Arts & Humanities

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

it is not clear which of two events should be considered the cause and which should be considered the effect... to express the difficulty of sequencing actions where each seems to depend on others being done first -- wikipedia

The Death and Life of Great American Cities, by Jane Jacobs

a critique of 1950s urban planning policy, which it holds responsible for the decline of many city neighborhoods in the United States. -- wikipedia. Request: This is one of the most well-known texts about cities and how they work

architecture

the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural symbols and as works of art -- wikipedia

Valhalla

Request: Doc has calibrated during a video lecture that there exists a realm that can be called Valhalla – a warrior's heaven. Is it really a heaven?

The Assembly of Women, by Aristophenes

"The women of Athens concoct a daring scheme: penetrate the male-dominated Assembly disguised as men and vote themselves into power, after which they will overturn the old laws and inaugurate a new society where all are equal and where property and sex, too! is shared" -- amazon

satire

the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues -- Oxford Languages

six degrees of separation

the idea that all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other -- wikipedia. Priority request.

Socratic questioning

to explore complex ideas, to get to the truth of things, to open up issues and problems, to uncover assumptions, to analyze concepts, to distinguish what we know from what we do not know, to follow out logical consequences of thought or to control discussions -- wikipedia

The Oxford English Dictionary

Request: Considered the most accurate assembly of the English language and the most used dictionary for research purposes.

The Anti-Communist Manifesto, by Jesse Kelly

"for anyone who feels alienated by political and popular culture in the United States and recognizes the danger of communism as it threatens to rip apart America’s social fabric" -- amazon

Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov

It has been included in many lists of best books, such as Time's List of the 100 Best Novels, Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century, Bokklubben World Library, Modern Library's 100 Best Novels, and The Big Read -- wikipedia (priority request)

Ted Kaczynski's Unibomber manifesto

contends that the Industrial Revolution began a harmful process of natural destruction brought about by technology, while forcing humans to adapt to machinery, creating a sociopolitical order that suppresses human freedom and potential -- wikipedia

Mark Twain

Request: Praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced", and called "the father of American literature."

William Shakespeare

Request: Regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.

John Money (sexologist)

known for his research into sexual identity and biology of gender. He was one of the first researchers to publish theories on the influence of societal constructs of gender on individual formation of gender identity -- wikipedia