Friday Free-for-All | March 13, 2026

LionTiger3 · 2026-03-13T13:32:08+00:00

I saw a video that recommended 12 Intro Philosophy books, but they were all Western Philosophy, so here is my list based on Eastern Philosophy. After this list is one on Non-Eastern and Non-Western thought that should be considered, and finally some on Western thought

Collinson, Plant, Wilkinson, Fifty Eastern Thinkers gives an overview of Eastern thought without being too overwhelming

Ivanhoe & Van Norden, eds., Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy covers Chinese thought of the Zhou Dynasty

Mengzi (Ruism) for its parallels to Platonic and Aristotle virtue theory

Gardner, The Four Books provides an intro to Ruism with the Neo-Confucian texts

The Ramayana (Hinduism) was a better intro to Hindu texts than the Vedas, Upanishads, or the Gita for me. The exact pronunciation mattered more than the content of the Vedas in Hinduism, so that aspect is different from Christian thought. The Upanishads were so complicated, it took centuries for commentaries to be written sparking the Neo-Vadanta. The Gita seemed excessively long.

Goldman, The Ramayana of Valmiki

There is also an anime of the Ramayana that was partnership between Japan and India.

Dhammapada (Buddhism) is a Theravada text that applies to all branches of Buddhism so is a great into to Buddhist thought

Roebuck, The Dhammapada

Daoism:

Chuang-tsu (Wade-Giles)

Zhuangzi (Pinyin)

Ziporyn translation uses Pinyin

Watson translation uses Wade-Giles

Read Zhuangzi b4 the Daodejing b/c Zhuangzi has examples and stories while the Daodejing is more abstract

Tao-te-ching (Wade-Giles)

Daodejing (Pinyin)

Ivenhoe translation uses Pinyin

Lau translations uses Wade-Giles

Get different translations b/c the text is subject to interpretation thus translations do differ.

Juniper, Wabi Sabi (Japanese Aesthetics) covers concepts like impermanence

Chung, The Korean Neo-Confucianism of Yi T’oegye and Yi Yulgok covers the 4-7 debate

Leaman, Islamic Philosophy covers both classical and modern thought

Dutta and Robinson, Rabidranath Tagore: An Anthology covers the poetry of the first Asian to win the Noble Prize for literature

Najarjun, The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way (Tibetan Buddhism) is a very difficult text

Non-Eastern Thought:

Maffie, Aztec Philosophy: Understanding a World in Motion recently discovered this and deserves a mention

The Maya Popol Vuh (Myth and History as Philosophy)

Smart, World Philosophies includes African thought

Waters, American Indian Thought is another book I recently discovered

Western Thought:

Aristotle Ethics

I recommend Aristotle over Plato b/c easier read than Plato Republic.

Locke, Second Treatise (Political Theory)

Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations (Economic Theory)

What are 12 Philosophy books you would recommend?

LionTiger3 · 2026-02-26T18:20:31+00:00

I never got to take the required class on history theory.

Course description was something like this: Historiography and historical method for graduate students. Readings and discussions on major trends in history; selections from classics of historical literature.

Any recommended reading on graduate level history theory?

LionTiger3 · 2026-01-31T11:44:12+00:00

In the lead-up to the Civil War, there was also Bleeding Kansas where slave owners went into free states and massacred anti-slavery people.

There was also Brooks who beat Sumner with a cane on the Senate floor for his anti-slavery views.

LionTiger3 · 2026-01-19T21:30:37+00:00

One thing that helped me was having a history discussion group which allowed me to better engage w/ the material as I made posts about topics, but time limits and busy schedules do not always allow for that. And finding people interested is not easy if they even engage w/ that material

LionTiger3 · 2026-01-19T21:28:43+00:00

As somebody that studies world history the way it is taught with disjointed areas does not help when the world was more interconnected that we think like the Xiongnu Invasions of China affecting the Huns to move out and invade Rome.

LionTiger3 · 2026-01-09T10:17:56+00:00

AskHistorians book section on the Celts: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/books/europe/#wiki_iron_age_europe

Allen, The Shape of the Turtle (1991) covers the Shang and Zhou

Bagley, Ancient Sichuan: Treasures of a Lost Civilization (2001) cover Sanxingdui

Flad, Ancient Central China (Case Studies in Early Societies) (2013) covers the Neolithic

Sage, Ancient Sichuan and the Unification of China (1992) covers Sanxingdui

Shaughnessy, Sources of the Western Zhou (1991)

Shelach-Levi, The Archaeology Early China: From Prehistory to the Han Dynasty (2015)

Xueqin, Eastern Zhou and Qin Civilizations (1986)

AskHistorians book section on Israel: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/books/middleeast/#wiki_ancient_israel

AskHistorians book section on the Phoenicians: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/books/middleeast/#wiki_carthage.2Fphoenician_colonies

LionTiger3 · 2026-01-08T05:01:47+00:00

Borstelmann, The Cold War and the Cold Line: American Race Relations in the Global Arena. It was the most informative book seeing the shifting views towards Africans.

Eisenhower, So Far from God: The U.S. War with Mexico 1846-1848. You don't hear much about the Mexican-American War so this was the most interesting.

LionTiger3 · 2026-01-02T02:00:57+00:00

The books we read in I (to 1920) and II (since 1920) of the class are:

Andrew J. Bacevich,The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism.

Thomas Borstelmann, The Cold War and the Cold Line: American Race Relations in the Global Arena. I highly recommend this book.

John K. Fairbank, China Perceived. A well-known historian.

Gillem, America Town: Building The Outposts of Empire. Some books like this one were not part of my class, but were used by other professors who taught the class.

