Capitalism and Freedom- Milton Friedman (1962)
I have been familiar with Milton Friedman for a while, having listened to some of his talks, interviews, and Q & A’s from when he was still alive. But this is my first time actually reading his work.
His first two chapters are dedicated to defining the principles he operates from, the subsequent chapters to how those principles apply to various areas of the economy/society.
Civilization and its Discontents- Sigmund Freud (1930)
The book seeks to explore why so many individuals within society are discontent with their lives. Freud starts from his analysis of individuals of having a sexual instinct for love, and a friendship instinct. He reasons that individuals pursue happiness, and part of that comes through community. But community imposes restrictions on his sexual instincts. These repressions are inevitable, but can produce discontentment.
He then reasons that we all have an innate aggression instinct that turns on itself in the form of a conscience. The conscience takes the aggression instinct and rather than direct it towards external sources, directs it towards any bad motives and produces guilt. That same effect operates on a societal level producing ideals for conduct that are impossible to live up to.
Civilization is necessary for human flourishing and happiness, but also produces restrictions that cause discontent and frustration.
Saltatempo- Stefano Benni (1981)
Story of Lupetto, a boy who grew up on a mountain, who encounters a pagan deity one day. The deity gives him a watch that allows him to see into the future. From that time on he becomes known as Saltatempo, which is translated as Timeskipper or Timejumper.
Except for the brief moments in which he jumps to the future, this is a more straightforward coming-of-age story, with commentary about some of the destructive elements of modernity. I’ve always thought Stefano Benni is a really funny writer. I have a collection of his short stories: Il bar sotto il mare, and another full length novel- Terra!. This one has it’s really humorous moments too, mainly in brief descriptions of people and events. He also has a tendency to make up words, which for someone who isn’t a native speaker, like me…. can be a bit of a problem. But overall, I got the story.