Wild Swans is incredible. For more on the carnage of the CCP and communism, I recommend “The Man Who Stayed Behind” by Sidney Rittenberg. He was the most senior American serving Mao and other leaders, who learned many lessons the hard way including a decade in prison after a purge.
Hello! I have two recs for historical fiction with multigenerational family drama set during wartime or political unrest akin to what Wild Swans sounds like. I haven't read Wild Swans yet but it's on my to-read list now, as well as The Cold Start Problem and Hawaii -- thanks!
Hardcore history is fantastic, and makes me miss his political commentary - he burned out on politics right after Bernie was taken out and has not been the same since.
On the other hand, Mimetic theory is not serious. It is a cheap “theory of everything” that appears to be the ultimate wonder tool until it is seriously examined. Then it just becomes paper like Jordan Petersen.
There is no evidence at all that all of our desires are mimetic in the real of psychology, and plenty of obvious examples where it is not - we don’t all fall for the same people, kids hate things there parents get for them (even preschoolers), and larger groups tend to more diversity rather than less (compare the cuisine of a large city with a smaller). Of course fads exist, but to presume that is the heart of all human interaction is not plausible, and to suggest that shared desire inevitably leads to violence is not supported by history (scarcity, yes, shared desire, much less so).
Hardcore History is excellent. Don’t miss the Genghis Khan part. Hawaii is great.
Highly recommend — The Hundred Year Marathon by Michael Pillsbury; The Cultural Revolution by Frank DiKotter; and The Multiple Identities of the Middle East by Bernard Lewis.
Hey Andrew, I recommend The Unaccountability Machine: Why Big Systems Make Terrible Decisions by Dan Davies. It provides a great framework for diagnosing issues with complex systems like companies and some design patterns for how to improve them.
In the same vein as the historical accounts of Europe and Pacific Islands. I’d implore you to also read “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano” which provides insight into other aspects of the world not usually told by the conquered. Very enlightening!
I just got back from Iceland too! I started Halldor Laxness’s “Independent People.” Did you consider reading that one? (Love this post; thanks so much for such rich recommendations.)
Definitely read it. It challenges a lot of shibboleths, and it has enormous backup (footnotes). There may be some quibbles about the conclusions he reaches, but it is much more scholarly than anything you or I have read recently.
People respond negatively because Graeber made the unnecessary mistake of criticizing Hariri’s Sapiens (which really is not a great book) and because he challenges a narrative we all get up with about the arc of history.
But anyone who considers themselves smart and well-read should read this and form their own opinion. Graeber was a top class academic and smarter than virtually anyone you or I knows. He ended up being an Anarchist because he actually did the work.
It is always worth reading a creative thinker that researches deeply.
Those are some bold claims. "Smarter than virtually anyone..." and "considers themselves smart and well-read". What does "more scholarly..." mean? There are plenty of works that are well researched and you've probably read one or two of them in the past.
Hariri's Sapiens is trash 🚽.
As someone who has read Pinker, Fukuyama, Diamond, Turgot, etc. I'd be interested in what they have to say. It's provocative and worth taking a quick look at (not too long) as it adds to the ongoing conversation.
I'd be weary of the conclusions especially when its speculatory and there is no methodology.
I admit that I am biased in my opinion of his intellect. I find that the support (end notes/bibliography) is more thorough than most, and the time he has spent on the book directly (10 years) and the other books that have led to it.
You are absolutely correct that I should not be representing that he is the master-academic. Quite clearly there are many, many academic works that are very thoughtful and well-researched. I was lazily articulating that many of the popular political philosophy/sociology/anthropology works are really quite bad these days.
What Graeber did was to produce a book that is coherent, scholarly, and more important, new. He proposes ideas that are not rehashings of conventional wisdom or "Salt! Why it is so salty!!!" He has a distinct thesis and does the work.
I think we can safely move away from Fukuyama at this point (I read it back when it seemed reasonable) as it is overcome by contemporary events.