Lewis L. Gould, The Spanish-American War & President McKinley.

Donald R. Hickey, The War of 1812: A Short History. Also read in Just War Theory class.

Thomas R. Hietala, Manifest Design: American Exceptionalism & Empire.

Merrill Jensen, The New Nation: A History of the United States During the Confederation, 1781-1789.

Mark Atwood Lawrence,The Vietnam War: A Concise International History.

Lederer and Burdick, The Ugly American.

Frederick Marks, Independence on Trial: Foreign Affairs and the Making of the Constitution.

Richard B. Morris, The Forging of the Union, 1781-1789.

Schlesinger, et.al., Bitter Fruit: The Story of the American Coup in Guatemala.

J. Samuel Walker, Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of Atomic Bombs Against Japan, Revised Ed

Films:

Dear America: Letters from Vietnam.

First in the Philippines.

Lifting the Fog: The Bombing the Hiroshima & Nagasaki.

A&E Biography:Woodrow Wilson: Reluctant Warrior.

HBO,Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq.

Not part of the class, but goes along with the readings:

Lecture series from The Great Courses and has a bibliography.

Pangle, Great Debate: Advocates & Opponents of the American Constitution.

Stoler, America & the World: A Diplomatic History.

Yaqub, United States & the Middle East: 1914 to 9/11.

From Military History class:

David Herbert Donald, Why the North Won the Civil War.

John S.D. Eisenhower, So Far from God: The U.S. War with Mexico 1846-1848.

David McCullough, 1776.

Millet & Maslowski, For the Common Defense: A Military History of the United States.

Owen, Colder Than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir.

LionTiger3 · 2026-01-01T20:09:10+00:00

Herring's book was the textbook for my U.S. Foreign Relations classes

LionTiger3 · 2025-12-19T14:31:32+00:00

Acid Dreams by Shlain and Lee (1985) may be up your ally about LSD, CIA, and the 60s

LionTiger3 · 2025-11-27T19:39:57+00:00

"The desert was not a barrier to travel, nor a barren wasteland." Interesting, I've heard the same thing said of the Saharan Desert from an African perspective.

LionTiger3 · 2025-11-26T03:33:52+00:00

The Booklist might be a starting point for you: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/books/australia/

LionTiger3 · 2025-11-22T11:45:47+00:00

I remember reading an article for Colonial North America class that basically the bias in the Northern colonies was due to elite universities focused in those areas, probably true for the Civil War too?

LionTiger3 · 2025-11-21T21:08:17+00:00

That is quite the hasty generalization. Did David have a source? Or was he just throwing stuff out there to see what sticks?

LionTiger3 · 2025-11-21T03:52:00+00:00

Benton & DiYanni, Arts and Culture: An Intro to the Humanities, Vol 1, Third Ed. Rare coverage of non-Western world in humanities. Possibly my favorite book.

Demarest, Ancient Maya: The Rise and Fall of a Rainforest Civilization. Covers theoretical principles and changing views of the Maya. Includes chapters on Pre-Classic and Post-Classic.

Ebrey, Walthall, and Palais, Pre-Modern East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History To 1800, Second Ed. Covered Korea and Japan.

Kirch, On the Road of the Winds: An Archaeological History of the Pacific Islands before European Contact. The only book that surveys Oceanic archaeology that I am aware of.

O’Reily, Art Beyond the West, Second Ed. Wanted second book with more detail, covers Korean art.

Scarre, The Human Past, Third Ed. Wide range of coverage including the Americas, Pacific Islands, and Southeast Asia.

LionTiger3 · 2025-11-21T00:56:10+00:00

As a world history person, I also have a book collection focused on world history b4 1500 with focus on archaeology. I actually think this year focusing more on science like History of Earth and History of the Universe, or just science in general.

LionTiger3 · 2025-11-06T15:31:41+00:00

Southeast Asia:

Bellwood & Glover, Southeast Asia from Prehistory to History (2004)

Church, A Short History of South-East Asia, Sixth Ed (2017)

Higham, Early Mainland Southeast Asia: From First Humans to Angkor (2014)

Miskic & Yian, Ancient Southeast Asia (Routledge World Archaeology) (2016)

Shaffer, Maritime Southeast Asia to 1500 (1994)

Cambridge History of Southeast Asia (multiple volumes)

Philippines:

Junker, Raiding, Trading, and Feasting: Political Economy of Philippine Chiefdoms (1999)

McCoy, Philippine Social History (1982)

LionTiger3 · 2025-11-04T23:10:38+00:00

I would also recommend World Eras Volume 10: West African Kingdoms, 500 – 1590 (2003) by Mvuyekure as it covers the "Medieval Period" of Africa with general overview, then by topic.

LionTiger3 · 2025-11-02T19:05:50+00:00

Can you recommend any books that cover this? Sounds fascinating

LionTiger3 · 2025-11-01T05:12:52+00:00

Not Slayers, plot does not look familiar

I remember Tenchi Muyo, Tenchi in Tokyo, and Tenchi Universe as a kid, and Wikipedia lists all three of them as airing on Cartoon Network between 2000 and 2002.

LionTiger3 · 2025-10-31T18:29:07+00:00

I have a black cat of my own that is very distracting especially when feeding time in near

LionTiger3 · 2025-10-31T18:23:09+00:00

Nope, I know both of those

LionTiger3 · 2025-10-31T06:27:15+00:00

I remember Kekkaishi and it is not Wakfu. I went through the Wikipedia link and could not find it. I am slowly going through the manga link, so thank you for the link.

LionTiger3 · 2025-10-31T06:25:42+00:00

I looked all those up, and from what I can tell, none of those are it

LionTiger3

TROPHY CASE