r/kingsnottrash • u/Daxior89 • Apr 16 '20
Question Question about Political philosophy books and political books in general.
I recently bought some political/philosophy books that i have been planning to read for a while now.
Here is my current list of books:
Industrial society and its future by Ted Kaczynski
The ego and its own by Max Stirner
revolt against the modern world by Julius Evola
These books may be pretty boring but i am already determined to read them and understand them
Do you have any other good political books? They dont have to be right wing, i like to read about the political views i may not agree with but i want to understand everything better. Any reccomendations?
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u/thiskonghasfunnyface Apr 16 '20
The Abolition of Man by CS Lewis. He says clearly and concisely what “bigger” philosophers have been trying to say about nihilism and modernity for the last two centuries. I really can’t recommend it enough.
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u/Ollieca616 Apr 16 '20
It’s big, but a History Of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russel.
It’s long and will take a while, but takes you through from Ancient Greece to Roman and Catholic Philosophy to the Islamic Golden Age to the Enlightenment. It will change the way you think
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u/ufkunho_dnk Apr 16 '20
The Prince by Niccoló Macchiavelli (more about Human nature itself, but how it applies to Politics)
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Apr 16 '20 edited Apr 16 '20
Industrial Society and its Future honestly changed my life, but some others I've enjoyed include:
The Decline of the West by Oswald Spengler
Propaganda by Jacques Ellul
Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord
The Essence of Human Freedom by Martin Heidegger
The Concept of the Political by Carl Schmidt
For My Legionaries by Corneliu Codreanu
Archaeofuturism by Guillame Faye
Of the list I'd probably start with Codreanu, as the most accessible, and consider Heidegger the hardest to access.
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Apr 17 '20
I don’t think any book has changed the way I think about society the way Industrial Society and It’s Future has. For a social recluse Kaczynski understood human nature like no one else.
For My Legionaries was also very inspiring. To see someone give themselves to a cause, to God and to their countrymen in such a way. It is not recommended often enough.
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u/Aelfnir Apr 18 '20
in terms of political philosophy i'd recommend 'Why Liberalism Failed' by Patrick Deneen - basically breaks down why liberal systems are becoming increasingly shit; we're told that individuals should be able to do whatever they want yet government regulations are increasing exponentially. There's a lot more to it than that but it's good.
You can't really ignore The Prince by Machiavelli, a short book about pragmatic leadership in states that can be applied to other parts of life as well.
For politics books in general there are a few that focus on world politics (i'm studying Politics and International Relations at Uni so that's why there's a bit of a bias)
- Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall, basically why certain states have certain policies that are there because of their geography, regardless of the dominant ideology/social trends
- World Order by Henry Kissinger, you can criticize Kissinger quite a lot but his breakdown of what's going on in the world is pretty spot on, he focuses on different regions of the world and their view of what world order should look like and what that means for the world
- The Square and the Tower by Niall Ferguson is really good, it breaks down historical events as being influenced by networks, not just heirachys. It's easy to look back at history and say that this king did that or this general changed the world in this way but a lot of history's greatest moments have come about because of networks; he then explores the impact of computers and social media on our networks today and what that means for society and politics - I'd highly recommend any of his books
- The New Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan, a follow up on his incredible (and long) history of the world that breaks down recent events and how the world is experiencing a shift towards Asia and the Middle East that the West hasn't responded to. It's really interesting to see outside the Western bubble that the media often pushes and see how much other shit is going on that can massively affect us that we just don't hear or know about.
I hope you read some of these, for overviews that explain things and give you a better understanding of what's going on my top 3 would be:
Prisoners of Geography
World Order
Why Liberalism Failed
Enjoy!
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Apr 17 '20
Simulations by Baudrillard can get pretty into the metaphysics at some points but was a very interesting read.
Sun and Steel by Mishima is a good reminder of the important balance between art (the mind) and exercise (the body)
Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam was a good one for putting into perspective what has been lost and something to strive for (once you have an understanding of Social Capital you should then look into the E Pluribus Unum study that he did a few years after publishing the book)
And if you’re religious at all than I would recommend the Screwtape Letters. A lot of interesting insights on temptation told in a very unique manner. (Even if you’re not religious could be worth the read)
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u/D00GL Apr 17 '20
Propaganda by Edward Bernays is interesting. He is the guy that made everyone eat bacon and eggs for breakfast so a bacon company would make more money. Hearing about his stories and reading his books gives insight on how we are still being controlled.
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u/EddoB93 Apr 19 '20
Anything by Sir Roger Scruton. One of the greatest conservative thinkers of all time.
This documentary by him - about why beauty and traditional art are important - is one of the best things I’ve ever watched a great introduction to his thought.
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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '20
Ship of Fools by Tucker Carlson, he pulls no punches about who is driving America to ruin.