Westerns Books

This is a very well written book. It covers a large span of history very well, without boring the reader to death. The information contained within these pages inspired me to do futher research on some topics.

Knowing the prices that Robert Crumb's work commands (try getting hold of a copy of his illustrated CD "That's What I Call Sweet Music" and you'll see what I mean), when I first saw this advertised I thought that the price must have been entered incorrectly, but no! Just imagine, a 240 page hardback book, illustrated in colour on high quality paper, with an accompanying 21-track CD, for less than you'd expect to pay for either on its own. The book (and CD), falls into three distinct parts, and three different techniques have been used to produce the illustrations.

I'm familiar with the jazz figures, and my comments therefore concentrate on that aspect. The first is that some of these choices are extremely idiosyncratic. Many (Beiderbecke, Armstrong, Morton) are almost obligatory, but scattered amongst them are some quite obscure figures, such as Junie C. Cobb, Roy Palmer, and Ikey Robinson. Fair enough, these are after all Mr. Crumb's heroes, but the accompanying commentary is far too brief and could with advantage have been expanded to fill the space available. Finally, whilst many of the portraits (all of which are based on photographs) are instantly recognisable a few have the look of caricature about them. All of which is to look a gift horse in the mouth, and I would disregard all of those reservations and buy it anyway if I hadn't done so already.

You really can't go wrong here...$13 or $14 for a book with wonderful artwork and brief history lessons and a companion CD with some truly timeless music.

Not a general fan of the genre, but I actually found the country music included on the CD to be the most interesting. But really every song is special.

A must have for any Crumb or roots music fan.

In 20/20 hindsight (or hindsound?) I bought the book intending to learn about music. Taken purely as an introduction to three genres of early American music, the book is a success. The pictures (and introduction to R. Crumb the artist) were a huge bonus. Wow! The CD with it completes the trifecta.

This is a fantastic introduction to multiple artistic elements - perhaps a few that will catch the reader/viewer/listener off guard. Enjoy!

Richard Nevins of Rounder Records first came up with the idea for Robert Crumb to illustrate a series of early Blues, Jazz, and Old Time Music and Bluegrass greats along the lines of the baseball cards of his childhood. Crumb went for the idea and produced what became three boxes of cards with illustrations taken from old photos on the front and write-ups about the players on the back (many of them by Nevins).

Now the famous fine arts publisher Abrams Books has designed and published a superb volume that includes the Crumb artwork as never before -- in brilliant color and on a larger scale than the cards -- along with expanded bios and a bonus CD that samples some of this great American roots music. Anyone interested in high-level cartoon art and this powerful expressive music will want to own this book.

Wow! Every so often you run across something that knocks your socks off. R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz, & Country left me barefooted.

In the 1980s, Robert Crumb, whom Robert Hughes appropriately once called the "Breughel of the 20th century," created sets of trading cards featuring some of his favorite blues, jazz, and country musicians. (The plan was to include one card per LP sold by innovative record firm Yazoo.) This collection, edited by Terry Zwigoff, the same guy who directed the documentary "Crumb," pulls together the illustrations from all three sets. They're wonderful. The blues and country illustrations are drawn, and are vintage Crumb: crosshatched, brooding characters. The jazz illustrations are water-colored. They're identifiably Crumb, but have a definitely different feel to them.

Crumb is a fascinating genius. Although his art and comics tend to be avant-garde (a term he might well disdain) and iconoclastic, Crumb also has a real affinity for late 19th and early 20th century American culture. Part of this love for an earlier time, no doubt, stems from his intense dislike of the fast-paced, loud, and garish American culture he eventually fled in the 1990s (Crumb now lives in France). But part of it is that he thinks the music produced in the early 20th century represents folk art at its finest and purest, before music became an industry. Crumb began collecting old 78s when he was still a teenager, and his love for the older music has never waned.

And so to the piece de resistance of this book: the accompanying 21 cut CD. Crumb personally chose the pieces, and they're absolutely fantastic. Except for a couple of the blues and jazz musicians, all of the artists are virtually unknown except to the afficionado. But man oh man, are they wonderful. Skip James' rendering of "Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues" is a heart-breaker. Dock Boggs' "Sugar Baby" and Burnett & Rutherford's "All Night Long Blues" are haunting in their strange but beautiful ways. And no matter how bad things get, Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra's "Kater Street Rag" will pick you up. My son and I have listened to the CD over and over and over, and we never get tired of it. He prefers the blues and jazz, I'm in love with the hillbilly blue grass cuts. But the whole CD--well, it just knocks your socks off.

