Last year, Mike Tyson staged a one-man Broadway show, directed by Spike Lee, called “Mike Tyson: The Undisputed Truth.” In November, the boxing legend published an autobiography by the same title. And now comes this: a short letter in The Wall Street Journal where Iron Mike lists the philosophy and history texts he’s reading these days. The list includes:
- The Quotable Kierkegaard, edited by Gordon Marino, “a collection of awesome quotes from that great Danish philosopher.”
[Note: Nietzsche is his favorite philosopher. Says Tyson, “He’s just insane. You have to have an IQ of at least 300 to truly understand him.”
- Alexander the Great: The Macedonian Who Conquered the World by Sean Patrick.
Why? Because “Alexander kept pushing forward. He didn’t want to have to go home and be dominated by his mother.” The same impulse drove Tyson to box his way out of Brownsville, Brooklyn. That’s all covered in his autobiography.
What else is Tyson reading? Love letters. He mentions Napoleon’s love letters to Josephine, and Virginia Woolf’s letter to her husband before committing suicide. Tyson then quips “I don’t really do any light reading, just deep, deep stuff. I’m not a light kind of guy.”
Get more at The Wall Street Journal.
H/T Partially Examined Life
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u201cI donu2019t really do any light reading, just deep, deep stuff. Iu2019m not a light kind of guy.u201d Need I say more? That’s as pretentious as one can get. Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be taken seriously, but having a high IQ doesn’t necessarily mean you will be able to understand Nietzsche (nor a low one implies you won’t). Also “Quotable”… I mean if you are boasting of your “deep” readings you should read the real books, not fragments. I do realize the irony of calling him pretentious and writing in this tone.
But what’s so wrong with reading philosophical fragments?
There’s nothing wrong with reading fragments, but reading fragments is not reading the books. Sometimes, if not read within the context quotes tend to be misinterpreted. I haven’t read the book, but to me “quotable” seems to be a little bit like “for dummies”. As he is a super deep and knowldegeable human being, it shouldn’t be a challenge to read the real books.
It is offensive that this brute is even given the time of day. He is a convicted rapist and serial abuser of women.
Is he? You base that on what: the judgment of a court in the U.S. justice system?
Wait: when you say ‘brute’, do you pronounce it: bwute?
So what if he’s reading quotes? Try taking thousand of shots to your head for the next 30 years and reading anything, let alone Nietzsche or Kierkegaard. I love quotes, there is something beautiful about being able to say something profoundly insightful with few words. They become ‘quotes’ because they can stand alone, apart from the larger work. As for him being a convicted rapist– we don’t allow people to rehabilitate?
I STARTED WATCHING ON THE WATERFRONT AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED THINKING OF YOUR BROADWAY SHOW>
MY SON AND I CAME TOGETHER WITH YOUR INCREDIBLE TALENT> SPIRITUALITY IS EVERYTHING> I“LL ALWAYS BE FILLED WITH GRATITUDE WITH YOUR TALENT< AND THEN HOW SPIRITUALLY SAVED YOU JUST LIKE ME
LOVE BILLY PORCH