Leslie Slote was a state department employee in Herman Wouk's novel The Winds of War. There is a point in the novel where he insists that German philosophy did influence the course of events that led to Hitler. On page 515 (ISBN 0316955000) Slote says, "German Romanticism is a terribly important and powerful critique of the way the West lives." The historical novel depicts Europe and America from Hitler's rise to power to the very beginning of America's entry into the war. It's sequel, War and Remembrance, continues the story.
Leslie Slote goes on with an emphatic rant that is supposed to be a quote from the German poet Heinrich Heine. Wikipedia says about Heine, "His radical political views led to many of his works being banned by German authorities." Here is the rant (page 516). I think Herman Wouk was right to bring these words to our attention, and we need to take heed. The violence of the thoughts and the references to revolution alarmed me.
The German Revolution will not prove any milder or gentler because it was preceded by the Critique of Kant, by the Transcendental Idealism of Fichte. These doctrines served to develop revolutionary forces that only await their time to break forth. Christianity subdued the brutal warrior passion of the Germans, but it could not quench it. When the Cross, that restraining talisman, falls to pieces, then will break forth again the frantic Berserker rage. The old stone gods will then arise from the forgotten ruins and wipe from their eyes the dust of centuries. Thor with his giant hammer will arise again, and he will shatter the Gothic cathedrals.
Smile not at the dreamer who warns you against Kantians, Fichteans, and the other philosophers. Smile not at the fantasy of one who foresees in the region of reality the same outburst of revolution that has taken place in the region of intellect. The thought precedes the deed as the lightening the thunder. German thunder is of true German character. It is not very nimble but rumbles along somewhat slowly. But come it will. And when you hear a crashing such as never before has been heard in the world's history, then know that at last the German thunderbolt has fallen.
The Leslie Slote character then says Heinrich Heine wrote these words 106 years before Hitler. This article does confirm that these are the concluding words of Heine's 1834 book, Religion and Philosophy in Germany.
What really caught my eye was this sentence: "The thought precedes the deed as the lightening the thunder. "
So many people I know pay no attention to philosophy, but in my opinion Karl Marx (Das Kapital) was more a philosopher than an economist. I have heard the death count from his Marxist Communism has exceeded 100 million dead. I would say the philosophy of Marx has brought thunder and lightening to this world.
We certainly need to spot a bad philosophy when we see one!
Robert
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Friday, December 29, 2017
Yeats on TV and in Music
The television show House has an episode where a boy named Lucas Palmeiro reads poetry to his mother Lucy Palmeiro to calm her down. The poem was intriguing. I discovered that the book used in the show was an out of print and expensive copy of The Wild Swans at Coole. I bought two different inexpensive copies of this collection and they were amateurish compilations with errors. The best way to get The Wild Swans at Coole is to get a book like The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats (ISBN 0020556500) which has his poems grouped by book. Then you can read through all the poems in The Wild Swans at Coole and know there are no typos. I own this copy and recommend it.
The poem that got my attention in this episode of House was Her Praise. The Lucas Palmeiro character only read a fragment of the poem, the concluding lines, which were these:
"If there be rags enough he will know her name
And be well pleased remembering it, for in the old days,
Though she had young men's praise and old men's blame,
Among the poor both old and young gave her praise."
The poem on the whole is silly, so do not be disappointed if you read it. Yet there was something about the concluding lines that caught my ear and made me want to learn more. Perhaps that is the essense of poetry, that it captures your imagination.
There are music CDs where musicians have set some of Yeats poetry to music:
An Appointment With Mr. Yeats by The Waterboys Format: Audio CD
Now & In Time to Be A Musical Celebration Of The Works Of W.B. Yeats by various artists
Both collections have these poems in common:
Lake Isle Of Innisfree
An Irish Airman Forsees His Death
The Song of Wandering Aengus
Politics
Before the World Was Made
I will make a point to read all of these since they are popular with the musicians.
You can hear Yeats read his poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree
on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLlcvQg9i6c
and follow along with the words here
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43281/the-lake-isle-of-innisfree
It seems to me that his love of the country life is very British, and very human.
I think the script writer for this episode of House was John Mankiewicz. Think of all the pleasure I got from reading Yeats because of this one episode of House!
