Aju in Kandoor

ISLAM in Transition - Muslim Perspectives

This book is a compilation of articles on Islam from various Muslim thinkers from 19th to 21st century, edited by John J Donohue and John L Esposito. It covers on various issues from Identity crisis, Islam and Modern State, Islam and Social Changes; and Islam and Contemporary Issues.
Some of the finest Muslim thinkers less known in English has been introduced in this effort. In addition to Islam, some of the authors have explained about arabism and its relation with Islam.
This book has around 78 articles on the above said topics. Because of too much context switch between the authors and thereby from their line of thinking, towards the end I couldn't keep track of things. I left the effort of completing the book leaving the last topic squarely.

The story of philosophy - Will Durant

The title of book should have been "The story of western philosophy", since it deals with "the lives and opinion of the world's greatest philosophers from Plato to John Dewey". Irrespective this is a great book and a perfect introduction to the subject.
Will Durant has attempted to capture the lives, thoughts and contributions of some of the key philosophers.

Socrates - his simple truth which agitated Greek youth and upset the rulers - his enlighted disciple circle
Plato - his solution to all phases of life - Utopia - The Philosopher King
Aristotle - Greek Science - Great zoological garden - Prime mover
Francis Bacon - After Aristotle - A great believer of mankind - Man first
Spinoza - well versed in medieval philosophy - his transformation from Jew - Active nature and passive nature = God and the world
Voltaire - his pen and plays - liberty - encyclopedia
Rousseau - man of action and revolution
Immanuel Kant - Critique of Pure Reason - Came when scepticism prevail - transcendental esthetic
Hegel - undisputed Philosopher
Schopenhauer - Will - instinct - will to reproduce
Spencer - Post Darwin and Lamarck - Unknowable - evolution - life long work
Nietzsche - Wagner - Zarathusthra - Death of God - The Superman - Aristocracy - inequality in men
Henri Bergson - Creative Evolution
Croce - Man an artist as soon as he forms image in mind
Bertand Russell - The logician - The pacifist
George Santayana - Animal faith - Catholic and not a Christian
William James - Pragmatist - "What are its consequences ? and turns the face of the thought to action and the future" - At the end " ... no advice to be given. Farewell"
John Dewey - Reformation of education - Distrusted the state and wished for a pluralistic order - Old problems have lost their meaning - Philosophy must stay on the earth

After reading Hegel, I assumed that there won't be any more interesting philosophy on its way. Then comes Schopenhauer. And the same with Nietzsche.

For a theologist, Spinoza is an interesting read.

Anyway there is no better way to understand, reading the original works than summaries. But do I have time ?