Philosophy Books

The Enlightenment was the turning point that created the World as we know it. The transition from the superstition and intolerance of religious dominated society, to the modern educated (at least in theory) democratic, science based lives we enjoy today.

This book is a good collection of examples of the kinds of thinking, and the free expression of those thoughts, that was impossible, and usually fatal in earlier times. Ideas that challenged the established order, and caught on like wildfire in the coffee houses and fraternal lodges where the future leaders of society gathered.

There are more complete and more detailed books available, but for a broad introduction to many of the important sources of the Enlightenment phenomenon, this book is a great start.

Dr. Kramnick does a disappointing job editing the selections in this volume. I constantly found that they missed key points to the individual papers, which lend a great deal to their meaning. It is always difficult when compiling an abridged reader of this nature. What stays in? What goes out? I recommend skipping this reader, if possible, especially if you are interested in the Enlightenment. Stick with the source documents for the "whole story".

This was the most helpful anthology when I needed to write a research paper on seventeenth century religion. It has sections for almost all aspects of life and contains various selections that truly show the Enlightenment spirit!

The eighteenth century Enlightenment is one of the most interesting and exciting periods of intellectual history. The thinkers of that age had a sizable impact on concepts of science, nature, politics, religion and society. How do we become immersed in the wealth of writing of that period, however, without giving up job and family in order to read the works of the Enlightenment authors?

This reader is an excellent book for novices and experienced readers alike. It is an excellent 600+ page book filled with short, pithy excerpts from the key thinkers of the period. Actually the writings go back as far as 1620 with an excerpt from Francis Bacon where he puts down the Greek philosophers and introduces what is to become the scientific method. Beccaria comes up with novel thinking on crime and punishment. Does the death penalty deter crime? How about the punishment fitting the crime instead of being meted out at the whim of some aristocrat?

Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau and Paine weigh in with their political philosophy. The skeptics speak up with their religious criticisms. Manners, morals, art, war, and gender and race issues are all discussed by the likes of Mary Wollstonecraft, David Hume, Reynolds, Pope, and Bentham.

Bite sized as these entries are, they give the flavor of Enlightenment thought. And, importantly for the general reader, they are all mentally digestible. You don't have to read every paragraph six times in order to get a glimmer of the authors' meanings. The represented authors are not just from France either. The best thinkers from France, Italy, Germany, the United States and Great Britain are represented.

The Age of Enlightenment, the Rise of Science, the art, and literature of the eighteenth century has always been an interest of mine. So you can imagine how amazed and elated I was when I came across this gold.

It has all the big enlightenment writers such as Voltaire, Diderot, Leibniz, Paine, Addison, Pope, Montesqieu, Franklin and many more. It gives a great run down of the wit, the result of the evolution of thought, politics, society and reason as seen in the words of these great minds.

The only thing that I didn't like about this is that there is no Hobbes, which is only a minor quibble. I just thought that since there is Descates, who is not of the eighteenth century enlightenment (17th century and dryer than dust), but a major influence (like Hobbes was included, Hobbes, who was a major link from Descartes to Locke should be included and the provacative and ENLIGHTENING words from The Leviathan should grace the pages of this indispensible book and yet another superb volume from the Viking Portable Library.

I have the first edition, first printing of this book and have read through it randomly several times. This year starting on January 1st, I decided to read it straight through on a daily basis, as Deng Ming-Dao no doubt intended it to be read. I have delighted in some of the insightful, inspiring verse and meditations on common every day situations; some of these have seemed deeply profound while simply stated. Meditation #82, July 1st, entitled "Flow" begins with, "If the boulders are moved,//Even a river will change its flow." And continues, "So it is with the flow of our lives.... The freedom to choose and to change belongs to us." However, there are other meditations or ideas that have left me cold. Today's meditation, in fact, completely turned me off when he stated that you cannot find the Tao if you live in an urban environment. That cities "stink," literally, and they are too noisy for anyone to become "fully realized." That cannot be true. The Tao, or enlightenment, may be experienced in any time or place as it has nothing to do with time and place. But Mr. Ming-Dao is entitled to his opinion as this is his understanding of the Tao philosophy. Overall, the work is worthy of daily or random reading. That this work has had more than 30 print runs over the last 15 years speaks to its enduring wisdom.

