Philosophy Books
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Man Is the Measure
Abel, Reuben
(Paperback)
List Price: $18.95 Sale: $5.39
One of the best introductory texts in philosophy in recent years. It is freshly written, its points well-illustrated with concrete examples, and enlivened with strong doses of critical common sense.
Why Science Does Not Disprove God
Aczel, Amir
(Paperback)
List Price: $15.99 Sale: $5.85
Based on interviews with eleven Nobel Prize winners and many other prominent physicists, biologists, anthropologists, and psychologists, as well as leading theologians and spiritual leaders, Why Science Does Not Disprove God is a "well-informed and readable" (Wall Street Journal) analysis of the religious implications of our ever-increasing understanding of life and the universe. The renowned science writer Amir Aczel masterfully refutes the overreaching claims of the "New Atheists," providing millions of educated believers with a clear, engaging explanation of what science really says, how there's still much space for the Divine in the universe, and why faith in both God and empirical science are not mutually exclusive.
Six Great Ideas
Adler, Mortimer J.
(Paperback)
List Price: $12.00 Sale: $5.17
Each summer, Mortimer J. Adler conducts a seminar at the Aspen Institute in Colorado. At the 1981 seminar, leaders from the worlds of business, literature, education, and the arts joined him in an in-depth consideration of the six great ideas that are the subject of this book: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty - the ideas we judge by; and Liberty, Equality, and Justice - the ideas we act on.
Ten Philosophical Mistakes
Adler, Mortimer J.
(Paperback)
List Price: $12.00 Sale: $5.17
In this delightfully lucid and accessible book, America's foremost philosopher explores the ten errors in the development of modern thought, and examines the serious consequences they have in our everyday lives. From the mistake of identifying happiness with having a good time to the argument over free will and free choice, Adler explains how these errors came about and what we can do to avoid them.
Greek Philosophy (3rd Edition Revised And Expanded)
Allen, Reginald E. (Edt)
(Paperback)
List Price: $17.95 Sale: $7.64
Widely praised for its accessibility and its concentration on the metaphysical issues that are most central to the history of Greek philosophy, Greek Philosophy: Thales to Aristotle offers a valuable introduction to the works of the Presocratics, Plato, and Aristotle. For the third edition, Professor Allen has provided new translations of Socrates' speech in the Symposium and of the first five chapters of Aristotle's Categories, as well as new selections bearing on Aristotle's Theory of Infinity, Continuity, and Discreteness. The book also contains a general introduction which sets forth Professor Allen's distinctive and now widely accepted interpretation of the development of Greek philosophy and science, along with selective bibliography, and lists of suggested readings.
An Appeal to the World: The Way to Peace in a Time of Division
Alt, Franz
(Hardcover)
List Price: $14.99 Sale: $2.25
In this brief yet profound address to global humanity, His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet reveals that we all hold the seeds of world peace within us: “I see with ever greater clarity that our spiritual well-being depends,” the Nobel Peace Prize winner writes, “on our innate human nature, our natural affinity for goodness, compassion, and caring for others.”Already a major international bestseller, An Appeal to the World, the new book by one of the most revered spiritual leaders of our time, outlines both the inward and outward paths to peace, addressing a wide range of contemporary topics - from the rise of nationalism, Trump presidency, refugee crisis, climate catastrophes, and materialism to meditation, universal ethics, and even neuroscience. Here is a small book that can truly change the world.
The Man Who Wasn't There
Ananthaswamy, Anil
(Hardcover)
List Price: $26.95 Sale: $6.96
*Nominated for the 2016 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award* *An NBC News's 12 Notable Science Book of 2015* *Named one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2015* In the tradition of Oliver Sacks, a tour of the latest neuroscience of schizophrenia, autism, Alzheimer's disease, ecstatic epilepsy, Cotard's syndrome, out-of-body experiences, and other disorders--revealing the awesome power of the human sense of self from a master of science journalism. Anil Ananthaswamy's extensive in-depth interviews venture into the lives of individuals who offer perspectives that will change how you think about who you are. These individuals all lost some part of what we think of as our self, but they then offer remarkable, sometimes heart-wrenching insights into what remains. One man cut off his own leg. Another became one with the universe. We are learning about the self at a level of detail that Descartes ("I think therefore I am") could never have imagined. Recent research into Alzheimer's illuminates how memory creates your narrative self by using the same part of your brain for your past as for your future. But wait, those afflicted with Cotard's syndrome think they are already dead; in a way, they believe that "I think therefore I am not." Who--or what--can say that? Neuroscience has identified specific regions of the brain that, when they misfire, can cause the self to move back and forth between the body and a doppelgänger, or to leave the body entirely. So where in the brain, or mind, or body, is the self actually located? As Ananthaswamy elegantly reports, neuroscientists themselves now see that the elusive sense of self is both everywhere and nowhere in the human brain.
The Truth About the Truth (New Consciousness Reader)
Anderson, Walter Truett (Edt)
(Softcover)
List Price: $16.95 Sale: $5.17
In an engagingly skeptical, aphoristic voice ("look at the post modern world as a kind of jailbreak from the Grand Hotel"), Anderson provides continuity between sections as diverse as "Symbols at Work and Play" (which includes a relatively lucid passage from Jacques Derrida on "the dubious relationship between a word and its referent" and Stephen Katz's spoof on "How to Speak and Write Postmodern") and "Science Without Scientism," featuring passages from Thomas Kuhn and Paul Feyerabend on the instability of scientific principles.
Philosophy, 2nd Edition (Harper Collins Dictionary)
Angeles, Peter A.
(Softcover)
List Price: $17.00 Sale: $6.33
Timely and comprehensive, the latest title in the HarperReference dictionary series--a reliable informational resource for students. This dictionary provides the 250,000 students enrolled in philosophy courses this year an indispensable, one-stop source for the vast terminology on the subject.SC, 342 pages.
The Meaning of Sarkozy
Badiou, Alain
(Paperback)
List Price: $16.95 Sale: $6.11
In this incisive, acerbic work, Alain Badiou looks beyond the petty vulgarity of the French president to decipher the true significance of what he represents - a reactionary tradition that goes back more than a hundred years. To escape the malaise that has enveloped the Left since Sarkozy's election, Badiou casts aside the slavish worship of electoral democracy and maps out a communist hypothesis that lays the basis for an emancipatory politics of the twenty-first century.
Do You Think What You Think You Think?
