Social Sciences Books

This is an amazing book. What a great premise. In this book Prof. Sowell argues that the basis of political ideology generally comes from two viewpoints concerning human nature. One, the unrestrained, where man is limitless in his capacity to improve himself and the world, and restrained, where man is forever limited and must rely on reason and caution. Whatever viewpoint one has on human nature naturally is prism for all views on society, issues such as how a government should work, what is real "equality", what is justice ect.

The best part of this book is it generally is unbiased. Thomas Sowell is a conservative economist who works at a conservative institution. However, in his academic works I continue to notice a deep sense of responsibility in not stacking the cards in his position's favor. Sadly in a world where many intellectuals feel far better trumpeting their pesonal agendas, it is good to know there are some in academia who still favor neutrality.

This is a fascinating book that will change the way you see the world. Like all visions, there is much that is left out or oversimplified by Sowell's analysis. Nevertheless, it is an extremely worthwhile read. Sowell is clearly widely read in economics, political philosophy, and social thought, and the book is remarkable for its ability to convey the essence of complex thinkers like Friedrich Hayek in an easily digestible form. Even if you're read your Smith, Mill, and others, you'll still learn a lot from this book.

A perfect introduction on why opposing sides tend to be the way they are and how in their eyes what they think and believe is better then what their competition says.

Makes a clear distinction between people who are optimistic to the point of being brash versus those who are realistic to the point of being stagnant.

This is a heavy book though. Will require complete concentration and probably re reading a few times before the real value of this great text is clear to the reader.

Yet another great book from a brilliant mind. Sowell should be required reading for upper high-school and college students.

I love Thomas Sowell for his clear mindset and philosohy. I read almost nothing else but philosophy, and Sowell is at the top of my list for clarity, understanding and delivery. He does not receive, in my opinion, the recognition for his genius he is due. A must read.... as is all of Thomas Sowells books

This book should be required reading for every American citizen prior to the our Congress going back into session on Thursday, October 2, 2008. If not before then, then before the November 4th elections in 2008. It is a real wake up call to the status of America not only here at home, but also worldwide.

After reading this from the library I immediately ordered five copies to be given to my children and grandchildren for Christmas with the instruction that they must read and act upon it.

This is a wise, thoughtful, deeply probing assessment of The United States current situation, with sensible prescriptions to address problems. Every American should read it.

I am sending my copy of "A LETTER TO AMERICA"A Letter to America by David Boren to the Arizona State Superintentent of Public Schools with the recomendation that he read it and mandate it to be required reading for all High School Junior Students. If I could afford it, I'd send a copy to every citizen in the United States!
My wife, Pegge, is ordering a copy to send to Opra.
Tom Downs, Scottsdale, AZ

This short book represents David Boren's current views of the problems facing the USA. I found his dispassionate discussion of the US's relation to the world, the destructiveness of partisanship, campaign corruption, economic health, the disappearing middle class, and the Urgency of Memory (best chapter in the book) to be good summaries of where the USA stands today. I did not see Boren saying "we are at a crossroads", however.

Overall, each of these problems have been discussed in the media in one form or another, so to me, it seem like a better than average repitition of what's out there. However, the CHapter on "The Urgency of Memory" caught my eye and should be restated as an "op Ed" column. It is by far the best chapter in the book, and it contained much in it that was new to me.

Boren quotes the following passage from an address entitled "The Urgency of Memory" in which the importance of Americans returning to humanistic studies was emphasized to understand themselves and their place in the world following the attacks of September 11, 2001.

"A nation that does not know why it exists or what it stands for cannot be expected to long endure. We must recover from the amnesia that shrouds our history in darkness, our principles in confusion, and our future in uncertainty. We cannot expect that a nation which has lost its memory will keep its vision. We cannot hope that forgetting our past will enhance our focus for the future."

Boren then summarizes the demise of teaching of American History and Civics in US high schools, colleges, and other institutions of higher learning. He rightfully criticizes the demise of academic standards through out the American educational system because of political correctness and recommends that American history and Civics be required of all university graduates.

My own recollection is that the main purpose of the American primary and secondary school system was to teach American History and civics to immigrants so as to integrate them into American Society. If it is indeed true that American primary and secondary education has abdicated this reponsibility, we are in trouble.

The solution: Mandate that all immigrant and foreign students not only learn English, but also American History and Civics at ALL levels of the US educational system from kindergarten to the graduate school. Once implemented, make it mandatory for ALL students.

How can that be done?: By executive order, instruct the Department of Education to withold federal funding from primry and secondary school systems unless such a requirement is instituted. Second, by executive order, mandate the same requirement in all American Unviersities who receive federal funds for research, extension and other services or risk seeing their funds evaporate. That's at least a start.

As for Boren's other solutions, I found them weak. I felt that they represented a nostalgic trip to his younger days when life was 'simpler' or in the US Senate, where things at one time were more "collegial".
I saw no recommendations that would reinvent America along our traditional model in a new framework for the 21st century.

This book was enlightening for me and I would recommend it to any woman who is "beating her head against a brick wall" with her mate and wants to break the cycle of frustration. The importance of seeing how you keep the cycle going is important if you want to make a difference in the situation. The author's clever way of presenting the information to both sides was very helpful.

I have read hundreds of self help books. This book outshines them all. It is an illuminating read whether you are the man or the woman in an emotionally blocked relationship. This book hits the nail on the head and really helps you understand how dysfunctional beginnings can dictate all of our primary relationships throughout our entire lifetime, unless we do something about it. I loved this book and have purchased five copies to give to friends.

