Amazon.com
Poor, poor science--it gets blamed for everything. While it might be true that some of our alienation and unhappiness stem from a too-rational misunderstanding of emotion, it's also true that science is its own remedy. A General Theory of Love, by San Francisco psychiatrists Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini, and Richard Lannon, is a powerfully humanistic look at the natural history of our deepest feelings, and why a simple hug is often more important than a portfolio full of stock options. Their grasp of neural science is topnotch, but the book is more about humans as social animals and how we relate to others--for once, the brain plays second fiddle to the heart.
Though some of their social analysis is less than fully thought out--surely e-mail isn't a truly unique form of communication, as they suggest--the work as a whole is strong and merits attention. Science, it turns out, does have much to say about our messy feelings and relationships. While much of it could be filed under "common sense," it's nice to know that common sense is replicable. Hard-science types will probably be exasperated with the constant shifts between data and appeals to emotional truths, but the rest of us will see in A General Theory of Love a new synthesis of research and poetry. --Rob Lightner
Book Description
Drawing comparisons to the most eloquent science writing of our day, three eminent psychiatrists tackle the difficult task of reconciling what artists and thinkers have known for thousands of years about the human heart with what has only recently been learned about the primitive functions of the human brain. The result is an original, lucid, at times moving account of the complexities of love and its essential role in human well-being.
A General Theory of Love draws on the latest scientific research to demonstrate that our nervous systems are not self-contained: from earliest childhood, our brains actually link with those of the people close to us, in a silent rhythm that alters the very structure of our brains, establishes life-long emotional patterns, and makes us, in large part, who we are. Explaining how relationships function, how parents shape their child’s developing self, how psychotherapy really works, and how our society dangerously flouts essential emotional laws, this is a work of rare passion and eloquence that will forever change the way you think about human intimacy.
Customer Reviews:
We need more books on this subject.......2007-10-01
I think that this book should be read not only by parents, but also by all the professionals who work with hurt or sick people and in particular by doctors and therapists.
The book is very well written combining science and poetic expression. I think this is the field that deserves so much more research, training and general awareness. We deal with consequences of "poor loving" all the time not only in our professional life (I am a doctor) but in our relationships, friendships, on our roads, service industry, our streets, schools.
This book also uses science and anthropology rather than just an opinion and experience to explain human emotional reactions and experience of love in it's universal form rather than just romantic and to remind us of consequences related to ignoring this essential part of our human existence.
It is an excellent book, but I would agree that not enough was done to develop the idea of self-regulation and treatment options outside the role of therapy. I expected this to be developed in the chapter "Between stone and sky, what can be done to heal hearts gone astray", but it did not live up to that expectation and if the authors were to write another edition to this book this would be the chapter to add to and really develop.
I also have bought extra copies as gifts for a few of my friends who work as therapists.
I would also like to add that there are so many boring books out there in the popular psychology addressing this important subject, but done so poorly and with no depth whatsoever. I am glad that someone from the scientific community bothered to actually write a book of this standard on this important subject and hope that there are more such books in the future ( the authors are encouraged to write and publish more in the future).
Not quite a perfect book.......2007-09-15
I wish to sound a note of caution about this book in my review. I found this to be a most valuable (and heartwarming!) book. For me the authors (maybe Dr. Lewis actually wrote the book?) did a beautiful job of explaining the evolutionary advantages attained by mammals with their limbic brain, gaining the ability to obtain information about the internal emotional state of other mammals. On the other hand, perhaps the authors *overemphasized* the advantages of gaining the ability to influence each other's emotional states, while not examining many disadvantages. Although probably required for the optimum of healthy individual development, a group could synchronize internal states, producing a mutual sense of well-being, and, without some other internal anchor, drift inexorably over a cliff while doing so. The mutual influences which led to the 1978 Jonestown suicide/massacre, or to the rise of Nazism in the 1930's and 1940's, are examples of this, I think. The development, in individuals, of characteristics not ultimately well suited to coping with reality, due to the influences of likewise-unhealthy parents, peers, society, or therapists, is one more example. (The authors do admit the existence of bad therapists.) The book's exposition of mutual influence also goes to explain *these* outcomes.
The authors may emphasize a bit too exclusively the unconditional love that a mother needs to provide in the earliest parts of childhood, and not quite enough the disciplined love that teaches a child the necessity of taking external *reality* into account also -- a role traditionally thought of as being the father's. Perhaps with this instruction the neo-cortex helps the organism to create or improve another anchor, different from the one of emotional satisfaction, and in doing so to gain increased mastery of external and internal realities. This is not emphasized in the book. Of course, the possessor of the neo-cortex has his own resultant problems. I think both elements are needed to culminate in a healthy adult.
For adults without a favorable childhood, therapy may be highly beneficial. But in chapter 8 of the book, the authors state "...a therapy's results are particular to *that* relationship. A patient doesn't become generically healthier; he becomes more like the therapist... The person of the therapist will determine the shape of the new world a patient is bound for; the configuration of *his* Attractors fixes those of the other." Is that what we desire -- a crop of therapist clones? I presume they would be modeled after the authors... *I* would rather have a therapist with a strong enough Attractor of his own, and a secure enough network of support, so that he could allow the patient to become *herself*, not necessarily a close reproduction of the therapist. And although I agree that time is needed to heal pre-existing damage, I am not sure that three to five years is required. The amount of healing that takes place depends also on how much reassurance is successfully given in the time which is spent on it.
I see the three therapists (and their publishers) as possibly being examples of a group that reached a state of considerable mutual grooming satisfaction. They included me in that group. Maybe that is not all that is required to bring other people to emotional health.
Note: do not overlook the Notes and Bibliography at the end of the book.
Lucidity on love.......2007-08-23
Very clear, concise, easy to read, a quick read, but not shallow. A great book for exploring this most peculiarly mammalian emotion and its enormous impact upon our daily lives, and for helping us envision how that emotion came to be embodied physically in mammals.
There are other ways to achieve limbic reshaping.......2007-08-11
This is a terrific book, and they cover a lot of ground, add to the paradigm through their synthesis of the available science. I had hoped to see more about the possibilities suggested by the idea of limbic reshaping; these guys are psychiatrists, so naturally their point of view suggests that it is the psychiatrists who are the ones to do this.
But what about the internal intersections? Is there no pathway or intersection between the 3 sections of the brain? The authors seem to suggest that there is - but there is no discussion about this internal traffic, no suggestion of any observation of it or its effects.
