Books and Ideas (18)

I read for ideas. Here are some of the ideas I have found in books.

The Great Crash: 1929. John Kenneth Galbraith.
Why read it? To understand the stock market crash of 1929 and, by extension, to understand how the Housing Bubble of the 2000s destroyed the U.S. financial industry. Speculation was the cause of the Stock Market Crash of 1929, buying stocks with a percentage of the cost, the stocks becoming then collateral for the rest of the purchase price. When the full price was called for they buyer did not have the money. However, the stock market crash contributed to in uncertain ways, but did not cause, the Depression—failure of the economy and unemployment were the cause of the Depression. The economy crashed along with the stock market, but the crash of the stock market did not necessarily cause the failure of the economy and the resulting Depression.

The Story of Philosophy. Will Durant.
Why read it? The purpose of this book is to make intelligible to the common person the ideas of philosophy. The author on the importance of philosophy: “Human knowledge had become too great for the human mind. ‘Facts’ replaced understanding; and knowledge, split into a thousand isolated fragments, no longer generated wisdom. Every science and every branch of philosophy developed a technical terminology intelligible only to its exclusive devotees; as men learned more about the world, they found themselves ever less capable of expressing to their educated fellow men what it was they had learned.” Therefore, Durant saw himself as a professional teacher whose role was to mediate between the specialist and the nation. Durant defined science as analysis and philosophy as synthesis: “Science is analytical description, philosophy is synthetic interpretation. For a fact…is not complete except in relation to a purpose and a whole. Science gives us knowledge, but only philosophy can give us wisdom.”

Strictly Speaking; Will America Be the Death of English? Edwin Newman.
Why read it? If you love a good “rant,” this book is one of the better ones on a topic that everyone loves to rant on—the American language. From the cover: “Newman’s wry eye focuses on the sorry state of the English language as a reflection of the sorry state of society. If words are devalued, he argues, so are ideas and so are human beings. He rejoices in language that is lucid, graceful, direct, civilized. He urges us to be careful about what we say and how we say it. ‘Most of us will never speak succinctly or concretely; we may, however, aspire to; for direct and precise language, if people could be persuaded to try it, would make conversation more interesting, which is no small thing; it would help to substitute facts for bluster, also no small thing; and it would promote the practice of organized thought and even of occasional silence, which would be an immeasurable blessing.’ ”

Tanglewood Tales for Girls and Boys: Being a Second Wonder Book. Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Why read it? Sit back, settle in, it’s time for a story. Hawthorne tells stories to children about the ancient classical myths. “The Minotaur” (Theseus, Ariadne and the maze); Hercules and “the pygmies” who seek revenge for their friend, the giant Antaeus at the hands of Hercules; “The Dragon’s Teeth” (the kidnapping of Europa by the bull, a disguised god, and the search for her by Cadmus); “Circe’s Palace” (Circe and Ulysses); “The Pomegranate-Seeds” (Pluto and Proserpino); Jason, Medea and “The Golden Fleece.”

The Uncommon Wisdom of JFK. Eds. Bill Adler and Tom Folsom.
Why read it? John Kennedy thought deeply about government and life. He fully appreciated that America was a model for free societies. If America failed, society based on freedom would also fail. He appreciated the transience of life and was fully conscious that the effects of a world War III could obliterate the earth. They were the times in which he lived and governed and wrote and spoke.