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Post by KoNeko on Jan 12, 2006 20:21:24 GMT -5
That book is HUGE Ko. It costs over a LM100. Yeah, I was lucky because I found it on sale in Toronto, and it's only a paperback version so it wasn't THAT expensive, like about $20 or something (compare that with the latest Lemony Snicket book which was about $11 in Canada or something, so it wasn't that bad).
Anyway, I had to stop reading that because school has started and my current reading is a total of about 500 pages per week between the following:
E.J. Lemmon, Beginning Logic (I read this a few years ago but I'm sitting in on an undergrad logic class to just reacquaint myself with some of this stuff) John Rawls, A Theory of Justice Karl Marx, Selected Readings (some anthology), Race, Class and Gender issues in the United States (which I really need to read because I'm TA-ing this class, hahaha.) Plato Euthyphro and Crito, otherwise known as 2/3 of the Trial and Death of Socrates
Argh!!
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Post by Me on Jan 15, 2006 19:06:09 GMT -5
Well I'm not sure exactly how I feel about Choke. It's different, that's for sure. I should be finished reading soon, although I might put it off and actually read for class.
Wow, that's a lot of reading Ko. I'm glad I'm not you..... .
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Post by Fluffy on Jan 22, 2006 10:48:39 GMT -5
So I read Eragon and Eldest, and I have to say... bleah. I ended up feeling kind of sorry for Paolini, because with these for first books, he's either doomed to write sequels to his own stuff or doomed to become an established-series writer (like DragonLance or RuneSword or something). My brother Liam summed it up quite succinctly: "It's fan fiction." I was so disappointed at every turn by how much Pern, Middle Earth and other truly original magic worlds kept turning up - and then Paolini had to go and underscore all his copycatting by giving characters "tribute" names like "Elessara."
On the other hand... Ender's Shadow is pretty good stuff. I'm working on Shadow of the Hegemon now, and I'm not sure if I like where it's going, but the first book in this new Bean trilogy provides some really interesting insights into Ender's Game while telling a story of its own. So yay to that.
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Post by Nie on Jan 22, 2006 11:42:28 GMT -5
Ha! You've just reminded me that I have to read Ender's Game because it's been recommended to me by several people now.
I had heard some negative things about Eragon and Eldest, so I kind of avoided them. Instead I've been catching up on Discworld novels that I haven't yet read. I love Men At Arms. I'm going to get Going Postal next I thnk, because it's finally in paperback here. I really, really want THUD! to hurry up and come out on paperback because I love the Nightwatch characters, especially Vimes. ;D
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Post by hermoine on Jan 29, 2006 8:15:59 GMT -5
So I read Eragon and Eldest, and I have to say... bleah. I ended up feeling kind of sorry for Paolini, because with these for first books, he's either doomed to write sequels to his own stuff or doomed to become an established-series writer (like DragonLance or RuneSword or something). My brother Liam summed it up quite succinctly: "It's fan fiction." I was so disappointed at every turn by how much Pern, Middle Earth and other truly original magic worlds kept turning up - and then Paolini had to go and underscore all his copycatting by giving characters "tribute" names like "Elessara."
I'll take that a tip to not buy them then. I mean, I enjoy reading fanfiction, seeing how I write fanfiction myself. But I like it in the context of fanfiction, and not seemingly delved into what should appear to be an original novel.
Write now I'm reading 21 Short Stories by Graham Greene for English, apart from a whole load of documents, articles and whatnot on the Bosman Ruling, the Free Movement of Workers and Football.
Edit:
I just saw your post again Ko and went "OHMEEGEE!!" lol I read The Euthyphro just last week because I had to do a summary of it for Philosophy. He gave us that one, Crito, another one which I can't remember it's name right now, and the Apology to work on in groups and I got the Euthyphro. I've already done the Apology for another class.
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Post by KoNeko on Feb 11, 2006 10:38:49 GMT -5
Hey Hermy, isn't it awesome? In my class we were looking at practical ethical problems inthe Euthyphro (which for me seemed to be more of a problem of metaethics and the distinction between ethical theory and practice) and the Crito (which seemed to be a straightforward problem in practical ethics but you had to appeal to moral principles to justify your actions). The Apology was awesome too, but I can't really tell if Socrates was being sarcastic in the last been when he was nominating a penalty or not. Are you going to read the Meno and Phaedo as well? I think the Phaedo is my favourite one, because it deals with the rationality of fearing death and identity and forms and stuff that I like slightly more than just ethics. Also because it's written like a really good story.
At the moment I'm reading Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State and Utopia for my social philosophy class. This minimalist state business confuses me. I don't know why there should be one because I'm not convinced by the first couple of chapters of Nozick's claim, but then again he is writing in response to Rawls who I also don't agree with.
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Post by hermoine on Feb 11, 2006 11:00:45 GMT -5
*is swamped by philosophy terms* To be honest with you, all I understood about the Euthyphro is that you can't really give a definite explanation of what's good and evil, right and wrong etc, because not even the Gods were able to do so. Since I'm not studying it at Advanced Level, we don't go that much into detail; it's just the basics. Like, I haven't quite understood what we're doing exactly in ethics. All we do is discuss certain topics and everything always seems to be related to Kant's views and Utilitarianism.
