Episode · Conversations with Tyler · 2024-03-27
Tyler Cowen & Fareed Zakaria: books mentioned on Conversations with Tyler
Fareed Zakaria on the Age of Revolutions, the Power of Ideas, and the Rewards of Intellectual Curiosity
Those who know Fareed Zakaria through his weekly column or CNN show may be surprised to learn he considers books the important way he can put new ideas in the world.
Fareed Zakaria recommended Dominion by Tom Holland, and discussed A book of common prayer by Joan Didion and others, The wise men: Six friends and the world they made by Walter Isaacson and others, Rise and Fall of the Great Power by Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy, and The Protestant ethic and the "spirit" of capitalism and other writings by Max Weber.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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A book of common prayer
A Book of Common Prayer is a historic Christian liturgy and prayer book containing traditional rites, services, and scripture readings used within Anglican and Episcopal traditions.
Discussed“um you know so I went to an English uh to a to a protest high Protestant High Anglican School in India from you know for until 12th grade and we'd start every morning uh singing A Hymn reciting a book out of the book of common prayer”
Where to get it
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Dominion
Dominion by Tom Holland is a sweeping historical work examining how Christianity shaped Western culture, secular values, and modern moral frameworks.
Recommended“Tom Holland has a very good book about this uh the he's a he's a wonderful historian in Britain uh call I think it's called Dominion where he points out yeah he he points out what a revolutionary idea this was”
Where to get it
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The wise men: Six friends and the world they made
The Wise Men: Six friends and the world they made by Walter Isaacson and Evan Thomas offers a compelling biographical lens into the creation of post-World War II American foreign policy through the lives of six instrumental figures.
Discussed“Walter when I first got to know him was you know just a kind of a great journalist who had written this book the wise men”
Where to get it
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Rise and Fall of the Great Power
The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy is a sweeping historical analysis examining how economic growth and military overextension have shaped the dominance and decline of global empires over the past five centuries.
Discussed“Paul Kennedy had been my advisor at Yale and he had been writing the rise and fall of the great Powers his his great uh toome at the time”
Where to get it
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The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers
The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy is a major historical and economic study examining the economic and strategic decline of leading global empires over the centuries.
Discussed“Paul Kennedy had been my advisor at Yale and he had been writing the rise and fall of the great Powers his his great uh toome at the time”
Where to get it
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The Protestant ethic and the "spirit" of capitalism and other writings
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber is a foundational sociological study examining how religious values historically influenced the development and rise of capitalist labor practices.
Discussed“people used to say that uh if you look at Max vber in his in his book on the on the on capitalism the Protestant Spirit uh he basically said the two areas the two cultures that are inimicable to growth that are going to be an obstacle to growth were Catholicism and Confucianism”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (4) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“today I'm chatting with fared Zakaria who truly needs no introduction but I would like to point out as of March 26th he has a new and wonderful book out age of revolutions progress and backlash from 1600 to the present”
“when you look at Iran strikes me very much like the French Revolution where the Sha tried to move much too far much too fast much too disruptively triggered an enormous backlash which they're still living with now”
“I'm struck that this year both you and Rouser Sharma have books coming out again fed's book is age of revolutions progress and backlash from 1600 to the present that I would describe broadly as classically liberal”
“again fed's new book is age of revolutions progress and backlash from 1600 to the present fed Zakaria thank you very much d a huge pleasure thank you for having me on”