- Joined
- Apr 14, 2006
- Messages
- 23,201
The recent political threads on the board have convinced me that we need to understand each other better. I, for one, often feel like I am talking past other people because I don't have the knowledge to place their views in context. It occurred to me that we might all be well served if we listed those books that each of us feel has either contributed in a meaningful way to the development of our own political philosophy, or even just those books that we feel might help explain the way we view the world. I can guess some of them. For example, I would guess most libertarians would list Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged , but I'm sure there are many more books libertarians would list that are foreign to me. Reading a few of these books might make me more aware of their point of view and facilitate a deeper and more meaningful dialogue. I think it would be helpful to first describe your political philosophy and then your book list -- fiction, non-fiction, plays, essays and speeches, whatever is important. I'll start:
My political philosophy wavers between social democrat and democratic socialist. Some would call me Liberal. I prefer Progressive. I accept the need for a capitalist economic system but prefer strong social/governmental controls to ameliorate the resulting inequalities.
My book list:
The Bible, particularly the Gospels
1984 by George Orwell
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Nickel & Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
A Theory of Justice by John Rawls
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Jesus Rode a Donkey by Linda Seger
Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Plato's Republic
A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt
And I'm sure I have forgotten many more.
I look forward to seeing your list.
Gumby
My political philosophy wavers between social democrat and democratic socialist. Some would call me Liberal. I prefer Progressive. I accept the need for a capitalist economic system but prefer strong social/governmental controls to ameliorate the resulting inequalities.
My book list:
The Bible, particularly the Gospels
1984 by George Orwell
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Nickel & Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
A Theory of Justice by John Rawls
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Jesus Rode a Donkey by Linda Seger
Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Plato's Republic
A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt
And I'm sure I have forgotten many more.
I look forward to seeing your list.
Gumby