Book Description
What is the biological reason for gossip?
For laughter? For the creation of art?
Why do dogs have curly tails?
What can microbes tell us about morality?
These and many other questions are tackled by renowned evolutionist David Sloan Wilson in this witty and groundbreaking new book. With stories that entertain as much as they inform, Wilson outlines the basic principles of evolution and shows how, properly understood, they can illuminate the length and breadth of creation, from the origin of life to the nature of religion. Now everyone can move beyond the sterile debates about creationism and intelligent design to share Darwin’s panoramic view of animal and human life, seamlessly connected to each other.
Evolution, as Wilson explains, is not just about dinosaurs and human origins, but about why all species behave as they do—from beetles that devour their own young, to bees that function as a collective brain, to dogs that are smarter in some respects than our closest ape relatives. And basic evolutionary principles are also the foundation for humanity’s capacity for symbolic thought, culture, and morality.
In example after example, Wilson sheds new light on Darwin’s grand theory and how it can be applied to daily life. By turns thoughtful, provocative, and daringly funny,
Evolution for Everyone addresses some of the deepest philosophical and social issues of this or any age. In helping us come to a deeper understanding of human beings and our place in the world, it might also help us to improve that world.
Customer Reviews:
wow.......2007-10-02
David Sloan Wilson is riiight. It's so simple! Oh thank you, jeez! My eyes are opened! Hey everyone, I'm an atheist! No, I totally get it now! Evolution explains everything! There is no great mystery to life, just evolution and God's a spaghetti monster! Thank you, David!
/sarcasm
Gee Whiz Science.......2007-09-06
I've never met David Sloan Wilson, but he strikes me as one of those professors we've all had at least once. You can imagine him clasping his hands together, looking straight through those large glasses and shouting with joy, "gee isn't that great!" "Evolution explains everything." Okay, maybe he didn't exactly say that, but the take home message is implied. A more accurate statement might be that most everything has been shaped by the forces of selection.
In his book, he sets out to show us that not only is biology best explained by natural selection but so is art, medicine, politics, war, economics, infanticide and religion. That's quite a tall order for one book, but in places he does uncover some nuggets, especially in group selection theory. Some of this ground has been covered before and if you can get past his gee whiz enthusiasm coupled with his goofy braggadocio, he is at times an engaging and entertaining writer.
Unfortunately, his anecdotes and case histories of art, dance and music rest on pretty shaky scientific grounds. And it is precisely this weakness that makes it hard to know who would benefit from this book. The evolutionists already know this is probably right, but the antievolutionists will be inclined to select his weakest arguments to bolster their case.
Nevertheless, I must admit that his intellectual journey provided a stimulating ride. Surely, he's no Dr. Feynman, but you come to realize that Wilson himself is the culmination of some rather curious selection forces.
Incredibly stimulating.......2007-09-03
I really appreciate this book. Well written, funny, precise, documentated and full of anecdotes. Undoubtedly a must read. I recommended it to all my friends and collegues.
Evolution as religion.......2007-08-14
I'm a broad reader and an evolutionist. I'd read a review, bought the book, read it and am truly disappointed. Wilson brags constantly about a previous book he wrote, saying he described religion in evolutionary terms. Sadly, he's doing the reverse in this book: Describing evolution as an acolyte rather than a scientist.
He spends too much time making a claim, waving a wand, and claiming he's proven something. His chapter on laughter is a good example: Lots of muttering, no scientific linkage and then a claim it must be evolutionary. He writes well so even that might have been passable and he does have occasional real examples that are worth reading (keeping this review from being a 1).
What's bad are the sections that completely lack logic, such as on page 184, where he's claiming the importance of dance in evolution. Not only does he show no evidence, he makes a false logical claim while talking about the military. As he writes: "The visceral power of dance made it possible for armies to be formed out ot people who had no objective reason for fighting. Merely by marching in time and other intense communal activities, they become emotionally bonded to each other. ... J. Glenn Gray puts it this way in 'The Warriors: Reflections on Men in Battle': 'Many veterans who are honest with themselves will admit, I believe, that the experience of communal effort in battle ... has been the high point of their lives...."
Notice, first, that he's quoting one man's opinion ("I believe") as factual support. More importantly, notice how Gray is specifically describing the effects of shared combat. Not dancing. Not marching. Not "other intense communal activities." Combat.
I hate it when people on my side are just as ignorant and pompous as the people I oppose. I'm afraid that people will not learn about evolution from this book, only that some evolutionists believe in it as strongly as others believe in the false science of ID. This book damages our cause, and I suggest people avoid it.
gnaw this juicy bone!.......2007-07-27
Some books you don't so much read as gnaw on like a hound with a particularly juicy bone. This is such a book. Some authors, far from remote figures lurking behind their texts, become much-valued friends. David Sloan Wilson is such an author. The title, Evolution for Everyone, is deceptive. While in fact very apposite, it suggests at first sight an over-simplifying textbook, an `Idiots Guide to Darwin'. No such thing. Wilson gives us a passionate and yet affably urbane argument for evolution as a kind of general theory of everything. He sees evolution as relevant to most aspects of human existence. For example, why do humans enjoy music? Why do they enjoy dancing? Wilson suggests that making rhythmic sounds and dancing may well have preceded speech among our remote simian ancestors. Peoples who communally dance unite in co-operation rather than exterminate themselves in fratricidal fighting. A rabble of a hundred individuals can be transformed into an effective regiment of soldiers working as one by drilling together (never more so than when accompanied by martial music). So also literature: it plays an essential role in cultural evolution. Wilson observes: "the primary human adaptation is for our behaviour to be acquired less and less directly from our genes and more and more from other people". Narratives, whether literary or historical, play a part in this process. These are only a few of scores of hares Wilson's engagingly fertile mind puts up for us to pursue. Good hunting!
Book Description
Determine your personality using a scientifically validated method based on the work of C.G. Jung and gain insight into why others behave the way they do, and why you are the person you are.
Customer Reviews:
Can't put it down........2004-03-23
This book is an amazing introduction to Typology. I started reading it and could not put it down. There is so much useful information in this book that can only help you when you have dealings with others. It can also help you learn a great deal about yourself. The authors pointed out that was the main purpose of this book.