Regarding the Apology, you mean the part where he says they should set him free rather than killing him? After his sentence has been given? We read it in Maltese because it would be easier to understand, but I need to read it in English now, because of quotes to use during my exams.
Hmm....he might have mentioned them though I'm not sure. But I don't think we'll be doing much more stuff. Because in the next 3 weeks the other presentations(regarding the Crito etc) will take place, and then there'll only be like 2 months left of school with 1 lesson of History of Philosophy per week. Time really flies!
Right now I'm reading a Maltese book because I had abandoned Maltese literature completely. Shame on me!
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Post by KoNeko on Feb 11, 2006 11:12:19 GMT -5
Oh ok Hermy... well, yeah the main point in the Euthyphro is really the what is good/bad and is it good because the gods love it or do the gods love it because it is good issue (sounds like the chicken and the egg argument to me!). But then there's the whole scenario about how that comes about - should Euthyphro go to court and prosecute his father for murder? And even after the whole discussion with Socrates, he's still going to go and prosecute his father!! So in a wider sense that sort of shows that you have to relate the ethical theories (which is the discussion about good/bad) to the practical applications of those theories (euthyphro prosecuting his father). The two are somehow connected and you have to look at them that way. But we spent about 3 weeks doing Trial and Death of Socrates so that might be more in depth than what you did.
As for the Apology, I meant the part where Socrates said that he should be given a big dinner festival thingy like the Olympians - so instead of being punished, they should go and reward him with a feast.
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Post by louchocolate on Feb 27, 2006 15:04:48 GMT -5
hello I am reading the harry potter books of course and lots more, at home I have 100 books
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Post by Me on Mar 18, 2006 3:46:36 GMT -5
I've been in a reading rut for the longest time. (Well not the longest time, but it seems like it's been forever)
I just finished reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven on Wednesday. I am currently now trying to figure out who I would meet. Thinking about "life" after death is such a cheery topic.
Ha... I'm re-reading Pride and Prejudice after having watched the movie a million times since it came out on DVD. My friends are obsessed. It actually scares me.
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Post by hermoine on Mar 18, 2006 4:32:36 GMT -5
I'm finally back in civilisation. I got really sick of my Maltese book after having spent more than a month reading something which is just a bit over 200 pages long.
So now I'm reading Magyk by Angie Sage. It's quite good, although I'm getting a bit annoyed with the repetition of words. Like referring to a person with his/her name in nearly each sentence, even when the sentences are after each other. I hate repetition of words...
However I must admit that I've been dropping out of reading lately. Perhaps the fact that I've been doing so much reading for other stuff like European situations and EU stuff actually diminishes the "pleasure". But I admit it's sad because I remember having time to do whatever I want and I'd say "I'll read something! I want to see what's going to happen in the book." I miss that.
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Post by KoNeko on Mar 18, 2006 21:55:06 GMT -5
I just finished reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven on Wednesday. I am currently now trying to figure out who I would meet. Thinking about "life" after death is such a cheery topic. Hey Sands, what did you think of the book? I've heard a bit about it but I haven't read it...
I'm reading Marx's Selected Writings at the moment. You know, Das Kapital, The Communist Manifesto and the 1844 Papers amongst others. I really hate his writing style. He's so wordy and in Kapital he spends about 5 paragraphs talking about how you can turn a block of wood into a table (there's a point to this because he's talking about commodities, but still).
I miss reading for fun.
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Post by Me on Apr 9, 2006 15:21:19 GMT -5
I really enjoyed reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven. It's a straightforward read which I appreciated. The author emphasized that idea that we're all interconnected whether we know it or not which I found to make sense. And I liked the idea of heaven not being a perfect place, but more of a setting in which you reflect on your past life and try to make sense of it.
Currently I'm almost done with The Age of Innocence.
Last week I read the prequel to The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons. My friend asked me which one I enjoyed more but I haven't really come up with an answer.
What great luck I have. As soon as I'm done posting I have to start reading Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding.
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Post by nancy on Apr 10, 2006 19:53:28 GMT -5
Da Vinci Code isn't very good. I don't like it, at least.
I'm currently reading Anne Rice's Interview, and I've almost finished, but I forgot it at school and won't be able to read until next Monday or so... It's awesome, I really have liked it. I bought it when I turned 17 and my friend was like... "it's very grossly descriptive" and I'm easily grossed out so I left it for more than a year later... I'm sorry I did... it's not gross, and it's awesome. And because of my friend's insistence, I checked out Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, which I've only just begun and don't have an opinion on yet.
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Post by KoNeko on Apr 11, 2006 19:30:35 GMT -5
Ahhh Sands, tell me what you think about Locke. I have a whole bunch of objections to his theory. (And I'm sure if Hart got wind of this, he'd be in on it too.)
Yeah, I didn't really like Da Vinci Code either. Too snowbally at the end, but I won't say anything since you haven't read it yet.
Currently I'm reading a whole bunch of books about legal ethics in an adversary system and the pursuit of social justice and whether it's ok to lie in some situations. Not that I'm saying lawyers are all liars, but I'm doing a paper on practical ethics.
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