Philosophy Books

Arendt begins her opus magnum with a proposal: she states that the launch of Sputnik in 1957 (similar to Vaclav Havel's proposal of the moon landing) has hearkened in a new age of humanity. Following this proposal is one of the most mysterious but rewarding books of the 20th century, in my humble opinion.
I first encountered "The Human Condition" in an undergraduate class regarding the post-modern community. To this day, I still have not completely digested this work. Her objective, in her own words, is to determine "... what it is that we are doing", and her choice of a goal is challenging considering what is to follow. Situating herself between a Greek model of society and a Marxist interpretation of labor, Arendt calls into question our ideas of progress, technology, and even forgiveness, and aims a withering critique at the subjective personality of the post-modern world.
I won't go into a broad summary of her points to convince you to read it, but instead implore the reader of this review to see for themselves what Arendt is doing. Some will give up on this book after a few pages, calling it semantical nonsense. Yet for those who forge a path through Arendt's intelligent interpretation of history will come out on the other side with a new appreciation for the way in which they live their lives, participate in this thing we call "work", and interact with the human community. I can't stress enough how much this book means to me.

I should forewarn those who are about to the buy this book that you ought to first be well read in ancient Greek Culture: philosophy, political city-state as well as Greek mythology. Arendt uses a lot of Greek terminology which can make it incredibly difficult for the average Liberal Arts student or international student, for that matter, who are unfamiliar with these these terms.

No doubt the concepts she spoke of in the mid-50s are more than applicable to todays society. She was clearly a woman ahead of her time, but much too brainy for her own good. Chapter 2 on the "Public and Private Realm" is a 50+ page drag, emphasis on the word DRAG. I'm barely scraping through this chapter.

Had Arendt chosen to write in a taut, less opulent but fluid fashion, she could have easily connected to average readers and would have been an instant bestseller. If she did in fact become one...then more power to her.

Two cents worth from a frustrated liberal arts student.

To judge this book by it's cover, I would say that it's red violet. I hope the content covers the spectrum of the human condition. Enjoy your lunch.

Arendt's book is really more a disquisition on political theory than an explanation of the human condition in all its endlessly tragic vicissitudes.

It was interesting, and I learned more about ancient Greek and Roman political theory than I really wanted to know; with the most interesting facet being the defining of the terms "labor", "work", and "action" as they pertain to the the means by which the human animal has his being in the world. But by and large, it really didn't touch on the human condition in a way that enlarged my understanding of the essence of its gestalt.

The most interesting chapter is the one on action as the public realm in which some men choose to live and act, and how that affects both the present and the future. While action is essentially ephemeral in nature, its impact on the human condition is one that can and often does have unintended consequences reaching far into the future like ripples on a pond spreading outward from a central occurence. It is that very unpredictability that is its foremost feature.

Labor too is ephemeral in nature, in its attendance on the basic needs of mankind, food and shelter. Only work, in Arendt's estimation is durable and in this category she places all forms of art.

It is not an easy book to read but, given a little effort, accessible to even a novice at political theory.

I'd had this book for quite some time so I thought I might take a look at it. After reading it from cover to cover, all I have to say is, "What a waste of my time".

Arendt jumps back and forth from ancient Greece and Rome to the modern and post-modern eras, sometimes in the space of a few words in a paragraph, in a single-minded quest to put her stamp on what it is that gives value to existence. Turns out that it isn't happiness (too vulgar and egotistic and Bentham was a dirty crude little egoist) or even God (although He shows up in both the Heavenly and Nazarene versions). Nope, it's politics. The why is unclear to me; something to do with the mind (too vulgar and egotistic) and its inability to really know God's creation (Never mind that Genesis says mankind was created in God's image. Arendt puts a governor on the intellect and proclaims it incapable of understanding.) and how action for the sake of action is the greatest achievement of man (the working animal).

Throw in some rationalizing of immortality based on her understanding of then up-to-date physics and you've got it in a nutshell.

The "Chomskian Worldview" has to do, in part, with the ANARCHIC view that 1. POWER is ALWAYS illegitimate until, 2. it has justified its existence. 3. The "burden of proof," i.e., proving its legitimacy, is on POWER, NOT upon those in its thrall. Therefore, the U.S./Israeli power alliance agenda is illegitimate, via both the Nuremburg protocols and the U.N. charter which considers aggression THE cardinal prohibition. Libertarian Socialism--to which Chomsky espouses--is Anarchic in its praxis.

Therefore, we err if we argue that, "Chomsky's agenda is a consistent attack of propertied classes," since it not property, per se, that is vexing. Rather, examine the arrogant, expansionist "worldview" that informs the Israeli agenda (aided and abetted by the U.S.) for the Palestinians--underwritten by a belief in its own Zionist POWER ENTITLEMENT (i.e., the Modern State of Israel is an ENTITLEMENT for the Holocaust, as opposed to a region the Palestinians have a full, legitimate claim to).

