Reviews (7)

please read this book
Few books clearly articulate the richness of Buddhist psychology for the general reader.Few books can inspire the reader to live more skillfully and empower her with teachings and tools to cultivate true happiness.Sure there are any number of "self-help" books on "how to feel happy," etc., but Ricard's book teaches about a much deeper, transformative happiness, which is within the reach of every human being.
Thought provoking
Happiness - A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill covers so much territory.
Attaining happiness by effort
Matthieu Ricard's latest book entitled Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill is an intelligent and easy to read guide.Ricard believes that happiness is not a matter of luck but a state of mind or attitude that anyone can attain with focus and practice.Although I did not find anything revolutionary in this book, it acts as a gentle reminder that in this life, attitude is everything. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Buddhism    2. Buddhism - General    3. Buddhist Philosophy    4. Eastern - Buddhism    5. Happiness    6. Mind & Body    7. Personal Growth - Happiness    8. Religion - World Religions    9. Religious aspects    10. Religious life    11. Self-Help    12. Spiritual Healing    13. Popular psychology    14. Self-Help / Chemical Dependence   

Reviews (19)

My Opinion on In a Different Voice
I thought that I was going to be overwhelmed with feminist views when I first checked this book out of the library; I was rather turned off. But when I started to read, I was intrigued. It was interesting to see the contrast between the different genders.
A Myth is Born
In Psychology, as in other academic disciplines, the normal process is to conduct research on significant numbers of subjects, have the methodology and results peer reviewed, publish the research, then perhaps cross over to mass media.Gilligan has used Harvard's cache to ignore this responsible and time honored protocol.She used tiny samples, reached unwarranted conclusions, rushed them into print on the mass market, and started making the talk show circuit.Now, over 20 years later and after thirty some reprintings, she still has not published her research! Furthermore, she refuses to allow other researchers to see her data!
Good starting point for learning about women's psychology
Originally published in 1982, this book was in its 33rd printing when it was reissued in 1993.It describes the developmental differences between men and women and what that means.Harvard professor Carol Gilligan explains that male development has typically focused on separation, individuation, logic, and hierarchy.Female development, on the other hand, has emphasized attachment, relationship, connection, and communication.I had several "ahas!" while reading this book for the first time in 2003.While I've always discounted some of Sigmund Freud's work, it had never occurred to me that much of traditional psychological theory, including the work of Jean Piaget, Erik Erickson, and Lawrence Kohlberg, has also been based on observations of men, then applied to women.As a result of comparisons to male norms that don't fit their own experience, women have often felt discounted and inferior, rather than simply different.It made sense to me that these comparisons and significant developmental differences often result in women feeling selfish and guilty when focusing on their own needs, rather than those of others.It also fit my experience that men and women tend to respond differently to attachment and separation issues.According to Gilligan, men see danger more often in intimacy than in achievement, while women sense more danger in impersonal and competitive situations.Gilligan's observations have generated quite a bit of controversy over the years (as indicated by some of the previous reviews on this list!), but ring true for many women (including me), and have been used as a stepping stone for the work of many later authors. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Developmental Psychology    2. Feminism & Feminist Theory    3. Longitudinal studies    4. Mental Health    5. Moral development    6. Psychology    7. Psychology Of Sexuality    8. Sociology    9. Women    10. Women's Studies - General    11. Philosophy & theory of psychology    12. Popular psychology    13. Psychology & Psychiatry / General    14. Social, group or collective psychology    15. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - Modern    2. Movements - Humanism    3. Philosophy    4. Philosophy / General    5. Political science & theory   

Reviews (10)

Very much recommended
I originally hated both the book and the software. Now I find them both incredibly effective tools to learn the basics of first-order logic. The book and the software work together. I imagine it must be difficult to get a good grasp of the concepts introduced in the book without exercising them on the software. The software, particularly Boole, the program designed for proofs, does give you inmediate feedback on proofs - not the case when working with pen and paper. Yes, it takes a while to get used to it, but, in the end, the result is quite rewarding!

