Jan Bird

A Book Written by a Leftist for Leftists

Revisado: 11-04-19

BLUF: Pinker writes a great, well-researched, book that will wow and relax leftists, irritate and perplex those on the right, and makes a sometimes fascinating and sometimes baffling case study into the mind of a leftist for those outside of the right-left spectrum. Pinker tells the left they are correct in their morals (without any proof for such assertions) and reassures them that the world is getting better and closer to their morals the whole time. Highly recommended for those on the left. Those on the right and outside the right-left spectrum should only bother if it is on a good sale and the reader has a curiosity to learn how an academic leftist thinks.

For Leftists: Get this book and listen to it to the end. You will feel a proud vindication of all your efforts and beliefs. Pinker makes a vigorous assertion of all your morals and feels no need to make a case for them. Pinker reassures you that though all these rubes on the right and these exploitative nincompoops who disagree with all your supremely true morals still exist, they are driven by low brow primitive psychologies reminiscent of a less enlightened era and that despite their best efforts you and your comrades are succeeding in making the world a better place for everyone.

For those on the Right: Get this book on a good sale if you're interested in hearing what a preacher on the left sounds like. His points may sound very familiar as he often lifts radical Marxist theory whole cloth out of the 60s with no interest in how often it has been debunked as the crazed ramblings of the ideologically driven. You must have a thick skin to make it through some of the chapters where the author takes glee in a childish Dawkinsian reading of Abrahamic holy books and simple gotcha understanding of the same. If you only have a few hours to spare, listen to the first few chapters. When he starts talking about "human rights" you can go back to better listening as from there on out the book is simple backpatting and self-satisfied self-pleasuring among leftists.

For those outside the right-left spectrum: Pick this book up on a good sale if you're interested in diving into the mind of an honest leftist complete with starry-eyed utopian fantasies. Pinker is a rich leftist who has been in academia his entire life and it shows. He now considers himself moderate because he now resides just shy of Bernie Sanders and no longer follows the radical Anarcho-Communist Bakunin. While he doesn't engage in the worst strawmanning one has seen, he's not far off. He takes glee in strawmanning Abrahamic religion, this becomes fascinating when he starts speaking like a devout preacher but pontificating the secular humanist morality. Just as an Abrahamic preacher he feels no need to, and doesn't bother with, support of these morals, he just states them as gospel. This becomes fascinating when he quotes entire paragraphs of the radical feminist Andrea Dworkin without any investigation nor any hint of criticality. Although Dworkin has been debunked many times, Pinker even accidentally does so in the same book, he quotes her without irony. It's fascinating to watch such an ardent atheist display all the worst habits of the religious unironically. Pinker has never studied economics and it shows. He puts forward economic truisms from the left that have been debunked by leftist economists. However, these are not the devious machinations of the malicious, Pinker is merely a true believer in his morality, a strict adherent to the morality of the left and, in writing for other people who hold the same beliefs, feels no need to justify them, like a religious preacher preaching to a devout congregation. The best part of the book is in the first few chapters, it quickly goes downhill starting in the human rights chapter.

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Great Lectures about a Misunderstood Philosopher

Revisado: 10-13-19

To state the obvious up front: this is a compilation of lectures. The two lecturers work well together, passing off to add clarity and detail to each other's work. They are clearly knowledgeable about the topic, both published academic authors on the subject.

The content does a good job of teaching about a philosopher who is often grossly misunderstood and frequently slandered. An entire lecture is dedicated to debunking these salacious myths about the philosopher and it does so well.

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A Book Sorely Needed in Modern Politics

Revisado: 10-13-19

The book itself starts out with a premise that's true but seems to be all but lost in today's chaotic political environment: That reasonable people may differ on political policy. The author goes about explaining why this is true and how we can understand someone who disagrees with us politically as someone reasonable. It's all about values and morals, explaining that reasonable people may have different values than each other and therefore may reasonably disagree.

A quibble I would assert is that the author does not know economics or economic history very well. This seems irrelevant except that it leads the author to disregard some ideas and to assert debunked economic fallacies as facts without evidence.

Overall, strongly recommend this book. Perhaps if more people read it we could return to reasonable disagreement and debate rather than violence in the streets.

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Extensively Researched and Fair

Revisado: 09-30-19

First, to get it out of the way, the author lays their bias out on the table, making no pretense to absolute objectivity. With that out of the way, the book is based on dozens of interviews with Hollywood insiders. The author doesn't make pretenses that they're just following evidence but that they had a thesis and found evidence to support it. The author, despite their political leanings, doesn't descend into petty mud-slinging about television being garbage or immoral while saying they disagree with this morality or that. The author is well-acquainted with the subject matter and makes points with evidence rather than flat moral appeals.

Recommended if you'd like to hear from Hollywood insiders about political bias in the industry.

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Great book that holds up but shows its age

Revisado: 07-08-19

First off, this book was originally written in the 1970s, there's nothing wrong with this fact but keep it in mind when considering and/or listening to it.

With the aforementioned in mind, the points and analysis still hold up very well, mostly. Statements about various -isms of discrimination, that I assume were very progressive and libertarian at the time, don't hold up well at all in an era where these statements are more often used as clubs by the new authoritarians to keep those who disagree with politically correct ideology in line. For example, Dr. Block casually asserts widespread discrimination against African-Americans without any supporting data or analysis. This might've been true at the time, but times have changed. Since the time the book was written, prestigious economists, such as Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell, have blown this myth wide open.

The book indulges in a bit of hyperbole in places that one can tell is likely out of a sense of cheek and eagerness to tweak the noses of the politically correct. The biggest example of this is Dr. Block terming those he defends in this book as "heroes". In some cases this is merited, such as when describing how gypsy cab drivers who risk fines and other penalties for providing a service where government has picked some favorites and allowed those favorites free reign as long as they get a cut of the profits. However, this becomes hyperbolic in some chapters such as when describing blackmailers. Dr. Block lays out a good case as to why blackmail shouldn't be illegal but doesn't make any attempt to support the title of hero for this book.

All in all, a great read especially if you're looking for a no BS reconsideration of some of those whom society has benighted but the age the book was written in should be considered.

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Essential Austrian Economics

Revisado: 03-29-19

Great studying point for reading Austrian economics. This book is considered one of the 4 key texts of Austrian Economics and you can see why. It's well-written and easy to understand. Little knowledge of economics is necessary before setting out, most is explained as it goes along, just watch a video on basic supply and demand before you start. There's very little, if any, math in the book. Quite a contrast to other economics books and quite on purpose.

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Rothbard Abolishes History Class Deceptions

Revisado: 11-18-18

Rothbard, as detailed as ever clearly lays out how everything you learned in history class about the progressives about the late 19th and early 20th century was a deception. Every single chapter will shock you.

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