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PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   2458 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 26, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

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So, what are you reading?

Going through Felix Cohen's The Legal Conscience, though I've skipped the first section for now. My interest was rekindled after reading a Tablet article which argued that "Israel is best understood not as an apartheid state, but as a protected tribal reserve." Not sure how coherent that argument is, and I don't know if Cohen would make it, but I feel that he is nevertheless someone who can't be ignored.

Two factors now, as then, are involved: a native [American Indian] population in possession of areas rich in natural resources but without the techniques, or without the incentives, needed for the full development of these resources, and, on the other hand, a population with the desire and techniques to exploit these material resources. The problem now, as then, is to preserve the rights and liberties of native groups while permitting the fullest development of the world's resources. In seeking a modus vivendi for racial groups of varying cultures, those who will build a better postwar world can well afford to ponder the legal relationship of American Indians to the Federal Government, which, after three centuries of experience and experimentation, often bitter, conforms more closely today than ever before to the humane legal ideals first formulated by the theological jurisprudence of sixteenth century Spain.

Also picking up Slezkine's The Jewish Century, which seems like an overdue read.

There was another book thread in the Fun Thread. Posting here because the Fun Thread has a no-culture-war rule.

Still going through Reverend Insanity, about 15% of the way in. Starting to wonder if there are other worthwhile cultivation novels (or games for that matter) with better translations.

Western progression fantasy (Worm, Worth the Candle, Dungeon Crawler Carl) has not been quite as fun.

There's something in Western Fantasy where the love of power is undermined. In the Wheel of Time Rand spends so much time agonizing and waiting and only rarely does anything when he's insanely strong. Or in Worth The Candle it problematizes power, there's so much about being a good person and emotional maturity. The whole story is kind of therapeutic apologia for being a bit mean in a D&D session.

Taylor in Worm was pretty good and selfless all things considered and the Worm subreddit was going 'yeah she's problematic and an unreliable narrator and flawed.'

Meanwhile in RI it goes full-bore. Ritual sacrifice, realpolitik, betrayal, warlordism (real warlordism, not being a nice gangster like Taylor), mass-murder and a relentless pursuit of power. Emotional maturity is knowing how to bide time and endure humiliations while scheming, how to endure losses or avoid distraction - not therapy talk. Good and evil, freedom and destiny explored on a grand and fantastical scale, not a petty scale.

When even the Chinese Communist Party says, “whoah, there, you’re creepin’ a bit”, I’m not sure that this is an unsparing look at how life really is as opposed to the fantasy of a rather nasty person who likes the aesthetic of power.

I wouldn't take the CCP's criticism as principled opposition to the values exhibited in the novel.

Now the thing with WtC is that it still has all those ruthless things and people, it's just that the protagonist has the cheat power to become stronger than everyone without resorting to doing things the hard and nasty way. It is also plainly stated in RY that Fang Yuan also tried to do things the nice way in his original life, it just didn't work out. I'd say both novels present their worlds and the way their dwellers react to those worlds consistently. It is also telling that, while Fang Yuan's antics are captivating for the pure number go up appeal, it's all the other major characters who are actually interesting people.

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