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Demagoguery and Democracy
by Patricia Roberts-MillerA clear-eyed guide to demagoguery—and how we can defeat it What is demagoguery? Some demagogues are easy to spot: They rise to power through pandering, charisma, and prejudice. But, as professor Patricia Roberts-Miller explains, a demagogue is anyone who reduces all questions to us vs. them. Why is it dangerous? Demagoguery is democracy’s greatest threat. It erodes rational debate, so that intelligent policymaking grinds to a halt. The idea that we never fall for it—that all the blame lies with them—is equally dangerous. How can we stop it? Demagogues follow predictable patterns in what they say and do to gain power. The key to resisting demagoguery is to name it when you see it—and to know where it leads.
The Angry Chef's Guide to Spotting Bullsh*t in the World of Food: Bad Science And The Truth About Healthy Eating
by Anthony WarnerJust say no to nutri-nonsense Why is Chef Anthony Warner so angry? Two words: pseudoscience bullshit. Lies about nutrition are repeated everywhere—in newspaper headlines, on celebrity blogs, even by our well-meaning friends and family. Bad science is no reason to give up good food (we miss you, bread)! It’s high time to distinguish fact from crap. As the Angry Chef, Warner skewers common food myths that range from questionable (“coconut oil is a weight-loss miracle”) to patently dangerous (“autism is caused by toxins”). He also cuts down a host of fad diets—including the paleo diet and the infamous detox. Warner goes on to explain why we’re so easily misled: It has a lot to do with our instinctive craving for simple explanations and straightforward rules. With help from “Science Columbo,” he pares away poisonous rhetoric and serves up the delicious, nuanced truth (with a side of saucy humor). Bon appétit!
What the Future Looks Like: Scientists Predict the Next Great Discoveries and Reveal How Today's Breakthroughs Are Already Shaping Our World
by Jim Al-KhaliliGet the science facts, not science fiction, on the cutting-edge developments that are already changing the course of our future.Every day, scientists conduct pioneering experiments with the potential to transform how we live. Yet it isn’t every day you hear from the scientists themselves! Now, award–winning author Jim Al–Khalili and his team of top-notch experts explain how today’s earthshaking discoveries will shape our world tomorrow—and beyond.Pull back the curtain on: genomicsroboticsAIthe “Internet of Things”synthetic biologytranshumanisminterstellar travelcolonization of the solar systemteleportationand much moreAnd find insight into big–picture questions such as:Will we find a cure to all diseases? The answer to climate change? And will bionics one day turn us into superheroes?The scientists in these pages are interested only in the truth—reality-based and speculation-free. The future they conjure is by turns tantalizing and sobering: There’s plenty to look forward to, but also plenty to dread. And undoubtedly the best way to for us to face tomorrow’s greatest challenges is to learn what the future looks like—today.Praise for What the Future Looks Like“A collection of mind-boggling essays that are just the thing for firing up your brain cells.” —Saga Magazine“The predictions and impacts are global . . . [and] the book contains far more fascinating information than can be covered in this review.” —Choice“This book is filled with essays from experts offering their informed opinions on what the science and technology of today will look like in the future, from smart materials to artificial intelligence to genetic editing.” —Popular Science“Fun is an understatement. This is a great collection to get the summer book season started.” —Forbes.com“The focus on sincere, factual presentation of current and future possibilities by leading experts is particularly welcome in this era of fake news and anti-science rhetoric.” —Library Journal
Awakening Your Ikigai: How The Japanese Wake Up To Joy And Purpose Every Day
by Ken Mogi“Awakening Your Ikigai is really quite a delightful look at sometimes mystifying Japanese traditions.”—The New York Times Book Review Introducing IKIGAI: find your passions and live with joy Ikigai is a Japanese phenomenon commonly understood as “your reason to get up in the morning.” Ikigai can be small moments: the morning air, a cup of coffee, a compliment. It can also be deep convictions: a fulfilling job, lasting friendships, balanced health. Whether big or small, your ikigai is the path to success and happiness in your own life. Author Ken Mogi introduces five pillars of ikigai to help you make the most of each day and become your most authentic self: 1. starting small › focus on the details 2. releasing yourself › accept who you are 3. harmony and sustainability › rely on others 4. the joy of little things › appreciate sensory pleasure 5. being in the here and now › find your flow. Weaving together insights from Japanese history, philosophy, and modern culture, plus stories from renowned sushi chef Jiro Ono, anime filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, and others, Mogi skillfully shows the way to awaken your ikigai.
