The Monk and the Philosopher: A Father and Son Discuss the Meaning of Life

The Monk and the Philosopher: A Father and Son Discuss the Meaning of Life
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Meaningful & Intellectually Provocative

Wonderful conversation on religion and philosophy

Fantastic

Intelligent and insightful

Not really a dialog; more of an introduction to Buddhism

The Monk and the Philosopher: A Father and Son Discuss the Meaning of Life
Jean-Francois Revel , Matthieu Ricard , John Canti , and Jack Miles
Manufacturer: Schocken
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0805211039
Release Date: 2000-02-15

Amazon.com

The Monk and the Philosopher is a collection of father-son dialogues between Jean-François Revel, a French philosopher and journalist famous for his leadership in protests of both Christianity and Communism, and Matthieu Ricard, his son, who gave up a promising career as a scientist to become a Buddhist monk in the Himalayas. The conversations recorded in this book took place during 10 days at an inn in Katmandu. The range of their subjects is immense: What is Buddhism? Why does it have such appeal to many in the West? Why do Buddhists believe in reincarnation? What are the differences between Buddhist and Christian monastic life? How do science and individualism make authentic Buddhist practice difficult for Westerners to achieve? Despite the simplicity of many of these questions, Revel and Ricard never give simplistic answers. Their discussions are rich without being dense, and, even more notably, they take every question very personally. The result is a book perfectly suited as an introduction to the elements of Buddhist religion (with a good bit of Tibetan history thrown in) that is also an excellent description of what it has been like for one man (Ricard) to practice Buddhist faith. However, as Ricard wisely notes at the end of this book, "No dialogue, however enlightening it might be, could ever be a substitute for the silence of personal experience, so indispensable for an understanding of how things really are." The greatest strength of The Monk and the Philosopher may be its power to return readers to careful attention to the way we pass our days. --Michael Joseph Gross

Book Description

Jean Francois-Revel, a pillar of French intellectual life in our time, became world famous for his challenges to both Communism and Christianity. Twenty-seven years ago, his son, Matthieu Ricard, gave up a promising career as a scientist to study Tibetan Buddhism -- not as a detached observer but by immersing himself in its practice under the guidance of its greatest living masters.

Meeting in an inn overlooking Katmandu, these two profoundly thoughtful men explored the questions that have occupied humankind throughout its history. Does life have meaning? What is consciousness? Is man free? What is the value of scientific and material progress? Why is there suffering, war, and hatred? Their conversation is not merely abstract: they ask each other questions about ethics, rights, and responsibilities, about knowledge and belief, and they discuss frankly the differences in the way each has tried to make sense of his life.

Utterly absorbing, inspiring, and accessible, this remarkable dialogue engages East with West, ideas with life, and science with the humanities, providing wisdom on how to enrich the way we live our lives.

Customer Reviews:

Meaningful & Intellectually Provocative.......2007-09-02

The dialogue between Revel & Ricard are meaningful & intellectually provocative. Their open, critical & coherent discussion not merely enabled me to learn more about meaning of life, thru the lenses of both Western philosophy & Eastern Buddism, but also guided me to see things in a more lucid perspective. I look forward to exploring, learning, & experiencing more about the path to enlightenment introduced by Ricard.

Wonderful conversation on religion and philosophy.......2006-10-21

This is a father son conversation on religion and philosophy. It is a wonderful and enlightening look at Buddhism and rationality. What an extraordinary opportunity to explore the juxtaposition between a father and his rational philosophical beliefs and his son having grown up a westerner in a rational family and moving to the spiritual realm of Buddhism. His western lens is very helpful to understand this body of belief.

A must read if you are interested in a conversation that leads to understanding and learning that bridges the rational and the spiritual.

Fantastic.......2006-06-03

I really enjoyed this book at various levels. First of all, as an intellectual exchange of views between father and son, both of whom are obviously very knowledgeable in their fields of expertise. Most of the conversations between them took place in Nepal, and some in northern France. Secondly, I enjoyed it as a means to elucidate some points of Buddhist epistemology and metaphysics. Matthieu did a very good job as a spokesperson for Tibetan Buddhism. Thirdly, I enjoyed it because of what it made me aware of: views like those of Revel, an atheist and skeptical philosopher who stands in the ethical traditions of both Epicureism and Stoicism, are not enough to satisfy my spirit's quest for a comprehensive and organic view of life, since they are issued from a merely philosophical and scientist perspective.
Every time Matthieu made a good point, Revel's reply would be like : "Oh, this idea too was known in the Western philosophical tradition...So and so said the same thing..." It may well be true, but all of these views are part of the Buddhist organic, comprehensive tradition, the chief aim of which is to attain liberation from the illusion of the self, or enlightenment. Clearly Revel prefers a syncretistic approach to a straight forward, comprehensive one, like the Buddhist or the Christian paths.
This was obviously a conversation, not a debate, in which Matthieu would have won hands down. There are many unfavorable reference to Christianity, which makes me wonder if either one, especially Revel, has ever studied the Christian theological tradition.

Intelligent and insightful.......2005-08-05

As some others have said, I have dipped my toes into Buddhism here and there and can say quite frankly that this is the first book that I thought really helped me to understand and visualize this religion/living system without getting too abstract immediately, or without being over simplified and childish. I truly felt that the dialogue challenged my understanding of Buddhism yet helped me get my grounding so that I can begin a deeper and wiser exploration. The usage of metaphoric and poetic language on the part of Matthiew was helpful for me to begin visualizing the ideals of Buddhism, and having Jacques play devil's advocate ensured that it was a healthy and balanced discussion that I truly got caught up in. It's an insightful conversation that makes you feel you are almost the third at the table and I look forward to revisiting this discussion often.

Not really a dialog; more of an introduction to Buddhism.......2005-04-30

As many reviewers have explained, this book is the transcript of a long series of discussions between French philosopher Jean-Francois Revel and his son Matthieu Ricard, a Tibetan Buddhist monk.

The majority of the book consists in Mattieu Ricard explaining basic principles of Tibetan Buddhism, and his father asking questions. They spend a lot of time clearing away basic misconceptions. In reading this book I felt that Revel could have answered nearly all the questions he put to his son by simply reading a few introductions to Tibetan Buddhism.

When I bought the book, it was under the belief that they would be having a two-way dialog, discussing issues from their different perspectives. That is not at all what happens, and this book really works best as an introduction to Buddhism. If you are new to Tibetan Buddhism and you are interested in learning a lot about it, this is a very good introduction, because Revel is not a Buddhist and asks a lot of the kinds of questions Westerners will inevitably ask of Buddhism. It succeeds well on its own modest terms.

Muses, Madmen, and Prophets: Rethinking the History, Science, and Meaning of Auditory Hallucination

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An alternate history of voice-hearing
Hearing Voices: A Deep, Rich and Rational Approach
Hearing Voices Through History
Penetrating!
A modern look at an ancient phenomenon

Muses, Madmen, and Prophets: Rethinking the History, Science, and Meaning of Auditory Hallucination
Daniel B. Smith
Manufacturer: Penguin Press HC, The
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1594201102
Release Date: 2007-03-22

Book Description

The strange history of auditory hallucination throughout the ages, and its power to shed light on the mysterious inner source of pure faith and unadulterated inspiration.