Awesome book! I highly recommend this to all married people. Patti Henry has an incredible insight to healing and marriage. You will be glad you read this one!

I don't know what made me read this book, I have never heard of it before but I am so glad I did. I have learned a lot about myself and past relationships I have had. I am divorced but still have an amicable relationship with my ex and think that if we had this book it might have really helped us work on our relationship. The book talks to you without all the psyhco babble, it is clearly and concisely written....it speaks to you, not at you. After I read the book, I wrapped it and gave it to my ex as a gift hoping that he reads it. Thank you Patti Henry for telling it like it is.

This book is fantastic. It is the only book I've found that provides help for men on becoming emotionally available. All the other books I've seen are from the women's perspective and not very helpful. The book provides very concrete exercises and steps to follow. It also goes into how we became emotionally unavailable. It is helping me save my marriage and all other interpersonal relationships.

Thank you for making this purchase so easy! It was exactly the book needed and you offered some savings when compared to the local bookstore. It made sense to buy the books needed for this semester from you.

This book was used for my freshman Foundations of Education course. I found the book a joy to read, and it provided a balanced look at the teaching profession. This one book that will definantly not be sold back. The supplemental materials on the CD-ROM seemed to be high quality, but I disliked having to read them on my computer and ended up ignoring the CD.

Mr. Fagan has written an easily read account of climate and its effects on history. He makes the story interesting and wanting the reader to forge ahead into the book. He unfortunately starts off the prologue and spottily throughout the book with a false premise. He believes that man has caused much of the global change in climate since 1860, which is of course completely false. If he had only followed the logic he uses throughout the book, an opposite conclusion would be more appropriate, that climate change is just that-change and will happen whether man is on the earth or not. With this notable exception, the book is a good read. Don't get drowned by all the numbers thrown around from chapter to chapter. Skip over the decimals surrounded by numerals and enjoy the book.

Brian Fagan does an excellent job, with the knowledge we have today, of illustrating what lights paleoclimatology may be able to shine on today's global warming, with sufficient warnings for the humans that are causing it.

Specifically, the flight to the Sunbelt, especially the Desert Southwest, with its low-density sprawl and little mass transit, on the one hand, and demand for air conditioning, on the other, continuing to fuel anthropogenic global warming, Fagan would be excused if he didn't serve up a whole plateful of Schadenfreude crow for the largely conservative denizens of this part of the U.S. to digest.

He didn't, but he could. Why?

Based on paleoclimatology, it appears likely that this part of the country will experience the same long-term drought that wracked the Anasazi at Chaco Canyon, then later at Mesa Verde. Of course, the nearly 20 million of Southern California's Southland, the almost 5 million of the blot called Phoenix and the moving toward 1.5 million inexplicably in the Las Vegas area are a lot more thirsty for water than the Anasazi were.

But, move beyond the U.S. The droughts of sub-Saharan Africa that started in the early 1980s are also likely to get worse in the 21st century. So, too, are problems in China, especially north China.

Beyond this, Fagan documents the variety of ways in which civilizations of this time, from 900-1300 AD or so, called the Medieval Warm Period by British paleoclimatology pioneer Hubert Lamb, tried to deal with climate change of their era, or fell apart when they were able to deal no longer.

With excellent explanatory sidebars on climatic patterns, chapter-by-chapter maps of civilizations under discussion and more, Fagan details the power of climatic change, with a sobering bit of reality for our times.

Brian Fagan explores the story of climate change between 800 and 1300 C.E. and the impact of that climate change on different regions of the world. Unlike Europe, most other regions of the world suffered from drought, not bountiful harvests during that period. Understandably, Fagan is inclined to rename the so called Medieval Warm Period into the Medieval Drought Period.

Fagan usually does a good job of explaining how proxies such as tree rings, ice borings, and deep-sea and lake cores can be used to deduce the climatic evolution during a given period in a certain area. Direct methods (instrument records and historical documents), climatic forcings (such as volcanic eruptions), and computer modeling are other techniques used to study ancient climatic change. Today's world can particularly benefit from the lessons that Fagan draws from the implosion of both lowland Maya civilization and Angkorian empire.

Unfortunately, Fagan's narration is at times confusing due to the use of side stories that slows down reading without adding too much value to his narration. Worse, Fagan makes bold, controversial statements at the beginning and end of his book that are apparently built on his exploration of climate change between 800 and 1300 C.E. and its impact on different regions of the world.

For example, Fagan states that global warming since the end of the Little Ice Age (from roughly 1300 to 1860 C.E.) is caused in large part by human activity (pp. xvi-xvii, 230). That statement flies in the face of what Fagan explores in the rest of his book. Many non-human made factors play a significant role in influencing climate change. Furthermore, Fagan quotes Al Gore and his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" on global warming as an impartial authority on the subject without mentioning at the same time the nine significant errors found in that documentary. Fagan could benefit from reading the ruling rendered by High Court Judge Michael Burton in 2007 in London on that subject if he has not yet done it. Similarly, Fagan could find another perspective on global warming by watching the hard-hitting documentary "The Great Global Warming Swindle," which is on sale on Amazon.com.

To summarize, what the international community needs, is impartial facts instead of propaganda, and workable, economically feasible solutions instead of undue pessimism about the future of humanity.