It follows, then, from the Israeli/U.S. hegemony in effect in the Middle East, that POWER PURSUES ITS OWN PREROGATIVES, i.e., here, the illegitimate seizure of property. And it is this, in part, which Chomsky seeks to expose (and, hopefully, depose). Again, the Anarchic view: POWER--de jure, de facto--is obliged to justify itself.

By the way--and lest there be any doubt in anyone's mind--'Anarchy' has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with chaos, lawlessness, disorder, etc. That is disinformation promoted by the Market/State/Media Power complex.

Regarding the so-called "power conspiracy" theories--which Chomsky has refuted several times, both in print and in lectures:

At this point, "players" within the Market/State/Media complex do not need to "conspire" in order for "Power" to exist. That is, "Power," in the parlance of Social theorists, is "libidinous." "Power" as an illegitimate, i.e., non-justified, entity--that has not been successfully opposed, or contravened--once rooted, will continue. It's as simple as that.

At this late stage in the game no overarching conspiracy is needed--no upper-echelon "meetings," subterfuge, secret envoys, etc.--to sustain Power. Yes, the names and faces of the various "players" may be variable--e.g., if the CEO of Exxon-Mobil dies tomorrow some other "suit" will take over quickly--but Power itself rolls on.

"Libidinous" is a Freudian term referring to the libido, the sex drive, or sexual desire--an apt comparison. Power is libidinous--an often mindless, material striving...for its own sake. "Libido" and "desire" are subtle drives, but none the less real for their subtlety. And just what is there to "desire"?

That is, what are the Market, the State, and the Media in pursuit of--simultaneously--that might lead one to believe that there is a quote-unquote conspiracy which correlates all their activities, somehow in tandem, one to the other? What is there to desire? In a word: MORE. "MORE," that is necessary or needful? No--just "MORE." And the pursuit of "MORE" will never be sated.

Just like someone suffering from a substance-abuse type addiction, Power-as-the-pursuit-of-MORE has to be contravened and stopped. To use another analogy, it's like a juggernaut--it's out of control, i.e., it cannot stop by itself. It has to be opposed...

Like the scare crow in the Wizard of Oz I wish I had a brain. At least a better one and certainly one like Chomsky's would delight me. So I have admired this man for years trying to keep up with with his exhaustive commentaries of what is really happening in politics around us. As a result of this long time appreciation of Chomsky's mind along with the realization he volunteers as an interpreter for the majority of us who just can't figure out all the complex ins and outs of political strategies in America, I treated myself to his new book The Essentials of Chomsky. In my opinion it is packed with wonderful chapters that share his insight with us.

I also love that he is an expert in linguistics and has several of his articles from this field that accompany his many articles based on political analysis. There are three chapters that have captured my interest in particular: The Responsibility of Intellectuals, Language and Freedom, and The Remaking of History. Just from these alone I feel I got my value in purchasing this book.

I find that when I really set my mind to his writings they aren't so hard to comprehend as I imagine and usually I feel rewarded from the ideas and facts I come away with from my read.

I envy anyone who can absorb the 25 chapters from this entire book. But for me I'll be relatively happy reading slowly those chapters that most capture my interest.

This book provides a good overview of Chomsky's work. It covers both his political and psychological work and captures his unique, original and highly intellectual insights into many areas. It is in my opinion a good introduction to the great man and ideal for someone looking to get acquainted with his work. I would also argue that if you were to buy just one Chomsky book this one should be it as it covers the whole scope of his work. However if you are interested only in Chomsky's political work then I suppose the best introduction to that is `Understanding Power'. However the two books compliment each other very well.

To give you a better idea of what the book covers I have listed the contents.
Contents are as follows:

1. A Review of B.F. Skinner's `Verbal Behaviour'
2. Preface to `Aspects of the Theory of Syntax
3. Methodological Preliminaries
4. The Responsibility of Intellectuals
5. On Resistance
6. Language and Freedom
7. Notes On Anarchism
8. The Rule of Force in International Affairs
9. Watergate: A Skeptical View
10. The Remaking Of History
11. Foreign Policy and the Intelligentsia
12. The United States and East Timor
13. The Origins of the "Special Relationship"
14. Planning for Global Hegemony
15. The View Beyond: Prospects for the Study of Mind
16. Containing the Enemy
17. Introduction to `The Minimalist Program'
18. New Horizons in the Study of Language and Mind
19. Intentional Ignorance and Its Uses
20. A World Without War
21. Reflections on 9-11
22. Language and the Brain
23. United States - Israel - Palestine
24. Imperial Grand Strategy
25. Afterword to Failed States

I would also personally recommend in addition to this book (in order of most highly recommended): Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky, Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance, Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda and Failed States.

