Michael K
- 4
- reviews
- 4
- helpful votes
- 73
- ratings
-
The Decline and Rise of Democracy
- A Global History from Antiquity to Today
- By: David Stastavage
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 50
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
Historical accounts of democracy's rise tend to focus on ancient Greece and pre-Renaissance Europe. The Decline and Rise of Democracy draws from global evidence to show that the story is much richer - democratic practices were present in many places at many other times. David Stasavage makes the case that understanding how and where these democracies flourished - and when and why they declined - can provide crucial information not just about the history of governance, but about the ways modern democracies work and where they could manifest in the future.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Informative
- By Frank on 12-22-20
- The Decline and Rise of Democracy
- A Global History from Antiquity to Today
- By: David Stastavage
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
Not what I expected
Reviewed: 06-18-21
This is not a history of the idea and practice of democracy. It is a very, very overly detailed correlation between the presence of various civilizing factors (farming, soil type, presence of writing, taxation) and what the author describes are early democracy. The latter is simply when citizens have some say about how they are governed, whether that be just being able to voice concerns to a "king" or similar leader. So it is really not about democracy per se. Unfortunately the author never really analyzes exactly what he means by democracy is any satisfying way.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
How Language Began
- The Story of Humanity's Greatest Invention
- By: Daniel L. Everett
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 307
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 258
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 258
Mankind has a distinct advantage over other terrestrial species: we talk to one another. But how did we acquire the most advanced form of communication on Earth? Daniel L. Everett, a "bombshell" linguist and "instant folk hero" (Tom Wolfe, Harper's), provides in this sweeping history a comprehensive examination of the evolutionary story of language, from the earliest speaking attempts by hominids to the more than 7,000 languages that exist today.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Hard to endure
- By Michael D. Busch on 09-09-18
- How Language Began
- The Story of Humanity's Greatest Invention
- By: Daniel L. Everett
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
Fascinating
Reviewed: 05-04-19
This is a very interesting and thoroughly enjoyable work. It presents a much more logical, well argued, and plausible explanation for the origin of language than the other very influential thinkers Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker. The content of the book is excellent. The performance is adequate, although perhaps a bit overly dramatic given the academic nature of the topic.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Language Instinct
- How the Mind Creates Language
- By: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 18 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,045
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 865
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 850
In this classic, the world’s expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution. The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Absolutely Amazing and Interesting
- By J. C. on 10-28-12
- The Language Instinct
- How the Mind Creates Language
- By: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
Doesn’t hold up 25 years later
Reviewed: 04-23-19
Pinker is very dismissive of views that don’t conform to his own. In a recently added afterward he frequently blames other people for misunderstanding his writing. This is an ironic claim for a language expert. The performance is adequate but the book contains many diagrams that are missed by the listener.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
The Kingdom of Speech
- By: Tom Wolfe
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 288
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 251
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 251
Tom Wolfe, whose legend began in journalism, takes us on an eye-opening journey that is sure to arouse widespread debate. The Kingdom of Speech is a captivating, paradigm-shifting argument that speech - not evolution - is responsible for humanity's complex societies and achievements.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Takedown of a pseudointellectual bully!
- By Wayne on 09-01-16
- The Kingdom of Speech
- By: Tom Wolfe
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
Updated topic, outdated author
Reviewed: 03-30-19
This is a very interesting and at times entertaining book. However, I was constantly distracted by the author’s very outdated sexist attitudes. He also showed very strong cultural biases against indigenous peoples, even mockingly at times. This was very offputting for such an otherwise interesting analysis and story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!