Book Notes: "History of the Peloponnesian War" by Thucydides

History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This work is a proper classic, therefore it is difficult to "review" it. This is my first cover-to-cover reading and I must say that putting the "speeches of democracy" into context is helpful. I have read Pericles "Funeral Oration" so many times, but it takes on such an insignificant role in the long history of Thucydides' incomplete work. We are lucky to have such a document survive, yet I was surprised by the lack of studies in English of the text and its context. For such an important document, I assumed that the scholarly work would have been done to death. At times, the History reads like an adventure novel, and often I found myself turning pages eagerly to discover what happened next. Nowadays, I try to read classics cover-to-cover because I, like many, have never devoted proper time to do so, but the effort is most rewarding.

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Book Notes: "The Warrior Ethos" by Steven Pressfield

The Warrior Ethos by Steven Pressfield

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have a firm view that the only way to end war is for people to refuse to go war. It really is that simple. In the present, I often wonder whose nation is being secured through "national security". It tends to relate to a particular categorisation of humans that distinguishes one from the "other". I have firm views about global trade, institutional frameworks, and so on, that transcend the tribal. When reading this work, I could not help but think that the "ethos" discussed was Orientalist at its core. The sense of awe directed towards the Spartan way of life denies that the Spartans brought about their own demise, and indeed, ended the grandeur of Ancient Greece. The idea that dominant cultures are somehow "right" and everything and everyone else suffers while "to the victor go the spoils", denies Sun Tzu's realist understanding of conflict and its aftermath. The final section deals with inner wars, and I found this most useful. But I could not help but think that the ideas of courage put forth here are a significant portions of the Tsar's cake: "we rule you, we fool you, we shoot at you". That is not to say that a warrior ethos did not exist, but I think the simplicity of the warrior ethos today assumes a monocultural entity defending itself from an attacker. Such simple conceptions of morality are so far in the past that the notion of a warrior ethos, beyond the internal wars that individuals must fight each day, is, in effect, a shirking of one's responsibilities as a citizen of humanity. If this view is naive, then what is it to simply do one's duty unquestioningly? Hannah Arendt supplies many of the answers to such a question. Unfortunately, it is unlikely to be regarded as "courageous" for holding such individual principles. Until, of course, we are found wanting for not having stood up to tyranny. Pressfield mentions Jung's "collective consciousness" and other ideas that counter the romantic view of the warrior ethos, but I was disappointed that the connection between Ancient Greece and the present whitewashes a good deal of history. Pressfield mentions that such ideas are anachronistic, but this is mentioned in passing, and barely scratches the surface. Reading this has sparked more questions than answers and therein, I think, lies its value.

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Book Notes: "Turning Pro" by Steven Pressfield

Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life's Work by Steven Pressfield

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the third in Pressfield's "success manual" genre I have read. As with The War of Art and Do the Work, I have gained much from reading this book, in particular, ideas around space, time, practice, and working for the sake of the work. Pressfield says that turning pro means that your life becomes much simpler. This makes a good deal of sense. But I wonder if somebody younger reading this could bring themselves to their senses? I don't think I could have understood if I were younger. Pressfield appears to have been in his thirties when it started coming together. But that is what I like about this series and Pressfield's work. His is about the work. He is not a silver-tail who had mum and dad to support his little sojourns of self-exploration to allow his inner gifts to burst upon the world. He had to do the work. But if he did it, that means we can do it too. I suppose this is what he meant by the conclusion. I found it rather abrupt, like he had lost his train of thought. But of course, I will reserve my opinion on this until I have finished The Warrior Ethos. As an aside, I have been getting some good work done since finishing Do the Work, and, along with The War of Art, this set of three books has provided the kick in the pants I needed.

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