Denver Philosophy Book Club

Continuing his series on the history of Western philosophy, Mark Hopkins will host our discussion of Spinoza: The Outcast Thinker by Devra Lehmann. Mark suggested this book.

An entertaining and accessible introduction to the radical philosopher of freedom of thought and religion is the only biography of Spinoza for young adults.

The second title in the Philosophy for Young People series.
A brilliant schoolboy in 17th-century Amsterdam, Bento Spinoza -- formally Baruch and later Benedict de Spinoza -- quickly learns to keep his ideas to himself. When he is 23, those ideas prove so scandalous to his own Jewish community that he is cast out, cursed, and effectively erased from their communal life. The scandal shows no sign of waning as his ideas spread throughout Europe. At the center of the storm, he lives the simplest of lives, quietly devoted to his work as a lens grinder and to his steadfast search for truth, striving to embody a philosophy of tolerance and benevolence. Spinoza does not live to see his ideas change the world.

What caused such an uproar? Spinoza challenged age-old ideas about God, the Bible, and religion. His God was the sum total of nature, not a father-figure who created the world and takes care of humankind. His bible was a book like any other, not a holy text to be interpreted only by religious authorities. His religion was a commitment to basic moral behavior, not a collection of superstitions or rituals. For such ideas, Spinoza was reviled, but he emerged from his experience as one of history's most articulate voices for freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of religion. Those of us who enjoy the fundamental rights of modern democracies are the beneficiaries of Spinoza's quiet bravery.

Spinoza: The Outcast Thinker is the second book in the new Philosophy for Young People series, introducing readers to seminal philosophers from ancient times up through the present day.

If you would like to host one of our events and you have a book in mind, please let me, Karl Kiefer, or Mark Hopkins know, and we will create a Meetup event for your book, assuming your suggested title qualifies as a book on philosophy in our view, and assuming that we deem you to be qualified to host. Our criteria are somewhat vague, but let's just say that we are not interested in books on the supernatural. We are interested in books that you might find in a syllabus for a college philosophy course. We are also focused on finding hosts who have demonstrated ability to direct philosophical conversation. You can always email me at camkruger@gmail.com if you have questions and/or suggestions.

As always, it's essential that everyone who comes to the meeting reads the book in its entirety and brings something for the potluck.

Happy reading!

Lisa will host our discussion of Deceit, Desire, and the Novel: Self and Other in Literary Structure by René Girard. Lisa suggested this book.

Deceit, Desire, and the Novel (1965) by René Girard argues that desire is not spontaneous but mimetic, meaning we desire what others desire, a concept he calls "triangular desire". The novel's "deceit" lies in the protagonist pretending their desire is their own, while the "truth" of the novel reveals this mediated, rivalrous structure, seen in works by Cervantes, Stendhal, Flaubert, Proust, and Dostoevsky. This theory explains the rivalry and conflict in literature and life, extending to advertising and propaganda.
Core Concepts

• Mimetic Desire:
  We don't desire objects for their intrinsic value, but because a "mediator" (another person) desires them.
• Triangular Desire:
  The structure is a triangle: Subject (protagonist) -> Mediator (model) -> Object.
• The Novel's Deceit:
  The protagonist's illusion that their desire is original and self-generated.
• The Novel's Truth:
  The narrative exposes this illusion, revealing the mediator and the resulting rivalry.

Key Examples in the Book

• Cervantes: Don Quixote
• Stendhal: The Red and the Black (Mathilde and Sorel)
• Flaubert: Madame Bovary (Emma Bovary)
• Proust: In Search of Lost Time
• Dostoevsky: The Brothers Karamazov

Broader Implications

• Girard's theory extends beyond literature to explain modern phenomena like fashion, advertising, and propaganda, where desire is manufactured through imitation.

To go with Girard's book, Lisa reading an article by Peter Thiel that addresses Girard's ideas. The title of the article is "The Straussian Moment," and you can find it here.

