From: Hagbard Celine (hagbard@ix.netcom.com)
Date: Sat Jul 12 1997 - 16:09:24 MDT
On Sat, 12 Jul 1997, Rev. Madnys wrote:
> > Basically, what I am wondering is what areas/books would some of you
> > consider mandatory reading to help one become a 'whole' person? What are
> > some of your favorite books? Are there any books you would consider
> > fundamental introductions to various topics, or laying essential
> > groundwork?
For a good *long* list of books that extropians seems to agree upon (for
the most part) go to
http://www.aleph.se/Trans/Cultural/Philosophy/princip.html and scroll to
the bottom under Readings.
Personally, I like best:
Julian Simon's *The Ultimate Resource* at
http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/Colleges/BMGT/.Faculty/JSimon/Ultimate_Resource/
Robert Anton Wilson's *Right Where You Are Sitting Now*
Drexler's *Engines of Creation* at
http://www.asiapac.com/EnginesOfCreation/
Dawkins' *The Selfish Gene*
And for those who hate government, there's no better way to fight it
than to know it inside and out. Which is why I think every educated
American should at least peruse the political philosophy of modernity
Machiavelli: *The Prince* at
http://daemon.ilt.columbia.edu/academic/digitexts/machiavelli/the_prince/title.html
and *The Discourses on Livy*
Hobbes: *Leviathan* (at very least Part 1: Of Man and Part 2: Of
Commonwealth) at gopher://gopher.vt.edu:10010/02/98/1
Francis Bacon: *The New Atlantis* (civil religion based upon science --
a vision of the New World?) at
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/cgibin/browse-mixed?id=BacAtla&tag=public&images=images/modeng&data=/lv1/Archive/eng-parsed
John Locke: *Second Treatise on Government* at
ftp://wiretap.area.com/Library/Classic/locke2nd.txt
Rousseau: *On the Social Contract*
Then hit Friedman's *Machinery of Freedom* and some of his other
articles which are darn good (Such as *Law as a Private Good* at
http://www.best.com/~ddfr/Academic/Law_as_a_private_good/Law_as_a_private_good.html
)
Finally, I think everyone should read the Illuminatus! trilogy by Robert
Anton Wilson just for kicks.
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