Robert
The House episode was season 1, episode 6, The Socratic Method (2004)
The poem that got my attention in this episode of House was Her Praise. The Lucas Palmeiro character only read a fragment of the poem, the concluding lines, which were these:
"If there be rags enough he will know her name
And be well pleased remembering it, for in the old days,
Though she had young men's praise and old men's blame,
Among the poor both old and young gave her praise."
The poem on the whole is silly, so do not be disappointed if you read it. Yet there was something about the concluding lines that caught my ear and made me want to learn more. Perhaps that is the essense of poetry, that it captures your imagination.
There are music CDs where musicians have set some of Yeats poetry to music:
An Appointment With Mr. Yeats by The Waterboys Format: Audio CD
Now & In Time to Be A Musical Celebration Of The Works Of W.B. Yeats by various artists
Both collections have these poems in common:
Lake Isle Of Innisfree
An Irish Airman Forsees His Death
The Song of Wandering Aengus
Politics
Before the World Was Made
I will make a point to read all of these since they are popular with the musicians.
You can hear Yeats read his poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree
on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLlcvQg9i6c
and follow along with the words here
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43281/the-lake-isle-of-innisfree
It seems to me that his love of the country life is very British, and very human.
I think the script writer for this episode of House was John Mankiewicz. Think of all the pleasure I got from reading Yeats because of this one episode of House!
Robert
The House episode was season 1, episode 6, The Socratic Method (2004)
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Dr. David R. Canright, Mathematician
When I was growing up my family would be the only Canrights in town. When the internet spread I was able to discover other Canrights. I noticed a fair number were involved with mathematics or engineering. I was pleased to run across David Ralph Canright on the internet. I have pulled together some of the data about David R. Canright that is available on the internet to share this with other Canrights who are interested in family members.
David Canright got a bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA. Then he got a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from U.C. Berkeley. Dr. Canright taught at Northwestern University before becoming a mathematics professor at the Naval Postgraduate School.
Here is his Curriculum Vitae from the internet: http://faculty.nps.edu/drcanrig/cv.pdf
Here is his web page from the Naval Postgraduate School: http://faculty.nps.edu/drcanrig/
Here is his personal web page, largely related to his interests in music: https://sites.google.com/site/davidrcanright/
I have a bachelor's in Mathematics and a bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering, so I felt an affinity for Dr. Canright. I thought about getting a doctorate, but decided to change fields and get a master's in Electrical Engineering instead.
It is a pleasure to me to know there are other Canrights around the country. If you are a Canright, I hope you enjoyed learning about another Canright.
Robert
David Canright got a bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA. Then he got a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from U.C. Berkeley. Dr. Canright taught at Northwestern University before becoming a mathematics professor at the Naval Postgraduate School.
Here is his Curriculum Vitae from the internet: http://faculty.nps.edu/drcanrig/cv.pdf
Here is his web page from the Naval Postgraduate School: http://faculty.nps.edu/drcanrig/
Here is his personal web page, largely related to his interests in music: https://sites.google.com/site/davidrcanright/
He is mentioned in this pdf
Mathematica Militaris
VOLUME 20 ISSUE 1 SUMMER 2011
from Westpoint. There is an article, The History of Mathematics at the Naval Postgraduate School by Dr. Carlos F. Borges (NPS), within this PDF and Dr. Canright is briefly mentioned.I have a bachelor's in Mathematics and a bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering, so I felt an affinity for Dr. Canright. I thought about getting a doctorate, but decided to change fields and get a master's in Electrical Engineering instead.
It is a pleasure to me to know there are other Canrights around the country. If you are a Canright, I hope you enjoyed learning about another Canright.
Robert
Friday, November 24, 2017
Strange book: REAL AMERICAN, A Memoir, by Julie Lythcott-Haims
I just read a book review, A Journey of Belonging by Jenna Wortham, New York Times Book Review, Nov. 17, 2017. The review is of REAL AMERICAN, A Memoir, by Julie Lythcott-Haims. The book is about how Ms. Lythcott-Haims feels about being bi-racial.
