dsayers Posted January 31, 2014 Posted January 31, 2014 "Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology" -- read it. I'm trying to figure out a way to get this into an audible format. It's my bedtime, but so far, it looks like Kindle book, NVDA reader, and... ? I remember recently when looking for software to chop up long audio streams automatically, I had come across a software or two that indicated they could convert to audio without requiring it being read in real time. I recognize the importance of this book, but I'm really REALLY not a book guy. Anybody have any tips?
Pepin Posted January 31, 2014 Posted January 31, 2014 There is a lecture series below about it. May not be the best source, but decent enough.
ThomasDoubts Posted January 31, 2014 Author Posted January 31, 2014 Haha, I watched that whole series ^ I should have linked it for you, Dsayers He's kinda long winded but ultimately helpful (roughly 5-6mins/page of text) If you're more of a visual learner, he's all about the whiteboard. Before I ever posted this thread I watched all of Stefan's related videos on this and somehow I didn't get it at all. I understood the individuals parts but I didn't get any cohesive understanding of how it all fit together. He does a podcast on the analytic/synthetic dichotomy that I also checked out but didn't appreciate the importance of it, I think because Stef was pretty dismissive of it. I understand now, why that is. Watch out for Muggles.
dsayers Posted February 1, 2014 Posted February 1, 2014 Length I don't mind. Does the series translate well enough as audio only or is the white board necessary? I've got Kindle for PC with Accessibility Plugin. I've got NVDA. I can get the computer to read it aloud to me. BUT 1) If Kindle loses focus, it stops reading. 2) It will only read what's on screen and then stops. 3) I can speed up the rate at which it reads to unintelligible, but cannot reconstitute it in post without it sounding over sythesized to hell. I looked into software that could convert AZW to MP3. No such luck. I did find an online service claiming to be free and able to do it. However it requires an email address. Didn't feel right and given that nobody else offers such a service or software, I don't believe it's legit. The problem is that if I get the book, there's no telling when I'll actually make the time to read it. Whereas with audio, I'll make use of it multiple times, not unlike Stef's An Intro To Philosophy.
FriendlyHacker Posted February 1, 2014 Posted February 1, 2014 To define yourself is to limit yourself, read this though:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_humanism
ThomasDoubts Posted February 1, 2014 Author Posted February 1, 2014 I think you could get by with just the audio, but he diagrams a lot of things that might add to your understanding. I guess it depends on what works best for you. Towards the end of the playlist (last 7-8 videos) I would just listen to the video with my eyes closed and focus my attention on what he was saying. That seemed to work fine for me. The great thing is you don't have to become an expert all at once; just take in what you can, and then address any questions you might have. That's my approach anyhow. I would recommend trying to listen in rather large chunks though, as opposed to a ten minute section here, and a ten minute section there. I think it's 37 videos, roughly 10 minutes long, covering the first 3, and most important, chapters of the book. Maybe taking in a chapter at a time would be a good idea. I did the first two chapters one day, and the third chapter the next day, and that seemed to work well enough for me. I've got Kindle for PC with Accessibility Plugin. I've got NVDA-- Apologies, but this is almost a foreign language to me. Nvidia graphics driver? If so, I have no idea how that may or maynot matter. I wasn't aware you could do anything besides read books on Kindle. I managed somehow to build my own linux system, but at the same time, I'm kind of retarded when it comes to tech-knowhow.
dsayers Posted February 1, 2014 Posted February 1, 2014 NVDA stands for non-visual desktop access. It is an open source screen reader designed to assist the visually impaired with using a computer. With it, Kindle for PC with Accessibility Plugin can read books aloud. I don't know if these softwares are available on Linux or not, but I would assume so. I noticed that the 2nd edition of Ayn Rand's book is listed as edited in part by Leonard Peikoff. I also see that Leonard Peikoff has written his own book called Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. This book IS available as an audiobook and a quick glance suggests it's structured similarly. Would this be a sufficient substitute?
ThomasDoubts Posted February 1, 2014 Author Posted February 1, 2014 I can't say for sure, but I would guess that it's a fine substitute. I'm kind of anal about going to primary sources, but in this case, I think you're safe. Certainly better than nothing
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