Five Books Newsletter 21
This week's interview
http://www.fivebooks.com/interviews/simon-blackburn-on-david-hume
Simon Blackburn on David Hume
Hume had a message he wanted to get out — particularly as regards skepticism about religion — but he was no proto-Richard Dawkins, says Simon Blackburn. He chooses the best books on David Hume.
Books of the Week
http://www.fivebooks.com/recommended/colonial-fantasies-by-meyda-yegenoglu"Yegenoglu explores the western fascination with the veil and the veiled women of the east."
Elif Shafak on Turkey (http://www.fivebooks.com/interviews/elif-shafak-on-turkey)
http://www.fivebooks.com/recommended/beauty-and-sorrow-by-peter-englund"We know the main narrative of World War I – Germany loses and Britain wins – but within that big narrative people’s individual experiences often have no relation at all."
Geoff Dyer on Unusual Histories (http://www.fivebooks.com/interviews/geoff-dyer-on-unusual-histories)
http://www.fivebooks.com/recommended/where-are-customers’-yachts-by-fred-schwed"Even now, some 70 years later, this is still the funniest book ever written about Wall Street."
Jason Zweig on Personal Finance (http://www.fivebooks.com/interviews/jason-zweig-on-personal-finance)
http://www.fivebooks.com/recommended/day-picasso-by-billy-klüver"It's a true detective story about photography."
Errol Morris on Photography and Reality (http://www.fivebooks.com/interviews/errol-morris-on-photography-and-reality)
http://www.fivebooks.com/recommended/edge-physics-by-anil-ananthaswamy"Anil Ananthaswamy is like a pilgrim on a journey, travelling to these great scientific establishments and trying to understand the universe."
Stuart Clark on Astronomers (http://www.fivebooks.com/interviews/stuart-clark-on-astronomers)
Quote of the Week
"Hume’s position is you can’t check out of Hotel Supernatural with any more baggage than you took into it. That’s a very important discovery. It means that arguing about the existence of God becomes kind of pointless."
Simon Blackburn on David Hume (http://www.fivebooks.com/interviews/simon-blackburn-on-david-hume)