Spanning several decades, this collection of articles is a fair representation of the opinions of someone who is responsible for instigating a lot of research into language theory as well as provoking many into political debate and action. A writer, researcher, political activist, or teacher does not have to always be right in order for them to be judged as effective, and Noam Chomsky is right about issues just as often as he is wrong. He is best when he is encouraging his readers to be skeptical, and given the history of governments one can only approach their analysis from the standpoint of extreme skepticism. No utterance, document (official or unofficial) or decree coming from any government in the world should be believed without in-depth analysis and painstaking research. Time constraints often put a damper on the level of analysis that is required; with the immediate consequence that one must withhold judgment on sometimes very important matters. This makes authors such as Chomsky valuable, in that they summarize events and histories that enable those interested to make better use of their time.

Chomsky can be very loose with facts, as can been seen by perusing some of the articles in this book. For example, when discussing the (illegal and immoral) invasion of East Timor by Indonesia, he states that the United States supplied 90 percent of arms used, but he does not give a reference for this assertion. And in the same article, he refers to an "outstanding Australian specialist" on East Timor describing Fretlin, the political party at the time of the invasion, as "populist Catholic". Chomsky often quotes individuals that he deems as expert in a subject, but he never gives objective criteria for what constitutes an expert. Readers who are not intimidated by authority demand evidence be given for assertions, and it matters not to what degree the person who makes these assertions is held in esteem.

But the greatest contribution that Chomsky has made, and one that is detailed in the article on the responsibility of intellectuals, is that he eloquently speaks out for the joining of actions and words. Too often intellectuals, from both the "right" and the "left", approach critical analysis from the comfort and serenity of the academic armchair. Chomsky encourages active involvement, and understands that a large degree of stoicism and perseverance may be required if one is to make changes in social hierarchies, or even perhaps to dissolve these hierarchies entirely. For this reason Chomsky is not a conservative, for he is not afraid to bring about change in very short periods of time. But he is also not afraid to take on liberals such as John F. Kennedy, who he clearly deplores as is evident by reading some of the articles in this book. No public or governmental figure or nation state is sacred for Chomsky.

Given his current age, Chomsky may be leaving us soon. Some will perhaps rejoice, but even those who strongly disagree with him will certainly miss him, for he gave them incentive to better formulate their own positions and make them distinctive from his. One cannot have a better testament to one's existence than the encouragement of critical thinking.

As a long-time vegetarian who just decided to go vegan I wanted a book that could help with with my transition. Some decent & basic advice is given on how to travel as a vegan, addressing folks in your life who have questions and smart ways to deal with the negative feedback you often get from people around you, along with other logistical things you may want to consider.

Although the authors do communicate that they really want to respect other people's choices they get a bit 'preachy' in many areas of the book. I prefer to lay low and not become one of those annoying vegans/vegetarians who share a 'holier then thou attitude'. The authors do feed into that stereotypical annoying group of people a little bit. If you're someone in the same boat as me, a new vegan, you can look past the annoyances with your open mind to learn a few things. Like any book, take what you like, leave what doesn't work for you and move on.

The style of writing makes it a pretty fun book; it's enjoyable and easy to read. I reccomend reading this one to beginner vegans.

This book covers a wide variety of topics that new vegans, and those interested in animal rights in general, will find useful. While it doesn't go into great depth on any specific topic, it is really not meant to do so. This is meant to be a guide for those seeking some direction in becoming vegan, and points to many other resources to help the reader.

I am looking forward to the second edition of Vegan Freak. I think the authors have evolved their opinions on many of the topics presented in VF and part 2 will be a welcome continuation and evolution of their views.

This book was written in a really warm style and the writers come off as very likable, that said there isnt anything really new in this book and all of the interesting points are from other (better) books. The rest is common sense stuff so this book is in a way pointless (sorry!) its like a light read for people who dont know anything about being vegan and dont know how to use google. If the writers were not so nice i would have given it a 1 because I dont think this needed to be produced there are better books out there....

I thought this book was good and provided a lot of information, but the authors were in my opinion, a bit too judgemental. Ive been a vegetarian for years and have been a vegan only a few months. It has been a challenge for me with determining whether a product has animal by-products. The authors make you feel like the worst person in the world if you call yourself a vegan and accidently eat a by product. They really hard core put you down if you are not a "perfect vegan" which earlier in the book they praised people for trying. Towards the end of this book it turned into a "BASH ALL THE VEGANS WHO ARE TRYING BUT MIGHT NOT BE 100% YET" which turned me more off to veganism than on. So, if you do not have tough skin, do not read this book.

I am a long time vegan, and I would normally support a project like this, but I have found the veganfreak.net site that accompanies the book to be very unfriendly and unwelcoming. They do not try to help, they turn you away in ridicule if you come asking questions they don't like. I don't like the tone of the book or the authors' (or whoever they have running veganfreak) attitude. Thanks for turning this vegan away and leaving an extremely bad taste in my mouth! You are doing more harm than good.

