Tagged with a Meme - It's All about Books.

Publius at Res Publica has provided a post on his bibliophilic proclivities and has tagged me and four others to follow suit.

This is going to be somewhat tender subject because, well, I'm a "book-abuser". There are days when I wish I could turn to substance abuse because it would provide me with greater social outlets. Also, a simple cocaine problem would probably be a whole lot cheaper.

To the questions -

1. Total Number of Books I’ve Owned: Well, doing a quick mathematical calculation based on an estimate of books per shelf and number of shelves, I'd say somewhere between 600 to 1,000.

But, then, we have to take into account my hoard of "classic" science fiction paperbacks that are hermetically sealed in plastic storage bins, and the number probably doubles. And if we're talking about the total number of books I've owned over a lifetime, fuggedaboutit; I don't even want to think about that number.

It would seem that I've got a "book dependence issue."

2. Last Book I Bought: Well, I purchased two books at my last visit to the pusher, aka Barnes & Noble: Brimstone and Star Wars and Philosophy.

Brimstone seems to be some kind of horror/supernatural/police procedural. It features cliches characters and wooden writing, but, I'm sad to say, I'm sort of enjoying it.

Star Wars and Philosophy invites academic philosophers to consider the Star Wars universe from a philosophical perspective. It's actually rocking good fun. The last essay I read considered Darth Vaders' relationship with the Emperor from the perspective of Hegelian master/slave dialectics. What a hoot!

Strangely, none of this is able to provide a decent "pick up line" that might work in a bar.

3. Last Book I read: Justice John T. Noonan's "A Church that Can and Cannot Change" is an absolute gem. It has everything you might want in a book - obscure Catholic theology, obscure history and a discussion of doctrinal evolution. Actually, it is a pretty important book and should be read by anyone who doesn't understand in their marrow that the "past is a different country."

4. Five Books That Mean Alot to Me:

1. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. I read this book for the first time when I was 12 years old and haven't changed my political philosophy ever since. (Except, obviously, for the part about polyandry and line marriages.)

2. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. Same thing as The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, I read it in 6th or 7th grade and it's kind of shaped my views on religion ever since. Also, wasn't Jubal Harshaw just a great character? Perhaps it's the books that we read in our youth that have the most effect on us.

3. St. Augustine's Confessions. I've read the Confessions three times over the last 15 years, and listened to this terrific Teaching Company lecture series on the work. I find that as I grow older, I get a different and more satisfying understanding of the text.

4. Aristotle's The Nichomachean Ethics by way of this excellent Teaching Company lecture series in the subject by Father Joseph Koterski S.J. After finally being introduced to Aristotle a few years ago, I have come to regret the way in which the modern educational system has discounted the clear and common sense writings of this seminal philosopher. I now wish that I had been introduced to Aristotle in college or high school.

5. Plato's The Gorgias. Again, I spent most of my life discounting the relevance of Plato, and, to be honest, placing myself on the side of the Athenian democracy that fed Socrates the hemlock. A few years ago, though, I finally started reading Plato's dialogue, and you know what? He's a great read! The Gorgias in particular contains both very funny and very profound insights about very modern issues. In fact, I found myself chuckling at certain exchanges between Socrates and his interlocutors. The issue that The Gorgias addresses is stunningly central to many modern debates, namely, is pleasure the real meaning of human life?

5. Tag 5 people and have them do this on their blog. I think I want to mix it up between the secularists and the theists, so, if they're willing to play, I'd tag Ith (and see if she can out-nerd me on science fiction), Rick at Unspun (to see how many basic works by Karl Marx will show up (For heaven's sake, I'm joking)), Mr. Sulik (for the culture that the High Church tradition can bring), Mark Byron (because I suspect his reading list is going to go in a different direction), and the erudite Lane Core.