carus books us (199 risultati)

Paperback. Condizione: New. SpongeBob SquarePants and Philosophy is designed to introduce fans of SpongeBob SquarePants to some of the great thinkers and questions in philosophy. The essays can be shared by young and old alike, kindling new interest in philosophy and life's big questions. What keeps SpongeBob "reeling in" major audiences on a daily basis is that underneath the lighthearted and whimsical exterior are the seeds of long-standing and important philosophical discussions about identity and the self, our obligations toward others, benefits and tensions of the individual in community, principles of the marketplace and environmental ethics, and questions of just how exactly Jack Kahuna Laguna can build a fire at the bottom of the ocean. (Okay, so perhaps we don't have an answer for that last one, but maybe if you look into that fire long enough the answer will be revealed.) The book begins with a section exploration of the major characters of the series. To begin, Nicole Pramik uses the philosophies of Aristotle to demonstrate why SpongeBob, more than any other character in the series, is defined by a life of well-being and flourishing.In chapter two, Timothy Dunn provides an assessment of SpongeBob's best friend, Patrick Star, using the writings of J.S. Mill to ask if the life of simple pleasures preferable to the life of the mind, while in chapter three Natasha Liebig uses the German pessimist philosophers to reveal what it means to live the life of Squidward Q. Tentacles. Chapter four uses the competing philosophies of Ayn Rand and Karl Marx to evaluate the actions of SpongeBob's boss, Mr. Eugene Krabs, while in chapter five Denise Du Vernay explains how Sandy Cheeks offers a brand of feminism that breaks down traditional assumptions about masculine and feminine identity and repackages them into constructive and empowering messages for young people. Concluding this section of the book, Nicholas Michaud uses the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche to ask us reconsider our belief that SpongeBob and his friends are somehow heroic by giving us insight into the "will to power" held by the powerful little protozoan, Plankton.Section two of the book is dedicated to exploring the community of Bikini Bottom, starting with Shaun Young's examination of Bikini Bottom as a representation of various theories of the just state. In chapter eight, Nathan Zook looks into whether we might learn something about theories of democracy and political participation from an election between SpongeBob and Squidward for "Royal Krabby," while in chapter nine Adam Barkman uses the writings of Dante Alighieri to assess the monarchal rule of King Neptune. Chapter ten uses the legal philosophies of thinkers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, John Rawls, and David Hume to answer whether Mr. Krabs has the proper philosophical basis upon which to claim an individual right to possess and profit from the secret Krabby Patty formula. Chapter eleven then takes us to the pristine Jellyfish Fields where Greg.

Paperback. Condizione: New. SpongeBob SquarePants and Philosophy is designed to introduce fans of SpongeBob SquarePants to some of the great thinkers and questions in philosophy. The essays can be shared by young and old alike, kindling new interest in philosophy and life's big questions. What keeps SpongeBob "reeling in" major audiences on a daily basis is that underneath the lighthearted and whimsical exterior are the seeds of long-standing and important philosophical discussions about identity and the self, our obligations toward others, benefits and tensions of the individual in community, principles of the marketplace and environmental ethics, and questions of just how exactly Jack Kahuna Laguna can build a fire at the bottom of the ocean. (Okay, so perhaps we don't have an answer for that last one, but maybe if you look into that fire long enough the answer will be revealed.) The book begins with a section exploration of the major characters of the series. To begin, Nicole Pramik uses the philosophies of Aristotle to demonstrate why SpongeBob, more than any other character in the series, is defined by a life of well-being and flourishing.In chapter two, Timothy Dunn provides an assessment of SpongeBob's best friend, Patrick Star, using the writings of J.S. Mill to ask if the life of simple pleasures preferable to the life of the mind, while in chapter three Natasha Liebig uses the German pessimist philosophers to reveal what it means to live the life of Squidward Q. Tentacles. Chapter four uses the competing philosophies of Ayn Rand and Karl Marx to evaluate the actions of SpongeBob's boss, Mr. Eugene Krabs, while in chapter five Denise Du Vernay explains how Sandy Cheeks offers a brand of feminism that breaks down traditional assumptions about masculine and feminine identity and repackages them into constructive and empowering messages for young people. Concluding this section of the book, Nicholas Michaud uses the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche to ask us reconsider our belief that SpongeBob and his friends are somehow heroic by giving us insight into the "will to power" held by the powerful little protozoan, Plankton.Section two of the book is dedicated to exploring the community of Bikini Bottom, starting with Shaun Young's examination of Bikini Bottom as a representation of various theories of the just state. In chapter eight, Nathan Zook looks into whether we might learn something about theories of democracy and political participation from an election between SpongeBob and Squidward for "Royal Krabby," while in chapter nine Adam Barkman uses the writings of Dante Alighieri to assess the monarchal rule of King Neptune. Chapter ten uses the legal philosophies of thinkers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, John Rawls, and David Hume to answer whether Mr. Krabs has the proper philosophical basis upon which to claim an individual right to possess and profit from the secret Krabby Patty formula. Chapter eleven then takes us to the pristine Jellyfish Fields where Greg.

