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ORIENTALISM: WESTERN CONCEPTIONS OF THE ORIENT

Recently I found myself getting interested in philosophy, specifically political philosophy. My sources of information are scattered, consisting largely of books and articles written by Western experts. I am often impressed by the confident authority exercised by the European and American academics while discussing the cultural and political scenario of the previously colonized nations. Sir Edward Said's Orientalism served as my introduction into the literature of postcolonial thought. Edward Said, who died aged 67, was one of the leading literary critics of the last quarter of the 20th century. As professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University, New York, he was widely regarded as the outstanding representative of the post-structuralist left in America. Above all, he was the most articulate and visible advocate of the Palestinian cause in the United States, where it earned him many enemies. This book is an analysis into the concretely established system of ...

The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

As my first read of 2024, I picked up Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex, I had been wanting to read this after reading The Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft, which was a bit too old and I needed to read something contemporary on the topic. Once, I had come across a question," Is the representation of women in politics less than men, because women generally lack an interest in politics?". Do men have an inherent interest in the "real world"? How different are women from men actually? What is it like being a woman? What is a woman? Being a woman is much more than being a female. One should not separate the female from the female situation when forming any thoughts upon the woman. The Second Sex talks about this in expansive description and analysis. The book is divided into two volumes: 1. Volume I: Facts and Myths 2. Volume II: Lived Experience FACTS AND MYTHS The text begins with an examination of the biological...

MACHIAVELLI'S THE PRINCE

“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Niccolò Machiavelli's "The Prince" has remained widely hated and controversial for a long time but continues to be intriguing and deeply interesting to read. I have been wanting to read this for long and finally got my hands on it this Saturday. The problem with The Prince is, it is shocking and hard to swallow. Machiavelli, a popular and proud diplomat was left to live a life that felt like a punishment to him and while he writes the prince he relapses into his dramatic life as a diplomat, he draws on his experiences and knowledge about the political system and the ways various rulers came into and held on to power. The book does not aim to preach, it is not supposed to be morally or politically correct and it is better to go into it without putting that burden on it. It is an analysis of the methodology of remaining into power. Machiavelli...

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

"In the present state of society, it appears necessary to go back to first principles in search of the most simple truths, and to dispute with some prevailing prejudice every inch of ground." The Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects was written by Mary Wollstonecraft and was first published in January ,1792. Mary Wollstonecraft is regarded as one of the founding feminist philosophers. The publication of Vindication caused considerable controversy but failed to bring about any immediate reforms. From the 1840s, however, members of the incipient American and European women’s movements resurrected some of the book’s principles. It was a particular influence on American women’s rights pioneers such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Margaret Fuller. I came across this book while I was reading “The Idea of Justice" by Amartya Sen; there he talks about her work which has been remarkable in bringing about the perspective on human right...

Reading The Politics by Aristotle

Once I had finished reading The Republic by Plato, I developed an interest in the entire building a city thing. I picked up The Politics by Aristotle as my next read. It took me months to finish reading the Politics, reading and rereading the chapters and googling words throughout the book. The Republic was a dialogue which was fun to get through, The Politics however, is a treatise, it is a really long essay (almost 300 pages) , and after reading it I sit face to face with my laptop to write this review while I am completely overwhelmed because, let’s face it , how am i supposed to review something like this? It's a classic and I doubt that I even understood it enough to review it in its entirety. The Politics is divided into 8 books, which consist of multiple chapters each. Collectively they answer different questions such as: what is the best form of governance? Why have a government at all? Aristotle proposes that all societies are established for a purpose, that is ...

Reading The Republic by Plato

I had picked up The Republic in August last year and only finished reading it in the beginning of January. Getting through this book has been an achievement for me. I procrastinated a lot because I was intimidated by the level of difficulty, but it was all worth it. I had come across Plato's theory of the Philosopher King when I was attending my Jurisprudence class and was so intrigued that I ended up getting into The Republic. Let's talk about Plato. We all have heard about Plato and Socrates as the greatest philosophers. Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher. He was a student of Socrates. Most of his works reflect the ideas of Socrates and he is the main character of his dialogues. Plato authored about thirty-six dialogues. The Republic is his most renowned work. In Greek the title is understood as "Politeia" which can be rendered something closer to 'forms of government' or perhaps 'constitution'. The Republic is set in Athens. Socrates was sente...