(Y1 W52) One Year Down!

I hope everyone is making the most of their precious-few hours of 2013 left. What better way to use the time than reading and thinking about the Great Books? For me, this first year has been full of ups and downs: the ups stemming from the rewards of reading; the downs from the costs of spending the time to do it. So, my New Year's resolution for the Great Books is to find creative way to minimize the costs. We'll see how it goes. One year down, six to go. Happy New Year!

Moby Dick - Herman Melville, Ch. 93-101: Jolly young Pip is traumatized by being abandoned in the ocean for a time. The try-works (kiln) are started up on deck giving a crazed image of a ship that "seems material counterpart of her monomaniac commander's soul". The men compare doubloon's image of mountains to Ahab, take them to be signs of Moby Dick's forthcoming appearance. They meet an English ship that encountered Moby Dick. The mangled, one-armed captain thinks it's foolish to seek him again: "Ain't one limb enough?" Ahab leaves in a huff. Very "literary" in that Melville feels complete freedom to abandon plot and use any related discussion as a device to highlight something about Ahab, but when he returns to plot - like with the encounter with the English ship - what a device it becomes! Such a contrast between the two captains put in the exact same situation.

The United States in 1800 - Henry Adams: U.S. was still uncivilized, sparse, and provincial in 1800. It looked "sad" to outsiders, but Americans saw only potential in the wilderness - "victory" through a successful economy. New spirit that sought economic potential (read: "the American Dream") had replaced older "missions" of original colonies (i.e. virtue, communal love, etc.). Outcome seen in list of men who were raised humbly yet transformed the world - "all their inventions transmuted the democratic instinct into a practical and tangible shape". Beautifully written, yet must be read slowly to do the word-pictures justice (for me at least). I want to agree with his commentary on the history, but my skeptical side makes me wary of jumping to conclusions, especially when he's basing his conclusions on things like Jefferson's secret inner life (which apparently isn't so secret).

Rules for the Direction of the Mind - Rene Descartes, Rule I-XI: End of study is sound and correct judgement on all things considered. Education should be integrated, limited by student's potential. Conclusions to be sought by deduction/intuition, which can bring certainty. Proper method of thinking consists entirely of ordering conclusions: from simplest (surest) to more complex in one "continuous movement". Such habits built by understanding simple everyday truths "clearly and distinctly". You can see his bias towards mathematics. How much is a method like this thwarted by the contingencies of the physical world? It's easy to see where postmoderns poke holes in his quest for certainty. Some useful comments on education though.

Sanity of True Genius - Charles Lamb: Contrary to what some people think, the greatest wits are always the sanest writers. Dull wits explore the unnatural, explicate nonsense using realistic images from their passive imaginations. Great wits use active imaginations to take us far away in appearance, yet "we are at home, and upon acquaintable ground". Great anti-Romantic depiction of the mind. It's also very at-home with a teleological view of the mind's functioning: efficiency of thought is, like all proper functioning, more in-line with the reality of the function's goal than not.

On the Loadstone - William Gilbert, Book VI: What of the earth as a loadstone? Its magnetic axis remains invariable, despite what some believe. Idea of heavenly "spheres" revolving around the earth every 24 hours is vastly more inefficient/unlikely than the simple idea of earth itself rotating. Earth rotates in a circle - diurnal motion due to its magnetic energy. Planets, moon, stars move similarly. Great reasoning. Doesn't seem to have much to do with magnetism though. If you remove his hypothesis that magnetism causes the earth's rotation, this chapter is totally unconnected to the rest. Good-bye, Gilbert.

Politics - Aristotle, Book VI: What are the types of organization among democracies and other forms of government? For democracy, chief differences due to population type or the efficiency of different combinations of the democratic characteristics. Basis of democracy is: liberty; all living as they like; payment for services. Best democracy is one for agrarian society; second-best for pastoral people. Democracy where "all share alike" is difficult to make work. Must make laws that will preserve the state. Oligarchies: best is like constitutional government. Its preservation depends on good order. All states need to fill essential offices. Seems that ancient Greek city-states were a perfect laboratory to observe these different forms of government. Much like the U.S. founding father's political ideas, these seem based on experience more than simple genius insight into the consequences of political variables.

