What Are You Currently Reading? 2015

[Backwards Observer]

Why I Am Not A Christian by Bertrand Russell


The Chinese Looking Glass by Dennis Bloodworth

[mirhond]

Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, by Michel Foucault.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discipline_and_Punish

Wiki article lay stress on penal system, but Foucault's main idea is that discipline mechanisms shaped the entire European society.

[Backwards Observer]

The History of Hell by Alice K. Turner


A History of God: The 4000 Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Karen Armstrong

[omarali50]

Karen Armstrong gets worse every year, but "a history of God" was not too bad.
Finally read Andrew Roberts "Napoleon". Well worth a read. My (off the cuff) review here:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/sho...w_action=false

[Backwards Observer]

Karen Armstrong gets worse every year

Please explain. I certainly wouldn't want to be mislead by someone with some kinda tenuously cobbled together narrative or self-serving crackpot agenda or whatever

[omarali50]

I read "History of God" around 2001 or so and it seemed an interesting book then, though I really cannot remember any salient point by now (not an unusual thing with me and books). But since then I have read her articles and interviews (and once heard her speak) and I find her extremely naive and prejudiced (not in the Right wing sense, but prejudiced by her postMarxist/postmodern political views). She has decided that it is her mission to correct what she regards as an Islamophobic Western academic tradition and/or that she will massage all the expectations of her Eurocentric liberal audience. She then cherry picks verses, events and interpretations to fit that worldview. It is not a vicious worldview, but as a guide to policy or understanding it is severely lacking.
I don't know anything about the author of the following piece and if she is somehow guilty of other thoughtcrimes, please do not hold it against me , but on Karen Armstrong she is spot on..
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/...ill_maher.html

[Backwards Observer]

I read "History of God" around 2001 or so and it seemed an interesting book then, though I really cannot remember any salient point by now (not an unusual thing with me and books)

So true about reading! I barely remember anything about any books I read, I think that makes me more informed. I'm about halfway though "History of God" and all I can recall so far is El Shaddai and a whole bunch of what seems like gang warfare As far as thoughtcrimes, "Your attitude is noticed", as they say