How to Love the Universe: A Scientist's Odes to the Hidden Beauty Behind the Visible World
by Stefan KleinAn eye-opening celebration of the marvels of space, time, the cosmos, and moreHow to Love the Universe is a new kind of science writing by an author truly enamored of the world around him. In ten short chapters of lyrical prose—each one an ode to a breathtaking realm of discovery—Stefan Klein uses everyday objects and events as a springboard to meditate on the beauty of the underlying science. Klein sees in a single rose the sublime interdependence of all life; a day of stormy weather points to the world’s unpredictability; a marble conjures the birth of the cosmos. As he contemplates the deepest mysteries—the nature of reality, dark matter, humanity’s place among the galaxies, and more—Klein encourages us to fall in love with the universe the way scientists do: with a grasp of the key ideas and theories of twenty-first-century physics that bring to life the wonders of, really, everything. You won’t look at a rose—or at our world—the same way again.
A Handbook for New Stoics: How To Thrive In A World Out Of Your Control--52 Week-by-week Lessons
by Massimo Pigliucci Gregory LopezA pragmatic philosophy more popular than ever—here are 52 ancient lessons to help you overcome adversity and find tranquility in the modern world Stress often comes from situations that are beyond our control—such as preparing for a meeting, waiting for test results, or arguing with a loved one. But we can control our response to these everyday tensions—through the wisdom and practice of Stoicism. Stoicism is an ancient pragmatic philosophy that teaches us to step back, gain perspective, and act with intention. In A Handbook for New Stoics, renowned philosopher Massimo Pigliucci and seasoned practitioner Gregory Lopez provide 52 week-by-week lessons to help us apply timeless Stoic teachings to modern life. Whether you’re already familiar with Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, or you’re entirely new to Stoicism, this handbook will help you embrace challenges, thrive under pressure, and discover the good life!
In Tune: Music as the Bridge to Mindfulness
by Richard WolfIn our noisy world, music is the key to inner silence Richard Wolf first tried Zen meditation in his teens, but no matter in what posture or for how long he sat, transcendence proved stubbornly out of reach. It was only years later that he found the bridge that could take him there: music.In Tune charts twelve “bridges”—skills and sensibilities refined in musical practice that carry over to mindfulness and meditation, among them: ·Concentration ·Posture ·Harmony ·Silence ·The Art of Deep Listening ·Transcending the SelfThis inspirational guide offers a wealth of music-based exercises to enhance daily meditation and creativity. Plus, Wolf shares personal anecdotes of eminent musicians—from Miles Davis to Dr. Dre—to illuminate points along the intersection of music and mindful living. As you begin to move fluidly between these two transformative disciplines, you’ll notice the focus, composure, and peacefulness that comes from practice—as well as the joys of tuning in to the music all around you, and to the symphony that plays silently from within.
The Sage's Tao Te Ching, 20th Anniversary Edition (20th Anniversary): Ancient Advice For The Second Half Of Life
by William MartinThe twentieth anniversary edition of William Martin’s free-verse interpretation of the Tao Te Ching, written expressly for those coming into the fullness of their wisdom Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching reminds its readers that the sage has been venerated in China for thousands of years. Twenty years ago, William Martin subtly and powerfully captured the complex emotions connected with growing older in this free-verse interpretation of the Tao. His words resonate just as much now, encouraging today’s sages to recognize their inestimable worth in a youth-centric world that often goes astray: “If there is to be a transformation, it will be the sages among us who will show the way. The elders, the wisewomen, the shamans, the grandmothers, and the grandfathers will provide the guidance, for they have undergone the necessary initiations . . . and emerged into the spaciousness of simplicity, freedom, and joy.”
