It took me 4 years to finish The Great Ideas I. Which goes from Angel to Mathematics.
2009
Angel- What is the essence of an Angel. What is an Angel made of? This book poses more questions than it gives answers.
Animal- Lots on Aristotle here. Aristotle thought the animal's brain was in the middle of their body. Whatever, you can't get everything right.
Aristocracy- can the few rule the many? Won't the few always look out for the few?
Art- Art is what? Whatever can stand the test of time? Whatever takes great sacrifice to accomplish?
2010
Astronomy- Copernicus is featured a lot here. I'm excited to get to the core of that book.
Beauty- Is there a standard of beauty? Would the models of today be models in any time? no. Are some models able to be models in any time period?
Being- Can I know that I have this being?
Cause-
Chance- How much of life is habit preset loops of things you will already do over and over. What part is chance, when do the loops get knocked off?
Change- I think a change will do me good. These take at least an hour each to complete.
Citizen- with no borders there is no country.
Constitution-
Courage-
Custom and Convention-
Definition-
Democracy- You would think democracy would work everywhere. It's the greatest system on paper. You can't design anything more fair than everyone voting for something. What is possibly more fair? And if you do go to court you're judged by your peers. Everyone in the crazy USA accepts this and knows its the best. But I don't understand why democracy doesn't work when we try to install in in other countries? Some people don't want it. They want to be ruled by a dictator. They want to be oppressed. I guess it's like porn. Some people like midget porn, some people like black porn, some people like fucking smoking porn where the girl smokes on your dick. Some people love to be oppressed.
Desire- I desire to complete this epic reading endeavor. Even though people on quora think it's a total waste of time.
Dialectic-
Duty- as Euripides says in Electra as the peasant " For no idler, though he has the gods' name on his lips, can gather a livlihood without hard work." You have a duty to work. All people do. They are defined by their work or defined as not having work.
2011
Education-
Element-
Emotion-
Eternity-
Evolution- Darwin is featured considerabtly here. for obvious reasons.
Experience-
Family-
Fate-
Form-
God- one of the longest sections in the whole thing.
Good and Evil-
Government-
2012
Habit-
Happiness-
History-
Honor-
Hypothesis-
Idea- I have an idea why the fuck am I doing this. These readings take years to complete.
2013
Immortality-
Induction-
Infinity- yes this is more than why they put the number 8 on it's side.
Judgment-
Justice-
Knowledge-
Labor-
Language-
Law-
Liberty-
Life and Death-
Logic-
Love-
Man-
Mathematics-
I remember the book wanted you to read everything in a certain order. It wasn't in the chronological order it was printed in. They wanted you to bounce around always coming back to the next two books The Great Ideas I and the Great Ideas II . I don't want to do it like that. I'm reading these straight a cross.
The first book also mentions it's supposed to take 10 years to read the whole thing. It is a very long work 54 volumes.
I read the first book and have what I feel is a solid base. I know how I want to read these volumes. I know about how long it will take me. Now it's on to the next book the Great Ideas Part II.....
