Reading

Oil painting 'The Tempest' by Giorgione. The artwork depicts a serene landscape with a breastfeeding woman and a soldier, contrasting with a dark sky and a lightning bolt in the background, symbolizing the calm and life that persist in the face of impending chaotic volatility.

How to Benefit from Chaos: Notes on Taleb's 'Antifragile'

Here are my notes, made after reading each book (here referred to as a chapter) and the sections contained within those books. These notes are not intended to replace reading the book, which is essential for a better understanding of the concepts, but rather aim to help readers review and complement their reading. Some notes have been supplemented with my own observations and ideas. As the book’s author himself suggested, some sections and books are intended for a non-lay audience; such sections and books were skipped in these notes, which are primarily aimed at the lay reader. ...

Photograph of Rodin’s bronze sculpture 'The Thinker,' depicting a man seated in deep contemplation against a blue sky.

Reflections on Napoleão Mendes de Almeida’s Preface: Latin, Reasoning, and the Crisis in Education

A few days ago, I began studying Latin using Napoleão Mendes de Almeida’s Latin Grammar. Upon reading the preface of the work, I was captivated by the author’s opinions and justifications for studying Latin, and I decided to compare them to the study of other subjects and education in general, as we share similar views. I wrote this text in a slightly different style than I’m accustomed to, as my goal here was to complement what I read and share this valuable knowledge with readers. ...

A Parallel Between Nietzsche and Dostoevsky

Is reason truly superior to emotion? Should we always prioritize reason? Many philosophers and writers have debated these questions, but today we will focus specifically on the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) and the Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821–1881), through their works Twilight of the Idols (Nietzsche) and Notes from Underground (Dostoevsky). Before diving into the works themselves, I feel obliged to provide a brief introduction to each author. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) In essence, Nietzsche challenged traditional morality, declared the “death of God,” and advocated for the creation of new values through the will to power. The goal here is not to provide a biography of him, so I will focus only on why we should study him and what he meant by his famous phrase “God is dead.” ...

Stylized illustration of a blue brain surrounded by open books floating in streams of golden and blue energy, symbolizing knowledge and learning.

Is Reading Any Book Better Than Reading None?

For some time now, I’ve noticed a growing wave of digital influencers focused on reading and books in general. Typically, the books they read and recommend are popular, easily digestible works that lack depth of content, or what some call “fast-food” literature. But is reading these books alone enough? Is reading any book better than reading none? Well, let’s try to find answers to these questions using a field of study that’s gaining popularity every day: neuroscience. ...