Other research on the plasticity of the brain suggests that it can change itself. Meditators have been claiming the ability, and there is data to support them. What about the spiritual realm, the realm of religion, or faith? The very idea of faith, the idea of a love of the abstraction of God, has been observed to have a profound effect in the human heart, spirit and mind... if they can observe this though brain imaging, and measure its effects in meaningful physiological ways, wouldn't it seem that there is the opportunity for a whole new science of self-healing?
Maybe in the next book...
Stupendous!.......2007-07-07
Everyone who has kids, who is thinking of having kids, or has any interest in the psycological impact of parents should read this book. It is wonderful! I have bought extras for many people!
Book Description
This book describes how understanding the structure of reality leads to the Theory of Everything Equation. The equation unifies the forces of nature and enables the merging of relativity with quantum theory. The book explains the big bang theory and everything else.
Customer Reviews:
The Real Deal.......2006-09-25
Although Mr. Wheatley is a little verbose in sections, his documentation of Zen Buddhistic Principles found throughout the disciplines of Mathematics, Physics, Theology, etc. forms a nice reference guide for anyone tuned into that wavelength. In particular, his explanation of how Godel's Theorem and Cantor's "Confusion" shed great light on the difference between GOD's Logic and Man's Logic should be a revelation to any undergraduate level math students who encounter these ideas for the first time. Curiously, Mr. Wheatley makes many misstatements about both Zen Buddhism Principles and the Bible, however. For example, by accepting the false biblical teaching of Original Sin, he misses the point that eating the proverbial apple gave Adam and Eve the ability to make Moral Discernments in fulfillment of GOD'S PERFECT PLAN. As proof, read Genesis 1 which states that Man and Woman were made in GOD's Image. Genesis 4 shows that Adam and Eve weren't the first humans on Earth at all, there were plenty of others by then. The allegorical meaning of the story of Eden, then, isn't that Adam and Eve were the first humans on Earth, but they were the first humans with the ability to make Moral Discernments (in GOD's Image). In fact, Moral Discernment is God's Unique Gift to Man, which is the basis of consciousness, not some Math Formula. But because the wages of the resulting, unavoidable sin are Death, many people foolishly try to return to Eden by: (1) living a sinless Life (2) by removing choice altogether by passing and enforcing strict Laws (3) by attempting to do away with Moral Discernment and the resulting consequences for our actions altogether by trying to remove Shame from Shameful actions. GOD is not some ethereal Man-In-Space, but is simply the Totality of all Real Things, The Set of All Real Sets. GOD's Love manifests itself from the amazing sub-atomic relationships that underly this magic Life all the way to the grandest of Macroscopic Scales, the Interconnected Totality itself. The Zen Buddhism connection can be found by simply superimposing the 0 symbol and the symbol for infinity (8 on its side) in Mr. Wheatley's supposedly "new" formulation that 1 = 0 x infinity. Superimposing them gives you the yin-yang symbol. A potential disadvantage of artificially separating the infinity from the zero, however, is that Mr. Wheatley is able to equate the entire expression to be equal to 1. This potentially might obscure the fact that the deepest meaning of the yin-yang symbol is that it is both 2 and 1 AT THE SAME TIME. His overall equation does preserve that important meaning by utilizing a single element on one side of the equation and two elements on the other side of his final TOE equation. This may be hard to see for some at first, however, which could potentially obscure the richest meaning of this beautiful symbol/equation. A much more GODLY TOE, in my opinion, comes from Euler, who discovered that e ^ (i * pi) - 1 = 0. When someone can explain that relationship, then they can say they know GOD.
A life changing experience??.......2005-06-13
This book is an easy read and does succeed in being somewhat thought-provoking. However, I am a little surprised at the awesome, "life changing" experience it apparently was for many of the readers. Wheatley's conclusions were interesting but nothing really new. All of his material should have passed through the mind of any thinking person without the aid of this book.
The reason I gave this book three stars is because he uses unneccessarily wordy ways of describing simple things. Also, the author and many other reviewers insist that Wheatley makes only one assumption. Wrong-his whole theory is one big assumption.
Overall though it was a very interesting and worthy book.
Should be Required Reading for everyone.......2004-06-26
This book will change your life. You will never think the same way you did before reading it.
I have a degree in chemistry and I think this book should be read by everyone in the sciences. Without a doubt, the best book I've ever read. Why and what are two of our best friends
A Very Important Book.......2004-01-26
I must preface my review by stating that I have never been so excited and moved by a book that I have wanted to contact the author. That is what I found myself doing upon reading this book. This book is just what its title says. The author does not "miss a beat" describing in great detail using practically every aspect of scientific knowledge from atomic structure through logic to quantum theory---we are even given a valuable explanation of Love. This text may be challenging to read for those unfamiliar with scientific terminology. And it can also be difficult for those with a science background, such as myself. However, for me it is well worth the work necessary to strive to understand the unfamiliar terminology. (I am continually learning from this book. I am presently on my third reread).
One of the author's main messages is "not" to believe anything without first verifying it with reality, as we know it. He calls it the "Personal Explanation Principle". He indicates that religions are just such belief systems that we as people "fall" victims of; because we do not verify the beliefs with the facts, as we know them, of reality. He gives a very detailed explanation of how the New Testament can be explored using his methodology.
The author methodically and meticulously walks us through his thought processes, which took 30 years to assimilate, of delineating the structure of reality and the nature of consciousness. Included in the "walk" are many of reality's phenomena made revelatory. An example of that, for me, would be the dual nature of light. It's particle/wave duality, which is explained as "functions". Also, when the author took me on the mental journey of "Setness" an exhilaration of the magnificence of life swelled up in me.
To me this is a very important book that should be read by all that are seekers of truth. It is for all those wanting to gain an understanding of the purpose for their existence, wanting to know where life is headed towards, and wanting to know who God is.
This book will enlighten and develop one's mind substantially. You will discover that this is our objective.
And yes, I contacted the author and he responded openly.
Illuminating!!!.......2002-12-30
This is a really great book. It combines philosophy and science in order to tackle a multitude of existential problems. The author's style of writing is fresh and alive, I recommend ths book to anyone interested in expanding the fronteirs of their understanding. Books I also liked are a Universe in an Nutshell by Steven Hawkings and Descent into Illusions by Paul Omeziri.
Book Description
For the acclaimed author and activist Jennifer Baumgardner, bisexuality has always been more than the “sexual non-preference of the ’90s.” In Look Both Ways, Baumgardner takes a close look at the growing visibility of gay and bisexual characters, performers, and issues on the national cultural stage. Despite the prevalence of bisexuality among Generation X and Y women, she finds that it continues to be marginalized by both gay and straight cultures, and dismissed either as a phase or a cop-out. With intimacy and humor, Baumgardner discusses her own experience as a bisexual, and the struggle she’s undergone to reconcile the privilege she’s garnered as a woman who is perceived as straight and the empowerment and satisfaction she’s derived from her relationships with women.
