Required reading for anyone exchanging labor for wages.
I found the book quite sharp and still thought-provoking for something written a century ago. Its message is relevant as ever, as we're plunged into the dystopia of corporatism and decay by those at the top exploiting the labor force. It is radical and revolutionary and I would heartily recommend it for anyone interested in the actual meaning and nature of work and its dynamics and how societies organize and form around both labor and culture.
User Profile
This link opens in a pop-up window
jarizleifr's books
User Activity
RSS feed Back
jarizleifr rated The Burnout Society: 5 stars
jarizleifr reviewed The conquest of bread by Peter Kropotkin
Review of 'The conquest of bread' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
jarizleifr rated Neuromancer: 5 stars
Neuromancer by William Gibson (Sprawl Trilogy)
Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards, Neuromancer is a science fiction masterpiece—a classic that ranks as …
jarizleifr reviewed Tao Te Ching by Laozi
Review of 'Tao Te Ching' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Profound. A beautiful text, even if I can't really comment on the translation. I've been wanting to explore Taoism between my Zen studies and I'm glad I reached out to this before any commentary on it, so I got to experience it unadulterated. A book that I will most likely read many times in the years to come.
jarizleifr reviewed Louis Wain's Cats by Chris Beetles
Review of "Louis Wain's Cats" on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
An absolutely enthralling collection of cats. There are two avenues of interest in this title, the other being the life of Louis Wain and the historicity of his work in the context of Victorian era, the other being the art, setup here for close examination. I haven't read any of the previous books on Louis Wain's art, but I found this to be very fresh, as it contains much of his work I've never seen elsewhere.
jarizleifr reviewed La Tyrannie de la communication by Ignacio Ramonet
Review of 'La Tyrannie de la communication' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I read the Finnish translation of the book by Jouni Kuurne (couldn't find that specific edition on Goodreads).
The book describes in detail how media conglomerates wield unjustifiable power over the minds of people. The book was written at a time when the Internet was still a relatively small enterprise, but still managed to foresee many of the issues we're dealing with today, regarding the entertainmentization of news, shock tactics when seeking for largest possible distribution, and the centralization of media technology.
The tone of the book is somewhat bitter, written by someone who has worked their entire life in journalism, only to see it devolve into something reserved only for tabloids back then. The things have gotten only worse since the writing of this book, which makes me wonder if the path we're on currently is any better.
The takeaway from this book is that receiving information is a …
I read the Finnish translation of the book by Jouni Kuurne (couldn't find that specific edition on Goodreads).
The book describes in detail how media conglomerates wield unjustifiable power over the minds of people. The book was written at a time when the Internet was still a relatively small enterprise, but still managed to foresee many of the issues we're dealing with today, regarding the entertainmentization of news, shock tactics when seeking for largest possible distribution, and the centralization of media technology.
The tone of the book is somewhat bitter, written by someone who has worked their entire life in journalism, only to see it devolve into something reserved only for tabloids back then. The things have gotten only worse since the writing of this book, which makes me wonder if the path we're on currently is any better.
The takeaway from this book is that receiving information is a deliberate act and it should be done with care and wisdom, and not rely on overtly emotional sources or only those that make us feel good. And that's something the media conglomerates have managed to weaponize against us, the entire attention economy and social media. What a sad state of things.
Review of 'Tibetan Buddhism and Modern Physics' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Wow... This must've been probably the most interesting book I've ever read.
The latter parts of the book concern more of the details of quantum science, time-relativity and entropy, which I found rather hard to follow at places, but I don't think it's a fault of the author, as the subject matter is by its very nature difficult.
I got some very important insights, especially related to understanding the nature of emptiness in Middle Way Buddhism, and realizing what impermanence and lack of intrinsic existence really mean in this context. The author uses many elaborate examples to bring the more theoretical concepts to life, making it easier to process.
The main takeaway from this book was to appreciate reason and knowledge and temper them with kindness and compassion, for we live in a painfully broken world, where supply of either seems low. The realization of how we are constantly in …
Wow... This must've been probably the most interesting book I've ever read.
The latter parts of the book concern more of the details of quantum science, time-relativity and entropy, which I found rather hard to follow at places, but I don't think it's a fault of the author, as the subject matter is by its very nature difficult.
I got some very important insights, especially related to understanding the nature of emptiness in Middle Way Buddhism, and realizing what impermanence and lack of intrinsic existence really mean in this context. The author uses many elaborate examples to bring the more theoretical concepts to life, making it easier to process.
The main takeaway from this book was to appreciate reason and knowledge and temper them with kindness and compassion, for we live in a painfully broken world, where supply of either seems low. The realization of how we are constantly in a flux, can help to understand the processes of both technology and humanity, bridging the gap.
Review of 'Ghost in the Shell (Ghost in the Shell, #1)' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
An incredible journey, Ghost in the Shell is full of intrigue and action and it took me only about a week to get through with my slow pace of reading. Ghost in the Shell illuminates adventures of a secret police organization called Public Security Section 9, which is assigned on different cases, ranging from assassinations to political intrigue and infiltration. A theme most widely explored here is how the society will change when almost everyone has a "cyberbrain", which effectively connects all people together via communication media, and implications of widespread prosthetics, meaning entire bodies can be swapped at will.