Brian Fagan has written an interesting, very readable book. Those who are concerned about global climate change will love it. Those who are unconcerned will hate it. Those who are looking for a well-reasoned scientific argument will come away disappointed.

In 1992, Al Gore published a political treatise on global warming called Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit. Gore's argument was much the same as the Prophet Jonah's argument to the Assyrians: change your evil ways or perish. Gore supported his argument with statistics and with examples of earlier civilizations that outstripped their resources and perished. Although Gore did not claim to be writing a book of science, his book was highly acclaimed in its time.

Sixteen years later, the debate has moved on and the Great Warming adds very little to it. Fagan claims to be conducting a scientific inquiry, yet his conclusions are based more on politics and less on science than Gore's political treatise. If footnotes water the garden of knowledge, this book is an arid desert. Fagan's poor choice of where to irrigate does not help.

Here is one example: "Violence was a fact of life in medieval Europe and an integral part of politics." (P. 23.) It seems rather obvious that in a society where rent and taxes are paid by providing military service to an overlord, there will be violence. Fagan overstates his case here though. He does footnote that but not his sweeping statement that the Medieval Warm Period was less warm than today. (P. 16-17.) It does not help his credibility when he later contradicts himself, admitting that this question "is still a matter of much debate." (P. 232.) If medieval agriculture was possible during the Medieval Warm Period in places that are too cold to support crops today, such as the Swiss Alps, Trondheim (which is well north of Oslo in Norway), and even Greenland, as he notes, then why is global warming necessarily harmful? He cites numerous contrary examples from other parts of the world, but one is tempted to recall an old adage: it is an ill wind that blows no good. Whatever the change in climate, it seems to help some and hurt others. His book is full of examples.

Fagan has a tendency to make sweeping statements without proof. Some of them are clearly wrong. His lack of footnotes hurts him seriously because it causes one to question other facts within his realm of expertise that might be correct. For example, he claims that the "Capetian kings (of France), whose dynasty began in 987. . . created an ideology that proclaimed they were chosen by God." (P. 24.) This is a ridiculous statement and it is easily disproved. Hugh Capet did indeed found the Capetian dynasty when he became king in 987 but he and his heirs hardly invented the concept of the divine right of kings to rule. The preceding dynasty, the Carolingians, were named for Charlemagne, who had been crowned by the Pope in 800 as the first Holy Roman Emperor. That is as good as it gets for divine right in medieval Christendom. The Carolingians' predecessors, the Merovingian kings of the Franks, also claimed divine right. It took papal sanction for the first Carolingian king to depose the last Merovingian king. In many cultures of the ancient world as far back as the Pharaohs and perhaps even before them, rulers often claimed either to be gods or to have been descended from the gods.

Fagan speaks glowingly of expanding trade in the ninth century and how Charlemagne controlled important trade routes across the North Sea. This claim no doubt would come as news to the Vikings, who sacked Paris twice in the ninth century before unsuccessfully laying siege to it in 885-886. In the ninth century, the Vikings sacked coastal cities all over the North Sea, in the Irish Sea, and even as far south as Spain. They were strong enough to settle in many of the places they attacked, such as England, Scotland, and Ireland (and later, Normandy). Dublin was actually founded by the Norsemen in the middle of the ninth century. There was little trade across the North Sea in the ninth century. If anyone controlled such trade as there was, it was the Norsemen and not Charlemagne or his successors.

Fagan's French geography is questionable: "Some parts of France, such as Brittany, were in shambles. . . . Only the western, Celtic-speaking regions escaped invasion. . ." (P. 24.) Brittany is of course both the westernmost part of France. In the ninth and tenth centuries, it was perhaps the most Celtic part.

Fagan also gets into trouble by overemphasizing climate in English history after the Medieval Warm Period: "the greatest fear of England's Tudor monarchs was urban unrest caused by grain shortages." (P. 32.) Henry VII founded the Tudor dynasty by defeating his predecessor in battle and thereby ending the Wars of the Roses. His greatest fear appears to have been a renewal of civil war after his death. That may have been true also for his son and successor, Henry VIII, who left detailed instructions in his will about the succession. Henry VIII is well-known for founding the Protestant Church of England and for his many marriages. Although he concerned himself deeply in all the affairs of his realm, grain shortages do not seem to have been his biggest concern. His son, Edward VI, was a boy king with a brief reign. Mary, who attempted to restore the Catholic Church, was certainly more afraid of the Protestants than she was of grain shortages. Elizabeth was concerned about plots by Catholics within her realm, by her cousin Mary Queen of Scots, and by Philip, King of Spain. Most of Fagan's readers will have heard of the Spanish Armada, sent by Philip. That completes the Tudor dynasty so one has to wonder which Tudor monarchs Fagan meant, and where he got his information.

Fagan might be on firmer ground in discussing geological and archaeological evidence of drought in the American southwest, in the Yucatan peninsula, in Peru, in Cambodia, and in China. He seems much more comfortable here than in dealing with reported history. Even in discussing China, which has had a bureaucratic tradition for two thousand years, he relies almost solely upon archaeology and geology. He suggests that the Chinese histories tend to focus on matters other than climate. Maybe he is right, although neighboring Korea and Japan have kept records dating back more than a thousand years showing the dates when the cherry trees blossomed in the spring.

