contemplativeThe Questions:
1. Thales is considered the first known philosopher. Which text introduced you to philosophy or which text would you like to read to get you into philosophy? 'The Myth Of Sisyphus and Other Essays' by Albert Camus
2. Karl Marx is a political philosopher, turning the world upside down with the Communist Manifesto. Which political event or event in history would you like to read more about in fiction? the radical Enlightenment 'A Wicked Company: The Forgotten Radicalism of the European Enlightenment' by Philipp Blom
3. Jean-Jacques Rousseau highly influenced The Enlightenment, a period which introduced critical thinking to the common people. Which book or author forced you to think more critically? 'How Should We Then Live? The Rise And Decline Of Western Thought And Culture' by Francis A. Schaeffer
4. Voltaire once said: " I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it" Which is a popular book everyone seems to love but you didn't? I assume you are asking what philosophy book everyone loved, but I hated. I do not know. Who reads philosophy today? We could ask what philosopher in human history have people loved, but I had no love for. I do not know. Maybe the philosopher Rene Descartes? Kant?
5. Hannah Arendt – Doomed controversial even by her friends, Hannah Arendt did not shy away from telling what she thought was true. Name a book that will leave readers uncomfortable, but tells an important story. 'Twilight of the Idols' by Friedrich Nietzsche or the book 'The Dust Of Death: The Sixties Counterculture and How It Changed America Forever' by Os Guinness
6. “You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.” A wonderful quote from Nietzsche out of "Thus spoke Zarathustra" Which book do you go back to for its beautiful writing? 'The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson' (I do not know if I would describe Emerson's writings as 'beautiful'.)
7. Jean-Paul Sartre raised the question "What is literature?" in one of his books? What is good literature for you? What is good literature for you? that is a huge question. I could write a book on what is good literature. What is 'good'? What makes literature good? Read this book 'From Dawn To Decadence 1500 To The Present: 500 Years of Western Culture Life' by Jacques Barzun or read a book titled 'Candor and Perversion: Literature, Education, and the Arts' by Roger Shattuck and also Shattuck's book 'Forbidden Knowledge: From Prometheus to Pornography'.
8. Albert Camus – Which book did you have to keep pushing through because you really wanted to understand it’s meaning? 'Nature's God: The Heretical Origins of the American Republic' by Matthew Stewart
9. Which are the three philosophers you would love to sit down and have a chat with? Jonathan Edwards, Ralph Waldo Emerson and William James
I tend to be drawn more to theologians than philosophers.