Book reviews, reflections, and occasional interviews related to various topics in psychology, philosophy, or literature. I host a weekly reading group that meets online on Saturdays at 12:00pm ET. I received a PhD in Psychology from the University of Toronto and have previously worked at the University of Vienna, Leiden University, and the University of Macau. In 2019, Springer published my book 'Experimental Psychology & Human Agency,' and I co-edited a follow-up book, 'Experimental Psychology: Ambitions & Possibilities,' which was published by Springer in 2022.
Пікірлер
Humor reflection is nice
Class culture too. Maugham repeatedly pumps from the rich, old and generational aristocracy
Soothing if you don’t read too much
A shallow intimacy compared to Dostoevsky.
Maugham has a comparatively small acceptance 😢
I've had a vague sense for a while that Derrida is not a mere charlatan. This is a helpful elucidation of why he isn't. I should read the Rorty article. Thanks for this summary and analysis
Thanks for your attention. The text I'm referring to by Rorty is part of a book titled 'Deconstruction and Pragmatism' with contributions from Mouffe, Critchley, Derrida, Laclau, and Rorty.
Thank you sir.. 😊
You’re most welcome
Great conversation. Thank you for this!
Glad you enjoyed it!
pg 29 🦋
I am surprised by a hesitation to recommend The Bee Sting. I loved reading it. One of the most satisfying books I’ve read in a couple years. I would recommend it to anyone capable of handling a long, engrossing book.
Love all of this. “No place for art, for beauty, it turns it into pornography.” (paraphrasing your words) ❤
Thanks a lot for watching and for your lovely comment :)
The idea of the atomization of time, its reduction to point instants, the cinematographic metaphor, comes from Bergson. The other event of 1927 was the awarding of the Nobel prize for Literature to Bergson. Proust was Bergson’s best man at his wedding to Louise Neuberger a cousin of Proust’s.
Thank you for adding this valuable note.
Supported and look forward to listening to the best😊
So much enjoyed watching you guys wrestle with this - I couldn’t get anywhere on my own… then speculated about the political (exile / solidaire), the post-colonial ( Louise / de Beauvoir) and the biblical (Louise, Jonah and the whale story). But I didn’t know enough context to do anything with it. Becoming curiouser and curiouser, I finally poked my nose under the internet tent… thanks for a good time guys - soldier on! 🫡
Thanks a lot, Dan! You noted some of the paths we didn’t take (the biblical Jonah definitely resonates with aspects of Camus’ story - isolation in the loft). Hope you’re having a good weekend.
Very good video, I just finished the book and was fascinated by it in spite of not being a philosopher. Thanks for this summary!
Thanks! Glad you liked it :)
Hey Davood. After watching some of your videos about Byung-Chul Han, your channel becomes one of my favorites on youtube. I also read the "Myth of Normal", and did not yet read the previous books by Maté. I especially like the fact that you added the last part about the "dangers" to your video. I strongly believe, the body is his greatest healer, and it can give you some valuable clues how to choose a better lifestyle. And that doesn't mean that I suggest to avoid medical doctors in all cases! Here's something interesing: I experimented long before I knew Maté with my own health condition after my doctor told me after 5 years of treatment of a so called auto-immune disease (dyshidrosis, cause: unknown) that he's clueless what to try next to get rid off the problem. My conclusion was: "If my doctor is clueless, we are both at the same level of knowledge. So, if he's just guessing I can do my own experiments, too." I took all kinds of little pieces of wisdom that I collected over the years about Gestalt, Buddhist psychology, TCM, Self-Hypnosis and some more and started "talking" compassionately with my symptom, asked solution and resource oriented questions (like a kind of self-'hallucinated' parts therapy). I welcomed it in a friendly manner and asked for some hint or intuition. The symptom disappeared within a few weeks, and I was symptom-free for the next decade until now. I believe the great change happened after I changed my ambition from wanting to get rid off the problem (the general orientation that my doctor used as well) to learning from it. My own layman's hypothesis is: as long as you try to get rid off a part of you, that part might feel insecure or stressed and it might display even worse behaviours or symptoms. While acceptance gives it a sense of security, which allows a cooperative relationship. I think that "parts" do not really exist, and it is just working unconsciously on a metaphoric level. But metaphors can work very well sometimes (props to Milton Erickson). In some way I also apply this way of thinking about society (homeless, drug-abuse, burnout etc. as a symptom of an underlying problem in the society, could possibly change if we as a society stop trying to exclude them, and instead apply an inclusive point of view). In my opinion one has to differentiate between a problem (which could possibly be solved) and a restriction (which should be integrated into the way of living). Neither a problem nor a restriction is your enemy, if you find out how to adjust. Regards from Germany.
