Anyone here read Suarez’s “Kill Decision?” The reviews seem to be all over the place.
I just finished an audiobook ( Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds - Sci-fi) and was looking for something good to start. Maybe I’ll give this a try. Looks interesting and it has 4/5 stars from 65 reviewers on Amazon for whatever thats worth.
I’m currently reading Rebecca Stotts, “Darwin’s Ghosts”. It’s a history of natrual selection from Aristotle to Darwin. I never knew that Decartes dedicated much to this subject until now. So far, a great read. Also downloaded Pinker’s “Blank Slate”.
I’m currently reading Rebecca Stotts, “Darwin’s Ghosts”. It’s a history of natrual selection from Aristotle to Darwin. I never knew that Decartes dedicated much to this subject until now. So far, a great read.
Yeah, I read it a few weeks back. I have no idea why Scott felt the need to include people like Leonardo da Vinci, for example, and never even mention Malthus (except for the chapter on Wallace). She also did a lousy job, IMO, describing the importance of Cuvier’s discoveries on extinction and catastrophism. I’ll give it a C+.
Yeah, I read it a few weeks back. I have no idea why Scott felt the need to include people like Leonardo da Vinci, for example, and never even mention Malthus (except for the chapter on Wallace). She also did a lousy job, IMO, describing the importance of Cuvier’s discoveries on extinction and catastrophism. I’ll give it a C+.
Pinker’s book, OTOH, gets an A from me!
I’m fascinated by the inclusion of so many Renaissance and Enlighetnment philosophers and naturalists but that being said, I find the book a bit tedious in the details. Haven’t gotten to Cuvier yet. I’ll still finish it though, then on to Pinker. He has an easy-to-read and absorb style that I like and so far haven’t been disapointed by any of his material. I finished his “Language Instinct” a while back. Excelllent material! He really has a problem with Chomsky’s work and if the example he included in his book is any indication of that, then I would be totally confused. I’ve read several of Chomsky’s books with political themes and they are coherent and to the point.
There is something else I noticed while reading the book. The author seems to have a grudge against the religious, which would make sense if you remember her experience while growing up surrounded by religious nuts. So Cuvier, a theist, who strongly objected to any notion of evolution is the bad guy and Wallace, the co-discoverer of natural selection is described as an atheist (or did she say he was an agnostic?, can’t remember now). The problem here is, that Wallace may have grown up as an atheist (I have no idea is that’s true) but later on turned to some bizarre belief in supernatural factors playing an important role in the evolution of human mind. Wallace, an atheist, is the good guy in Scott’s book, so his crackpot ideas are never mentioned.
Beware, as I think Scott may be on some new-atheist mission here.
No problem, George. So far I don’t detect any hidden message but I can be densely prejudiced and have to be careful not to be too subjective when reading books of this type. I’m anxious though to see how this ties into Darwin’s theories. Did you remember that she mentions “Zoonomia” in his catalogue? So far, that’s the only time it’s referenced but I’ll bolo for any others!
Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy by Christopher Hayes. Interesting read about the disconnect between the financial elite who govern and their disconnect with the governed (and similar power structures ‘outside’ politics). The ‘data’ is mostly culled from interviews conducted by the author. He mentions various psychological studies which he claims support a point he’s making, but he doesn’t reference them in his notes/bibliography. Seems like a no-brainer to include where he got his info. <shrug>
Regardless, it’s given me some more to think about.
I borrowed Kill Decision from the library, so it’s on ‘my list’.
Okay, something else moved to the head of the list. Just started The Predator State: How Conservatives Abandoned The Free Market And Why Liberals Should Too by James K. Galbraith.
I’m also reading (well not simultaneously ) On Basilisk Station by David Weber.
I’ve recently read a bunch of cyberpunk novels, and the one that just blew my mind was “Ready Player One,” by Ernest Cline. I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun reading a book. It’s going in my “Top Ten.”
The two cyberpunk books I haven’t yet read, and I guess I should read, are Gibson’s “Neuromancer” and Stephenson’s “Snow Crash.” I tried reading “Snow Crash,” but it’s so disgustingly designed and typeset, that I just couldn’t do it. I’ll have to look for the hard cover; hopefully, it won’t be as bad.
And Suarez’s “Kill Decision” was okay (C+), but I don’t recommend it. Not sure what happened to him: his previous “Daemon,” and its sequel “Freedom™” were just wonderful.
I’ve recently read a bunch of cyberpunk novels, and the one that just blew my mind was “Ready Player One,” by Ernest Cline. I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun reading a book. It’s going in my “Top Ten.”
The two cyberpunk books I haven’t yet read, and I guess I should read, are Gibson’s “Neuromancer” and Stephenson’s “Snow Crash.” I tried reading “Snow Crash,” but it’s so disgustingly designed and typeset, that I just couldn’t do it. I’ll have to look for the hard cover; hopefully, it won’t be as bad.
It’s been so long since I read Neuromancer I’ll have to read it again soon. I really enjoyed Snow Crash. La Cosa Nostra pizza…
While not cyberpunk you might like the one I mentioned a while back The Windup Girl. I also recommend Little Heroes by Norman Spinrad. Trivia: He wrote the Star Trek (original) episode the Doomsday Machine.