Part memoir, part pop-culture study, Look Both Ways connects the prominent dots of a bisexual community (Alix Kates Shulman, Ani DiFranco, Rebecca Walker, and, of course, Anne Heche) that Baumgardner argues have bridged feminist aims with those of the gay rights movement. Look Both Ways is a compelling and current study in bisexual lives lived secretly and openly, and an exploration of the lessons learned by writers, artists, and activists who have refused the either/or paradigm defended by both gay and straight communities.
Customer Reviews:
Stimulating Provocative Arousing.......2007-08-26
My brain, heart, and groin were all excited by this totally absorbing book, which contains both a personal account of the author's romantic history -- chiefly four main love interests (bi woman, straight guy, 5-star lesbian musician, and straight guy who fathered her child but does not live with her) --and a brilliant inquiry into sexuality and larger issues of personal identity. Jennifer has interviewed many leading writers, artists, and musicians about their choices and we come to see that increasingly, at least for women, the old labels - straight, gay, and bi -- are irrelevant given that so many have jumped back and forth between same-sex and opposite-sex liasons. Whether it's bedroom dymanics, sexual politics, influences from the workplace or campus or evolving gay-tolerant cultural influences -- the reasons underlying who woman are bedding today are incredibly complicated and worthy of profound self-examination, which she has done brilliantly. What makes the book even more arousing is that the author -- as is apparent from the jacket cover and from a live reading I attended -- is a smoking hot beauty, who must have vastly more-than-average sexual-partner options; but once you're but a few pages into this book, you will find -- as the old adage goes about the brain being the primary erotic organ -- that it's the author's penetrating prose more than anything else that has irresistably won you over and charmed you into hanging onto her every word.
Note that the book is almost exclusively focused on female sexuality, but any man will benefit from learning about women and wondering how applicable Jennifer's inquiry is to men of all sexual procliviities. A tour de force.
Human Sexuality.......2007-05-21
Feminists, bisexuals, and anyone interested in human sexuality will find a lot to ponder in this examination of sexual identity in our culture.
The best book on bisexuality I've read in a long time.......2007-03-21
By far the most interesting, most readable and most satisfying exploration of bisexuality I've read, and certainly the most interesting book on the intersection of bisexuality and feminism ever written. Baumgardner is young, and of a different generation, but her thoughts and experiences are completely in line with my own, and so of course I embrace them as brilliantly insightful.
The connections to feminism are fascinating, though she gives short shrift to male bisexuality. That said, her insights are fascinating and her weaving of personal anecdote with a more global and maturing political awareness is well worth reading.
This book belongs on the bookshelf of every one interested in human sexuality, and especially those active in the Queer community.
A remarkable book.
Walking the Line and Loving It .......2007-02-28
Reading Jennifer Baumgardner's Look Both Ways is like discovering that you share a secret with a friend you've known all your life. Part-memoir, part-cultural critique, the book is essential for anyone who wants to understand bisexuality and how it fits into our culture. On a personal note, as a woman who's been repeatedly rejected and trampled on by men, Look Both Ways helped me to realize it's not so strange to find the emotional support I need in relationships with women. Using Ani DiFranco, Anne Heche, the L-Word, and Virginia Woolf as her gateways into pop culture, Baumgardner both deflates and embraces the bisexual stereotypes she discusses. As a single mom and an advocate for feminism and reproductive rights, Jennifer Baumgardner is a pillar of strength in a world of Paris Hiltons. Today, people might be willing to embrace "alternative" lifestyle choices if you'd label yourself so they can package you up and stack you on the shelf with the rest of the queers. In this book, Baumgardner makes the point of saying it isn't that easy--sexuality is a complicated creature, with every experience, every moment of one's life influencing who we choose to love. With interviews from women from all walks of life, Look Both Ways helped me to really consider and ultimately embrace the ambiguities of my sexuality--she helped me lift the stigma I'd associated with my relationships past. And I can't think of anything more important than a book that makes you stop and reevaluate your life for the better.
Average customer rating:
- tOXIC pSYCHIATRY
- Global Drug Abuse!
- Toxic psyachiatry is toxic for parents of the mentally ill
- Only people that has right to say anything about these drugs are the people that have taken them
- Argh!
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Toxic Psychiatry: Why Therapy, Empathy and Love Must Replace the Drugs, Electroshock, and Biochemical Theories of the "New Psychiatry"
Peter R. Breggin
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
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ASIN: 0312113668 |
Book Description
Prozac, Xanax, Halcion, Haldol, Lithium. These psychiatric drugs--and dozens of other short-term "solutions"--are being prescribed by doctors across the country as a quick antidote to depression, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other psychiatric problems. But at what cost?In this searing, myth-shattering expos, psychiatrist Peter R. Breggin, M.D., breaks throughthe hype and false promises surrounding the "New Psychiatry" and shows how dangerous, even potentially brain-damaging, many of its drugs and treatments are. He asserts that:psychiatric drugs are spreading an epidemic of long-term brain damage; mental "illnesses" like schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety disorder have never been proven to be genetic or even physical in origin, but are under the jurisdiction of medical doctors; millions of schoolchildren, housewives, elderly people, and others are labeled with medical diagnoses and treated with authoritarian interventions, rather than being patiently listened to, understood, and helped.Toxic Psychiatry sounds a passionate, much-needed wake-up call for everyone who plays a part, active or passive, in America's ever-increasing dependence on harmful psychiatric drugs.
Customer Reviews:
tOXIC pSYCHIATRY.......2007-08-07
This book will open your eyes to the myth that if you can't fix something with a pill, then it can't be fixed at all.
An exvellent read. A bit advanced, but still can be followed and understood. A word of warning: If you have a psychiatrist treating you, he/she probably won't appreciate your input from this book. But I still think it informs and then allows you to discuss treatment options more factually, as opposed to just being passive in your care decisions.
A must read for those who find themselves blindly accepting yet another prescription, because the doctor said to.
Global Drug Abuse!.......2007-01-06
Peter Breggin is the Erin Brokovich of the Psychopharmaceutical Industry! The widespread "chemical abuse" of millions of people by psychiatrists, is an international crime! Peter Breggen's book(s) are the most powerful whistleblower revelations against this global multi-billion dollar psychiatry industry. Governments need to recognise that they are actually funding with billions of taxpayer dollars, the barbaric brain damaging and controlling of multitudes of people they are elected to protect.