Here's the first readings for 2014:

1. Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Ch. 102-132  (GBWW Vol. 48, pp. 204-246)
2. “Of Repentance” by Michel de Montaigne (GBWW Vol. 23, pp. 429-436)
3. Rules for the Direction of the Mind by René Descartes, XII-XVI (GBWW Vol. 28, pp. 240-257;  Here is a volume containing the entire text.)
4. “Of Seditions and Troubles” by Francis Bacon (GGB Vol. 7, pp. 12-17)
5. “Probability” by Pierre Simon de Laplace (GGB Vol. 9, pp. 325-338; Chapters I-IV of A Philosophical Essay on Probability)
6. The Politics of Aristotle, Book VII (GBWW Vol. 8, pp. 527-542)

(Y1 W51) Of Changes in the Earth and State

I hope everyone is having a merry pre-Christmas. This week's readings were shorter, which, for me at least, was helpful at this time of year. One more week then we're done with Year 1!

Moby Dick - Herman Melville, Ch. 76-92: Tashtego falls inside a whale as it's sinking. Queequeg jumps in and cuts him out. They out-chase a German vessel to a pod and kill the older male. Outrun Malay pirates and find themselves in a massive pod (but kill only one). Explains fast-fish/loose-fish laws of whaling. Meet a French whaling ship with a newby captain and trick him out of a dead whale, recovering prized ambergris out of it. Melville is quite literate and runs the full breadth of biblical and classical references.

The Virginia Constitution - Thomas Jefferson: Despite promising early origins of American colonies, rights quickly began to be threatened by the British crown. Eventually, "no alternative was presented but resistance or unconditional surrender," hence the rebellion started. The first Constitution had many defects: majority not properly represented, an "elective despotism" fell into the hands of legislative", etc. It's best to fix the Constitution and "amend its defects". He really doesn't like the idea of a dictator - he went off on the idea for several pages at the end. This highlights, again, how the founding fathers saw the need for separation of powers out of actual events they witnessed and not just because they were drop-dead brilliant.

Geological Evolution - Charles Lyell: Everyone recognizes the earth has gone through changes - the causes of such changes are the things in question. The major problem in approaching the question is geologists' "ignorance respecting the operations of the existing agents of change". They must take into account "gradual mutations now in progress". This is the "alphabet and grammar of geology", which we will eventually use to contemplate more general questions. Such a simple, yet profound project.

Of Cannibals - Montaigne: We need to judge things for ourselves, not take our ideas from common report. Descriptions of New World peoples are not of a barbarous people, but of those "having received but very little form and fashion from art and human invention". They're more like noble savages. We exceed them in barbarity by our practices. It seems he's right about some things (extent of barbarity in the Europeans of the time), wrong about others (the plenitude and near-innocence of primitive peoples in the Americas).

On the Loadstone - William Gilbert, Book V: Now, we'll look into the "dip" motion of the loadstone ("one end or pole tending toward the earth's center"). Describes an instrument to measure it with. At the equator, the dip is nil; completely dipped at the poles. It's not from coition. Variation in dip seen in navigation is also due to unevenness of earth's surface. Earth, stars, etc. really do have "souls" or animating principles. Though they're not thinking souls, they do work reasonably "from the very foundations and beginnings of the world", we're just too weak in our souls to understand them. Most of it seems like it'd be quite helpful for navigation. The philosophizing was interesting. Makes me want to jump to that section in Aristotle.

Politics - Aristotle, Book V: Now, onto causes of revolutions and modes of state preservation. Two kinds of changes: 1) those affecting the constitution; 2) changes in administration. "Everywhere inequality is a cause of revolution, but an inequality in which there is no proportion." Revolutions effected in two ways: 1) by force; 2) by fraud. To preserve oligarchies and democracies: maintain obedience to laws; guard against beginning of change; don't let magistrates make money. Education should conform to type of government. Moral relativism is wrong. Monarchies preserved by limiting power; tyrannies by: 1) oppression; 2) appearing to rule like a good king. Good mix of his theoretical approach (listing out all possible options) along with real-world examples.