Here are some scathing critiques of mimetic theory. While on the outset Girard seems interesting, it lacks analytical rigor, cunningly equivocal, and implausible. If you are interested in similar ideas, I suggest you look into Jacques Lacan as he bears some type of resemblance.
I don't know your background and how familiar you are with Lacan (various prerequisites), but he's a considerable amount of legwork. Although arduous and difficult, his books are satisfying.
Please do not let this stop you from enjoying the podcasts and other content related to Girard.
Wild Swans is incredible. For more on the carnage of the CCP and communism, I recommend “The Man Who Stayed Behind” by Sidney Rittenberg. He was the most senior American serving Mao and other leaders, who learned many lessons the hard way including a decade in prison after a purge.
Here’s a review: https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/sidney-rittenberg-the-man-who-stayed-behind?utm_source=publication-search
i'll have to check it out! Sounds very interesting
Hello! I have two recs for historical fiction with multigenerational family drama set during wartime or political unrest akin to what Wild Swans sounds like. I haven't read Wild Swans yet but it's on my to-read list now, as well as The Cold Start Problem and Hawaii -- thanks!
1. The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai -- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49631287-the-mountains-sing
2. Pachinko by Min Jin Li -- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34051011-pachinko
Loved Pachinko!
Hardcore history is fantastic, and makes me miss his political commentary - he burned out on politics right after Bernie was taken out and has not been the same since.
On the other hand, Mimetic theory is not serious. It is a cheap “theory of everything” that appears to be the ultimate wonder tool until it is seriously examined. Then it just becomes paper like Jordan Petersen.
There is no evidence at all that all of our desires are mimetic in the real of psychology, and plenty of obvious examples where it is not - we don’t all fall for the same people, kids hate things there parents get for them (even preschoolers), and larger groups tend to more diversity rather than less (compare the cuisine of a large city with a smaller). Of course fads exist, but to presume that is the heart of all human interaction is not plausible, and to suggest that shared desire inevitably leads to violence is not supported by history (scarcity, yes, shared desire, much less so).
Great comments!
Mimetic theory is trash 🚮.
What do you seek to accomplish with this? Impersonating AND commenting on the real Andrew Chen's substack is wild.
DO DESIGN Why beauty is key to everything. A More.
And my deck.
I thought it was WhatsApp.
Email me if its really Andrew Chen and Ill show you a future of Web2/3 for the mainstream on mobile you can't imagine. It's 100x Clubhouse.
haba1@optimum.net
DeepFakes with AI all the rage.
Hardcore History is excellent. Don’t miss the Genghis Khan part. Hawaii is great.
Highly recommend — The Hundred Year Marathon by Michael Pillsbury; The Cultural Revolution by Frank DiKotter; and The Multiple Identities of the Middle East by Bernard Lewis.
thank you! Def my style of books. Appreciate the recs
Hardcore History is so great!
can't get enough! I went back and listened to all the archives. Need to keep digging :)
if you like Hardcore History, check out Fall of Civilizations by Paul Cooper!
his WW1 and 2 stuff is amazing. The Golden Horde stuff too. OMG so many epic good ones.
Wow Andrew. Amazing list of books, youtube channels and podcasts. Definitely of great interest and benefit to your readers. Thanks a lot!
hope you enjoy! Thanks for checking out the list
Hey Andrew, I recommend The Unaccountability Machine: Why Big Systems Make Terrible Decisions by Dan Davies. It provides a great framework for diagnosing issues with complex systems like companies and some design patterns for how to improve them.
looks promising- will check out!
Andrew, Odi from Israel! long time reader, its good to see something about my tiny island that is not all bad.
I would recommend to come and see the startup and gaming space here, there are alot of people to meet. :-), would happily intro u.
In the same vein as the historical accounts of Europe and Pacific Islands. I’d implore you to also read “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano” which provides insight into other aspects of the world not usually told by the conquered. Very enlightening!