I only say that because you'll receive a free copy once you sign on with the company. I bought the book after I accepted a job there and lo and behold I had two copies of The Science of Success.

As far as the book goes, it was pretty good, the only thing that it was really weak on were examples of how Koch Industries actually used MBM to make money. After having worked there I really can't tell you how they have used MBM to make money either because during the two day MBM training you only hear one example and you'll be left saying, "Why of course we made money off of that because we're in oil!"

Other than that it does a very good job of outlining the economic principles that have made up the Koch management structure. Each company within Koch is very nimble and small and we really weren't bogged down in bureaucracy (mostly just accounting rules) like most companies are. The book also gives a very good look into the culture at Koch which was the strongest asset and the best thing I took away from working there.

I've not yet read this book. BUT, working for Georgia Pacific before and after Koch bought and left his mark,,,,These principles DON'T work here. Sorry, wish I could say better. I've waited and waited. I've done what I could in my limited capacity to "Live the process". I don't have decision rights. Can't get anything fixed, and everything is run till fail. Fail it does. Often and repeatedly. I guess Charles is just waiting for us to fall on our face and can't get up, then he'll shut it down, tear it down for scrap, sell the land (which is still worth something I'm sure), and a new Casino will end up here.

When I get a few more nickels together I'll get the book. Then I can read how the Fairey Tale was supposed to end. :(

This is not a self-help book. It is an excellent slim introduction to free market economics and economic thinking masquerading as a business book.

While I picked up the "Science of Success" to see how he applied economic thinking to running a business, I was blown away the authors clarity and elegance in describing economic thinking.

I also found his business system - MBM (Market Based Management) The Science of Human Action Applied to Organizations - to be interesting. It was not a how-to guide though.

The Science of Success is going to be a business classic. If you're in business, especially if you want to make your business work better you need to read this book.

Check that. You need to read and re-read and re-read this book. And you need to try out what you learn in experiments in your workplace.

That was one of the first things I got from this book, the idea of seeing trials of new ideas as "experiments." It's a powerful concept because it immediately washes away all the "risk of failure" that makes it hard to try new things in so many companies.

Koch's idea is amazingly simple. When you try something new, you see your trial as an experiment. Then you measure the results and learn from them. Whatever you learn, you've succeeded.

It's like that old story about Edison trying a gazillion different things as a filament for the electric light bulb he was try to invent. Time after time he tried. And, one after another, the filaments he thought would work didn't. "I haven't failed," Edison told a person who questioned how he could stand all that failure. "I've found a gazillion things that don't work."

One reason this is a great book is that there are those incredible insight like that all through it. You find yourself thinking, "Wow. That sure makes sense." You reach for your highlighter. You drape the book in sticky notes.

The book is also great because it reminds you of basic concepts that you knew once. For example, you probably learned about "sunk costs" and "opportunity costs" in college.

Koch will remind you of the definitions, but he does something more and more important. He shows you how to use those concepts in your decision process. Let's see how he does that.

On page 33 he reminds you that a sunk cost is "an unrecoverable past expenditure." And he tells you "Such costs should seldom be taken into account when determining what to do in the future because, other than possible tax effects, they are irrelevant to what can be recovered."

The money you put into developing that new product? It's a sunk cost. It's not an investment. You won't get it back. That means that it's irrelevant to whether or not to kill the new product or put more money into marketing it.

Koch shows you how the economic concepts of sunk cost and opportunity cost ("the value of the most valuable alternative that must be foregone to undertake a given act") should affect your decision making.

Another reason this book is great is that it brings together a very intelligent business owner's lifetime study of economics and human behavior and how they apply to making a company work. This isn't an academic treatise either. Koch has used these principles to run his company, where he is the primary owner.

You many not be familiar with the name Koch Industries, but you surely know some of their brand names like Stainmaster, Dixie Cup, and Georgia Pacific. Koch Industries is the largest private US company. It got that way, in part, because Koch used the principles in this book to run the company. In 1960 Koch had revenues of about $70 million. In 2006 they were $90 Billion.

In other words, this is not just theory. Koch has actually, truly, really put his money where his ideas are. In The Science of Success, he lays out what he's learned over a lifetime of study, thought and, more important for you, experimentation. Here's how he's structured the book.

Chapter 1 is short history of Koch Industries. You'll learn about how the company evolved and get introduced to the experiments that worked and many that didn't.

Chapter 2 is about Market-Based Management (MBM), which is what Koch calls his system. That's something of a misnomer. He's not referring to "market-driven" management. "Market-based" refers to "based on free market principles." This chapter also introduces the Science of Human Action.

The Science of Human Action is "the study of how humans can achieve their ends through purposeful behavior." It's the action steps connected to economic principles and psychological truths.

