Current job i have basically gives me hours and hours of the ability to listen to audio, so for the past while I've mostly just listened to podcasts; often about philosophy, politics, science, culture, etc. and sometimes good ol joe rogan. At some point I subscribed to a service called wondrium that has like more lecture-based programs to listen to, which I've been a big fan of. But, I wanted to get around to grabbing audiobooks and last month I stopped being lazy and picked up a subscription to audible. So, I'm gonna use this blog to talk about the books/lectures I listen to or read, and maybe a podcast If I found it particularly interesting.

I'm hoping to at least listen to one audiobook every two weeks and to read an actual book at least once a month (big goal). I don't really have any goals for the lecture series, or the podcasts I listen to, so I'll update those as I go along.

How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life
by Massimo Pigliucci



I actually listened to this author's lecture series featured in Wondrium, 'think like a stoic'. I feel like I have disposition towards stoicism and its ideas of ethics/virtue; so I assumed if I liked the lecture series he did, I'd enjoy the book, and I was correct! The book focused on the author's interpretation of Epictetus' stoicism. I went in knowing a lot about the philosophy already, but I think it did a great job at going into depth on different subjects of which the stoics consider important: the dichotomy of control, character virtue, role models etc. I would certainly recommend the book to someone looking to learn about stoicism.

This post was edited by Jupe on Apr 13 2023 04:54am

The Case Against the Sexual Revolution
by Louise Perry



Heard the author on a podcast I listened to, and it sounded interesting enough so I checked out the book. I appreciated the secular take on the subject, rather then the old boring religious arguments everyone has already heard a million times. There are some points the author brought up which I've always kind of took issue with: victim blaming; male violence; hookup culture being degenerate, etc. and the general responses towards these subjects being rather lacking from mainstream perspectives. Some subjects brought up were a bit strange, and her take on them odd, but I could understand the reasoning in pointing out out. For example, there was a chapter based solely around 'consent' and how that alone isn't enough in modern society. Overall I enjoyed the thoughtful critique and it definitely gave me the big think, I would recommend it to anyone who's interested in that the fact we're living in a society.

This post was edited by Jupe on Apr 13 2023 06:45am

A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
William B. Irvine



The first stoic book I read, by Massimo Pigliucci, also recommended this book and I have to say this one was fantastic. It provided a very enjoyable brief history of the four great roman stoics: Epictetus, Seneca, Rufus, and Marcus Aurelius. The rest of the book is a very modernized version of practical stoic advice. I listened to it almost nonstop because of how engaging and enjoyable it was.

The stoic techniques and my thoughts on them:

Negative visualization - Instead of thinking that if obtained some new thing it would make us happy we should be more appreciative of what we already possess, and how we would feel if we lost it.

Dichotomy of control - Understanding what's in a person's control, and what isn't. If we don't possess control over an event, for what use is there in worrying about it? As I've heard it described once: we can love someone, but we can't make them love us back; we can strive to be a kind of person who would be loved. This applies to a great many deal of events in life.

Fatalism - The past cannot be changed; but we can learn from it. If-only statements are not useful. We should strive to create a better future with what we have learned.

Self-denial - There is pleasure in denial of pleasure, temperance is important. I actually enjoy fasting quite a lot, despite people viewing it as schizo.

Meditation - This is moreso self-examining; reviewing ourselves and how we do each day.

The book also goes on to give plenty of stoic advice on life, anger, grief, etc. I will certainly listen to the audiobook again, or perhaps pick up a copy to read.

The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem: The Definitive Work on Self-Esteem
by Nathaniel Branden



I actually bought and read this book maybe a year and a half ago; it was good enough that I decided to re-read it again a month ago.

The six pillars:
I: The Practice of Living Consciously
II: The Practice of Self Acceptance
III: The Practice of Self Responsibility
IV: The Practice of Self Assertiveness
V: The Practice of Living Purposefully
VI: The Practice of Personal Integrity

I think each part is rather self-explanatory, but the book really delivers insight into each aspect; describing how it functions, its importance, and how lacking self-esteem, or one of its components, can be truly detrimental to not only self-esteem itself but the ability to live an enjoyable life. I always recommend the book to people who have any interest in reading (at least this kind of subject). It most certainly had a lasting impact on my life.

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure
by Greg Lukianoff, Jonathan Haidt



I've heard the book referenced quite a lot so I figured I'd check it out. Was entertaining, I vaguely remember a lot of the events going on back in the day. Don't really have too much to say about it though, other than rip to the authors thinking things would improve, heh.

This post was edited by Jupe on May 3 2023 10:30am

Trans: Gender Identity and the New Battle for Women's Rights
by Helen Joyce



I listened to the author be a guest on a podcast awhile ago, and the points she made were very critical of the trans movement and it really got me thinking. After reading the book, I do find myself agreeing with the author, and the criticisms I've seen levied at her seem to fall flat now; though some of them are very spicy. A really good part of the book focused around the very early trans issues that broke into mainstream media; the author really nailed down the narrative that the media played during the crisis. I certainly recall the bathroom issue being bizarre to me - as if who cares who uses what bathroom - though it carried some serious implications to which we are seeing today. I am very curious as to where the issues are going to land in the political landscape now that it's truly become a mainstream issue. The one big take away I have from this book: gender self-identification definitely comes off as bananas.