There is a problem concerning the age of the edition. The book advertized is not the book shipped.
Customer service was not able to correct the problem. Apparently the ISBN number is
the same but the book received is from a 1992 printing. The book advertized was printed around 2002.
The book is excellent. The translation of Tao is very easy to understand.

I read the meditation daily and find that it is a positive influence as I go about my daily life

Deng Ming-Dao is, in my opinion, a modern day Lao Tzu. He writes with clarity and a simplistic beauty and thus captures the essense of Taoism, managing to apply it to modern life. Much like Lao Tzu, he seems to also write this book out of necessity for the times, unlike people such as Wayne W Dyer who seem to be attempting to cash in on the "new age" market.

This small book has a commentary on Tao for each day of the year, an guide to application to life. It avoids both abstruse explanation and sermonizing, merely suggesting guides along the Way. Highly recommended as a means to understanding just what Tao is about, but, of course, never trying to define it. A worthy addition to my shelf of handy books.

"Consolation of Philosophy" was on the syllabus for a "History of Philosophy" class I took my senior year in college. To say that I loved it would be an understatement. I still have the copy I read back then (academic year 1980/1981) and I have re-read it several times over the years. I treasure this book like none other.

I looked through my copy to type out a passage that I find particularly inspiring, but found that I couldn't because there are so many. I've recommended it to literally dozens of people, and every one to took me up on my suggestion thanked me for it.

_Here you find the unequivocal declaration that not riches, not high position, not fame, not physical pleasure are worth pursuing in-and-of themselves. Such things are of value only if they are obtained in the pursuit of the highest Good. This highest Good is demonstrated to be God. Moreover, Boethius points out that when evil men succeed in obtaining such goals over the righteous, then they cease to truly be men- they are beasts and subhuman. This is a refreshing reminder in the modern world, a world not unlike that of late Roman times.

_All happiness, all worth, all reason for being, lies in the One and the Good. Even when we commit immoral acts, it is a result of ignorance on our part in seeking this ultimate goal. Indeed, to turn from the quest of finding the One is to cease to exist at any meaningful level. There is no "fire and brimstone", or talk of eternal torment in hell here. There doesn't need to be. As long as you willfully or ignorantly stray from the Path then you are in hell. And to not find reconnection with the One and the Good is to cease to exist. All of our earthly existence is for the purpose of reawakening to our true nature. This truth lies within all of us and it is only reached by personal introspection (Know thyself.) Only in this way will we return to the eternal Source that lies beyond time itself.

_The consolation of the Consolatio lies in the fact that suffering serves a purpose if it puts us back on the true Path. Moreover, earthly recognition of virtue is irrelevent. God always recognises the man of virtue if the masses do not.

Boethius, in his "Consolation" written in prison shortly before his death, turns to the pre-Christian philosophers and the tradition of Rome and Greece for aid and comfort. The work is one of the most historically important works ever written: it is through Boethius that we had knowledge of Aristotle during the middle ages.

The work takes the form of a Platonic dialogue, mixing prose and poetry as the author slowly convalesces with the aid of Philosophy, his "nurse." This literary style has been imitated many times since.

The work ought to be read not only for its historical and literary appeal, but for its arguments, which are as cogent as they were nearly two thousand years ago.

I don't read a lot of philosophy texts, but I read this one after my father died and was surprised to find it very meaningful and truly consoling.