In the chapters that follow, Koch defines five dimensions along which you apply MBM. They are Vision, Virtue and Talents, Knowledge Processes, Decision Rights, and Incentives. There is a wealth of good ideas under every single heading.

There are two downsides to this book. At times, Koch writes like the engineer that he is, but the ideas and concepts pull you right through the rough spots.

The other downside is a result of the value that's here. It took Koch a lifetime to write this book and you won't get more than a fraction of the potential value from it unless you read it more than once. I'm staring my fourth read.

No matter what business you're in, no matter where you are in your career, you should read this book. It's a new business classic, on a par with Peter Drucker's Managing for Results. It's got the same strength of intellectual underpinnings, the same solid logic, and the same rich simplicity. The biggest difference is that The Science of Success is written by a man who built a great company using the concepts he's writing about.

I am so sick of nonsense books written by corporate thieves about the "secrets of success". Koch stole millions from American Indians. Google it, just google "Koch and Indian lands" The principle of wealth through theft is ancient. That's why "thou shall not steal" is one of the 10 commandments.

Thank you Byron Katie. We've all been there. The tools you have given all those who have read your book are invaluable! From one who has read and studied.

Another great book by Byron Katie. I love her and Tolle the best. Very insightful stuff.

The product was in grand shape and the price was right plus it came when they said it would be here!

This is a great intro. to the study of The Work. It is simple but it goes deep. If you are in a hurry to find peace I suggest you listen to this cd set and really DO The Work. The Work of Byron Katie has changed my life.
Also check out, Loving What is.

I got taken in by Byron Katie's "work", used to think it was great. It seemed to "work" in the beginning. Over time I started finding holes in it. Bigger and bigger holes. Then I did some internet research and learned that people have been reporting big problems with Byron Katie and her method. I've come to agree that she's full of it.

Under NO circumstances do I recommend taking a seminar with this woman. I urge you to do a search for "Byron Katie" and "cult" and evaluate the info that's been coming out about her.

As an alternative source of self-help, I recommend "Authentic Happiness" by Martin Seligman. I've found it incredibly helpful and completely without harmful side-effects, unlike what I ended up experiencing with Byron Katie and her bogus "work".

"Archaeology Of Knowledge" finds Foucault at his barest, trying to build up his own theory. Like others have said, it is fascinating to see how much he tries to encompass and how extremely difficult his own enterprise is. Foucault spends many pages trying to explain to us what he means by "discoursive formation", "object formation", "formation of concepts", etc., and the place where his own theory stands vis-à-vis a so-called "history of ideas". You can learn lots from this book, because, like myself, sometimes you get lost in Foucault's magistral writing, his fabulous way of weaving history and thus cannot clearly follow his own particular method of research. If you want to see some of his (earlier, almost stricly discourse-oriented) key concepts clarified, reading this book will prove very fruitful. As always, you're left with a lot of questions and with a distinctive feeling of "now what?". But then again, that's what's so utterly beautiful and engaging about Foucault... he forces you to think for yourself and provides you of the right tools to do it.
I read the spanish translation of this book so I can't comment on the english one, but the contents of this book are priceless.

Viewed against the background of Foucault's other books, *The Archaeology of Knowledge* is a curious work. In it, Foucault not only explicates the results of his early books on madness, medicine, and the history of the human sciences: he also offers programmatic statements that link up his methods with the main stream of 20th-century French historical researches. The *episteme* linking seemingly disparate fields of inquiry is here explicitly presented against the background of Ferdinand Braudel's *duree*, and other famed devices for recontextualizing historical facts. For Foucault is intent on demonstrating his method without reference to (*against*) the philosophical luminaries that had until then monopolized such meta-theory.

The uninformed, and perhaps some of the informed, may be surprised to find Foucault actually considering the fact itself: hardly a promising beginning for showing how everything seemingly natural about social life hinges on systems of power. But it is precisely the historical fact that Foucault is concerned with, the dry, value-free content of the "archive": he is interested in the conditions of the possibility of grasping the events of the world in the manner of the historian, and proceeds to elaborate a system for comparing and construing such data without reference to processes of consciousness or any other valorizing quantity from outside history.

He proceeds to do this by elaborating a pragmatics of discourse quite unlike linguistics of the Saussurean (or Gricean) variety, studying how contexts of information combine to produce a happening intelligible as an event, not only as a linguistic counter or evidence of an intention. His analysis strongly resembles that of the celebrated Thomas Kuhn, who in truth aimed not to relativize science but to explain its true "background" in actual scientific practice. Drawing many examples from (and correcting naivete in) his books *History of Madness*, *Birth of the Clinic* and *The Order of Things*, Foucault attempts to show how an intellectual history can carefully collate and juxtapose historical information without imposing an idealizing "mentality" on the originators of a discourse.