Poor Book for Self-Study
The only reason to use this book is if it is required for your class, in which case there's no reason for you to be reading these reviews. If, like me, you are studying logic on your own, don't waste your time with this book. In order to check your work using the authors' website, you need to have the most recent (and therefore most expensive) edition.
DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK
DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK. I bought this book to learn logic. It turned out that this book uses 3 different software, which can be installed through cd or web site. Most of the exercises require software. Quite frankly I prefer the pen and paper method better. You don't really need a set of software to learn basic logic. It just adds unnecessary complexity.Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Logic    3. Philosophy    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Philosophy / Logic    7. Science / General   

Subjects:  1. Buddhism    2. Buddhism - General    3. Buddhism - Tibetan    4. Religion    5. Religion - World Religions    6. Mind, Body, Spirit    7. Religion / Buddhism   

Reviews (5)

Appearances and Being
Arendt's premise - assuming that Chapter 1 is the place to start and the book is not a suspense novel, that "Being and Appearing coincide," and that nothing exists that does not presume a spectator, made it difficult for me to continue the book.She maintains, up front, that Being and Appearance are prominent (she refers to them as part of the "two-world theory") philosophical fallacies.What a place too begin?! And so dogmatically!She goes on to use the internal organs of a man as an example of "behind the appearances" (my quote marks), then spins off additional abstractions (as if philospophy needs them) such as semblance and authentic appearance and process.Later, she pronounces "thought without speech is inconceivable"; oh boy.
A must read
If you are interested in philosophy or religion, then you must read this book. I think book 2 on the will is the more important of the two books. The central issue is the movement of time, if time is linear then the will is central in creating reality, if time is circular then the will is an illusion.

Philosophically speaking, this is Arendt at her best.
In her typical straight-to-the-point style of writing, Arendt explores some of the most philosophically important questions asked since antiquity. She guides us through the ages of development on topics such as freewill, time, and Being. She is one of the most important thinkers, not of the 20th century, but of all "time". This is Arendt for the philosopher/thinker, not the political scientist. From Heraclitus to Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Arendt leaves no great thinker's stone unturned. I've read a lot of books, and this is probably one of the most important. Does she give us any answers to these important questions? NO. However, she shows that there are no answers to these questions, only better questions to be asked. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - Modern    2. Metaphysics    3. Philosophy    4. Philosophy (General)    5. Thought and thinking    6. Philosophy of mind   

Reviews (1)

A slim book in several ways
As sometimes happens when buying a book over the internet, the "packaging" (including the book's description) can be misleading. Case in point from the above book description: "Here is an extraordinary exploration of the wealth of the world's spiritual traditions combined with dialogue from the heart about the differences and similarities between their paths of wisdom."If there's an extraordinary exploration of the wealth of the world's spiritual traditions--it's not in this book. In fact, only about 25 pages of the book even remotely address this subject. And, to be more specific, the main similarities (entitled Points of Agreement) get a whopping 2 pages, while other similarities and differences are meagerly scattered throughout the rest of the book.
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Subjects:  1. Comparative Religion    2. Congresses    3. Religion    4. Religion - World Religions    5. Religions    6. Spirituality - General    7. Philosophy   

Reviews (30)

When Science and Spirituality Collide
This is a completely fascinating book. The Dalai Lama has completed an amazing discourse comparing and contrasting the worlds of scientific and spirtual thought. Ultimately the goal of this book is to make the scientific community and the "world" community think about their present and future roles in the development of science, its' ethics and the reduction of suffering.
Truly, an Ocean of Wisdom
The title "Dalai Lama" is sometimes translated into English to mean something like, "ocean of wisdom."The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, proves--yet again--that he is deserving of this title.I was curious to see how a religious leader would handle the vast topic of science.While he humbly concedes that some of the complexities of scientific thought are beyond the scope of his knowledge, he delivers a book on science that is inspirational, possibly a literary first.
The Wisdom of the Spirit is the Most Powerful
The Dalai Lama's wisdom in one book on the whole nature of science, ethics, are as potent as they are profound. A significant questioning from a compassionate heart on the role of higher spirit in the application of science. In a world dominated by out-of-control ego ... this book is a demonstration of why complete freedom from illusion is the only guarantee of inner peace. One of those books to read over and over again. We owe it to ourselves to conquer Mara (illusion). The world and its treasure of riches and power in the misguided context are not real. The Dalai Lama so beautifully explains why. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Buddhism    2. Buddhism - Tibetan    3. Buddhism and science    4. Religion    5. Religion & Science    6. Religion - World Religions    7. Religion And Science    8. Religion / Buddhism / Tibetan   

Reviews (18)