Perilous Problems for Puzzle Lovers: Math, Logic And Word Puzzles To Challenge Your Brain (Alex Bellos Puzzle Books #0)
by Alex BellosPut your wits—and survival instincts—to the test! Publisher’s Note: Perilous Problems for Puzzle Lovers was previously published in the UK under the title So You Think You’ve Got Problems? In Perilous Problems for Puzzle Lovers, Alex Bellos collects 125 of the world’s greatest stumpers—many dangerous to your person, and all dangerous to your pride. Brace yourself to wrestle with wordplay, grapple with geometry, and scramble for survival. For example . . . Ten lions and a sheep are in a pen. Any lion who eats the sheep will fall asleep. A sleeping lion will be eaten by another lion, who falls asleep in turn. If the lions are all perfect logicians, what happens? Bellos pairs his fiendish brainteasers with fascinating history, so you’ll meet Alcuin, Sam Loyd, and other puzzle masters of yore—in between deranged despots and wily jailers with an unaccountable taste for riddles. Will you make it out alive? And what about the sheep?
The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription For Long-term Thinking
by Roman KrznaricFrom leading philosopher Roman Krznaric, an urgent call to save ourselves and our planet by getting to the root of the current crisis—society’s extreme short-sightedness As heard on NPR’s TED Radio Hour When Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine, he refused to patent it—forgoing profit so that more lives could be saved. His radical generosity to future generations should inspire us, but leading philosopher Roman Krznaric sees the opposite happening: Our short-term, exploitative mindsets have “colonized the future,” leaving an inexcusable chasm between the haves and have-nots—and mounting existential threats—that have brought our species to the precipice of disaster. Yet Krznaric sees reason to hope. The urgent struggle for intergenerational justice calls for hugely ambitious solutions, from rewiring our growth-at-all-costs economy to giving voters of future generations a voice in our democracies. But at the heart of all these changes is one we can enact within ourselves: We must trade shortsightedness for long-term thinking. In The Good Ancestor, Krznaric reveals six practical ways we can retrain our brains to think of the long view and to shift our allegiance from this generation to all humanity—to save our planet and our future.
Good Thinking: Why Flawed Logic Puts Us All At Risk And How Critical Thinking Can Save The World
by David Robert GrimesGood Thinking is our best defense against anti-vaccine paranoia, climate denial, and other dire threats of today Publisher’s Note: Good Thinking was previously published in the UK as The Irrational Ape. In our ever-more-polarized society, there’s at least one thing we still agree on: The world is overrun with misinformation, faulty logic, and the gullible followers who buy into it all. Of course, we’re not among them—are we? Scientist David Robert Grimes is on a mission to expose the logical fallacies and cognitive biases that drive our discourse on a dizzying array of topics–from vaccination to abortion, 9/11 conspiracy theories to dictatorial doublespeak, astrology to alternative medicine, and wrongful convictions to racism. But his purpose in Good Thinking isn’t to shame or place blame. Rather, it’s to interrogate our own assumptions–to develop our eye for the glimmer of truth in a vast sea of dubious sources–in short, to think critically. Grimes’s expert takedown of irrationality is required reading for anyone wondering why bad thinking persists and how we can defeat it. Ultimately, no one changes anyone else’s mind; we can only change our own–and give others the tools to do the same.