Recapping as it does his work of the Sixties, fans of Foucault's analyses in *Discipline and Punish* and *The History of Sexuality* may expect this book represents only "transitional" views of Foucault's, later discarded in favor of a full-blooded Nietzschean pursuit of power relations. But "genealogical" theories are not ignored here, particularly in Foucault's inaugural address for the College de France, "The Order of Discourse", generously included at the end of this volume. It is true that Foucault's theory does not represent the program of a "history of truth" elaborated in "Truth and Juridical Forms", early lectures on the history of the penal system included in volume 3 of the New Press's *Essential Works*. But by the same token those interested in the French social theorists who preceded Foucault will find that Foucault's engagement with their problems, especially those of his teacher Althusser, is here much more explicit than elsewhere.

In conclusion, this book is unlikely to grab you unless you have already made a significant investment in Foucault, or "contemporary" history more generally. But for anyone who has indeed spent some time thinking about such things, this book is an anodyne statement of important and influential views about history and how it is done.

Foucault is not a light read - you will spend several hours just trying to interpret this text. His wording is unusual and complicated, and sentences can run on for almost a paragraph. Sometimes you'll just want to tear your hair out.

Nonetheless, this book is important. The theories Foucault presents in this book, while nearly impossible to cite correcly, do reappear in many modern texts, especially ones about modern literature or the academy. My suggestion is you read it with the assistence of others, preferably including someone with more academic experience (i.e. a professor.)

Do not be fooled by those who dismiss this as a mere curiousity in Foucault's oeuvre. This difficult work is absolutely essential for understanding his central concept of 'discourse'. All of his works are better understood after a careful reading of this difficult work; this is true even for the later 'geneaological' works.

The Conclusion of this book (Chapter V) is perhaps the most interesting. Foucault appears to be corresponding with an undisclosed someone, wether with himself as a self critique, or with a critic. I won't put asside the possibility he is coversing with someone from the Tavistock Inst.; as Tavistock Publications Lim. was the first place of translation for this text. If he had not suceeded, in his archaeology of knowledge, an undermining of structuralism, with the thesis on human discourse, then perhaps it is because of a lack of conviction on part of this "someone" or on part of himself.

Understanding the implication of Foucault's thought process from a first read requires a refflective reader and in many ways requires a far-reaching mind from the start. This work is composed of a terminal plethora of architectures and teleological plethoras of exemplifications from science and history. Economics, stats, documents, records, and items from all discourses are examined and presented as artifacts of discursive knowledge. The Archeaology itself is the thematic for the Archive, and the archive is the preservatory of knowledge, that such discursive knowledge is preserved is archaeology. Foucault's task then is to undermine the archives of knowledge and present that knowledge back upon the structural framework of rational discourse. With observational power and radical ability, Foucault goes beyond the framework and invisibly subordinates it's needs to be observed and it's intention to be ritcheous (ritcheous in all that it accounts for, and ritcheous of the observer.) From the most primordial archean, to the revival of the primal archaic state, to the archaology of all knowledge, Foucault shows that in a way discourses built upon historical facts are like artifacts themselves. Here in the conclusion we see that the problematic of language (langue) as the derivational principal of discourses, cannot be made paletable (literaly!)

And so the audition fails because language or the "langue" is not sufficiently constructed for what it represents in discursive practice. At the zenith of the teleological project, when temporal conceptualization extinguishes itself from being quantified into being qualified, at the last quarter of the era, perhaps this work will be gleamed from the resevoire and conrgessively discussed.

I bought this book for a graduate course I am taking. It will be very helpful to me as I continue to conduct walk-throughs of teachers' classrooms.

The Thee-Minute Classroom Walkthrough is a thorough introduction to the philosophy and implementation of this type of classroom supervision. The authors advocate using many visits to each classroom every year to develop a picture of education in the classroom and in the school. The book also promotes a collaborative approach to classroom supervision, one in which the teacher reflects on instructional and curricular decisions and then plans for improvement. The classroom supervisor becomes a facilitator for such reflection.

I was expecting something less technical and more user friendly. I will have to devote some time to reading this in the summer and then perhaps implement next year.

This book was an easy read and had very practical, easy to put into practice, tips on observing classrooms. Time-saving techniques that still are quality practices.

An effective guide for pinpointing effective classroom instruction. This book also outlines specific strategies for engaging teachers in reflective dialogue that could enhance classroom instruction. A must read for administrators.

Seeds of Contemplation is a great gateway to Merton's many profound and enriching works on prayer and spirituality. It contains many short chapters which deal with the basics of the contemplative life - solitude and community, silence and words, distractions and dark nights, faith and doubt, etc. It is a helpful and essential guide for any who aspires to be a 'contemplative' - that is, to grow in the life of prayer and communion with God (and Merton would caution that we use this loaded word carefully). It clears the ground by explaining what contemplation is and is not, the unmasking of the false self, the place of solitude and silence vis-a-vis the community, the experiences of distractions and dryness and interacts with the traditional imageries of the 'living flame' and being 'touched by God' that one frequently encounters in the classical mystical writings (such as John of the Cross, Cloud of Unknowing). It really is an excellent introduction of the contemplative life for the beginners. Yet, he has said elsewhere too that if anyone desires to be a contemplative, let him not think of himself as anything else but a beginner!