Baggini, Julian
(Paperback)
List Price: $14.00 Sale: $5.85
Is your brain ready for a thorough philosophical health check? Is what you believe coherent and consistent - or a jumble of contradictions? If you could design a God, what would He, She, or It be like? Can you spot the logical flaw in an argument (even if it's your own)? And how will you fare on the tricky terrain of ethics when your taboos are under the spotlight? Here are a dozen philosophical quizzes guaranteed to make armchair philosophers shift in their seat. Use it on yourself, or better yet, put your friends and loved ones to the test! Addictive, challenging, and surprising, with a refreshing sense of the absurdity of human rationality, this book will enable you to strengthen your beliefs and discover the "you" you never knew you were.
The Duck That Won the Lottery: 100 New Experiments for the Armchair Philosopher
Baggini, Julian
(Paperback)
List Price: $15.00 Sale: $4.75
This latest book from the pop philosophy author of The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten tackles an endlessly fascinating area of popular debate - the faulty argument. Julian Baggini provides a rapid-fire selection of short, stimulating, and entertaining quotes from a wide range of famous people in politics, the media, and entertainment, including Donald Rumsfeld, Emma Thompson, Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, and Chris Martin. Each entry takes as its starting point an example of highly questionable - though oddly persuasive -reasoning from a broad variety of subjects. As Baggini teases out the logic in the illogical, armchair philosophers and aficionados of the absurd will find themselves nodding their heads as they laugh out loud. The Duck That Won the Lottery is perfect fodder for any cocktail party and pure pleasure for anyone who loves a good brain twister.
The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten
Baggini, Julian
(Softcover)
List Price: $15.00 Sale: $5.60
Both entertaining and startling, The Pig That Wants to Be Eaten offers one hundred philosophical puzzles that stimulate thought on a host of moral, social, and personal dilemmas. Taking examples from sources as diverse as Plato and Steven Spielberg, author Julian Baggini presents abstract philosophical issues in concrete terms, suggesting possible solutions while encouraging readers to draw their own conclusions.
Take This Advice: The Best Graduation Speeches Ever Given
Bark, Sandra (Editor)
(Paperback)
List Price: $15.99 Sale: $4.24
Take This Advice delivers thirty of the most powerful and inspiring commencement speeches given in the past ten years. With grace and humor, this generation's favorite artists and thinkers address graduates to celebrate an incredible achievement, and to let them know that life after school is not the end of the world -- in fact, it's the beginning.
Dogmatics in Outline
Barth, Karl
(Softcover)
List Price: $13.00 Sale: $5.39
An excellent summary of and introduction to Barthian theology.
Escape from Evil
Becker, Ernest
(Paperback)
List Price: $14.95 Sale: $6.33
"An urgent essay that bears all the marks of a final philosophical raging against the dying of the light. . . . The beauty - and terror - of his final testament lies in his unsparing analysis of how men from time immemorial have sought scapegoats and victims in order to bolster their intimations of immorality. . . ." - Newsweek
The Political Ideas of St Thomas Aquinas
Bigongiari, Dino
(Softcover)
List Price: $15.95 Sale: $6.84
In an authoritative discussion of the historical background and evolution of St. Thomas Aquinas's political ideas, Dr. Bigongiari's commentary explains this philosopher's enduring influence and legacy.Accompanying explanatory notes and a helpful glossary of unusual terms and familiar words help to make this practical volume an ideal text for students and general readers alike.
The Ayn Rand Lexicon (Vol 4)
Binswanger, Harry
(Paperback)
List Price: $25.00 Sale: $8.40
A prolific writer, bestselling novelist, and world-renowned philosopher, Ayn Rand defined a full system of thought - from epistemology to aesthetics. Her writing is so extensive and the range of issues she covers so enormous that those interested in finding her discussions of a given topic may have to search through many sources to locate the relevant passage. The Ayn Rand Lexicon brings together all the key ideas of her philosophy of Objectivism. Begun under Rand's supervision, this unique volume is an invaluable guide to her philosophy or reason, self-interest and laissez-faire capitalism - the philosophy so brilliantly dramatized in her novels The Fountainhead, We The Living, and Atlas Shrugged.
Ethics 101: From Altruism and Utilitarianism to Bioethics and Political Ethics, an Exploration of the Concepts of Right and Wrong (Adams 101)
Boone, Brian
(Hardcover)
List Price: $15.99 Sale: $6.70
Explore the mysteries of morality and the concept of right and wrong with this accessible, engaging guide featuring basic facts along with an overview of modern-day issues ranging from business ethics and bioethics to political and social ethics.Ethics 101 offers an exciting look into the history of moral principles that dictate human behavior. Unlike traditional textbooks that overwhelm, this easy-to-read guide presents the key concepts of ethics in fun, straightforward lessons and exercises featuring only the most important facts, theories, and ideas. Ethics 101 includes unique, accessible elements such as:- Explanations of the major moral philosophies including utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, and eastern philosophers including Avicenna, Buddha, and Confucius.- Classic thought exercises including the trolley problem, the sorites paradox, and agency theory.- Unique profiles of the greatest characters in moral philosophy.- An explanation of modern applied ethics in bioethics, business ethics, political ethics, professional ethics, organizational ethics, and social ethicsFrom Plato to Jean-Paul Sartre and utilitarianism to antirealism, Ethics 101 is jam-packed with enlightening information that you can’t get anywhere else!
What Is Your Dangerous Idea?: Today's Leading Thinkers on the Unthinkable
Brockman, John (Edt)
(Softcover)
List Price: $13.95 Sale: $4.75
From Copernicus to Darwin, to current-day thinkers, scientists have always promoted theories and unveiled discoveries that challenge everything society holds dear; ideas with both positive and dire consequences. Many thoughts that resonate today are dangerous not because they are assumed to be false, but because they might turn out to be true. What do the world's leading scientists and thinkers consider to be their most dangerous idea? Through the leading online forum Edge the call went out, and this compelling and easily digestible volume collects the answers. From using medication to permanently alter our personalities to contemplating a universe in which we are utterly alone, to the idea that the universe might be fundamentally inexplicable, What Is Your Dangerous Idea: takes an unflinching look at the daring, breath-taking, sometimes terrifying thoughts that could forever alter our world and the way we live in it.
The Western Intellectual Tradition: From Leonardo to Hegel
Bronowski, Jacob
(Softcover)
List Price: $19.99 Sale: $8.40
"Messrs. Bronowski and Mazlish have done in this interesting book an admirable job of mapping the work of the minds of representatives of Western thinkers from Leonardo da Vinci to Hegel." - Crane Brinton. SC, 522 pages.