The Consolation is a philosophical treatise written by Boethius (c. 480-524 A.D.) while awaiting his execution after being imprisoned by the Gothic emperor Theodoric. The first time I heard of Boethius and his most famous composition was, as so often is the case, when I was reading another work. The work in question is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy O'Toole. The main character of O'Toole's novel, one Ignatius J. Reilly, had based his entire life and worldview around the philosophy of Boethius and his assessment of Fortune. A great work in its own right, A Confederacy of Dunces left a lasting impression in my mind and, when by chance I came across a copy of the Consolation in the used bookstore I jumped at the opportunity to see for myself what Boethius had to say.



The work is composed of five books beginning with Boethius struggling to make sense of his imprisonment and pending execution. Confronted with a fate that is seemingly at odds with the virtue and faith with which he has conducted his life, Boethius is about to succumb to the sorrow that is filling his thoughts. Just then he notices the presence of a woman in his cell, the awe-inspiring Philosophy. She bemoans that Boethius, once such an avid student of hers, is now about to abandon all that he had previously gained. Thus begins a journey of reason and contemplation between the two until Boethius in the end finds the consolation that he had almost given up upon. Interspersed between the dialogues of Boethius and Philosophy are a number of poems that range in subject matter and content. More numerous at the beginning of the work, the poems often times serve as transitions between arguments or help to put difficult concepts into a clearer light. Thus a remarkable harmony is reached between prose and poetry that can be appreciated even in an English translation, a rare feat indeed.



It is perhaps significant to understand the time in which Boethius lived a bit better to gain a more accurate reading of his work. Living long after Constantine's conversion to Christianity in the 4th century A.D., it is widely accepted that Boethius was a Christian and believer of the tenants of the Catholic Church (at a time when the Gothic emperor Theodoric, also a Christian but belonging like all Goths to the heretical Arian sect that believed that the father and son were not of one substance). One must find it a bit peculiar than that at no point in Boethius' text is Christianity mentioned in any overt context. To find a believer in his last days before death turning not to theology for comfort, as one might expect, but rather to philosophy has raised many questions about the nature of Boethius' belief. But one only has to look to the title of the work to see that Boethius is choosing philosophy for the subject of his work and could very well indeed have thought theology a better consolation, although one that would be and should be treated in an altogether separate treatise. With this in mind, Boethius draws on the works of the great philosophers and thinkers of antiquity; Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Seneca, St. Augustine, the Stoics, and the Neo-Platonists. This feat being all the more remarkable because Boethius apparently relied on his own memory to produce the arguments and passages seeing as he had no access to any literary sources while imprisoned.



Boethius has rightly been called the last classical man. Indeed his thoughts and works can be seen as forming a bridge etween the classical world and the Middle Ages. The Consolation influenced countless numbers of theologians throughout the Middle Ages and direct references are to be found in the works of masters such as Dante and Chaucer. His lonely contemplation of good and evil, fate and free will, fortune and the nature of happiness certainly still have an allure to inquisitive minds to this day.

I really am pleased that I read this book because within its pages you can see the birth of our modern world.

Despite the fact that Rene contorted himself to try to prove that God exists; he still managed to create a great work. He began the inquiry into reality wherein we try to understand the world through experimentation. I think he failed in many ways to develop a coherent philosophical structure due to his attempts to please the Church but given the social conditions of the day this was the best that he could do. Even in this flawed analysis Rene paved the way for what would later become the Scientific Method.

I only wish that he could live today and write without fears of reprisal from religious entities.

well..descartes is kind of long winded.
he's trying to prove we can KNOW things about the natural world, which he does. fantastic.
the problem now is by decartes standard can there be agnostic or atheist scientists?

In the 17th century, the world underwent dramatic and incredible changes. The Scientific Revolution was gathering pace, Europeans had experienced the Reformation and the Renaissance, and boundaries and horizons in all areas were being expanded and changed at a breakneck pace.

Into this time of upheaval comes Descartes, one of the greatest Philosophers to ever live anywhere in the world. While 'modern' philosophy, which broke off its roots from Scholasticism, does not necessarily begin only with Descartes, it is true in Descartes the agenda of post-Scholastic philosophy is most clearly and beautifully expressed in logical terms.