Auditory hallucination is one of the most awe-inspiring, terrifying, and ill-understood tricks the human psyche is capable of. Muses, Madmen, and Prophets reevaluates the popular conception of the phenomenon today and through the ages, and reveals the roots of the medical understanding and treatment of it. It probes history, literature, anthropology, psychology, and neurology to explain and demystify the experience of hearing voices, in a fascinating and at times funny quest for understanding. Daniel B. Smith's personal experience with the phenomenon-his father heard voices, and it was the great torment and shame of his father's life-and his discovery that some people learn to live in peace with their voices fuels this contemplative, brilliantly researched, and inspired book.

Science has not been able to fully explain the phenomenon of auditory hallucination. It is a condition that has existed perhaps as long as we have-there is evidence of it in literature and even pre-literate oral histories from across all times and cultures. Smith presents the sophisticated and radical argument that a negative side effect of living as we do in this great age of medical science is that we have come to limit this phenomenon to nothing more than a biochemical glitch for which the only proper response is medical, pharmaceutical treatment. This "pathological assumption" can inflict great harm on the people who hear voices by ignoring the meaning and reality of the experience for them. But it also obscures from the rest of us a rich wellspring of knowledge about the essential source of faith and inspiration.

As Smith examines the many incidences of people who have famously heard voices throughout history-Moses, Mohammed, Teresa of Avila, Joan of Arc, Rilke, William Blake, Socrates, and others-he considers the experience of auditory hallucination in light of its relationship to the nature of pure faith and as the key to the source of artistic inspiration. At the heart of Smith's exploration into the many extraordinary, strange, sometimes frightening and sometimes almost supernatural aspects of auditory hallucination is his driving personal need to comprehend an experience that, when considered in good faith, is as profound and complex as human consciousness itself.

Customer Reviews:

An alternate history of voice-hearing.......2007-08-13

Daniel B. Smith comes to his interest in voices in an unusual manner. He doesn't hear voices (of people who are not present), and he has no medical or scientific training on the topic. Rather, he is intrigued because his father secretly heard voices yet was not schizophrenic.

By approaching voice-hearing through a historical lens, Smith is able to show how our current concept of voices is the product of the modern era's overthrow of religion by science and medicine (and specifically psychiatry). To make his point, he focuses on three of the most well-known voice hearers in history - Socrates, Joan of Arc, and Daniel Schreber, a 19th-century judge whose madness was analyzed by Freud and Jung. All eras, he explains, subject the hearing of voices to a test. In Socrates' time, the test was political: "Are the voices subversive or corrupting to the state?" In the Middle Ages, the test was theological: "Are the voices those of God or of the Devil?" It is only in the modern era that the test has become a psychiatric one. He makes an interesting argument about the use of the term "hallucinations," saying that it was the adoption of that term that made the ultimate pathologization of voice-hearers inevitable.

Smith frames voice-hearing in the modern era as a human rights issue. Voice-hearers must struggle against the psychiatric establishment for self-determination - the right to keep their voices, and to decide for themselves about the meaning of those voices.

Although Smith's style is a bit meandering at times, his effort to normalize the hearing of voices is refreshing in the current psychiatrically dominated climate of pathology. And his accounts of the three historical figures are quite interesting in their own right. I recommend the book to anyone interested in an offbeat, alternate history and interpretation of the widespread, multi-determined phenomenon of voice-hearing.

Hearing Voices: A Deep, Rich and Rational Approach.......2007-07-03

This is a fascinating and important book about a common experience that has at different times led to inspiration, fear and sadly also misery and misunderstanding. It is estimated that at any given time about three percent of the population of the United States experiences auditory hallucinations, and over a lifetime the figure is much higher, particularly after a major stressor, such as bereavement. I say "United States" quite deliberately: there is evidence that in rural Africa and rural India visual hallucinations are more common than auditory.

As Daniel Smith says in his preface,
"It (hearing voices) occurs in cultures in al regions of the Earth and is an appropriate topic of study for an array of disciplines, including psychiatry, psychology, neurology, philosophy, anthropology, theology and linguistics."
To his list we could herbalism, pharmacology and parapsychology: there are hallucinogens that produce not only visual experiences, but also auditory and cross-modal hallucinations. And records of hearing discarnate entities have exercised parapsychologists for a century or more.

As Daniel says, he chose to be selective in his choice of material about unusual auditory experiences, and to try and tell a story. And what a story it is, running from ancient prophets to modern brain science. There are twelve chapters and the titles give you a good idea of his approach:
1. Prelude: The Pathological Assumption
2. The House of Mirrors
3. Noble Automatons
4. Interlude: Listening
5. The Tyranny of Meaning
6. The Soft-Spoken God
7. Enigmatical Dictation
8. Interlude: Floating
9. Personal Deity: Socrates Versus the State
10. Digna Vox: Joan of Arc Versus the Church
11. Morbid Offspring: Daniel Paul Schreber Versus Psychiatry
12. Postlude: Hearing Voices

Followed by Notes, quite a good Bibliography and Index.

Though he is not a specialist in the art and science of auditory hallucinations, Daniel has read widely, thought deeply and enlisted the help of some of the foremost experts in the field. He has the advantage of not only being able to think outside the box, but of throwing the box out of the window!

I sometimes sound like a broken record, insisting that hearing voices is NOT diagnostic of mental illness. Daniel makes the same point in this book, and it needs to be repeated until everyone "gets it." I have just had a discussion with some young and rather inexperienced psychiatrists who told me that if they met someone who was hearing voices, they would immediately prescribe antipsychotic medicines. There is not a shred of evidence that they should do anything of the sort unless someone is suffering or causing suffering. And even then, the "voices" should not be the focus of treatment.

Several reviewers have mentioned the work of Julian Jaynes, who postulated that auditory hallucinations were generated in the right, or non-dominant hemisphere of the brain. This book presents one of the best brief overviews of Jaynes' work that I have seen. There is an amusing little sidebar here. It is not widely known that Jaynes, like many creative innovators, had a hard time being taken seriously by other academics. He was ridiculed in some publications from the late 1970s, he was sometimes treated unkindly and people even tried to perpetrate hoaxes on him.

There is a region of the brain called the planum temporale that is the most highly lateralized part of the brain and is involved in the genesis of language and thought. Healthy right-handed volunteers usually have a large planum in the left hemisphere of the brain. In 1993 a team of people at Johns Hopkins first showed that people with schizophrenia do indeed have an equally large planum in the right hemisphere, suggesting that Jaynes was correct all along. When people hear voices, they really do: it is not something "made up." When Jaynes was called at his office at Princeton to be told about the research, he was initially suspicious that this was another hoax. Years of bad experiences had taught him to be cautious. He was thrilled when he was shown the data and that this was not some prank. The research was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in 1995, and has since been confirmed many times.

This tale is important for another reason: Daniel does not make the common mistake of trying to reduce the hearing of voices to a some aberrant wiring in the brain. Sometimes it may be, but usually it is not. Instead he examines not just the phenomenon, but also the experience, from multiple perspectives: historical, cultural, anthropological, artistic and more besides.

The is a rich, very well written and wise book that should be an easy read for a generalist with an interest in psychology, history and spirituality.

Highly recommended.

