Very solid history on the study of what makes people tick. A short background on the leading minds in this field is given along with their theories.
IVery solid history on the study of what makes people tick. A short background on the leading minds in this field is given along with their theories.
I love learning about why we do what we do. This sort of study is also good for writers looking for character development ideas. I've done such study prior to this and so I didn't learn a lot I didn't already know. It is an intro after all. However, there were enough knew tidbits to keep it interesting, and if nothing else, if makes for a good refresher.
One issue that brought my rating down a star was that Watson isn't the best lecturer. Every 5 or 10 minutes he mispronounces a word. Halfway through the course I noticed it was a recurring tic and then I began waiting for it, focusing on that, not the subject matter.
I'm going to forego giving any more detail on the subject matter taught in this course, because the Good Reads summary for Theories of Human Development does a bang up job of that....more
The Power of Myth explores so much more than myth. It delves into the essence of life itself.
Joseph Campbell was mythologist, professor, writer, lectuThe Power of Myth explores so much more than myth. It delves into the essence of life itself.
Joseph Campbell was mythologist, professor, writer, lecturer, historian...he was so much. His wealth of knowledge on faith, philosophy and humanity was astounding. He has left us, but he has left behind a body of work, a legacy of compassion and understanding for us and future generations. Thanks to this interview, conducted by journalist Bill Moyers, we have an encapsulated version of his teachings from Campbell's own mouth. The interview was and has been broadcast on PBS stations since the late '80s and includes some nice visuals, however, it's not necessary to view. This audiobook suffices.
You get some of what you'd expect from a title such as The Power of Myth: Heroes and legends from traditional sources such as the epic Greek poems and Norse gods; origin stories from Native America and Africa. But you also get Star Wars. The interview having been conducted at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch, some of the discussion spoke on the use of mythical archetypes, which became intrinsic to the success of the movie's popularity. After all, where would Luke be without the Force, and what is the Force but faith?
Yes, religion goes hand in hand with mythology. In many, or most, cases it is one and the same. Campbell's take on religion is refreshing. Hearing him speak on the various kinds of world religions, their differences and even more so their similarities, is enlightening.
When I first saw The Power of Myth on tv, I was only interested in the Star Wars material and the more fantastical elements of mythology, the bits about the gods and monsters. Today, while listening to the discussion, I'm most interested in the aspects of the birth, life and death cycle and of faith. Not that I'm any more religious than the atheist teen I once was, but these are the everyman topics. It is the human experience that most enthralls me now. Luckily for young me and middle-aged me (and probably old me), there's a little something in The Power of Myth for all. ...more
Kerouac can spin an enjoyable yarn, as long as you don't mind rambling along with him on directionless paths with no real goal in mind but to spin thaKerouac can spin an enjoyable yarn, as long as you don't mind rambling along with him on directionless paths with no real goal in mind but to spin that yarn.
In The Dharma Bums he takes the reader from city-drop-outs to mountain solitude, the mind-fuck excitement and shit of civilization to the glorious simplicity and utter loneliness of a retreat back to nature.
Even though he cheats the reader with some quick-fix adverbs in place of the proper description owed his audience, Kerouac still deserves all the accolades bestowed upon him, and so every now and then when I'm in the mood I don't mind taking one of these long hikes with writers of his ilk.
Slap a few rhyming words together vaguely associated with your intended meaning and call it philosophical poetry. That's my problem with some of the beat poets, whom I blame for the crap classic rock songwriters of the 60s and 70s passed off as lyrics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0iuax...
But I digress.
The Dharma Bums is poetry, even if I do think some of it's silly nonsense....more
It's been a while since I read this, but I believe the crux of it was "get off your ass" and now I'm embarrassed for not having gotten around to doingIt's been a while since I read this, but I believe the crux of it was "get off your ass" and now I'm embarrassed for not having gotten around to doing a proper review for it......more
I read this at a time when I was more than certain in my own mind that I was going out of my mind, so reading this then was a mindfuck.
Great characterI read this at a time when I was more than certain in my own mind that I was going out of my mind, so reading this then was a mindfuck.
Great characters inhabit a scary situation in Ken Kesey's beat-generation classic. Perhaps it's a beat or two after the beat... If so, one doesn't feel it's skipped a beat as it marches to the beat of its own drum!
What's going on here? Why are you talking in circles, Koivu? Am I? I honestly wasn't talking at all.
What?
Exactly.
That's exactly how I felt at times reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Good times. Horrible times. This was great! I'll never read it again. There's mindfuckery for ya.
The way some men talk about women I'd assumed they'd think The Female Brain was a work of fiction, "'Cuzzin' womens ain't got none brains, heeyuck, heThe way some men talk about women I'd assumed they'd think The Female Brain was a work of fiction, "'Cuzzin' womens ain't got none brains, heeyuck, heeyuck!" It's too bad that most of those guys are illiterate, because they're the ones that need to read this the most.
In The Female Brain, neuropsychiatrist Dr. Louann Brizendine uses clinical research and the experience of counseling patients to examine how the many various hormones flowing through a woman's body may affect their actions and behavior. It covers the emotional development and brain processes of women through the various stages of their lives, beginning at the beginning with childhood, moving through the tumultuous teens and the horror that is puberty and progress through womanhood into old age.
The use of science to dissect human behavior is tricky since our moods, reactions, etc are slippery little fish. Brizendine's use of animal research raises validity questions (I.E. rats are not humans, so how can it apply?), however she is the first to admit that none of this is 100% pure, unadulterated fact. Just the same, there are some insights within The Female Brain that appear to be highly probable cause-effect truths, and even if they're not, this whole subject is still very fascinating!
I found the entire book entertaining and, admittedly, quite a bit of it to be enlightening, as I imagine it might be to most men. Even some women would do well to give this a read, because how often do you hear yourself say something like, "Sometimes I just don't understand my mother/daughter!"?...more
Freud: A Very Short Introduction is very short indeed! Almost too short. Perhaps I should've gone with mother another, as I didn't discover much aboutFreud: A Very Short Introduction is very short indeed! Almost too short. Perhaps I should've gone with mother another, as I didn't discover much about the man that I hadn't already learned in college.
Shortness aside, it was a good refresher course on the basics of Freud, providing a mix of bio info as well as touching upon his peni-- PRACTICES and theories. ...more
The fantasy novels of CS Lewis can barely touch the fanciful nature of love, but in The Four Loves, his work on the subject feels so in tune with theThe fantasy novels of CS Lewis can barely touch the fanciful nature of love, but in The Four Loves, his work on the subject feels so in tune with the complexity of its forms that it seems as if it MUST be written by some learned/aged Don Juan reflecting back on the lusts and loves of his past, so much so that you forget all about Lewis, the pasty white English professor and his faerie books. The Four Loves made a strong impression on me in my youth. Perhaps I didn't, and maybe still don't, take his every word on love as the end-all truth, the absolute definition, the incontrovertible conclusion, but his ideas struck me as sound and intriguing in the very least. It's been quite some time since I last read this. I think it's due for a reread, as I'm curious to see how my perception has change. ...more
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