Currently reading two books:
1. Abandon by Pico Iyer: A very interesting book. Among other things, it focuses on how a secular outlook might allow one to draw from different religious traditions and theological stances, almost a la carte. There is the danger of appropriation, but it is equally important to shed light on how people also see religions as things that converge toward a final unity, the book seems to say. The book focuses on Sufism (particularly the works of Rumi) and Islamic thought and two people's whirling love for each other. If you look long and hard enough at love, you might look at what the Sufi mystics are talking about, the guy seems to believe. He finds out what it is to live, love, and be loved on account of his interaction with several Sufi manuscripts, and of course by being with his beloved, who too is on a quest. Very interesting and stimulating.
2. Economics: Private and Public Choice by Gwrtney, Stroup, et al: The books asks--and of course aims to answer--what makes certain decision-making acts economics. In other words, what constitutes the economic approach to thinking and doing, and how, if at all, is it different from other modes of thinking and doing? Understandably, the book focuses on questions such as rationality, irrationality, and intentionality. Also explores the interplay between a so-called private choice (which may after all not be so localized and insignificant) and the macro side of things. Interesting so far.