The Language Lover's Puzzle Book: A World Tour Of Languages And Alphabets In 100 Amazing Puzzles (Alex Bellos Puzzle Books #0)
by Alex Bellos100 wonder-filled word puzzles that thrill and tantalize with the beauty, magic, and weirdness of world language Whether you’re a crossword solver, cryptogram fan, Scrabble addict, or Sudoku savant, The Language Lover’s Puzzle Book is guaranteed to tease your brain and twist your tongue. Puzzle master Alex Bellos begins in Japan, where we can observe some curious counting: boru niko = two balls tsuna nihon = two ropes uma nito = two horses kami nimai = two sheets of paper ashi gohon = five legs ringo goko = five apples sara gomai = five plates kaba goto = five hippos Now, how do the Japanese say “nine cucumbers”?* a) kyuri kyuhon b) kyuri kyuko c) kyuri kyuhiki d) kyuri kyuto Bellos finds the intrigue—and the human element—in a dizzying array of ancient, modern, and even invented tongues, from hieroglyphs to Blissymbolics, Danish to Dothraki. Filled with unusual alphabets, fascinating characters, and intriguing local customs for time-telling, naming children, and more, this is a bravura book of brainteasers and beyond—it’s a globe-trotting, time-traveling celebration of language. *The word endings depend on shape: Flat things end in -mai and spherical things end in -ko. Cucumbers are long things (like ropes and legs), so they end in -hon. The answer is (a)!
How to Save the World for Just a Trillion Dollars: The Ten Biggest Problems We Can Actually Fix
by Rowan HooperWhat would you do with a trillion dollars? The ultimate thought experiment opens our eyes to ten world-changing ideas within our grasp If we can come up with a trillion dollars to bail out banks, imagine what else we could do. Science journalist Rowan Hooper decided to find out, speaking with experts of all kinds about ten incredibly ambitious projects that— if realized—would secure profound, enduring benefits: trying to end global poverty, reverse climate change, extend our lifespans, refreeze the Arctic, save all endangered species, and more. Then, he dives into strategies and costs to see: How far would $1 trillion really go? You’ll have to read on to learn which project he concludes would do the most good . . . but the biggest surprise is how many astonishing advances are actually within our grasp—if we dare to reach for them.
An Illustrated Book of Loaded Language: Learn To Hear What's Left Unsaid (Bad Arguments #0)
by Ali Almossawi Alejandro Giraldo“This is a book for every thinking person, the perfect antidote to today’s culture wars.”—Hope Jahren The creators of An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments return with this desperately timely guide to how words can trick us. Learn to “hear” hidden bias, slant, and spin—from an irresistible cast of woodland creatures! Public discourse? More like public discord. The battle cries of our culture wars are rife with “loaded language”—be it bias, slant, or spin. But listen closely, or you’ll miss what Ali Almossawi finds more frightening still: words that erase accountability, history, even identity through what they leave unsaid. Speaking as wise old Mr. Rabbit, Almossawi leads us through a dark forest of rhetoric—aided by Orwell, Baldwin, and a squee-worthy cast of wide-eyed woodland creatures. Here, passive voice can pardon wrongdoers, statistics may be a smokescreen, gaslighting entraps the downtrodden, and irrelevant adjectives cement stereotypes. Emperor Squirrel isn’t naked; he has a clothes-free sartorial style. Mouse’s roof becomes flattened (Elephant’s foot just happens to be there at the time). And when keen-eyed Owl claims a foreign shore, he seems to be overlooking someone . . . Fans of Almossawi’s An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments couldn’t ask for a better primer on the less logical ways that words can trick us. It takes a long pair of ears to hear what’s left unsaid—but when you’re a rabbit in a badger world, listening makes all the difference.
Humble: Free Yourself From The Traps Of A Narcissistic World
by Daryl Van TongerenA practical and philosophical deep dive into humility: how it can build confidence, foster honesty about our strengths and limitations, and help us achieve success Daryl Van Tongeren is a leading researcher on the science of humility. In Humble, he gives this unassuming trait a much-needed rebrand, explaining why the humble enjoy a more secure sense of self, handle challenges better, and, indeed, are often the people we like the most. That’s not to say Van Tongeren has mastered humility. (When he asked his wife to rate him on a scale from 1 to 10, she gave him a 4.) But in a world where narcissism is on the rise—where the shameless dominate social media and getting noticed is considered key to getting ahead—it’s not surprising that we all have a bit of work to do on our sometimes self-sabotaging egos. In its true sense, humbleness is the happy medium between self-denial and self-obsession: It grants the holder an accurate view of reality. By seeing where we have room to improve, we can grow. By admitting our doubts, we can learn. And by acknowledging our own worldview as one among many, we can truly connect with others despite our differences. A thought-provoking call to reexamine our values, Humble signals a paradigm shift—from the “self-esteem movement” run amok to a better world in which we lift up one another.