Lisa owns cats, and while they will be shut away during the event, you should be aware if you have a severe cat allergy.

If you would like to host one of our events and you have a book in mind, please let me, Karl Kiefer, or Mark Hopkins know, and we will create a Meetup event for your book, assuming your suggested title qualifies as a book on philosophy in our view, and assuming that we deem you to be qualified to host. Our criteria are somewhat vague, but let's just say that we are not interested in books on the supernatural. We are interested in books that you might find in a syllabus for a college philosophy course. We are also focused on finding hosts who have demonstrated ability to direct philosophical conversation. You can always email me at camkruger@gmail.com if you have questions and/or suggestions.

As always, it's essential that everyone who comes to the meeting reads the book in its entirety and brings something for the potluck.

Happy reading!

Sally will host our discussion of Essays and Aphorisms by Arthur Schopenhauer. Tim suggested this book.

A collection of classic writings from the influential German philosopher

This selection of thoughts on religion, ethics, politics, women, suicide, books, and much more is taken from Arthur Schopenhauer's last work, Parerga and Paralipo-mena, published in 1851.

Penguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

If you would like to host one of our events and you have a book in mind, please let me, Karl Kiefer, or Mark Hopkins know, and we will create a Meetup event for your book, assuming your suggested title qualifies as a book on philosophy in our view, and assuming that we deem you to be qualified to host. Our criteria are somewhat vague, but let's just say that we are not interested in books on the supernatural. We are interested in books that you might find in a syllabus for a college philosophy course. We are also focused on finding hosts who have demonstrated ability to direct philosophical conversation. You can always email me at camkruger@gmail.com if you have questions and/or suggestions.

As always, it's essential that everyone who comes to the meeting reads the book in its entirety and brings something for the potluck.

Happy reading!

Lisa will host our discussion of 1984 by George Orwell. Lisa suggested this book.

One of the most celebrated classics of the twentieth century, this cautionary tale of a man trapped under the gaze of an authoritarian state is more relevant now than ever before.

“Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed for ever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you.”

Winston Smith works in the Ministry of Truth—or Minitrue as it is called in Newspeak—where he alters newspapers and reports to follow the arbitrary dictates of Big Brother’s propaganda. Beneath his outward conformity, however, Winston dreams of sharing his treasonable thoughts and breaking through the loneliness in which he lives.

Thus he takes his first dangerous steps, writing a diary of his doubts and then falling in love with a woman of the Party, the beautiful and brave Julia. They know their love is doomed, but Julia says, “They can make you say anything—anything—but they can’t make you believe it.”

But in Oceania, there is no possibility of solidarity, rebellion, or love—and the Party can reach anywhere.

First published in 1949, this disturbing novel that George Orwell wrote during a time of great social and political unrest centers on the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and repressive regimentation of people and behaviors within society.

This classic of dystopian fiction contributed new words that became part of common English usage, including Big Brother, doublethink, newspeak, and thoughtcrime. The adjective "Orwellian" has come to mean government deception, surveillance, and misleading terminology.

To go with Orwell's book, Lisa suggests an article "Orwell and Philosophy" published in Philosophy Now, which you can find here, and an article by George Packer published in The Atlantic, which you can find here.

Lisa owns cats, and while they will be shut away during the event, you should be aware if you have a severe cat allergy.

If you would like to host one of our events and you have a book in mind, please let me, Karl Kiefer, or Mark Hopkins know, and we will create a Meetup event for your book, assuming your suggested title qualifies as a book on philosophy in our view, and assuming that we deem you to be qualified to host. Our criteria are somewhat vague, but let's just say that we are not interested in books on the supernatural. We are interested in books that you might find in a syllabus for a college philosophy course. We are also focused on finding hosts who have demonstrated ability to direct philosophical conversation. You can always email me at camkruger@gmail.com if you have questions and/or suggestions.

As always, it's essential that everyone who comes to the meeting reads the book in its entirety and brings something for the potluck.

Happy reading!