Paperback. Condizione: New. In this provocative volume two important scholars of religion, Huston Smith and Henry Rosemont, Jr., put forth their viewpoints and share a probing conversation. Though the two diverge considerably in their accounts of religious faith and practice, they also agree on fundamental points. Huston Smith, author of the important work The World's Religions, has long argued for the fundamental equality of the world's religions. Describing a universal grammar of religion," he argues that fourteen points of similarity exist among all of the major religious traditions and that these similarities indicate an innate psychological affinity for religion within the human spirit. As Noam Chomsky has argued that humans are hardwired to use language, Smith similarly argues that humans are hardwired for religious experience. In response, Rosemont explicates his humanistic vision of the world, in which the homoversal" tendency to contemplate the infinite is part of our co-humanity that endures across time, space, language, and culture. Rosemont also elaborates upon Noam Chomsky's theory of universal grammar and its relevance to Smith's ideas about the similarities among religions. This insightful exploration of the most essential basis of religion provides a new direction for comparative-religion scholars everywhere.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Michael Nagler argues that problems now faced by American society spring from a false way of looking at the world,based on the premise that material things are fundamental, consciousness merely derivative. He advocates a return to the ancient and Eastern spritual view that consciousness is fundamental.In developing a new conception of the universe and applying it to our social problems, Dr. Nagler explains how we can best oppose war, consumerism, commercialism, scientism, and the spiritual hollowness of modern life.Commentary by Lewis S. Mudge.

Paperback. Condizione: New. When most people think of anime, they think of large-eyed adolescents fighting fearsome monsters (kaiju). On the surface, Neon Genesis Evangelion is the same, filled with destructive explosions and gigantic EVA missiles that can only be piloted by badass teens. But as every otaku knows, anime as a stylized artform has much more to offer, often pushing the artistic, emotional, and intellectual boundaries of its audiences. At its core, Neon Genesis Evangelion is one such anime: beyond the fearsome monsters and Evangelions, Neon Genesis explores the depths of the psyches of the adolescents when they become the very weapons needed to destroy the onslaught of Angels.  The emotional complexities of the show make Neon Genesis Evangelion an emotional and intellectually challenging anime to watch. Fortunately, many of us do not undergo as extreme of experiences facing Shinji, Rei, and Asuka. But many of us do face tragedies that prompt us to ask questions about our own existence, how to live, and how to relate to others. Neon Genesis Evangelion and Philosophy encourages readers to take a moment to explore the wide range of philosophical topics found within the anime, challenging and encouraging you to reflect on who you are and how to live with others.

Paperback. Condizione: New. In this provocative volume two important scholars of religion, Huston Smith and Henry Rosemont, Jr., put forth their viewpoints and share a probing conversation. Though the two diverge considerably in their accounts of religious faith and practice, they also agree on fundamental points. Huston Smith, author of the important work The World's Religions, has long argued for the fundamental equality of the world's religions. Describing a universal grammar of religion," he argues that fourteen points of similarity exist among all of the major religious traditions and that these similarities indicate an innate psychological affinity for religion within the human spirit. As Noam Chomsky has argued that humans are hardwired to use language, Smith similarly argues that humans are hardwired for religious experience. In response, Rosemont explicates his humanistic vision of the world, in which the homoversal" tendency to contemplate the infinite is part of our co-humanity that endures across time, space, language, and culture. Rosemont also elaborates upon Noam Chomsky's theory of universal grammar and its relevance to Smith's ideas about the similarities among religions. This insightful exploration of the most essential basis of religion provides a new direction for comparative-religion scholars everywhere.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Known as the working man's poet, the Boardwalk prophet, or simply, the Boss. If "love is a banquet at which we feed," Bruce Springsteen has provided much food for thought. In this collection of metaphysical probes, a gang of E-street philosophers will undress Bruce's deeper mysteries like irresistible Jersey girls. Can Springsteen settle the nature-nurture debate through his song "Born to Run"? What do the famous philosopher Ricuoer and Springsteen have in common in their depiction of time? These die-hard Springsteen fans, who just happen to be philosophers, compile an entertaining handbook to the field of Springsteen studies, covering topics like Springsteen's connection to Marx and the proletariat, Springsteen's concept of the soul, and his status as a poet.