Here's the readings for this week:

1. Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Ch. 93-101  (GBWW Vol. 48, pp. 188-204)
2. “The United States in 1800” by Henry Adams (GGB Vol. 6, pp. 322-359; Vol. I, Ch. I and VI of History of the United States of America During the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson)
3. Rules for the Direction of the Mind by René Descartes, I-XI (GBWW Vol. 28, pp. 223-240; Here is a volume containing the entire text.)
4. “Sanity of True Genius” by Charles Lamb (GBB Vol. 5, pp. 308-310)
5. On the Loadstone and Magnetic Bodies by William Gilbert, Book VI (GBWW Vol. 26, pp. 106-121)
6. The Politics of Aristotle, Book VI (GBWW Vol. 8, pp. 520-526)

(Y1 W50) Commit It to the Flames - It Contains Only Sophistry and Illusion

This week we'll start our last pre-Christmas set of readings. Of course, Christmas seems to last all December any more, only it appears in different dilutions at different times. It's also nearing the end of the year and we just finished two more authors: Hamilton and Hume. It always feels nice to finish an author - and some more than others.

Moby Dick - Herman Melville, Ch. 55-75: A squid is mistaken for Moby Dick. Stubb kills a sperm whale and eats part of it for dinner (yum!) while making the cook "preach" to the noisy sharks eating at the whale's body. The blubber is stripped off in layers. They cut off the whale's head and attach it to the side of the ship. Ahab beckons to the whale head to tell of the mysteries of the sea. Have a partial "gam" with the Jeroboam, who hunted Moby Dick unsuccessfully. So many non-fiction asides on the ins and outs of whaling. It's certainly interesting, but it'd never be published today. More biblical references with Jeroboam and Gabriel. The message: bad people hunt Moby Dick while the prophets warn them not to.

First Inaugural Address - Abraham Lincoln: Southern states have nothing to fear from a Republican administration. I have no intention to interfere with slavery where it exists. Our union must be maintained. If it's broken, it is so by you. Only debate is over issue of slavery and its extension. No state can lawfully exit the Union. If you want change, amend the Constitution. "Succession is the essence of anarchy." The issue of civil war is in your hands, not mine. Very politically savy. He said nothing of his own views on the issue while putting the burden of war on his opponents.

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding - David Hume, Sect. X-XII: Evidence for Christianity less than sense evidence and "a weaker evidence can never destroy a stronger". Beliefs must correspond to the evidence. Eyewitness evidence only reliable when it conforms with natural uniformity: hence, miracles must be denied categorically. Religion is founded on "faith", not reason anyway. Can't argue for designer in nature because effects don't warrant the cause. "Design" in nature needs to take into account the "evil and disorder" of the world. Best skepticism is not total - but staying within the realm of uniformity and experience. So much can be said about this. I do wonder how much of this originates from his elitism. His position ends up not only being circular, but it also just looks like rather childish to cross your arms, fling your nose up in the air and say, "I'll only believe it if I see it...and even then I'm going to come up with some other explanation."

Federalist Papers #84, 85 - Alexander Hamilton: 84) Complaints over lack of a bill of rights are misplaced. Such provisions are embedded in the Constitution itself. It's better to not have one because they limit powers ungranted to the government. Can't define "liberty of the press" anyway. Its security should be "public opinion...general spirit of the people and the government". New Constitution wouldn't incur much new expense either. 85) Series of papers now completed. Most have already approved the Constitution. Don't reject it because it's "not perfect". "I never expect to see a perfect work from imperfect man," and more debate will only make it worse. Amending is better than starting over. "A nation without a national government is, in my view, an awful spectacle." Here comes one final strong push for a trust in centralized government. We certainly see here some shortsightedness on the bill of rights and on the increase of expenses with a national government.

On the Loadstone - William Gilbert, Book IV: What is the cause of magnetic variance? It's different from magnetic direction. Variance = changes over an arc based around meridian. Earth causes variance in compasses: raised land masses cause variance in ships near coasts. Higher latitudes have greater variance. Compasses are made differently, work differently and this causes problems in navigation. Theory used to predict that there are no hidden land masses in the Arctic Ocean. Here, we see theory (land mass causes variance) and a prediction based on it (no land masses in Arctic because no variance). Such condescending statements to his rivals though!