The Most Important Point: Zen Teachings of Edward Espe Brown
Brown, Edward Espe
(Paperback)
List Price: $17.95 Sale: $6.96
From master baker, cook, and Zen priest Edward Espe Brown comes a collection of timeless essays on Zen, food, and life itself. Brown was one of the first Westerners to be ordained a priest by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, who had hoped that Zen might be transformed into a vibrant new form in the West. In The Most Important Point, Brown fulfills Suzuki’s wish with 60 essays that are distinctly American yet preserve the roots of traditional Japanese Zen.Drawing from his time in the kitchen and on the cushion, Brown explores a range of topics, from basic sitting practice to making the "perfect" biscuit and much more. "In the words of my teacher," reflects Brown, "the most important point is to find out what is the most important point." Flavored with wise insights and irreverent humor, The Most Important Point brings together a treasury of teachings to inspire your own discovery.
The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga (Volume 1)
Brunton, Paul
(Paperback)
List Price: $21.95 Sale: $7.81
The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga is a step-by-step guide to actually experiencing the spiritual truth that reality is formed within our consciousness rather than outside us in the world of material things. Brunton's expert analysis of perception, grounded in science, is designed to awaken us to our sacred foundation and to transform our personality into a mirror of that reality. Brunton prepares us for this journey by describing the attitudes, mental disciplines, and character traits that are beneficial for success in this quest.
I and Thou
Buber, Martin
(Paperback)
List Price: $15.00 Sale: $6.33
Today considered a landmark of twentieth-century intellectual history, I and Thou is also one of the most important books of Western theology. In it, Martin Buber, heavily influenced by the writings of Frederich Nietzsche, united the proto-Existentialists currents of modern German thought with the Judeo-Christian tradition, powerfully updating faith for modern times. Since its first appearance in German in 1923, this slender volume has become one of the epoch-making works of our time. Not only does it present the best thinking of one of the greatest Jewish minds in centuries, but has helped to mold approaches to reconciling God with the workings of the modern world and the consciousness of its inhabitants.
I and Thou
Buber, Martin
(Hardcover)
List Price: $23.00 Sale: $8.11
Today considered a landmark of twentieth-century intellectual history, I and Thou is also one of the most important books of Western theology. In it, Martin Buber, heavily influenced by the writings of Frederich Nietzsche, united the proto-Existentialists currents of modern German thought with the Judeo-Christian tradition, powerfully updating faith for modern times. Since its first appearance in German in 1923, this slender volume has become one of the epoch-making works of our time. Not only does it present the best thinking of one of the greatest Jewish minds in centuries, but has helped to mold approaches to reconciling God with the workings of the modern world and the consciousness of its inhabitants. This work is the centerpiece of Buber's groundbreaking philosophy. It lays out a view of the world in which human beings can enter into relationships using their innermost and whole being to form true partnerships. These deep forms of rapport contrast with those that spring from the Industrial Revolution, namely the common, but basically unethical, treatment of others as objects for our use and the incorrect view of the universe as merely the object of our senses, experiences. Buber goes on to demonstrate how these interhuman meetings are a reflection of the human meeting with God. For Buber, the essence of biblical religion consists in the fact that - regardless of the infinite abyss between them - a dialogue between man and God is possible. Ecumenical in its appeal, I and Thou nevertheless reflects the profound Talmudic tradition from which it has emerged. For Judaism, Buber's writings have been of revolutionary importance. No other writer has so shaken Judaism from parochialism and applied it so relevantly to the problems and concerns of contemporary men. On the other hand, the fundamentalist Protestant movement in this country has appropriated Buber's "I and Thou encounter" as the implicit basis of its doctrine of immediate faith-based salvation. In this light, Martin Buber has been viewed as the Jewish counterpart to Paul Tillich.
The Portable Plato (Viking Portable Library)
Buchanan, Scott (Edt)
(Paperback)
List Price: $20.00 Sale: $7.81
Includes The Republic, the Phaedo, the Symposium, and the Protagoras.
Truth & Daring: A Journal for the Thoughtful & Bold
Burningham, Sarah O'Leary
(Softcover)
List Price: $14.99 Sale: $5.17
A journal for the thoughtful and introspective, adventurous and bold, Truth & Daring challenges you to pair self-reflection with action through questions, writing prompts, and inspiring quotes that focus on digging deep and trying new things.Discover the spark of true self-discovery that comes when you look below the surface, and embrace the confidence that comes when you push yourself just a little beyond your comfort zone. It takes grit ad courage to find your truth - and to act on it.
The End Is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses (Large Print)
Carlin, Dan
(Paperback)
List Price: $31.99 Sale: $12.06
Do tough times create tougher people? Can humanity handle the power of its weapons without destroying itself? Will human technology or capabilities ever peak or regress? No one knows the answers to such questions, but no one asks them in a more interesting way than Dan Carlin.In The End is Always Near, Dan Carlin looks at questions and historical events that force us to consider what sounds like fantasy; that we might suffer the same fate that all previous eras did. Will our world ever become a ruin for future archaeologists to dig up and explore? The questions themselves are both philosophical and like something out of The Twilight Zone.Combining his trademark mix of storytelling, history and weirdness Dan Carlin connects the past and future in fascinating and colorful ways. At the same time the questions he asks us to consider involve the most important issue imaginable: human survival. From the collapse of the Bronze Age to the challenges of the nuclear era the issue has hung over humanity like a persistent Sword of Damocles.Inspired by his podcast, The End is Always Near challenges the way we look at the past and ourselves. In this absorbing compendium, Carlin embarks on a whole new set of stories and major cliffhangers that will keep readers enthralled. Idiosyncratic and erudite, offbeat yet profound, The End is Always Near examines issues that are rarely presented, and makes the past immediately relevant to our very turbulent present.
The End Is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses
Carlin, Dan
(Hardcover)
List Price: $29.99 Sale: $9.76
Do tough times create tougher people? Can humanity handle the power of its weapons without destroying itself? Will human technology or capabilities ever peak or regress? No one knows the answers to such questions, but no one asks them in a more interesting way than Dan Carlin.In The End is Always Near, Dan Carlin looks at questions and historical events that force us to consider what sounds like fantasy; that we might suffer the same fate that all previous eras did. Will our world ever become a ruin for future archaeologists to dig up and explore? The questions themselves are both philosophical and like something out of The Twilight Zone.Combining his trademark mix of storytelling, history and weirdness Dan Carlin connects the past and future in fascinating and colorful ways. At the same time the questions he asks us to consider involve the most important issue imaginable: human survival. From the collapse of the Bronze Age to the challenges of the nuclear era the issue has hung over humanity like a persistent Sword of Damocles.Inspired by his podcast, The End is Always Near challenges the way we look at the past and ourselves. In this absorbing compendium, Carlin embarks on a whole new set of stories and major cliffhangers that will keep readers enthralled. Idiosyncratic and erudite, offbeat yet profound, The End is Always Near examines issues that are rarely presented, and makes the past immediately relevant to our very turbulent present.