His discussion of the influence of climate on Pacific trade winds and on the monsoon is interesting, and he makes a good case for how changes in the monsoon and the trade winds led to the settlement of the Pacific islands and to the downfall of the Pueblo, the Mayans, and the Khmer (although the last one occurred after the end of the Medieval Warm Period). His argument that climate change led to the depredations of the Mongols is interesting but speculative. Since other invaders such as the Khitan, the Seljuk Turks, and the Magyars had invaded civilized lands from the Eurasian steppes over a period of several hundred years before the election of Chinggis Khan as Great Khan in 1206, and the Arabs had expanded out of Arabia in the seventh century, well before the Medieval Warm Period, his conclusion is certainly an oversimplification.

All in all this is a "good read" and perhaps even useful for its discussion of the complex relationship among the monsoon, trade winds, ENSO, La Nina, and the ITCZ. However, I cannot call it a good book.

Climate change is a regular item in the news. Most articles and books look at the future - few address the past. While the human condition is a large consideration, real effects are not often dwelt on. Brian Fagan makes up for both these lacks in this finely researched and comprehensive study. In a framework centred on a millennium in the past, he takes us on a global tour of what is known as The Medieval Warm Period. Lasting for half a millennium, about 850 C.E. to 1300 C.E, Fagan shows us the importance of understanding the global nature of climate and its interconnected elements.

In Europe, the era was later named the High Middle Ages. Flourishing trade, wine grown in the British Isles and shipped to France [!] and the mighty cathedrals erected typified the period. Elsewhere, conditions weren't as salubrious. In the North American Southwest, drought brought to a close the civilisation of Chaco Canyon and toppled the great Mayan Empire. In Asia, the great Ankor Wat, built to symbolise a vast and rich realm, was abandoned to the jungle. China's peasant population, always at the edge of survival, was driven from their lands in many places by alternating extended droughts and torrential rainfalls stripping the soil. Even the Mongol Horde was prompted to move in what proved nearly catastrophic for Europe, driven by the need for grazing lands.

Enduring climate change has been a human consideration from the beginning. Even our evolutionary roots lie in the drying of Africa and the subsequent emergence of the savannah. In one sense, climate is what brought us the role of the one bipedal ape. The development of agriculture made us yet more vulnerable to shifts in climate, Fagan reminds us. Dependence on rainfall is the foundation of raising crops, alleviated only a little by irrigation canals. Irrigated farming plays a major role in this book, with the South American and other civilisations struggling with problems of water management. Those lacking such amenities, such as California Indians, suffered drastically when the severest droughts in thousands of years killed off natural food supplies.

Fagan's talent as a writer is equalled by his feeling for the human condition. In each region he describes, it's more than weather changes that he's concerned with. It's what that meant to the local population and how it reacted. The author uses a deft ploy to capture the reader's interest at the beginning of each section. He sets up a local scene with imaginary, but carefully defined, participants. The situation reflects the weather and social conditions, indicating how those interact to produce behaviours and adjustments.

At first glance, this book may seem merely a "history" with little meaning for today's conditions or those of the future. However, it is far from that - being instead a diagnosis for what is to come. Fagan concludes by reminding us of past population dislocations resulting from the great droughts. That pressure is certain to emerge again, and he asks how ready we are to deal with it. Although climate change is "normal", as the events of the Medieval Warm Period demonstrate, the population today is vastly larger than it was then. With the human contribution to warming accelerating the process, it will be billions of people affected by what is to come. In the earlier time, some people, such as the Chaco Canyon residents, had the ability to adjust, our capacity to follow their example is curtailed by our high density centres. This book is an overdue warning of what we, or our grandchildren, will be facing. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Without a doubt Joe's best book. I have given it as a gift to several friends. Some are ready for the message and get it, but truthfully, some do not. But if you can get the message, it will liberate your faith, raise your thoughts to a new, better level and help you let go of your old way of thinking about all religions.

I have read six of Joe's books. The Masks of God series will give much more detail. The Hero With a Thousand Faces concentrates on the classic hero journey. This book is a combination of all of them. The essays are transcripts of lectures and are very easy to read. His stories are funny, timely and, like dreams, "they shine of themselves". Joseph Campbell will change your life. Enjoy

What is a mythology? What role does it play in modern society? Does it have any positive effects in our culture? Campbell's book explores these questions, by giving a clear account of the different mythologies around the world and throughout the ages. This comparative study of our ancestral and modern beliefs and views of the universe not only enlighten us as to how our forefathers confronted reality but it, as well, teaches us how we can deal with the world of experience around us.

To state it bluntly: our adventures in the world teach us about ourselves, just as going into ourselves we learn about the world. By going into one you simultaneously explore the other.

Please enjoy this delightful book as it will engage you in a journey of over 10,000 years and the voyage of inner discovery.

This book is based on a series of lectures, and as such, has more of a direct, conversational tone than the author's more academic works, which though no less forceful, contain numerous allusions to artwork, artifacts, and other specifics that make it harder to follow. It helps to have familiarity with these prior works - like the MASKS OF GOD - or prior experience with the study of myth. Such background gives the reader a depth of perspective that would make the concepts more difficult to grasp otherwise; and gives the vantage point of a summary or review.