Hearing Voices Through History.......2007-05-31

Daniel B. Smith' Muses, Madmen and Prophets is a son's labor of love for his father. Smith's father, an attorney, heard voices throughout his life, a fact that shamed and terrified him. Smith's grandfather also heard voices, but in his case, he listened to the voices without distress.
Smith makes a good argument that voice hearing was accepted as a phenomenon in human experience until the rise of modern psychiatry in the first half of the nineteenth century. Socrates heard voices. Abraham, Moses and all eighteen prophets of the Old Testament reported hearing the voice of God, as did Joan of Arc. But as modern psychiatry developed, and because hearing voices is such a key symptom of schizophrenia, public opinion shifted to believe that all voice hearing was indicative of severe mental illness.
In the 1980's a Dutch psychiatrist went on a talk show with his voice hearing patient, and asked that anyone in the audience who had experienced voice hearing please telephone him. He received 450 calls, from which developed the Hearing Voices Network, an association of people who hear voices, many of whom lead normal lives and are not mentally ill. This break-through allowed a distinction to be made between voice hearing individuals who are schizophrenic and voice hearing individuals who are not. Thus ended more than 100 years of automatic classification as insane for people who hear voices.
Smith advances an interesting idea that at the time of the ancient Greeks, at the time of Moses, human beings experienced inspiration as coming from the outside, but as the human brain changed over thousands of years, inspiration came to be experienced as thought. Though he didn't mention it, there is a phenomenon called synesthesia in which people hear music when they look at certain sights and see colors and shapes when they hear particular musical notes. One explanation for synesthesia is that as the human senses have evolved, they have separated one from another, but in some cases, the senses remain bundled. Could human senses have been bundled at the time of the Muses and Oracles, at the time of Moses, or when Mohammed heard the Archangel Gabriel tell him to recite? Who knows?
Smith's book is scholarly and intriguing without being pedantic. His thought moves in great sweeps and his prose is luminous and fluid.
Underlying it all is the tragic loss of Smith's father. Had he known what his son discovered, this man might still be alive.

Penetrating!.......2007-05-25

"Those who hear voices and what they hear in their hallucinations is examined thoroughly and almost explained in this penetrating study."

A modern look at an ancient phenomenon.......2007-03-26

I have long been intrigued by the ideas put forth in the late Julian Jaynes's "The Origin of Consciousness In the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind". Jaynes's theorized that humans did not achieve actual consciousness until comparatively recent times (it varied from culture to culture but in the Near- and Middle-East, according to Jaynes it would have been several centuries or a millennium or so BC). And he believed that the pre-conscious state was characterized by auditory hallucinations that were generally interpreted as the voices of the gods.

Jaynes's central theory about the origin of consciousness is probably beyond proof (exactly what is consciousness is a slippery concept, but Jaynes does NOT equate it self-awareness), but he does supply a great deal of evidence about how ancient humans did believe they regularly "heard" the voices of gods, and that at some point (again, it was not the same for all cultures), that ability went away, often with devastating consequences for a culture suddenly left without seeming divine guidance.

Daniel B. Smith's "Muses, Madmen, and Prophets: Rethinking the History, Science, and Meaning of Auditory Hallucination" addresses the survival of the phenomenon of "hearing voices" generated unconsciously by one's own mind. Popularly, hearing such voices is viewed as evidence of mental illness (indeed, schizophrenia has become in recent decades almost defined by the phenomenon), but Smith's book demonstrates that auditory hallucination is fairly common in people who are otherwise viewed as mentally normal. Surveys have supplied varying figures for the phenomenon (understandably, many people are reluctant to admit to a circumstance which might earn them a careless label of "crazy"; I suspect that the frequency of positive responses to the survey questions depend a great deal upon just how the questions were phrased), but it appears that at least a few percent up to maybe the majority of people at some time in their lives experience auditory hallucination, perhaps only a single time, although in some cases the phenomenon can be almost continual (Smith's own father and grandfather "heard voices" much of their lives). The condition is sometimes connected with stress (participants in combat and victims of rape appear to especially prone to it) and it sometimes is associated with bursts of great creativity. Smith discusses quite a number of famous people who regularly experienced what in today's rational world would be termed auditory hallucination: Socrates, Joan of Arc, and William Blake included.

Smith's book is not a dense, statistic-laden study, but rather a fast-flowing, somewhat ancecdotal introduction to a fascinating phenomenon which at one time may have played a decisive role in human culture and continues even today to shape some people's lives.

Jim and Casper Go to Church: Frank Conversation about Faith, Churches, and Well-Meaning Christians

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Church Analysis?
Is Mega-Bashing a new sport?
it's ok
Really a good read but keep things in perspective
New Perspective

Jim and Casper Go to Church: Frank Conversation about Faith, Churches, and Well-Meaning Christians
Jim Henderson , Matt Casper , and George Barna
Manufacturer: BarnaBooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1414313314

Book Description

Jim Henderson pays people to go to church. In fact, he made national news when he "rented" a soul for $504 on E-Bay after its owner offered an "open mind" to the highest bidder. In Jim & Casper Go to Church, Hendrson hires another atheist--Matt Casper--to visit ten leading churches with him and give the "first impression" perspective of a non-believer. What follows is a startling dialogue between an atheist and a believer seeing church anew through the eyes of a skeptic, and the development of an amazing relationship between two men with diametrically opposing views of the world who agree to respect each othersâ€™ space. Foreword by George Barna.
FEATURES:

Unique perspective of both Christian and atheist on the church & Christians in the USA
Intelligent and respectful, seeking dialogue between key characters
Helps the Christian understand the change in attitudes and actions required when shifting from defending the faith to defending "sacred space"--from talking to listening, from strength to weakness, from debate to dialogue, from manipulation to intentionality

Customer Reviews:

Church Analysis?.......2007-10-16

The idea for this book deserves a star or two on its rating, but the book itself is a bit less than expected. On one hand it seems to be a diary of Jim and Casper's friendship and church visiting trips that lacks any sort of analysis of their reactions, and on the other hand the lack of analysis og their reactions is good for allowing the reader to analyze the responses on their own.

This book does what every modern church leader would like to do-- visit some of America's most popular churches with someone that is truly an outsider. It is valuable to a church leader that is wrestling with the way their church presents itself to outsiders. It feels a bit like you have just made the trip with Jim and Casper, and need to wrestle with their observations.

One thing I wrestled with was Casper's real belief. He doesn't seem as atheist as he claims. I also am wrestling with how an atheist could visit America's top churches and be completely unchanged. I am not sure, however, that these are what the author's intended for me to wrestle with.

If you are a church leader wrestling with modern church, this is a must read. If you are just interested in American churches, this book will probably leave you with more questions than answers.

Is Mega-Bashing a new sport?.......2007-10-10

The book is basically a string of stories about these two guys visiting a bunch of really successful(high attendance) churches and offering their unchallenged hyper-critical views.

One of the two is an athiest and the other guy was a pastor once.

If the book points out anything useful it's that the 'feel' of the place to newcomers has a big influence over whether or not they come back. Okay, fair enough.

Curiously, they picked on churches that have proven (via attendance) that they can keep people. I think this pair would be more helpful if they visited the tiny struggling churches where there might be leadership with huge hearts that just can't figure out why they're chasing people away.

Whether or not spiritual growth is happening inside the walls of mega-churches can really only be measured on a case by case basis. Style preference will never be universal -- so praise God we live in a country where there's a wide variety for me to choose from.

Maybe God is big enough to meet people in any of these environments.

it's ok.......2007-09-26

The book is ok. It has some good insights, but is merely two guys opinion. I think you have to take their age and everything into account. It is an important read, and I would like to see more books like this to get a well rounded opinion from "the outsiders".