This book is a combination of clarity and profundity and few books succeed in making sense of the contemplative life to the lay reader without making it sound either pedestrian or esoteric. The beauty with which it is written and the timeless quality of its counsels to people in every age that thirst for authenticity and a life of deepening union with God makes it an enduring classic.

I can't say enough good things about this book. It's hard for me to not just gush endlessly. It's beautiful, it's beautifully written, it's great. You can savor each page for hours. It's wonderful for Catholics, it's wonderful for all (open-minded) Christians, it's wonderful for spiritual people of all faiths. Only the most hardened atheist could not find something enlightening here. Stupendous.

"New Seeds of Contemplation" by Thomas Merton considers the virtues of a contemplative life. With the hectic pace of today's life, time for contemplation and being alone with God is even more important lest we lose our souls in the process of trying to make a living.

While Merton was a Catholic monk, anyone can benefit from the read even if you do not agree with any or all of Catholic theology. While I am not Catholic, I did enjoy parts of the book, particulary the following chapters:

What Contemplation Is Not
Pray For Your Own Discovery
Solitude Is Not Separation
Learn To Be Alone
Detachment
Journey Through The Wilderness
Sharing The Fruits of Contemplation

I especially liked the statement mentioned in the Sharing The Fruits of Contemplation chapter: "If we experience God in contemplation, we experience Him not for ourselves alone, but also for others".

Indeed, if we seek solitude so we can participate in morbid introspection or self-absorption, then we have missed the point. As a committed Christian, I use solitude to draw closer to God and seek His wisdom and strength to better serve others in my various roles in life (husband, father, relative, friend, church member, employee, neighbor, volunteer, instructor, etc.).

Again, whether or not you are a Catholic, Protestant, or whatever, you will benefit in some way from reading the book.

Read and enjoy. Recommended.

Thomas Merton's "New Seeds of Contemplation" is nothing short of life-changing: the complexity of his relationship with the interior life and titanic inward spirituality makes this the kind of book you will refer to for your entire life and may never understand it fully even then (I don't, and have read it twice now). For all that, you will still enjoy and admire the man.

Just about everything he says applies very well to modern civilization, and the amazing thing is that he wrote all of this from the Abbey of Gesthemani.

"Hell is where no one has anything in common with anybody else except the fact that they all hate one another and cannot get away from one another and themselves. They are all thrown together in their fire and each tries to thrust the others away from him with a huge impotent hatred. And the reason why they want to be free of one another is not somuch that they hate what they see in others, as that that they know others hate what they see in them: and all recognize in one another what they detest in themselves, selfishness and impotence, agony, terror and despair."

This IS 21st century civilization, at least in America; we are so alienated from one another and the concept of spiritual intimacy with other human beings that it is little wonder we respon out of our own nothingness with bombs and senseless wars and elect "morally compromised" individuals to run our nation: we live in Sartre's "No Exit".

And that is another extraordinary and odd thing about Merton's work: it is rooted in theology and yet he naturally touches and transcends--for the most part--the atheistic despair of the 20th century without losing his faith. One of his most definitive works, "The Literary Essays", is actually devoted for the most part to none other than Albert Camus.

And yet one cannot deny that in some ways, and Merton would have been the first to admit this, his work is indeed written for those either considering or living a contemplative work, and just from the title of this book he makes it obvious. Some reviewers complain about being "active people" and not being able to "live Merton". Well, he was a monk in a Trappist Monastery: he did write for those who lived in civilization. "Love and Living" or "Thoughts in Solitude" are examples.

One cannot exaggerate the importance of spiritual mentors like this in contemporary times. I would fear, even more, for the safety of humanity if these kind of books were not still around.

As with many puffed up intellectuals, Merton complicates some very simple ideas. Finding the bottom line of what he was trying to say involved fighting my way through a lot of unnecessary verbage. I would think that if God wanted "contemplation" brought to the masses he would have picked a better mouthpiece than Merton.
Merton also seemed angry and irritated with the human race which I found distracting. I was very disappointed. After reading some of the positive reviews I expected a message with more depth and weight. This book is great for people who live in their head but if you're more the active type I would pass it by. You won't find much in the way of spiritual how to and instruction.

It has been a month after the estimated date my items would have reached me and they haven't. Can you check on this???

it is a beautiful book, no doubt, and with the chinese charactes at the side, good point.
But nobody has yet intent to not only translate in beautiful words what Lao Tzu said, but to understand what is under that words. Tao is not poetry, Tao is like nature, misterious but strongly present at the same time.
I've been studied Tao for many years, and it is dificult to find a book that goes beyond the beauty of the photographs and the apparent poetry of the Lao Tzu words.