From my point of view, a special appeal of the book concerns comparing and contrasting the mythology of East and West. The author notes how mythical elements such the serpent, the tree, and the garden of immortality have a common, deeply rooted past. In the Biblical myth of the Garden of Eden, the serpent is the enticer, the one who leads Adam and Eve astray with the knowledge of good and evil from the tree, the cause of all the trouble. In the Buddhist myth, on the other hand, rather than being cursed, the serpent is accepted as being the protector of the Buddha; and the tree of immortality is not out of reach in the same way that it is in the Bible. Rather than being banished from the Garden or Paradise because of disobedience, what is keeping mankind alienated from the original source is ignorance, a mistaken attachment to the impermanent.

Also, reaching into the past, the author notes that the first ever cities were based on a astronomical order that was applied by priests, who wielded a special religious authority, to all of social life. The East, he maintains, has never really strayed very far from holding onto the necessity of a cosmically based order. Everyone has a pre-ordained role to fill, and it is folly for anyone to step out of his or her role. The West, on the other hand, although it has had long spells of religious suppression, has valued the individual as being worthy of development and expression. This humanism can certainly be seen in the Greeks in their laying a foundation for modern science; and finds it's most extreme expression in the myth of Prometheus. It can also be seen in the Tristan and Isolt myth, and the remarkable daring which the poet Gottfried expressed in "challenging hell", in defying the imposed religious order of the Middle Ages.

A chapter of special interest, especially in the unfolding of world events, is the "Mythologies of War and Peace". As revealed in myths of primitive planting and hunting cultures, humankind does not extend itself in this world in any appreciable way without killing. One would think that planting cultures would be the most life-revering, but throughout the tropics and in the ancient world, the most horrific sacrifices have been made in the interest of extending fertility. Even kings have been sacrificed. A comparison is made between the war mythology of the Greeks and Hebrews, who were roughly contemporaries. The Hebrews had no consideration for their opponents, thinking that their way was the only sanctified way and even worth slaughtering for (the author quotes passages from Deuteronomy and Joshua). Zoroastrianism, a cosmic conception of the forces of light against the forces of darkness, became the basis for the Jewish and Christian apocalyptic traditions, providing further justification for fighting and killing an enemy. With Jesus Christ, however, there is a clear break with the traditions of war and the drive to eradicate the evils of an enemy. "Love thine enemy as thyself" represents a very different approach from much of history. The author compares Jesus with Buddha and the ascetic tradition of the East.

Picking out some of the salient myths gives me a sense of how much depth and breadth is involved here. In this attempt not to over-generalize, I have barely scratched the surface.

I am glad that I finally got around to reading this collection of Campbell's lectures delivered between 1958 and 1971. Since they deal with eternal subject matter there is little chance of them being "dated." The common theme running through them all is the deep power of myth on the inner, spiritual lives of human beings throughout the ages. This includes our own age, whether we personally want to admit or recognize it.

The Lectures include:
1) The Impact of Science on Myth (1961),
2) The Emergence of Mankind (1966),
3) The Importance of Rites (1964),
4) The Separation of East and West (1961),
5) The Confrontation of East and West in Religion (1970)
6) The Inspiration of Oriental Art (1958),
7) Zen (1969),
8) The Mythology of Love (1967),
9) Mythologies of War and Peace (1967),
10) Schizophrenia- the Inward Journey (1970),
11) The Moon Walk- The Outer Journey (1970),
12) Envoy: No More Horizons (1971),

The reader will recognize much of the subject matter from the later talks with Bill Moyers in the "Power of Myth" series. All in all there is enough material covered to make this an excellent introduction to myth, true spirituality, and depth psychology.

One of the topics that stuck with me was the fundamental difference in the nature of religion in the East, the Near East, and the West. Traditional Eastern societies were seen as governed by one great cosmic law through which all members were seen to draw their purpose, their worth, their meaning. God was in all things and the divine spark was in all individuals. Union with the divine was possible to those that transcended their ego. In the Near-East human beings (including the King) were seen as the groveling "tenant-farmers" of God. Men were the slaves of the Gods and could only beg and sacrifice to obtain boons. Man was in no way a part of God- matter and spirit were artificially split (mythic dissociation.) Finally, there was the Greek model- mankind as the rivals and competitors of the Gods. The Greek had turned ego into God, laying the foundation for the total denial of the very existence of spirit. That is, except for the initiates of the Mysteries....

There is a section of reference notes citing sources in the back of the book, as well as, a full index for quick reference.

Everything by Joseph Campbell is wonderful, but these transcribed talks are the most approachable.

It's a good book, as far as statistics textbooks go. It makes a tough subject very easy to understand, using many accessible examples and simple terms. Most of the other students in my class had trouble with this course. I was one of the only ones who actually read the assigned chapters, and I was the only one who got a 98 in the class. So, I think that says something!

Good book, pretty interesting, but wish it had more graphics and examples. Not bone dry like most STATS books.

This is a pretty decent statistics book. It has few, if any, examples for each chapter. The questions at the end of each chapter, however, are written well and help you to understand the material a little better. I think it would be difficult if you were relying solely on this book and not an instructor to learn the material. But overall, it is a decently written school book.

I liked the explanations given about every step while learning the steps of analysis. The book explains 'how and why' in simple language. Also, the print outs of the computerized format of the analysis helped me! Definitely recommend this book for a beginner like me!

Howell writes well and provides multiple examples but there is no justifiable reason for (a) multiple editions within a short time span (this is the THIRD in the course of my PhD), and (b) blatant errors (e.g. he states, this is the same result we saw in Table x and it isn't). At this price I expect a product to be near perfect. I still have the 4th edition (published by Duxbury) and it would have served fine for my current course of advanced inferential stats. Fortunately the binding fell apart in the 5th edition and I was able to get my money back, saving me $100 on three purchases in five years of essentially the same book. As I said: Good, but no reason for new edition.

