A very persuasive just-so story about violence and nonviolence in humans based on what we know of the evolutionary record. Wrangham thinks we should cA very persuasive just-so story about violence and nonviolence in humans based on what we know of the evolutionary record. Wrangham thinks we should consider two axes of violence: reactive violence (e.g. the sudden violent reaction to an offense) and proactive violence (planned, coordinated violence by a group). He believes that humans, since our descent from the common ancestor of humans, chimpanzees, and bonobos, have domesticated ourselves: becoming less reactively-violent than any of our cousin-species. But we did so in part by becoming more proactively violent, engaging in executions and assassinations of thugs and alpha-males who engaged in too much reactive violence. Our peculiar sense of morality and conscience, Wrangham suggests, is how we monitor ourselves to make sure we're not sticking out as a target for these proactively violent coalitions: it is in this way an individually-advantageous adaptation rather than some self-sacrificing drive....more
A strange one. It feels like a stage play: divided into two acts, heavy on dialog.
It has a villain: Many Murdoch novels have a mysterious, powerful, eA strange one. It feels like a stage play: divided into two acts, heavy on dialog.
It has a villain: Many Murdoch novels have a mysterious, powerful, enigmatic, central male character, around whom several more ordinary lives become unexpectedly disturbed. But this time, that character is more deliberately and cruelly provoking the disturbances. Though by the end, Murdoch cranks the ambiguity knob a bit and gives us a character that's a chimerical mixture of Being There's Chauncey Gardiner and Shakespeare's Richard III....more
Hitler somehow survives and awakens in Berlin after 70 years, perplexed but undaunted and relentlessly charging forward on his quest to advance the GeHitler somehow survives and awakens in Berlin after 70 years, perplexed but undaunted and relentlessly charging forward on his quest to advance the German volk.
Everybody else thinks he's a dry satirist who refuses to break character. Hilarity ensues.
It's an interesting idea for a gag, I thought, but I was skeptical it would hold up at book-length. But it does. It's witty throughout.
The book was published in Germany in 2012, and some of the gags refer to politicians or pop culture figures of that time and place, and so they went over my head. But even so, I thought the book was sharp and clever and interesting. Everything is told from Hitler's first-person point of view, interspersed with his very Hitlerian opinions and observations on decadent modern society. Meanwhile, that society, used to seeing everything in terms of lulz and irony, cannot recognize Hitler even as he forthrightly and unflinchingly declares himself.
I was hoping for a lot more meat on the bones. Instead most of the letters are pretty spare and superficial. Useful I suppose for biographers trying tI was hoping for a lot more meat on the bones. Instead most of the letters are pretty spare and superficial. Useful I suppose for biographers trying to piece things together, and okay I guess for people who want to voyeuristically peer over Murdoch's shoulder as she juggles her love affairs, but also lots of trivial stuff like this letter from 1964:
My dear, just to say I'll hope to see you this Wednesday Oct 21 - drinks at Harcourt Terrace circa 6.30 - where I've asked one or two people (no one very novel, I'm afraid) - and will hope to dine with you afterwards. (Should get rid of the drinkers by 8 or so.) Don't worry if you don't feel like coming - I'll suggest other times. But much hope see you - then or very soon. Hope all's well with you - with much love, Iris.
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