For example is was able to determine that I am a INFP. I also learned that it's very uncommon to be an INFP, being a male. I was also able to learn what types of work envoirnments I work well in, what types of careers people with my type are attracted too, what other types I correspond with best, and much more. Also finding out that all of my poor Introverted people were persecuted for being so quiet, and often recieved constant day-to-day pressure to get out and be normal (so I'm not alone). Not realizing that this behavior could not be more normal.
This book is a very easy and enjoyable read. Everything is well organized and laid out. The authors use alot of conversation examples between different personality types, often a riot to read, it also makes a point about different types of people, which really helped me the most. This book has so much to offer, everybody can benefit greatly from it.
Knowing Your Type.......2004-03-11
Have you ever walked into a co-workers office and asked them a question as they first look at you with a glazed look, and then ask you to repeat the question? Have you dealt with a people who take forever to answer anything? How about trying to understand individuals who seem to be somewhat unfocused and a bit scattered in their conversation?
The book Type Talk is a great introduction to understanding the personality make up of these types of people and basically everyone else.
This book breaks down the 16 Myers Briggs Types to come up with an introduction to individuals who want to know why people do the things they do.
For individuals who know types through the MBTI, this book will assist you in understanding the type of almost anyone you talk with, and be able to relate better with them. For someone who has not been through the MBTI, this book will allow you to be introduced to personality types without animal names, colors or something that sounds like a sickness (phlegmatic....ahem....)
You will come to understand and reflect on how someone who tends to be more Introverted or Extroverted, Sensing or iNtuitive, Thinking or Feeling, Judging or Perceiving and how a combination of the above will determine how people tend to relate to the people in their lives, how they approach life in general and daily.
This book could help everyone to understand the world we live in.
One thing though, don't put people in a box. If someone is considered one of the 16 types, that is not a box they are in, that is the reference they usually feel most comfortbably working from.
Thuesen and Kroeger bring together their years of research and have a lot of documentation for back up and instruction.
A must book if you are in Human Resources, Training or Education or if you love the differences that make up the human race.
Now if only schools used this stuff..........2004-01-20
The descriptions of the types are great. This is very well written and most informative. I recommend it most definitely and wish the inefficient, one-size-fits-all obsolete psych of the education system could get thrown out in favor of this more practical psych system.
The only place the Otto and Janet missed the boat completely is where they try and guess famous people's types: they are nearly always off base, strangely.
Top-Shelf.......2003-03-13
I work in the field of Leadership Development and the two assessment tests we use are the MBTI and the Gallup StrengthsFinder. The MBTI is great for learning preferences and type, and how someone will act in public. This book, 'Type Talk," does an excellent job of working through all the types and preferences, whether Extrovert/Introvert Intuitive/Sensing Thinking/Feeling or Judging/Perceiving, this book does it all. It makes sense, it is easy to read, and will get you on the road to understanding the world of Myers-Briggs a whole lot better. Overall Grade, A.
Joseph Dworak
The Best MBTI Book Out.......2003-02-13
After over 10 years of studying and using the MBTI in corporate and not for profit work, I have found Otto and Janet's books most useful. Their writing is non-judgemental and very acurate. There are many useful "job aids" throughout that give excellent tips in areas like communication, conflict, etc... They explain type through stories and experiences that illustrate meaning behind the model. I have not found better authors on the subject of MBTI.
Book Description
As one of the foremost evangelical thinkers of the twentieth century, Francis Schaeffer long pondered the fate of declining Western culture. In this brilliant book he analyzed the reasons for modern society’s state of affairs and presented the only viable alternative: living by the Christian ethic, acceptance of God’s revelation, and total affirmation of the Bible’s morals, values, and meaning.
How Should We Then Live? has become the benchmark for Christian worldview thinking today. This edition commemorates the 50th anniversary of L’Abri Fellowship, founded by Francis and Edith Schaeffer.
âThis is a modern-day classic, one of Schaeffer’s books that awakened me to how biblical truth affects all of life.â
â
Charles Colson, founder, Prison Fellowship Ministries
âThere are books that quickly go out of print and there are books for the ages.
How Should We Then Live? is one for the ages. Any serious thinker must read it again and again.â
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Cal Thomas, Fox News contributor, syndicated columnist
â
How Should We Then Live? was produced by a genius who cared about the battle of ideas. It’s also the book I still recommend to students for a quick overview of âthe rise and decline of western thought and culture.’ Schaeffer brilliantly takes readers from ancient times through the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment, then discusses the breakdown in philosophy and science and moves on to art, music, literature, film, and much else besides.â
â
Marvin Olasky, editor-in-chief, World magazine
âGo to any evangelical Christian gathering⦠and ask twenty people the simple question: âWhat single person has most affected your thinking and your worldview?’ If Francis Schaeffer doesn’t lead the list of answers, and probably by a significant margin, I’d ask for a recount.â
â
Joel Belz, founder and CEO, God’s World Publications
Customer Reviews:
Divine Inspiration: The ultimate tool of Elite Manipulators.......2007-05-24
As was true of "Total True," so goes the Works of Francis Schaeffer, the book upon which Total Truth is based. While it is true that Schaeffer's arguments are a great deal more coherent and sophisticated, and flow much more logically than Total Truth, they too require that you swallow whole and digest without gagging, his gigantic built in assumptions. The most important of which is that while the Roman gods were man-made and limited, the Christian god is infinite, and somehow divinely inspired.
Of course although Schaeffer knows very well of how we got from the Roman idol poly-god system to our own unitary god in the mind system, he is not telling us. Instead he ignores and hides that bit of history under the rubric of "being divinely inspired." This of course begs the obvious: Inspired by whom? How indeed did our unitary god system spring sui generis into being from the ether (or is it the firmament)?
Thomas Cahill in his book, "The Gift of the Jews," tells us the story of how we came about our unitary god quite well and with a special flair: We got from the idol poly god system to the present unitary "god in the mind" system in one step: It was invented by the Jews; the same tribe that invented most of Western religion. Jews invented the unitary god in the mind, just as they invented our bible and by logical extension, the Koran and the Torah.
To assert as fact that the Roman god system which preceded our own, was man-made, and then omit a discussion altogether of how we got from there to here - that is from the "idol poly god system" to the present "one god in the mind system," is more than just an egregious Freudian oversight, it smacks of intellectual dishonesty.