I'll check it out! Thank you. Have heard of this book actually. I also read a ton about Africa when we visited Zanzibar a few years ago
I just got back from Iceland too! I started Halldor Laxness’s “Independent People.” Did you consider reading that one? (Love this post; thanks so much for such rich recommendations.)
Just bought it. Thanks!
Highly recommend George Saunders’ A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, supposed to be about writing but ends up being about life.
Super neat list, especially seeing books on nations and culture!
If you want a truly fantastic book, read Graeber’s “The Dawn of Everything”
(If you haven’t already)
It will blow up so much of what you have been taught to believe, in a good way!
Have hard about the book, but also a lot of criticisms that it's pretty inaccurate? But curious if you've done more research than me.
Definitely read it. It challenges a lot of shibboleths, and it has enormous backup (footnotes). There may be some quibbles about the conclusions he reaches, but it is much more scholarly than anything you or I have read recently.
People respond negatively because Graeber made the unnecessary mistake of criticizing Hariri’s Sapiens (which really is not a great book) and because he challenges a narrative we all get up with about the arc of history.
But anyone who considers themselves smart and well-read should read this and form their own opinion. Graeber was a top class academic and smarter than virtually anyone you or I knows. He ended up being an Anarchist because he actually did the work.
It is always worth reading a creative thinker that researches deeply.
Those are some bold claims. "Smarter than virtually anyone..." and "considers themselves smart and well-read". What does "more scholarly..." mean? There are plenty of works that are well researched and you've probably read one or two of them in the past.
Hariri's Sapiens is trash 🚽.
As someone who has read Pinker, Fukuyama, Diamond, Turgot, etc. I'd be interested in what they have to say. It's provocative and worth taking a quick look at (not too long) as it adds to the ongoing conversation.
I'd be weary of the conclusions especially when its speculatory and there is no methodology.
I admit that I am biased in my opinion of his intellect. I find that the support (end notes/bibliography) is more thorough than most, and the time he has spent on the book directly (10 years) and the other books that have led to it.
You are absolutely correct that I should not be representing that he is the master-academic. Quite clearly there are many, many academic works that are very thoughtful and well-researched. I was lazily articulating that many of the popular political philosophy/sociology/anthropology works are really quite bad these days.
What Graeber did was to produce a book that is coherent, scholarly, and more important, new. He proposes ideas that are not rehashings of conventional wisdom or "Salt! Why it is so salty!!!" He has a distinct thesis and does the work.
I think we can safely move away from Fukuyama at this point (I read it back when it seemed reasonable) as it is overcome by contemporary events.
I'm gonna have something for you tomorrow. Will be taking a quick look at Dawn of Everything over the next few days as well.
Send me a message after you read the section on Kondiaronk (I think it is chapter 2).
Here are two podcasts that discuss Rene Girard, including one with Johnathan Bi. I know others were influenced by his thought including Peter Thiel.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/23BoL7s5zipKtVZy6OXtJf?si=1208672a6cb54448
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6dS7PaihpLAm05aHXUtbMl?si=5776c7ad83144acf
Here are some scathing critiques of mimetic theory. While on the outset Girard seems interesting, it lacks analytical rigor, cunningly equivocal, and implausible. If you are interested in similar ideas, I suggest you look into Jacques Lacan as he bears some type of resemblance.
I don't know your background and how familiar you are with Lacan (various prerequisites), but he's a considerable amount of legwork. Although arduous and difficult, his books are satisfying.
Please do not let this stop you from enjoying the podcasts and other content related to Girard.
http://ewa.home.amu.edu.pl/White._rev._Girard._Violence_and_the_Sacred%5b1%5d.pdf - If you are interested in Philosophy of History, you'll enjoy Hayden White. He's one of my favorites.
https://shc.stanford.edu/arcade/publications/rofl/issues/volume-3-issue-1/deceit-desire-and-literature-professor-why
Chalmers is 👌. If you are interested in Philosophy of Mind, I have a few suggestions if you are interested.
If you want to discuss Jacques Lacan or other thinkers, please let me know.
Loved Sea People! This was featured in one of our lists recently too.