Informative
It's clearly important to know what kind of food we eat. If you keep eating fast food, the author explains you will gain weight easily and it will be dangerous for your health.
A pretty informative, balanced book
I got this book to be fair - I knew Peter Singer had a reputation as being on the fringe philosophy-wise, but not much more than that. I was intrigued by the title and had already read Fast Food Nation.So I read the book because I felt it was important to do so even if I disagreed with the writer. Well, I am glad I read the book and I plan to make changes based on the information I received from it. I plan to investigate for myself more. I was always happy with Wal-Mart's low food prices but I can see where much of the true cost is passed on to employees, the community, and the environment. If that sentence doesn't make sense to you - READ THE BOOK. Singer is evidently a vegetarian, but this book does not tell you to become one. Instead, he lays out several different types of consumers and shows you how to decide where YOU fall in the spectrum. The aim is to get you to THINK AND ASK QUESTIONS. And hey, if you want a big ole burger on a bun - he says it's your business. But he wants us to really understand what that burger MEANS.

a must-read for anyone who eats
If you read one book on food ethics in your life, it should be this book. Read more

Subjects:  1. Consumer Health    2. Diet    3. Diets - General    4. Ethics & Moral Philosophy    5. Ethics & Morals    6. Food    7. Food industry and trade    8. Moral and ethical aspects    9. Nutrition    10. Philosophy    11. Philosophy / Ethics & Moral Philosophy   

Reviews (2)

Excellent Resource
I am a pastor of a congregation and we are using this as a congregational-wide discussion on the theology of stewardship.What I treasure about this book is that it starts with a good theological background before getting into nuts and bolts sorts of issues.Because Powell argues that all of life is about stewardship, this book is an excellent read for those who are tired of seeing people who only associate stewardship with church fundraising.

Good News about money
Lots of books toss around "Good News" this and "Good News" that. Mostly they are full of some sort of scheme of guilt and pride that typically fails at resembling anything of good news.
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Subjects:  1. Christian Life    2. Christian giving    3. Christianity - Christian Life - General    4. Christianity - Stewardship    5. Philosophy Of Christianity    6. Religion    7. Religion - Christian Life    8. Christian life & practice   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (8)

Good lord
Wow, this book is about as dense as the crust of the earth.It takes at least a few reads over to understand what the arguments are.While the arguments in this book are very well articulated, I found myself wanting to shoot myself in the face sometimes while reading this book.It can be really boring, but brings up some very interesting ideas of 80's culture and society.

Po-Mo Schmomo?
Ask ten academics about what to call our present fin-de-siecle epoch and you'll get ten different labels, but "postmodernism" seems always the default term. Although it's twelve years old, Harvey's book is the best I've read about the pluralistic fabric we daily inhabit. It's edifyingly reader-friendly (especially compared to some of the Franco-drunk rhetoricians out there trying to get a handle on our current world). In precise prose Harvey outlines the shift to our information-as-capital paradigm since the mid-sixties, and the causes of the growth of the temp sector and "just-in-time" production capabilities. Harvey traces the arrival of "flexible accumulation" to the collapse of Fordist production practices in the 1966-73 waves of recession, but covers far more than just economic factors--architecture, art, literature, cinema--without any self-conscious Neo-Marxist whistling-in-the-dark. In his project to articulate a new (meta?)narrative, Harvey's book will probably give post-structuralists a new constellation of ideas to obfuscate with hip terminology and dense prose... Best overview of modern/postmodern condition I have found
This is a great overview of concepts that are, by definition, very fractured.Harvey clarifies and pulls together a number of seemingly disparate elements in a masterful manner. Though this book could work as a good introduction to these concepts, I think readers with some background in the major writers of modernism and postmodernism will get more out of it. Dogmatic postmodernists may be put off that Harvey has the "temerity" to suggest that postmodernism might be an extension of modernism or that he finds some good in modernism and some excesses in postmodern approaches but, they should get over themselves and realize that their insistence that "all meta-narratives are bad" is their own meta-narrative. Overall, Harvey manages to convincingly express his ideas while maintaining a remarkably evenhanded approach.I especially enjoy the fact that he avoids the postmodernist tendency to ignore the complexities of modernism and, thus create a postmodern meta-narrative about the modernist project. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1950-    2. Capitalism    3. Civilization, Modern    4. Historiography    5. History & Surveys - Modern    6. History - General History    7. History Of Civilization And Culture (General)    8. Modern - 20th Century    9. Philosophy    10. Postmodernism    11. Space and time    12. Historia Moderna    13. Philosophy / Modern    14. Sociology, Social Studies    15. Western philosophy, from c 1900 -   

