Year: 2007

The Mathematics Circle Series, Hunan Science and Technology Press, June 2007

History of Science & Scholarship2007.07.29
The Mathematics Circle Series, Hunan Science and Technology Press, June 2007
The Mathematics Circle series, Hunan Science and Technology Press, June 2007 ([U.S.] H. W. Eves: Mathematics Circle 1, Mathematics Circle 2, Mathematics Circle 3, translated by Li Yong, 32.5 yuan + 38.5 yuan + 38.5 yuan; [British] Marcus du Sautoy: The Music of the Primes, translated by Sun Weikun, 36 yuan; [U.S.] Edward Berger, Michael Starbird: Mathematical Jamboree, translated by Tang Lu and Fu Xue, 28 yuan) I happened to be in a state of mental excitement when I saw this series, and after casually flipping through a few pages of Mathematics Circle 2, I bought it. Now I feel somewhat regretful—this really is a distinctive kind of math storybook,…
book reading notes mathematics book review
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2007年7月29日
[Eng] Brendan Wilson: “A Brief Introduction to Philosophy”

Philosophy & Thought2007.07.28
[Eng] Brendan Wilson: “A Brief Introduction to Philosophy”
[English] Brendan Wilson: *A Brief Introduction to Philosophy*, translated by Weng Shaojun, Shanghai People's Publishing House, June 2007, 26 yuan Recently, a number of introductory books on philosophy and the history of philosophy have appeared on the market again. I have always been very interested in this kind of book. At the same time, perhaps I also hope to help later readers “verify” things a bit and improve my recommended reading list. Up to now, the introductory philosophy books I still place first are the three published by Guangxi Normal University Press—*The Tree of Philosophy*, *Big Questions*, and *An Introduction to Philosophy*—and this book has not surpassed those three. This…
philosophy book reading notes philosophy of science
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2007年7月28日
[U.S.] Dan Brown: Digital Fortress

Culture & Public Commentary2007.07.26
[U.S.] Dan Brown: Digital Fortress
[U.S.] Dan Brown: *Digital Fortress*, translated by Zhu Zhenwu, Zhao Yongjian, and Xin Yan, People’s Literature Publishing House, September 2004, 25 yuan I’ve been reading light books lately; the reference books I’d planned to read for my research paper, as well as the bilingual reading materials, haven’t even been started. One reason is that the long renovation has meant the boxed-up books have remained impossible to dig out, so I can only choose from these relatively easy-to-reach books. Of course, it also has to do with my own squandering of time—vacation must always be at least half wasted. Still, this vacation has been a happy one, my state has been…
book reading notes freedom United States
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2007年7月26日
This Issue’s Music: БРАТЬЯ (Burāchiya) (Brothers) (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Life & Notes2007.07.25
This Issue’s Music: БРАТЬЯ (Burāchiya) (Brothers) (Fullmetal Alchemist)
http://dl.egchina.com/ztt/wupeng/music/3.wma БРАТЬЯ (ブラーチヤ)（Brothers） Full Metal Alchemist Original （Fullmetal Alchemist） Speaking of Russian songs, my earliest exposure to Russian songs was in Japanese anime. I seem to remember that a long time ago I once posted here a song called “Grassland, oh grassland,” which was also Russian music from a Japanese anime, but I can’t find it now. Fullmetal Alchemist is the Japanese TV anime I recommend most highly (while Miyazaki Hayao is for theatrical anime). Its plot, substance, visuals, and soundtrack are all excellent. This Russian song is one of its insert songs, and quite a classic one at that. I couldn’t find a fast link online, so this will…
everyday life culture music anime
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2007年7月25日
Simon Critchley: “Hello, Humor”

Philosophy & Thought2007.07.25
Simon Critchley: “Hello, Humor”
[UK] Simon Critchley: *Hello, Humor*, translated by Liu Dongxin and Feng Tao, Guangxi Normal University Press, May 2007, 18 yuan The author’s opening words say, “To try to write a philosophy of humor is an impudent and arrogant act, and that act itself has become a joke.” Laughter requires the movement of a person’s whole body and countless nerves; “humor,” along with the making of humor and theories about humor, also engages nearly all of human capacities and forms of knowledge. Humor is the interweaving of sensibility and reason, a mixture of impulse, desire, silence, and reflection, the convergence of literature, poetry, and philosophy. Theoretical discussions of humor are a…
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2007年7月25日
Chat Transcript on Marxist Philosophy and New Students