another association comes up right now: Fritz B. Simon ("Einführung in die Systemtheorie des Konflikts") and Arist von Schlippe ("Das Karussell der Empörung") describe a conflict from their systemic point of view as a self-amplifying communication pattern that usually arises when one refuses (sais "no" to ) the "no" of the other... I am hallucinating again: what if the body sais "no" is being answered "no" (by the efforts of fixing the body). is that provoking a kind of "meta-illness" (chronification, amplification or something) that could emerge from this "conflict"? could we see an illness as a conflict?
Voparil gets it right. Rorty is a pragmatist -- he says what needs to be said to bring about what needs to be brought about
Love your overview. I would love to hear a discussion on why we think what Han says is true. Surely the idea of self improvement is not new, and is evident in religious practice - not forgetting everyone professed to have a religion at one point. If capitalism is the new religion, then this form of psychopolitics could be seen as merely a new shade of control, do you think? I'm sure I have missed an important distinction, but struggle to find it.
You raise a very good point - I will have to think more about this and will incorporate a response in my forthcoming video on The Expulsion of the Other. Ultimately, I think whether one chooses to think of a difference in terms of degrees vs. kinds (quantitative vs. qualitative shift) is based on how useful each one is. Han emphasizes differences in kind/quality, but we can always consider the alternative option. If we side with Han, it would be because we agree with his description that the neoliberal subject is no longer exploited from outside, but from within (auto-exploitation), though this could be linked to a series of other changes, many of which are best described in terms of degrees of change.
40:40 bookmark
Thank you,,شكرااا
You're very welcome
When important things go wrong in a person’s life, that person predictably and understandably becomes emotionally upset. This was a common-sense perspective until rational and cognitive therapy resuscitated an ancient Roman slave’s perspective which asserts (wrongly) that people are not upset by what happens to them! And that is precisely the problem. Epictetus was a slave in ancient Rome. Not only was he a slave, but his mother, before him, was also a slave; and he was born into slavery. Imagine how low his expectations of life would be - the slavish son of a slavish woman! And then he was released by his slave-owner, to preach Extreme Stoicism to the masses. - Dr Jim Byrne ,ex student of Albert ellis
thanks a lot was very helpful
My pleasure-Thanks for watching!
You are good at what you do sir
Thanks - I try
This is what interviews should be like. You're providing a great resource. Wonderful questions. Great accent.
Thanks! I’m glad you liked it
Your channel is criminally underrated and clearly disrespected by the algorithm. Thank you for your very thoughtful and high integrity work.
Thank you for saying that - that's very kind of you. I am quite happy with the audience I've had so far. For the channel to grow fast, it really does need a distinct and consistent "brand." And I feel like consistent branding goes against the spirit of my channel, which is explorative and intentionally irresponsible.
@@DavoodGozliAs long as you see it that way Davood, it’s fortunate for us… Thank you! 🥸
Thank you, Dan!
Duality comes about with the syntax of language. Sit in a room silently and you will experience no duality. The problem arises when one attempts to create a definitive formula for Truth. Without the concept of absolute truth there is no duality conflict.
Thank you very much for your thoughtful and thought-provoking comments! I don't always respond to all individual comments, but I do read and think about them.
Vico's theory justifies the "blurring of categories" in regards to the topics we call History, Literature, Science etc. If we follow Vico we begin to feel a common thread between these branches that is due to their all belonging to the same stage of the recorsi. Moreover, these "branches" of thought, though thought to belong to all time periods, are actually specific to each time period. Time periods are defined by the organization of the various organs of thought and activity that comprise the whole.
your channel will bring me back passionately to KZread
Davood, It may interest you that Northrop Frye discusses Plato, in relation to the "stages" of Vico's cycle, in his book The Great Code. Frye sees Plato as the beginning of the 2nd stage --the metonymic stage/age of heroes. Although The Great Code is ostensibly about The Bible it really focuses on the transformations of language and consciousness more than anything else.
Enjoyed your penetratingly cogent review! Sounds like a very worthy read. . . ☆
Thank you! :) hope you enjoy it
Having lived in China, I found Han's ideas to reflect what permeates everyday life there in work and interactions.
