Boundaries of economics: Small is Beautiful

Small is Beautiful

by E.F. Schumacher

A classic economics book published in 1973, Small is Beautiful has only become more relevant as globalization and pursuit of economic growth continues. His main point is that our current economy is unsustainable and he is particularly harsh on the field of economics. He brings about a great point regarding the capabilities and restriction of economic theory. 

If he remains unaware of the fact that there are boundaries to the applicability of the economic calculus, he is likely to fall into a similar kind of error to that of certain medieval theologians who tried to settle questions of physics by means of biblical quotations. Every science is beneficial within its proper limits but becomes evil and destructive as soon as it transgresses them.

Western Responsibility: The Chomsky Reader

The Chomsky Reader

by Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky has long been one of my favorite 'radical' minds and one of the reasons I like him so much is his relentless pursuit of the truth and his view that intellectuals have a responsibility. This responsibility extends beyond the intellectual elite, rather it encompasses entire advanced societies. 

In the Western world at least, they have the power that comes from political liberty, from access to information and freedom of expression. For a privileged minority, Western democracy provides the leisure, the facilities, and the training to seek the truth lying hidden behind the veil of distortion and misrepresentation, ideology, and class interest through which the events of current history are presented to us. The responsibilities of intellectuals, then, are much deeper than what Macdonald calls the “responsibility of peoples,” given the unique privileges that intellectuals enjoy.

Waking and Dreaming Worlds: Fragments

Fragments
by Heraclitus

One of my favorites quotes from an old Greek philosopher...I think it's time we all wake up!

“The waking have one world in common; sleepers have each a private world of his own.”

Working within the system: Rules for Radicals

Rules for Radicals
by Saul Alinksy

Rules for Radicals was written in the early 1970's as a guide for newly inspired "radicals" in America. The emphasis on the book was providing insight and advice on organizing and empowering community groups to fight for change. While the book focuses on low income groups in America, some of the messages are both universal and timeless. I particularly enjoy two passages where he speaks about "fighting within the system". As someone who feels that much needs to be changed in the world, I often flip-flop between wanting a full scale revolution in which we burn down Wall Street and the White House, and a more pragmatic and realistic approach where I write my senator and march in protest.

As an organizer I start from where the world is, as it is, not as I would like it to be. That we accept the world as it is does not in any sense weaken our desire to change it into what we believe it should be — it is necessary to begin where the world is if we are going to change it to what we think it should be. That means working in the system.

Effective organization is thwarted by the desire for instant and dramatic change, or as I have phrased it elsewhere the demand for revelation rather than revolution.

Church Banning Music: This is Your Brain On Music

This Is Your Brain on Music
Author: Daniel Levitin

This Is Your Brain On Music looks at the psychology of music. The book talks a lot about our relationship between music, our brain, and the social constructs that influence our interpretation. An interesting passage points to the absurdity of medieval church and the power of music on emotion.

The Catholic Church banned music that contained polyphony (more than one musical part playing at a time), fearing that it would cause people to doubt the unity of God. The church also banned the musical interval of an augmented fourth, the distance between C and F-sharp and also known as a tritone (the interval in Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story when Tony sings the name “Maria”). This interval was considered so dissonant that it must have been the work of Lucifer, and so the church named it Diabolus in musica. It was pitch that had the medieval church in an uproar.

Science and spirit: Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers

Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
Author: Robert Sapolsky

Though I do not fall in the religious camps, I can understand the complexities between modern day science and spiritual beliefs. This extends not only to religion, but also to arts, nature and other things that we feel an "intangible" and "higher" process or feeling.

I love science, and it pains me to think that so many are terrified of the subject or feel that choosing science means you cannot also choose compassion, or the arts, or be awed by nature. Science is not meant to cure us of mystery, but to reinvent and reinvigorate it. 

Joy of understanding, not facts: What Einstein Told His Barber

What Einstein Told His Barber
Author: Robert Wolke

Although What Einstein Told His Barber is full of fun facts and interesting science, one of the most interesting passages is found in the beginning of the book. The passage helps explain the format of the book and perhaps warns the reader that the content isn't merely a list of facts, rather it is full of detailed explanations.

This is not a book of facts. You will not find answers here to questions such as “Who discovered …?” “What is the biggest …?” “How many …are there?” or “What is a …?” Those aren't the kinds of things that real people wonder about. Collections of answers to such contrived questions may help you win a trivia contest, but they are not satisfying; they don't contribute to the joy of understanding. The joy and the fun come not from mere statements of fact but from explanations— explanations in plain, everyday language that make you say, “Wow! Is that all there is to it?”