A review of “Avicenna and Medieval Muslim Philosophy” (audiobook)

During the Middle Ages, the Muslim world helped to keep Greek philosophy alive. In the wake of the Roman Empire’s fall in the fifth century, the West was rapidly forgetting Greek learning. In particular, the works of Aristotle were temporarily lost in the West. But in the Middle East, they were kept alive in Arabic translation, long before the West would rediscover their original Greek during the Renaissance.

If my life were a Twilight Zone episode …

“There is a Facebook dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as cyberspace and as time-wasting as infinity. It is the middle ground between momentous and mundane, between profundity and shallowness, and it lies between the pit of man’s boredom and the summit of his humor. This is the dimension of utter nonsense. It is an area which we call … the Twilight Zone.”

A review of PBS’s “Asian Americans”

“ … from and after the expiration of ninety days next after the passage of this act, and until the expiration of ten years next after the passage of this act, the coming of Chinese laborers to the United States be, and the same is hereby, suspended; and during such suspension it shall not be lawful for any Chinese laborer to come, or, having so come after the expiration of said ninety days, to remain within the United States.”

– “Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882,” as passed by the United States Congress

Asian Americans have long had more influence than their modest numbers would seem to suggest. At the time that I write this, they are about six or seven percent of the American population (depending on whether or not you include those identifying as “White and Asian” in this category). Nonetheless, this documentary notes that they are the “fastest-growing” racial group in the United States. Because of the United States’ proximity to Mexico, there are actually larger numbers of Hispanic immigrants being added to the population at any given time; but as a percentage of those already here, Asian Americans are indeed the “fastest-growing,” as PBS says. Asians may be a small percentage of the American population, but they are a much larger percentage of the world population. This may account (at least in part) for their being well-represented among those who are trying to enter this country, and get away from the “Old World.”

Chinese Americans in San Francisco, circa 1900

A review of “Fundamental Analysis, Value Investing, and Growth Investing” (audiobook)

So I was recently listening to some additional presentations from an audio series about investment. This particular installment was called “Fundamental Analysis, Value Investing, and Growth Investing.” I found out that it was actually two presentations: one about “Benjamin Graham and Fundamental Analysis,” and one about “Value Investing and Growth Investing.” Both were much more interesting than I would have thought, and brought back fond memories of my days as a business major.

A review of “Islam” (audiobook)

“Allah—there is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him. He has the Most Beautiful Names.”

– English translation of The Quran, Surah 20:8

Islam is the youngest of the world’s major religions. The others all began in antiquity, while Islam did not begin until the Early Middle Ages. But despite the head start of these other major religions, Islam has grown to be the second-largest religion in the world today. It is surpassed only by Christianity, and surpasses even those who consider themselves “non-religious” (such as atheists, agnostics, and self-described “secularists”). Thus, there is good reason to learn about what Muslims believe, from sources such as this audiobook. I do not know if the author himself was a Muslim, and note that he did not have a Muslim-culture name. (His name was Charles Adams.) Nonetheless, it is one of the best introductions to their faith that I have ever heard, and the author may well be a Muslim of a more Western background.

A review of Mary Wollstonecraft’s “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” (audiobook)

Mary Wollstonecraft was one of the founding feminist philosophers. Her 1792 work “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” is one of the classic works on women’s rights. It is still quoted today. But during her lifetime, she was known more for her passionate personal relationships than she was for her writing. For example, she had two ill-fated affairs (one of which produced an illegitimate child), before finally marrying the anarchist philosopher William Godwin. But unlike her eventual husband, Mary Wollstonecraft was no anarchist. She was instead an unapologetic feminist, whose works would have a lasting impact on feminist theory.

Mary Wollstonecraft

A review of Robert McCrum’s “The Story of English” (book)

In 1986, there were two versions of “The Story of English” – a television series, and a book. I never got to see much of the television series, since it’s almost impossible to get on VHS, let alone DVD. I had the opportunity to check out a few episodes from my local library, before that library got rid of these VHS tapes (why, I don’t know). Specifically, I watched the first three episodes, two of which are considered to be the best of them. But I was able to read the bestselling book, the version that I’ll be reviewing here in this blog post. It is a fine book, which I recommend to others interested in either linguistics or English – or history, for that matter.

John Milton, author of “Paradise Lost”