The Way of Nagomi: The Japanese Philosophy Of Finding Balance And Peace In Everything You Do
by Ken MogiFind balance and peace in every moment Life is ephemeral and ever-changing; in Japan, it’s called ukiyo—“floating world.” How can we adapt to its fluctuations without being overcome? The answer is nagomi: a philosophy of balance—and the secret to a harmonious life. Neuroscientist Ken Mogi shares wisdom from Japanese history and culture to explain how nagomi can help you: have happy relationships with loved ones who disagree engage with the natural world without diminishing its beauty strive for improvement while accepting imperfection strike a balance to achieve calm. If you’ve ever enjoyed a perfect bite of sushi—fresh fish, white rice, a hint of wasabi, maybe with a sip of sake—then you’ve already tasted what nagomi can achieve. Combining philosophy and advice, this book brings that balance into your health, work, relationships, and sense of self with nagomido—The Way of Nagomi!
The Shortest History of Europe: How Conquest, Culture, And Religion Forged A Continent--a Retelling For Our Times (Shortest History #0)
by James HirstUncover the decisive moments that shaped a world-changing continent. The Shortest History books deliver thousands of years of history in one riveting, fast-paced read. Celebrated historian John Hirst draws from his own lectures to deliver this ultra-accessible master class on the making of modern Europe, from Ancient Greece through World War II. With over 600,000 copies sold worldwide, this brief history is a global sensation propelled by a thesis of astonishing simplicity: Just three elements—German warfare, Greek and Roman culture, and Christianity—come together to explain everything else, from the Crusades to the Industrial Revolution. Hirst’s razor-sharp grasp of cause and effect helps us see with sparkling clarity how the history of Europe—the crucible of liberal democracy—shapes the way we live today.
Zen Living: A Simple Explanation of the Meaning of Zen and What It Offers (Idiot's Guides)
by Domyo Sater BurkIn today's fast-paced, technology-laden society, it's easy to become overwhelmed. People seek calm and simplicity, but have a hard time realizing a "Zen" life. Monk and sensei Domyo Sater Burk illustrates how to get started on the path to peace and enlightenment, regardless of cultural or religious affiliation. You'll learn the foundation and essential teachings of Zen practice, how to engage in meditation and mindfulness, and how to live daily within a Zen moral code.
Philosophy, Fourth Edition (Idiot's Guides)
by Jay StevensonA newly visual approach, this updated edition will include infographics, photos, and pull quotes to help reinforce learning of the subject of philosophy. Beginning with the pre-Socratics and Eastern philosophers, all of the major schools of thought are covered. Content includes religious philosophy, Renaissance humanism, enlightenment philosophers, idealism, existentialism, post-structuralism and post-modernism, and more.
Zen Doodling (Idiot's Guides)
by David WilliamsDoodling isn't necessarily a mindless pursuit. There's hidden discipline, order, and joy behind artful scribbles. Idiot's Guides: Zen Doodling gives readers beautiful, full-color instruction and all they need to start using ordered, repeated "tangle" designs that are great creative expressions and works of art unto themselves. The book includes step-by-step instructions for drawing more than 20 doodle forms and patterns.
Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed, and My Sister Stole My Mother's Boyfriend
by Barbara OakleyA fascinating scientific and personal exploration of the roots of evil, filled with human insight and telling detail. -STEVEN PINKER, Johnstone Professor, Harvard UniversityAuthor of The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works and The Stuff of ThoughtHave you ever met a person who left you wondering, How could someone be so twisted? So evil? Prompted by clues in her sister's diary after her mysterious death, author Barbara Oakley takes the reader inside the head of the kinds of malevolent people you know, perhaps all too well, but could never understand. Starting with psychology as a frame of reference, Oakley uses cutting-edge images of the working brain to provide startling support for the idea that evil people act the way they do mainly as the result of a dysfunction. In fact, some deceitful, manipulative, and even sadistic behavior appears to be programmed genetically-suggesting that some people really are born to be bad. But there are unexpected fringe benefits to evil genes. We may not like them-but we literally can't live without them. Oakley deftly ties together the big picture implications of revolutionary neuroscientific and genetic discoveries, showing the eerily similar behavioral tics of Mao, Stalin, Hitler, and Slobodan Milosevic. The dramatic recent scientific findings presented in Evil Genes shed light not only on dictators far afield, but on politics at home, as well as business, religion, and everyday life. In fact, history itself has been shaped by the strange confluence of genes and environment that science is just now beginning to understand. Oakley links the latest findings of molecular research to a wide array of seemingly unrelated historical and current phenomena, from the harems of the Ottomans and the chummy jokes of Uncle Joe Stalin, to the remarkable memory of investor Warren Buffet. Throughout, she never loses sight of the personal cost of evil genes as she unravels the mystery surrounding her sister's enigmatic life-and death. Evil Genes is a tour de force of popular science writing that brilliantly melds scientific research with intriguing family history and puts both a human and a scientific face to evil. Barbara A. Oakley, PhD (Rochester, MI), has been dubbed a female Indiana Jones-her writing combines worldwide adventure with solid research expertise. Among other adventures, she has worked as a Russian translator on Soviet trawlers in the Bering Sea, served as radio operator at the South Pole Station in Antarctica, and risen from Private to Regular Army Captain in the US Army. Currently an associate professor of engineering at Oakland University in Michigan, Oakley is a recent vice president of the world's largest bioengineering society and holds a doctorate in the integrative discipline of systems engineering.
50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God
by Guy P. HarrisonMany books that challenge religious belief from a skeptical point of view take a combative tone that is almost guaranteed to alienate believers or they present complex philosophical or scientific arguments that fail to reach the average reader. This is undoubtably an ineffective way of encouraging people to develop critical thinking about religion. This unique approach to skepticism presents fifty commonly heard reasons people often give for believing in a God and then raises legitimate questions regarding these reasons, showing in each case that there is much room for doubt. Whether you're a believer, a complete skeptic, or somewhere in between, you'll find this review of traditional and more recent arguments for the existence of God refreshing, approachable, and enlightening.From religion as the foundation of morality to the authority of sacred books, the compelling religious testimony of influential people, near-death experiences, arguments from Intelligent Design, and much more, Harrison respectfully describes each rationale for belief and then politely shows the deficiencies that any good skeptic would point out. As a journalist who has traveled widely and interviewed many highly accomplished people, quite a number of whom are believers, the author appreciates the variety of belief and the ways in which people seek to make religion compatible with scientific thought. Nonetheless, he shows that, despite the prevalence of belief in God or religious belief in intelligent people, in the end there are no unassailable reasons for believing in a God.For skeptics looking for appealing ways to approach their believing friends or believers who are not afraid to consider a skeptical challenge, this book makes for very stimulating reading. From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Art of Deception: An Introduction to Critical Thinking.