Surely Schaeffer must think we are all too dense to figure out that our single god in the mind is also just another man-made invention -- in the same way that all gods are man made inventions. Since so much of his story depends on the thesis that Rome fell because of the limitations of her gods, it is altogether clear why such a detail could not be admitted to: For then the divinely inspired Christian emperor also has no clothes.
However, if you shallow this not so minor detail without gagging, then although there is a great deal to quibble with, this is a reasonable discussion of the status and condition of Western civilization. Is the Jewish invented unitary god in the mind the answer to what ails Western civilization? Schaffer seems to think it is, if we would only believe more. "As a man thinketh, so is he."
In the last chapter Schaeffer warns against manipulative elites, grouping Freud, B.F. Skinner, Francis Crick with Stalin and Hitler, but failing to mention that most religions are precisely that "thought manipulation systems" by self-appointed (but need we say it again divinely inspired) elites. If religion is the last hope for our civilization, we may as well cash in all our chips now. Amen.
Four Stars
A Book That Has Truly Shaped My World View.......2007-04-01
A book for anyone that wants to know how our present culture got to where it is today and the people, ideas, and moments that acted as the catalysts. Schaeffer makes history incredibly relevant and interesting. Working forward from the breakdown of ancient Rome, through the Middle Ages, Renaissance, etc. up to our present age, Schaeffer highlights the key players that have shaped how we view our world today as well as the major shift from a Christian world view to a humanistic world view and the consequences of this change. Schaeffer concludes, "The problem is having, and then acting upon, the right world view - the world view which gives men and women the truth of what is." Prepare to see the world around you through a new lens.
Own the Hard Cover Amazon sells Used........2007-01-19
If you are a Blood Bought child of the Lord YOU Must own this Mighty Work for God's Glory and for OUR motivation.
Great book........2007-01-04
If you are interested in Art, Government, History, Science and most of all Christianity and how this all ties together this is a great book. It is very in depth and a good understanding of (or the time to look up) information on historical people and civilizations is a must. It does a great job at making you evaluate how you look at the world.
This book was used with a group of mostly High School Juniors. They enjoyed the book but a lot of the History and Science/Philosophy information we found they had not been exposed to in school. A video is also available that was helpful.
Great book overall, but goes a little too fast.......2006-12-22
The thesis of Schaeffer's book is right on, but the book is too fast-paced, and has an abridged "feel" to it. I kept wanting him to go into the different historical periods more in depth. He doesn't spend enough time with all of the many (perhaps too many!) people he covers in the book. The book seems perfect for highschool students, but not for, let's say, doctoral students in philosophy, theology, or history. But aside from that, it's pretty good.
Amazon.com
How Now Shall We Live was the heart cry of a people who lived during the Jewish exile from the Promised Land, yet it is no less the unspoken prayer of the faithful today. As author Chuck Colson puts it, "We live in a culture that is at best morally indifferent ... in which Judeo-Christian values are mocked ... in which violence, banality, meanness, and disintegrating personal behavior are destroying civility and endangering the very life of our communities." It is no small wonder that Colson--the founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries and author of several renowned Christian works--considers this book the most important work of his life.
America, Colson states, is now in a post-Judeo-Christian era. Technically, this is what "postmodernism" means. In a generation in which the most respected brands of thought about reality declare that "God is dead," it is clear that a faith-based worldview does not prevail. So how do we teach our children that belief in God is respectable and intelligent? How do we fulfill our mandate to make "disciples of all nations" when friends and coworkers find the Christian perspective foolhardy and--in terms of rational thought--almost insane? Most important, how do we renew our entire culture, especially as it infects the global community, with the "common grace" of reinstating a prevailing belief in God and in His moral order?
These questions' implications are far-reaching, and Colson's thorough inquiry is a ready match for the challenge. In effect, this book delivers a logical, more than just "because the Bible says so" framework for interpreting the Gospel to the postmodern world, while also illustrating the vision for a culture based entirely on Biblical principles--powerful tools, indeed.
Christians are taught to love God with all their hearts, all their strength, and all their minds. How Now Shall We Live emphasizes that not to use one's mind in this idea-saturated culture is to abandon dying neighbors to bleed by the side of the road while going about one's religious way. As Colson puts it, "turning our backs on the culture ... denies God's sovereignty over all of life." It's this compassionate severity and prodding intelligence that make this book not only a good read, but a life-changing one as well. --Courtenay Gebhardt
Book Description
2000 Gold Medallion Award winner!
Christianity is more than a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is also a worldview that answers life's basic questions and shows us how we should live as a result of those answers. How Now Shall We Live? equips Christians to confront false worldviews and live redemptively in contemporary culture.
Download Description
Non-Fiction: This books gives people the understanding, confidence, and tools to confront the world's bankrupt worldviews. Charles Colson is a leader and known authority on these issues.
Customer Reviews:
Good.......2007-09-25
Book was in condition that they said it was in and delivery time was satisfactory.
Fantastic read.......2007-07-08
A great resource for every Christian and person who truly desires to understand the conflict between our culture and the Christian faith. Those who are not of the Christian faith might have a problem with Chuck's writings. After all, Biblically speaking darkness always hates it when you shine some light into it. But I do believe that even the most skeptical can gain some positive insight, some truth in what is written and possibly reconsider some of their conclusions.
Good resource, but too long.......2007-06-26
Colson and Pearcey have put together an outstanding cultural apologetic for Christianity. The key to cultural influence, according to Colson is to begin with the understanding that Christianity is a complete worldview or life system that addresses all facets of life and reality. Using the creation, fall, redemption (and restoration) model for Biblical truth and revelation, Colson puts forth chapter after chapter of evidence, analogies and personal stories to demonstrate that Christianity is the only worldview that comports to reality.
How Now Shall We Live is a wealth of information that defends Christianity in the realms of science, philosophy, religion, art, music - you name it! Colson believes that if an individual begins with a Christian worldview, centered on Christ and grounded in the truth of Scripture, they will be equipped to address every personal and cultural issue with a reasonable and rationale solution that is actually effective in changing not only a person, but a nation as well.