This collection of essays starts out by rehashing nature/nurture arguments that ought to be widely understood by now, but then becomes mostly entertaining and occasionally quite informative.
He mentions one interesting study (Cunningham and Russell, "Egg investment is influenced by male attractiveness in the mallard)) which questions sexual selection arguments put forward by Geoffrey Miller and others about animals selecting mates with better genes. The study shows that female Mallards produce stronger offspring after mating with more attractive males because they invest more resources in those eggs, rather than because of anything that seems connected to the genes provided by the males.
He helps explain the attraction of gambling by describing experiments which show larger dopamine releases due to rewards that are most uncertain (the subject thinks they have a 50% chance of happening) than is released when there's more certainty (e.g. either a 25% chance or a 75% chance) of the same reward.
One place where I was disappointed was when he described "repressive personalities", which he made seem quite similar to Aspergers, and made me wonder whether I fit his description. "dislike novelty"? My reaction to novelty is sufficiently context-dependent that any answer is plausible. "prefer structure and predictability"? Yes and usually. "poor at expressing emotions or at reading the nuances of emotions in other people"? That's me. "can tell you what they're having for dinner two weeks from Thursday"? I could probably predict 5 days in advance with 50% accuracy, so I'm probably closer than most people. So I Googled and found another description (mentioning the same researcher that Sapolsky mentioned) in the Sciences and find descriptions of "repressive personality" that seem wildly different from me ("a strong personal need for social conformity" and "agreement with statements framed as absolutes, statements loaded with the words never and always"). Who wrote this competing description? Wait, it's the same Sapolsky! It looks like his current description reuses a small piece of an older article with inadequate thought to whether it's complete enough.

No one comes colose to sapolsky in having fun with genetics and evolutionary science. This set of essays is just a blast.

It should come as no surprise that Monkeyluv, as with all of Sapolsky's books, is a masterpiece. There is no better science writer of our day.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I read it very quickly and had trouble putting it down. It is fascinating, educational, funny, enjoyable and well written about complex issues.

Sapolsky, who is the author of A Primate's Memoir, The Trouble with Testosterone and Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, is a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford and a recipient of a MacArthur "genius" grant. I found his genius not only to be in his insight and ability to frame questions and pursue their answers, but also to be able to write about it in a way that is accessible to a "nongenius."

This book is a collection of previously published essays that are updated for this edition (the updates include notes for further reading and on source materials). Sapolsky divides the book into three parts ("Genes and Who We Are," "Our Bodies and Who We Are" and "Society and Who We Are") and introduces each section with cogent current thinking on the issues addressed. For example, to introduce the first section, Sapolsky writes about how the nature-nurture argument is a red herring; genes contribute to personality/behavior when the environment interacts with them in ways conducive to gene-induced behavior! For example, in "Of Mice and (Hu)men Genes," Sapolsky writes about genes that may indicate a proclivity for depression, but only in certain environments, and summarizes that the reader should be wary of simple expanations. (And, he asserts, as humans we may have more responsibility to create positive environments that interact benignly with risky genes than to understand which genes cause what.) In the second section's "Why are Dreams Dreamlike?" Sapolsky illustrates how answering some questions about how the brain and psyche function just brings up other, deeper questions.

Sapolsky's illustrations of his points are fascinating and enlightening (and often funny!). In "The Genetic War Between Men and Women," he writes about how the genes from the father of a species have one goal ("greater, faster, more expensive growth") while genes from the mother have another ("countering that exuberance"). The success comes in nature's ability to balance these goals: "The placenta is ... the scene of a pitched battle, with paternally derived genes pushing [the placenta] to invade more aggressively while maternally derived genes try to hold it back." He lists other examples of this balance in humans and other species. This view of nature and how reproduction is nurtured fascinated me and helped me to see things in a new way.

Sapolsky's topics are wide ranging, and the book reminded me a bit of Freakonomics in its tendency to turn its problem-solving focus on whatever issue crossed its path. For example, in the final section, he writes about the differences between the
religions of desert peoples and the religions of tropical peoples -- the former tend to have a single god with miltaristic iterations and few rights for women while the latter tend toward pantheism and matrilocal marital residence. "Most evidence suggests that the rain-forest mind-set is more of a hothouse attribute, less hardy when uprooted." I guess that's evident, but Sapolsky's writings on the topic, again, gave me a new way to look at something I hadn't considered before. In this book, he addresses game theory, gene mapping, musical tastes, gender-communication issues and neurogenesis with wit, clarity and insight.

I recommend this book if you're the least bit curious about your brain, your body, the natural world and the society in which you live.

I have never read anything by Sapolsky before. Now that I have he goes right to the top of my list with Richard Dawkins and Desmond Morris.

Pat Buchanan is a smart man, that much is clear. His recollection of history may be immense, but his perspective is off the mark. Buchanan talks a lot about not getting involved in the affairs of other nations, often pointing out that George Washington advised against such things in his Farewell Address. Indeed, it is true that America has become much more interventionist than in previous eras, but the reason is simple: globalization has changed the game.

