GEEKERY  
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20110111

rambles about the color of man's nature

Having just read Steinbeck's East of Eden, I'm plunging with more focus into a book I received for Christmas and started soon after: When Souls Had Wings by Terryl L. Givens.  In doing so, I'm discovering how little I know of classic philosophy.  Plato, Socrates, Aristotle: I couldn't tell you who wrote what or had which thoughts or anything.  It's quite a gap in my education.

Aside from that realization, I was shocked at how related the two books are.  Steinbeck's focuses on men's inherent natures and that we have choices despite our natures--all told in a story, of course.  Givens' book focuses on the history of the theory of pre-mortal existence, which is really getting at the spiritual component of that nature.

All in all, it's been fun to read them one after the other, especially since N and I had an extensive nature vs. nurture debate regarding gender with his parents over the holidays.  Maybe I'm just wearing nature-colored glasses.  ...If "man's nature" had a color, what would it be?  Green?  Brown?  Red?  Upmostly silly digression.  Another moderately-less silly digression: wouldn't it be fun to have book lists organized like old-fashioned music albums, where the books flow together, sharing some sort of theme between each pair of consecutive reads?

Also wik: mini painting!  I'm on a roll!  (Though I like this one less.)

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