Episode · Lex Fridman Podcast · 2021-09-30
Books mentioned on #227 – Sean Kelly: Existentialism, Nihilism, and the Search for Meaning
Sean Kelly is a philosopher at Harvard specializing in existentialism and the philosophy of mind. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Coinbase: https://coinbase.
Sean Kelly discussed Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre, The Republic, The Dialogues of Plato, The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, The Pale King by David Foster Wallace and others, and Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace. Lex Fridman discussed The Idiot by Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse Illustrated Edition by Herman Hesse, Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse, All Things Shining by Hubert Dreyfus and others, MOBY-DICK; or, THE WHALE by Herman Melville, and The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Being and Nothingness
Jean-Paul Sartre's Being and Nothingness is a foundational philosophical text of existentialism that explores human consciousness, freedom, and the anxiety of self-determination.
Discussed“He gives this in in his big book being in nothingness and he says um so waiters play played”
Where to get it
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The Republic
Plato's foundational classical text "The Republic" explores justice, political structures, and the nature of reality.
Discussed“plato plato says in the republic it's a kind of myth”
Where to get it
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The Dialogues of Plato
The Dialogues of Plato by Plato is a foundational collection of classical Greek philosophical texts utilizing conversational formats to explore ethics, politics, and metaphysics.
Discussed“plato says in the republic it's a kind of myth but you know he he says people will understand their their condition”
Where to get it
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The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri is an epic 14th-century poem detailing the soul's journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.
Discussed“dante is writing the divine comedy or something”
Where to get it
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The Idiot
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a profound 19th-century Russian novel that follows the compassionate, innocent, and deeply misunderstood Prince Myshkin as he navigates the cynical and corrupt high society of St.
Discussed“so my favorite novel of his is uh the idiot first of all i see myself as the idiot and an idiot and i love the optimism and the love the main character has for the world so that just deeply connects with me as a novel”
Where to get it
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Notes from Underground
Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a foundational existential novella that explores the depths of human alienation, paradoxical free will, and psychological spite.
Discussed“notes from underground as well”
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“so let me talk about the brothers karamazov yes”
Where to get it
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The Myth of Sisyphus
The Myth of Sisyphus is a 1942 philosophical essay by Albert Camus exploring the concept of the absurd and the meaning of human existence through the mythological tale of a man condemned to roll a boulder up a hill for eternity.
Discussed“the myth of sisyphus which is a sort of essay it's published as a book”
Where to get it
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Siddhartha
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is a philosophical novel that follows a young man's spiritual journey of self-discovery in ancient India.
Discussed“but there's more of uh like with siddhartha there's more almost like a buddhist”
Where to get it
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Siddhartha by Herman Hesse Illustrated Edition
Discussed“and for him uh i'm starting to forget steppenwolf i think is uh humor”
Where to get it
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Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf is a celebrated philosophical novel by Nobel Prize winner Hermann Hesse that explores alienation, duality, and the search for meaning in modern society.
Discussed“i'm starting to forget steppenwolf i think is uh humor”
Where to get it
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Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand is a sprawling philosophical novel that presents the author's theory of Objectivism through a dystopian narrative about a society collapsing under the weight of anti-capitalist regulations and government overreach.
Discussed“i read it in high school i read the fountainhead in high school and atlas shrugged but that's at this point”
Where to get it
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The Fountainhead
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand is a classic philosophical novel that explores individualism, artistic integrity, and the conflict between independent creators and collectivist societal pressures.
Discussed“i read it in high school i read the fountainhead in high school and atlas shrugged but that's at this point”
Where to get it
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All Things Shining
All Things Shining: Reading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular Age is a philosophical exploration co-authored by Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Dorrance Kelly that examines how modern individuals can recover a sense of sacredness, wonder, and purpose by turning to the great works of Western literature.
Discussed“you wrote with him the book titled all things shining reading the western classics to find meaning in a secular age”
Where to get it
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MOBY-DICK; or, THE WHALE
Herman Melville's Moby-Dick; or, The Whale explores the obsessive, destructive quest of Captain Ahab to hunt down the white whale that maimed him, weaving a sprawling narrative that blends high-seas adventure, philosophical inquiry, and encyclopedic maritime lore.
Discussed“one of my failings in life one of many failings is i've never gotten through moby dick or or any of melville's works”
Where to get it
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Moby Dick
Moby Dick by Herman Melville is a classic 19th-century novel exploring the obsessions of Captain Ahab and the dramatic whaling voyage of the Pequod.
Discussed“one of many failings is i've never gotten through moby dick or or any of melville's works so maybe can you comment on before we talk about dave or david foster wallace who i have gotten through”
Where to get it
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The Old Man and the Sea
The Old Man and the Sea is a classic novella by Ernest Hemingway about an aging Cuban fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream.
Discussed“there's probably echoes that represent the 20th century now in old man in the sea by hemingway that also has similar i guess themes”
Where to get it
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The Pale King
The Pale King by David Foster Wallace is an unfinished, posthumously published novel that explores boredom, bureaucracy, and the inner lives of Internal Revenue Service employees.
Discussed“and he and he writes these sort of incredibly moving letters when he's trying to write the pale king which is the end of which is the unfinished novel”
Where to get it
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Consider the Lobster
Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace is a critically acclaimed collection of essays that uses sharp journalistic observation and deep intellectual inquiry to explore disparate topics, ranging from the ethics of eating lobsters at a gourmet festival to the mechanics of language.
Discussed“and he writes these sort of incredibly moving letters when he's trying to write the pale king which is the end of which is the unfinished novel that really sort of drove him to distraction”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“i read it in high school i read the fountainhead in high school and atlas shrugged”
“i read it in high school i read the fountainhead in high school and atlas shrugged”