Really a good read but keep things in perspective.......2007-09-03

I just finished the book today (and this is my very first review). It's a quick read. Not much as far as in-depth analysis. In reality it's only the first impressions of someone who is not familiar with church culture. In some ways it feels like the script from a reality tv show. Funny, interesting, but something of substance is missing.
That being said, I think what is worth thinking about the book are exactly those first impressions, particularly the line, "Is this what Jesus told you guys to do." That, I think is, how the book cashes out. But I must admit I was torn...

One one hand, there are certain ancient traditions that Christians still practice today (the sacraments) that would be hard for any person outside of the Christian community to completely understand. In fact, it would be presumptuous for us to conclude that someone who is not a follower of Christ would understand theological concepts such as substitutionary atonement, imputation, justification, and sanctification. And before you shut me out because these concepts are "theological" - two things. First, pastors used to be sort of the theologian/philosopher/shepherd in their local community. They were less concerned with lights, smoke machines, and what have you, and really concerned about the state of people's souls. Second, these concepts work themselves out in how we live the Christian life in practical and often mundane ways. There's no way around this.

On the other hand, I agree wholeheartedly that some of the practices that are a part of church today are not ancient but are new and in my opinion, kind of goofy. Some of the things that made Casper squirm are the very things that make me squirm. As a pastor I think there is much to consider here particularly when it comes to forcing community on people in sappy ways or giving the appearance that we are always happy, or as Dallas Willard likes to say, giving the impression that Christianity works in some sort of superficial magical way. We neglect the deep work of the Spirit in revealing both our virtues and vices that are deeply habituated in our hearts and minds.

I still get the feeling that I'm in on a postmodern conversation. For instance, "I love the teachings of Jesus. I love the teachings of Buddha." I'm not sure how to make sense of that. There are other hints that the Christian faith is not necessarily a reservoir of knowledge but rather one simply accepts it by faith. I'm not comfortable with that. I certainly understand why Jim would hold back and not "befriend" Casper so as to debate him about the nature of truth. I agree that we are not looking for certainty (like Descartes) but the tradition of Christianity is that you could know certain things were true without acting like a pompous jackass. If you're confused read J.P. Moreland's chapter 5 in "The Kingdom Triangle."

That being said, I think the book is worth reading. In fact, I laughed out loud in quite a few places agreeing wholeheartedly with Casper's thoughts. It's given me pause to think about ministry, my heart in all of this, and most importantly God's heart for people.

New Perspective.......2007-08-18

This book is very well written. It brought a whole new prespective to the way that I think about church and christianity. A book with an insighful purpose.

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Busting the Myth of Redemptive Violence
Prescient
Thoughtful meditation on the wages of war
war is a force that gives us meaning
A Book for the Times

War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning
Chris Hedges
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1400034639
Release Date: 2003-06-10

Book Description

As a veteran war correspondent, Chris Hedges has survived ambushes in Central America, imprisonment in Sudan, and a beating by Saudi military police. He has seen children murdered for sport in Gaza and petty thugs elevated into war heroes in the Balkans. Hedges, who is also a former divinity student, has seen war at its worst and knows too well that to those who pass through it, war can be exhilarating and even addictive: “It gives us purpose, meaning, a reason for living.”

Drawing on his own experience and on the literature of combat from Homer to Michael Herr, Hedges shows how war seduces not just those on the front lines but entire societies, corrupting politics, destroying culture, and perverting the most basic human desires. Mixing hard-nosed realism with profound moral and philosophical insight, War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning is a work of terrible power and redemptive clarity whose truths have never been more necessary.

Customer Reviews:

Busting the Myth of Redemptive Violence.......2007-09-01

This book and its message is NOT an assertion that all war is inherently wrong and that there is no distinction between the administration of justice and the return of evil for evil. It is an assertion that aggressive militarism, the glorification of warfare, the failure to recognize that it is born of sin and human failure and the pimping of it by religious and political institutions is misguided at best and possibly disastrous when not discerned and/or allowed to go unchecked by Godly, moral reflection.

Very often, pacifism is equated with passiveness, even though there is no linguistic link between the two words. Therefore, the application of pacifism, or anything approaching pacifism, is regarded as disastrous.
In a certain sense perhaps pacifism and passiveness are similar. To be passive means to receive or be subject to an action without responding or initiating an action in return. But passiveness also implies that one is not participating, that one is inert. In this sense nothing could be farther from the truth.

At any rate, Hedges does not profess to be a pacifist- although I believe in a certain sense of the word that he is. Nowadays I consider myself a pacifist or peacemaker with regards to warfare. What that means to me is not a belief that all violence is always wrong no matter what. It does mean that I judge any given situation with a spiritual discernement. It means that I choose violence as a solution last... not first. It means that I do not hate my enemies, but rather love them and consider my ultimate enemy not my fellow man... but the spiritual forces of darkness in the celestial realm as the Bible teaches. It means that I know that the power to give life is far greater than the power to kill and destroy. It means that I think eternally and act spiritually inasmuch as I am able as a weak and pitiful sinner and carnal man. It means that I leave room for God's plan and God's sovereign right to vengeance before my own. It means that I do not fear death... and am thus not controlled by fear in my actions or reactions... inasmuch as I am able. I believe that this book ul;timately reveals that Mr. Hedges feels essentially the same way.

Chris Hedges is the son of a Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Thomas Hedges. He has a B.A. in English Literature from Colgate University and a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School, where he studied under James Luther Adams. Thus, Mr. Hedges' view of the world and of warfare are undoubtedly colored by theology. Hedges is currently a senior fellow at The Nation Institute in New York City and a Lecturer in the Council of the Humanities and the Anschutz Distinguished Fellow at Princeton University. He spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. He has reported from more than fifty countries, and has worked for The Christian Science Monitor, National Public Radio, The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times, where he spent fifteen years.

Hedges' has a stinging, no punches pulled, no holds barred style of writing that I personally find very strong and inspiring. This book "War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning", is one of the few books that so deeply inspired me that I read it straight through as quickly as possible. The book left me a bit disenchanted and in a brooding mood in the end. The realization of the validity of Hedges' perspective and cultural commentary is a bitter pill to swallow for anyone who values true freedom and moral truth. This is heavy material for a moral, freethinking person to reflect on.

Here are two excerpts from the book that I discovered when skimming through it at the bookstore that made me buy this book:

1. "We make our heroes out of clay. We laud their gallant deeds and give them uniforms and put colored ribbons on their chests for acts of violence they commit or endure. They are our repositories of glory and honor- of power, self righteousness, patriotism and self worship - all that we want to believe about ourselves. They are our plaster saints of war- the icons we cheer to defend us and make us and our nation great. But they are part of our civic religion- our love of power and force. Our belief in our right as a chosen nation to wield this force against the weak and rule. This is our nation's idolatry of itself- and it has corrupted our religious institutions just as it has corrupted religious institutions in other nations- fusing the will of God with the will of the State to create a potent and deadly form of idolatry."

