Episode · Lex Fridman Podcast · 2022-06-21
Books mentioned on #296 – Douglas Murray: Racism, Marxism, and the War on the West
Douglas Murray is an author and political commentator. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Brave: https://brave.
Lex Fridman discussed War on the West by Douglas Murray, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer, and The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray. Douglas Murray recommended The Life And Fate Of Vasily Grossman by Carol Garrard, Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman, and The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig, and discussed The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The pilgrim's progress by John Bunyan, The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, The True Believer by Eric Hoffer, The doors of perception by Aldous Huxley, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Lord of Flies by William Golding, and Stefan Zweig by Stefan Zweig Symposium.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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War on the West
The War on the West by Douglas Murray is a cultural commentary examining contemporary criticisms of Western civilization and the ideological battles shaping modern political discourse in America and Britain.
Discussed“you recently wrote the book titled the war on the west which in part says that the values ideas and history of western civilization are under attack”
Where to get it
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The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a complex philosophical novel that delves deeply into faith, doubt, free will, and morality through the turbulent relationships of the Karamazov family.
Discussed“i i quote in the war in the west this this when i read it first time a few years ago i was absolutely flawed by the brothers karamazov”
Where to get it
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The pilgrim's progress
The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan is a famous Christian allegory that follows a character named Christian on his arduous journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, overcoming numerous trials, temptations, and monsters along the way.
Discussed“People deny that now, but I cite him in the War in the West, and the foundational texts say as much.”
Where to get it
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The Life And Fate Of Vasily Grossman
The Life And Fate Of Vasily Grossman by Carol Garrard is a profound historical and literary work depicting the sweeping human drama of the Eastern Front during the Second World War.
Recommended“You know that Vasily Grossman's Life and Fate?”
Where to get it
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Life and Fate
Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman is a sweeping masterpiece depicting the brutality and human ramifications of the Eastern Front, the Holocaust, and totalitarianism during World War II.
Recommended“vastly grossman's life and fate so in the middle of life and fate which a persian friend of mine said was one of only two great novels of the 20th century”
Where to get it
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The Leopard
Discussed“what was the other one oh the leopard obviously the leopard of giuseppe de la producer”
Where to get it
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The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L.
Discussed“so i personally have read and reread the william shires the rise and fall of the third reich who's another journalist who was there”
Where to get it
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The Madness of Crowds
The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity by Douglas Murray is a provocative contemporary commentary that investigates the cultural, social, and political shifts surrounding modern identity politics, intersectionality, and public discourse.
Discussed“well one is your book broadly applied of the madness of crowds”
Where to get it
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The True Believer
The True Believer by Eric Hoffer is a classic twentieth-century psychological study examining the nature of mass movements, the fanaticism of crowds, and the underlying motivations that drive individuals to embrace extreme beliefs.
Discussed“and eric hoffer who is a sort of self-taught amazing um not the ultra didactic writer the true believer and so on”
Where to get it
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The doors of perception
The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley is a classic philosophical essay chronicling the author's psychedelic experiences and exploring the nature of human consciousness.
Discussed“I remember I got far too young in age; I read the Doors of Perception of Aldous Huxley.”
Where to get it
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Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a classic novel depicting a group of British schoolboys descending into savagery after becoming stranded on an uninhabited island.
Discussed“well i remember that the first book that absolutely threw me was the lord of the flies of william golding which used to be a signed text”
Where to get it
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Lord of Flies
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a classic dystopian novel that explores the inherent darkness of human nature and the breakdown of civilization when a group of stranded boys is left to govern themselves.
Discussed“Well, I remember that the first book that absolutely threw me was The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, which used to be a signed text and everyone’s a bit snotty about because it's so popular.”
Where to get it
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The World of Yesterday
The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig is a poignant and haunting autobiographical memoir chronicling the rich cultural life of pre-war Vienna and the devastating collapse of European civilization under the rise of Nazism.
Recommended“when they talk about the past i mean that's one of my favorite books stefan zweig's the world of yesterday including the descriptions of what it was like trying to have sex in pre-first world war”
Where to get it
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Stefan Zweig
Stefan Zweig is a biographical and historical examination of the rich cultural life and tragic demise of the renowned Austrian writer Stefan Zweig, whose memoir The World of Yesterday captures the lost golden age of Vienna.
Discussed“Um, I mean that's one of my favorite books, Stefan Zweig's The World of Yesterday, including the descriptions of what it was like trying to have sex in pre-First World War Vienna.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (20) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“the following is a conversation with douglas murray author of the madness of crowds gender race and identity and his most recent book the war on the west”
“the following is a conversation with douglas murray author of the madness of crowds gender race and identity and his most recent book the war on the west how to prevail in the age of unreason”
“The following is a conversation with Douglas Murray, author of The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race, and Identity, and his most recent book, The War on the West: How to Prevail in the Age of Unreason.”
“The following is a conversation with Douglas Murray, author of The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race, and Identity, and his most recent book, The War on the West: How to Prevail in the Age of Unreason.”
“one of the things actually i've tried to sort of inject into the discussion through this book among other things is is a recognition that there was there were very major questions still going on in the 18th and early 19th century”
“i say at one point in the war in the west that the argument for instance on a reparations now that goes on and it's not a not a fringe argument anymore”
“I say at one point in The War on the West that the argument, for instance, on reparations now that goes on—and it's not a fringe argument anymore; some people say, 'Oh, you're pulling up this fringe argument.'”
“And by the way, there are plenty of white people who experience racism as well; there are plenty of white people who do and have done, and increasingly so, which is one of the things I write about in The War on the West.”
“increasingly so which is one of the things i write about from the war in the west i mean i i would argue that today in america the only group you're actually allowed to be consistently vilely racist against the white people”
“i i quote in the war in the west this this when i read it first time a few years ago i was absolutely flawed by the brothers karamazov”
“Yes, well to me, like I said, a little bit of poison is good for the town. And that's always a—I talked about this in my last book in The Manners of Crowds.”
“this isn't this is an activist academic study we're not just looking at at the law”
“And that's always a—I talked about this in my last book in The Manners of Crowds.”
“i do so in the war on the west side so i say these are the things they now use against him”
“and i do so in the war on the west side so i say these are the things they now use against him”
“i i have a section in the war in the west as you know where i go for karl marx with some glee”
“i – i – have a section in the war in the west as you know where i go for karl marx with some glee”
“and there are things i quote in this book from marx's letters not least letters to engels”
“there's times i've there have there was a period around the time i wrote my book the strange death of europe which it was very very dark time”
“There was a period around the time I wrote my book 'The Strange Death of Europe.'”