My impression from the book review is that going to Stanford ruined her happiness. Her feelings metamorphosed into palpable anger and resentment as an undergraduate at Stanford University. As a reward for becoming dutifully angry, Stanford made her dean of freshmen. It seems to me that Stanford drove her crazy. She got the imprimatur from Stanford, but at the cost of her happiness and peace of mind.
My impression from the book review is that going to Stanford ruined her happiness. Her feelings metamorphosed into palpable anger and resentment as an undergraduate at Stanford University. As a reward for becoming dutifully angry, Stanford made her dean of freshmen. It seems to me that Stanford drove her crazy. She got the imprimatur from Stanford, but at the cost of her happiness and peace of mind.
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Eulogy for Robert Canright, Senior
I had posted a eulogy for my father Robert Canright, Senior on a website that will be shut down in the future, so I am re-posting it here.
Robert Eldon Canright, Sr., was born September 20, 1927, and died
January 25, 2009. Robert was the son of Eldon Jerome Canright, born
January 14, 1893, died February 28, 1963. Two other members of the
extended Canright family had heart attacks within a week of Robert’s heart
attack. January and February seem to be bad months for Canright men.
But we all die and it is how we live and how we are remembered that matters.
I remember my father quoting poetry as he walked through the house. Just
this week I read Milton’s sonnet On His Blindness, saw the line, “They also
serve who only stand and wait,” and thought to myself, “My father used to
say that! He was quoting Milton.” My father also quoted lines from
Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Tennyson’s The Eagle. I love poetry. I purchased poetry books for my children and for many of their cousins. My
daughter loves Shakespeare. The love of poetry is part of my father’s legacy,
a legacy I pass on to my children.
One day my father brought home a copy of Modern Chess Openings. The
book was filled with columns of chess moves, but almost no text. It had
fascinating names like Sicilian Defense, Ruy Lopez, and Giuoco Piano. In
high school I found in chess the only organized body of knowledge that I
could study on my own with limitless challenge. I have a very analytical
mind and chess was the only substantive food that could feed my hungry
mind. I learned how to self-study, analyze, and problem solve through the
game of chess that my father brought into my life. The problem solving
skills I learned from chess were instrumental in key successes in my work
career, another legacy from my father.
The greatest legacy from my father was the fine mother he provided his
children: Julieta Rubio of Chihuahua, Mexico. I learned morality and a love
of God from my mother. I learned to respect philosophy and education from
Julieta. She recently gave me her copy of The Enchiridion of Epictetus, the
Stoic philosopher. I remember listening to “Un bel di” from the opera
Madam Butterfly at my Abuelita’s house in Chihuahua. I listened to that
song over and over again, I was so touched by it as a child, and I am still
moved by it today. I learned to love opera from my mother. I take my
daughter to the opera and she loves it, so the legacy continues.
In World War II my father joined the 82nd Airborne, “The All American
Division.” It takes a bold spirit to jump out of an airplane and be prepared
to fight behind enemy lines. It takes an adventuresome spirit to travel to a
foreign country and take a foreign bride, as my father did.
I continue your legacy, Father, by rearing my children in a home with poetry
and culture, under the care of a good, loving mother. I hope to continue
your legacy, Father, by living my life with boldness and an adventurous spirit.
Farewell, Father. I honor you by passing along to my children all the best
influences you and your lovely bride had on my life. Lasting positive influence
is the best legacy.
Farewell Father In Memory of Robert Eldon Canright, Sr.
by
Robert Eldon Canright, Jr.
by
Robert Eldon Canright, Jr.
Robert Eldon Canright, Sr., was born September 20, 1927, and died
January 25, 2009. Robert was the son of Eldon Jerome Canright, born
January 14, 1893, died February 28, 1963. Two other members of the
extended Canright family had heart attacks within a week of Robert’s heart
attack. January and February seem to be bad months for Canright men.
But we all die and it is how we live and how we are remembered that matters.
I remember my father quoting poetry as he walked through the house. Just
this week I read Milton’s sonnet On His Blindness, saw the line, “They also
serve who only stand and wait,” and thought to myself, “My father used to
say that! He was quoting Milton.” My father also quoted lines from
Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Tennyson’s The Eagle. I love poetry. I purchased poetry books for my children and for many of their cousins. My
daughter loves Shakespeare. The love of poetry is part of my father’s legacy,
a legacy I pass on to my children.
