Name: Genghis Khan and the Quest for God
ISBN: 9780735221154

Genghis Khan and the Quest for God

"Reveals how Genghis Khan harnessed the power of religion to rule the largest empire the world has ever known. By the New York Times best-selling author of Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, "--NoveList. "Throughout history the world's greatest conquerors have made their mark not just on the battlefield, but in the societies they have transformed. Genghis Khan conquered by arms and bravery, but he ruled by commerce and religion. He created the world's greatest trading network and drastically lowered taxes for merchants, but he knew that if his empire was going to last, he would need something stronger and more binding than trade. He needed religion. And so, unlike the Christian, Taoist and Muslim conquerors who came before him, he gave his subjects freedom of religion. Genghis lived in the 13th century, but he struggled with many of the same problems we face today: How should one balance religious freedom with the need to reign in fanatics? Can one compel rival religions--driven by deep seated hatred--to live together in peace? A celebrated anthropologist whose bestselling Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World radically transformed our understanding of the Mongols and their legacy, Jack Weatherford has spent eighteen years exploring areas of Mongolia closed until the fall of the Soviet Union and researching The Secret History of the Mongols, an astonishing document written in code that was only recently discovered.

What Hacker News says

keiferskiMar 2021

The Mongols held theological debates, for various reasons. It was a novel thing in that place at the time. Political reasons, cultural reasons, and pure curiosity from Genghis and subsequent leaders. The Mughal (term derived from mongol, although they had a tenuous relationship) leader Akbar did similar things about 300 years later.

I recommend reading Genghis Khan and the Quest for God if you want further information.

https://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Quest-God-Conqueror/dp/0...

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cocacola1Dec 2018

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Deep Work by Cal Newport - Could be summed up in a blog post. 3/5 (for the message; lower otherwise - maybe 2-2.5/5)

Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount - Could be summed up in a blog post, but I think he makes a point on cold calling - if you need to do it, suck it up and do it. And that about sums it up. 2.5/5 (message is decent and he does offer some tips)

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King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green - The story moves pretty fast. 4/5

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Genghis Khan and the Quest for God by Jack Weatherford - Again, enjoyable. 3.5/5

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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain - Was assigned this in high school but didn't read it then. Read it now. I missed out; it's a good book, but I think it's relatively boring until Tom starts going out with Huck a bit more. 3.5/5

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Only surprises for me were Apollo 8, which I didn't like as much as I liked the Neil Armstrong biography; Tom Sawyer, in that I liked it; and that Deep Work and Fanatical Prospecting seemed a lot more bloated than they should've been. Besides that, I'm happy I didn't read any books that I didn't like, but I suppose I didn't take many risks either.

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