The Morning Mind: Use Your Brain to Master Your Day and Supercharge Your Life
Carter, Robert III
(Paperback)
List Price: $17.99 Sale: $7.47
Bad habits. Bad feelings. Bad mornings that turn into regrettable days.Banish them all with simple brain hacks that flip negative thoughts and behaviors into positive, productive ones. Instead of dragging through your day, learn to wake up refreshed, recharge regularly, and live better than ever.The Morning Mind makes it easy. Based on findings from neuroscience and medicine, the book helps you tamp down on the fear-driven reptile brain and tap into the part linked to thinking and imagination.With topics ranging from diet and hydration to exercise and meditation, you’ll find ideas for activating your brain—and improving every aspect of your life:• Restore healthy cycles of waking and sleeping• Block harmful cortisol hormones• Boost mental performance• Create calmer mornings• Develop self-discipline• .Stimulate creativity• Improve your leadership skills• And more.From the moment the alarm clock rings, The Morning Mind helps you greet each day with gusto.
Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington
Cathcart, Thomas
(Hardcover)
List Price: $18.95 Sale: $4.75
America's favorite philosopher-comedians are at it again, and just in time to save us from the doublespeak and flimflam of politics in America with invaluable insight on common tactics.
The Trolley Problem, or Would You Throw the Fat Man off the Bridge?: A Philosophical Conundrum
Cathcart, Thomas
(Hardcover)
List Price: $14.95 Sale: $6.11
A trolley is careering out of control. Up ahead are five workers; on a spur to the right stands a lone individual. You, a bystander, happen to be standing next to a switch that could divert the trolley, which would save the five, but sacrifice the one - do you pull it? Or say you’re watching from an overpass. The only way to save the workers is to drop a heavy object in the trolley’s path. And you’re standing next to a really fat man….This ethical conundrum - based on British philosopher Philippa Foot’s 1967 thought experiment - has inspired decades of lively argument around the world. Now Thomas Cathcart brings his sharp intelligence, quirky humor, and gift for popularizing serious ideas to “the trolley problem.” Framing the issue as a possible crime that is to be tried in the Court of Public Opinion, Cathcart explores philosophy and ethics, intuition and logic. Along the way he makes connections to the Utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham, Kant’s limits of reason, St. Thomas Aquinas’s fascinating Principle of Double Effect, and more.Read with an open mind, this provocative book will challenge your deepest held notions of right and wrong. Would you divert the trolley? Kill one to save five? Would you throw the fat man off the bridge?
The Essence and Applications of Taijiquan
Chengfu, Yang
(Paperback)
List Price: $16.95 Sale: $5.60
The publication in 1934 of Yang Chengfu's book, Essence and Applications of Taijiquan (Taijiquan Tiyong Quanshu) marked a milestone in the modern evolution of the art of taijiquan. Using what is best-termed demonstration narrative, the author presents form postures and suggested applications from his own perspective, as he performed them. This methodology renders Yang Chengfu's direct, hands-on teaching of the art with such immediacy and liveliness that the reader experiences the master’s teaching much as his students did.This English translation finally makes Yang Chengfu's classic work available to taijiquan enthusiasts in the West. It includes notes and commentary that clarify the author's frequent classical and literary turns of phrase and elucidate the philosophical and political underpinnings that shape the text. The translator investigates and compares several early taijiquan books in order to help explain the roles played by two of Yang Chengfu's students, Dong Yingjie and Zheng Manqing, in bringing Yang Chengfu's words and teachings into print.Serious students of taijiquan, and those wishing to deepen their knowledge of taijiquan history and theory, will find this seminal work indispensable to their study and practice.
The Future of God: A Practical Approach to Spirituality for Our Times
Chopra, Deepak
(Paperback)
List Price: $15.00 Sale: $6.33
Can God be revived in a skeptical age? What would it take to give people a spiritual life more powerful than anything in the past? Deepak Chopra tackles these issues with eloquence and insight in this book. He proposes that God lies at the source of human awareness. Therefore, any person can find the God within that transforms everyday life. God is in trouble. The rise of the militant atheist movement spearheaded by Richard Dawkins signifies, to many, that the deity is an outmoded myth in the modern world. Deepak Chopra passionately disagrees, seeing the present moment as the perfect time for making spirituality what it really should be: reliable knowledge about higher reality. Outlining a path to God that turns unbelief into the first step of awakening, Deepak shows us that a crisis of faith is like the fire we must pass through on the way to power, truth, and love.
The Philosophy Bible: The Definitive Guide to the Last 3,000 Years of Thought
Cohen, Martin
(Paperback)
List Price: $19.95 Sale: $7.47
This is a concise, comprehensive guide that covers the main schools of thought from the Ancient Chinese philosophies of Confucius and Lao Tzu; Ancient wisdom from Aristotle, Plato, Zeno and Pythagoras; through to those most influential of philosophers studied the world over -- Hegel, Marx, Descartes, Kant, Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein.It also discusses the "big questions", such as: What is truth? What kind of person is it good to be? What do we know and how do we know it? It considers the relationship between philosophy and religion, and the problem of morality.The book takes a two-pronged approach that looks at the chronological development of philosophical thought and the people behind the different schools of thinking.
The Good, the Bad & the Difference
Cohen, Randy
(Paperback)
List Price: $14.00 Sale: $5.60
Updated in paperback, the thought-provoking collection of advice on how to be good in the real world, from the man behind The New York Times Magazine's immensely popular "The Ethicist" column - syndicated nationwide as "Everyday Ethics."
Behaving Badly: The New Morality in Politics, Sex, and Business
Collinsworth, Eden
(Paperback)
List Price: $17.00 Sale: $5.39
To call these unsettling times is an understatement: our political leaders are less and less respectable; in business, cheating, lying, and stealing are hazily defined; and in daily life, technology permits us to act in ways inconceivable without it. Yet somehow, people still draw lines between what is acceptable and what is not. In Behaving Badly, Eden Collinsworth speaks with a wide range of figures - from experts to everyday people - to parse out the parameters of modern morality.In her quest, she squares off with, among others, a neuroscientist who explains why we’re not necessarily designed to be good; a CEO fired for blowing the whistle on his multinational corporation; and the cheerfully unrepentant founder of a website facilitating affairs for married people. Fearless, timely, and always thought-provoking, Behaving Badly takes us on an unforgettable journey through the treacherous territory of right and wrong.
Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work
Crawford, Matthew B.
(Paperback)
List Price: $17.00 Sale: $6.33
A philosopher/mechanic's wise (and sometimes funny) look at the challenges and pleasures of working with one's hands Called "the sleeper hit of the publishing season" (The Boston Globe), Shop Class as Soulcraft became an instant bestseller, attracting readers with its radical (and timely) reappraisal of the merits of skilled manual labor. On both economic and psychological grounds, author Matthew B. Crawford questions the educational imperative of turning everyone into a "knowledge worker," based on a misguided separation of thinking from doing. Using his own experience as an electrician and mechanic, Crawford presents a wonderfully articulated call for self-reliance and a moving reflection on how we can live concretely in an ever more abstract world.
What We Think About When We Think About Soccer
Critchley, Simon
(Hardcover)
List Price: $20.00 Sale: $2.73
You play soccer. You watch soccer. You live soccer You breathe soccer. But do you think about soccer?Soccer is the world’s most popular sport, inspiring the absolute devotion of countless fans around the globe. But what is it about soccer that makes it so compelling to watch, discuss, and think about? Is it what it says about class, race, or gender? Is it our national, regional, or tribal identities? Simon Critchley thinks it’s all of these and more. In his new book, he explains what soccer can tell us about each, and how each informs the way we interpret the game, all while building a new system of aesthetics, or even poetics, that we can use to watch the beautiful game.   Critchley has made a career out of bringing philosophy to the people through popular subjects, and in What We Think About When We Think About Soccer he uses his considerable philosophical acumen to examine the sport that has captured the hearts and minds of millions.
The Age of Selfishness: Ayn Rand, Morality, and the Financial Crisis
Cunningham, Darryl
(Hardcover)
List Price: $17.95 Our Price: $3.39
Tracing the emergence of Ayn Rand's philosophy of objectivism in the 1940s to her present-day influence, Darryl Cunningham's latest work of graphic-nonfiction investigation leads readers to the heart of the global financial crisis of 2008. Cunningham uses Rand's biography to illuminate the policies that led to the economic crash in the U.S. and in Europe, and how her philosophy continues to affect today's politics and policies, starting with her most noted disciple, economist Alan Greenspan (former chairman of the Federal Reserve). Cunningham also shows how right-wing conservatives, libertarians, and the Tea Party movement have co-opted Rand's teachings (and inherent contradictions) to promote personal gain and profit at the expense of the middle class. Tackling the complexities of economics by distilling them down to a series of concepts accessible to all age groups, Cunningham ultimately delivers a devastating analysis of our current economic world.
The Essence of Happiness: A Guidebook for Living
Cutler, Howard C.
(Hardcover)
List Price: $19.95 Sale: $6.96
The Dalai Lama inspired millions around the world with his wisdom and compassion in The Art of Happiness. Now, in The Essence of Happiness, moving insights from His Holiness are gathered in an elegantly designed keepsake book that makes for a handy and accessible medium for that wisdom. Offering sage advice on defeating day-to-day depression, anxiety, anger, jealousy, and other emotions that get in the way of true happiness, the pages of The Essence of Happiness contain transforming reflections on how to overcome suffering and obstacles to create a fulfilled, joyous life.
Socrates in Love: The Making of a Philosopher
D'Angour, Armand
(Hardcover)
List Price: $28.00 Sale: $7.47
An innovative and insightful exploration of the passionate early life of Socrates and the influences that led him to become the first and greatest of philosophers.Socrates: the philosopher whose questioning gave birth to the foundations of Western thought, and whose execution marked the end of the Athenian Golden Age. Yet despite his pre-eminence among the great thinkers of history, little of his life story is known. What we know tends to begin in his middle age and end with his trial and death. Our conception of Socrates has relied upon Plato and Xenophon--men who met him when he was in his fifties, a well-known figure in war-torn Athens.There is mystery at the heart of Socrates's story: what turned the young Socrates into a philosopher? What drove him to pursue with such persistence, at the cost of social acceptance and ultimately his life, a whole new way of thinking about the meaning of existence?In this revisionist biography, classicist Armand D'Angour draws on neglected sources to explore the passions and motivations of young Socrates, showing how love transformed him into the philosopher he was to become. What emerges is the figure of Socrates as never previously portrayed: a heroic warrior, an athletic wrestler and dancer--and a passionate lover. Socrates in Love sheds new light on the formative journey of the philosopher, finally revealing the identity of the woman who Socrates claimed inspired him to develop ideas that have captivated thinkers for 2,500 years.
A Call for Revolution: A Vision for the Future
Dalai Lama
(Hardcover)
List Price: $18.99 Sale: $7.81
This eloquent, urgent manifesto is possibly the most important message the Dalai Lama can give us about the future of our world. It’s his rallying cry, full of solutions for our chaotic, aggressive, divided times: no less than A CALL FOR REVOLUTION.
Michel de Montaigne: Essays
De Montaigne, Michel
(Paperback)
List Price: $17.00 Sale: $5.85
In writing these celebrated essays, Montaigne was creating a new literary form in which he put his own views and opinions on trial. In each piece he set out to discover himself by setting down his reactions and responses to different subjects. In this way he could discern how much of his intellectual standpoint was due to nature, and how much to external forces. Against a brilliant range of subjects, including the education of children, friendship, cannibals and the custom of wearing clothes, he shows himself to be frank, objective, amusing and totally without prejudice.Taken together, this selection of essays forms an exquisitely drawn portrait that depicts the strength and warmth of Montaigne's personality.
On Solitude (Penguin Great Ideas)
de Montaigne, Michel
(Paperback)
List Price: $11.00 Sale: $4.49
Written in the literary style of the French Renaissance, "On Solitude" is de Montaigne's stoic reflection on living a life of imagination and virtue.For the true bibliophile and design-savvy book lover, here is the next set of Penguin's celebrated Great Ideas series by some of history's most innovative thinkers. Acclaimed for their striking and elegant package, each volume features a unique type-driven design that highlights the bookmaker's art. Offering great literature and great design at great prices, this series is ideal for readers who want to explore and savor the Great Ideas that have shaped our world.
The Shaolin Way
DeMasco, Steve
(Softcover)
List Price: $13.99 Sale: $5.85
The Shaolin monks of ancient China were simple farmers and practitioners of Buddhism who learned to protect themselves from the constant danger of bandits and overlords with a kind of "meditation in motion" - a nonlethal form of self-defense that didn't violate their vows of peace. Their legend grew, and they became known as the Shaolin Fighting Monks, revered across the land for their spiritual dedication, enlightened message, and amazing fighting skills. Born in the projects of Spanish Harlem to a disabled mother and an abusive father, Steve DeMasco spent most of his early life lost and angry - until he found himself on the steps of the Shaolin Temple. Once there, he discovered an ancient philosophy that helped melt away his preconceived notions of the world, giving him a powerful platform on which to live and grow. In The Shaolin Way, he adapts these teachings for the modern world, singling out ten secrets of survival that can help anyone live a more fulfilled life.