"Toxic Psychiatry" is more than a wake up call, it is trumpet call to confront this diabolical nazi-like "poisoning" of millions! It is a must read for all. Having been involved in counselling for nearly 30 years, I have seen first hand the dis-diagnoses and subsequent mind-altering "treatments" of the psychiatric fraternity empowered by the psychopharmaceutical giants. The results of lifelong enslavement to "diagnostic labelling" and to the chronic poisoning by mind/body disabling medications, is a modern day holocaust affecting millions, which continues to be supported by governments of most nations.
Toxic psyachiatry is toxic for parents of the mentally ill.......2006-11-05
I was going to assign this book to my students in my Abnormal Psychology class... The first chapter is powerful and true. However, this author irresponsibly attacks the parents of the mentally ill as responsible for their children's illnesses!!!! He also attacks NAMI, the National Association of the Mentally Ill, an organization that has helped more mentally ill patients recover, find support and their way to a successful and meaningful life, and has truly educated more people about mental illness than Breggin has ever done himself, I am sure. The good points the book makes about inadequate and even harmful psychiatric care in mental institutions are, in my opinion, obfuscated by his unwarranted attacks on parents -- attacks, I believe, that may be a result of his old-fashioned psychoanalytical training.
Only people that has right to say anything about these drugs are the people that have taken them.......2006-05-23
Some people think they are so smart that they know everything about these drugs and chemistry, no matter how smart you are and lets say youre #1 top psychiatrists in the world. If you havent taken the SSRI yourself and experienced the damaging affect of these drugs, you cant say anything PERIOD. Not even if you invented the drug !!!!! Why do we have so many people complaining about these drugs? duh maybe because there is a problem and causing problems!!!, people who havent tried or experience the damaging affects afterwards dont see why people are complaining. We dont see books about warning people not to take for example flu shots do we? No. I used to be one of those people who believed and that popping a pill can solve my life problems but Now because of SSRI my life is ruined and have permanant problems that wont go away. And for people who are currently on SSRI, pills will never ever cure depression unless you stay on them forever,Im sure you are happy with those fake smiles, see what happens when you taper off of them. And people who are FOR these drugs should immediately go to doctors and try them and see how safe they are. I recommend you try prozac first. If that dont work out dont worry there are plenty others that doctors will want you to try. HAHAHA so sad that there are still people out there in this country that really believe these pills can help them.
Argh!.......2006-02-13
I couldn't resist writing this. The ad hominem abusive, straw man, slippery slope and other fallacies running rampant in some of the other reviews are just ridiculous!
First off, comparing insulin to brain chemistry is not a logical argument! Just because it has been proven that certain levels of insulin are necessary for proper metabolism, it does not mean that brain chemistry works the same way!! The two processes are completely different. One is very well understood and proven, while the other is not understood well at all and is definately not proven. Using this logic, I could say that diabetics take insulin, therefore I must take lead to fix my "electrostatic disorder." I cannot invent a disorder in this way, except in a work of fiction! Beware of "convincing" analogies, especially ones that seem like common sense, they are all too often wrong, wrong, wrong, and more wrong.
Breggin also has been in private practice since 1968. If he spent a few years being an expert witness in lawsuits, then that only shows his dedication to his cause, not that he has been "gallivanting around" as one reviewer seems to think! If you want to know a little about Breggin, try http://Breggin.org.
Also, Breggin does not oversimplify the problem and say that "all drugs cause brain damage." He quotes case studies and peer-reviewed journal writings concerning specific drugs and specific disorders. He does not draw his conclusions out of thin air and make only blanket statements! There are no rabbits being pulled out of any hats anywhere but in the review I'm commenting on.
And another thing, just because someone is depressed, it does not mean they will commit suicide! Stop convincing people that they will kill themselves if they don't recieve drugs! It cripples people and makes them unwilling to help themselves! It's not logical and is NOT shown through any studies that a majority of depressed people will kill themselves if not medicated. In fact, studies have shown that the biggest factor of whether a patient improves or not is whether they believe that they will get better or not, it is not whether they recieve psychotropic drugs or not.
Breggin also does not come anywhere close to making it seem that patients are defined by their illness! It's laughable to suggest the notion having read the book! He demands the utmost respect for even the most troubled persons and I believe he shows how there is more to the person that their disorder by his disgust for how psychiatrists don't look for the reasons for a person's disorder but instead only try to match a person to the "diagnostic criteria" of the DSM IV. If anything, the practice of matching patients to illnesses defines a person by their "illness," NOT Breggin's perspective of the patient.
Also, to say that Breggin "throws the baby out with the bathwater," while admitting the book has several good points, only to give it one star is a bit ironic and hypocritical, don't you think?
And in closing for this review.. Just because Tom Cruise and the wacky Scientologists are anti-psychiatry, it does not mean that there is nothing wrong with psychiatry. That is an obvious ad hominem circumstancial fallacy if I have ever heard one. (For those who have no idea what that means, it means that just because someone is part of a group, it does not mean that a statement they have said is wrong. A group may be known for their likely incorrect viewpoints, but it does not make untrue all of the beliefs of every group member. An example would be how Hitler created the idea for the Volkswagon Beatle. The Nazi's were wrong for mass murdering Jews, but that doesn't mean that they were also wrong in thinking that smaller, more efficient cars could actually be a good thing for society.)
Book Description
One of the most important philosophy titles published in the twentieth century, Joseph Pieper's Leisure, the Basis of Culture is more significant, even more crucial than it was when it first appeared fifty years ago.
Pieper shows that Greeks understood and valued leisure, as did the medieval Europeans. He points out that religion can be born only in leisure-a leisure that allows time for the contemplation of the nature of God. Leisure has been, and always will be, the first foundation of any culture. He maintains that our bourgeois world of total labor has vanquished leisure, and issues a startling warning: Unless we regain the art of silence and insight, the ability for nonactivity, unless we substitute true leisure for our hectic amusements, we will destroy our culture-and ourselves. These astonishing essays contradict all our pragmatic and puritanical conceptions about labor and leisure; Joseph Pieper demolishes the twentieth-century cult of "work" as he predicts its destructive consequences.
Customer Reviews:
The best philosophic essay for post-modern man.......2007-08-24
I am no philosopher, but I do love Plato and have with Pieper's help learned again to appreciate Aristotle. I am far more widely read than most, and this is the most influential for me besides perhaps Plato. I have been rereading this book for 14 years, and wish I had read it more often. Until recently I don't think I understood the second piece, and every time I read it again there are new gems of insight, undiscovered before.