2. "War from a distance seems noble. It gives us a feeling of belonging, of comradeship, of power, a chance to play a small bit in the great drama of human history. It promises to give us an identity as a warrior, a patriot, a believer- as long as we go along with the myth- the one the war makers need to wage war. But, up close, war is a soulless void. The world of war descends to barbarity, perversion, pain and an unchecked orgy of death. It is a state where human decency and tenderness is crushed- where those who make war work overtime to reduce all love and sensitivity to smut and filth.
In war the moral order is turned upside down. All that is repulsive and feared in peacetime is lauded and cheered in war. The noise, the stench, the cries of pain, the eviscerated bodies, the bloated stinking corpses spin us into another universe. And in this moral void, often blessed by the church or the mosque or the synagogue- the hypocrisy of our social conventions, our strict adherence to religious edicts and virtues and utter refusal to honor others comes unglued. War, for all its horror, has the power to strip away the trivial and the banal, the empty chatter and self righteous obsessions that fill our days. It lets us see."

Whether you agreee with Mr. Hedges' take or not... his offering is/should be an important part of the dialog on these topics. I give the book my highest endorsement.

Prescient.......2007-08-12

A well argued work, the most amazing thing about it in hindsight is how while written before the Iraq invasion, and without once referring to its immenence, Hedges predicted so much of what has occurred in Iraq--how the 9/11 victims would become martyr fodder, the destruction of Iraqi culture, the connection between torture and pornography, the inciting of latent and rather benign ethnic differences into endless blood feuding by those who wish to perpetuate the fighting. Utilizing classic literature, an in depth understanding of conflict throughout history, and his own first hand experience as a war correspondent for decades, Hedges makes his argument that war is hell not a video game, and, while no, it's not a new one, we shouldn't as a result be going to war every time a kid who is well known for lying cries "wolf."

Thoughtful meditation on the wages of war.......2007-06-14

This book is basically a philosophical, psychological essay/meditation on war and its role in human life. At times it reads like a whirlwind tour of the atrocities and cruelties that humans have visited on one another. Hedges was a war correspondent for over a decade and traveled to many of the world's war zones, including Central America during the 1980's, the Balkans, and the Middle East. Hedges' experiences in these places obviously had a profound impact on him, and this book is essentially a collection of his impressions. Hedges seeks to situate war within the human consciousness. Using literature and actual political proclamations, he demonstrates that war is often depicted as the highest human calling, in which young men and women gain the opportunity to achieve heroism and fight (and often die) for lofty ideals. This is contrasted with the humdrum and monotony of everyday life in which many people struggle vainly to find some meaning in their lives. One of Hedges' goals is to shatter this romantic myth of war by exposing the carnage and emotional and physical destruction that it unleashes and the lies, foisted by political leaders, that undergird it. A good portion of the book follows a particular pattern. Hedges will make a general observation about "war," such as, "In times of war, such and such thing tends to happen." He then provides specific examples to back up his generalization. Probably my favorite aspect of this book was Hedges' savage indictment of nationalism. I have studied nationalism and its origins from an academic point of view (Gellner, Benedict Anderson), but Hedges here provides a compelling and damning depiction of the ways in which nationalist sentiments serve to mobilize people to commit the most barbaric acts. He provides numerous examples of how political leaders have exploited nationalist rhetoric to stir up animosities among communities for their own political gain, and how these communities far too gullibly often fall for this tactic. While fundamentalist religion in recent years has justifiably gained attention as a source of conflict, nationalism, which also creates artificial us versus them distinctions, has not garnered as much criticism.

This book is not a policy manual. Hedges concedes early on that, despite the cruely and barbarism of war, he is not a pacifist and that military action is often necessary. However, he is infuriatingly vague about what those conditions are under which war should be regarded as justified. He also takes pains to argue that he is not a moral relativist; in most conflicts, one can justifiably identify one particular side as being morally superior (or, at least, less immoral) than the other, but he doesn't clarify what criteria to use to make that distinction. In sum, this isn't the book to read if you are looking for any sort of moral guidance on when war is justified. But alas, this is probably an unfair criticism, since Hedges seeks here to write a more meditative reflection on the costs of war. Overall, I would recommend this short book (I read it in a couple of sittings) to anyone seeking such a philosophical reflection.

war is a force that gives us meaning.......2007-06-04

Chris Hedges uses past experiences to describe the reality of war. He uses what he calls "sensory reality", where people look at war in terms of what it really is as opposed to trying to justify it, making it a heroic movement. In one of his chapters he also describes "mythic reality" which he says is unfortunately used throughout the majority. Mythic reality is where people sugar coat the war in order to turn it into a success for their people. Hedges describes how the people of today try to use our constant need to fight as something to enlighten our country, they use this mythic reality in order to make themselves either the victim of the war or the heroic figure which textbooks constantly portray. As he's experienced a lot through war, he uses facts from what he himself has witnessed in order to prove that war is not a heroic event, it's rather just a brutal fight that our modern day justifies in order to be proud.
As the media today is trying to recruit, Hedges also discusses how the war is taught to the youth as something exciting, heroic and worst of all something to look forward to in order to find yourself.
Hedges is a magnificent author, ready to back up all of his points with facts from his past experience. I have nothing negative to say towards any of his theories as he has proven reality and is the one person who has let the world read the truth rather than what the textbooks say.

A Book for the Times.......2007-05-30

Prompted by reading Mr. Hedges' article on the same topic in The Nation, I wanted to read more. His book should be a 'must' reading in today's world; I have yet to read a better treatment of this timely and emotional subject.

Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life

Average customer rating:

Complex and Entertaining
like good medicine
Unintelligent design explained
Entertaining materialist philosophy
Intellectually Stimulating

Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life
Daniel C. Dennett
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

History & Surveys | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
The God Delusion
Consciousness Explained
The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition--with a new Introduction by the Author

ASIN: 068482471X

Amazon.com

One of the best descriptions of the nature and implications of Darwinian evolution ever written, it is firmly based in biological information and appropriately extrapolated to possible applications to engineering and cultural evolution. Dennett's analyses of the objections to evolutionary theory are unsurpassed. Extremely lucid, wonderfully written, and scientifically and philosophically impeccable. Highest Recommendation!

Book Description

In a book that is both groundbreaking and accessible, Daniel C. Dennett, whom Chet Raymo of The Boston Globe calls "one of the most provocative thinkers on the planet," focuses his unerringly logical mind on the theory of natural selection, showing how Darwin's great idea transforms and illuminates our traditional view of humanity's place in the universe. Dennett vividly describes the theory itself and then extends Darwin's vision with impeccable arguments to their often surprising conclusions, challenging the views of some of the most famous scientists of our day.

Customer Reviews:

Complex and Entertaining.......2007-07-09

While Dennett comes off, at times, sounding pompous and headstrong, that may simply be because he is, in my opinion, correct about certain aspects of the human mind's ability to cope with conflicting beliefs. My personal religious beliefs aside, I do feel that, at a point, religion and evolutionary science do come into direct conflict. Some of Dennett's thoughts and ideas, in conjunction with Dawkins's ideas, can run a little wayward of what I would call science, but simply because the ideas are blended with speculation and opinion. For further reading on the evolutionary perspective of religious thought, I would recommend Scott Atran and Pascal Boyer. Again, I really enjoyed the book, my personal disagreements notwithstanding.

like good medicine.......2007-07-08

This is not an easy read. It's rocky, at times pedantic, somewhat oblique, and about as picky as a book on logic. Dennett has difficulty keeping the reader engaged in his point, as his examples tend to be somewhat obscure at times, and his verbosity often masks the clarity of his vision. I sometimes had to turn back to the beginning of the chapter to remind myself what he was trying to say. Luckily, he seems to understand this, and provides summary statements after each chapter -- good thing, because without these navigational aids, he can be difficult to follow.