Fair enough. I also lived in China for 5 years and know what you mean. I just refuse to generalise. Because this kind of generality doesn’t allow us to see marginal cases, counter-examples, etc.
Thank you for your video on the great Salman Rushdie! I have devoted a section of my private library to the works of this wonderful writer, and your video helps to comprehend his work and enjoy his creative genius! Looking forward to many more of your videos that help readers add to their enjoyment of world literature!
I wish I had read more of Rushdie’s works. I would especially like to read “Joseph Anton” and the recent book, “Knife”. Do you have a favourite by him?
@@DavoodGozli I like Midnight’s Children and its use of magical realism. I’m starting to read “Knife” and love it so far!
Loved your explanation of Don Quixote. Your way of presenting a topic is food for the soul because it encourages a deeper reading of the masterpiece! As a side note: I taught online as well for close to two years! Five classes a day, and it definitely was exhausting and not at all comparable to live instruction in which there is a much needed human interaction! My students also refused to turn on their cameras, nor did they participate. You are right, the best we could do was to be a resource to those students who really take their education seriously! I look forward to viewing more of your videos! Your knowledge, presence, enthusiasm and expertise are most appreciated and valued deeply!
Thank you for your very kind comment!
3:00 Well, there's at least human nature to create culture. This is like saying there's no such thing as hydrogen. There's just water. Yes, there is, and one relies on the existence of the other. You can have a behavior without a culture. But you can't have a culture without the natural behavior to create that culture.
I loved all Murakami I’ve read when I was in uni. I believe I’ve read Norwegian Wood multiple times now. And then I went back to him this year and last year and found the two books (Singular and Wild Sheep Chase) to be underwhelming. This book in particular, I almost hate. There’s too much unnecessary setting descriptions. The narrator is uninterestingly apathetic, and the characters are not compelling. But I still bought Dance Dance Dance because they say it’s his best work. Let’s see.
I already read his book (( think )) it was wonderful.
Please make a video on sapiens book
Greetings to you, Mr. Gozli I started Haruki Murakami's work with his first work, Listen to the Song of the Wind. I saw the maturity of his work in the last chapters of the book in search of hunting wild sheep. I followed his catchy, complex and enigmatic text and magic in dance dance dance. that this book was actually the next part of Rat's trilogy. These four books are actually the four foundations of the rest of his works.
Thanks!
Depth is interesting, when we get there it’s shallow. Humility and longing, the food in Ratatouille was a blind test, or a double blind test of the critique. Knowing humility better perhaps is more like seeing the failed elder person, again having conversation alongside the younger hospital child, the bond begins, because the mind never gets old, this allowance is underused because of the stages in theory that have nothing to do with the age of the mind. Likely all we learned and stored in knowledge, is that to know where to find knowledge is more important than possessing it? The problem with watching a movie, is as infotainment, but to watch it as a critique, is the duration of seeing it as a director, an editor and the audience, to unravel the arc, the motives, the gesture towards humans, and the understanding of genius wrapped in an event of hundreds of people orchestrated, each adding an element of surprise. Really there are not too many movies to watch, there are things to watch of intrigue and study to notice change and how we change. To be obvious, ratatouille is not about a rat, and neither is it for children, it is child appropriate.
Fabulous read! ♡
Interesting review, I'll give this book a go. As for your criticism I think you put it well. Although as someone once wrote "if I want to go to Chicago I take the train that goes to Chicago. But when I get to Chicago I get off the train. I don't drag the train along with me - it has done its job." With that attitude in mind I think this book could be useful - a thorn to remove a thorn when it comes to an unconstructively negative perspective on humanity.