Consciousness Explained
Dennett, Daniel C.
(Paperback)
List Price: $18.00 Sale: $7.47
Consciousness Explained is a full-scale exploration of human consciousness. In this landmark book, Daniel Dennett refutes the traditional, commonsense theory of consciousness and presents a new model, based on a wealth of information from the fields of neuroscience, psychology, and artificial intelligence. Our current theories about conscious life - of people, animals, even robots - are transformed by the new perspectives found in this book.
Freedom Evolves
Dennett, Daniel C.
(Paperback)
List Price: $17.00 Sale: $5.17
Can there be freedom and free will in a deterministic world? Renowned philosopher Daniel Dennett answers with an empathetic yes, showing us how we alone among the animals have evolved minds that give us free will and morality. Weaving a richly detailed narrative that draws upon evolutionary biology, cognitive neuroscience, economics, and philosophy, Dennett explains in a series of strikingly original arguments that by using standard neo-Darwinian reasoning, we can build from the simplest life forms all the way up to the best and deepest human thoughts on questions of morality, meaning, and freedom. Rather than seeking to replace traditional work on ethics with some Darwinian alternative, in Freedom Evolves Dennett seeks to place ethics on the foundation it deserves: a realistic, naturalistic, potentially unified vision of our place in nature.
The Zen Way to the Martial Arts
Deshimaru, Taisen
(Paperback)
List Price: $14.00 Sale: $5.17
Taisen Deshimaru explains the way of the samurai through this engaging series of lessons that provides practical wisdom for all students of martial arts, as well as for the general reader interested in Zen
The Philosophy Cure: Lessons on Living from the Great Philosophers
Devillairs, Laurence
(Paperback)
List Price: $17.99 Sale: $6.53
The wisdom of famous philosophers distilled into practical takeaways for modern readersFor centuries, philosophers have considered the “big questions” of human life, mulling over everything from ethics to the definition of reality. Their ideas and insights are powerful and innovative, but often inaccessible and far too academic for most readers. In The Philosophy Cure: Lessons on Living from the Great Philosophers, scholar and expert on Cartesian philosophy, Laurence Devillairs has stripped away the convoluted language, translating the core ideas and wisdom of some of the most prominent philosophers into simple concepts for modern readers. She skillfully reveals that far from being impractical or distantly academic, philosophy is, at its heart, a deeply useful discipline ultimately concerned with what it means to live a good and fulfilling life.Perfect for readers who are intrigued with philosophy, but who are uninterested in reading dense academic texts, The Philosophy Cure reveals the true wisdom of the best-known philosophers—from Socrates to Kant and Descartes.
Fallen Leaves
Durant, Will
(Paperback)
List Price: $14.00 Sale: $5.85
The culmination of Will Durant’s sixty-plus years spent researching the philosophies, religions, arts, sciences, and civilizations from across the world, Fallen Leaves is the distilled wisdom of one of the world’s greatest minds, a man with a renowned talent for rendering the insights of the past accessible. Over the course of Durant’s career he received numerous letters from "curious readers who have challenged me to speak my mind on the timeless questions of human life and fate." With Fallen Leaves, his final book, he at last accepted their challenge.In twenty-two short chapters, Durant addresses everything from youth and old age to religion, morals, sex, war, politics, and art. Fallen Leaves is "a thought-provoking array of opinions" (Publishers Weekly), offering elegant prose, deep insights, and Durant’s revealing conclusions about the perennial problems and greatest joys we face as a species. In Durant’s singular voice, here is a message of insight for everyone who has ever sought meaning in life or the counsel of a learned friend while navigating life’s journey.
The Elementary Forms of Religious Life
Durkheim, Emile
(Paperback)
List Price: $27.99 Sale: $10.19
Published in 1912, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life was the last major book by the great sociologist Emile Durkheim. An early translation has remained the only English-language version available, despite many errors. Now a sociologist and religious scholar offers a much-needed new translation that will restore Durkheim's work to its original brilliance.
Meister Eckhart
Eckhart, Meister
(Softcover)
List Price: $15.00 Sale: $6.33
The author translates about one-half of Eckhart's works in this volume and presents a background into Eckhart's life and work.
Lit: Living Christ's Character From the Inside Out
Edwards, David
(Softcover)
List Price: $16.95 Sale: $6.33
With boldness and cutting-edge insight, David Edwards turns the light on false perceptions of religion and gets down to the truth about the "cosmic" battle between light and dark. Hitting head-on the disconnect that exists in "Sunday faith" and the rest of the week, Edwards defines character as "the life of God living in us." In this provocative book, nationally recognized speaker David Edwards delivers thirteen ways to ignite the fire within and learn what it means to live out your faith in a post-modern world. After reading just a few pages, you'll discover that Edwards' pen blazes with the same passion, enthusiasm, and humor that have made him a highly sought-after national speaker. Practical "Spotlight" exercises at the end of each chapter are designed to help you transfer the truth of each chapter into your everyday experience, and thought-provoking questions for both groups and individuals will help you ignite the light within your heart and teach you how to live the lit life.
The Tao of Bill Murray: Real-Life Stories of Joy, Enlightenment, and Party Crashing
Edwards, Gavin
(Hardcover)
List Price: $26.00 Sale: $9.05
This collection of the most epic, hilarious, and strange Bill Murray stories, many of which have never before been reported, spotlights the star's extraordinary ability to infuse the everyday with surprise, absurdity, and wonder. No one will ever believe you. New York Times bestselling author Gavin Edwards, like the rest of us, has always been fascinated with Bill Murray--in particular the beloved actor's adventures off-screen, which rival his filmography for sheer entertainment value. Edwards traveled to the places where Murray has lived, worked, and partied, in search of the most outrageous and hilarious Bill Murray stories from the past four decades, many of which have never before been reported. Bill once paid a child five dollars to ride his bike into a swimming pool. The star convinced Harvard's JV women's basketball team to play with him in a private game of hoops. Many of these surreal encounters ended with Bill whispering, "No one will ever believe you" into a stranger's ear. But The Tao of Bill Murray is more than just a collection of wacky anecdotes. This volume puts the actor's public clowning into a larger context, as Edwards distills Murray's unique way of being into a set of guiding principles. A sideways mix of comedy and philosophy, full of photo bombs, late-night party crashes, and movie-set antics, this is the perfect book for anyone who calls themselves a Bill Murray fan--which is to say, everyone.