Reviews (34)

Provocative, appealing and controversial
Fomenko has succeeded to convincingly demonstrate the misconception about what "history" factually is... It is fiction and -like we can read and judge for ourselves- no science. It indeed is "make belief" only. I "discovered" Fomenko while studying the "old" history of Al Andaluz, Spain. Having found too many contradictions in available data, having seen too many forgeries as to pretend the importance of christianity for its decline, I ventured out to find Fomenko, who convinced me that we know little if anything for sure of the epoch before the XI-century. However, the integration of the Arabic-Islamic cultural history into the heavily distorted Western fails... There are some attempts to fit "the budding new religion" (Islam) into Fomenko's scheme, but they are too weak to be taken seriously and too often focussing on Turkey as the region where things started to influence the West, which is untrue at all.
pharaohs lived in the 3rd century AD
Traces of white wine were found in Tutankhamen's tomb however there were no record of white wine in Egypt until the 3rd century AD, 1600 years after the young pharaoh died according to the traditional chronology. http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg18925395.400
Immensely stimulating!
Fomenko's thesis that all of ancient history was either invented during the Renaissance or at least only based on recent medieval events provided me with an enormous trigger "to see for myself". Having been interested in history for a number of decades, but having got tired of always the same topics in only a new jacket, Fomenko's book opened wide avenues to study new topics to test the author's thesis. To give just some examples: medieval history of the Middle East (Islamic history), the history of the Mongols, Tamerelane, the Ottoman empire; the origins of Christianity and Islam, the development of cartography, language, technology, astronomy.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Civilization    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Medieval    7. Study & Teaching    8. History of science    9. Science / History   

Reviews (6)

Biased, but a good primer on business ethics
This book is a good primer on business ethics, and it would be even better if the writer / editors hadn't shown their bias with their selections of included material.
A Critical Compendium
This book is a critical reader, and it's probably the most highly used text in business ethics today. Those who reviewed this book negatively sound like people looking for a fun, non-academic overview of the field. If so, this book isn't it. These are articles published in top academic journals, edited for readability, by scholars who are addressing the fundamental issues in a wide range of topics. It's meant to expose the span of the field and still give students (not light readers) exposure to contemporary literature that touches on the most salient points. It's meant to be a starting point to deeper research in any given topic. As such, the book is a complete success. B & B do a great job (here as in other ethics compendiums) of providing a framework that makes it easy for a professor to expose her students to the field in one swoop. They do a fine editorial job, stripping the articles of padding, and they work hard to keep the offerings up to date (passing on older articles that are superceded by fresh insights that touch on contemporary challenges and technologies; look for something relating to the corporate scandals of this last year in the next edition). If you are a student looking for an overview on business ethics, this book is the correct starting point. If you are someone looking for light reading about corporate corruption, with illustrations and full-color photos, stick to People magazine.

A Good Anthology
I really enjoyed this anthology, especially the section on sexual harassment.Some of the subjects were hard going, but, it was a good introduction to business ethics. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Ethics    4. Business/Economics    5. Case studies    6. Consumer Behavior - General    7. Consumer Protection    8. General    9. Industries    10. Social aspects    11. United States    12. Ethics & moral philosophy    13. Philosophy / General   

Reviews (2)

This book gives you insperation!
This is a great book. It would work for anyone with bipolar, no matter what stage of your treatment your in. It really gave me a different perspective to my illness. I found out about my illness 4 years ago and this book still helped me to learn a lot of things that I had never thought of before. I was really great.

wonderful
I had been looking for a guide/workbook for this. Most books don't cover exercises in depth to help and the few guides I have found, frankly were written so poorly they were of no use.
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Subjects:  1. Clinical Psychology    2. Clinical Psychology (Specific Aspects)    3. Manic-depressive illness    4. Mental Health    5. Mood Disorders    6. Popular works    7. Problems, exercises, etc    8. Psychology    9. Treatment    10. Coping with illness    11. Philosophy & theory of psychology    12. Psychiatry    13. Psychology & Psychiatry / Mental Health   

Reviews (118)

Amazing book!!!!!
After hearing bad opinions of Ayn Rand's philosophy I was not to optimistic about this book, but it was wonderful.Its's easy to understand and makes sense in the worls today.I suggest reading Atlas Shrugged after it.