As a disclaimer, I'm a huge fan of the 1995 animated film and the original Stand Alone Complex anime (2002-2005), and after diving deep into the manga version, I'd consider it an essential reading for anyone in any shape or form interested in cyberpunk or the philosophical implications of cyberization. …
An incredible journey, Ghost in the Shell is full of intrigue and action and it took me only about a week to get through with my slow pace of reading. Ghost in the Shell illuminates adventures of a secret police organization called Public Security Section 9, which is assigned on different cases, ranging from assassinations to political intrigue and infiltration. A theme most widely explored here is how the society will change when almost everyone has a "cyberbrain", which effectively connects all people together via communication media, and implications of widespread prosthetics, meaning entire bodies can be swapped at will.
As a disclaimer, I'm a huge fan of the 1995 animated film and the original Stand Alone Complex anime (2002-2005), and after diving deep into the manga version, I'd consider it an essential reading for anyone in any shape or form interested in cyberpunk or the philosophical implications of cyberization.
Ghost in the Shell synergizes quite well with the other stuff I've been reading recently (on Buddhism, quantum mechanics, societal changes upon industrial revolution...) and makes me wonder how every book I seem to pick up reminds me of something else I've been reading, talk about special interests... Might have to look into John Neumann, which was recommended in the margins of the ending of the story, just to fill in the gaps.
jarizleifr reviewed Journey to the Lord of Power by Ibn al-Arabi
Review of 'Journey to the Lord of Power' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I found this translation relatively easy to follow, it was the commentary that I had trouble with, as I have fleeting understanding of Islamic mysticism and most of the references just escaped me. The book explains how to in effect reject the world, its people and distractions and embark on a potentially dangerous inner journey through the spiritual realms. From a perennial viewpoint, similar mystic philosophies are found in hesychasm and other oriental traditions.
As a neophyte scholar, I found this an interesting read and will be on the lookout for more Ibn Arabi in the future.
jarizleifr reviewed Uzumaki by Junji Itō
Review of 'Uzumaki' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
An absolute gem of cosmic horror. Junji Ito manages spectacularily to hold the mood throughout the entire book. It starts weird and gets just weirder, presenting the reader with unsettling things one after another, without ever feeling stale or somehow forced. I really enjoyed the ending.
For any fans of H.P. Lovecraft, and I kinda found something similar here as in Strugatsky brothers' Roadside Picnic, which I completed just recently, in that regular people get caught in something inexplicable and alien, looking for answers and closure.
jarizleifr reviewed Roadside Picnic by Аркадий Натанович Стругацкий
Review of 'Roadside Picnic' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
If I had to pick one word to describe Roadside Picnic, it would be clever. All about this book feels rascalous, chaotic, full of energy and vitality. I think the main theme here is how people and culture can adapt to almost anything. No matter how bleak, odd or desperate the situation, the spark of life can be found in the most unexpected of places and that's something I'd gladly take to my heart from this book, especially in these trying times.
Review of 'Toisinajattelijan päiväkirjasta' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
It was a heavy read, partly because of an unfamiliar topic, but also because towards the end I found Linkola's cynicism and misanthropic attitude a little exhausting.
On some topics Linkola is very prescient and at certain points his frustration is justified - many of the issues pointed out have been present and known since the 1960s, but nothing has been done to alleviate the problem in 60 or so years. Linkola is extremely knowledgeable on topics most closest to him, especially biology and ecology.
But then come the other topics, where he'll resort to plain demagoguery and edgelordism, like the multiple instances of praising totalitarian governments unapologically. He seems to be nostalgic for a perfect world that probably never existed as he envisions it. I don't for example think the idea that medieval feudalism was somehow better on the environment, really stands up for the scrutiny. After all, Western …
It was a heavy read, partly because of an unfamiliar topic, but also because towards the end I found Linkola's cynicism and misanthropic attitude a little exhausting.
On some topics Linkola is very prescient and at certain points his frustration is justified - many of the issues pointed out have been present and known since the 1960s, but nothing has been done to alleviate the problem in 60 or so years. Linkola is extremely knowledgeable on topics most closest to him, especially biology and ecology.
But then come the other topics, where he'll resort to plain demagoguery and edgelordism, like the multiple instances of praising totalitarian governments unapologically. He seems to be nostalgic for a perfect world that probably never existed as he envisions it. I don't for example think the idea that medieval feudalism was somehow better on the environment, really stands up for the scrutiny. After all, Western Europe's deforestation started during the Roman occupation and continued deep into medieval times.
Linkola has a somewhat mythological status in Finland, but I don't think he lives up to what he (or his most fervent follower cult) has set himself to be.
In conclusion, I did enjoy parts of the book, some parts of it were thought-provoking, and the rest of it reads like bad forum posts.
jarizleifr reviewed Mysticism by D. T. Suzuki (Routledge classics)
Review of 'Mysticism' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
A very comfortable read, even if the subject material is pretty heavy and requires active thought. I've been reading this back to back with a collection of Meister Eckhart's works and it really paid off. This book is like philosophical glue that makes you see both sides in a new light. Absolutely recommended for any religious scholars interested in mysticism.
Review of 'The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell (P.S.)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I enjoyed the Heaven and Hell more than The Doors of Perception. While an interesting take on the psychedelic experience, it was the the ponderings about religion, of aesthetics like stained-glass windows of the cathedrals, the incense, the ritual chants that transfer us into different realities, that I found thoroughly enlightening.
There are a lot of cultural references here, and having read into Joseph Campbell's work, Zen and Meister Eckhart made this much more easily approachable than what it would've been without that pre-existing knowledge.