Read it with friends, preferrably. If you are the skeptic or cynic, Pieper has an antitode. He did at least for me.
One caveat: I have the original translation by Alexander Dru with introduction by T.S. Eliot. I don't know why another was made. I don't know German, but the English is very clear and flows well.
Useful Leisure Time Vs. Wasting Time.......2007-03-26
Josef Pieper's LEISURE: THE BASIS OF CULTURE is a short but poignant commentary on the difference between joy and idleness. This book is not for those who have an aversion to serious reading and thought. Nor is this book recommended for those who are addicted to the Idiot Box (TV). Those who carefully think of "Ultimate Values," serious religious convictions, etc. would benefit from this book.
Piefer distingushes between "practicle learning" and the joy of learning. In an age of "practicle" learning, cheap religion, shallow philsosphy, etc. serious reading (The Great Books)thought, and good writing are slowly being eroded in favor cheap goods and ideas. Practicle learning may enhance one's ability to improve income. One may ask as Piefer does, at what cost. In line with Piefer's views, one may refer to the biblical injunction of "Gaining the whole world and lose one's soul." Some enter the profession to earn huge incomes and often do. They have nice homes, new cars, swimming pools, etc. Yet the pressure to "keep up with the rat race" causes early death. These men are wealthy all right. They are the wealthest men in the cemetary.
Piefer prefers another sort of learning. He wants learning to be a joy. According the Plato & co., joy consisted of insight to Divine Love and Widsom. The Medieval Scholastics argued that God was Man's ultimate joy and end of life. St. Thomas Aquinas is cited in Piefer's book as one who used reason, insight, the Catholic Faith, etc. to enhance his careful study of philosophy and theology. This type of learning was to promote the Faith and to improve one's character rather than to have more economic success. Piefer is not opposed to earning a living. His complaint is the obsession of wealth at the expense of knowledge, character, honesty, character, etc. which he believes can only be enhanced by careful reading and thought.
Piefer's short book could have been written more clearly. However, he raises serious questions that should be carefully considered. For those who take ultimate values seriously, his end notes cited books and pages for further study and thought.
An inadequate analysis of the human condition........2006-09-25
This work places supreme value on the contemplative silence , the deep receptive mode which comes according to Pieper in 'true leisure'.
I do not deny the importance of contemplation, of stillness, of allowing ourselves to be open and receptive to the Divine Presence.
But I think the criticism of work, and of human activity which Pieper makes undermines what is most great and good in us. After all we are creatures of creation, created in the image of God to walk in God's way. This means that at the center of our life and being is not withdrawal and contemplation but proper action in being with and helping others. In the Jewish tradition this walking in the way of God in compassion is the ideal way of being.
In more down- to- earth perhaps and pragmatic terms, the human being does not act 'machinelike' in work. There are all kinds of work and for many the only deep way of being with themselves is through their creative work. This kind of creativity and work is often part of our everyday life and mind, as philosophers of the James, Pierce, Dewey American Pragmatist school have shown.
Another important point. Piepper published this book in 1947 .The world has been transformed in many ways since then. One of them is that great mass of mankind have opportunities for learning, for creative work, for ' contemplative thought' for other kinds of mystical work that they have not had to this degree before.
In this sense I have a feeling of this book as somewhat dated. But again my main problem with it is that it does not really give credit to the full range and meaning of human creative activity.
Fallacious Assumptions.......2005-05-13
I can tell that the basic premise of this book is falacious and based on Catholic biases. It argues that the Protestant Ethic and the belief in producing more and more has caused us to work longer and harder and caused us to lose our souls because we lack leisure time for contemplation. This is factually wrong because we work much less than people use to have to work and this is due to being able to produce more in less time. Traditonally, leisure has been seen as the root of sin and pleasure because it is hard to gratify pleasure when one is working. In fact, the ancient Greeks and Romans did not enjoy much leisure until they began to use more and more slaves to support themselves. The truth is that we have more leisure than any generation has ever enjoyed and use it more selfishly and ignorantly than ever. The problem is not a lack of time, but how we spend it.
This is not like Travel & Leisure.......2004-07-14
This is the 50th anniversary edition of Josef Pieper's philosophical classic which was originally published in German in 1948. Pieper defines leisure not as we understand it in the 21st century, but within the philosophical-theological context of divine play and its impact on the intellect as it was universally accepted from the pre-Christian Greek philosophers and later developed by Aquinas. The importance of leisure was unchallenged until Kant usurped it in 1796 with a philosophy of reason and work; "...the law of reason is supreme, whereby property is possessed through labor." Kant's philosophy gained acceptance and became well suited to the industrial revolution which soon followed.
Pieper takes the command "Be still (at leisure) and know that I am God" - Psalm 45 and distills it from there. Leisure is non-active; it is receptive and consists of contemplation or celebration. Like grace, intuitive and creative thoughts are communicated while at leisure. I find Pieper's premise true because my most inspiring thoughts come while taking a shower or while on a walk through the woods. Einstein would also agree, because he was riding his bike when the theory of relativity crystalized in his mind.
Also in this 160 pge book are Pieper's 1947 lectures collectively entitled The Philosphical Act. He begins by quoting Thomas Aquinas, "The reason why the philosopher can be compared to the poet is that both are concerned with wonder." It flows from there.
Pieper's philosophy is reflected today in the Slow (Food) Movement. It's also understandable how Pieper made a significant impact on E.F. Schumacher and his Buddhist economics as contained in Small is Beautiful.
Book Description
The facts are nothing short of startling--no matter how many people seem to walk down the aisle, the divorce rate in America is at a record high. What's the secret to getting into a happy marriage and, even more important, staying in one? Now world-renowed psychiatrist Dr. William Glasser and his wife, Carleen Glasser, update their classic guide to successful marriages, Staying Together, for couples young and old. As they examine the questions of why some marriages work and others fail, the Glassers advise readers on how to create loving and happy relationships by applying Dr. Glasser's trademark "choice theory." The result is a wealth of new information about who would make a compatible partner and how to improve any relationship.
Customer Reviews:
Glasser, the choice theory master.......2006-08-21
William Glasser really helps me to understand the basics of a healthy relationship...how and why we tend to get and stay together, and ways to sustain relationships. His advice is rooted in healthy common sense. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to find or retain a good 'significant other' type relationship. Glasser's "Choice Theory" is another must-read.
