Patrick Mullane

Short on IR, long on writer's opinion

Reviewed: 10-09-24

The leitmotif of this work seems to be that European, right-wing, Christianity elemets are at the root of most that is wrong with International relations. So instead of a defining the conceptual framework of IR, it seeks to impose a normative one that makes this a polemic and not a introductary text.

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Beastly

Reviewed: 07-05-24

I cannot recommend this for anyone interested in Anglo-Saxon Culture. Whilst a modern work linking this language of Beowulf using the narrative framing of a bestiary audio would normally be welcomed, the author's own currentism bias spoils the listen. There are numerous threads through the book listing the faults of the Anglo-Saxons (sexist, patrarchal, having gender sterotypes etc.) and have a dismissive attitude to the beleivers of that era.
Whilst it is unfortunately the case that academics must kowtow to their ideologies, the rather superior attitude of the author as she points out the faults of those who did not have the luck to be born in the 21st Century makes a grating listening experience for the ordinary listerner.

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Simplified scientism

Reviewed: 07-05-24

A short book on complexity that suffers from a simple problem, scope creep. Whilst the author when on topic is engaging on the subject, his melding of New Age spiritualism with scientism as well as his distain for Christianity make this a book more reflective of a subjective rather than objective view of reality.

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Modern vs Medieval

Reviewed: 05-08-24

Not recommeneded. While the book does provide a context to the historical tales and certain sections such on Medieval dining and clothing are well written, this is spoilt by the author's modernism. She drips with 21st Century condescening putdowns to those who attrach her ire for failing to living up to present day moral standards. Her deconstuction of the Knight's tale seems to be more driven by spite rather than scholarship.
Better to lister to a more neutral offering such as Prof Dorsey Armstrong's Great Course lectures on the period.

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A course on Sir Lancelot lacks a lot.

Reviewed: 12-20-23

These lectures are akin to a series of deconstructive axe swipes against a suit of armour. While the author knows the factual basis of the medieval period, it is viewed through a post-modern fantasy lens as every present day sin; from colonialism, being militaristic, male and white seems to linked to the concept of knighthood: even to the extent of introducing the Spanish Inquisition (not expecting that). The essential point that the concept of knightly values was something to be aspired to and not some 21st Century code of academic conduct seems to have eluded the author. An alternative and better course would be Prof. Dorsey Armstrong's one about King Arthur.

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7 people found this helpful

More lecture than linguistics

Reviewed: 11-25-23

A Dublin 4 style author - full of left-wing talking points in either English or Irish. Being lectured to on the Politically correct ideologies in either language. While the author when speaking on Irish language issues is informative, it too often interrupted with the author's "superior" viewpoints.

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Google: Be Evil

Reviewed: 06-16-23

This is very much a paean of praise on behalf of and by Google for itself. That is spends so much of the book self-congratulating itself for equity and fairness whilst in reality purging dissenting voices, such as James Damore, at least is gppd for a chuckle.

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AI versus Political Science

Reviewed: 05-14-23

The writer of this piece is a journalist and a professor. Thus the strengths and flaws inherent in the book. On the one hand, she is both talented in expressing the concepts of AI and skilled in explaining these to the average reader in digestible chunks. On the other, this is a lecture in which the writer makes known her own bias (which she uses the narrative framework of DEI to project) and dismisses al opposing views as -ists or -isms, with the commonly repeated phase of Techno-chauvinism. To understand how politics has come to dominate the Tech world and the cultural of control this engenders for fear of being called out by the DEI elect is perhaps an unintended lesson from this book.

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Life: above and beyond

Reviewed: 04-07-23

An interesting and informative tour of life on Earth and the chance of such in the wider Universe.
The course presenter is enthusiatic about his subject and provides clear analogies to aid the listener in visualising the swirl of speculation and sciene that this search involves. If I must highlight an issue, is that course dervives from a video presentation (hence referencing movie content etc) that detracts somewhat from the audio format. Apart from this, well worth the listen.

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1 person found this helpful

Travels through Scotland’s Past

Reviewed: 04-07-23

An excellent listen on the subject of the Western Highlands and the cultural influence of the Church and the Gaelic language from the early Medieval times. The author, a noted popular historian, visits the various Monastic ruins along the off shore Islands and investigates local traditional and place names and their link to an era when Iono was the centre of learning in the British Isles. Highly recommended.

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