The World According to Tom Hanks
Edwards, Gavin
(Hardcover)
List Price: $26.00 Sale: $6.33
Niceness gets a bad rap these days. Our culture rewards those who troll the hardest and who snark the most. At times it seems like there's no place anymore for optimism, integrity, and good old-fashioned respect. Enter "America's Dad": Tom Hanks. Whether he's buying espresso machines for the White House Press Corps, rewarding a jovial cab driver with a night out on Broadway, or extolling the virtues of using a typewriter, Hanks lives a passionate, joyful life and pays it forward to others. Gavin Edwards, the New York Times bestselling author of The Tao of Bill Murray, takes readers on a tour behind the scenes of Hanks's life: from his less-than-idyllic childhood, rocky first marriage, and career wipeouts to the pinnacle of his acting career and domestic bliss with the love of his life, Rita Wilson. As he did for Bill Murray, Edwards distills Hanks's life story into ten "commandments" that beautifully encapsulate his All-American philosophy. Contemplating the life, the achievements, and the obsessions of Mr. Tom Hanks may or may not give you the road map you need to find your way. But at the very least, it'll show you how niceness can be a worthy destination.
Seeking Serenity: The 10 New Rules for Health and Happiness in the Age of Anxiety
Enayati, Amanda
(Paperback)
List Price: $15.00 Sale: $5.17
A provocative and practical look at modern stress that offers an empowering new message: Stress can serve as a guide to living our happiest and healthiest lives. Here, stress columnist Amanda Enayati challenges our long-held assumptions about stress, painting a groundbreaking picture of what is commonly referred to as the plague of modern life. Weaving together stories, research from science, history, philosophy and ancient faiths, and everyday exercises, she presents ten revolutionary principles that help us differentiate between destructive and constructive stress, and to master stress in the everyday by learning how to: • Shift our perceptions to interpret inevitable challenges in a way that serves us better; • Embrace a narrative that casts stress as a pathway to adaptation and growth; and • Commit to breaks, buffers, and protective practices that will minimize and neutralize the adverse impact of toxic stress. Drawing on extensive research and remarkable stories, Seeking Serenity presents a clear and accessible action plan to achieving more joyful and productive lives, and stronger communities.
The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness
Epictetus
(Softcover)
List Price: $12.99 Sale: $5.39
Epictetus was born into slavery about 55 AD in the eastern outreaches of the Roman Empire. Once freed, he established an influential school of Stoic philosophy, stressing that human beings cannot control life, only their responses to it. By putting into practice the ninety-three witty, wise, and razor-sharp instructions that make up The Art of Living, readers learn to meet the challenges of everyday life successfully and to face life's inevitable losses and disappointments with grace.
A Manual for Living (A Little Book of Wisdom)
Epictetus
(Softcover)
List Price: $9.00 Sale: $3.81
Former Roman slave and great Stoic philosopher Epictetus spent his life outlining the path to happiness, fulfillment, and tranquillity. In aphorisms of stunning insight and simplicity, he emphasized progress rather than perfection and a day-by-day, down-to-earth life of virtue. SC, 88 pages.
Bringing Yoga to Life
Farhi, Donna
(Softcover)
List Price: $12.95 Sale: $5.39
Internationally acclaimed teacher Donna Farhi restores Yoga's traditional role as a complete, practical discipline for everyday living. In this encouraging and straightforward guide, Farhi provides a blueprint for understanding the complete philosophy of Yoga. Bringing Yoga to Life offers tools to help beginners and seasoned practitioners alike navigate the ups and downs of a spiritual practice, illustrating how they can become their own teachers and obtain the deep rewards available through engagement with an authentic path. Brimming with insight gathered form over twenty years of teaching experience, this exploration of the heart of Yoga is essential reading for anyone who practices this ancient tradition.
A Brief History of Thought
Ferry, Luc
(Paperback)
List Price: $14.99 Sale: $6.11
From the timeless wisdom of the ancient Greeks to Christianity, the Enlightenment, existentialism, and postmodernism, Luc Ferry's instant classic brilliantly and accessibly explains the enduring teachings of philosophy - including its profound relevance to modern daily life and its essential role in achieving happiness and living a meaningful life. This lively journey through the great thinkers will enlighten every reader, young and old.
The Wisdom of the Myths
Ferry, Luc
(Paperback)
List Price: $15.99 Sale: $6.33
A fascinating new journey through Greek mythology that explains the myths' timeless lessons and meaning.Heroes, gods, and mortals. The Greek myths are the founding narratives of Western civilization: to understand them is to know the origins of philosophy, literature, art, science, law, and more. Indeed, as Luc Ferry shows in this masterful book, they remain a great store of wisdom, as relevant to our lives today as ever before. No mere legends or clichés ("Herculean task," "Pandora's box," "Achilles heel," etc.), these classic stories offer profound and manifold lessons, providing the first sustained attempt to answer fundamental human questions concerning "the good life," the burden of mortality, and how to find one's place in the world. Vividly retelling the great tales of mythology and illuminating fresh new ways of understanding them, The Wisdom of the Myths will enlighten readers of all ages.
The Spiritual Teachings of Marcus Aurelius
Forstater, Mark
(Softcover)
List Price: $13.00 Sale: $5.60
Written as a personal diary for spiritual development, Marcus Aurelius's "meditations" were not meant for publication nor posterity, yet the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher has provided inspiration and guidance for more than eighteen centuries. Now, after nearly two thousand years, Mark Forster has adapted the ideas and principles relevant to the Roman world of the second century and has made them accessible to the twenty-first-century reader.
On Disobedience: Why Freedom Means Saying "No" to Power (Resistance Library)
Fromm, Erich
(Paperback)
List Price: $10.99 Sale: $4.24
By the acclaimed psychologist and author, Erich Fromm's On Disobedience persuasively examines how saying "no" to power is essential to individual meaning and the preservation of a free society.
Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment
Fukuyama, Francis
(Hardcover)
List Price: $26.00 Sale: $9.51
The New York Times bestselling author of The Origins of Political Order offers a provocative examination of modern identity politics: its origins, its effects, and what it means for domestic and international affairs of state.
Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment
Fukuyama, Francis
(Paperback)
List Price: $17.00 Sale: $4.75
The New York Times bestselling author of The Origins of Political Order offers a provocative examination of modern identity politics: its origins, its effects, and what it means for domestic and international affairs of state.In 2014, Francis Fukuyama wrote that American institutions were in decay, as the state was progressively captured by powerful interest groups. Two years later, his predictions were borne out by the rise to power of a series of political outsiders whose economic nationalism and authoritarian tendencies threatened to destabilize the entire international order. These populist nationalists seek direct charismatic connection to “the people,” who are usually defined in narrow identity terms that offer an irresistible call to an in-group and exclude large parts of the population as a whole.Demand for recognition of one’s identity is a master concept that unifies much of what is going on in world politics today. The universal recognition on which liberal democracy is based has been increasingly challenged by narrower forms of recognition based on nation, religion, sect, race, ethnicity, or gender, which have resulted in anti-immigrant populism, the upsurge of politicized Islam, the fractious “identity liberalism” of college campuses, and the emergence of white nationalism. Populist nationalism, said to be rooted in economic motivation, actually springs from the demand for recognition and therefore cannot simply be satisfied by economic means. The demand for identity cannot be transcended; we must begin to shape identity in a way that supports rather than undermines democracy.Identity is an urgent and necessary book - a sharp warning that unless we forge a universal understanding of human dignity, we will doom ourselves to continuing conflict.
The Book That Changed America: How Darwin's Theory of Evolution Ignited a Nation
Fuller, Randall
(Hardcover)
List Price: $27.00 Sale: $3.39
A compelling portrait of a unique moment in American history when the ideas of Charles Darwin reshaped American notions about nature, religion, science and raceThroughout its history America has been torn in two by debates over ideals and beliefs. Randall Fuller takes us back to one of those turning points, in 1860, with the story of the influence of Charles Darwin’s just-published On the Origin of Species on five American intellectuals, including Bronson Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, the child welfare reformer Charles Loring Brace, and the abolitionist Franklin Sanborn. Each of these figures seized on the book’s assertion of a common ancestry for all creatures as a powerful argument against slavery, one that helped provide scientific credibility to the cause of abolition. Darwin’s depiction of constant struggle and endless competition described America on the brink of civil war. But some had difficulty aligning the new theory to their religious convictions and their faith in a higher power. Thoreau, perhaps the most profoundly affected all, absorbed Darwin’s views into his mysterious final work on species migration and the interconnectedness of all living things. Creating a rich tableau of nineteenth-century American intellectual culture, as well as providing a fascinating biography of perhaps the single most important idea of that time, The Book That Changed America is also an account of issues and concerns still with us today, including racism and the enduring conflict between science and religion.
A Short History of Chinese Philosophy: A Systematic Account of Chinese Thought from Its Origins to the Present Day
Fung, Yu-Lan
(Paperback)
List Price: $17.95 Sale: $7.64
A chronicle of Chinese thought from the third millennium sage-kings to the 1911 overthrow of the oldest monarchical system in the world. The book illuminates the most commonly known schools of Confucianism and Taoism, and it acquaints readers with Mohism, Yin-Yang, Legalism, Neo-Taoism, Neo-Confucianism, and the introduction of Western philosophy. This adaptation of Dr. Fung's monumental History of Chinese Philosophy provides enthusiasts of philosophy and Asian studies' students at all levels with a window into ancient and contemporary Chinese ideology and philosophy.
The Gift of Anger: And Other Lessons from My Grandfather Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi, Arun
(Hardcover)
List Price: $24.00 Sale: $4.75
Discover ten vital and extraordinary life lessons from one of the most important and influential philosophers and peace activists of the twentieth century - Mahatma Gandhi - in this poignant and timely exploration of the true path from anger to peace, as recounted by Gandhi’s grandson, Arun Gandhi. In the current troubled climate, in our country and in the world, these lessons are needed more than ever before.
Character: The History of a Cultural Obsession
Garber, Marjorie
(Hardcover)
List Price: $32.00 Sale: $9.25
A spirited, engaging investigation into the concept of character, an enduring human obsession in literature, psychology, politics, and everyday lifeWhat is “character”? How can it be measured, improved, or built? Are character traits fixed or changeable? Is character innate, or can it be taught?Since at least the time of Aristotle, philosophers, theologians, moralists, artists, and scientists have engaged with the enigma of human character. In its oldest usage, “character” derives from a word for engraving or stamping, yet over time, it has come to mean a moral idea, a type, a literary persona, and a physical or physiological manifestation, observable in works of art and scientific experiments. It is an essential term in drama and the focus of self-help books.In Character: The History of a Cultural Obsession, Marjorie Garber points out that character seems more relevant than ever today - the term is omnipresent in discussions of politics, ethics, gender, morality, and the psyche. References to character flaws, character issues, character assassination, and allegations of “bad” and “good” character are inescapable in the media and in contemporary political debates.What connection does “character,” in this moral or ethical sense, have with the concept of a character in a novel or a play? Do our notions about fictional characters help to produce our ideas about moral character? Can character be formed, or taught, in schools, in scouting, in the home? From Plutarch to John Stuart Mill, from Shakespeare to Darwin, from Theophrastus to Freud, from nineteenth-century phrenology to twenty-first-century brain scans, the search for the sources and components of human character still preoccupies us.The question of character arises in virtually every area of modern life. And in each case, there is the same fundamental tension: is it innate or intrinsic to the individual, or something that can be learned or modeled? At a time when both the meaning and the value of this term are put in question, no issue is more important, and no topic more vital, surprising, and fascinating.With her distinctive verve, humor, and vast erudition, Marjorie Garber explores the stakes of these conflations, confusions, and heritages, from ancient Greece to the present day.
The Ethical Brain: The Science of Our Moral Dilemmas
Gazzaniga, Michael S.
(Softcover)
List Price: $14.95 Sale: $6.33
The rapid advance of scientific knowledge has raised ethical dilemmas that humankind has never before had to address. Questions about the moment when life technically begins and ends or about the morality of genetically designing babies are now relevant and timely. Our ever-increasing knowledge of the workings of the human brain can guide us in the formation of new moral principles in the twenty-first century. In The Ethical Brain, preeminent neuroscientist Michael S. Gazzaniga presents the emerging social and ethical issues arising out of modern-day brain science and challenges the way we look at them. Courageous and thought-provoking - a work of enormous intelligence, insight, and importance - this book explores the hitherto uncharted landscape where science and society intersect.
Who's in Charge?
Gazzaniga, Michael S.
(Paperback)
List Price: $16.99 Sale: $6.53
There is no "you" consciously making decisions. So how do we make decisions? How can we have free will if we don't pull the levers on our own behavior? What moral and legal implications follow if we don't have free will? Who's in Charge? is a primer for a new era in the understanding of human behavior that ranges across neuroscience, psychology, ethics, and the law with a light touch but profound implications.
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