Politics - Aristotle, Book IV: Statesmen need to know: 1) best in abstract and 2) practice; 3) how governments formed/preserved; 4) best form of government in general. Examines constitutional government. There's as many forms of government as there are methods of arranging offices. Eight social classes. Five forms of democracy, three of oligarchy. Constitutional government is mix of democracy and oligarchy. Two parts of good government: goodness of laws, obedience of citizens. "Best political community is formed by citizens of the middle class." who hold upper/lower classes in check. Three elements of Constitution: 1) deliberative (like combined executive/legislative); 2) magistrates; 3) judicial. Much of this was laying out the possibilities, not giving his assessment; major exception being the assertion of the importance of the middle class.

Here's this week's readings:

1. Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Ch. 76-92  (GBWW Vol. 48, pp. 154-188)
2. “The Virginia Constitution” by Thomas Jefferson (GGB Vol. 6, pp. 502-517; Query 13 of Notes on Virginia)
3. “Geological Evolution” by Sir Charles Lyell (GGB Vol. 8, pp. 319-324; Principles of Geology Vol. III, Ch. I)
4. “Of Cannibals” by Michel de Montaigne (GBWW Vol. 23, pp. 143-149)
5. On the Loadstone and Magnetic Bodies by William Gilbert, Book V (GBWW Vol. 26, pp. 92-105)
6. The Politics of Aristotle, Book V (GBWW Vol. 8, pp. 502-519)

(Y1 W49) Goodbye America - Don't Screw It Up

Happy mid-December winter lull, especially for those in white and snowy parts. Once again, I'm trying to lessen the amount of text (summary) for each entry in a long-term effort to make this more manageable. It's okay, I'm keeping my own personal notes while I read (though, I'm trying to shorten those as well).

Moby Dick - Herman Melville, Ch. 40-52: "Fish stories" told about Moby Dick are revealed. Ahab sees Moby Dick as the incarnation of all the evil that eats away at him from the inside. The men lower their boats and give chase to a whale, but a boat is accidentally overrun by their ship in the chase. They pass by another ship, but don't interact with them. A story is then told of the Town-Ho's encounter with Moby Dick where he ate one of their mates in the midst of a mutiny. Melville really loves the ocean and gives himself the liberty to explain everything he thinks needs explaining. It's almost more non-fiction than it is fiction.

The Farewell Address - George Washington: Here, I'm informing everyone that I'll be retiring to private life and not seeking a third term of election. The unity of the nation must be maintained - a "main prop of your liberty". Live contently under the new Constitution and resist the "spirit of party" that divides people. Resist also the "spirit of encroachment" of one part of government into another. National morality is essential and religious piety is essential to that. Promote schools, avoid debt, cultivate peace with other nations but avoid their affairs. His fatigue with public life really comes through. I wonder what he'd say about America's involvements in foreign affairs over the last century or so.

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding - David Hume, Sect. VIII-IX: In the debate over "liberty and necessity" all really agree with each other, only they use ambiguous terms. Idea of a necessity between cause and effect arises from ideas we create from the observed uniformity in nature. Liberty = power of willfully acting. If God made man, then either man is good (because God is good) or God is guilty of man's crimes. Answering that God allows the best possible world, which includes evil, is uncomforting. Animals learn from experience without using reason, so do children, men, and philosophers. Saying a solution to the problem of evil is uncomforting is not the same as saying it's wrong. I must have missed his solution on genuine liberty. Is he saying there's no true liberty, and God is guilty because we're determined by Him or because God's omniscient? Omniscience is not determinism.

Federalist Papers #82, 83 - Alexander Hamilton: 82) On the question of concurrent jurisdiction of federal and state courts: "States will retain all preexisting authorities which may not be exclusively delegated to the federal head." Only three cases where that occurs. 83) Some object to the Constitution over "the want of a constitutional provision for the trial by jury in civil cases." But silence on this point doesn't mean restriction; the legislative can still adopt juries or not. I'm no legal expert and so I'm getting a little lost in some of these later papers, but it does seem like the "leaving it open" clause is itself susceptible to mischief.