This post was edited by Jupe on May 24 2023 04:58am

Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions
by Richard Erdoes, John (Fire) Lame Deer



I listened to a lecture series that featured Lame Deer, and it inspired me to read more about his philosophy. It turned out it was a book my dad already owned, so I read the paperback. The book was very fun; I assumed it was mostly going to be about Sioux philosophy and tradition, but it was a mixture of storytelling, philosophy, memoir and traditional rituals and values. Unsurprisingly, Lame Deer was a critic of modernity and I jotted down a few quotes that I really enjoyed.













This post was edited by Jupe on May 24 2023 05:28am

The Death of Ivan Ilyich
Leo Tolstoy



I actually listened to a brief lecture based on this book awhile back and it was a bit shocking overall, so I wanted to pick up a copy to read; it is rather short. I find the story to be a critique on modernity and its soullessness. The first chapter of the book follows Ivan Ilyich's friends and records their near blatant disregard for his death, instead they emphasize what it means for themselves, such as promotions in the workplace. His friend, Peter, attends the viewing out of 'obligation' - a point I have heard in many critiques of modernity, where individuals simply obey norms, doing 'what one does.' Peter considers the whole ordeal inconvenient; having to drive out of his way to the viewing, having to deal with the depressing nature of the situation, having to deal with the grieving family. For a moment Peter considers the fact that he, himself, could have been in Ivan Ilyich's position, and immediately dismisses that thought as its too depressing to think about. This particularly I feel is ever present in modernity, where people seem repulsed to even think about death. Later, Ivan Ilyich's wife bemoans how much "I" have suffered, she herself, with having to deal with her husband's slow demise.
After the first chapter, the story focuses on Ivan Ilyich's life, opening with the quote:



The rest of the book follows Ivan Ilych's life until his demise. The money he makes is never quite enough; he focuses his life on securing higher and higher positions in his profession; he marries because he assumes that what people think he should do; he buys a big house that people of his class should; he decorates it according to how he thinks the high-class would.
Near the end of the story as Ivan Ilych nears his demise, suffering terribly, he begins to evaluate his life and comes to this conclusion:



I'll be thinking about this story for a long time, and I highly recommend it.

This post was edited by Jupe on Jun 7 2023 05:38am

Material Girls: Why Reality Matters for Feminism
by Kathleen Stock



Got this as an audiobook and I have to say it was a solid listen, and I really enjoyed it. Not a single part of the book was boring and it really dissected the issues that are ever-present in any conversation about gender, sex, and trans issues. From arguing that sex is binary; why sex is important; what exactly gender identity is; each chapter was juicy. I would strongly recommend someone who is interested about all this drama to pick up the book, you would not be disappointed.

Some points I find myself agreeing with in the book:
Sex is real; a person is male or female and you cannot truly change your sex so that you are the opposite sex. Any acknowledgement to changing one's sex is a legal fiction.
A woman is an adult human female, a man is an adult human male, and one's gender self-identity should not overwrite this.

Some different ideas of gender discussed in the book:

1)
Gender is innate in a human being - akin to the soul. This idea of gender asserts that it is impossible to know of one's gender, unless asked. A good quote from the book: Some people will refer to this idea of gender when they speak of "being born in the wrong body." Affirmation of the individual is the solution if this is the case.
Kathleen Stock refers this idea as being SRO model

2)
The idea that a person who has a misaligned gender identity needs to be treated. They are suffering from gender dysphoria as a result of sex-based characteristics that they either want, or don't want. Treatment would be assisting the individual in acquiring the traits they want, often by hormonal therapy and surgery.
Kathleen Stock refers this as Medical model

3)
Gender is strictly a performance, something that is not innate. As a de-transitioner is quoted in the book,

I've listened to some lectures on feminism that have touched on this idea, especially Judith Butler's work.
Kathleen Stock refers this as Queer Theory model

When I've seen people talk about gender it seems like people often mishmash different aspects of different theories. There is certainly no monolith of thought in regard to gender. And people seem to suggest that gender being a 'social construct' essentially means any discussion of it is irrelevant. One trans pal of mine does consider themselves to have a medical condition that does need to be treated and they find it aggravating that people want to normalize being trans.

Another thing I want to mention is that there's always going to be a group that emphasizes 'proper' requirements to be part of the group, but on this topic there is a huge amount of people thinking different things. It is rather spicy when you have a trans person say something that contradicts the larger group's ideals, and in response that trans person becomes labelled transphobic. When I listened to the Witch Hunt JK rowling podcast series, one chapter interviewed a popular trans youtuber in which they mentioned they were bombarded with threats of violence for disagreeing with a major position of what one may call the 'trans activist' group.

This post was edited by Jupe on Jun 8 2023 06:19am