However, what Dennett has achieved here will stand the test of time because it is USEFUL. He is able to look at all the objections to the theory of evolution by natural selection and take them apart logically, scientifically, and heuristically. These objections are not limited to the religious variety, but also include scientific backlashes to Darwin like those of Gould, Chomsky, and Kaufmann. In other words, if you want to understand the breadth and depth of Darwin's theory, this is a masterwork.

What it lacks is, unfortunately, what the back cover promises: a look at Darwinism in the light of ethics, morality, and culture. Sure, Dennett devotes a (delicious) chapter to the topic, invoking Nietzsche and Hobbes, and there are scattered sections in the book that are like mind candy for the intellectually thirsty reader. It's a good thing those brilliant sections are scattered randomly throughout the book, because they may be the only thing that keeps the general reader interested.

Unless you're a biologist or anthropologist, you may want to read something shorter and more to the point. This book is for scholars who want exactitude. And to those scholars, I say read this book as quickly as possible, because it's VERY hard to come back to after putting down for a week or so.

Unintelligent design explained.......2007-06-02

This book is a philosophical work rather than straight science, the author does an excellent job of looking at all the various species of darwinian theories and their mutations, from scientific,to pop culture to philosophical,and subjecting them to a harsh environment of critical thought and logic, so selecting out the fittest for survival at the end of the book.I may be a bit biased as I have come to the same conclusions as the author,that there is only one true version of natural selection that works with no god or intelligent design, nor any adaption via senses, or experience of any organism, it is pure random mutation followed by the environment killing off what is not the best,strongest or most efficient. It is certainly not the sort of touchy-feely stuff some people seem to seek to explain things, its cold and harsh,cruel and unforgiving, although the author keeps it less harsh that my own view of it, and rightly states in a way,that just because it is harsh,doesnt change the reality of how we feel it and percieve it, love is still love no matter its mechanical, survival,or other basis. If you feel that describing something like life or love in a cold hard scientific way will change your view of it ,ruin it for you, if you are that open to suggestion, dont read this book. If you want a great philosophical arguement to open your mind and cut through the B.S. and sugar coating,if you think in a scientific way, and yes it can be quite a harsh and cold look at things, then this book is an excellent read. The author has done an enormous amount of research and distilled it into one volume, and some of the arguements or view points will be unknown to most people,and quite useless in a way, but seeing so many view points is always good for anyone who likes to think deeply and be challenged. I didnt learn alot from this book that I hadnt already figured out for myself using common sense,yet really enjoyed it for its excellent arguements and insights, its enjoyable for the philosophical side even if you have no interest in the subject matter. Also highly recommended is the authors book on consciousness, although its fairly hard going as the concepts are alot harder to grasp than evolutions mechanisms.

Entertaining materialist philosophy.......2007-05-02

It is hard to imagine that a 600 plus page book on materialist philosophy could be entertaining and a fairly quick read, but it is. The tone is too dogmatic, and there is way too much space devoted to quibbling, but it is rare to find a book this informative and thought provoking.

Intellectually Stimulating.......2007-03-31

Darwin's Dangerous Idea is one of Daniel Dennett's more notable works, being a 1995 national book award finalist (as advertised on the cover). I'm not really sure why it didn't win though, because had I been on the panel of judges, I would probably have chosen it over the competition (whatever they were). The book thoroughly explains Darwin's theory of evolution with regard to biology (including its finer philosophical and technical details) and extends the theory even further to just about everything, including the universe itself. The basic premise being that complexity arises out of simplicity and this is precisely what it would take for anything in the known universe to be in existence today.

Dennett sees no contradiction for example, in how humans behave by explaining that memes (cultural elements) that influence our behaviours and which seem to have a far greater effect than genes on our future evolution are themselves merely products of genetic evolution. Think of it as many smaller cranes (tiny steps in evolution that build upon one another) building a better, bigger crane (i.e. humans capable of storing, producing and transmitting memes). As a philosopher, the man has a vast knowledge of science, biology and computer science, in particular. He is extremely well-read and explains his ideas with such lucidity, you'll be amazed at how he can actually get you to understand very complex ideas and examples.

I sometimes found myself unable to follow certain topics but every time, Dennett grabbed my hand and lifted me back into my seat of understanding with his natural flare of wanting more than anything, not to obfuscate in any way the message he is trying to get across. If only all educators were like that. He presents many examples and references from diverse fields in science and literature (e.g. Borge's Library of Babel) that will amaze and get you thinking. Dennett also critiques work by other scientists such as Stephen J. Gould and Noam Chomsky where relevant, to name just two. I learned a lot about science in general, not to mention artificial intelligence, architecture, philosophy and literature by reading this book.

The last chapter is very nice closure to his whole thesis. Despite being an atheist, Dennett does not see religion as completely evil and acknowledges the role it played (as a result of cultural evolution) that in some ways have benefitted mankind; not "spiritually" but at least in terms of comfort and artistic inspiration. At 586 pages, it is an extremely satisfying read. I'm eager to dig into his latest book, "Breaking the Spell" and one of his earlier works, "The Mind's, I" soon.

The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History

Average customer rating:

A well-written foray into urban formation
excelent
A classic
a guidebook of magnificent ideas on city
A Bible for an Urban Designer

The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History
Spiro Kostof
Manufacturer: Bulfinch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Urban & Land Use Planning | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0821220160

Book Description

Spanning the ages and the globe, Spiro Kostof explores the city as a repository of cultural meaning and an embodiment of the community it shelters. Widely used by both architects and students of architecture, The City Shaped won the AIAs prestigious book award in Architecture and Urbanism. Includes hundreds of photos and drawings that illustrate Professor Kostof.

Customer Reviews:

A well-written foray into urban formation.......2006-10-10

Spiro Kostof's book is a fantastic and intelligent foray into urban form. What I found most appealing about the book was his approach in grappling with the WHY of things; in describing how certain urban forms have come to pass, he offers the requisite determined factors as any architect of the City ought to do and then manages the neat trick of gracefully acknowledging that these factors do not necessarily lead to a single outcome. But he is intrepid in his analysis and his approach. Beginners may find this book difficult because it does assume a basic understanding of cities and city planning; however, ambitious readers should give it a try. Mr. Kostof's cultural and historical references and his non-linear style are extremely appealing and intriguing, so much so that I will continue on to "The City Assembled", the companion piece, with great eagerness.

excelent.......2005-08-20

este livro possui indicacoes excelentes para um pesquisador da forma urbana e da historia da cidade trilhar seus conhecimentos.

pesquisa seria e escrita magnifica.
boa escolha.

A classic.......2005-05-04

Well written, consistently interesting and structured around the challenges of topography and the urban form demands invoked by market needs, political architectures and cultural expectations through history, this beautifully illustrated book delivers the promise of its title and a lot more.

Because the author, Spiro Kostof, organized his book by patterns and topological relationships, the text compresses history and geographies into a comparative perspective. This presents a disadvantage to the reader if he/she is interested in only one time, one culture or even just one architectural movement.

