Still not funny 
but the rest are good 
Currently reading On the Heights of Despair by Emil Cioran.
Really hard to read at times.
Walden and Discipline and Punish.
Revole: Man’s Scientific Rise to Godhood by Aaron Franz.
An excellent exploration of transhumanism, its occult origins, its likely future agenda.
Ha!! I’m reading Transhumanism: A Grimoire of Alchemical Agendas (Farrel & Scott)
As the back of the book says, the ultimate question is no longer “Who am I?” or “Why am I here?” which have already been explored to death. The inexorable and exponential advance of technology urgently demands we answer “What shall we Become?”
So far, I’m finding both books are incredibly similar, particularly the fact that they both heavily reference the ancient Alchemy analogy.
The Freemasons tend to use a MATERIAL analogy with lots of construction terminology such as squares, circles, straight lines, foundations, keystones etc. The Illuminati tend to use the enlightened, spiritual MIND as their main analogy and now we have these two books describing the evolution of Man using the ALCHEMICAL paradigm – material, intellectual and chemical… interesting.
PS: This is a film a friend made on Transhumanism.
vimeo.com/40806881
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I’m confused - are you saying you’ve read Aaron’s book too?
I’ll have to check out Max’s video, thanks for the link.
Yes, I read it a little while ago but just picked up Transhumanism recently and found you were reading the same subject.
Revolve is a good book but I found it rather strange in parts, too. Sometimes it felt like I was reading Future Shock and Megatrends from the 1980’s particular when he was talking about the ‘information age’ and listing all the technological and social trends. At other times I felt as though I was ready a conspiracy forum complete with conspiracy memes and jargon.
Franz touched on the Enlightenment, the New Age movement, Theosophy, Mystery Schools, Ascended Masters and Alchemy (which seems to be the newest meme), but there’s something missing in all these books. I don’t even know what it is exactly but something doesn’t feel right. Maybe it’s our perspective? Maybe we have to shift our viewpoint to see something we’re currently missing? All I know is I feel unfulfilled with what I’ve read.
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I’m biased because he’s a friend and I’ve only read some of his book so I’ll bear your criticism in mind as I get through it. Have you seen his film?
There is a problem of information overload for sure, particularly in such a multi-threaded topic as the one Revolve is talking about, but having worked for over a year on my own book, trying to make an extremely complex investigation easy to understand, I can appreciate the challenge.
I had seen it, but didn’t take note of who made it. I watched it again and really enjoyed it. I think he did an excellent job. He had a strong, ordered narrative (past, present, future) and his supporting material was factual – rather than speculative – which he slotted all along the storyline to reinforced it. I’ll be definitely checking out his other stuff so thanks for that.
Yes, and this is the reason I found it came across as a collection of topics, thoughts, facts and speculation which were all interesting in themselves but it didn’t have the narrative force and direction I think it needed.
The occult, by nature, is hidden, nebulous, fluid and slippery. It mixes metaphor with facts, history with myth and truth with deception so to try to capture all its tentacles is all but impossible. That’s why I think the book should have been tighter but each to his/her own.
I’m fascinated with the occult/religious origins of transhumanism, though I have a very different perspective on this than most. My perspective came out of a ‘contact’ experience I shared with several friends over a six week period in 1972. One day, I’ll write about it but for now it’s enough to say this experience helped form my understanding about how all of this fits together.
Re transhumanism: Transhumanism is nothing new. The esoteric agenda has been in process for tens of thousands of years. In other words, we haven’t been human - in the full sense of the word - for a very long time. Somewhere along the line we seem to have been genetically turned off and much of our brain put to sleep. What’s new is the application of new sciences and technologies which will speed up the de-human ‘evolution’ exponentially.
THE TRAINING OF THE HUMAN PLANT
~ Luther Burbank
The mere crossing of species, unaccompanied by selection, wise supervision, intelligent care…
…and so may we hope for a far stronger and better race if right principles are followed, a magnificent race, far superior to any preceding it.
When I read these words in the first few pages , what was first called to my mind was the mentality of the Nazi. 
But I realize that I know nothing of Luther Burbank nor the book so I have decided to simply read it without expectation or judgment. How could I possibly judge something based on a few words, without knowing the writer and reading it in its totality. Anyway, I do not believe in ever throwing the baby out with the bathwater. When I happened upon the title and its material, I became fascinated and wanted to read it…always to learn.
Anyway, anyone who can think this way below deserves reading…
…and these words too…
“The idea that a good God would send people to a burning hell is utterly damnable to me. I don’t want to have anything to do with such a God.”