Paperback. Condizione: New. When most people think of anime, they think of large-eyed adolescents fighting fearsome monsters (kaiju). On the surface, Neon Genesis Evangelion is the same, filled with destructive explosions and gigantic EVA missiles that can only be piloted by badass teens. But as every otaku knows, anime as a stylized artform has much more to offer, often pushing the artistic, emotional, and intellectual boundaries of its audiences. At its core, Neon Genesis Evangelion is one such anime: beyond the fearsome monsters and Evangelions, Neon Genesis explores the depths of the psyches of the adolescents when they become the very weapons needed to destroy the onslaught of Angels.  The emotional complexities of the show make Neon Genesis Evangelion an emotional and intellectually challenging anime to watch. Fortunately, many of us do not undergo as extreme of experiences facing Shinji, Rei, and Asuka. But many of us do face tragedies that prompt us to ask questions about our own existence, how to live, and how to relate to others. Neon Genesis Evangelion and Philosophy encourages readers to take a moment to explore the wide range of philosophical topics found within the anime, challenging and encouraging you to reflect on who you are and how to live with others.

Paperback. Condizione: New. In Zir travels through space and time through the last 26 years, the Doctor has had to solve numerous complex problems-- problems that often have applications to everyday life. This book, written by one of the Doctor's biggest fans, will explore, discuss and demonstrate the Doctor's distinctive view of life, ethics, spiritualism, and science. On the evening of September 17th 1983, six-year-old Courtland Lewis sat down on his grandparents' linoleum floor to watch something he later learned was called Doctor Who. It changed his life. Thirty-eight years later, Courtland Lewis is a philosophy professor and the author or editor of fifteen books--six of them about Doctor Who. Most recently, Dr. Lewis edited Kiss and Philosophy: Wiser than Hell (2020). "Courtland Lewis knows his stuff. As a lifelong Doctor Who fan, he understands the history and concepts of the show. As a philosophy professor, he has the ability to break down those concepts, examine them from every angle, and convey them to readers in easily understandable terms. Doctor Who can be a tricky show, full of high and complex continuity, and Dr. Lewis is an admirable guide through the vortex of space and time." --R. Alan Siler, author of Doctor Who's Greatest Hits (Remastered) and editor of Children of Time: The Companions of Doctor Who (2018) "Love Doctor Who? Want to figure out how to live a life actually worth living? Then let Courtland Lewis be your guide in this fantastic explanation of what it means to be a good person, by way of the example set by the Time Lord from Gallifrey." -Massimo Pigliucci, author of A Field Guide to a Happy Life: Brief Lessons for Living (2020), and How To Be A Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life (2017). "It's hard to believe, but although the Doctor has been around for billions of years, he (or occasionally she) has only been teaching us how to live for sixty years. Lest we forget some of the Doctor's invaluable lessons, they have been captured, distilled, and condensed in this handy little communication device called a 'book'. This 'book' thingy has the descriptor The Real Meaning of Doctor Who. Amazing, really." -Ray Scott Percival, author of The Myth of the Closed Mind: Understanding How and Why People Are Rational (2012) "Grab your bow-tie (because bow-ties are cool) and don your fez. Dr. Lewis takes us on an exciting journey into the examined life of the Doctor, getting us "into the thick of things" with moral dilemmas faced by the Doctor, the mission to avoid the "monsters" who threaten us with their evil actions, and how to deal with endings. This guidebook shows us how to "lead a better life" with the Doctor as our exemplar. As the Doctor says, "You've got to throw yourself in!" so embrace your inner flaneur and engage with life. Geronimo!" -Paula Smithka, co-editor of Doctor Who and Philosophy: Bigger on the Inside (2010), More Doctor Who and Philosophy: Regeneration Time (2015), and Community, Diversity and Difference: Implicati.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Microchips, government-replaced bird drones, QAnon and vaccine tracers: these are just a few of the most common conspiracies we have heard over and over again throughout most of 2020-2021's news cycles. There are common categories of conspiracy theories, variants of which pop up over and over again, and new and outrageous theories that seemingly appear overnight. While most of them are easily debunked, conspiracy theories and their root causes can be used to closely track people's most significant philosophical concerns at a point in time. In this up-to-date study of conspiracy theories, the authors look at the history of conspiracy theories, discuss the history and hallmarks of such theories, and examine what counts as a conspiracy theory--and what doesn't.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Two brothers going out on the road, traveling from town to town, doing what they do best: fighting demons, monsters, ghosts, and other strange creatures. Across the fifteen seasons of the show, Supernatural has thrilled audiences with the story of two mortal men who move from hunting supernatural monsters to defeating everyone from Satan to the Archangel Michael--and, ultimately, God Himself.Now for the first time, The Ultimate Supernatural and Philosophy brings together twelve contemporary philosophers and scholars to dissect the themes, adventures and anarchy that made this series a fan-favorite. Join us as we explore and discuss the nature of man, the problem of evil, existentialism, immortality and the philosophical implications that lie between them all.