On the other hand, the comparative perspective lends authority to Kostof's overarching theoretical approach of connecting urban forms to content and how those relationships persist across the spectrum of the human experience. A must for any architect's or planner's library.

a guidebook of magnificent ideas on city.......2001-02-24

Perhapes part of Kostof's category for urban patterns( as organic, grids, grand manner....) is arguable, but his wonderful ananlyses for each individual sample lead us into deeper understanding of urban patterns and social meanings behind. Many cities familiar to most of us (Siena, Paris, New Dehli....) appear refreshingly unfamiliar in his book.

A Bible for an Urban Designer.......1999-12-15

Probably the most comprehensive guide to the thoughts, theories and practical aspects of designing a city. Buy it and weep for your boring grid plan cities....

The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes

Average customer rating:

Disappointing
Wow, a new archetype!
Dry but valuable
A Brand Is Never Just A Logo
Insightful

The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes
Margaret Mark , and Carol S. Pearson
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Strategy & Competition | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Building Brands and Believers: How to Connect with Consumers Using Archetypes
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Storytelling: Branding in Practice
The Hero Within: Six Archetypes We Live By

ASIN: 0071364153

Book Description

A brand’s meaning—how it resonates in the public heart and mind—is a company’s most valuable competitive advantage. Yet, few companies really know how brand meaning works, how to manage it, and how to use brand meaning strategically. Written by best-selling author Carol S. Pearson (The Hero Within) and branding guru Margaret Mark, this groundbreaking book provides the illusive and compelling answer. Using studies drawn from the experiences of Nike, Marlboro, Ivory and other powerhouse brands, the authors show that the most successful brands are those that most effectively correspond to fundamental patterns in the unconscious mind known as archetypes. The book provides tools and strategies to:
• Implement a proven system for identifying the most appropriate and leverageable archetypes for any company and/or brand
• Harness the power of the archetype to align corporate strategy to sustain competitive advantage

Download Description

Using studies drawn from the experiences of Nike, Marlboro, Ivory and other powerhouse brands, the authors show that the most successful brands are those that most effectively correspond to fundamental patterns in the unconscious mind known as archetypes.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2007-09-14

I was disappointed by the lack of rigorous thinking in this book.

Sure, different companies have different personalities and personality is part of the brand. We could even create our own set of Jungian archetypical brand personalities, and go about attaching them to different brands.

But now for a test. Is Coca Cola a Creator -- helping inspire its users to do great bubbly things? Is it a Caregiver -- showing care for others? Maybe it's a Ruler -- a tough competitor and long the top dog in Cola Wars? How about a Jester -- always at the center of a good time? Or just it's just the drink for Regular Guys and Gals? Look at the ads -- maybe its a Lover or at least a drink for Lovers sharing a soda with two straws? Or, how about an almost Heroic presence, again from ads? Sometimes, it has a sort of Outlaw feel (with folks like Mean Joe Greene playing Robin Hood handing a Coke to a kid). In the old days Coca Cola ads praised it both for giving energy and a calming effect -- though there's no archetype for either of those. So, maybe it is more a Magician -- think of some of those magical ads past and animated present and its ability to give both energy and calm the soul. Given Coca Cola's global ubiquity and appeal, it might well be the drink of Explorers. It might even be (given the caffeine) the energy drink for yuppie Sages? Well, it turns out (according to the authors), that Coke is clearly so successful because it's an "Innocent." The toughest competitor in the Cola Wars, a mixture of caffeine, water, and sugar, almost wizened from a century of success -- yeah, it's clearly an Innocent and that explains everything.

My point is that the book lacks any sense of rigor, proof, or science-like basis in fact. The authors do a clever job of retrofitting achetypes to brands, and several of the cases are interesting, but the whole thing appears to work better in hindsight than proven principles for brand success. One could equally well, in this reviewers opinion, talk about aligning your brand with top-rated TV shows, Tarot cards, signs of the Zodiac, or (with at least a tiny bit of science) Myers-Briggs personality types --- "proving" the case with stories about how GE, Toyota, Google, etc. etc. all fit some stellar or personality pattern.

The kernel of truth in the book is that people like their brands, products, and companies to have a predicatable, attractive, and aspirational subtext. Creating an enduring and attractive personality makes sense, at least as long as the personality remains relevant.

Speaking of personalities, what's the Jungian archetype for the Maytag repair man? Is he a Regular Guy, sidekick to a Hero, or a Jester? Is the Ultimate Driving Machine (BMW) a Hero or an Explorer . . . with maybe the 3 Series for Regular Guys and Gals with higher aspirations than Honda and Toyota owners? No doubt the authors could tell us, though I doubt their hindsight would be of much value in predicting past or future business success.

What might be of value to some readers, especially those who think Jung had the last meaningful words on human decision making, is that some structure (almost any structure, even the Yellow Pages or TV guide) can be useful in brainstorming product and brand alternatives.

Wow, a new archetype!.......2007-08-06

Amazing... discover some (partial) new knowledge of psychology for the sole purpose of manipulating and profiting from others!
While this is standard for advertising types, it would only be fair of Pearson to discuss the other core archtypes at work here: the Crook, the Scam Artist, the Amoral Profiteer. These are real archetypes, that most readers of this book are living. Make money Peason, ok, but face your shadow and dont be part of the human problem; be part of the solution.

Dry but valuable.......2007-07-28

Alright, I'll be the first to admit it; this book is not an easy read. In fact, I'd call it a slog (and I'm a readaholic who can't put down the back of a cereal box!). But, the concepts presented are worth the work. The authors explain what's so darn compelling about Apple's logo, what type of client you want to speak to, and what they need you to say to make a connection with them. Plus much, much more.

So if you're trying to get a handle on branding and figure out what will work for you, grab this book. Thankfully, although it is dry as bone, it's fairly skim-friendly. So do what I did and skip the parts that don't apply or get too boring, and just look at the handy call-out boxes of bulleted info. You'll get the meat of the book without having to work so hard.

A Brand Is Never Just A Logo.......2007-03-08

If you're in the business of building brands. positioning products and adding value to organizations, this is a must-read. Simply organized, easy to follow and full of insight and thought, this book belongs on the office desk of every one who's involved in the science and art of marketing and brand development.

Insightful.......2006-11-11

This book draws some rock-solid suggestions about how companies can build successful brands by tapping into the fables and stories that are hardwired into our DNA. Uses insightful examples and makes what could have been a pretty dry read into a book that I actually read cover to cover on a cross-country flight. That's an achievement as generally five minutes spent reading on an airplane puts me into a deep sleep.

Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning (American Association for State and Local History Book Series)

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Learning from Museums: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning: Visitor Experiences and the Making of Meaning (American Association for State and Local History Book Series)
John H. Falk
Manufacturer: AltaMira Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Museum Studies & Museology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0742502953

Book Description

Visit our website for sample chapters!

Average customer rating:

"Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete."
A great alternative to self-help books
greatest self-help book ever written
Look to a higher purpose and transcend your situation
A good book to read if you are and don't know why.