One day my father brought home a copy of Modern Chess Openings. The
book was filled with columns of chess moves, but almost no text. It had
fascinating names like Sicilian Defense, Ruy Lopez, and Giuoco Piano. In
high school I found in chess the only organized body of knowledge that I
could study on my own with limitless challenge. I have a very analytical
mind and chess was the only substantive food that could feed my hungry
mind. I learned how to self-study, analyze, and problem solve through the
game of chess that my father brought into my life. The problem solving
skills I learned from chess were instrumental in key successes in my work
career, another legacy from my father.
The greatest legacy from my father was the fine mother he provided his
children: Julieta Rubio of Chihuahua, Mexico. I learned morality and a love
of God from my mother. I learned to respect philosophy and education from
Julieta. She recently gave me her copy of The Enchiridion of Epictetus, the
Stoic philosopher. I remember listening to “Un bel di” from the opera
Madam Butterfly at my Abuelita’s house in Chihuahua. I listened to that
song over and over again, I was so touched by it as a child, and I am still
moved by it today. I learned to love opera from my mother. I take my
daughter to the opera and she loves it, so the legacy continues.
In World War II my father joined the 82nd Airborne, “The All American
Division.” It takes a bold spirit to jump out of an airplane and be prepared
to fight behind enemy lines. It takes an adventuresome spirit to travel to a
foreign country and take a foreign bride, as my father did.
I continue your legacy, Father, by rearing my children in a home with poetry
and culture, under the care of a good, loving mother. I hope to continue
your legacy, Father, by living my life with boldness and an adventurous spirit.
Farewell, Father. I honor you by passing along to my children all the best
influences you and your lovely bride had on my life. Lasting positive influence
is the best legacy.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Melancholy Atheist
I just read Staring at the Void by Joanna Bourke (Aug. 30, 2017 Wall Street Journal), a book review of The Human Predicament by David Benatar. The review said this is Benatar's message: "Ultimately, our lives are meaningless. Evolution is blind and serves no intrinsic purpose; in a cosmic sense, we each live for an insignificant amount of time. Furthermore, the lives we do lead are often suffused with suffering." Well, that is not cheerful. I see a recurring melancholy in atheist writing.
Here are some sections from The Garden of Proserpine by Algernon Charles Swinburne. I sense a melancholy mood here.
...
Though one were strong as seven,
He too with death shall dwell,
Nor wake with wings in heaven,
Nor weep for pains in hell;
Though one were fair as roses,
His beauty clouds and closes;
And well though love reposes,
In the end it is not well.
...
From too much love of living,
From hope and fear set free,
We thank with brief thanksgiving
Whatever gods may be
That no life lives for ever;
That dead men rise up never;
That even the weariest river
Winds somewhere safe to sea.
Here is a section from Gravelly Run by A. R. Ammons and I found the poem veering away from lovely to melancholy here. The author notices what he is missing.
...
I see no
god in the holly, hear no song from
the snowbroken weeds ...
The WSJ book review by Joanna Bourke later reports that Mr. Benatar tells us, "that the universe is 'indifferent to our coming' into this world, it will be 'indifferent to our going.' In fact, the universe does not care, he adds, because 'it has no attitudes at all.'”
Perhaps a sense of melancholy from a denial of God is some spur from the soul to seek God.
Robert
Here are some sections from The Garden of Proserpine by Algernon Charles Swinburne. I sense a melancholy mood here.
...
Though one were strong as seven,
He too with death shall dwell,
Nor wake with wings in heaven,
Nor weep for pains in hell;
Though one were fair as roses,
His beauty clouds and closes;
And well though love reposes,
In the end it is not well.
...
From too much love of living,
From hope and fear set free,
We thank with brief thanksgiving
Whatever gods may be
That no life lives for ever;
That dead men rise up never;
That even the weariest river
Winds somewhere safe to sea.
Here is a section from Gravelly Run by A. R. Ammons and I found the poem veering away from lovely to melancholy here. The author notices what he is missing.
...
I see no
god in the holly, hear no song from
the snowbroken weeds ...