“I do not believe what has been served to me to believe. I am a doubter, a questioner, a skeptic. When it can be proved to me that there is immortality, that there is resurrection beyond the gates of death, then will I believe. Until then, no.”
I too am a happy infidel… 
The “Tale of Two cities” presently I am reading thee novels.
Congruencism by Ken Brumfield
Chicken Soup For The Soul
Making Moves With Puff
I loved that book - read it twice in high school. Dickens was wonderful - especially when it came to describing things and people. Many people don’t enjoy that - lose patience with it - but how can one get the full effect or be affected by a thing or character - get inside it, allow it to get inside of us - without painting such vivid or dark or gloomy colors, etcetera, on the canvas of the story.
And who wouldn’t love Sydney Carton -
“The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.”
William James
Thomas Mann, Magic Mountain
A riveting history of the men and women whose discoveries and inventions at the end of the eighteenth century gave birth to the Romantic Age of Science. When young Joseph Banks stepped onto a Tahitian beach in 1769, he hoped to discover Paradise. Inspired by the scientific ferment sweeping through Britain, the botanist had sailed with Captain Cook on his first "Endeavour ".voyage in search of new worlds. Other voyages of discovery–astronomical, chemical, poetical, philosophical–swiftly follow in Richard Holmes’s original evocation of what truly emerges as an Age of Wonder.
Brilliantly conceived as a relay of scientific stories, “The Age of Wonder” investigates the earliest ideas of deep time and space, and the explorers of “dynamic science,” of an infinite, mysterious Nature waiting to be discovered. Three lives dominate the book: William Herschel and his sister Caroline, whose dedication to the study of the stars forever changed the public conception of the solar system, the Milky Way, and the meaning of the universe; and Humphry Davy, who, with only a grammar school education stunned the scientific community with his near-suicidal gas experiments that led to the invention of the miners’ lamp and established British chemistry as the leading professional science in Europe. This age of exploration extended to great writers and poets as well as scientists, all creators relishing in moments of high exhilaration, boundary-pushing and discovery.
Holmes’s extraordinary evocation of this age of wonder shows how great ideas and experiments–both successes and failures–were born of singular and often lonely dedication, and how religious faith and scientific truth collide. He has written a book breathtaking in its originality, its storytelling energy, and its intellectual significance.(less)
Also
On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick’s wife Amy disappears. There are signs of struggle in the house and Nick quickly becomes the prime suspect. It doesn’t help that Nick hasn’t been completely honest with the police and, as Amy’s case drags out for weeks, more and more vilifying evidence appears against him. Nick, however, maintains his innocence. Told from alternating points of view between Nick and Amy, Gillian Flynn creates an untrustworthy world that changes chapter-to-chapter. Calling Gone Girl a psychological thriller is an understatement. As revelation after revelation unfolds, it becomes clear that the truth does not exist in the middle of Nick and Amy’s points of view; in fact, the truth is far more dark, more twisted, and more creepy than you can imagine. Gone Girl is masterfully plotted from start to finish and the suspense doesn’t waver for one page. It’s one of those books you will feel the need to discuss immediately after finishing because the ending doesn’t just come; it punches you in the gut. --Caley Anderson
I love murder mysteries and psychological thrillers- my guilty pleasure
I just read The Aeneid by Virgil. Its about a man who is exiled from his land, and torn between fate, love, and duty. I don’t think it holds up to the Odyssey or Iliad, but it was a good read nonetheless. The translation I had was by Fagles.
Now I’m reading The Center Cannot Hold by Elyn Saks. It’s autobiography of a philosopher/professor’s struggle with schizophrenia. It’s such a grood read!
gutenberg.org/catalog/world/ … 2&pageno=5
I suppose if i’m to have a god for a little while, Davy would be worth having and I know he might agree.
Dude, me too. Although I am only on like page 3. Is that also Jim Beam you are drinking?
If so, we may be like long lost twins or something. 
I am also reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.
Anytime I get frustrated people I lean on M. Aurelius. What a great man he is. The Aeneid is good stuff, it took me awhile because of all the mythology and history behind it. My next book I might read, besides the one Im about to finish, might be an esier read , like Blankets. It’s a graphic Novel. If you are into graphic novels i recomend Daytripper. Anytime I get depressed I’ll pick it up to pick me up. It’s a great existential work. Very original. 
As for what I’m drinking, it’s the tears of lesser men.