My summer reading list
~Monosus' "Reading Club" #15~

I brought along a book called "Mr. Smith's Moral Lessons: What Adam Smith Wanted to Convey More Than Economics." It's a book written by Russ Roberts, a professor of economics at Stanford University.

Adam Smith is an economist known as the "father of modern economics," and published two books, "The Wealth of Nations" and "The Theory of Moral Sentiments." "The Wealth of Nations" is famous, but many people don't even know the name of his debut work, "The Theory of Moral Sentiments," and the author himself had never read it. However, one day he was scheduled to give a talk on the subject of "The Theory of Moral Sentiments," and when he reluctantly read it for that purpose, he found it more interesting than he expected, and thought, "Wow, it's a shame that no one knows about this book!", so he wrote this book.

I learned about Adam Smith when I was studying for my entrance exams, and I only knew him as an economist, so I bought "Mr. Smith's Morals" wondering what it was about. I've read about a quarter of it now, but it's quite difficult. I think if I read it two or three times, I'll gradually understand it (laughs).

The book is made up of 10 chapters, including topics such as "How to know yourself," "How to be happy," "How to live without deceiving yourself," "How to be loved," "How to become a person worthy of being loved," "How to be a good person," "How to make the world a better place," etc. It sounds like a moral book, doesn't it? (laughs)
I think this is a perfect summer reading assignment, so I'll do my best to keep reading!

I have a vague image of morality, but were there any chapters that you found interesting?

I've only read up to chapter 3, "How to be happy," and it says, "People become happy when they earn the respect of others by becoming truly honorable, sincere, and respectable people." I think that what Dr. Smith is talking about, being a person who is loved and worthy of being loved, basically means that there is no gap between how others see you and how you see yourself, and that you can't justify it.

It's also written in the chapter "To know yourself", but even if you do something really bad and hide it and get praise from others, you won't be satisfied because you know it. You can't deceive yourself because you know it best. I'm reading it with the intention of living my life by behaving properly every day.

It's surprising that Adam Smith wrote something like this.

That's right, so far there hasn't been any talk about money at all (laughs). I think it will be interesting for people who like philosophy to read too.

It's "The Brothers Karamazov" by Dostoevsky. I tried to read it when I was in middle school and high school, but it was too difficult and I gave up, so I'm thinking of sitting down and reading it during the summer vacation.

Their father, Fyodor, is a landowner, but a bit of an oddball and a free spirit. The three brothers are Dmitry, the eldest with a fiery temper, Ivan, the second son, an atheist and logical, and Alexei, the third son, a devout man.

The father and the eldest son, Dmitry, do not get along well, as they compete for the same woman, and one day Dmitry is arrested and put on trial on suspicion of murdering his father. There are also stories about the relationship between the brothers' lovers, and the atheism of the elder of the monastery where the third son, Alexei, used to live, and the second son, Ivan. The main character seems to be the third son, Alexei, but there are many different elements included.

I've only just started reading it, so I'm looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds.
I think the good thing about so-called masterpieces is that they depict humanity in great detail. They contain many difficult expressions, but if you read carefully you can understand them. There are many times when I don't understand something and just keep reading (laughs).

When I was a student, I used to project myself onto the characters in the books I read. It's been a while since I became a working adult, but I'd like to have that experience again.

I'd like to read Dostoevsky, but the sheer volume of his works is so overwhelming that I can't quite take the first step...

Once you get into it, it's very interesting. The story is multi-layered and can be seen in many different ways, and it can be taken as a court case or a romance novel. It also has parts that relate to faith, so you can read it from a religious perspective. The paperback version is four volumes in total, and the story itself seems to be divided into about four parts.

How long do you plan to take to read it?

Assuming 40-50 pages per hour, each volume is 400 pages, so it would take about 40 hours for four books...

Amazing! I don't feel like I need to spend hours reading it (laughs).

That's... I guess it's a bit of a past experience (laughs). I haven't had much time to read it recently, so I'd like to challenge myself to read it as a summer reading assignment.

I brought along "Man's Manners" written by Shotaro Ikenami, who is famous for "Onihei Hankacho" and "Kenkaku Shobai". Ikenami's way of thinking and life are summarized in the form of essays that can be read in 2-3 minutes, and it covers a wide range of topics, such as how to behave when going to a high-end restaurant such as a sushi restaurant, what to wear, and how to spend your daily life.

Ikenami, born in 1923, wrote this book in 1981 (when he was 58 years old). In the preface he says, "I'm an old man, so some of what I've written here may not be relevant to modern times," but that's not true at all. Even now, it's very informative. I feel like he's talking about something a little deeper than just superficial things.

For example, when drinking beer, the reason you drink bottled beer in a small cup is so that you can gulp down the cold beer at its best, so pouring more in mid-way is nonsense.

It's not "cheesy" and it also gives you a simple explanation of the reasons behind things. I'm reading it thinking that if I can do this kind of thing properly in various fields, I'll be one step closer to being a wonderful adult. I haven't done anything yet though (laughs).

Oh, there's one more thing. When you eat sashimi, put the wasabi on top of the fish instead of dissolving it in soy sauce. That way you can really enjoy the aroma of the wasabi.

For me, it's "a book that teaches me what I should be." The theme this time is summer reading, but I want to make it a reading list for the rest of my life, not just for the summer (laughs).

It's a classy way of life.

Ikenami-san is an Edokko from Asakusa, and I think he has that kind of Edokko-like refined spirit.

Do you often write about food? There are a lot of delicious looking dishes in "Kenkaku Shobai" (I once wrote an article about historical novels).

Yes, I write about alcohol, sushi, tempura, bars, and so on. I also write about fashion, such as suits and glasses, and about men and women and consideration for others.

When you go to a tempura restaurant, you have to be hungry. And you eat as soon as it comes out. That's a story I like too. That makes the chef happy, and you can eat the food at its most delicious. It's a simple thing when you think about it, but surprisingly, I think it's not something I put into practice.

It's hard to find someone who can teach you that sort of thing.