Paperback. Condizione: New. The New York Times have praised Dave Chappelle as "an American folk hero" for his ability to communicate across lines of race, class, and culture at a time when Americans are more polarized than they have ever been. Dave Chappelle and Philosophy brings together twenty-five chapters by philosophers of diverse backgrounds and varying points of view, looking closely at the hilarious, annoying, exhilarating, upsetting, and thought-provoking aspects of Chappelle's wonderfully rich output. This volume of the Series serves as an invitation to think about some of the most urgent moral and political questions of our time.

Paperback. Condizione: New. The New York Times have praised Dave Chappelle as "an American folk hero" for his ability to communicate across lines of race, class, and culture at a time when Americans are more polarized than they have ever been. Dave Chappelle and Philosophy brings together twenty-five chapters by philosophers of diverse backgrounds and varying points of view, looking closely at the hilarious, annoying, exhilarating, upsetting, and thought-provoking aspects of Chappelle's wonderfully rich output. This volume of the Series serves as an invitation to think about some of the most urgent moral and political questions of our time.

Paperback. Condizione: New. In Orphan Black, several apparently unconnected women discover that they are exact physical doubles -- they're illegally produced clones, and someone is having them killed. Law enforcement is powerless to help. The clones are forced to form their own Clone Club to defend themselves. Orphan Black raises philosophical issues, as well as ethical and policy questions. What makes a person unique? Should we have a say in whether we're cloned? Is it immoral to generate clones with built-in defects? What does the behavior of the Clone Club tell us about the nature-nurture debate? Is it relevant that most are heterosexual, one is a lesbian, and one is a transgendered male? Orphan Black shows us problems of biotechnology that will soon be everyday issues. What kind of a future faces us when human clones are commonplace? Will groups of clones have a tight bond of solidarity, making them a threat to democracy? If the world is going to be taken over by an evil conspiracy, would a scientific cult like Neolution or a religious cult like the Prolethians be better? Should biotech corporations be able copyright human DNA? What rules of morality apply when you can't trust the police?

Paperback. Condizione: New. The drama-comedy Girls -- often unfairly written off as Sex and the City for the millennial generation -- has made TV history and provoked controversy for its pitilessly accurate portrayal of four oddly sympathetic twentysomething female characters, notable for their self-absorption, empathy deficits, and ineptitude with relationships. Among other breakthroughs, it is the first show to depict the sex act among the alienated young as nearly always awkward and unfulfilling. In Girls and Philosophy, a team of diverse, sensitive, empathic philosophers approach the world of Girls from a variety of angles and philosophical points of view.The writers attack many fascinating issues arising from Girls, including the meaning of authenticity in the 21st century, coming of age in a society with no clear guidelines, Girls as the only TV show the pop-culture-hating professor Theodor Adorno might have admired, feminist appraisals of these not-very-feminist characters, how each deals with the anxiety that comes from inescapable freedom, whether we need to amend the traditional list of seven deadly sins in the context of present-day New York, and, of course, why we once again find it natural to think of women in their early- to mid-twenties as "girls.".

Paperback. Condizione: New. Microchips, government-replaced bird drones, QAnon and vaccine tracers: these are just a few of the most common conspiracies we have heard over and over again throughout most of 2020-2021's news cycles. There are common categories of conspiracy theories, variants of which pop up over and over again, and new and outrageous theories that seemingly appear overnight. While most of them are easily debunked, conspiracy theories and their root causes can be used to closely track people's most significant philosophical concerns at a point in time. In this up-to-date study of conspiracy theories, the authors look at the history of conspiracy theories, discuss the history and hallmarks of such theories, and examine what counts as a conspiracy theory--and what doesn't.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Queen and Philosophy: Guaranteed to Blow Your Mind is a collection of cutting-edge philosophical essays on the rock group Queen, founded in 1970 and originally featuring lead vocalist Freddie Mercury.  Queen's reputation and fan following continue to grow in the twenty-first century. These insightful and provocative chapters include:? uncover the origins of Queen's unique style in prog rock, vulgarity, and lower versus higher Romanticism? examine Queen's view of love and friendship? draw upon three timeless Queen songs, "We Will Rock You," "We Are the Champions," and "Don't Stop Me Now" and Socrates's behavior in the Apology, to understand the "rocking" nature of philosophy? identify the connections between ancient matriarchal religion and Queen's love for strong female imagery? explore how Brian May's astrophysics brings to bear the issues of absolute versus relative spacetime and how the philosophies of Newton, Mach, and Einstein contribute to Queen's creative output? analyze the structure of Queen's sound to answer the inevitable question, How can four people make all that music?? expose what Queen's songs tell us about the contemporary theory of mental illness and therapy? scrutinize Roger Taylor's stark impressions of ordinary life and death, and their alignment to the cynical musings of Diogenes of Sinope and Seneca's blunt observations on the shortness of life? look at the movie Highlander through the music of Queen and reveal how both song and cinema convey the philosophy of bushido, the soul of the samurai.

