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PaperclipPerfector  5mo ago (text post)   4053 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for November 19, 2023

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?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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So, what are you reading?

I'm going through Fedorov's Common Task, which has been a pleasant surprise. It's delightfully eclectic, and something in its sharpness is compelling.

A truly moral being does not need compulsion and repeated orders to perceive what his duty is- he assigns to himself his task and prescribes what must be done for those from whom he has become separated, because separation (whether voluntary or not) cannot be irreversible.

Stalling out on the Count of Monte Cristo. I’m on page 640 out of 900 and I’m moving through it very slowly. It’s surprising to me. I’ve seen so many people recommend this as one of the greatest books of all time, and I just feel like…it isn’t? The first 180 pages of Dante’s false imprisonment and escape were enjoyable, but since then it’s been 500 pages of upper class French parlor room conversation and gossip. Now to be fair, the gossip, conversations, and side storylines are interesting, but I can’t help but feel that this book could have been half the length and double the entertainment.

Part of it is that it was released in chunks, something like 12 serialized releases. And it really reads that way. I’m going to finish it, but it’s been a bit of a slog.

Yeah, it gets sidetracked often in its unabridged form between the prison and the finale. If you cut out the pointless parts, it's a good mix of entertainment, villainy and moral posturing. It's a guilty pleasure which is high-minded enough that it stands out in the crowd.

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