The only knock on this book is that it really is too long. While Colson's stories are intriguing and informative, they are really not necessary to the arguments presented in the book - the book could be shortened by almost 100 pages making it far more attractive to the average reader who wouldn't think of touching a nearly 500 page monster like this!
Great read for the thinking Christian or any Christian who wants to be better equipped for raising children and engaging the culture for Christ.
A POSTIVE ENDORSEMENT.......2007-06-19
This book, clearly describes a World View which every student and adult should follow and live by. It is established on sound reasoning, personal experience, and the Word of God. I heartily endorse it to all.
A must read! I mean it!.......2007-06-11
This incredible book will equipe any Christian to stand strong with the Lord against this culture and will help parents to lead their children in the truth or your grandchildren. As Pilot asked, "What is truth?" you'll find many truths here to arm yourself for the next battle and the next and the next. And when your done make sure you pass it along to another soldier in the battle.
Amazon.com
One of the hazards of a reflective life is to grope for answers before you've asked the right questions. Wayne Muller, a minister, therapist and bestselling author has taken a stab at asking the big questions: Who am I? What do I love? How shall I live, knowing I will die? What is my gift to the family of the Earth? Following each of these questions are some of the most tender and luminous discussions one could hope to ponder. More than a monastery for the armchair seeker, this has potential to be a mind-altering book with permanent impact.
Book Description
We all long to experience a sense of inner wholeness and guidance, but today's notions of healing and recovery too often keep us focused on our brokenness, on our deficiencies rather than our strengths. Wayne Muller's luminous new book gently guides us to the place where we are already perfect, already blessed with the wisdom we need to live a life of meaning, purpose and grace.
He starts, as do so many spiritual teachers, with simple questions: Who am I? What do I love? How shall I live, knowing I will die? What is my gift to the family of the earth? He then takes us deeper, exploring each question through transformative true stories. We meet men and women--Wayne's neighbors, friends, patients--who have discovered love, courage, and kindness even in the midst of sorrow and loss. And through them we glimpse that relentless spark of spiritual magic that burns within each of us.
Woven throughout are contemplations, daily practices, poems, and teachings from the great wisdom teachings. Page by page, we become more awake to the joy and mystery of this precious human life, and to the unique gifts every one of us has to offer the world.
Customer Reviews:
How than sheall we live.......2007-05-14
Dear Amazon:
The book was great and so was your prompt shipping, no hassle purchase.
I enjoy buying items from Amazon.
A must read.......2007-03-13
Wayne Muller is an ordained minister, psychotherapist and best-selling author. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School, he has spent the last twenty-five years working closely with some of the most disadvantaged members of society. He founded Bread for the Journey, a national, nonprofit charity serving the poor and underprivileged. Muller's meditation on four simple questions takes him far afield into revealing much of himself, the struggles and victories of the many he helps and into beautiful, illustrative literature and stories from world religions. At the end of each section he has inventive exercises that help the reader find her answer to these immortal questions. The questions:
Who am I? The way we feel about ourselves, the way we live our lives depends upon how we answer this question. Am I the sum of my symptoms? Am I the roles I play, my job titles, what others think of me? Have I shrunk to the circumference of a label others placed upon me? Or is there a hidden wholeness within that I must strive to connect with each day? Jesus answered the question in saying "You are the light of the world?" He did not say you are the light of the world if you grew up in a rich or famous family, or if you are svelte and good looking, if you have never been abused or a child of a broken home. "No, regardless of the shape of the sorrow or victory or grief or ecstasy we have been given, there is a potent inner luminosity that is never extinguished and is alive in us this instant." (17). We come into the world with a true self that lets us know when we have gone astray from our nature as children of God. Ask yourself throughout the day, "Who am I?" Pay attention to the breadth of your answers. Which reflect your deepest nature?
What do I love? You cannot love everything or everyone. Jesus said "Where your treasure is there will you heart be also." The aim of this section is to help you with the fruitful challenge of discerning and choosing those things you truly love -- to reset your center of gravity. Who and what gets most of your attention. "Attention is the tangible measure of love" (p. 87) Look through you date book, recall your week. Where are most of you time and energy going? This is where your love is going too. Do you need a course correction, a realignment between what you do and what you profess doing? In a world where doing is more important that being, we can easily lose ourselves in doing too much. Gather some magazines and cut out those pictures that seem powerful and intriguing. As you do this keep in mind this one question, "What do I love?" What do you notice of each, how do they make you feel, pick one and ask what it says to you about your inner life, what you love? (P. 123)
How shall I live, knowing I will die? It is life's impermanence that makes us value it so dearly. Nothing intensifies life as the scare of facing death. Suddenly, life is intense, the unnecessary fades, worries about money are eclipsed by the preciousness of our remaining time. If we are not careful, our life becomes a joyless grind of work and chores. How many of us want immortality but don't know what to do with ourselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon? Who of us is just passing through this life waiting for a happier more fulfilling afterlife? Take an hour to plan your own memorial service. Who do you want to be there, for what do you want to be remembered, what do you want people to say? What is the primary legacy of your life? What would you like your epitaph to say? This exercise may afford you some surprises about the kind of life you want to live. What one thing can you do to begin this life? (P. 204)
What is my gift to the family on the earth? If you believe what Jesus told you that you are the light of the world, then upon what do you shine that light? Or do you hide it behind sorrow, or hurts and try to save it like the last morsel of bread? It is only from the broken places of our life that our light can shine. It is in suffering we gain wisdom, and in trials that we learn empathy. Our gift is ourselves, in whatever manifestation of generosity we share it. Daily we are given opportunities to offer our gifts to fellow workers, family, strangers, to the lonely, dying, to our planet and its many endangered species who have given us so much. Take a day and track your impulse to give in different circumstances. Does giving emerge naturally or is it hindered by a sense of obligation, or resentment? Notice how it feels to give of yourself. Does it produce happiness or leave you feeling weary and drained? (P. 253).
How Then, Shall We Live? makes you aware of the need to listen and to learn from your inner life. As Emerson wrote "Our life is an apprenticeship to truth, that around every circle another can be drawn . . . under every deep a lower deep opens."