Descartes's project is to take into account the implications of the scientific revolution for philosophy; for Descartes, it is no longer religious authority or pure philosophical speculation which tells us the most accurate truths about the cosmos, but science based on observation and the use of mathematical and logical methods employed by the aid of natural human reason.

Descartes sets into motion an astonishing project into motion; to basically remove Scholasticism and its corrupt and inept attempts to understand the universe and replace it with a complete and unified system of knowledge, based on certain truths clear and knowable to anyone, whatever their class or background.

Descartes, following a plan of 'meditation', withdraws from the senses and attempts to consider the universe as it is to the intellect. Descartes carefully invokes several skeptical doubts about our knowledge, the existence of the external world, and our own existence and attempts to set out what he felt was true and what is not. The famous phrase 'Cogito ergo sum' is one result, though Descartes's overall system and arguments are more complex.

Descartes argues that the cogito, along with the goodness of God who does not make a creature merely in order to decieve it, ensures there are certain and indutible truths about ourselves and the world which will ensure his project will be a successful one. But Descartes encourages the reader not merely to accept his arguments but to put them into practice themselves, hoping in doing so they will discover new truths about the universe which will be plain to anyone using the light of reason.

Descartes in his other works uses this method as a justification for his approach to science and mathematics. Descartes was in every sense a polymath; a trained lawyer, an excellent writer, a student of human anatomy (in which Descartes made many pioneering experiments and observations), a brilliant philosopher and (for his time) physicist, and a mathematician of genius. However, while much of his science is now plainly wrong and was superseded by better scientists such as Galileo and Newton, the agenda Descartes set for philosophy remains much the same even today, especially in the Analytic tradition. Philosophy owes to Descartes two great achievements, one, in applying more rigorous logical methods to philosophical problems while paying attention to the results of science, and second, the re-introduction of skepticism into philosophy which provides a valuable check against dogmatism, but which would only truely be extended to its fullest possible means by David Hume.

Whether or not one ultimately agrees with Descartes's arguments, it must be acknowledged he is a great geius who stands shoulder to shoulder with people like David Hume, Liebniz, Spinoza and Kant, who all radically changed the way philosophers look at the world and the problems it poses.

I needed this book for my doctoral studies. I needed it for research and needed it quickly. I am very pleased with the delivery service and the book

I leave it to the reader to determine the merits of Descartes' thinking; that this work is seminal is obvious and needs no exegesis (nor does explanation of the text do any good for those who have yet to read it). The Cambridge edition is in my opinion the best out there for the English speaking world. It is a clean, literal rendering that does a great job of capturing the Latinate sense of Descartes' terminology in English with minimal obfuscation.

This book was useless without the original software to be able to register the program.

The service was great and the time from purchase to reciept was fantastic. The only reason I did not give this a five (would really be more like a 4 3/4) is that the box was open at both ends with a note that if the box is opened then a return is not possible, which made me a little nervous. It all worked out, though, because the book and CD work great with no returns needed.

I would just like to say that this book is the worst text book I've ever had to go through. Not necessarily the writers fault, it's the subject. It has absolutely no purpose and I actually feel dumber after having read/studied it. If you have any choice at all, do not take logic. Stay far far away from it.

I used this book in a distance learning course, so my experience was halfway between classroom and self-learning. There were moments when the instructor's very helpful remarks made a big difference by placing the immediate subject in a larger context or by giving me a hint for an especially tough proof. But the book itself is so well-paced that I'm convinced one can work one's way through it alone and get most of the benefit. The software is the key, because (if you get the latest edition and buy it new!) you have unlimited access to the Grade Grinder servers. No one need know how many typos or missteps you make in your proofs! Every problem can be solved, sooner or later, if you interact with the automatic grader. The writing style, level of editing, and succinctness of explanations are superb. I found the book plus its software quite a painless way to learn first-order logic.