On the Loadstone - William Gilbert, Book III: Now to set forth the "causes and efficiencies" of the loadstone. The directive force ("verticity") is distributed equally both ways to the poles and produces the magnetic movement. Iron rubbed in one part receives magneticism in the whole in the opposite verticity. Supposed contrary movement of two magnets is really a tendency towards union. Magnet's verticity can be established during smelting process. There is only a true north and south in magnets; no east, west, etc. The south part of a magnet increases the strength of the north. Porta has this crazy idea that magnets' energy comes from particle exchange. Interesting. I assume this section is quite helpful to those involved in such matters.

Politics - Aristotle, Book III: A state is a composite of citizens. Citizens are those who share in a common "indefinite office". State seeks "the purposes of life", is defined by its constitution, and appropriate virtue of a citizen is relative to that (i.e. different kinds of states require different citizens). Three true kinds of government: royalty, aristocracy, constitutional government (their respective perversions: tyranny, oligarchy, democracy). The end of political science is justice. Five types of monarchy considered. Need good laws, but someone to override them when they "miss the mark". All rulers should have the same education/habits. Heavy discussion on monarchy; little on democracy. The "overrider" aspect is what Locke and the founding fathers have been emphasizing as part of the executive office. Would have liked to see him go a bit more into his fear of rule of law.

Here's this week's readings:

1. Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Ch. 55-75  (GBWW Vol. 48, pp. 120-154)
2. “First Inaugural Address” by Abraham Lincoln (GGB Vol. 6, pp. 747-755)
3. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume, Sections X-XII (GBWW Vol. 33, pp. 488-509)
4. Federalist #84-85 (GBWW Vol. 40, pp. 251-259)
5. On the Loadstone and Magnetic Bodies by William Gilbert, Book IV (GBWW Vol. 26, pp. 77-91)
6. The Politics of Aristotle, Book IV (GBWW Vol. 8, pp. 487-502)

(Y1 W48) Call Me Skeptical

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving last week. I was actually put back a bit on the workload, so this is getting out a bit later this week.  We're continuously chipping of more and more of the Gateway set and I'm noticing that I only have one Gateway book on my shelf each week. That's progress, I suppose. 

Moby Dick - Herman Melville, Ch. 23-39: We get a rundown of the major people on the boat: Bulkington (whom we met earlier) at the helm, Starbuck the chief mate is practical. Stubb the second mate is happy-go-lucky. Flask the third mate is "pugnacious concerning whales". Aside from Queequeg the other harpooners are Tashtego - an Indian, and Dagoo - an African. Ahab appears on deck - scarred on the face and sporting a whale jawbone for a leg. Ishmael gives an overview of cetology (whales), sperm whales are the most prized and fiercest. Ahab is fierce too and all respect him. One day, he offers a gold coin to whoever bags a white whale that Tashtego calls Moby Dick. He says that's why they're on the voyage. Starbuck thinks he's mad and is afraid. Ahab drinks with the men and solidifies the mission. Wow, a major digression with the "cetology" section. Great intro for Ahab and setup for his arc: "Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I'd strike the sun if it insulted me." Some great Wrath of Khan quotes as well!

The Power Within Us - Haniel Long: Story adapted from a letter by conquistador Nunez Cabaca to Spanish King when they walked to Mexico City eight years after their failed mission in Florida. Led into disaster by pompous captain searching for "another Tenochtitlan, which ("Apalachee") turned out to be a poor swamp settlement. Tried to make boats and sail for Cuba. Failed, most died. Local Indians help by offering food, but want them to heal them in return. As a last resort they pray for the sick people and find them being healed. They begin making their way west/south, healing all the while when he finally begins to look at Indians as fellow human beings. In Mexico, they encounter other Spaniards who want to enslave their Indian companions. When they resist, the Indians are told that real Christians are those on horseback while their companions are not real Christians because they have "no luck and little heart". Indians say they prefer the fake Christians who are generous to the "real" ones who only want to steal. Nunez sees himself eight years earlier in the slavers. Great notion of "charity" that yet falls hopelessly short of Christianity. You don't see in these Spanish conquistadors any notion of Christ or Christianity at all; it's as if they are completely illiterate of both though they've heard rumors of the names. Even the idea of charity was to them self-discovered by mere accident.

