Mark R. Kelly
» Founder in 1997 and site-runner for 20 years of Locus Online (Hugo Award winner in 2002). Founder in 2012 and still site-runner of sfadb.com (Science Fiction Awards Database). Retired in 2012 after 30 years as a software engineer for a certain rocket engine factory.
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Meta
Category Archives: Book Notes
Will Durant, THE GREATEST MINDS AND IDEAS OF ALL TIME
I’ve read three short books about philosophy recently; this is the second. Each is quite different from the others. If the first book (review here) was an overview focusing on the big questions that philosophy asks – What should we … Continue reading
Posted in Book Notes, History, Philosophy
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Edward Craig: PHILOSOPHY: A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION
Proceeding with my foray into philosophy a bit discursively — not yet one of the big histories — I begin with the ‘very short introduction’ I displayed in my initial philosophy post back on 12 January. This is a volume … Continue reading
Posted in Book Notes, Philosophy, Science
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Adam Frank, THE LITTLE BOOK OF ALIENS
Here’s what looked like a fun, occasional book: a popular summary of a popular topic that’s well-known among followers of science and of science fiction. I bought it to glance through, not necessarily read through. But then I heard the … Continue reading
Posted in Astronomy, Book Notes, Science
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Einstein’s Rules; Arranging Books; Who Owns the Moon
Today let’s do three substantial topics, and push items about politics and religion to the end. To the fringe. Einstein’s 7 rules for a better life; A peculiar Guardian article about arranging “curated” books; Adam Lee on religious taboos and … Continue reading
Posted in Book Notes, Philosophy, Religion
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Last Questions and Possible Answers, 4
This is my fourth and likely last post, following this one in March and this one in June, and this one eight days ago, in which I consider the John Brockman book The Last Unknowns, in which he gathers deep … Continue reading
Posted in Book Notes, Culture, Human Progress, Philosophy, Religion, Science, science fiction
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Last Questions and Possible Answers, 3
This is my third post, following this one in March and this one in June, in which I consider the John Brockman book The Last Unknowns, in which he gathers deep unanswered questions about “the universe, the mind, the future … Continue reading
Posted in Book Notes, Culture, Evolution, Human Progress, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Religion, Science
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The Deep State, or, Jonathan Rauch, THE CONSTITUTION OF KNOWLEDGE, part 3
I’ve said the last two posts that I would quote the passages of Rauch’s book in which he describes what he considers to be the components of the “reality-based community.” And how it struck me that some of these components … Continue reading
Posted in Book Notes, conservatives, Epistemology
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Jonathan Rauch, THE CONSTITUTION OF KNOWLEDGE, part 2
Yesterday I gave a general overview of this book, and made a few specific comments. Today I’m going to read through my notes again, and highlight some more specific comments, and maybe quotes. Like this summary, at the end. The … Continue reading
Posted in Book Notes, conservatives, Epistemology
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Jonathan Rauch, THE CONSTITUTION OF KNOWLEDGE, part 1
Subtitled: “A Defense of Truth”. Brookings, 2021. 266pp of text, plus notes and index, total 305pp. This is one of two books I’ve read recently, following the Lee McIntyre book that I posted about two days ago, that dovetail in … Continue reading
Posted in Book Notes, conservatives, Epistemology
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Lee McIntyre, ON DISINFORMATION
Subtitled: “How to Fight For Truth and Protect Democracy.” The MIT Press, 2023. I’m behind on writing up my recent reading here on this blog, so let me resume with this very short little book, small in size and just … Continue reading
Posted in Book Notes, Epistemology, Politics, Psychology
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