Animal Farm, Ch. I-V - George Orwell: Lousy farm owner Mr. Jones overthrown by rebelling animals. Pigs take lead, though everyone is equal. Anti-human "animalism" is codified into 7 commandments, summed up in "four legs good, two legs bad". But things are slowly starting to degenerate. Short and to the point, yet brilliant allegory of the Soviet Revolution. Perfect reading for high school students. The brilliance in allegories seems to be less in the complication or presentation of the story than it is in how appropriate the symbols are to representing what the author intends.
Themistocles - Plutarch: Born half-Athenian, Themistocles clawed his way up the social ladder in Athens for the sake of his own ambition. He shines in the Persian War. Later the Athenians banish him for his pompous exploits. So where does he go - to Persian king Xerxes, of course, the same person he defeated years earlier he now comes to as a vehicle to more self-aggrandizing. Xerxes doesn't disappoint and gives Themistocles cities and luxuries for life. Later he's called on to fight against the Athenians, but he doesn't. A renewed sense of patriotism maybe? Hardly. He kills himself rather than "sullying the glory of his former actions, and of his many victories and trophies." Wow. The perfect meeting of selfish ambition and military history. It's rather reminiscent of Adam Smith in that despite the evils of his ambition, they work out to the collective good. I'd call that "common grace".
The Republic of Plato, Book VI: What do these ideal leaders look like? They're philosopher-kings. But few have the requisite personalities and character, and there are many deterrents to forming the latter. The highest knowledge is the knowledge of the good. Its essence 1) imparts truth to the thing known; 2) power of knowing to the knower. It is the cause of all areas of learning, yet above them. This book seemed the least "tight" so far, and it was harder for me to follow the flow of thought. He reaaaaaally didn't like the Sophists. Maybe they're the essence of the evil?
Federalist Papers #48 - James Madison: Some measure of blending must exist between the three branches of federal government or their degree of separation can never be maintained. Must have some "practical security for each." In democracies and republics, the legislature is the most likely culprit for overstepping their bounds. This is seen in the (then current) states of Pennsylvania and Virginia. Doesn't elaborate on exactly how the blending solves the problem (i.e. what is "good" blending and what is "bad" blending). That would be a longer piece, it seems. Maybe that's coming.
Mathematics in Life and Thought - Andrew Russell Forsyth: Wants to point out some uses of mathematics in "daily discussion and daily life." Gives examples of disproving rumors, then more examples of how math has contributed to science (mostly physics, and especially Newton). Two lessons: 1) these examples aren't the only ones; 2) math doesn't need to be practical to justify itself; pursuing it for its own sake gives "unending satisfaction." This last part is what really needed elaboration, though it was only a sentence or so with a few examples. Is this goal of "unending satisfaction" the same as "math for its own sake", or even "art for its own sake", etc.? Is there another way we can understand what "it's own sake" is than our satisfaction?
The Process of Thought, Ch. IX - John Dewey: Ideas are "midway between assured understanding and mental confusion." Ideas must work on problems to be genuine ideas, though. An idea normally terminates in understanding when brought into the larger context of the problem and related to other ideas. He outlines the process of children's acquisition of knowledge for the first time. The idea must be "useful" (it does work in solving life's daily(?) problems), that's why it's surviving (read natural selection). A problem is that habitual uses of ideas become "so intimately read into the character of things that it is practically impossible to shut them out at will." This is why schools need good practical projects so kids can see the usefulness of ideas. We can see Dewey's pragmatism coming through now. What is a real "problem" for an idea to work on after all? Depending on the answer to that, you can magically rule entire areas of life as not even constituting domains of knowledge.
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