One of the greatest thinkers of the past 50 years!.......2001-11-25
William Glasser, a world-renowned psychiatrist currently about 75 years old, originally came strongly into the limelight because of his seminal work in the 1960s, Schools without Failure. This book, and the progressive educational movement which arose from it, has been studied in teacher-training programs around the country for the last 30 years. In the early 1980s, Dr. Glasser developed an additional theory of human relationship for which he is also famous. It was originally called "control theory" and later renamed "choice theory" in the book by that same name from the 1990s. This book, Getting Together and Staying Together (GTST) is in the tradition of Dr. Glasser's choice theory ideas.
Of Dr. Glasser's published works, besides GTST, I have so far read the following: Schools without Failure, Control Theory, Choice Theory, The Language of Choice Theory, Reality Therapy in Action, What Is This Thing Called Love?, and Fibromyalgia: Hope from a Completely New Perspective. Based on reading all these books, my opinion is that if you are just discovering Dr. Glasser, GTST is probably the very best of his many works for your initial introduction to choice theory for the following reasons: (1) the book is relatively short; (2) it is easy to read; (3) it goes very concisely and clearly into every aspect of choice theory; (4) the information in it applies to every kind of relationship, not just marriage.
I am very impressed with Dr. Glasser's chosen writing style. I have not been privileged to hear Dr. Glasser speak in person, but my guess is that the reason his prose is so extremely accessible is that he writes in the same sensitive, direct, caring voice he uses to train therapists and to counsel his clients. As he so profoundly states in this and many of his other books on choice theory, the foundation of all progress in therapy is the client's trust in the therapist. And trust is based in several important qualities of the therapist, including: simplicity, honesty, directness, empathy and compassion.
Another cornerstone of Dr. Glasser's remarkable ideas is the highly unusual belief that the purpose of therapy is to get done with it as quickly and effectively as possible. I have spent many frustrating years observing fellow mental health professionals who believe (because they were trained to, and because it is so very profitable a practice) that it is "simply not possible to begin any meaningful therapy until adequate time has been spent discussing the scope of the client's problem." Unfortunately for therapy clients, "adequate" is usually defined as a minimum of five, and usually ten, 50-minute sessions of rehashing the client's entire life history billed out at $100-250/hour. In delightful contrast, Dr. Glasser states that from the very first second that he meets a new client, he wants to get the therapy moving toward teaching the client self-reliance based in self-responsibility. In pursuit of this goal, he refuses to waste time mulling over the client's painful past. He believes a therapist's proper focus is what is making the client miserable, right now, and that this is invariably trouble with an important relationship.
In short, the overall goal of Dr. Glasser's unique therapy (called "reality therapy") is to lead his clients to see that they are =not= helpless, hopeless victims of fate. Instead, he assists them in discovering that they have the wherewithal, at all times and places, to examine the current choices they are making, figure out if those choices are causing more pain than they are eliminating, and make new and better choices as needed.
I would highly recommend this wonderful book to you if you feel you are having trouble achieving close, intimate, emotional connections with others (either through not having a close relationship at all, or not feeling intimacy with someone who is supposed to be very close to you, such as a spouse). Also, if you read this book or any other written by Dr. Glasser and are impressed with his ideas, you can get a referral for a therapist in your area trained at the William Glasser Institute by contacting the institute directly via the internet. (I am not permitted to provide the web site here, but I located it easily for myself by using a search engine.)
Love after Marriage.......2000-06-12
Whoever wrote the words "for better or worse" into the marriage vows obviously had some experience of what the Glassers call "the mystery of marriage". How is it that people who get together into this most public of declarations of love find it so hard to stay together or even to stay as friends? The book "Getting Together and Staying Together" examines this issue in detail referring to marriage as "a practice in desperate need of improvement".
The book has an interesting history. It is written by a well-known and very experienced psychiatrist and his wife is co-author. It is a rewrite of a book that Dr. Glasser himself published in 1995 practically on the eve of his marriage to Carleen. The new version collates the wisdom of both their professional lives and especially of their married life together. As such it is a wonderful mixture of the therapist's eye and a couple's down-to-earth daily experience. Where the original "Staying Together" started from a Choice Theory perspective and applied it to marriage, this new book takes different marriage experiences as the starting point and processes the experiences in terms of Choice Theory. The mixture of e-mail messages, discussions, therapy examples and courageous self-disclosure by both authors bring this book to life and give it a very practical value. It even has a chapter on the surprisingly neglected topic of "sex after marriage".
Drawing interesting comparisons between marriage and friendship the authors show how the dangers of external control psychology creep so easily into married life. They speak of the "seven deadly habits" (criticism, blaming, complaining, nagging, threatening, punishing and bribing) that hasten this death of marriage. They also point to how certain differences in a couple's needs intensities can make it more difficult to have a good relationship.
This book has a lot to offer any relationship but it would be fair to say that it deals most specifically with the more formal structures that encircle and threaten the marriage bond. The Glassers offer both the theoretical base and practical suggestions for improving, even resuscitating, a relationship. Most important of all, the book offers the reader a total shift in perspective. It elaborates a truly possible but not necessarily easy answer to the "joyless tedium" of an endangered relationship. It invites each person to take control of what the person really can control. One area it does not deal with explicitly is the changing nature of the relationship when children are born but it is a relatively easy matter for the reader to apply the Choice Theory principles to these and other situations.
I would very much recommend this book to anyone, married or not. Indeed it would provide excellent discussion material for pre-marriage courses and even for social and personal classes for young people. This is one of those rare books where the authors are preaching what they already practise ... and it's very definitely "for better".
Product Description
The best wedding fake book just got better! The third edition includes a bonus section of 28 new songs, for a total of more than 400 secular and sacred classics! Songs include: All I Ask of You Always Ave Maria Beauty and the Beast Canon in D Cheek to Cheek The Gift Here and Now I Believe in You and Me I Say a Little Prayer I Swear I Will Remember You I'll Be There If If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful The Irish Wedding Song Just the Way You Are Longer Love of a Lifetime Love Remains Misty My Funny Valentine My Heart Will Go On Ode to Joy Ribbon in the Sky Somewhere in Time Spanish Eyes Speak Softly, Love Till There Was You To Love You More Unchained Melody Unforgettable Valentine A Whole New World With This Ring Years from Now You Needed Me You Were Meant for Me Your Song more! Essential for every professional musician!
Customer Reviews:
Good Collection.......2006-11-10
A solidly huge collection of favorite love songs, from church music to contemporary pop. Although some arrangements may slightly differ from the original songs, it has proved useful on a number of occasions for weddings, parties and personal repertoire expansion. Highly recommended for jazz and pop musicians who often play for crowds and special events, and are asked requests frequently.