Paperback. Condizione: New. As Deep as It Gets: Movies and Metaphysics is a witty and light-hearted introduction to philosophy through a deep study of some well-known movies and TV shows: Pulp Fiction, South Park, The Princess Bride, The Wizard of Oz, Super 8, The Twilight Zone, House of Cards, Inception, Monty Python's Life of Brian, His Dark Materials, Sergio Leone's westerns, and Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat.All the major branches of philosophy are covered, including aesthetics, political philosophy, metaphysics, and the theory of knowledge. The author's approach is "Continental," with some American idealism and process philosophy in support. The emphasis is on the primacy of time as a key to interpreting human experience. In that regard, existentialism, phenomenology, and process philosophy are better guides to thinking about time than the more popular approaches that depend on language analysis.Professor Randall E. Auxier says: "Philosophizing involves telling stories about life that are art, and making up stories that aren't life but provide a contrast to it. I want readers to add to what I see, and to take up interpretations contrary to mine. A healthy discussion is good for everybody.".

Paperback. Condizione: New. #1 New Release in Nuclear Engineering In May 2025, President Trump issued his executive orders greenlighting nuclear power and identifying something called "LNT" as a flawed theory not grounded in science. Suddenly, many thousands of people wanted to know "What the hell is LNT? And why, after all these years, should it be abandoned?" This new book by Mike Conley gives the answers to these questions. It's the first book for the general reader on this important topic. LNT ("Linear No-Threshold") is the hypothesis that any amount of nuclear radiation, no matter how tiny, does some harm, and the only safe dose of radiation is zero. This hypothesis is provably false, and yet it has dominated nuclear policy since the 1940s, holding back the development of the safest, most efficient, and cleanest form of energy generation. The LNT Report: How Bad Science Made the World Afraid of Nuclear Power is a fascinating detective story, uncovering the history of the LNT dogma, showing how it finally came to be exposed and debunked as bad science (BS). Careless assumptions, panicky post-Hiroshima emotions, careerist bad faith, and the financial interests of fossil-fuel titans all played a part. The result was the domination of public discussion by a false conclusion: radiation is risky in any quantity, no matter how low the dose. In 1927, Professor Hermann Muller published a paper asserting the LNT hypothesis, though providing no evidence for it. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for this paper in 1946, despite the fact that the evidence he had gathered since 1927 was deeply flawed and the hypothesis itself dubious. In the years that followed, Muller and his supporters employed all available means to cover up the deficiencies in LNT, even to the point of suppressing contrary evidence. The hero of this detective story is the outstanding scientific authority in the field, Professor Edward J. Calabrese, who traced the LNT hypothesis from its inception up to recent years. Calabrese looked at every available detail of the discussion, even including the private correspondence of Muller and others, and showed how, at every step, wrong assumptions and unsound experimental techniques were employed to save LNT from public refutation, and to save Muller's Nobel Prize from being scandalously discredited. The truth, finally made clear by many years of careful scientific examination and by recent advances in cell biology, is that low doses of radiation are harmless, and even beneficial to health, because of the human body's natural ability to repair cells damaged by radiation. Fears of the risks of nuclear power have been wildly exaggerated and then irresponsibly hyped. We're all constantly subject to natural background radiation. Life on Earth evolved subject to continual radiation, which has gradually declined over the millennia, so that we're pre-adapted to higher background radiation than we experience today, and may even benefit from increased radiation. Low-dose radia.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Anthony Bourdain is famous for being brave enough to eat things most Americans would not regard as food, including a whole cobra, raw seal's eyeballs, and unwashed warthog rectum. His book Kitchen Confidential (2000) was his first best-seller, but not his last. Though best known as an authority on food and international travel, Bourdain also wrote popular crime novels and books on history and other topics. He was a fan and friend of The Ramones and dedicated his hilarious book The Nasty Bits (2007) to the members of the band.Bourdain was a heavy user of multiple drugs, a practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and an exposer of sexual harassment both in the restaurant business and the movies. All his writings and recorded conversations are witty and penetrating, and express his strong personal opinions on many subjects, from vegetarianism to religion.Anthony Bourdain and Philosophy is a collection of chapters by a diverse group of philosophers on many aspects of Bourdain's life and work. Among the topics discussed: What counts as food, and what counts as good food? What can we learn from travel that we could not glean from books and movies? Do eating habits bring people together or drive them apart? Is suicide a moral issue or just a matter of personal preference? Is it okay for an addictive personality to indulge his many indications, including addictions to work and sports? Are vegetarianism and other progressive lifestyle features "first world luxuries"?Scott Calef is professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion, Ohio Wesleyan University. He edited Led Zeppelin and Philosophy: All Will Be Revealed (2009) and has written many scholarly articles on philosophy.

