My favorite creations by other people.
Besides justifying the transfer of wealth to kleptocrats, institutionalized religion brings two other important benefits to centralized societies. First, shared ideology or religion helps solve the problem of how unrelated individuals are to live together without killing each other—by providing them with a bond not based on kinship. Second, it gives people a motive, other than genetic self-interest, for sacrificing their lives on behalf of others.
- Jared Diamond - Invention
- Jared Diamond - Technology
- Jared Diamond - Differences
- Jared Diamond - Simplicity
- Konrad Lorenz - Aggression
- Dogen Zenji - Realization
- Dogen Zenji - Painting
- Dogen Zenji - Life
- Dogen Zenji - Enlightenment
- Bodhidharma - Awareness
- Bodhidharma - Truth
- Bodhidharma - Worship
- Dajian Huineng - Truth
- Hakuin Ekaku - Hands
- Hakuin Ekaku - Compassion
- Hakuin Ekaku - Meditation
- Hakuin Ekaku - Doubt
- Konrad Lorenz - Freedom
- Konrad Lorenz - Killing
- Singer Sargent - Observations
- Singer Sargent - Portraits
- Gregory Bateson - Technology
- Gregory Bateson - Patterns
- Gregory Bateson - Environment
Quotes × 189
Featured Quotations
From the early teenage years, I educated myself by writing down my favorite passages from the books I read. I lost my records during migrations, and this is my attempt to keep some of the sayings. I include here my favorite poems, lyrics, as well as koans, proverbs, and longer prose excerpts.
Reading × 9
I list here books I read, nowadays primarily e-books and audio-books.
Literature for me is an art form, writing that has both artistic and intellectual value. Literary fiction, mostly classic, I read overwhelmingly in the first part of my life - poetry and prose. Non-fiction is what I prefer now.
Songs × 23
Lyrics for the songs I often sing, to myself.
