Conceived originally as a serious presentation of thedevelopment of philosophy for Catholic seminary students,Frederick Copleston's nine-volume A History Of Philosophyhas journeyed far beyond the modest purpose of its authorto universal acclaim as the best history of philosophyin English. Copleston, an Oxford Jesuit of immense erudition who oncetangled with A. J. Ayer in a fabled debate about theexistence of God and the possibility of metaphysics, knewthat seminary students were fed a woefully inadequatediet of theses and proofs, and that their familiarity with most of history's great thinkers was reduced tosimplistic caricatures. Copleston set out to redress thewrong by writing a complete history of Western philosophy,one crackling with incident and intellectual excitement --and one that gives full place to each thinker, presenting histhought in a beautifully rounded manner and showing hislinks to those who went before and to those who came after him.
Conceived originally as a serious presentation of thedevelopment of philosophy for Catholic seminary students, FrederickCopleston's nine-volume A History Of Philosophy has journeyed farbeyond the modest purpose of its author to universal acclaim as thebest history of philosophy in English. Copleston, an Oxford Jesuit of immense erudition who once tangledwith A.J. Ayer in a fabled debate about the existence of God andthe possibility of metaphysics, knew that seminary students werefed a woefully inadequate diet of theses and proofs, and that theirfamiliarity with most of history's great thinkers was reduced tosimplistic caricatures. Copleston set out to redress thewrong by writing a complete history of Western Philosophy, onecrackling with incident and intellectual excitement - and one thatgives full place to each thinker, presenting his thought in abeautifully rounded manner and showing his links to those who wentbefore and to those who came after him.
Did Newton "unweave the rainbow" by reducing it to itsprismatic colors, as Keats contended? Did he, in other words,diminish beauty? Far from it, says acclaimed scientist RichardDawkins; Newton's unweaving is the key to much of modern astronomyand to the breathtaking poetry of modern cosmology. Mysteries don'tlose their poetry because they are solved: the solution often ismore beautiful than the puzzle, uncovering deeper mysteries. Withthe wit, insight, and spellbinding prose that have made him abest-selling author, Dawkins takes up the most important andcompelling topics in modern science, from astronomy and genetics tolanguage and virtual reality, combining them in a landmarkstatement of the human appetite for wonder. This is the bookRichard Dawkins was meant to write: a brilliant assessment of whatscience is (and isn't), a tribute to science not because it isuseful but because it is uplifting.
For many of us, life seems like a puzzle with pieces missing. Weform plans and then change them; we choose one path, then another,trying to find the right mate and career, hoping we’ve made theright decision and that it will all work out. At some point, we mayeven ask the important questions: What is the purpose of my life?How shall I spend it? This book provides some answers to finally bring your lifeinto sharper focus. First, we have to understand that we are hereto fulfill not one but four fundamental purposes: Learning Life’s Lessons Finding Your Career and Calling Fulfilling Your Hidden Life Path Attending to This Arising Moment The Four Purposes of Life was born from Dan Millman’sdecades-long search to make sense of life. He distills decades ofexperience into a concise map of the journey — the full scope ofwhat we’re each here to accomplish here on planet Earth. You will learn: the higher purpose of daily life twelve required l
From ancient Greece to nineteenth-century America, thiscollection traces the history of our civilization through theseminal works of its most influential thinkers. Perfect for anyoneinterested in understanding the progression of Western thought,this volume includes: Plato: Apology, Crito, and Death of Socrates from Phaedo Aristotle: Poetics St. Anselm: The Ontological Proof of St. Anselm, fromProslogium St. Thomas Aquinas: St. Thomas' Proofs of God's Existence, from TheSumma Theologica René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy David Hume: An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding Immanuel Kant: Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics John Stuart Mill: Utilitarianism William James: The Will to Believe