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Hermann Hesse's "The Glass Bead Game" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Bead_Game http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Bead_Game is a physiological scien

Hermann Hesse's "The Glass Bead Game" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Bead_Game http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Bead_Game is a physiological science fiction story about a future world where an economic simulation determines who will run the planet, and the book features the live of one individual that won the competition every year for decades via integrating math, music, eastern and western philosophies to create a harmonic economic view. The book is two parts: first "the book", and then the collected writings of the main character throughout his entire life. Book got a Nobel too.

jarin 12y ago
Reading the synopsis on Wikipedia reminded me a lot thematically of Anathem, by Neal Stephenson. Also a great book, but I think it requires a broader knowledge of history, philosophy, math, etc. than a 14 year old might have had the opportunity to encounter. Then again, there's a glossary in the back that maps in-universe concepts to real-world concepts, so the novel might be a good springboard into exploring those topics independently.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
  - jarin 12y ago
    Anathem.
    - deleted 12y ago
      [deleted]
      - jarin 12y ago
        I choose not to!
        deleted 12y ago
        [deleted]
        jarin 12y ago
        Nah I appreciate your commitment to quality. Let this comment tree stand as a monument to your efforts (I can't nest it any further) :)
        ColinWright 12y ago
        > I can't nest it any further You can, if you either click on the "X minutes ago" or simply wait. I'm deleting my comments because this item is in danger of tripping the flame-war detector.
erbo 12y ago
I had this book recommended to me by someone when I was in college; the person that recommended it to me thought I might very well go on to invent the Glass Bead Game... This summary kind of mischaracterizes the book, though. Far from "running the planet," Castalia, the society within which the Game thrives, rather pointedly does not concern itself with "worldly" matters, being singularly focused on the life of the mind. The Game itself is a reflection of this attitude, consisting of symbols put together to represent cross-linking through various intellectual fields, such as music, mathematics, philosophy, and the sciences.[1] It is the main character, Joseph Knecht, who has risen to become Magister Ludi (master of the Game), who sees Castalia's detachment from the outside world as a danger and a potential threat to its existence, and who ultimately leaves his high post to become the tutor for the son of a friend of his from school who is a "man of the world." Knecht's perspective comes from his rather unique background, not just his friendship with the outsider, but his studies of history (a very non-Castalian field of study) with a prominent historian during a "tour of duty" at a monastery. It's a very deep book, and one which you'll probably find new insights in every time you read it. On the subject of recommendations that bridge science fiction and philosophy, might I also suggest C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy ( Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength )? It's another work that works on several levels. That Hideous Strength, in particular, is almost entirely a fictional expression of the arguments Lewis presented in The Abolition of Man. There's also a fair amount of attention devoted to linguistics; the books' central character, Prof. Elwin Ransom, was based on J.R.R. Tolkien. And yes, there's a certain amount of Christian philosophy in there, but on a higher intellectual level than The Chronicles of Narnia. A bright 14-year-old would probably enjoy it. [1] Joseph Knecht's first annual ceremonial Game as Magister Ludi was based on the dimensions and structure of a traditional Chinese house, i.e., the principles of feng shui in Chinese philosophy. It was routinely cited thereafter as "The Chinese House Game."
- thret 12y ago
  This book has major irritations for me: 1. It is set in a far future that is technologically identical to 1940. People who write about the future should not miss the mark so completely. The characters are still writing letters by hand and spending days travelling around a single continent. 2. It is hilariously sexist. The intellectual elite are simply assumed to be male and as they may not marry, women are privileged if they are able to take them as lovers for a short time. This is the only time women are mentioned in the book. 3. The main character takes the I-Ching seriously. He's supposed to be a genius, and yet he believes in horoscopes. 4. I found the story itself to be rather boring. I honestly don't know how the author could have won any awards. Perhaps it is much better in German and it is merely the translation that is bad.

jarin 12y ago

Reading the synopsis on Wikipedia reminded me a lot thematically of Anathem, by Neal Stephenson. Also a great book, but I think it requires a broader knowledge of history, philosophy, math, etc. than a 14 year old might have had the opportunity to encounter. Then again, there's a glossary in the back that maps in-universe concepts to real-world concepts, so the novel might be a good springboard into exploring those topics independently.

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
- jarin 12y ago
  Anathem.
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
    - jarin 12y ago
      I choose not to!
      - deleted 12y ago
        [deleted]
      - jarin 12y ago
        Nah I appreciate your commitment to quality. Let this comment tree stand as a monument to your efforts (I can't nest it any further) :)
        ColinWright 12y ago
        > I can't nest it any further You can, if you either click on the "X minutes ago" or simply wait. I'm deleting my comments because this item is in danger of tripping the flame-war detector.

erbo 12y ago

I had this book recommended to me by someone when I was in college; the person that recommended it to me thought I might very well go on to invent the Glass Bead Game... This summary kind of mischaracterizes the book, though. Far from "running the planet," Castalia, the society within which the Game thrives, rather pointedly does not concern itself with "worldly" matters, being singularly focused on the life of the mind. The Game itself is a reflection of this attitude, consisting of symbols put together to represent cross-linking through various intellectual fields, such as music, mathematics, philosophy, and the sciences.[1] It is the main character, Joseph Knecht, who has risen to become Magister Ludi (master of the Game), who sees Castalia's detachment from the outside world as a danger and a potential threat to its existence, and who ultimately leaves his high post to become the tutor for the son of a friend of his from school who is a "man of the world." Knecht's perspective comes from his rather unique background, not just his friendship with the outsider, but his studies of history (a very non-Castalian field of study) with a prominent historian during a "tour of duty" at a monastery. It's a very deep book, and one which you'll probably find new insights in every time you read it. On the subject of recommendations that bridge science fiction and philosophy, might I also suggest C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy ( Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength )? It's another work that works on several levels. That Hideous Strength, in particular, is almost entirely a fictional expression of the arguments Lewis presented in The Abolition of Man. There's also a fair amount of attention devoted to linguistics; the books' central character, Prof. Elwin Ransom, was based on J.R.R. Tolkien. And yes, there's a certain amount of Christian philosophy in there, but on a higher intellectual level than The Chronicles of Narnia. A bright 14-year-old would probably enjoy it. [1] Joseph Knecht's first annual ceremonial Game as Magister Ludi was based on the dimensions and structure of a traditional Chinese house, i.e., the principles of feng shui in Chinese philosophy. It was routinely cited thereafter as "The Chinese House Game."

thret 12y ago
This book has major irritations for me: 1. It is set in a far future that is technologically identical to 1940. People who write about the future should not miss the mark so completely. The characters are still writing letters by hand and spending days travelling around a single continent. 2. It is hilariously sexist. The intellectual elite are simply assumed to be male and as they may not marry, women are privileged if they are able to take them as lovers for a short time. This is the only time women are mentioned in the book. 3. The main character takes the I-Ching seriously. He's supposed to be a genius, and yet he believes in horoscopes. 4. I found the story itself to be rather boring. I honestly don't know how the author could have won any awards. Perhaps it is much better in German and it is merely the translation that is bad.