The threat of nuclear and biological weapons used by Islamic terrorists against the United States, weapons that could annihilate an entire metropolis and potentially ruin the American economy, is something men like Washington could not have foreseen. The bottom line is this: the business of other nations has become America's business. The old kings of Europe weren't that much of a threat to America as much as Bin Laden is, and that's the point Buchanan misses. The fact that Bin Laden's lackeys could reach America in a few days is something Washington never had to deal with.

I find it ironic that throughout his book, Buchanan points out how America is too imperialistic and trying too hard to spread democracy everywhere. Looking at America's so called "imperialism", one realizes that America doesn't have any colonies and doesn't actually own all that much outside of less than a 1000 military bases around the world (in countries like Germany, Japan, and Britain no less - do you think this can be called imperialistic?). Even more ironic is this: Bush is bluffing about spreading democracy. As Buchanan points out, the Gettysburg address was nothing more than wartime propaganda, as is Bush's intent to destroy anyone that is not democratic. In reality, Bush is simply fighting in Iraq to prevent good ole' Saddam from harboring terrorism even further, it had nothing to do with democracy or freedom. Being that countries like Iran would love nothing more than to sell a bit of nuclear materials to guys like Bin Laden, it is not unreasonable to intervene there either. America has to become interventionist or we'll lose an American city and then some. Buchanan wants to stick to the politics of the early days of the Republic, and it simply won't work.

Unfortunately, democrats, libertarians, and the rest of the reform parties don't understand that we need to preemptively strike terrorism before they hit us. They think Islamic jihadists hate America because of our presence in the Middle East. Really, it's about the West controlling the world when Islamic jihadists think they should. They simply hate the West: they see us as decadent sinners whose lives have no value. Why do you think countries like Britain and Spain received their fair share of the jihad? Why do you think France has a little problem with their Muslim population? These countries do very little to keep a presence in the Middle East. Yet still, they were hit indiscriminately. Buchanan just doesn't get it: just like Hitler didn't stop at Poland and wouldn't have stopped with the Soviet Union, these jihadists wouldn't stop in the Middle East. If they could, they'd bomb anything they could in France, Britain, Spain, and any other "infidel" country to achieve their vision of a Muslim world.

Pat Buchanan has condensed United States history and our economy from World War II to the present time, used language we all understand, opened our eyes and cleared our minds to allow for reality to set in.

It is a make sense book. Mr. Buchanan has used his years in politics and studying American history to wake up the reader. Do you know why the U.S. has become the policeman of the world? Do you know why our one time national industries are now owned by foreign concerns? Do you know how and why our country has been falling apart for years since WWII?

If you know these answers, buy the book anyway. You will still learn something new. If you don't know the answers, buy the book. You will understand how un-united we have been as a result of greed and the superman attitude we have taken over the years. The American public has been told for decades by politicians that we are following a path for the betterment of our lives and the world. Wow, have we been duped.

The book is a good read for one that deals with history and the economy.

Pat Buchanan's is a rare voice, one that refuses to tote a party line, and instead seeks to grapple with some rather irrefutable facts. While I plan to do further reading from other perspectives on those aspects of the book I found most interesting or difficult to swallow, I thought it was a very lucid presentation.

As with most of his recent books, he criticizes our government (and those in a position to influence it) for maintaining various trappings of empire, ones that he believes will mean the end of the United States as the leader of the free world if they are not abandoned in short order. Thankfully, there's far less speculation about neocons and their motives than in "Where the Right Went Wrong". I would also read this book before "Death of the West", which is a little more overwrought.

Whatever you think of Buchanan (and especially if you think he's just a cranky racist, which I believe is flatly false), this book is well worth reading, and soon. I believe he has the facts squarely on his side in this case. Even if he's wrong on half his points, he's still prescribing necessary medicine.

This is another 5-star book from Pat Buchanan on the subject of U.S. foreign policy.
While he does repeat some of the information from past books, "Day of Reckoning" is less of a history lesson than past offerings.

Buchanan, like Lou Dobbs and Jerome Corsi is highly critical of the secret plan for the North American Union and NAFTA Superhighway. It's pursued for the benefit of transnational elites at the expense of our sovereignty.

This book is a scathing critique of Bush's National Security Strategy(Bush Doctrine) which is fueled in large part by the "Wolfowitz Memorandum".

As Burke stated "Great empires and small minds go ill together." We are seeing the manifestation of that right now. Buchanan correctly points out that "terrorism is the price of empire."

Ignorance of history, arrogance, and ideology are all equal parts of the Bush Doctrine.
Perpetual war does not bring perpetual peace. Thus the allergic reaction to anything resembling diplomacy.

The history of a mission to make the whole world a democracy traces back to Wilson and it failed as miserably then as it does now. True to form, yet today, those who oppose the global democracy myth are labeled "isolationists." The author accurately argues that George Bush has done more than any other one man to isolate our country with his foreign policy blunders.
Buchanan points out that a fundamental flaw with that quest for worldwide democracy is that Islamists don't normally embrace freedom of religion.

His thoughts on free trade are on point. He explains why Marx favored free trade. That was interesting as well as who really profits from the "global economy".
"Free trade puts the claims of consumers ahead of the duties of citizens. And history has proven free trade to be both a serial killer of manufacturing and a Trojan horse of transnational government." a well written quote from page 222.

Buchanan cites a few quotes from Chalmers Johnson's "Sorrows of Empire", another excellent author on the subject of errant U.S. foreign policy.

