Bertrand Russell was a British philosopher, mathematician, and political activist who lived from 1872-1970. His magnum opus is generally considered to be the Principia Mathematica which is a three-volume work establishing the foundations of mathematics using logical axioms and symbolic logic. Russell then proceeded to venture into the field of epistemology. I started my recent … Continue reading The Value of Philosophy
The success Van Reybrouck achieves here is not only by documenting a wonderful history of the Congo. What makes Congo a masterpiece is the way he weaves it together with the history of the world, bringing to light the enormous importance and influence of a nation that before reading this book, I knew not a single thing about, and the intensity of perspective that even a cursory understanding of Congo’s history can offer us all.
A Thousand Days paints a picture of Kennedy the way just one person saw him, but that person describes a lucid decision maker, principled problem solver, and a man deeply interested in international progress. In terms of global leadership, he was certainly not out of his depth. By any interpretation of this recount, it's clear the 35th President provided leadership the world desperately needed in a deeply troubling time.
Simultaneously an excellent Cold War history and a gripping tale of the human experience, steeped in great research and excellent storytelling, Command and Control offers profound perspective and insight on nuclear war and proliferation that I am unlikely to forget any time soon.
