What to do Next?

I'm done with the read-through of Plato's Laws. Perhaps I should now read secondary literature on it, and try to turn that into a publication of some sort; but on the other hand, this doesn't seem like the right time in history for a genuinely academic work. The reason to read things like this is to try to find a way forward; in more peaceful times, it might be better to write for an academic audience.

Is there any philosophical text that you have always wanted to read, but never gotten around to reading? Especially if it might be relevant to the presently brewing troubles?

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10 comments:

  1. E Hines9:13 PM

    this doesn't seem like the right time in history for a genuinely academic work.

    I'm not sure there's any better time for a genuinely academic work than when it seems like it's the wrong time.

    Go for it.

    I'll let others talk about philosophical texts needing reading. I've never been much of a philosopher.

    Eric Hines

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  2. Mike Guenther9:50 PM

    I have or had Plato's Republic. I think I gave up half way through it.

    I did read The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran quite a few years ago. But I don't remember much about it. Perhaps I can dig it up and refresh my memory.

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  3. Tom10:01 AM

    My vote would be a discussion of how to read these sources. I've taken up various books in ancient Greek philosophy, and it has been an ALMOST uniformly frustrating affair. I'll add more to this later, after giving it some thought, and maybe offer a suggestion.

    Of course, that doesn't speak to the needs of the day even as much as an academic work would.

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  4. David Foster11:06 AM

    A couple of books which are fiction, but quite philosophical:

    --Antoine de St-Exupery's 'Citadelle' (English title is, unfortunately, 'Wisdom of the Sands')...the musings of a fictional desert ruler on life and government.

    --Walter Miller's 'A Canticle for Leibowitz', usually considered SF but really theological/philosophical fiction. Set in a monastery dedicated to the preservation of knowledge after nuclear war. A deep book.

    --Goethe's 'Faust'...I reviewed it, from the standpoint of its portrayal of *ambition*, here:

    https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/53716.html

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  5. Grim11:31 AM

    My vote would be a discussion of how to read these sources. I've taken up various books in ancient Greek philosophy, and it has been an ALMOST uniformly frustrating affair.

    That's interesting. Yes, tell me more about that.

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  6. Grim11:45 AM

    I have or had Plato's Republic. I think I gave up half way through it.

    Did you want to try to read it through? It's definitely a good source to read together with the Laws, which followed it and reverse a lot of the earlier ideas in the Republic.

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  7. Anonymous9:49 PM

    St Augustine, "City of God."

    Thanks for all your work!

    SH

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  8. Grim11:13 PM

    That’s an outstanding suggestion, but we’d have to settle on a redacted version. The Loews edition is seven volumes.

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  9. Grim11:13 PM

    *Loeb. My autocorrect favors corporate mentions, apparently.

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  10. Tom7:32 PM

    I'll write something up tomorrow, then, see if I can explain it clearly.

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