Thread
Meaning and mattering and modernity. And is there anything new under the sun?
Happily, there's some great writing that is almost like wisdom literature for our current moment.
So here's a preliminary canon of wisdom literature for our Whirligig Age 🧵 1/
Happily, there's some great writing that is almost like wisdom literature for our current moment.
So here's a preliminary canon of wisdom literature for our Whirligig Age 🧵 1/
Our current era is overwhelming, combining rapid technological change, a feeling of being unmoored from the past, a sense of disenchantment, and even decadence and stasis, despite change.
What to call this instability amidst dizzying change?
The Whirligig Age.
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What to call this instability amidst dizzying change?
The Whirligig Age.
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How can we best live in The Whirligig?
We can turn to wisdom literature: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_literature
So what texts would I put into my personal canon for The Whirligig? 3/
We can turn to wisdom literature: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_literature
So what texts would I put into my personal canon for The Whirligig? 3/
'Immortality: The Quest to Live Forever and How It Drives Civilization' by @stephenjcave
This book examines the many ways that people have tried to achieve immortality throughout history, and how they have all failed.
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This book examines the many ways that people have tried to achieve immortality throughout history, and how they have all failed.
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'Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World' by Iddo Landau.
An eminently readable philosophical overview of how to think about meaning in one's life.
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An eminently readable philosophical overview of how to think about meaning in one's life.
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'From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life' by @arthurbrooks
About so much more than the second half of life; it's about life overall.
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About so much more than the second half of life; it's about life overall.
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'Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals' by @oliverburkeman
Wisdom for 'Mortals' is vital.
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Wisdom for 'Mortals' is vital.
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'A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy' by William B. Irvine.
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The granddaddy of them all:
The Book of Ecclesiastes
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The Book of Ecclesiastes
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And here's a short essay I wrote about what Ecclesiastes might have looked like with the idea of progress:
arbesman.substack.com/p/-ecclesiastes-in-the-age-of-progress
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arbesman.substack.com/p/-ecclesiastes-in-the-age-of-progress
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'The Consolations of Mortality: Making Sense of Death' by Andrew Stark
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'How to Want Less' by @arthurbrooks
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/03/why-we-are-never-satisfied-happiness/621304/
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www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/03/why-we-are-never-satisfied-happiness/621304/
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'Hunter S. Thompson’s Letter on Finding Your Purpose and Living a Meaningful Life' @farnamstreet
fs.blog/hunter-s-thompson-to-hume-logan/
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fs.blog/hunter-s-thompson-to-hume-logan/
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The upshot is that we need more deliberate thinking around how to thrive in The Whirligig.
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More from @krishnanrohit on embracing curiosity in one's life and not equating meaning with one's paying job:
www.strangeloopcanon.com/p/embrace-the-curious-life
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www.strangeloopcanon.com/p/embrace-the-curious-life
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The thought-provoking new book “In Emergency, Break Glass: What Nietzsche Can Teach Us About Joyful Living in a Tech-Saturated World” by @NateXAnderson is also a good source of modern wisdom.
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There's also Cal Newport's "Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World"
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And I guess (self-promotion alert!) my own book “Overcomplicated” is a type of modern wisdom literature as well: it's about coming to grips with technology so complex that we can no longer fully understand it.
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"The Psychology of Money" by @morganhousel is another fantastic piece of modern wisdom literature.
It's not just how to think about money; it's also how to think about life.
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It's not just how to think about money; it's also how to think about life.
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Thoughtful essay on how one's writing and scholarship likely won't last (and that's fine):
www.gawker.com/culture/nobody-will-read-this-essay-in-200-years
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www.gawker.com/culture/nobody-will-read-this-essay-in-200-years
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A phenomenal lecture by @AgnesCallard on civilization, death, meaning, and how we choose to use the time that we have been given: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwlONu13GoQ
(also added to my canon page: arbesman.net/modernwisdom/ )
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(also added to my canon page: arbesman.net/modernwisdom/ )
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