Ursula Le Guin Books

Post by pmoriarty » Sat, May 08, 2021, 10:30 PM UTC

bnralt wrote: post #96

pmoriarty wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never even got to the later Earthsea books. I absolutely loved and treasured The Wizard of Earthsea , which I've read and reread many times over my life (something I almost never do with any books). The other two books in the trilogy: The Tombs of Atuan and The Furthest Shore were pretty disappointing to me, so I stopped reading Le Guin after that.

The two earliest Earthsea short stories, The Word of Unbinding and The Rule of Names, are worth reading if you liked the more high-fantasy focus of the first book.

Post by corvuscorvid » Sun, May 09, 2021, 1:56 AM UTC

void-star wrote: post #83

pmoriarty wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Tao Te Ching is one of the most profound books I've ever read in my life.. but it's hard to recommend just one translation. Reading different translations of it is like looking at a diamond through its many facets.

I would agree with that, however in the context of understanding Ursula Le Guin and her writing I stand by my call out to this translation specifically.

Post by KingOfCoders » Sun, May 09, 2021, 5:13 AM UTC

howfrontoage wrote: post #68

erikpukinskis wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That book, more than anything, helped me to see anarchism as a viable organizational system and not just people “doing whatever they want”.

Honestly I disagree they had anarchism. Seemed they had a sort of collectivism where they replaced some authority with "computers that hand out assignments" and pseudo-authority from the capital (Anares? I forgot). It looked like an odd system where presumably you were free but conditions were so hars and social pressure so strong that you did what was required. Sweden in space desert.

Post by howfrontoage » Sun, May 09, 2021, 7:40 AM UTC

sdenton4 wrote: post #86

howfrontoage wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly I disagree they had anarchism. Seemed they had a sort of collectivism where they replaced some authority with "computers that hand out assignments" and pseudo-authority from the capital (Anares? I forgot). It looked like an odd system where presumably you were free but conditions were so hars and social pressure so strong that you did what was required. Sweden in space desert.

Anarchism means 'without leaders,' not without society. Actual anarchists are generally interested in how to design a society that can function at a high level without leaders. This usually involves some mix of process and committees, with some serious thought about how to handle delegation of decision making without concentrating power in too few hands.

Post by i_don_t_know » Sun, May 09, 2021, 10:35 AM UTC

erikpukinskis wrote: post #19

KingOfCoders wrote: post #3

If I would allowed to only own one book, it would be "The Dispossessed". This books explains so many different sides of humanity. On a more personal note: After reading it a dozen times there are still parts I need to cry. Just thinking about the strong emotions in parts of the book waters my eyes right now.

That book, more than anything, helped me to see anarchism as a viable organizational system and not just people “doing whatever they want”.