And 5 Others That Didn’t Help
by Benajmin Wiker
A Book Review:
If you are a busy parent with oatmeal brain but would still like to learn about the string of various philosophies that have gotten us to where we are today in the world, this is the book for you. Dr. Wiker does an excellent job condensing down each book and then explaining the societal consequences of each. He gives context by recounting not only the biography of each author and their worldview but also by laying out the time in which they lived.
The books studied were:
- The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
- Discourse on Method by Rene Descartes
- Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
- Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality among Men by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- The Manifesto of the Communist Party by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
- Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill
- The Descent of Man by Charles Darwin
- Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche
- The State and Revolution by Vladimir Lenin
- The Pivot of Civilization by Margaret Sanger
- Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
- The Future of an Illusion by Sigmond Freud
- Coming of Age in Samoa by Margaret Mead
- Sexual Behavior in the Human Male by Alfred Kinsey
- The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
It was an excellent read. In fact, the final paragraph in the conclusion was one of the best recaps I’ve ever read on what ailed the 20th century (and continues to ail us today). Would definitely recommend.
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