The WSJ book review by Joanna Bourke later reports that Mr. Benatar tells us, "that the universe is 'indifferent to our coming' into this world, it will be 'indifferent to our going.' In fact, the universe does not care, he adds, because 'it has no attitudes at all.'”
Perhaps a sense of melancholy from a denial of God is some spur from the soul to seek God.
Robert
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Nice Interview with Thomas Sowell
In the Saturday March 18, 2017 issue of the Wall Street Journal, page A13, you can find a nice interview with Thomas Sowell. It is, "The Education of an American Sage" by Tunku Varadarajan.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-education-of-an-american-sage-1489791759
It is not earth shattering, but it is nice.
Robert
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-education-of-an-american-sage-1489791759
It is not earth shattering, but it is nice.
Robert
Friday, January 6, 2017
Thomas Sowell is a National Treasure
After reading the appalling book Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates I looked for an intelligently written book on race written by a black person. It did not make sense to look for a book on race written by a white person. I was as impressed by the book Intellectuals and Race by Thomas Sowell as I was appalled by the Ta-Nehisi Coates book. Mr. Coates attended Howard University and dropped out of college. Thomas Sowell found Howard University lacking in academic rigor and transferred to Harvard University. Mr. Sowell graduated, Mr. Coates did not. Thomas Sowell went on to get a Masters from Columbia and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago. You might think the difference in education between the two authors is responsible for the disparate quality of thought between the two writers, but getting a Ph.D. does not automatically lead to clear thinking. No. There are plenty of Ph.D.s with twisted thinking and intemperate writing. Thomas Sowell is just plain great.
I am now reading A Personal Odyssey by Thomas Sowell, which is a real treat. This week the Wall Street Journal ran an essay by Jason L. Riley, Thomas Sowell, a Fearless Contrarian, Puts Down the Pen, which laments Dr. Sowell quitting his syndicated column as a step towards retirement. Mr. Riley wrote this in his essay: "My friend then wrote down the name of a book, “Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality?” I retrieved it from the school library that afternoon and read it that same evening. I returned to the library the following day, checked out the remainder of its Sowell collection, and spent the next couple of weeks immersed in his writings."
Thomas Sowell was publishing books while I was still in high school. Now that I am in middle age I discover him when he is 86 years old and slowing down. I am glad I finally discovered him. I intend to read more of his books. I will be exploring his personal website, http://www.tsowell.com/, and his web page at the Hoover Institute, http://www.hoover.org/profiles/thomas-sowell, which has links to his articles at Creators Syndicate, http://www.creators.com/read/thomas-sowell.
Thomas Sowell is a national treasure. You might want to check out his books.
Robert
PS, an example of a nutty African American writer can be found in this New York Times article, Michael Eric Dyson Believes in Individual Reparations by ANA MARIE COX JAN. 4, 2017. What he has to say about reparations is absurd.
http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/04/magazine/michael-eric-dyson-believes-in-individual-reparations.html
I am now reading A Personal Odyssey by Thomas Sowell, which is a real treat. This week the Wall Street Journal ran an essay by Jason L. Riley, Thomas Sowell, a Fearless Contrarian, Puts Down the Pen, which laments Dr. Sowell quitting his syndicated column as a step towards retirement. Mr. Riley wrote this in his essay: "My friend then wrote down the name of a book, “Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality?” I retrieved it from the school library that afternoon and read it that same evening. I returned to the library the following day, checked out the remainder of its Sowell collection, and spent the next couple of weeks immersed in his writings."
Thomas Sowell was publishing books while I was still in high school. Now that I am in middle age I discover him when he is 86 years old and slowing down. I am glad I finally discovered him. I intend to read more of his books. I will be exploring his personal website, http://www.tsowell.com/, and his web page at the Hoover Institute, http://www.hoover.org/profiles/thomas-sowell, which has links to his articles at Creators Syndicate, http://www.creators.com/read/thomas-sowell.
Thomas Sowell is a national treasure. You might want to check out his books.
Robert
PS, an example of a nutty African American writer can be found in this New York Times article, Michael Eric Dyson Believes in Individual Reparations by ANA MARIE COX JAN. 4, 2017. What he has to say about reparations is absurd.
http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/04/magazine/michael-eric-dyson-believes-in-individual-reparations.html
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