by Nicholas Capaldi Miles SmitThis classic work on critical thinking-now fully updated and revised-uses a novel approach to teach the basics of informal logic. On the assumption that it takes one to know one, the authors have written the book from the point of view of someone who wishes to deceive, mislead, or manipulate others. Having mastered the art of deception, readers will then be able to detect the misuse or abuse of logic when they encounter it in others-whether in a heated political debate or while trying to evaluate the claims of a persuasive sales person. Using a host of real-world examples, the authors show you how to win an argument, defend a case, recognize a fallacy, see through deception, persuade a skeptic, and turn defeat into victory. Not only do they discuss the fundamentals of logic (premises, conclusions, syllogisms, common fallacies, etc. ), but they also consider important related issues often encountered in face-to-face debates, such as gaining a sympathetic audience, responding to audience reaction, using nonverbal devices, clearly presenting the facts, refutation, and driving home a concluding argument. Whether you're preparing for law school or you just want to become more adept at making your points and analyzing others' arguments, The Art of Deception will give you the intellectual tools to become a more effective thinker and speaker. Helpful exercises and discussion questions are also included. Nicholas Capaldi, Ph. D. (Baton Rouge, LA), holds the Legendre-Soulé Distinguished Scholar Chair in Business Ethics at Loyola University of New Orleans. He is the author or editor of many books including Affirmative Action: Social Justice or Unfair Preference?; Immigration: Debating the Issues; and John Stuart Mill: A Biography. Miles Smit, Ph. D. (Toronto, Ontario), works as a business analyst in Canada and holds a Ph. D. in philosophy from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
Forbidden Fruit: The Ethics of Secularism
by Paul KurtzAn appropriate challenge to current trends in religion and politics. -Booklist (review of first edition)Paul Kurtz, America's leading secular humanist philosopher, affirms that it is possible to live the good life and be morally responsible, without belief in religion. In this original and penetrating book, Kurtz delineates the means by which humanity can transcend the limitations of traditional religious loyalties and achieve a higher stage of ethics. Fundamentalists deny the possibility of ethics without belief in God. Conservatives rail against secularists. Yet belief in God is no guarantee of moral virtue - as the evils committed in the name of religion have vividly shown. Are there secular ethical principles and values that are vital for a world in crisis?In this new edition of Forbidden Fruit, Kurtz defends the ethics of secularism and humanism. In order to progress to a maximum level of creative development, he maintains that we must be nourished by the forbidden fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, grounding principles and values in autonomous reason. This is the path that leads to the discovery of significant ethical truths that can guide both self-reliant conduct and consideration for the rights of others. By breaking the bonds of theistic illusion, we can summon the courage and wisdom to develop a rational ethic based on a realistic appraisal of nature and an awareness of the centrality of the moral decencies common to all peoples. The ultimate key to the good life, Kurtz writes, is to eat of the fruit of the second tree in the Garden of Eden - the tree of life - discovering for ourselves the manifold potentialities for a bountiful existance. Forbidden Fruit contains important chapters on ethical excellences for individuals, moral education for children, and thoughts on privacy and human rights, in addition to presenting concrete ethical recommendations as alternatives to the reigning orthodoxies. Paul Kurtz, professor emeritus of philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, is the author or editor of forty-eight books, including The Transcendental Temptation, The Courage to Become, Embracing the Power of Humanism, plus nine hundred articles and reviews. In addition, he is the founder of the Center for Inquiry/Transnational, the Council for Secular Humanism, and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He has appeared on many major TV and radio talk shows, such as Larry King Live, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, Today, and NPR programs. He has lectured at universities worldwide and his books have been translated into many languages.
Defending Science - within Reason
by Susan HaackSweeping in scope, penetrating in analysis, and generously illustrated with examples from the history of science, this new and original approach to familiar questions about scientific evidence and method tackles vital questions about science and its place in society. Avoiding the twin pitfalls of scientism and cynicism, noted philosopher Susan Haack argues that, fallible and flawed as they are, the natural sciences have been among the most successful of human enterprises-valuable not only for the vast, interlocking body of knowledge they have discovered, and not only for the technological advances that have improved our lives, but as a manifestation of the human talent for inquiry at its imperfect but sometimes remarkable best.This wide-ranging, trenchant, and illuminating book explores the complexities of scientific evidence, and the multifarious ways in which the sciences have refined and amplified the methods of everyday empirical inquiry; articulates the ways in which the social sciences are like the natural sciences, and the ways in which they are different; disentangles the confusions of radical rhetoricians and cynical sociologists of science; exposes the evasions of apologists for religious resistance to scientific advances; weighs the benefits and the dangers of technology; tracks the efforts of the legal system to make the best use of scientific testimony; and tackles predictions of the eventual culmination, or annihilation, of the scientific enterprise.Writing with verve and wry humor, in a witty, direct, and accessible style, Haack takes readers beyond the "Science Wars" to a balanced understanding of the value, and the limitations, of the scientific enterprise.