Book request to the dwellers Politics & Society

[myrkul]

But once you're comfortable that you can think for yourself, you're going to need some ideas, opinions, and specific knowledge to think about, thus my recommendations. As I hope you're aware, thought does not exist in a vacuum - one needs material to cogitate upon. It would be an awful shame to assume that the knowledge, musings and ideas presented within the texts I presented are redundant to any knowledge you already have.

You took the step towards the middle that I needed to see. You're right, which is why in the other thread, I suggested several conflicting authors.

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[TheGer]

The Creature from Jekyl Island

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._Edward_Griffin

[V4Vendettas]

1984 just starting chapter VII.

This book is creeping me out big time and I dont know if it's because of what is or what could be.....

[grantbdev]

I like several of the books already suggested to you. I'll add:

Homage to Catalonia - George Orwell
Anthem - Ayn Rand
Agrarian Justice - Thomas Paine
The Road to Serfdom - Friedrich A. Hayek
Freakonomics - Steven D. Levitt
Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar - James Marcus Bach

Most of these books are relevant to understanding Politics and Society or help you think outside of the box.

[V4Vendettas]

Thx grantbdev  will add them to my list when we get a few more.

Finished 1984 and now feeling numb. The most unsettling book I have ever picked up.

Brave new world is next but I'm not sure I can handle another totalitarian setting just yet.

Suggestions ?

[GideonGono]

I would suggest How an Economy grows and why it Crashes by Peter D Schiff

As for Animal Farm, there is a nice animated movie version (free, search youtube) if you're too lazy to read the whole book like me

[cryptobard]

I cannot believe that The Road to Serfdom is not recommended with fervor on these boards. If you participate in the debate between capitalism and socialism, on either side, it's practically mandatory reading. At the least, it inspires individualism and raises important questions as to the reality of socialism. Whether it dismantles socialism is up to you to decide.

[FirstAscent]

Political ideals are like a hammer without any building materials. Mostly useless. Furthermore, is your focus on building houses or blacksmithing? One would require a framing hammer, the other a ball peen hammer. Choose your vocation, then acquire the building materials, then your hammer.

Books on political ideals are like hammers as well, and the knowledge upon which to apply them are the building materials. Choose your calling, then acquire the knowledge, and then select the political ideal which furthers that calling.

Thus, recommending books whose main focus is a political ideology is like recommending a hammer in the vacuum of any knowledge about the real world. Far more constructive (the metaphorical use of the word 'constructive' works well here) is to recommend or request books on real world issues that the world faces.

There is a definite imbalance here related to the book recommendations.

To further the analogy, I suspect that many libertarians here like to call themselves libertarians the way another likes to wear a costume. You too can buy a tool belt and fit a framing hammer into its loop and walk around feeling like a can do handyman. So go arm yourself with the latest book on libertarian thought, and walk about spouting the latest libertarian values - the ultimate rebel without a cause.

Of course, we all know what the term rebel without a cause means - it means you've got a political ideology, but no cause. Like I was saying, find a cause first.

[cryptobard]

Very thought provoking post, FirstAscent. Thank you.

[Bind]

"The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America", By Charlotte Iserbyt
 - http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com/MomsPDFs/DDDoA.sml.pdf

"Tragedy and Hope", By Caroll Quigley

"The Empire of the City", By E.C. Knuth

"The New World Order", By H.G. Wells

"The Grand Chessboard", By Zbignew Brzezinski

"Born in Blood", By John J. Robinson

"Fearful Master", By G. Edward Griffin

"The Creature from Jeckyl Island", by bG.Edward Griffin

"Crossing the Rubicon", by Michael C. Ruppert

"The Unseen Hand", by A. Ralf Epperson

"Behold a Pale Horse", by Milton William Cooper

"Morals and Dogma", by Albert Pike

"Lines of Credit, Ropes of Bondage", by Robert Henry Goldsborough

"History of the First Council of Nice(a)", by Dean Dudley

"The Brotherhood and the Manipulation of Society", by Ivan Fraser and Mark Beeston

"None Dare Call It Conspiracy", by Gary Allen

"Report From iron Mountain", The Dial Press

"Liberty Defined", by Ron Paul

"Rulers of Evil", by F. Tupper Saussy

"Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars", unknown author(s)

"The Real New World Order" by Anne-Marie Slaughter (Foreign Affairs Magazine September/October 1997 Issue)

"The Brotherhood", by Stephen Knight

"Sustainable Development or Sustainable Freedom" by http://freedom21.org/

"The Celestine Prophecy", by James Redfield

"The Hiram Key" by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas

"The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail", by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln

"The Leipzig Connection", by Paolo Lionni

"The Financial New World Order", by Andrew G. Marshall

"The Two Babylon's", by Alexander Hislop

"The Law", by Frederic Bastiat

"The 12th Planet", by Zecharia Sitchin

[The Script]

Political ideals are like a hammer without any building materials. Mostly useless. Furthermore, is your focus on building houses or blacksmithing? One would require a framing hammer, the other a ball peen hammer. Choose your vocation, then acquire the building materials, then your hammer.

Books on political ideals are like hammers as well, and the knowledge upon which to apply them are the building materials. Choose your calling, then acquire the knowledge, and then select the political ideal which furthers that calling.

Thus, recommending books whose main focus is a political ideology is like recommending a hammer in the vacuum of any knowledge about the real world. Far more constructive (the metaphorical use of the word 'constructive' works well here) is to recommend or request books on real world issues that the world faces.

There is a definite imbalance here related to the book recommendations.

To further the analogy, I suspect that many libertarians here like to call themselves libertarians the way another likes to wear a costume. You too can buy a tool belt and fit a framing hammer into its loop and walk around feeling like a can do handyman. So go arm yourself with the latest book on libertarian thought, and walk about spouting the latest libertarian values - the ultimate rebel without a cause.

Of course, we all know what the term rebel without a cause means - it means you've got a political ideology, but no cause. Like I was saying, find a cause first.

Find a cause first, then selectively choose books and mold your political ideology to fit your cause regardless of the facts, logic and truth.  Sounds like a good plan.

I already have my causes.  I want to pay less taxes to useless programs (like Social Security) and offensive ones (like foreign wars of aggression), I want to be able to make liquor in my backyard without getting arrested, I want my children to be able to sell lemonade to their neighbors in the park without getting harassed by police officers, I want the public to be able to video and audio record police officers (public servants) without facing 75 years of jail time, I want the internet to remain free, I want it to be easier for companies to grow and sell organic food without having to worry about FDA raids on their stores, I want the Federal Reserve abolished and I want a return to sound money (gold or silver backed currency) in my country.