Paperback. Condizione: New. As Deep as It Gets: Movies and Metaphysics is a witty and light-hearted introduction to philosophy through a deep study of some well-known movies and TV shows: Pulp Fiction, South Park, The Princess Bride, The Wizard of Oz, Super 8, The Twilight Zone, House of Cards, Inception, Monty Python's Life of Brian, His Dark Materials, Sergio Leone's westerns, and Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat.All the major branches of philosophy are covered, including aesthetics, political philosophy, metaphysics, and the theory of knowledge. The author's approach is "Continental," with some American idealism and process philosophy in support. The emphasis is on the primacy of time as a key to interpreting human experience. In that regard, existentialism, phenomenology, and process philosophy are better guides to thinking about time than the more popular approaches that depend on language analysis.Professor Randall E. Auxier says: "Philosophizing involves telling stories about life that are art, and making up stories that aren't life but provide a contrast to it. I want readers to add to what I see, and to take up interpretations contrary to mine. A healthy discussion is good for everybody.".

Paperback. Condizione: New. Sam Harris, a previously unknown neuroscientist, single-handedly generated the New Atheism with his best-selling book The End of Faith, which quickly became a huge best-seller following its release in 2004.Harris went on to write several more best-sellers on a range of topics and has become one of the world's most followed podcasters. He is well-known for his controversial positions in many areas, including the unique danger of Islam, the advocacy of atheist spirituality through meditation, the beneficial use of psychedelics, denial of the existence of free will, his belief that science can tell us what's right and wrong, and his extreme alarmism with regard to the future of artificial intelligence. Sam Harris: Critical Responses is a collection of essays criticizing different aspects of Harris's thinking from a range of diverse perspectives-left and right, Christian and atheist, philosophical, psychological, and political. These twenty serious criticisms of Sam Harris, written by experts from diverse political and ideological backgrounds, are often severe while maintaining an approach that is reasonable and respectful. As one noted author commented on Sandra Woien's previous collection, Jordan Peterson: Critical Responses, "Both fans and foes will appreciate this volume."Forward by Stephen R. C. Hicks. Stephen R.C. Hicks is a professor of Philosophy at Rockford University. He is the author of Explaining Postmodernism (2004) and Nietzsche and the Nazis (2010).

Paperback. Condizione: New. Warren Zevon and Philosophy is a collection of chapters on Zevon's life and music, authored by philosophers who are also Zevon fans, providing new and exciting insights into Zevon's thinking, his cynical lyrics, and the cruel ironies of his roller-coaster life and career.Since his death in 2003 at the age of fifty-six, Warren Zevon's following has grown, and seven books on Zevon have appeared in the last few years, with more in the works. The Zevon legend continues to attract attention both because of the outstanding quality of his best songs and because of the poignant trajectory of his life. According to the novelist Carl Hiaasen, Zevon "left behind a wildly intelligent and captivating body of music." Warren Zevon was an American rock'n'roll singer-songwriter, born in Chicago, though associated with the music scene in Los Angeles. His early albums, Warren Zevon (1976) and Excitable Boy (1978) attracted a loyal fan following and ecstatic praise from critics. As a special talent to watch, the teenage Zevon was introduced to several notable people, including even Igor Stravinsky.Zevon's descent into alcoholism and other addictions, along with his debauchery and erratic behavior, took its toll and his performances suffered, an aspect disturbingly captured in the memoir by his ex-wife Crystal Zevon, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon (2008).In the last few years of his life, Zevon rehabilitated somewhat, and his work returned to an impressive level of quality. His remarkable final albums, Life'll Kill Ya (2000), My Ride's Here (2002), and The Wind (2003) have made a lasting impact. The last of these was given the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album, while the song "Disorder in the House," performed by Zevon with Bruce Springsteen, won Best Rock Vocal Performance. John MacKinnon teaches philosophy at Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. He has published scholarly articles on aesthetics and philosophy of literature.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Isaac Asimov's Foundation is the most influentialscience-fiction epic of all time. Published as a series of books and short stories from the 1940s to the 1980s,the series has impacted most subsequent science fiction, and influencedsciences like sociology, statistics, and psychology. The story has now beenmade into a highly acclaimed TV serial (Foundation), on Apple TV, thesecond season now shooting in Prague.The story begins 45,000 years in thefuture, and spans centuries in which a vast and successful interstellar humanempire is unknowingly headed for total collapse. Using an advanced mathematicaltechnique called psycho-history, a brilliant scientist, Hari Seldon, predictsthe collapse and establishes a "foundation" to bring about the resurrection ofhuman civilization many generations in the future.Asimov's Foundation and Philosophy is a collection of twenty-four chapter by philosophers exploring the philosophical issues and puzzles raised by this epic story. Topics include whether one individual can make a big difference in history, the ethics of manipulating large populations of people to bring about a desirable future result, the Dao of non-action, the impact of education on future generations, whether human affairs are governed by predictable cycles, whether attempts to plan for the future must be thwarted by free will, the futility of empire-building, the ethics of cloning human beings, and the use of logic in analyzing human behavior.Joshua Heter teaches philosophy at Jefferson College, Missouri, and is co-editor of Better Call Saul and Philosophy: I Think Therefore I Scam (2022).Josef Thomas Simpson is an academic coach and part-time lecturer. He contributed chapters to Westworld and Philosophy: Mind Equals Blown (2019) and Orphan Black and Philosophy: Grand Theft DNA (2016).