Couldn't find a connection.......2000-11-29
I bought this book for a friend whose child was killed--and bought one for myself at the same time. In the intervening months, I have had serious family problems and hoped that the book might help me with a healing process. But then, I am just a regular person--no sexual or emotional abuse; just hurt. There's a condesending attitude in the spiritual part. It's sort of like, "let me tell you about the how the African tribes handle things...and the beliefs of the Native Americans...and let me name-drop some celebrities while I'm at it...."
Beautiful, Poetic, Wise.......2000-04-21
Wayne Muller has a deeply caring soul and in this book evidences a lyrical pen.
While no book can conclusively answer the question "How, Then, Shall We Live?" this book is a wonderfully readable and gentle, compassionate and evocative, exploration of some of life's ultimate issues.
Much of the book gains its power from stories of people facing death in heartbreaking yet courageous and liberating ways.
This book is good for your soul (however "soul" may be defined or experienced).
In addition to the author's own thoughts, he includes helpful exercises, and cites many inspiring and thoughtful passages from others.
This is not an analytic work that delves into complicated philosophical concepts. Instead, it touches on the simple, yet most profound, questions of life and death in the deceptive plainness of the most wise. It is food for the heart, and it rings deeply true. And, while the author seems to be a deeply spiritual man, there is nothing of a dogmatic sense about any of the writing.
Read this book; your best self will thank you!
this book is a song for the mind, body and spirit...........1999-01-06
i read this book at a time of my life when i had lost a dear friend.....it is truly inspiring with a purpose of legacy......and celebration of spirit that is within all of us.....grace and gratitude.
Amazon.com
After he won the National Book Award for How We Die, physician and popular medical writer Sherwin Nuland noticed that book critics kept referring to his next book, The Wisdom of the Body, as How We Live. Rather than fight the tide, he embraced the nickname and reissued the book. How We Live is a fascinating examination of the machinery of life. Dr. Nuland begins his meditation with a hair-raising account of a medical emergency that nearly ends in disaster: a 40-year-old woman almost bleeds to death on the operating table as he and other doctors struggle frantically to find the source of the hemorrhage. Eventually, Dr. Nuland and his team are able to locate the cause--a rare aneurysm of the splenic artery--and repair it. The patient survives. How We Live, Dr. Nuland tells us, grew out of the experiences of that night and his certainty that Marge Hanson lived because of her own will and the surgical team's will not to let her die. That "will to live" is what Dr. Nuland calls the Human Spirit, and spirit is very much a part of the body's wisdom.
Each chapter of How We Live focuses on a different biological function, from the work of the lymph nodes to the process of pregnancy and birth. The heart, the nervous and digestive systems, the sex organs, and the brain are all explored and commented on with clarity and grace. But Dr. Nuland is not content with merely providing an operating manual for the body. He is in a constant state of wonder at what a miraculous and mysterious thing the body is: a dynamic system of parts all working in concert, infused with that fierce, intangible quality--the human spirit.
Book Description
"An anatomy of human life, vividly illustrated. . . . Awe-inspiring [and] sublimely uplifting."
--Time
Having won the National Book Award for How We Die, his best-selling inquiry into the causes and modes of death, Sherwin Nuland now turns his attention to the miraculous resiliency of human life. For this lucid, wonderful, and wonder-filled new book explores the body's mysterious capacity to marshal disparate organs and processes in the interests of survival.
Like its predecessor, How We Live is filled with gripping medical case histories: a woman is pulled back from the brink of death from inexplicable internal bleeding; another patient triumphs over breast cancer; the "routine" removal of a polyp triggers a nearly lethal medical crisis. For Nuland, each of these cases serves to illustrate the extraordinary responsiveness and adaptability of the human organism. We learn how the aorta's baroreceptors monitor blood pressure and respond to its minutest fluctuations. We follow the intricate chain of electrochemical command that makes us leap out of the path of a speeding car. We discover why the stomach--which is capable of breaking down everything from porridge to pizza--refrains from digesting itself. Informed by sympathy for human suffering and an erudition that includes poetry and the Talmud as well as the medical canon, How We Live is science writing of the rarest kind--lucid, poetic, and genuinely uplifting.
Originally published under the title The Wisdom of the Body
Customer Reviews:
Biology, Anatomy and Medicine ROCK!.......2007-05-13
I read How We Die: Reflections on Life's Final Chapter several years ago. It was helpful, informative and downright fascinating. How We Live is more of the same, but focuses on startling recoveries, remissions and successes. Dr. Nuland writes clearly and with evident enthusiasm for his subject. I'm glad he had offered his thoughts and experiences to strangers. (I never knew I'd be so fascinated with a spleen!!)
His book lengh essay The Art of Aging: A Doctor's Prescription for Well-Being is a pragmatic yet reassuring guide, too.
Intriguing book!.......2006-05-25
Do you have a human body? Are you the least bit interested in how it works? If you are then the book How We Live is perfect for you! My goal in life is to become a doctor; therefore, I am entering school as a Pre-med student. This book, How We Live, by Sherwin B. Nunland truly inspired a thirst in me to learn more about the workings of my body. He writes this book with enthusiasm, intellect, and skill and his stories placed throughout the book are truly capturing.
He starts of the book by immediately grabbing his reader. He states his opinions on the body and talks about human's will to live and the doctor's passion to save them. He quickly begins an intense story about a surprise surgery he once performed. As he walked into the hospital a page sounded for "any general surgeon". Dr. Nunland was in the operating room in a heartbeat, the woman needed immediate surgery. Her stomach was cut open and all he could see was blood, he was soon searching for the unknown source of blood flow. Just as everyone thought they were losing their patient, Dr, Nunland was able to miraculously bring her back to life. Dr Nunland explains this miracle as a patient's will to live and his ability to save her.
Dr. Nunland uses this initial story to grasp the reader and continues with this fast pace story telling mixed with his medical opinions throughout the entire book. Anyone interested in the body would love this book. He talks about intriguing surgeries, capillaries, muscle movement, cell division, Alzheimer's Disease, many of the systems working in our body, sexual reproduction, and the brain. Nunland is able to mention all of this, and more, and yet his book How We Live is much more then just a science book. He incorporates touching stories, near deaths and real life experiences that would relate to everyone. Read this book if you are at all interested in how you work!
