Very interesting book, but the way it's written is kinda strange. Very long paragraphs, that wander around, make for exhausting reading.
The author new Bacon well, so talks about himself a lot, I wasn't really expecting that. Slightly less scandal than I'd hoped for.
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Robert Pickering wants to read It's Not You, It's Capitalism by Malaika Jabali
Review of 'The gilded gutter life of Francis Bacon' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Robert Pickering reviewed What We Owe the Future by William MacAskill
Review of 'What We Owe the Future' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
I think there are many details to be disagreed with in this book, but I'm sold on the over arching argument of the necessity to think the future carefully.
I'm new to the topic of longtermism and found it a sold introduction to the subject.
As other reviews have pointed out there are many flaws. Explanations can some times feel a bit rushed or that things are brushed over. Topics that you would have like to seen included are merely hinted at, while other topics that seem less important are more fully developed.
I found some of the conclusions disagreeable - particularly when talking about the lost ecosystems and biodiversity being an acceptable consequence of human expansion. (Although, to be fair, in these cases the arguments are well developed and the author is careful state that moral / ethical views of such arguments are far from being agreed.)
The last …
I think there are many details to be disagreed with in this book, but I'm sold on the over arching argument of the necessity to think the future carefully.
I'm new to the topic of longtermism and found it a sold introduction to the subject.
As other reviews have pointed out there are many flaws. Explanations can some times feel a bit rushed or that things are brushed over. Topics that you would have like to seen included are merely hinted at, while other topics that seem less important are more fully developed.
I found some of the conclusions disagreeable - particularly when talking about the lost ecosystems and biodiversity being an acceptable consequence of human expansion. (Although, to be fair, in these cases the arguments are well developed and the author is careful state that moral / ethical views of such arguments are far from being agreed.)
The last section "Taking Action" is less developed that I would have liked. It consists of just one chapter and feels more like an acknowledgement that there are a lot of things that one could do to help future generations.
Still despite it flaws, I think this book still deserves the five star rating I've given it. Any introductory text needs to make choices and that the reading isn't always going to agree with. There is much that I found thought provoking and many references to other texts for further reading, if you wish to dig deeper.
If you are someone that would like to improve the world for current and future generations and are looking for an introductory text, then I think this is a good place to start.
Robert Pickering rated Prisoners of Geography: 5 stars
Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
In the bestselling tradition of Why Nations Fail and The Revenge of Geography, an award-winning journalist uses ten maps of …
Robert Pickering reviewed Wavelength by Angus Morrison
Robert Pickering reviewed Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance
Robert Pickering rated Galileo's Finger: 5 stars
Robert Pickering rated Bad science: 5 stars
Bad science by Ben Goldacre
Full of spleen, this will be a hilarious, invigorating and informative journey through the world of Bad Science.When Dr Ben …
Robert Pickering rated Brave New World: 3 stars
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Originally published in 1932, this outstanding work of literature is more crucial and relevant today than ever before. Cloning, feel-good …
Robert Pickering rated Look to windward: 3 stars
Look to windward by Iain M. Banks
It was one of the less glorious incidents of a long-ago war.
It led to the destruction of two suns …
Robert Pickering rated Bad pharma: 5 stars
Bad pharma by Ben Goldacre
We like to imagine that medicine is based on evidence and the results of fair tests. In reality, those tests …
Robert Pickering rated Armadillo: 4 stars
Robert Pickering rated Wall and Piece: 4 stars
Robert Pickering rated God is not great: 5 stars
God is not great by Christopher Hitchens
"A case against religion and a description of the ways in which religion is man-made"--Provided by the publisher.