So, a beautiful book, empty of the real Tao.

Tao Te Ching..meaning Book of The Way, or book of the Word. One of the best books ever written. Certainly , the book that has had the most profound positive influence on my life.

If you are like me, you may be wondering should I get this particular version, and how does it compare with other versions like the Stephen Mitchell, Wayne Dyer and Jonathan Star versions, or even the Ursula Le Guin version.

No matter how great a writer you think Jane English is, she did not write the Tao, yet her rendition is consistent with the best versions I have read. The distinguishing trait of English's version is the photos and graphics, and this version is coffee table size.

My personal favorite version is the Stephen Mitchell version. The Tao is wise, paradoxical, counterinituitive, puzzling, fascinating, mysterious, inspiring, amazing and true. These concepts bypass ego based thinking, and the idea of doing things by not striving is allowing a higher more authentic way of thinking to inform your being and your action.

The Jane English version also has a regular size 25th Anniversary version which is the version I own.

One of the Jonathan Star versions has Chinese symbols at the back, with multiple meanings of each symbol. This is a great idea, which allows you to come up with your own version of the Tao, and would really open up your thinking on the Tao.

If you are like me, then as you read you discover the wisdom
like a raw jewel which you shape into a glittering diamond. That is the brilliance of the book.

The Tao is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want.


81 chapters, all less than one page. Like any great mystery, the Tao is there to be experienced and not necessarily understood. Here is a selection from verse 81 to illustrate the difference between different versions.

True words aren't eloquent;
Eloquent words aren't true;
Wise men don't need to prove their point;
Men who need to prove their point aren't wise.

A different version might substitute the word beautiful for eloquent.

You can feel comfortable buying the Jane English version, or any of these other versions.

The Ursula Le Guin version, I liked her take on verse 1, but I did not find it as useful on other verses, and felt if did not really capture the Tao as well as these other versions. You might feel differently. I would definitely recommend multiple verses of her version before you consider buying.

I also recommend The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, which is another classic book of wisdom, and The Dhammapada featuring the succinct teachings of the Buddha. For more Taoist writing, I recommend the Way of Chuang Tzu, by Thomas Merton. You will discover many parallels with the Tao, and he is also an incredible story teller.

If you were to find this review helpful, please click yes.

I love this edition. Good size, clear print, well laid out, and very good translations. The black & white photography also adds great depth to the book.

Highly recommended.

The tao teaches the virtue and power of being empty with no desire. It's just an ancient crowd control formula.

"Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is on their empty hollowness, that
their use depends." Use to who? To those who would use you, of course.

"Always without desire we must be found"

Think about it. How many truly great non-mythical people that you're aware of fit that profile? Feynman? Beethoven? D H Lawrence? Cezanne? Michelangelo? the Williams sisters?

Definitely on my recommended book list. A must read for women in business.

Susan Bock
The Success Coach for Women in Business
www.SusanBockSolutions.com

The author redefines "argue" as "communicate", then tries to tell you how to "win at communicating". He does this by presenting a lot of half-truths and monologues borne of a critically incomplete understanding of even his own example situations. The result is a lot of really, really bad advice.

This book is useless as a guide to arguing (or even communicating), but possibly potentially useful in understanding the kinds of broken thinking you may encounter in others while trying to argue or communicate with people of like mind with the author.

I was not a big fan of lawyers until I read this book. What a helpful and wonderful persepctive in dealing with anyone anywhere. The use of real world examples is dead-on.

Simplicity isn't emphasized, but it is fair for Spence to assume virtually all of the other books on public speaking include banal adages like "start with an impact statement" or "limit your presentation to 2 to 4 main points." I appreciated him not selling me a repeat of the basics.

Spence's point about emotion is no one cares to argue over or hear why 2 + 2 = 4. Consequently, issues worth arguing over are normally decided by a sense of justice, responsibility or the like, which involve emotions. I took Mr. Spence to assume along with his audience, with good reason, that you cannot persuade a jury, judge, board of directors or the like by logic alone. You must address what people care about.

This is an extremely helpful book from one of America's greatest trial lawyers. It is also an easy read. In short, Spence believes that arguing is important because it shows that you believe in something important. To go through life without sharing these beliefs is not to live at all.

I was initially turned off by the title because arguing can have a bad connotation these days (i.e. being confrontational). However, Spence uses the term arguing to mean sharing your deep held beliefs with others. If we all would do this, he suggests, we would all be more enlightened.

Most important, Spence shows you how to share your beliefs. "The first trick of the winning argument is the trick of abandoning trickery."

A note for trial lawyers. Although this book is not intended to teach trial techniques, Spence's message about being true to yourself when you argue in court for what you believe and in the rest of your life is well worth remembering.