Thank you so much for converging and sharing your beautiful interpretation of Murakami's work; And precisely for those who want to understand this work, they should study two important works that form the foundation of all Murakami's subsequent works; One listens to the song of the wind and the other pinball. In this regard, I felt it necessary to point out a few points; The beginning of the story begins on the date of the suicide of Yukio Mishima, a Japanese traditionalist writer. November 25, 1970; The day of the sacrifice of God's lamb; Yukio Mishima. Christ of Japan I will not go into the details of his death because, like Christ, he suffered a lot until his death. I want to enter into one of the common points of some themes that the author mentions in most of his works, including time travel, which I want to analyze. In this book, Murakami several times imagines himself in the abyss of a well that he does not know where it ends and a feeling of fear and questioning emerges for him, which is precisely explained in his other work, Killing the Knight, when he is trapped in wormhole-shaped caves. It alludes to the journey of the narrator's little sister in Killing the Knight when she enters one of these caves. He is like one who is lost in the midst of countless worlds. Like the effect of a mirror in this book when a man sees a sheep in this. In other words, the author has mastered many principles of quantum physics and string theory, as well as reincarnation, but not in its popular sense; Rather, in the sense of progress in the direction of the evolution of people's roles in order to be perfected in the direction of Nirvana, he tries to give meaning to reality from the heart of metaphysics. Like the works of other authors such as Borges, Fuentes or Marquez. For this reason, in my opinion, suicide in Murakami's works, despite the fact that it is made bold, is forbidden, and in fact, suicide in Murakami's works is considered a valuable act, which is purposeful and helps the evolution, to get rid of evil, but not in all times, but it is a work aimed at finding the value of the nature of ethics, which can be seen as a re-emphasis on the importance of ethics in society, such as what Immanuel Kant was interested in, regardless of religion or any other school. . A girl's ear and listening power is actually cosmic intelligence; Intelligence that we won't need anymore when we get the chain of evolution. He appears for us as a single element to achieve peace and reach the truth in the path of evolution, and when we succeed in finding this chain of evolution; His duty is terminated. Today, Japan has fallen into an abyss of confusion due to its separation from thought (Zen), which expresses the supreme human truth, and cannot find a way out of this abyss. Another important point in Murakami's works is Murakami's view on sex. Although most critics of his works consider him anti-feminist, it should be noted that he criticizes life from an artistic point of view, even in sex, and somewhere in this book, for example, when he mentions: Not tonight! This is the importance he attaches to this point. Sex in Murakami's works is like painting and mixed with art, and he divides the pleasure between himself and his partner. I hope you accept my boldness in criticizing the work.
Thank you for your very interesting comment! I appreciate thinking about Murakami through different perspectives and your multi-layered interpretation of his writing sheds new light on the meaning of his work for me.
I really enjoyed the energy of this conversation. I love your questions Davood, and hearing about the process of writing this book. The process fascinates me, so this was a treat. Cadell - your distinction between trying to be 'blank and empty' as you study these thinkers vs. taking 'certain speculative liberties' when you are writing (and purposefully writing in your voice) reminds me in many ways of how I approach the theory of my therapy approach when I am outside of session (and engaging with different thinkers, theoretical resources, techniques) vs. how I am when I am in the room with a client. I hope you two have more conversations in the future.
Thank you for your comment! I'm glad the themes from our conversation found resonances with your thoughts and work. Cadell is a really engaging and insightful conversation partner.
Nice
❤
Despite your lukewarm reception of this book, my curiosity after watching was the push I needed to finally read something by Murakami and see what he's all about. I just finished reading this book and at risk of being too simplistic, I didn't really enjoy it but still have somewhat of an open mind about it. Maybe it's partly because I'm hyper-rational sometimes to a fault, so a work like this that's hard for to grasp analytically or make immediate sense of is inherently challenging for me. Despite having read fairly extensively in certain genres and styles, I'm not very well-versed in this type of literature and thus find it hard to even identify an entry point with which to relate to the novel and its characters. So it's possible that with a little time, I'll come to have a different view of it. At the same time, I don't think there is a lot here to help readers like me find an entry point. Sure, the descriptive writing in some scenes was enough to draw me in or paint a nice picture. But the narrator seems pretty accepting throughout the novel (except maybe at the very end?) that his life is one of mediocrity and that nothing around him makes all that much sense, that he is at best a pawn in a game played by greater powers... and the whole narrative cadence and tone of the novel reflected this, such that I felt very little driving force behind it, or even curiosity as to what would happen next. By the middle of the novel I had caught the narrator's attitude of, I don't know what's going on here or what it means and I don't even particularly care what happens next, but here I am and there are words on the page so let's proceed. Perhaps this is an achievement in itself for Murakami to have captured the character's apathy in this way, but it's not something I particularly care to partake in. Maybe some of this is what you allude to in your video when you say that Murakami and his characters recognize the problems in their world, but they simply accept those problems (even "accept" is too active of a word) and become complicit? For most of this book I felt that our narrator, and by extension I as a reader, was bumbling about in a state of apathy and mediocrity. Whether in doing so Murakami subtly romanticizes this aimless mode of existence, or critiques it, or both, I'm not sure.