Episode · EconTalk · 2022-03-28
Books mentioned on Pano Kanelos on Education and UATX
What is real education? What can colleges provide their students?
Russ Roberts recommended How Much Land Does a Man Need? by Leo Tolstoy, Master and Man and Other Stories by Leo Tolstoy, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, and If this is a Man by Primo Levi, and discussed The Iliad, The Odyssey, Richard II by William Shakespeare, and Beowulf by Seamus Heaney. Also mentioned: Elements and Macbeth by William Shakespeare.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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How Much Land Does a Man Need?
Leo Tolstoy's classic short story examines human greed, desire, and the ultimate measure of mortality through the journey of a peasant who pushes himself to acquire more and more land.
Recommended“i'm going to be talking about greed in tolstoy and adam smith using the tolstoy story master and man so please consider reading that story in advance”
Where to get it
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Master and Man and Other Stories
This collection of powerful short fiction by Leo Tolstoy explores morality, human nature, and the spiritual cost of greed.
Recommended“i'm going to be talking about greed in tolstoy and adam smith using the tolstoy story master and man so please consider reading that story in advance”
Where to get it
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Invisible Man
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is a landmark twentieth-century American novel that explores the complex themes of identity, race, and societal invisibility through the eyes of an unnamed Black narrator moving from the American South to Harlem.
Recommended“dwayne betts is going to be returning to econ talk to discuss primo levy and ralph ellison and their books if this is a man by levy and levy spoke the truce alongside ellison's book invisible man you might want to do some of that reading in advance”
Where to get it
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If this is a Man
If This Is a Man by Primo Levi is a harrowing and essential memoir documenting the author's survival in the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust.
Recommended“dwayne betts is going to be returning to econ talk to discuss primo levy and ralph ellison and their books if this is a man by levy and levy spoke the truce alongside ellison's book invisible man you might want to do some of that reading in advance”
Where to get it
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Elements
Euclid's ancient treatise on geometry laid the foundational axioms for formal mathematical systems and spatial reasoning over two millennia ago.
Discussed“for example the very first mathematics tutorial that freshmen take they read euclid that's how you start you start studying geometry by actually going back and reading euclid”
Where to get it
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The Iliad
The Iliad by Homer is an ancient Greek epic poem that chronicles the wrath of Achilles and the brutal realities of the Trojan War.
Discussed“and great literature for example like the elliott or the odyssey deals with those those kind of dilemmas”
Where to get it
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The Odyssey
Homer's epic poem The Odyssey recounts the arduous ten-year journey of the Greek hero Odysseus as he strives to return home to Ithaca following the Trojan War, facing mythical monsters, divine wrath, and profound personal trials along the way.
Discussed“and great literature for example like the elliott or the odyssey deals with those those kind of dilemmas”
Where to get it
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Macbeth
Macbeth by William Shakespeare is one of the playwright's darkest and most famous tragedies, exploring the destructive psychological and political ambitions of a Scottish lord who seizes the throne.
Discussed“so my i have a son in seventh grade 12 years old and they're doing macbeth in their in their literature class and so they're performing short scenes and little groups”
Where to get it
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Richard II
Richard II by William Shakespeare is a historical play depicting the downfall and deposition of the English monarch.
Discussed“and yet uh uneasy lies the head that wears the crown and uh i assume that shakespeare is it shakespeare do you know do you know just a second okay richard's second”
Where to get it
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Beowulf
Beowulf is an Old English epic poem about a hero who battles monsters and a dragon.
Discussed“how does somebody you know um you know thinking deeply about the you know the the uh and an article in uh about beowulf you know intersect with you know a 19 year old”
Where to get it