A Gotta Have.......2001-04-12
This is the book for musicians that do a lot of wedding gigs. The title speaks for itself, but take it from me... You'll never go astray at a wedding gig again. It's great for any gig requiring love songs, but ideal for weddings and receptions. A must have.
Book Description
Is it possible to be spiritual and yet not believe in the supernatural? Can a person be spiritual without belonging to a religious group or organization? In this book, philosopher Robert Solomon offers challenging answers to these questions as he explodes commonly held myths about what is means to be spiritual in today's pluralistic world. Based on Solomon's own struggles to reconcile philosophy with religion, Spirituality for the Skeptic offers a model of a vibrant, fulfilling spirituality that embraces the complexities of human existence and acknowledges the joys and tragedies of life. Solomon has forged an enlightened new path that synthesizes spirituality with emotions, intellect, science, and common sense. His new paradigm, "naturalized" spirituality, establishes as its cornerstone the "thoughtful love of life"--a passionate concern for the here-and-now, and not the by-and-by. Being spiritual doesn't mean being holed up as a recluse, spending hours in meditation and contemplation, Solomon argues. It demands involvement and emotional engagement with others in the struggle to find meaning in our lives. As such, this modern-day spirituality encompasses a passionate enthusiasm for the world, the transformation of self, cosmic trust and rationality, coming to terms with fate, and viewing life as a gift, all of which are explored in depth throughout this book. Spirituality for the Skeptic answers the need for a non-institutional, non-dogmatic spirituality that leads to personal fulfillment and satisfaction. By examining the ideas of great thinkers from Socrates and Nietzsche to Buddha to Kafka, Solomon arrives at a practical vision of spirituality that should appeal to many seekers looking to make sense of the human condition.
Customer Reviews:
Thought provoking. ALMOST revolutionary........2007-09-11
This is a great book, but try to avoid approaching it with any SPECIFIC expectations. If you're hoping for a bullet-proof philosophical argument, you'll be disappointed. If you're hoping for a "self help" book, you'll be incredibly disappointed. But if you've struggled with your own "spirituality" or lack thereof, and if you feel like morality and deep meaning are still possible without positing a dogmatic "God," then read this book. I call it "almost" revolutionary because I think it could eventually be the beginnings of a new way to think about spirituality. But it's not a manifesto for spiritual revolution; nor is it intended to be. It's a collection of ideas.
Even if you believe in, say, a Judeo-Christian God, this book is still worth a read. It's an interesting and important exercise to ponder which components of your religion are universally true regardless of the specific dogmas and scriptures unique to it.
As a final check to decide whether or not this book is worth your time: have ever felt deeply connected to something bigger, like "nature" or maybe "community," even in the absence of a belief in God? You're not alone, and Robert Solomon has some very interesting ideas to discuss with you.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE SPIRITUAL BUT NOT RELIGIOUS?.......2006-12-12
The answer is a qualified "yes," same as the answer to the question, Is it possible to be gay but not homosexual? You simply have to qualify what you mean by the words, state the restricted sense of your operating definitions of "spiritual" and "gay." "Spirit" is multi-faceted, with at least 30 senses of the word in common use; "spiritual" is more restrictive but still a slippery adjective, and all you have to do to answer the question in the affirmative is "spirit" the S-word away from the church by semantic legerdemain.
Here, for example, is Robert Solomon's definition of "spirituality" (from his book-on-tape "The Passions"): "Spirituality is simply the recognition that the universe is much, much greater than yourself, utterly unfathomable... a sense of sublime and humility... nothing to do w religion, per se." I don't buy this, and I doubt that anyone else does either. A sense of awe and humility might be a component of spirituality, but in common parlance, there's much more to spirituality than that; if Solomon wants to hijack spirituality, he'll have to try harder.
And so he does; in this book, "Spirituality for the Skeptic," Solomon dances around the issue for 140 pages, waving both hands and blathering on and on about spirituality, offering up at least 100 definitions or aspects of the S-word, launching them like trial balloons to see which might fly. In the end, I would have preferred that he simply coin a new word for the ersatz spirituality he is trying to sell.
In his treatise on free will, "Freedom Evolves," Daniel Dennett does much the same thing, desperately dancing around and waving his hands frantically throughout an entire book, trying to rescue free will from determinism's death-grip, but in the end all he can come up with is a very restricted sense of the term, as "subjective" free will (in effect, he admits that we do not have free will, but it feels like we do, so there).
Both Solomon and Dennett are academic philosophers, and they are both superb BS artists. But I find their writing entertaining and their thought stimulating, so perhaps you will too; put your thinking cap on, tune up your BS filter, and enjoy the ride.
Extremely Intelligent, Thought-Provoking.......2004-02-16
This is a fascinating book. NOT for the New Age "spirituality" group, but for intelligent, skeptical thinkers interested in the investigations of someone who knows Western philosophy well (and a little Eastern) who is asking how to live one's life. Solomon defines spirituality as "the thoughtful love of life" and then asks how we can practice it.
This is a book I go back to and reread periodically because it is so useful, and even inspirational. The "thoughtful love of life" certainly doesn't come naturally to me, but it's a valuable principle.
The last paragraph of the book says a lot:
"In many spiritual traditions, the purpose of life itself becomes the achievement of such transformation. For most people, the transformation of self may be nothing more than total immersion in a group and a tradition. But for those of us who enjoy the mixed blessing of seeing beyond all traditions and thus finding ourselves without an anchor in the world, spirituality is an arduous process, filled with doubts and misgivings, skeptical of glib formulations and platitudes, frustrated with the limitations of the personalities we have worked so hard to create over the course of a lifetime. But if the self to which spirituality and philosophy refers is nothing other than the everyday self, and neither is it just the everyday self, and a tremendous effort to discover or realize our better selves is what spirituality is all about. Spirituality is a process rather than the result." p. 140
well, maybe it's not so bad.......2003-06-24
I was a philosophy student for five semesters, sincerely (and naively) searching for truth and wisdom. I nearly completed the major before I just got tired of its irrelevance. Solomon nicely summed up my experience, "What had originally been conceived as the love of wisdom had become a tedious technical enterprise, appealing more to students with affective disorders than to those who were seeking the meaning of life." With such disappointment in the background, I looked forward to recovering a bit of enthusiasm for Western philosophy, to receiving a bit of its wisdom for my life, for my skeptical spirituality.