Man's Search for Meaning
Viktor E. Frankl
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Holocaust | Historical | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0807014265

Amazon.com

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is among the most influential works of psychiatric literature since Freud. The book begins with a lengthy, austere, and deeply moving personal essay about Frankl's imprisonment in Auschwitz and other concentration camps for five years, and his struggle during this time to find reasons to live. The second part of the book, called "Logotherapy in a Nutshell," describes the psychotherapeutic method that Frankl pioneered as a result of his experiences in the concentration camps. Freud believed that sexual instincts and urges were the driving force of humanity's life; Frankl, by contrast, believes that man's deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose. Frankl's logotherapy, therefore, is much more compatible with Western religions than Freudian psychotherapy. This is a fascinating, sophisticated, and very human book. At times, Frankl's personal and professional discourses merge into a style of tremendous power. "Our generation is realistic, for we have come to know man as he really is," Frankl writes. "After all, man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those gas chambers upright, with the Lord's Prayer or the Shema Yisrael on his lips."

Book Description

With more than 4 million copies in print in the English language alone, Man's Search for Meaning, the chilling yet inspirational story of Viktor Frankl's struggle to hold on to hope during his three years as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, is a true classic. Beacon Press is now pleased to present a special gift edition of a work that was hailed in 1959 by Carl Rogers as "one of the outstanding contributions to psychological thought in the last fifty years." Frankl's training as a psychiatrist informed every waking moment of his ordeal and allowed him a remarkable perspective on the psychology of survival. His assertion that "the will to meaning" is the basic motivation for human life has forever changed the way we understand our humanity in the face of suffering. "If you read but one book this year, Dr. Frankl's book should be that one." Â—Los Angeles Times "A compelling introduction to the most significant psychological movement of our day." -Gordon W. Allport, from the Preface "An enduring work of survival literature." -The New York Times

Customer Reviews:

"Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete.".......2007-10-10

"Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete."

What is the meaning of life? Frankl try's to answer that through his experience as a prisoner in a concentration camp in Auschwitz (among others) and in his psychiatry practice after the war. Be it by grace, a miracle, or chance, he made it out alive. And now he is here to tell this powerful, optimistic story and help us with an age old question.

He try's to answer this question: " How was everyday life in a concentration camp reflected in the mind of the average prisoner?" This would later influence psychotherapy. Even being surrounded by so much evil there was still kindness to be found in an occasional guard. The prisoners were not always kind to there fellow inmates: there were sellouts and CAPO's; Capo's were Jews that watched over their fellow captives for favors, food, and extended life. Who is to say what any one of us would do. With misery and suffering beyond comprehension, "having a why to live for enabled them to bear the how". I will never look at that last leftover pea the same way.

Writing on his concentration camp experience Frankl briefly discusses "logotherepy". In a later chapter he goes into detail: Logotherepy (which he coined), the "striving to find a meaning in ones life is the primary motivational force in man". In his practice he uses a form of reverse psychology. The last chapter is on optimism during tragedy.

Freedom is only part of the story, he writes: "I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast"

There are many quotables from Frankl, I will leave you with this: "Our generation is realistic, for we have come to know man as he really is. After all, man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those gas chambers upright, with the Lord's Prayer or the Shema Yisrael on his lips."

In the end, there is that need for a reason.

Wish you well
Scott

A great alternative to self-help books.......2007-10-06

I first heard of this book years ago through a strong recommendation by Stephen Covey in the 7 Habits, but didn't think about it until earlier this year when I was at Half Price. I was at the bookstore to buy another Covey book, "The 8th Habit", and then I spotted Dr. Frankl's book.

Nothing against most self-help/productivity books (I know I've read more than my share) but after a while they can seem kind of stupid. There's a point where some random dude telling you how you should live your life becomes a highly ineffective approach to growth.

Which is why Man's Search for Meaning appealed to me. Not only does the author back up his thoughts on suffering and meaning through extensive research, Dr. Frankl applied his ideas to help survive his three-years in the Holocaust, and so has a huge personal connection to the ideas he's presenting.

What he's talking about, as many others have agreed, is pretty straightforward: by creating meaning in life, you have the capacity to move beyond any hardship in life. But Dr. Frankl provides a way to really help internalize this idea, which is why I highly, highly recommend this book.

greatest self-help book ever written.......2007-08-30

Viktor Frankl's journey and his amazing survival techniques in the Auschwitz death camps prove to be one of the most meaningful books ever written. If there was 1 book that everyone should read in their life this would be my choice. Forget all those meaningless self-help books on getting rich, getting in touch with your inner self and all that new age baloney that might enhance your life but if your life has no meaning, no foundation for growth than nothing will ever bring you true happiness. In the midst of our greatest struggles we learn our greatest lessons and a life without struggle is not a life with meaning.

Look to a higher purpose and transcend your situation.......2007-08-30

This book is really two works in one. In the first, longer part, Frankl details his experiences in Nazi concentration camps. His purpose is to demonstrate to the reader that even in the most horrific of circumstances it is possible to hold your head high and maintain your sense of purpose and optimism. In the second part, Frankl describes just how his "logotherapy" works.

This book, highly popular in the 1970s, is both informative and practical. If you hadn't previously figured out how to rise above the fleeting events of your life when they distress you, this book makes the process clear and explicit. It is in fact one Western version of some of the main tenets of Buddhism, which tells us that life is only an illusion of endless change, and you must constantly reach for the unchangeable truths beyond that illusion.

Having missed reading the book when it was first popular, I am glad to have finally gotten to it, if a bit late in life. I strongly agree with Frankl's point that "self-actualization is possible...only as a side-effect of self-transcendence". There are additional tidbits I found useful, such as the notion of "paradoxical intention", in which you try to consciously perform some action you are trying to cure yourself of, such as stuttering. Frankl also rightly reminds us that in each situation, you will know for yourself what the one *right* thing to do is, and you must chose that in order to be at peace with yourself.

I gave the book only four stars, since I felt it was a bit repetitive (I wonder what the original 20-volume German-language version was like), continually recycling a single core idea which could have been explained in fewer words - though shortening the text might admittedly have made it less effective. It is in any case a great work, a classic in the psychology and self-help genre, not to be missed.

A good book to read if you are and don't know why........2007-08-15

Very interesting book for anyone who suffers and cannot find any meaning from it. Victor Frankel survived the concentration camps of the Holocaust during World War II. If anybody knows about suffering it would be Frankel. This is an about Christianity or Judaism... it's about believing that there is value in suffering and that nobody can take away your ability to decide how you will think about things in your life. Only you control your own thoughts. This is of course not for children.

The Contest of Meaning: Critical Histories of Photography

Average customer rating:

Ouch, but Ahhh.

The Contest of Meaning: Critical Histories of Photography

Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Criticism & Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

History | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0262521695

Book Description

Photography's great success gives us the impression that the major questions that have haunted the medium are now resolved. On the contrary - the most important questions are just beginning to be asked. These fourteen essays, with over 200 illustrations, critically examine and challenge the prevailing formalist values of late modernism that have been applied to the medium and suggest new ways to explain the history of photography.

The essays examine the social consequences of aesthetic practice and look at how photography constructs sexual difference, how it is used to promote class and national interests, and at the politics of photographic truth.

Richard Bolton is Associate Professor and Chairperson in the Art Studio Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Customer Reviews:

Ouch, but Ahhh........2001-11-24

This book makes my brain hurt, but in a good way. Some of the essays are pretty tough to read as they are very deeply rooted in the world of art historical criticism, but don't let that stop you from getting this book; you'll learn a lot and come away with some good insights into the subject of photography and the history of photography. It would be very helpful to get a companion book that contains some of the artists and works that are discussed here, so you have the images to look at and non-critical, historical looks at the artists for background and context. Something like Beumont Newhall's "History of Photography" would be an excellent match.

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