Author Archives: Larry Franz

Lust by Simon Blackburn

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This is one of a series on the Seven Deadly Sins, but may differ from other books in the series, since the author defends what is supposed to be sinful. Blackburn defines “lust” as “the enthusiastic desire, the desire that infuses the body, for sexual activity and its pleasures for their own sake”.

He endorses Hobbes’s explanation of this pleasure: “LUST…is a sensual pleasure, but not only that; there is in it also a delight of the mind: for it consisteth of two appetites together, to please, and to be pleased; and the delight men take in delighting, is not sensual, but a pleasure or joy of the mind”.

Blackburn contrasts this view with that of Aristophanes: sexual desire is “the hopeless attempt to regain a total unity, a fusion of self and other”. Dryden translates Lucretius on the impossibility of attaining this goal: “They grip, they squeeze, their humid tongues they dart; As each would force their way to t’other’s heart; In vain, they only cruise about the coast; For bodies cannot pierce, nor be in bodies lost”.

On the other hand, a Hobbesian unity is attainable between sexual partners sometimes, much like musicians who create a unified performance.

This is a playful but serious book. Blackburn concludes that “lust best flourishes when it is unencumbered by bad philosophy and ideology, by falsities, by controls, by distortions, by corruptions and perversions and suspicions, which prevent its freedom of flow”. (3/22/10)

Being Good: A Short Introduction to Ethics by Simon Blackburn

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It is rather short, and not as satisfying as Blackburn’s Truth. The book is divided into three parts. The first deals with seven threats to ethics, such as the Death of God, Relativism and Determinism. The second deals with some ethical ideas, such as Utilitarianism and Rights. And the third discusses possible foundations for ethics, like those offered by Kant and Rawls.

Blackburn is skeptical about providing a rational foundation for ethics, somehow “built into the order of things”, but argues that it is good enough that, as social beings, we can share an ethical framework based on sympathy for each other. This framework allows us to reason about ethics, but only within that framework.  (3/19/10)

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre

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A great spy novel, in which the unglamorous George Smiley identifies the Russian mole “Gerald” within British intelligence. Lots of flashbacks and vivid characters. It’s also the first part of a trilogy. I kept seeing and hearing the characters from the terrific mini-series that starred Alec Guinness as Smiley.  (3/18/10)

Universals: An Opinionated Introduction by D. M. Armstrong

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This is an excellent introduction to the philosophical problem of universals: what is it for two things to be of the same type? Armstrong discusses the pros and cons of six theories: 1) natural classes as primitives; 2) resemblance nominalism; 3) universals; 4) natural classes of tropes; 5) resemblance classes of tropes; and 6) tropes plus universals. He also discusses substance-attribute and bundle theories of universals and tropes.

Armstrong’s own position is that the world consists of states of affairs, which are made up of substances with attributes, that is, particulars that instantiate universals, which have differing degress of resemblance. Although he believes that universals are preferable to tropes, Armstrong sees resemblance classes of tropes as a strong competitor to universals. He also suggests that the differences between universals and tropes may be merely terminological.  (3/9/10)

Four Novellas by Henry James

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Daisy Miller — An innocent but flirtatious American girl visits Europe and comes to a bad end, after scandalizing local society. A young American ex-patriate regrets that he didn’t try harder to win her. He realizes he has lived away from America too long, but stays in Europe anyway.

The Aspern Papers — A literary critic believes that a very old woman possesses love letters or other documents she received from the great poet Jeffrey Aspern before his death many years ago. The old woman lives in Venice with her niece. The critic plots to get access to the papers. The story has enough suspense to maintain interest, and suggests that Venice, at least in the 19th century, must be visited one day.

The Turn of the Screw — A ghost story and a really bad one. James applies his heavily psychological treatment of situations, glances and dialogue to the story of a governess and two children. It’s not clear until the end that the ghosts are real. The story is more annoying than frightening. The conclusion is anti-climactic.

The Beast in the Jungle — A man tells a woman that he believes something extraordinary will happen to him one day. They meet years later. She has not forgotten their first meeting, although he has. She agrees to watch for this great thing that will happen to him. Years pass as they keep meeting and talking. She knows what this thing will be, but dies without clearly telling him. He realizes too late: “he had been the man of his time, the man, to whom nothing on earth was to have happened”. She offered him a way to avoid his fate, by loving her, but he was too foolish and egotistical to understand. The story is written in James’s mature style, with words upon words, and very little clearly said. (2/22/10)