This is the most frustrating piece of software I have ever encountered. The lack of help files was extremely frustrating when you were caught in a problem. The Grade Grinder was useless. It was not very intuitive and should only be used for computer science or mathematics courses.

The book is OK I guess - It's a text for a course I was doing. I was in good condition when I got it.

If you have to buy go ahead. It has proven useful.

Excellent book. I thought this book was well written and the authors covered the theories in a comprehensive manner. I enjoyed reading the theories from a Christian perspective. I highly recommend this for anyone who may be studying psychology.

This is an excellent work that sifts through the truth and error of various theories of psychotherapy. Drs. Jones and Butman identify the theoretical perspective and analyze their basic tenets against the revealed truth of Scripture. As is often the case, there is both value and grievous error in most theoretical perspectives. I used this as an optional text in a class I taught on counseling theories, and found it to be an effective tool for learning. Dr Stanton Jones has published a number of respected articles in the area of psychology and theology, and this book reflects a depth of scholarship without undue density.

I'm a psychologist in training, and have many books reviewing various psychotherapies on my shelves, but this remains one of my favorite resources. It explores a number of therapeutic approaches, first by reviewing the thoughts of the approach's founder, then by discussing modern uses. These writeups are useful regardless of whether or not you're looking for a Christian view of the different approaches.

At the end of each chapter, there is a section discussing the approaches as they relate to foundational Biblical principles. This is not a text whose purpose is to spout opinions or dogma; it serves as a strong and rational look at the different aspects of each approach discussed. The reader will come away with a better understanding not only of modern psychotherapeutic approaches, but also with which aspects of those approaches are Biblical in nature, which aren't, and why. Particuarly useful for those building an integrative or electic foundation, or who wish to base their chosen orientation on Biblical principles.

I have just completed my classes for a doctorate in counseling psychology and have had dozens of books assigned as texts over the years. To be honest, most of them sit in one of my "backroom" bookcases. This book is one of the exceptions.

This work covers the major theories of pscyhotherapy and makes you feel like someone who has a firm grasp of them when you read it. The review from a Biblical viewpoint really gives you a lot to think about. The authors are also very objective, not showing favorites among the various schools of thought. This book is a must for every student and teacher of counseling and psychology.

I haven't had a chance to read much of this. From the intro, it sounds like it will be a useful book to have on hand since I do counsel children.

We used this book for our individual counseling course and I found it to be very comprehensive and useful

A great book in excellent condition. The delivery was a day late but otherwise happy it arrived to my home.

Gee's background in linguistics and current interests in education inform this discussion of video games, as he clearly outlines over thirty good learning principles that teachers can glean from the practice of gaming and apply to their classrooms. Gee's book should be commended for its detailed analysis of particular games--too often, theorists discussing games tend to shy away from minute description of their own interactions with games and go straight for lessons learned or abstract ideas garnered from gameplay. Gee also has a talent for talking openly and humorously about his development from non-gaming baby boomer to avid but still sometimes inept gamer.

If you're already convinced that video games are cultural objects worthy of study, Gee will only confirm your opinion. However, if you look at the book's title and can't contain a derisive snort, give Gee a chance. According to Gee, good video games (and yes, not all video games are good) model active, participatory, and embodied learning, a kind of learning often scarce in traditional school curricula. Good games demonstrate the effectiveness of pattern recognition over rule-based or rote learning, and they encourage players to reflect at a meta level not only about their own identity but also their practices, often via the formation of affinity groups both within and outside of the game world. At their best, gamers become producers, creatively "modding" their own gaming experiences and sharing information with others who take play seriously.

I'd always sort of believed the "video games are a waste of time" thing just because I'd heard it so much. This book is good but I couldn't understand all the technical stuff but I think I got the just of it. I actually had to write a persuasive essay on the HSPA (High School Profficiancy Assessment) agreeing or disagreeing with the hypothetical decision of some kind of governmental authority (I forget which one, congress maybe?) to ban all noneducational video games. I'd read the first few pages of the book and it helped. Now I regret ever believing that waste of time stuff.

