact, I don’t think I even know what it is about. It’s called the Nicomachean Ethics and it was produced by a successor of Aristole.
According to Wikipedia (the source of all goodly knowledge, I’ll have you know!), this book continues lectures from Aristotle about all sorts of matters and begins with the subject of happiness.
Of course, I’m yet to even touch the books, let alone read them.
I’m afraid someone will see me reading the book and start discussing it with me, only to disappoint them by suggesting that I hadn’t, in fact, a clue what the said person was talking about.
Regardless of all that, it just goes to show what is known as literary madness. In all honesty, I don’t think I’ll ever quite know what these books are about.
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i think Fortuna would like all of them.
but he may judge you on your favorite football team…
Socrates is a favorite of mine. I also like Aristotle. The future philosophy of good and evil sounds like an interesting read. By 2012 we should be able to move/cause everything to happen with our mind (pretty scary). This is kind of like how you got on Amazon’s website in the comfort of your home and POOF, the books appeared at your doorstep. Imagine what we can do next…
I’m glad you pointed out the literary qualities of Nietzche, he really is a beautiful writer. People always think will to power/god is dead/etc but there is so much more.
On an unrelated note, I always wondered when LOST was going to have a character named Fred Nietzche fight John Locke…
To Sailingaway,
I have often been an advocate of the progressive view, the idea that our minds can go beyond that which they seem to be limited to, at the present moment.
The simple statement that we only use ten percent of our brains does not reflect wholeheartedly the brilliance of the mind and the development of technology (consider some of the articles of neurology in New Scientist).
I am, of course, a large fan of the Greek authors, in particular Aristotle and Socrates. I also like Descartes, if only because of his radical view of philosophy.
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Dear Fortuna Koln,
The literacy of our departed hero is a key part of the fact his book Beyond Good and Evil became so well known. It is not simply the philosophies; it is the writing.
Sadly, I lost interest (a rather poor pun, I think) in LOST quite some time ago. Of course, if it became more philosophical, I think I might be interested.
Kind regards,
Ian