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding - David Hume, Sect. IV-VII: All issues of matter of fact rest on the notion of cause and effect, but those ideas come from experience alone, not a priori knowledge. Fundamental causes are totally outside our grasp. He's skeptical, therefore, about applying causes of events to like or future events. Predictions must then be only probable. We never know if "the course of nature" will change. The everyday method of navigation these difficulties is called Custom or Habit. "All inferences from experience, therefore, are effects of custom, not of reasoning." All beliefs are either memories or memories conjoined to "some other object". The difference between fiction and belief in a person's mind is in sentiment. It is an instinct given by nature to help us in life without our realizing it. Outside of math, everything is ambiguous. Our minds themselves are quite limited. Seems we can know only that one event follows another, "all events seem entirely loose and separate". We connect them only by habit. It's a scary thing to start from yourself - you don't get very far. Makes sense why some later folks (Plantinga) brought teleology back into it.

Federalist Papers #80, 81 - Alexander Hamilton: 80) Proper object of the judiciary? Five types: 1) issues of constitutionality of laws; 2) execution of provisions in Union articles; 3) cases where US are a party; 4) those involving the Peace of the Confederacy; 5) those on the high seas or where the States can't be impartial. These perfect the judiciary branch as a part of the whole system. 81) What about partitioning this authority to different subsidiary courts? There are no possibilities of intermixing powers with the legislative or with the judiciary ruling over them. Subsidiary courts will reside in districts chosen by Congress. Supreme Court has original jurisdiction only "in cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and those in which a State shall be a party". Everywhere else it only has an appellant jurisdiction. Their decisions won't override rulings of earlier courts, though they will rely on them. It's an interesting mix of power the Supreme Court has. It's mainly an appellant court as the final interpreter and spokesman for the Constitution, though it has original jurisdiction in these odd high-profile cases.

On the Loadstone - William Gilbert, Book II, Ch. 8-39: Desctiptions of meridians, equators of loadstones in comparisons to the earth. Earth, by its magnetic force, is made to revolve around its poles. The "chord" of pull by a magnet on a rod is longer as it approaches the pole. Magnetic forces travel through bodies, unlike electrical action of amber, etc. Tides show whole mass of earth cannot stop the "magnetic" pull of the moon. Various observations on stacking magnets and iron bodies and their combined pull. The center of a "terrella" (spherical magnet) is the center of force. "Ordering" force of magnets precedes the coition force. No perpetual motion machine made of magnets is possible. I need to not read this as a sloppy systematic presentation, but rather as a collection of observations loosely tied under a theme. Boy, is he pugnacious. Put him in a room with Hamilton (or Flask), give them something to disagree about, and only one will come out alive.

Politics - Aristotle, Book II: What is the best form of a political community? Communities can share: 1) all; 2) nothing; 3) mix of things; 2) is impossible. Socrates Republic is wrought with problems. Principle of "compensation" (all should participate) is the salvation of states. If "all" was shared, people would neglect responsibility, lose love of "their own", lose ability/virtue of giving. Property should be generally private; people will keep to their own business then. Selfishness is the viceful excess of self-interest. Socrates also had problems in the Laws. Other constitutions are considered. Men always want more - how to curb their appetites? "Beginning of reform is...to train the nobler sort of natures not to desire, and to prevent the lower from getting more." Lacedaemonian, Cretan, Carthaginian governments similar, all subject to corruption/bribery. Lacedaemonian had only one real virtue - virtue of soldier. Carthagians concerned with both merit and wealth. Penetrating criticism. It's good that he suggested alternatives as well; also good that much of that criticism was showing the unintended consequences of laws.

Here's this week's readings:

1. Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Ch. 40-54  (GBWW Vol. 48, pp. 78-120)
2. “Farewell Address” by George Washington (GGB Vol. 6, pp. 484-497)
3. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume, Sections VIII-IX (GBWW Vol. 33, pp. 478-488)
4. Federalist #82-83 (GBWW Vol. 40, pp. 242-251)
5. On the Loadstone and Magnetic Bodies by William Gilbert, Book III (GBWW Vol. 26, pp. 60-76)
6. The Politics of Aristotle, Book III (GBWW Vol. 8, pp. 471-487)