Great book and delightful read. If you are a teacher or work in education to help direct new initiatives with technology and learning, you should read this.

Not sure why the author who does make some good points, couldn't find a way to express those without trying to sound important. The writing style got between his message (which was interesting) and his delivery. I finished it, got some value, but in comparison to other authors, this was a letdown.

First of all, this book is not written as a general public book, it is written much more in the vein of a college graduate's analysis. Heavy discussion of the effects of video games on the semiotic domain underpin the analysis. That being said, this book is a good analysis of the effects of video games on those that play them.

If you want a general public analysis of the effects of entertainment (and video games) on people, check out Steven Johnson's "Everything Bad is Good For You." This book is a deeper analysis of part of Steven Johnson's book, so it might be best as a follow-up purchase.

My biggest complaint about James Paul Gee's book is more with the copy editor and publisher. There are so many poorly written or incorrectly written sentences that should have been caught and corrected. It really affects the perceptions about the book's research.

"It is written on the limitless constellations of the celestial heavens, on the depths of the emerald seas and on every grain of sand in the vast desert that the world which we see is an outward and visible dream of an inward and invisible reality." - Sufi saying.

This book is a beautiful re-introduction to the "Sacred Geometry", the study of the simple mathematical patterns that dominate the universe. At the same time this practice both argues for a creator and also one who is unlike the standard "Holy book" picture for his basic engines of creation unfold like a lotus flower into infinity.

Unlike most stuff found in a "New Age" store, this book is not arguing you to believe anything, it shows you and teaches you and lets your own mind do the work. If I ever become a teacher I'll use bits of this book to try to get students to actually think and hopefully enjoy math, arts, the sciences.

Artfully done with many interesting side notes. Easy to read, the book raises many deep questions. Well worth the price!

Colleague Michael Schneider (who I had the pleasure of interviewing on community radio/TV a few years ago) wrote this outstanding book that has wonderful little illustrations and photographs showing how geometry and number remind us universal archetypes every where we turn in nature, art and architecture. For over a decade I've recommended this book as a perfect complement to my Sacred Geometry Design Sourcebook which you can also find here on Amazon or on my website at www.GeometryCode.com. If you want a great place to begin exploring sacred geometry (even though he doesn't call it that :-), A Beginner's Guide... and SGDS make a great pair of references.

A Beginners Guide to Constructing the Universe shows the mathematical underpinnings of nature by explaining how nature makes use of the numbers 1 - 10 and also 12 and 13. For example number six is used by nature in the construction of many things including walls of cells as the six sided hexagon is a very stable geometric object. There is some focus on mystical aspects of math but not too much so that there ends up being a lot of practical knowledge to be found here. The Fibonacci sequence is presented along with the use it is put to by nature. There is a presentation of the golden mean also. I highly recommend this book to those who have had interest in math drilled out of them by the drudgery of unfocused arithmetic and algebra lessons. This book is a peak into the fascinating world of mathematics and should whet your appetite for more. One book to consider after reading this book is "Fascinating Fibonacci's" as it contains more detailed information on the material found in chapter 5 of this book.

First I bought two copies. Sent one to my 90 year old mother who read it cover to cover. Then gave away the other as an emergency gift. Then bought two more. Now I have to buy more because I read my own copy and have three people to whom I would like to give the remaining copy. Let's see, that is 2 + 2 = 4 + 2 or 3 = 6 or 7. Now I know what those numbers "are". This book is precious. It allows one to see the magic and the mystery in common objects and relationships around us. Nicely written. A lot of fun. The whole book is worth the price just for the fantastic quotes in the margins, let alone the chapters. I love this book. I am glad to know more about the radiant essence of my apples, bowls, desks, steering wheel, hands - and everything around me. Thank you Michael Schneider.