Hello and thank you for visiting my about page. My name is Peter Banasiak and I’m a graduate from the University of South Dakota. In 2019 I received a Bachelor’s of Arts in history and philosophy, with a specialization in ethics, law, and society. During my education I developed a love of reading of all types of material. From first-hand accounts of early America to the political philosophy of Thomas Paine, I like reading into the the details of the past and how we got to now. But that is not to say I don’t enjoy works of fiction. I had a teacher once say that fiction is a way to explore the issues at hand in the real world. In short, I like to read it all, fiction and nonfiction.
There is so much to learn in this world that we all ought to find some time throughout the day to sit down, pick up a book, and read. Reading, by far, is one of the best ways to engage the mind and develop your rational brain. It’s active, requires long periods of concentration, and allows you to think over difficult topics.
The Retrospective Reader is a way for me to better understand the books I read about the world and the human condition. I’ll be reviewing books I read and write about some of the ideas I find interesting within these books. In doing so, I hope this blog inspires others to go out and read these books if they find them interesting.
Rene Descartes, a philosophical pillar of modern thought, is accredited with saying, “The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of the past centuries.” Perhaps the conversation is one-sided, but let’s join the conversation!
The Retrospective Reader 