Know Thy Enemy.... And Thy Friends.
Since our country is becoming ever more liberal and since there is the possibility that we could have a Marxist president next year, I have decided to brush up on my Communist knowledge by reading some of their more popular works in order to understand them better. However, I have felt convicted of late to stop merely studying people that I disagree with and to study what others on my side have to say. Thus, I have put together a list of books that I would like to read this winter.
On the good side:
Commentaries on the Laws of England
by William Blackstone
Philosophical Essays on Various Subjects
&
Logic: Or the Right Use of Reason in the Inquiry After Truth
by Isaac Watts
"Conciliation with the Colonies,"
A Vindication of Natural Society: A View of the Miseries and Evils Arising to Mankind,
A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful,
&
Reflections on the Revolution in France
by Edmund Burke
The Federalist Papers
The Anti-Federalist Papers
On the bad side:
The Communist Manifesto,
Das Kapital,
Grundrisse,
The German Ideology,
&
Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844,
By Karl Marx
Revolution at the Gates: A Selection of Writings from February to October 1917
by V. I. Lenin
On Contradiction,
On Protracted War,
&
On New Democracy
by Mao Tse-tung
History of the CPSU
A New Society: Reflections for Today's World,
Che Guevara, Cuba, and the Road to Socialism,
Che Guevara on Global Justice,
Che Guevara: Radical Writings on Guerrilla Warfare, Politics and Revolution,
Colonialism is Doomed,
Critical Notes on Political Economy: A Revolutionary Humanist Approach to Marxist Economics,
The Great Debate on Political Economy,
& (If I have any extra time)
The Motorcycle Diaries: A Journey Around South America
by Ernesto “Che” Guevara
All together, it is quite a heavy reading and I have no hope of getting all the way through it in one year. As you can see from my “good” list, I am one of the few modern Conservatives that is actually a Classical Conservative and not a Classical Liberal so there are few modern sources. I am posting this so that if any of you would happen to know any other good sources, please put them down for me. If any of you would know where I can find Calvin and Zwingli's thoughts on government, I would greatly appreciate it.
posted by Luke @ 11:17 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Looks like a grand list...should keep you busy for awhile. I think the only one of those that I've read is the "Communist Manifesto"; it's probably also the slimmest volume in the stack, too. Odd. :-P We have a few of the others you listed as well, I just haven't gotten to them yet.
Here's an idea (maybe a bad one, I don't know): either as you read these or when you're all finished, you could report which ones were worth your while, and which others, with the benefit of hindsight, you would have skipped. This would benefit lazy people like me, who love to read, but have always too little time in which to do so. (Only a suggestion, of course.)
I might ask my dad (who obviously knows everything) if he knows of any other good books on these topics. I'll let you know if I come up with any potential additions to your list. :-)
God willing that I get through the stack, I hope to write a brief description of what I have found. I suppose that I should include Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope" and Hilary's "It Takes a Village." I imagine that the Communist readings will probably get redundant after a while. Hopefully there will be just one or two books that will contain all the basic Liberal ideas.
Hi...I'm a friend of Tierney's, posting in my husband's name. (Just so you know who to blame for getting me to this site.)
Looks like a good list- I actually want to read some of those 'bad ones' as well. The Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers are good though. Very revealing as to where we are today. I've heard the ten points of communism (or is it socialism) given in some talk or other, and it was eye-opening. Shocking, but not really a surprise, if that makes sense.
Calvin has a chapter on civil government in 'Institutes of Biblical Law'. I don't know where you'd find stuff by Zwingli- I'd look for works by Heinrich Bullinger- he followed in Zwingli's footsteps, and did some writing, I think. The two of them looked more favorably on civil disobedience than Calvin did, if I recall correctly.
If you want foundational thought for American thought on government, "Lex Rex" (The Law is King) by Samuel Rutherford and "Vindicae Contra Tyrannos" (A defense of Liberty Against Tyrants) by Junius Brutus are good. (So I hear- they're just on my list, though, I haven't actually read them)
If you want 'good guy' economics, Thomas Sowell's 'Basic Economics' has proved excellent so far; if, however, you are already thoroughly brainwashed in favor of the free market, it may seem a bit redundant.
I hope some of that was helpful. Reading lists are helpful, as a goal, but I know mine tends to have three books added for every one I mark off.
People should read this.
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