It's Great!!!.......2006-05-19
How We Live, by Sherwin B. Nunland, is an intriguing, well-written book worthy of a five-star review. The 364-page book is beautifully written, with excellent descriptions and powerful stories. In addition to scientifically accurate descriptions of each body system, How We Live relates the structure of each part of the body to the function of a human being as a whole. This book is truly the work of an excellent author.
The first chapter, "The Will to Live", is a story of just that - a woman who requires immediate emergency surgery top treat a desperate condition. The descriptions in this chapter are vivid and graphic - including detailed accounts of the surgery itself. Spurting blood, ruptured organs, and jerking muscle are described so intensely it is easy to imagine what the scene described would look like. In fact, this chapter is so well-written, I advise anyone with a weak stomach to skip it!
The second chapter provides many accurate descriptions of the body and how it works - everything from blood and capillaries to the differences between voluntary and involuntary muscle. The circulatory system is described in such detail that it is easy to forget this is a scientific book! The body and its structures are described as wonders of nature. The third chapter goes into a story of breast cancer and gets more deeply into the endocrine system. There is, in this chapter, an interesting description of a cancerous breast and the procedure done to remove it. The fourth chapter deals with the nervous system, and provides several helpful illustrations to help the reader understand somewhat challenging information. The fifth chapter details the cell, and the sixth and seventh chapters discuss sexuality and the reproductive process. The book goes on the discuss birth, the heart, the digestive system, and the brain. These chapters add up to a scientifically accurate, yet interesting book.
How We Live is different from most other science books in that it isn't dry or confusing. It combines accurate information with heart-warming stories and is fun to read. The information is surprisingly easy to understand and the book is interesting enough to contend with fiction novels. This is a must read!
Body Mechanics.......2004-03-13
I bought this book under the title "Wisdom of the Body". Because it was written after "How We Die", which won a National Book Award, it was changed from "Wisdom of the Body" to "How We Live" because so many reviewers nicknamed it that. Dr. Nuland is one of the best writer's I have come across concerning the function of the human body. He writes with such clarity and interweaves his stories with wonderful references to the history of medicine. I think everyone that has the least bit of interest in how their body works should read his books. You don't have to have a medical background to understand his writing, but if you do have a medical background, he helps you see things even more clearly. These books are especially meaningful for anyone who has an aging parent suffering from certain illnesses. It will give you an understanding and a peace that you might not find elsewhere.
Interesting Overview.......2004-01-28
We start with an overview of the body as a working, smoothly functioning system. Dr. Nuland tells us that a stable system is not a static one, but one that is constantly changing and adapting. The paradox is stability means instability. Although his background is medical science, he has the courage to admit that medicine is an art. Going back to his system's paridigm, he says we are greater than the sum of our biological parts. From that statement he makes an inference, saying by our own choices, we can enhance what we've been given physically.
He returns to this healing theme later in the book by noting, "All growth and all healing depend on the ability of cells to divide and thereby reproduce themselves."
While the book presents fascinating insight on the body's physical functions, it totally misses the mark spiritually. When he comments on those matters, rather frequently in the margins my comments are "bogus" and "spiritually blind." He knows the external functions, but he is woefully lacking on the unseen part.
Amazon.com
Everything changes when a woman becomes a mother, but society--particularly women themselves--often colludes to deny this simple truism. In The Mask of Motherhood, author Susan Maushart (a nationally syndicated columnist in Australia and the mother of three children) explores the effect childbearing has upon women. In the process, she removes the veils of serenity and satisfaction to reveal what she holds to be the truth: the early years of motherhood are physically difficult and can be emotionally devastating. New mothers increasingly enter full-scale identity crises, few women have sufficient information about child-rearing realities, and, as Maushart writes, "the realities of parenthood and especially motherhood are kept carefully shrouded in silence, misinformation, and outright lies." The book comprises seven essay-style chapters. In "Falling: The Experience of Pregnancy," Maushart discusses wrongful notions about morning sickness, the mixed messages about pregnancy weight gain, and the "mask" of stoicism pregnant women feel compelled to wear. In "Laboring Under Delusions," Maushart exposes the changes 30 years have brought in childbirth, and the contemporary woman's need for self-control in all things, including birth. In "Superwoman and Stuporman," Maushart disabuses readers of the myth of what she calls, "pseudo-egalitarian family life." The Mask of Motherhood is extensively researched, convincing, and deeply insightful. --Ericka Lutz
Book Description
Becoming a mother is filled with the extremes of emotion--the highest highs and the lowest lows. But women are often reluctant to talk honestly about the experience for fear they'll be seen as bad mothers. With wit and candor, The Mask of Motherhood takes on the myths and the misinformation, helping women to prepare and deal with the depth of feeling that comes with the experience and perhaps most important, letting them know that many, if not most, new mothers are feeling the same way.
Susan Maushart, social critic and mother of three, explores how motherhood affects our marriages and friendships, our relationships with parents, our sex lives, and self-esteem. Becoming a mother is a momentous occasion, so why do we maintain such a conspiracy of silence about it? In The Mask of Motherhood, mothers will find the comfort and reassurance they are looking for, and confirmation that, indeed, motherhood is the toughest job in the world, but can also be the most rewarding.
"Maushart writes engagingly and persuasively about the fact that...today's mothers feel more pressure than ever to defend their choices by donning a happy face." --People Magazine
Customer Reviews:
A good look into reality.......2007-10-03
What you get is a sober view at motherhood. Pay attention of the role of the father. No women in the study says "oh and at that moment my husband did that..." motherhood looks like a very lonely journey you board on.
Eye Opening.......2007-07-26
Before I got my hands on this book the only things I had heard about motherhood were tales that might as well have come straight from the glossy pages of a parenting magazine. Motherhood seemed to be this glorious, rewarding and very satisfying experience. Not once did I hear anything more negative than "Raising Kids is not that easy".
In this very well researched book, however, motherhood is presented in a different light. The author talks about all the challenges new mothers have to face and why experienced mothers never really share these things with Non-Mothers.
I'm really thankful for this book because it gave me a better insight into what motherhood is really like and made me realize that I still need a few years before I will be ready to face this challenge.
My Favorite "Mother" Book.......2007-07-02
When you first become a mother and realize all "motherhood" entails, it can be a bit frightening. This book will be your savior. It includes the thoughts you may be thinking but are afraid to say out loud. It will open your eyes to the issues so many new mothers face with honesty. It will enable you to make the changes that you may deem necessary to take off your "mask". Most of all, you will be secure in the knowledge that you are NOT alone.
