Readings AND Writings

1. René Descartes – Meditations on First Philosophy 2. Blaise Pascal – Pensées 3. Nicolaus Copernicus – On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres 4. Galileo Galilei – Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems 5. Adam Smith – The Wealth of Nations 6. David Hume – Various Works 7. Jeremy Bentham – Deontology; or, The Science of Morality 8. Thomas Hobbes – Leviathan 9. Jean-Jacques Rousseau – The Social Contract 10. Immanuel Kant – Critique of Pure Reason Honourable Mentions: 11. Voltaire – Candide 12. Niccolò Machiavelli – The Prince 13. John Milton – Paradise Lost 14. Edward Gibbon – The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 15. Victor Hugo – Les Misérables 16. Victor Hugo – The Hunchback of Notre Dame 17. Simone de Beauvoir – The Second Sex 18. Jean-Paul Sartre – Works (e.g. Being and Nothingness) Do you want me to also group them by philosophy / literature / economics / science so it’s easier to see what fields they represent?

Pensées by Blaise Pascal IS more like a collection of his unfinished notes and reflections, yet it has become one of the most powerful works in philosophy and faith. IT's about the search for meaning, the limits of reason, the pull of faith, and the strange contradictions of being human. Pensées is basically Pascal’s notebook of unfinished thoughts about life, faith, and what it means to be human. The most famous part is Pascal’s Wager : the idea that believing in God is the most rational choice because the possible gain (eternity) outweighs the risk. But what really makes Pensées timeless is how he calls out our habit of running away from the big questions. He says we fill our lives with “diversions” — entertainment, work, busyness — to avoid facing our mortality and the question of God. BOOKCLUB PROMPT: Hey fam, This month we’re diving into Pensées by Blaise Pascal. It’s not a polished book but more like a collection of his unfinished notes and reflections, yet it has become o...

Thus book taught me a lot, it taught me how to be organized . It taught me that simplicity can be chic, that simplicity IS chic. It gave me a compass for my personal style, gave me Rule of thumbs to follow when purchasing, wearing, and organizing my clothes. I knew my style better after reading this book. Some Quotes that stuck - ▪ Simplicity offers the solution to so many problems ▪ Opulent luxury brings neither grace nor elegance. It imprisons and destroys the soul, while simplicity offers the solution to so many problems. ▪ Minimalism requires an ordered lifestyle and careful attention to detail ▪ Learn to eliminate quietly, carefully, but firmly and thoroughly ▪ Do not enrich your life with objects. Instead, enrich your body with sensations, your heart with feelings and your mind with principles. ▪ And as everyone knows, throwing things overboard is the best way to stay afloat ▪ Space and light and order. Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place...

L'art de la Simplicité - Dominique Loreau Thus book taught me a lot, it taught me how to be organized . It taught me that simplicity can be chic, that simplicity IS chic. It gave me a compass for my personal style, gave me Rule of thumbs to follow when purchasing, wearing, and organizing my clothes. I knew my style better after reading this book. Some Quotes that stuck with me; ▪ Simplicity offers the solution to so many problems ▪ Opulent luxury brings neither grace nor elegance. It imprisons and destroys the soul, while simplicity offers the solution to so many problems. ▪ Minimalism requires an ordered lifestyle and careful attention to detail ▪ Learn to eliminate quietly, carefully, but firmly and thoroughly ▪ Do not enrich your life with objects. Instead, enrich your body with sensations, your heart with feelings and your mind with principles. CHAPTER 1◆ Introduction  ▪ Simplicity offers the solution to so many problems ▪ Little by little, I realized that, as I lightened my...

 Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic: Lessons in Everyday Elegance - Scott, Jennifer L. (Surligner: 20; Note: 0) ─────────────── ◆ Chapter 1: Madame Chic Knew the Power of Poise ▪ The woman who is stylish, self-assured, grounded, and poised. The woman who presents herself with grace and dignity, speaks elegantly, who lives every day as though it were a special gift. The woman with the air of mystery who cultivates her mind and seeks out the arts. The woman with the lovely home, who is not a slave to shopping. The woman who walks through her day as though she knows a delicious secret. ▪ poise is something that one works toward for the rest of one’s life ▪ You’d be surprised by the doors that will open for you when you employ even just a little bit of poise. People will want to help you. You’ll leave a good impression at job interviews. You will attract the right kind of romantic partner. You’ll be treated with respect. Poise is useful ▪ Getting the job you want or the promotion...