236 books
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402 voters
“A man cannot govern a nation if he cannot govern a city; he cannot govern a city if he cannot govern a family; he cannot govern a family unless he can govern himself; and he cannot govern himself unless his passions are subject to reason.”
By understanding many things, I have accomplished nothing.”
Hugo Grotius”
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By understanding many things, I have accomplished nothing.”
Hugo Grotius”
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“Refusing to have a child is the highest degree of rebellion, after suicide; one of the best uses of the mind; and the best gift to the planet.”
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“The more I have studied disparities in multicultural societies, the more I have found the language of “overrepresentation” and “underrepresentation” to be fundamentally misleading. These words assume that there is something normal or “to be expected” about seeing different ethnic groups represented at precisely their share of the total population in every domain, statistic, and occupation, when in fact nothing is more normal than for different subcultures to specialize in particular sectors and occupations and experience very different group-wide statistics as a result. The vast majority of such disparities are not plausibly explained by bigotry, systemic racism, or unfairness but by demographic and cultural differences between the groups in question at a particular time.”
― The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America
― The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America
“The Cheery and the Damned
Why are drugs, prostitution, gambling and suicide illegal, when they clearly give so much relief to suffering people? I think it is because, at a societal level, we are deluded into thinking that happiness is possible, maybe even easy or likely, without these things. I have called this "cheery social policy.”
― Every Cradle is a Grave: Rethinking the Ethics of Birth and Suicide
Why are drugs, prostitution, gambling and suicide illegal, when they clearly give so much relief to suffering people? I think it is because, at a societal level, we are deluded into thinking that happiness is possible, maybe even easy or likely, without these things. I have called this "cheery social policy.”
― Every Cradle is a Grave: Rethinking the Ethics of Birth and Suicide
BACK<<<to the CLASSICS
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— last activity Jun 03, 2026 05:58AM
With a classic book, you don't need a flux capacitor you don't have to hit 88 mph and you don't even need a DeLorean to go back in time. So why not ...more
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Most people are stupid. This is a group for those who are not.
Innovative Horror
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E.T.A. Hoffman, H.P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson and (arguably) Clive Barker all moved horror fiction forward in their time. Who's doing so today? I t ...more
The Fyodor Dostoyevsky Group
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— last activity Apr 09, 2026 07:56AM
We are dedicated to discussing books by one of the greatest Russian writers ever. But 2014 will be focused on conducting a joint reading of 'The Broth ...more
J’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at J’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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