S2 Ep1052: George Packer: JD, Hollow Man

The Talented Mr. Ripley is a 1955 novel by Patricia Highsmith that follows Tom Ripley, a young American con artist who travels to Italy to persuade Dickie Greenleaf to return home. As Ripley becomes increasingly obsessed with Dickie's lifestyle, he commits a series of crimes to assume his identity. The novel explores themes of identity, morality, and the blurred lines between reality and deception. Highsmith's portrayal of Ripley as a charismatic yet amoral character has captivated readers and inspired numerous adaptations.

In 'Hillbilly Elegy,' J.D. Vance recounts his life growing up in a dysfunctional family in Middletown, Ohio, with roots in Kentucky's Appalachia. The book details his experiences with poverty, addiction, and family violence, as well as his journey to joining the marines and eventually graduating from Yale Law School. Vance provides a personal and insightful look into the decline of the white working class in America, exploring themes of family, culture, and the loss of the American dream. The memoir also touches on the political swing of the region, particularly in relation to the 2016 presidential election and the appeal of Donald Trump to this demographic.

This book is a comprehensive analysis of Xenophon's dialogue Hiero, in which the tyrant Hiero and the poet Simonides discuss the advantages and disadvantages of exercising tyranny. The work includes a translation of the dialogue from its original Greek, Strauss's commentary on it, a critique of Strauss's commentary by Alexandre Kojève, and the complete correspondence between Strauss and Kojève. The discussion delves into the nature of tyranny, the distinction between tyrants and kings, and the philosophical implications of these concepts. The book also explores the debate between Strauss and Kojève on the role of philosophy in ruling the world and the concept of the Universal Homogenous State[1][3][5].

The book delves into the 'unconsummated social courtship' between Jews and gentiles, focusing on the predicament of Jews caught between their traditional, intimate community (Yiddishkeit) and the formal, polite expectations of gentile society. Cuddihy argues that the fundamental cultural norm of modernity is the politeness and formality required in interactions with strangers, which posed significant challenges for Jews moving out of Eastern European shtetls into modern European societies. The book also examines how the theories of Freud, Marx, and Lévi-Strauss were influenced by their Jewish backgrounds and the struggle with assimilation[2][3][5].