The Bells of Old Tokyo
The Bells of Old Tokyo is a beautiful journey across time and space. Anna Sherman does such a good job of transporting the reader across history and present that I found it meditative.
The Bells of Old Tokyo is a beautiful journey across time and space. Anna Sherman does such a good job of transporting the reader across history and present that I found it meditative.
Blueprint is one of those mind-opening books – in this case, about how our genes affect not only our bodies and behaviours, but also the ways in which we make and shape societies. Our social suite – identities, love for others, friendships, co-operation etc – is an expression of our genes outside of our bodies, and it affects other people. And therefore, evolution is now worked on by both genes and culture. A great insight that has repercussions on the future of our species. Fascinating read.
One of the best books I read in 2021. Though I bought it for the two keywords in the title, it went far beyond that. There’s travelogue, technology, culture and community, future and sometimes even a bit of contemplative philosophy, and together, it provides fantastic perspective and insights into rural China.
Even the best of liberal democracies have not been able to solve for “identities”. Fukuyama does a great job of tracing the evolution of identity in the first part of the book, but fumbles a little bit by restricting himself to a single perspective when analysing contemporary identity politics in the second half.
The core tents of Stoicism are hugely relevant in today’s world, and the lives of the 26 Stoics offer the best lessons to imbibe the philosophy. The narrative is quite accessible and is a great start to understanding the philosophy.