Philosophy & Thought2007.07.24
Chat Transcript on Marxist Philosophy and New Students
Subversion and rebellion are characteristic of philosophy. Breaking with old frameworks of thought, set patterns, and prejudices is a shortcut to approaching philosophy. The “philosophy” taught in high school is utterly different from the philosophy of philosophers—so different that even some classmates who have studied philosophy at university are completely unaware of the gap, yet it is an important and enormous one. I personally began with 20th-Century New Marxism, by overturning my prior impression of Marx’s philosophy, and gradually became interested in philosophy. I think my experience may also be useful for later students. (Of course, the difference between middle-school “philosophy” and philosophy is not only about specific claims and…
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2007年7月24日
The 500th blog post~!

Site Matters2007.07.23
The 500th blog post~!
A week from now, it will be exactly two years since I opened this blog. Two years, 500 blog posts—quite a brilliant achievement, I’d say? With the “implementation” of “Suixuan,” my blog ought to move into a new stage. I do not ask for “getting better and better”; I don’t like that phrase. I only hope that I can keep alive the enthusiasm I now have for reading, writing, and thinking, keep alive that carefree and spontaneous attitude, and keep on with my starry-sky philosophy. When the second anniversary comes, I’ll put out a selected collection here, and settle accounts with these several hundred posts and more than a…
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2007年7月23日
[U.S.] Robert M. Pirsig: “The World of Fathers and Sons” (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) — ☆

Culture & Public Commentary2007.07.23
[U.S.] Robert M. Pirsig: “The World of Fathers and Sons” (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) — ☆
[U.S.]Robert·M·Pirsig: “The World of Father and Son” (“Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”), translated by Huang Xin, China Friendship Publishing Company, November 1998, 22.8 yuan——☆ I remember that there was a page in A History of Twentieth-Century Thought introducing this strange book. Because the introduction was so brief, apart from its strange title, I still hadn’t realized what was special about it. It was only after seeing Teacher Liu and Teacher Jiang recommend this The World of Father and Son that I learned this strange book had already been translated into Chinese! The translator was probably a literary translator and likely had little philosophical training; the translation problems are…
philosophy book reading notes philosophy of science
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2007年7月23日
[U.S.] Nicolas Darvas: “I Survived the Stock Market”

Culture & Public Commentary2007.07.22
[U.S.] Nicolas Darvas: “I Survived the Stock Market”
[U.S.] Nicholas Darvas: *I Survived the Stock Market: How a Person with No Financial Common Sense Can Survive in the Stock Market*, translated by Huang Jia, China Machine Press, May 2007, 21 yuan At my mom’s urging, I too have started playing the stock market~ Playing the stock market is a game in which, while sitting at home and clicking the mouse and tapping the keyboard, you can make capital grow geometrically (of course, it can also shrink geometrically). Buying and selling are so easy that you may often forget that every time the screen flashes “trade successful” in those four little characters, it means you have just completed a…
book reading notes economy market economy
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2007年7月22日
[Korean] Zheng Zaicheng: “The Science Concert”

History of Science & Scholarship2007.07.21
[Korean] Zheng Zaicheng: “The Science Concert”
[Korean] Jeong Jae-seung: *The Science Concert*, translated by Le Heng, Hainan Publishing House and Sihuan Publishing House, December 2003, 20 yuan The cover introduces it as “Hallyu popular science: scientific stories in daily life.” The book’s subtitle, “A Complex World and Bright, Clear Science,” uses light, engaging, and close-to-life stories to introduce some knowledge related to complexity science, including physics, fractals, statistics, and economics. Very good! It is not only far, far better than the level of popular science in China, but can also stand alongside popular science works in Europe and America, while at the same time being distinctive and full of character. Complexity is everywhere. July 21, 2007
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2007年7月21日