5 Bites Friday #96: Jobs' intensity and genius; Great-Books courses; Spinoza's philosophy as a guide to life
Welcome to 5BF
1 – what I read
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson – writing the biography of
someone famously and ubiquitously known as ‘successful or a genius’, which Jobs
himself requested to be written, Isaacson takes us into the volatile and
riveting life of the founder of Apple, now a trillion-dollar company. Given his
strengths, ‘an epic sense of possibility, his ability to distort the reality, the
intensity in his drive to make things happen’, Isaacson also unveils to us Jobs’
weaknesses that resulted from his strengths: a mostly awful parent, a person of
vanity, short-tempered and self-centered, and so on. A balanced, insightful,
well portioned (given its thick size), and an all-around complete book.
2 – this week’s articles
Why great books still speak for themselves @aeon – the author
of this article Roosevelt Montas, himself a teacher of Great-Books courses, champions
his case for why the great books of western literature still hold a key place
in our society and why it should be taught to all, under ‘liberal education’.
What’s so great about Great-Books courses @nytimes – this article
contradicts the previous, arguing that just because someone read popular books
doesn’t necessarily approve that they’re the best humans. Technical and
scientific courses are just as important, even more so since they contribute to
the existing world rather than talk about the worlds of the past.
Yes, great books do make us better people @nytimes – summing
up the debate, this article explore both these authors and their viewpoints and
concludes that, at the end of the day, the deservedly great books of literature
do help people become better more aware humans.
Great books every thoughtful person should read @newyorker –
finally, a list of books from the great-books courses, compiled by a course teacher,
for every ‘thoughtful’ person to read. It is great list, objectively great; distant
from the buzz of contemporary books and popular reads.
3 – what I watched
A Bug’s Life (1998) – an early Pixar movie about the life of
bugs, where a colony of ants try to fight off an army of grasshopper who steal
their food, with the help of circus group consisting of various other bugs. Fun,
sweet, and carrying good life lessons.
Steve Jobs (2015) – Danny Boyle direction of this movie,
inspired by Isaacson’s book, does every bit of justice to the book that a movie
can. Based on three distinct launch events in Jobs’ life, Boyle masterfully
conveys the whole of Jobs through them. Riveting, stark, and thrilling.
Nightmare Alley (2021) – a best picture Oscar nominated
movie about a man who after committing a guilty act finds himself among a group
of carnival actors, and learn to become a materialist (a mind-reader) himself. Yet
soon after, his greedy, ambitious, and self-centered personality gets the best
of him. An atmospheric, gripping movie, with thrilling turns and a resounding
ending.
4 – Spinoza: a full guide to life
‘… to understand is to be free’ said Spinoza, and in thisvideo on ‘Then and Now’ philosophy channel on YouTube, his whole philosophy and
his most popular work ‘Ethics’ is dissected and studied, unfolding what Spinoza
really meant by this line.
5 – this week’s quote
‘Unpleasure is a man’s passing from a higher perfection to a
lower’.
Baruch Spinoza