Claudine Wolk, Author "It Gets Easier I Promise and Other Lies We Tell New Mothers"
good read, worth the time, warns you of the impending perils of motherhood.......2007-06-03
With everything about motherhood written in a glowing review of the changes it brings to one's life, this honest book was refreshing. It's not overwhelmingly depressing-- it just tells the truth about changes you can expect in your life as a new mom. It seems to me that it's always good to enter a new endeavor with as much information as possible-- and this book certainly helps fill in gaps.
Honesty for mothers, at last!.......2007-03-09
After having my first child I remember feeling so unprepared, scared, alone and sad. When I reached out to other mothers for support, the majority of them acted as though the way I felt was unusual and strange. I felt like I must be the most terrible, unloving mother in the world. After that I retreated back into my shell and continued to spiral downward (it didn't help that I had a colicky, high-needs baby). A year or so later, a friend recommended this book to me. By that time I had pretty much figured out that all mothers wear a "mask" but I sure as heck wasn't going to let any woman I cared about find out the way I had: months of isolation and self-loathing. Now whenever one of my female friends or family has a child, I buy a gift for the baby, and this book for the mother. I only wish someone had given it to me after I had my firstborn so I would have known that this wasn't an obstacle that I was facing alone.
Book Description
Explore central questions in moral philosophy with HOW SHOULD WE LIVE? With a focus on the question of why or how we should be moral in a time plagued by relativism, this philosophy text covers the three most seminal ethical theories: utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue-based ethics. End of chapter discussion questions and bibliography assist you in contemplating the most central issues encountered in the text and in pursuing additional research.
Customer Reviews:
Very accessible... and very sloppy........2006-10-21
This text is a case study in how far one can achieve accessibility in an introductory text without sacrificing precision and accuracy. Pojman does not achieve the balance, I'm afraid. I selected this book for its clear, non-technical style and its range of topics (more specifically, for its balance of issues in normative ethics and metaethics). But in several chapters, I have found myself spending most of the class time correcting the mistakes, sloppy reasoning, and caricatures of different views that pervade the text. The chapter on Religion and Ethics is especially embarrassing, running roughshod over key distinctions at every turn, making no mention of the key developments in the last few decades, and generally just making a mess of the whole discussion. Needless to say, I do not recommend this book.
Book Description
In Last Harvest, the award-winning author of Home and A Clearing in the Distance tells the compelling story of New Daleville, a brand-new residential subdivision in rural Pennsylvania. When Witold Rybczynski first heard about New Daleville, it was only a developer's idea, attached to ninety acres of cornfield an hour and a half west of Philadelphia. Over the course of five years, Rybczynski met everyone involved in the transformation of this land -- from the developers, to the community leaders whose approvals they needed, to the home builders and sewage experts and, ultimately, the first families who moved in.
Always eloquent and illuminating, Rybczynski looks at this "neotraditional" project, with its houses built close together to encourage a sense of intimacy and community, and explains the trends in American domestic architecture -- from where we place our kitchens and fences to why our bathrooms get larger every year.
As Publishers Weekly said, "Rybczynski provides historical and cultural perspective in a style reminiscent of Malcolm Gladwell, debunking the myth of urban sprawl and explaining American homeowners' preference for single-family dwellings. But Rybczynski also excels at 'the close-up,' John McPhee's method of reporting, where every interview reads like an intimate conversation, and a simple walk down neighborhood sidewalks can reveal a wealth of history."
Last Harvest is a charming must-read for anyone interested in where we live today -- and why -- by one of our most acclaimed and original cultural writers.
Customer Reviews:
Planning.......2007-08-27
A design profession relief from the more informative norm that planning, landscape architecture, urban design, and architecture are represented by. Rybczynski presents, in a very storyteller-like way, the process from visioning to implementation to construction, and finally, the homeowner's first thoughts of their new home. It is rare to read accounts of this genre that keep you focused on how things will actually work out in the end: especially when thinking of the arduous process behind the finalization of land development projects. Although most of the book was explained with tremendous success towards transmitting the sequences involved in building communities, it would have given the reader a better perspective to see how the process was transformed and the plans that made all of the discourse worth it in the end.
Nevertheless, a great account told in honest fashion, and backed by historic and cultural facts that have shaped land development in the US.
A 10-star book every housing consumer will relish.......2007-08-22
This is a really really important book that unlocks dozens of mysteries of why we end up in the homes that we come to occupy and how communities are created from cornfields. In other hands, this could have been a tedious tract on housing economics and construction techniques, but the author is a masterful storyteller who thoroughly entranced me with an account of the birth of one modest housing development in the Philadelphia exurbs. Rybczynski clearly grasps that the essence of great drama is constant conflict, and, from nearly the first page to the last, he portrays the endless conflicts that pervade the homebuilding business: there's land developer versus the anti-development townspeople; the developer's vision of designing a pioneering new community versus the practical concern that consumers feel safer buying traditional homes; buyer versus builder in striking the deal; buyer's emotions versus buyer's practicality in concluding a home-buying decision; and so many more mini-dramas involving the dozens of other participants in the development process. As a long-time real estate professional, I learned a great deal from this book and would recommend it to everyone in the industry and to anyone who ever intends to buy a home, suburban, exurban, or even urban. It's a treasure chest of lore about the history of housing, mostly American, but also housing abroad.
Illuminating.......2007-07-24
An informative trip through the local planning process that could have been that much more useful if illustrated with site plans and building elevations. Still highly recommended.
Interesting read.......2007-07-01
Was an interesting read. I am on a local Planning Board, and this book gave the developers perspective on a real estate development. Clustered development is still a hot topic, and many local boards are not fully aware of the benefits and pitfalls.
The book is thorough, although it doesn't always portay local governments in their best light. Most local boards are elected volunteers that are trying to help their local communities.
Overall, a good read, and well worth the time invested.
Excellent.......2007-06-28
Easy read that combines a little history and theory to help explain a personal story about designing and developing better neighborhoods. Rybczynski describes the rigorous process of developing communities that are not just streets and houses, but rather members of a complete community. I have recommended this book to many of my colleagues. It is a pleasure to read.
