History of Humanity: recommendations

Here be details (& controversies):

A History of Civilizations, Fernand Braudel
Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond
Plagues and Peoples, William McNeill
Freedom, Orlando Patterson
Catching Fire, Richard Wrangham

Reply to 180 Proof Nice. Thanks for taking the time. :up:

No matter how much you search or read, not even in 100 lifetimes you will get "a really comprehensive history of humanity, from its earliest beginnings to modernity... with a lot more detail and depth" but, taken as a whole, that's a project worthwhile to undertake during the time you have on this planet. If you read everything, from Chinese classical poetry to tweets and anything in between, and you do it in the proper way, (thinking as best as possible every time) you will then have the book you are searching for.

Quoting Rafaelsanchez53

No matter how much you search or read, not even in 100 lifetimes you will get "a really comprehensive history of humanity, from its earliest beginnings to modernity... with a lot more detail and depth" but, taken as a whole, that's a project worthwhile to undertake during the time you have on this planet. If you read everything, from Chinese classical poetry to tweets and anything in between, and you do it in the proper way, (thinking as best as possible every time) you will then have the book you are searching for

You like to play 'devil's advocate,' don't you? It's a tendency I used to be much dominated by myself. I think it arises out a legitimate aspiration to critical-dialectical thinking. But after many years, I found that, as much as it hones the critical faculty, it is also a real impediment to constructive discourse. I think that "Rogerian argument" is the evolution of the 'uncompromising dialectic.'

You can ponder about my intentions as much as you want but it just draw my attention such a high expectation from a book, "a really comprehensive history of humanity... with a lot more detail and depth" is (or could become) a lifelong aspiration, not something to digest in a few hours.

"Distructive" discurse, if it is done properly, may be as fruitful and rewarding as the other one. It cleans the land and you can start to build something without impediments if that's what you want. I think it is better not to do it and spend that energy trying to survive the cold winds but I have nothing to say (more precisely, no energy to spend) against those who feel that they need a house no matter what

Quoting Rafaelsanchez53

You can ponder about my intentions as much as you want but it just draw my attention such a high expectation from a book, "a really comprehensive history of humanity... with a lot more detail and depth" is (or could become) a lifelong aspiration, not something to digest in a few hours.

Actually you assumed that I was seeking some kind of shortcut. Quite the contrary, I am engaged in precisely the dedicated lifelong encyclopediac undertaking that you described. My 2020 reading list is in the Currently Reading thread here.

No assumption here, a book by itself can never hold such amount of content and is really a shortcut. What I in fact supposed is that you are already a pantagruel of books and so, you are on your way to do what I mentioned but I still wrote the post because that's one of the things that people do when they are bored during the weekend.

Quoting Rafaelsanchez53

I still wrote the post because that's one of the things that people do when they are bored during the weekend.

Yes, some do :)

Reply to Pantagruel Andre Leroi-Gourhan's Gesture and Speech. I cannot, cannot, cannot recommended this enough.

Quoting StreetlightX

?Pantagruel Andre Leroi-Gourhan's Gesture and Speech. I cannot, cannot, cannot recommended this enough.

Ah, MIT Press, always a winner.

Doesn't look like it is available to buy, checking the InterLibrary Loan system...

Thanks!!

Reply to Pantagruel Wow, I just took a quick look, I didn't realize how hard this is to find. There's a 2nd hand copy selling here for USD$250, but that's kind of ridic. If you want, I can shoot you a pdf copy.

Reply to StreetlightX Appreciate that, I was able to find the PDF.

I'm pretty committed to my books. I just bought a used copy of Sydney Hooks' Metaphysics of Pragmatism that cost me $45 with shipping, and it's not a big book. The Popper I bought last year were about $60 each.

Reply to Pantagruel Shipping to Australia means that books regularly cost me that much :cry: Like, if I can get a book