I'm a Northern Sami guy living in Norway. M. Sc. in Applied Physics and Mathematics at NTNU. I am particularly interested in Stoicism and greco-roman philosophy in general.
You can also find me on Mastodon
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10% complete! Jullan has read 1 of 10 books.
Do you believe you think independently? Do you alone control your actions? Stoic philosophy asserts that your mind, thoughts, and …
I bought this book at half price. Looks short but sweet.
How new is atheism? Although adherents and opponents alike today present it as an invention …
Bought this today. Looks very interesting given my previous dives into Stoic and Epicurean views on providence (or the lack of it).
Edvard Masoni vart fødd i husmannsgrenda Rasta i Rana på Helgeland i 1870. Han voks opp i djup fattigdom og …
Timeless advice about how to use humor to win over any audience
Can jokes win …
I liked this one. It includes translations of segments from Cicero's work "On the Ideal Orator" and Quintilian's "The Education of the Orator". The overall theme is the question of whether humor be taught or is it a skill one is born with. Both texts strive at great lengths to categorize jokes and helpfully provide examples with them.
An excellent quality of this work, as if often the case with Cicero's works, is the sheer amount of examples provided. There is an unfortunate overlap of themes and jokes in between Cicero's and Quintilian's texts, where the latter often references the former. But I feel like Quintilian goes more in depth into the discussion of the topics than Cicero, even if Cicero does have a good structure in his text.
In regards to the translation Michael Fontaine, the translator/annotator, put it best: "Styles of translation vary. Some are literal, others go …
I liked this one. It includes translations of segments from Cicero's work "On the Ideal Orator" and Quintilian's "The Education of the Orator". The overall theme is the question of whether humor be taught or is it a skill one is born with. Both texts strive at great lengths to categorize jokes and helpfully provide examples with them.
An excellent quality of this work, as if often the case with Cicero's works, is the sheer amount of examples provided. There is an unfortunate overlap of themes and jokes in between Cicero's and Quintilian's texts, where the latter often references the former. But I feel like Quintilian goes more in depth into the discussion of the topics than Cicero, even if Cicero does have a good structure in his text.
In regards to the translation Michael Fontaine, the translator/annotator, put it best: "Styles of translation vary. Some are literal, others go for the gist. This one goes for the jest." And he did a good job, even if some jokes often do tend to fall short due to the subtle linguistic properties lost in the translation.
Timeless advice about how to use humor to win over any audience
Can jokes win …
Good read, many good jokes. Might be coming back for this later.
Timeless advice about how to use humor to win over any audience
Can jokes win …
I bought this after seeing the book review by @GregSadler@metalhead.club a few months back. I've always liked Cicero's work so I'm pretty intrigued by this one.
Selections from one of the greatest essayists of the Graeco-Roman world
Plutarch used an encyclopedic …
Great assortment of moral essays by Plutarch, translated by Robin Waterfield. Introductions were done by Ian Kidd. Didn't read every essay, but I'll say I'm finished with this one for now. I'll leave a list of the essays in question here for the sake of bookkeeping: - On Listening - How to Distinguish a Flatterer from a Friend - On Being Aware of Moral Progress - Whether Military or Intellectual Exploits Have Brought Athens More Fame (unread) - On the Avoidance of Anger - On Contentment - On God's Slowness to Punish (unread) - On Socrates' Personal Deity (unread) - In Consolation to his Wife - On the use of Reason by 'Irrational' Animals (unread)
Vinteren og våren 2009 bestemte Kristopher Schau seg for å gå i kommunale begravelser i …
A short little book where the author colorfully and candidly depicts how it is like to attend funerals where no one, except the funeral arrangers, would show up. I liked it.
Contrary to the claims of the American Jewish establishment and the Israel lobby, Jews do not speak with one voice …
This was warmly recommended by someone from the Norwegian psychology organization. He had an intriguing and inspiring talk about optimizing the green shift from a psychological perspective. Made a lasting impression in me.
Selections from one of the greatest essayists of the Graeco-Roman world
Plutarch used an encyclopedic …
Since both the benefits and the dangers inherent in listening are equally great for young people, I am of the opinion that listening ought to be a constant topic of discussion in one's own mind and with other people. This is especially so because it is noticeable that most people go about the matter in the wrong way: they practise speaking before they have got used to listening, and they think that speaking takes study and care, but benefit will accrue from even a careless approach to listening. It may be the case that in ball games learning to throw and learning to catch the ball are simultaneous, but in dealing with speech proper receptivity is prior to delivery, just as conception and pregnancy precede the birth of viable offspring.
— Essays by Plutarch, Robin Waterfield, Ian Kidd (Penguin Classics) (Page 29)
One reason why I will always enjoy reading ancient hellenistic philosophy is realizing how remarkably relevant their discussions on moral subjects still are today. Our technology may have evolved much further since their time, but our human nature most certainly has not.
Epictetus was a crippled Greek slave of Phrygia during Nero’s reign (54–68 CE) who heard …
Wherefore, what was it that Agrippinus used to remark? "I am not standing in my own way." Word was brought him, "Your case is being tried in the Senate" - "Good luck betide! But it is the fifth hour now" (he was in the habit of taking his exercise and then a cold bath at that hour); "let us be off and take our exercise." After he had finished his exercise someone came and told him, "You have been condemned" - "To exile", says he, "or to death? - "To exile." - "What about my property?" - "It has not been confiscated." - "Well then, let us go to Aricia and take our lunch there." This is what it means to have rehearsed the lessons one ought to rehearse, to have set desire and aversion free from every hindrance and made them proof against chance. I must die. If forthwith, I die; and if a little later, I will take my lunch now, since the hour for lunch has come, and afterwards I will die at the appointed time. How? As becomes the man who is giving back that which was another's.
— Discourses, Books 1-2 by Epictetus, William Abbott Oldfather (Loeb Classical Library, #131) (Page 15)
I'm never ever going to let go of Epictetus' discourses from my bookshelf.
An detailed examination of what the best life might be for human beings. In order …
So many texts on ethics have pointed me to this one work by Aristotle. It's incredibly easy to find free ebooks for it online but I really want a physical copy of my own.