For the Serious Reader and Thinker
This is one of Ms Rand's best non fiction works. It applies her objectivist philosophy to a wide range of practical issues in both publc and private life. This is not light reading--this is pure brain food for the reader in search of humane letters and excellent principles of human relationships.

A mix of legitimate points and very flawed rethorics.
This, like many of Ayn Rand's works, seems to be one of those "love it or hate it" books that has a very loyal following as well as many opponents. I don't think it's that easy because this is a very mixed collection of essays.
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Subjects:  1. Egoism    2. Epistemology    3. Ethics & Moral Philosophy    4. Philosophy    5. Philosophy / Ethics & Moral Philosophy    6. Philosophy (Specific Aspects)    7. Ethics   

Subjects:  1. Civilization, Western    2. Europe    3. General    4. History    5. Humanities    6. Philosophy    7. Art / General    8. Cultural studies   

Subjects:  1. 1889-1976    2. General    3. Heidegger, Martin    4. Heidegger, Martin,    5. History & Surveys - Modern    6. Philosophy    7. 20th century    8. Germany    9. Other prose: from c 1900 -    10. Reference / General    11. Western philosophy, from c 1900 -    12. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (17)

Humility: True Greatness
A couple of weeks ago I finished reading C.J. Mahaney's Humility: True Greatness. I've been thinking about reviewing it but I wasn't sure how to share about how this little book addresses the big problem of pride. It is simple and easy-to-read but is addresses well the deep sickness of sin in our hearts and presents God's desire for us to be humble before Him. This book is convicting and encouraging, meditative and practical. Time spent reading this book would be edifying and worthwhile for anyone.
Excellent book1
I'm impressed with this book and its approach.The author has a way of expressing his ideas that elicit further thought about the subject from the reader.Also, these ideas seem to resurface in the days and weeks following the reading, which for me is a great sign that it is actually "sinking in"...a definite goal when reading for improvement and growth in one's life.

Awesome!
What can I say?This book is awesome!It's an easy, honest, heart exmaning type of book.I took my time to read through it because I needed to mediate and pray on every little point Mahaney makes.Personally, I love how C.J. Mahaney writes, and presents the gospel: straight forward with the truth, yet always with the hope that Christ offers.
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Subjects:  1. Christian Life    2. Christianity    3. Christianity - Christian Life - Character & Values    4. Christianity - Christian Life - General    5. Christianity - Discipleship    6. Ethics & Moral Philosophy    7. Humility    8. Normative Ethics    9. Religion    10. Religion - Christian Life    11. Religious aspects    12. CHRISTIAN LIVING / PRACTICAL LIFE / GENERAL    13. Religion / Christian Life   

Reviews (5)

Confused
I had to buy this book for a philosophy class. I do not like this book. I think that for an lower level philosophy course, there is not enough explaination from the author.

Can anything good come from LDS?
As a former fundamenatlist christian and now an atheist studying philosophy in University and being forced to read this book as mandatory reading for my course I'm stunned that this man is taken seriously. Apart from the moral questionability of where he is teaching (the Military Academy) any man who believes in the doctrines of Mormonism has a completely skewed view of life and morality in my opinion. I know that this isn't the right place to discuss said doctrines so I won't elaborate.

Excellent Book
This is the best book available on the interrelationship between ethics and literature. Seeing the moral dimension of the works of Hawhorne, Hugo, Huxley, LeGuin and scores of others highlights the importance of morality in our lives and awakens the imagination to possibilities hitherto ignored. This is a wonderful book which every intlligent person should read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethics    2. Ethics & Moral Philosophy    3. Good & Evil    4. Philosophy    5. Literary theory    6. Philosophy / Ethics & Moral Philosophy    7. Philosophy | Ethics & Moral Philosophy   

Reviews (3)

Enjoyable textbook
I purchased this book as required reading for a class and am enjoying its easy style and case studies.

Outstanding service
It was very nice to hear when my book was shipped. Good job.

A little dry, but very current and interesting case studies.
The actual chapter text is a little dry and sometimes confusing, but the layout is good and the case studies at the end of the chapters are VERY interesting and thought-provoking.I may not have gotten through the class with an A if not for the way the book is so well organized and clear. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business Ethics    2. General    3. Industries    4. Philosophy    5. Social aspects    6. Philosophy / General