Paperback. Condizione: New. Queen and Philosophy: Guaranteed to Blow Your Mind is a collection of cutting-edge philosophical essays on the rock group Queen, founded in 1970 and originally featuring lead vocalist Freddie Mercury.  Queen's reputation and fan following continue to grow in the twenty-first century. These insightful and provocative chapters include:? uncover the origins of Queen's unique style in prog rock, vulgarity, and lower versus higher Romanticism? examine Queen's view of love and friendship? draw upon three timeless Queen songs, "We Will Rock You," "We Are the Champions," and "Don't Stop Me Now" and Socrates's behavior in the Apology, to understand the "rocking" nature of philosophy? identify the connections between ancient matriarchal religion and Queen's love for strong female imagery? explore how Brian May's astrophysics brings to bear the issues of absolute versus relative spacetime and how the philosophies of Newton, Mach, and Einstein contribute to Queen's creative output? analyze the structure of Queen's sound to answer the inevitable question, How can four people make all that music?? expose what Queen's songs tell us about the contemporary theory of mental illness and therapy? scrutinize Roger Taylor's stark impressions of ordinary life and death, and their alignment to the cynical musings of Diogenes of Sinope and Seneca's blunt observations on the shortness of life? look at the movie Highlander through the music of Queen and reveal how both song and cinema convey the philosophy of bushido, the soul of the samurai.

Paperback. Condizione: New. What sort of thing is Post-Punk?  Is it merely a musical genre, an artistic movement, or something else altogether?  What is the proper role of emotion in the intellectual life?  Is any attempt to be cool an inherently losing battle; should I embrace my eccentricities?  Does a counterculture need to care about change, or can it simply focus on its art?  Are nihilism and love compatible?  Is the best way to deal with a bleak worldview simply to embrace it through art?  How much should we care (if at all) about the moral failings of the artists whose work we love so much?  What exactly is authenticity, and how important is it?  As a result of so much thoughtful artistry and music-making, the editors of this book were fortunate enough to bring together the talented authors whose work comprises it as they raise, clarify, and even attempt to answer some of these questions. Thankfully, their creativity and innovation are worthy of the Post-Punk creatives about which they've written.  And, their varied and eclectic perspectives are akin to the variety of influences that led to and help make Post-Punk such a unique and beloved art form.  So, that's how we got here; through and past the downward spiral of Punk's initial wave, alternative rock music came out stronger and even more diverse and compelling with the advent of Post-Punk, and we are now in a position to reflect deeply on the movement as a whole.  Perhaps if we think carefully enough about it all, we might even be able to discover where we go from here." (From the editors' introduction, "Well, How Did We Get Here?").

Paperback. Condizione: New. The Canadian psychology professor Jordan Peterson burst into public awareness when he opposed the compulsory use of newfangled gender-pronouns. He has since published two best-selling books, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos  (2018) and Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life  (2021), and has become the leading public intellectual on social media.Although Peterson has an almost cult-like following, and arouses strong passions, both for and against, there has been very little focused, objective criticism of his provocative views on a wide variety of topics: the role of religion, the alleged need for more value and meaning in the modern world, the way young people should conduct their lives, the history of Marxism and postmodernism, male-female relations; the interpretation of Bible stories, the inevitability of hierarchy and inequality, and the application of Jungian archetypes.Jordan Peterson: Critical Responses brings together new and searching criticisms of various specific aspects of Peterson's ideas. Though on balance decidedly critical, the authors represent a range of different backgrounds and philosophical assumptions, and the criticisms are fair and temperate, eschewing the personal attacks which have marred many of the pronouncements of Peterson's opponents.

