• About me
• Gallery
• Family and Friends
• Society | Politics | Science
• Tools
• Contact
• Blog

<   1 2 3 4 5  >

 

Paul Watzlawick's most famous axiom is - "One Cannot Not Communicate: Every communication has a content and a relationship aspect such that the latter classifies the former and is therefore a metacommunication." »

Two of his publications I enjoyed most are How real is real, Paul Watzlawick, 1976 and The situation is hopeless, but not serious, Paul Watzlawick, 1983.

How many realities exist - only one? How complex is reality, and how is brain function, perception and consciousness involved on the molecular level? What was originally a mainly philosophic question becomes more and more scientific. It is not any longer only about "Being and Nothingness" (1943) of Jean-Paul Sartre or G. Friedrich Wilhelm Hegel's "Phenomenology of Mind" (1807).

 

Daily we classify things as being normal or not and judge about the morality of human behavior in a more or less conscious manner. Both Manfred Lütz and Oliver Sacks question normality and provide anecdotal insights into the complexity of human behavior. Only recently IRRE! Wir behandeln die Falschen - Unser Problem sind die Normalen, Manfred Lütz, 2009 was published. Whereas Manfred Lütz has chosen a more broadbrush approach to psychiatry, in "The man who mistook his wife for a hat, Oliver Sacks, 1985" Oliver Sacks rather describes individual fates.

 

The next two books appeared as German editions only - unfortunately. Das Ende der Privatsphäre - Der Weg in die Überwachungsgesellschaft, Peter Schaar, 2007. Considering the expeditious development of the internet and information technologies, data privacy protection becomes a central issue. Yet, there is a thin line between data protection and the development of surveillance societies. The conflicts between individual data privacy interests and a societie's interest for safety and control become obvious. My second recommendation Die grosse Gier - Korruption, Kartelle, Lustreisen: Warum unsere Wirtschaft eine neue Moral braucht, Hans Leyendecker, 2007. deals with the greed of business companies for economic power and profit. Usually satisfaction of such a greed relies on moral obliquity, and is rather destructive in the long term.

A beautiful & philosophic description of Antoine's career as a pilot: Wind, Sand and Stars,Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1939. A true adventurous life! I was largely impressed by the fight between man, elements and machine. The longing for freedom and independence is a vivid element of this oeuvre. The book appeals to open one's eyes for the beauty of our planet, for everything that makes a difference. Life is volatile - such that anyone should be aware of it and not wait for things to come but rather to be inquisitive and become its own pilot.

 

Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela, 1994. The memories of the outstanding political leader of our time. A compelling story of Nelson Mandela's life and political struggle. Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2003. The biography of a murderous tyrant that shaped yesterdays and today's world. Sebag Montefiore manages to recreate the lethal and intimate atmosphere during Stalin's rein.