Book Description
Consider a world in which
• Marketers use brain scans to determine consumer interest in a product
• Politicians use brain-image-based profiles to target voters
• A test could determine your suitability for a job or to whom you will be romantically attracted
Far from science fiction, this “neurosociety”—a society in which brain science influences every aspect of daily life—is already here.
Innovative researchers and cutting-edge technology, like brain imaging and brain scanning devices, have revolutionized our understanding of how we process information, communicate, trust, sympathize, and love. However, scientists and doctors are not the only ones interested in the naked brain; advertisers, politicians, economists, and others are using the latest findings on the human brain to reshape our lives, from the bedroom to the boardroom.
Despite the potential benefits, there’s obvious peril in the promise. Richard Restak explores the troubling moral and legal dilemmas that arise from corporate and political applications of this new brain research. Someday we may live in a world where our choices, our professional and personal prospects, even our morals and ethics will be controlled by those armed with an elite understanding of the principles of neuroscience.
Eye-opening and provocative, The Naked Brain is a startling look at the impact such unprecedented access to our most secret thoughts and tendencies will have on all of us.
In The Naked Brain, bestselling author Richard Restak explores how the latest technology and research have exposed the brain and how we think, feel, remember, and socialize in unprecedented and often surprising ways. Now that knowledge is being used by doctors, advertisers, politicians, and others to influence and revolutionize nearly every aspect of our daily lives.
Restak is our guide to this neurosociety, a brave new world in which brain science influences our present and will even more tangibly shape our future. Citing social trends, shifts in popular culture, the rise and fall of products in the public favor, even changes in the American vernacular, The Naked Brain is an illuminating and often troubling investigation of the impending opportunities and dangers being created by the neuroscience revolution, and a revelation for anyone who ever wondered why they prefer Coke over Pepsi or Kerry over Bush.
Customer Reviews:
What Neuroscience Tells Us About the Brain.......2007-02-09
This is another one of Dr. Restak's outstanding books. He renders difficult technical information in a readily understandable fashion. Moreover, he explains the ramifications of the research to society. Brain imaging is a hot topic now. It engenders much excitement and hype. Dr. Restak puts this research in its proper perspective.
Neurosociety --halfway there.......2007-01-13
Dr. Restak provides an insightful look at recent research into the workings of the human brain. My left hemisphere Mini-me says Dr. Restak is onto something. But then again, what does mini-Me know? He's just a loud mouth after thought. The one disappointment is that The Naked Brain does not deliver much in explaining how neuroscience is fashioning marketing and thought control in the modern world. The book promises more than it delivers on that last front. Nonetheless a real eye opener. Or should we say an expose on the structure of the human brain? We're not what we think we are.
We think less than we think.......2006-11-30
Did you know that scientist estimate that only 5% of a normal person's actions are decided consciously? The rest are results of automated processes that make up the so called cognitive unconscious. Civilisation advances create an ever increasing repertoire of human actions that are executed automatically as humans move their conscious mind to be preoccupied with more complex operations that require conscious thinking. Why is this observation so important? Because influences on brain unconscious processes can alter our behaviour so much without us knowing it. This is the key issue discussed in this book.
The starting point of the book is that the brain does not function in isolation and that there are many brain processes that take place in the realm of cognitive unconscious. This unconscious is like a back door into our mind that something or someone else can use it to influence us. Richard Restak uses a very scientific approach to introduce the reader in the world of neuroscience using a very user friendly style. While the language is accessible, the argument has scientific quality and he always uses descriptions of scientific experiments conducted elsewhere by well known scientists and research institutions. All the mental processes described in the book are mapped backed to areas in the brain using fMRI technology (functional Magneto Resonance Imaging).
The reading will captivate you and sometimes it will surprise you. You will be astounded when you discover how much of what you thought is YOU as a conscious person is based on simple automated circuitry that can be so easily influenced by external factors. The brain is a neutral powerful computing machine that does not make the difference between right or wrong, or internal or external. Starting from simple experiments about subliminal and supraliminal influence, priming and illusion of truth, the author raises the tempo and talks about mirror neurons, more complex models based on emotion and human interaction to show how easily humans can be influenced - if PEOPLE ALLOW IT. This is the good news: you can take action and protect yourself if you understand the possibilities. In a way, this is the opposite of what professional liars do: they convince themselves that what they say is genuinely meant to protect something or somebody.
Richard Restak talks towards the end of the book about brain processes related to moral judgement. Here the technology stops being useful: the mixture of "rational" and "emotional" thoughts is so complex that fMRI cannot be used to identify exactly the relationship between different brain areas and how exactly the final result (the thought) is calculated. I felt a little bit that this part of the book lack clarity and conviction; it sounded more "ethical" than scientific compared with the rest of the book. This was probably because these particular brain processes are most complex. It is also true that they appeared relatively recently in the human evolution and they cannot be localised clearly in the brain like other primal emotions are.
The very last part of the book discusses how clever marketing campaigners exploit the way the brain works. I found extraordinary the claim that a marketing campaign can actually ALTER the memory. After an ad is run repeatedly in front of your eyes, after a while your memory comes up in a different form. And, you will never know it! I also found amusing that some of the methods used by marketers were applied successfully in the market place long before the scientists created the theory that explains it. But the nastier of all applications are in the field of politics, insurance and employment.
Overall, this is an intriguing little book. It is readable, it is interesting, it is modern, it is rigorous enough to make good demonstrations to support an argument and I think it is useful. You will enjoy reading about G Johansson analysis of perception of motion, or Sally-Ann test or the illusion of truth effect.
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- Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal: An A - Z Guide to Safe and Healthy Eating
- Getting It Printed: How to Work With Printers and Graphic Imaging Services to Assure Quality, Stay on Schedule and Control Costs (Getting It Printed) 4th Edition
- Getting Pregnant: What You Need To Know Right Now
- Handbook of Home Health Care Administration
- Healing Wise (Wise Woman Herbal Series) (Wise Woman Herbal Series)
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- Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice
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Books Index
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General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science
Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved (The University Center for Human Values Series)
The Accidental Mind: How Brain Evolution Has Given Us Love, Memory, Dreams, and God
Darwin's Cathedral: Evolution, Religion, and the Nature of Society