Paperback. Condizione: New. #1 New Release in Nuclear Engineering In May 2025, President Trump issued his executive orders greenlighting nuclear power and identifying something called "LNT" as a flawed theory not grounded in science. Suddenly, many thousands of people wanted to know "What the hell is LNT? And why, after all these years, should it be abandoned?" This new book by Mike Conley gives the answers to these questions. It's the first book for the general reader on this important topic. LNT ("Linear No-Threshold") is the hypothesis that any amount of nuclear radiation, no matter how tiny, does some harm, and the only safe dose of radiation is zero. This hypothesis is provably false, and yet it has dominated nuclear policy since the 1940s, holding back the development of the safest, most efficient, and cleanest form of energy generation. The LNT Report: How Bad Science Made the World Afraid of Nuclear Power is a fascinating detective story, uncovering the history of the LNT dogma, showing how it finally came to be exposed and debunked as bad science (BS). Careless assumptions, panicky post-Hiroshima emotions, careerist bad faith, and the financial interests of fossil-fuel titans all played a part. The result was the domination of public discussion by a false conclusion: radiation is risky in any quantity, no matter how low the dose. In 1927, Professor Hermann Muller published a paper asserting the LNT hypothesis, though providing no evidence for it. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for this paper in 1946, despite the fact that the evidence he had gathered since 1927 was deeply flawed and the hypothesis itself dubious. In the years that followed, Muller and his supporters employed all available means to cover up the deficiencies in LNT, even to the point of suppressing contrary evidence. The hero of this detective story is the outstanding scientific authority in the field, Professor Edward J. Calabrese, who traced the LNT hypothesis from its inception up to recent years. Calabrese looked at every available detail of the discussion, even including the private correspondence of Muller and others, and showed how, at every step, wrong assumptions and unsound experimental techniques were employed to save LNT from public refutation, and to save Muller's Nobel Prize from being scandalously discredited. The truth, finally made clear by many years of careful scientific examination and by recent advances in cell biology, is that low doses of radiation are harmless, and even beneficial to health, because of the human body's natural ability to repair cells damaged by radiation. Fears of the risks of nuclear power have been wildly exaggerated and then irresponsibly hyped. We're all constantly subject to natural background radiation. Life on Earth evolved subject to continual radiation, which has gradually declined over the millennia, so that we're pre-adapted to higher background radiation than we experience today, and may even benefit from increased radiation. Low-dose radia.

Paperback. Condizione: New. The Godfather and Philosophy is comprised of twenty-eight chapters by philosophers, who reflect upon the ethical and metaphysical issues raised in The Godfather novels and movies, beginning with the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo and the 1972 movie by Francis Ford Coppola.The Godfather saga has had a profound impact on American cinema, storytelling, thinking about crime, and popular culture. Aimed at thoughtful fans of The Godfather franchise, among the questions tackled in these provocative philosophical chapters are the immigrant experience in America, the relation between ethics and the law, the nature of moral corruption, private justice and vigilantism, organized crime and the American Dream, betrayal and forgiveness, religion and family values, the difficulties of breaking out of a dysfunctional way of life, and the uncertain consequences of vice laws.Joshua Heter teaches philosophy at Jefferson College, Missouri. He co-edited Punk Rock and Philosophy (2022).Richard Greene teaches philosophy at Weber State University, Utah. He wrote the definitive and highly acclaimed book, Spoiler Alert! (It's a Book about the Philosophy of Spoilers) (2019).

Paperback. Condizione: New. The Canadian psychology professor Jordan Peterson burst into public awareness when he opposed the compulsory use of newfangled gender-pronouns. He has since published two best-selling books, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos  (2018) and Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life  (2021), and has become the leading public intellectual on social media.Although Peterson has an almost cult-like following, and arouses strong passions, both for and against, there has been very little focused, objective criticism of his provocative views on a wide variety of topics: the role of religion, the alleged need for more value and meaning in the modern world, the way young people should conduct their lives, the history of Marxism and postmodernism, male-female relations; the interpretation of Bible stories, the inevitability of hierarchy and inequality, and the application of Jungian archetypes.Jordan Peterson: Critical Responses brings together new and searching criticisms of various specific aspects of Peterson's ideas. Though on balance decidedly critical, the authors represent a range of different backgrounds and philosophical assumptions, and the criticisms are fair and temperate, eschewing the personal attacks which have marred many of the pronouncements of Peterson's opponents.