After reading the preface and introduction to this book on Amazon, I ordered it. I had high expectations. I wanted to see a professional, thoughtful philosopher apply insights from the Western philosophical tradition to the problems of spirituality for skeptics: the meaning of life in light of evolutionary psychology and physical cosmology, ethics without authorities, ritual and worship and wholeness in the emerging skeptical traditions, belonging and identity and coalition formation in a world of deadly technology.
I am sorry to say that's not what I got, and if that's what you want you'll be as disappointed as I was. He seems to have satisfied himself on such questions long before he encountered spirituality. He is not addressing them in any depth here.
Instead, this book is an apology for spirituality in academia, specifically in the discipline of philosophy. Solomon's project is to address the typical moderately liberal concerns of academia and academic philosophy in terms of spirituality. Essentially he's preoccupied with a terminological (cultural) problem: How can a self-respecting academic discuss spirituality. Isn't it just too trite?
In retrospect, I suppose this is a worthy mission, but it's not one that means much to me. If it's your concern, this book is probably good for you. But if you are interested in the kinds of questions I was interested in, then this book is either irrelevant or superficial.
(I am not sure what Solomon thought his purpose was. He never actually comes out and says, and he seems to think he's discussing deep, meaningful questions throughout the book. And, to be fair, I did pause for thought a few times while reading it. But it's not going to have a lasting impact on me, and he didn't seem concerned that it might. He did seem concerned that he might be misconstrued by a reviewer, so he filled his paragraphs with caveats; obviously he's accustomed to writing for academic journals rather than for a "serious" audience--I mean that literally. Meanwhile, comments throughout the book reveal that his projected audience is familiar with the social scene in Anglo-American academia.)
Let me add two more criticisms. Solomon seeks spirituality in partnership with science, but he really appears unfamiliar with science. Perhaps that's a faulty impression; since he's not really thinking about the meaning of life perhaps he doesn't have to address the problems suggested by science.
Secondly, he appears unfamiliar with anthropology; although he cites and refers to classical philosophers, modern and contemporary Western philosophers, ancient East Asian philosophers, ancient Indian philosophers, and religious traditions from Pacific islands (he wasn't more specific)--he doesn't take any notice of the contexts of all those philosophers. Once again, a charitable reader could imagine that they are beyond the scope of Solomon's project. So they may be. However, he makes a startling claim on the last page, "For most people, the transformation of self may be nothing more than total immersion in a group and a tradition. But for those of us who enjoy the mixed blessing of seeing beyond all traditions and thus finding ourselves without an anchor in the world, spirituality is rather an arduous process, filled with doubts and misgivings, skeptical of glib formulations and platitudes, ...."
Oh my! I submit that Solomon is not seeing beyond all traditions, that actually he is deeply immersed in one, that in fact spirituality in many traditions is an arduous process filled with doubts and misgivings, and that while he is skeptical of certain glib formulations and platitudes, he is swallowing others hook, line and sinker--and spitting them back up in print. In short, he really ought to read some anthropology.
His other books are probably much better. To be fair, he admits that spirituality is new to him. Perhaps when he is more familiar with the topic, and more comfortable with his right to address it, he can bring his familiarity with philosophy to it in greater depth. If he tries, I would be happy to read his book.
On the bright side, reading the book did inspire me to revisit Sartre, Camus and Heidegger after all this time. Solomon reminded me that they did wrestle with the grand questions I mentioned, and that once upon a time I enjoyed reading their work and thinking about their thoughts and learning from them. I guess that's a meager version of what I wanted after all.
Book Description
Ten years after the publication of his highly acclaimed book Soul Murder, Dr. Leonard Shengold reflects anew on the circumstances and the consequences of willful abuse and neglect of children. With compelling examples from literature and from clinical cases, Dr. Shengold describes techniques of adaptation and denial by victims, the psychopathology of soul murder, and therapy techniques for restoring the capacity to love.
Customer Reviews:
Compassionate yet unsentimental.......2003-04-07
Shengold's book is really important -- he explores the inner lives of child abuse victims without sentimentalizing them, proscribing their recovery from trauma, or denying their complex aggressive responses to the abuse.
This serves to make the victim of abuse feel like a real human being, whose less adaptive and even bizarre sides are included rather than avoided or explained away by simple theory. Shengold's writing, while at times needing elaboration and more specific case histories, is beautiful, clear, complex, at times dazzling. The final chapter is a masterpiece of healing and hope. An important work.
Excellent information on a very important topic.......2002-09-21
I found this book well-written and extremely useful, but it is not a very easy book to understand if you have not studied psychology.
Some of the terminology and concepts are quite sophisticated and it is a pity that Shengold was not able to express his brilliance in a more user-friendly manner.
I think is book is excellent for the serious student of psycholoy, abuse and psychotherapy. I fear that for those who are not familiar with terms and concepts, this book could be a difficult read.
Book Description
-- Choice
Customer Reviews:
very sweet.......2004-01-18
I read this book from start to finish and just couldn't get enough of it. A friend of mine in college gave it to me even though i'm not really an avid reader like she is. It kept me up many a night. So check it out. Also check out this other book she gave me called "Tales of love, ugliness and stars under the sea." Also very awesome. It's more poetic stuff, but i found it equally moving.
An Interesting Love Theory.......2000-06-05
This book picks up Western love as main theme and analyzes its both diachronic and synchronic aspects. In the first part, Kristeva shows her theory of love as the theory of psychoanalysis. It is very interesting here that her attention is concentrated on transference in psychoanalysis. Then, with this theory of love, we can read histories of Western love from Plato, the Bible, Narcissus, to St. Thomas and heroes and heroines in love stories such as Don Juan, Romeo and Juliet, and Mary. These histories and stories are in harmony with the next part in which Kristeva analyzes discourses of love in texts of Troubadour, Jeanne Guyon, Baudelaire, Stendhale, and Bataille. Reading here, we can learn what Western love has ever been, which enables us to think about modern love. Finally, Kristeva mentions to the crisis of love, which emerges now because of the abolition of psychic space and discusses psychoanalytic role, especially, transferencefs one. Kristeva shows various aspects of Western love as a mosaic of histories, stories, and texts, which are connected logically each other by psychoanalysis and the theory of love. Therefore, this book has a very clear composition. This is why I like this book. Another reason is that I am interested in Kristevafs idea which differentiates Western love from Japanese one. I think that she also shows how to approach Japanese love which has been thought to be changed dynamically these years, not only Western one.
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- Bridge to Terabithia
- Buddhism For Dummies (For Dummies (Religion & Spirituality))
- Calming Your Anxious Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You from Anxiety, Fear, and Panic
- Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change
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