He also offers a sensible 10 point solution to the illegal immigration problem and suggests routing the decision whether to go to war or not the Constitutional way- through Congress.

"Day of Reckoning" may be Pat Buchanan's best book yet. I recommend it.

Many of the reviewers (most?) tend to note only the parts of this book with which they agree. There is some great information in here but the devil is in the details, as always. Thus, three stars.

Patrick Buchanan, the author, has written many similar books and is known for these best-sellers as well as being a long-time talking head representing conservatism on TV and also as a Presidential candidate in the Republican and Reform parties. He gave a speech in the Republican National Convention years ago that was credited for electing Bill Clinton. This is not really true, but is the interpretation that the liberal media put on this speech that I recommend as the last gasp of traditional conservatism in the Republican Party before the liberal neo-cons took over. You need to know Buchanan's history as you read this book because his opinions don't really fit into any pigeon-hole, they're best described as Buchananist rather than conservative or liberal.

For example, take Buchanan's views on Immigration. He lists excellent statistics and anecdotes demonstrating that immigration will be the death of the US as we know it. But his 10 steps to fix it are on page 245 and do not include items such as deportation, local government enforcing immigration laws and the like. Buchanan does call for a fence and enforcing employment laws. So is this conservative or liberal? All you can really call it is Buchanan.

The book is 250 pages and 8 chapters of Buchanan's opinion on the end of America as we know it. He notes our imperial overreach with American troops in over 150 countries and the huge outlays of our money to protect other places like Europe and Japan and Israel and Palestine and South Korea and ... well,you get the picture. This anti-imperialism is one of the strengths of Buchanan and this book, and it is hard to argue with as current events unfold. Even the liberals realize that something has got to give and are supporting "change" and "hope", rather than their usual tax and spend. (And I realize that change and hope are just euphemisms for theft from one group to give to another. I teach my children and youth groups how to spot idiocy in political speech by teaching them about the uselessness of the holy word "diversity". I ask them is diversity good. Usually 100% raise their hands. I then ask them is "frequency" good. A few less than 100% raise their hands, and a few look puzzled. Is frequency good in catching pneumonia? Of course not. Is it good in getting paid? Of course. So frequency by itself is meaningless? Yes, it is. Now take a simple math problem 2+2=4. I then list some diverse answers. 2+2=5, 2+2=3, etc. Now is diversity in answering this question a good thing or a bad thing? It is a bad thing. So whenever any idiot politician of any party says he is for meaningless things like diversity, change, reform, or hope, you should know that he is treating you like the idiots you are.)

Buchanan loves to quote Bush inanities along the same vein and then point out that Bush is wrong. If you're a Bush supporter, you will be very uncomfortable with this part of the book. Buchanan also does a great job on free-trade vs. protectionism and the de-industrialization of America with its resultant loss of good jobs and the middle-class. Read the book for this, if nothing else.

I have several problems with the book. First is that Buchanan basically says that Amreicanist principles like those in the Declaration of Independence are meaningless, political terms. If true, then nothing has meaning. I kind of think our right to life and such guide our politics and lead to pro-life, pro 2nd amendment type views. I won't surrender these to anyone and Buchanan kind of glosses over this. He posits four principles that all can unite behind now that the culture war is lost and we'll never agree on abortion, immigration etc. I disagree vehemently with Buchanan on these principles and I can't understand why reviewers give this book 5 stars unless they haven't read the book in depth and are voting because they like Buchanan and conservatism.

These principles are republicanism, federalism, localization, and democracy. These are vague terms, poorly defined by Buchanan. He defines republicanism as having our representatives rather than judges make our laws. He is of course correct, but this only works under a framework of laws like the Constitution and Common or Natural law. So Buchanan misses the root of our system which is morality and Constitutionalism. Federalism means the 50 states should decide matters like abortion etc. Kind of a State's Rights principle. (I'm making these points clearer than does Buchanan.) I'm not sure what Buchanan means unless he wants to let each state decide for themselves crucial cultural issues. But doesn't the Declaration empower the Federal Government with protecting life (forbidding abortion etc.)? I'm not sure how to make the Federal courts and government give this power to the states, and I don't want California making marriage based on nothing more than a shared perversion legal and forcing my state to accept it under the full faith and credit clause of Article 4.

I agree with letting the closest political unit make decisions for its people, as long as it is under the Declaration and Constitution. (The true meaning of Republicanism is rule by law, and not rule by judges OR representatives.) And the last principle, democracy, is one that Buchanan rails against in the rest of the book. Democracy, according to the US founders, is the worst form of government and always becomes a mobocracy like we are now seeing in the US as the majority now want to raise taxes on the minority that makes more than them (Is this really taxation with representation, if my representatives have no power to represent me?). More than 50% of the people now derive a significant portion of their income from the government along with myriad unearned benefits from free drugs to inadequately funded retirement pyramid schemes (social security). Like Tytler noted so long ago, democracies only last until the people figure out they can vote benefits to themselves taken from others. So I am puzzled at Buchanan championing this particular un-American principle. In America, the people rule under moral, God-given rights and a Constitution to protect those rights. We were never intended to be a popularity club where the guy that tells the biggest lies and promises the most gets elected.

Parts of the book repeat what I think Buchanan said better in earlier books (particularly The Death of the West: How Dying Populations and Immigrant Invasions Imperil Our Country and Civilization). So overall, three stars for the reasons mentioned. Vincet Veritas and Long Live the Republic!