Wow.
_____
* From R. Crumb's essay "To Be Interested in Old Music is To Be a Social Outcast!", The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book, p. 191. "You play old records for most people, and, if they listen at all, after the record's over they turn to you and say, 'So what is it you like ab out that old music?' You just want to throw up your hands."

As a student at a business college, we were mandated to take this course. Our teacher assigned numerous material for this class with constant reading of this book.

Depending on the level of the reader, it may not be fun for everyone. If you're looking to get into Management, then perhaps this may be an interesting book. For many however, this book is one that will surely numb you. A huge problem with this book is that it points much of the obvious out. To any that have decent to sub-par observation skills, if you are of 18 and older, many of the points mentioned will not be of knowledge or of use to yourself. The previous reviewer was right, there are numerous examples and of stories that attempt to provide interest. However, the concepts, numerous as they are, are often much too basic and lack the ability to garner interest in any shape or form.

At a certain point, you may realize that while certainly you cannot name all the specific terms and definitions that they have for any type of behavior, you already have seen it before and rereading it fails to enforce any new learning.

I just finished a 10 week course with Dr. DuBrin and this book was wonderful. It is written in a very easy-to-understand manner, yet still explains the basics of Organizational Behavior. The book is easy reading, but uses lots of real life examples, so it keeps your interest. Good job Dr. DuBrin!

--whatever year you happen to read it. Jacques Barzun's *From Dawn to Decadence* is simply a magnificent work of popular scholarship--fascinating, informative, and entertaining; what's more, it's lucid and readable from start to finish. It's the rare book that even after 800 pages you're still sorry to see it end...all the more so in this instance since you suspect the author had the knowledge and insight to have gone on agreeably for at least another 800 pages.

Barzun begins the biography of our culture's 500-year lifespan with Martin Luther and the significance of the Protestant "revolution" and he traces its development all the way to its exhausted decrepitude in late 20th century postmodernism. It's hard to imagine anyone writing this story with any more panache and authority than Barzun, a scholar who has clearly assimilated this vast span of history--its personalities, ideas, art, politics, and religious and social upheavals--and from it distilled its essence from the press of his own mature vision.

History, as Barzun clearly and honestly states in his introduction, can never be totally objective. Physics teaches us that the observer always colors the observed. So what good fortune it is to have Barzun as the observer--urbane, witty, knowledgeable. Having lived 90+ years, Barzun hasn't only studied a lot of history, he's seen a lot of it, too. So one feels compelled to respect his panoramic perspective even though it tends towards "old fogeyism," especially in the final thirty pages or so of *From Dawn to Decadence* where he sums up our culture's demise in a scathingly dismissive role call of practically everything. Barzun, like the stereotypical crotchety grandpa from his recliner, never seems to tire of pointing out that there's nothing new under the sun ((true enough)) and for any cultural manifestation we take as characteristically contemporary, he can point out some analogous example from three hundred years ago. "So you young'uns think you invented the sexual revolution, eh? Bah! Back in 1648..." etc.

Still, that's not to say that Barzun doesn't have a point or that his critique of contemporary "culture" isn't legitimate or entirely off the mark. It's hard to argue against the notion that the western worldview is growing dim and our culture unraveling all around us. On the other hand, reading through this 800-page survey of catastrophes and innovations, one is hard-pressed to find a period of time in the last 500 years when the culture *didn't* appear to be in imminent danger of expiring. Perhaps it's already dead and just doesn't know it--but that's another story.

*From Dawn to Decadence* brings together an enormous amount of information crafted into a narrative of compelling drive and power. If any work of history can merit being called a "page-turner," this would be that work. I don't think it possible to read this book without benefit and enjoyment. For a culture that has all but forgotten its roots and its past, *From Dawn to Decadence* is an essential tonic to open our eyes to where we've been, where we are, and where--if anywhere--we may be headed.

I have been reading and comtemplating about the Meaning of My Life for 4-5 years now. After reading many books on a variety of subjects, I still recommend Barzun's book as my Top-2 best book for understanding LIFE, and therefore providing the context for piecing together a meaning for YOUR LIFE. My other top pick is Lessons of History by Will & Ariel Durant. Dawn is not a chronological or objective presentation of history. The book derives coherence by allowing the reader an intimate view inside of one, heavily-opinionated mind. This method might have produced gibberish if the writer was an ordinary scholar. But because Barzan's mind was honed by a lifetime of research, and he was an exceptionally gifted thinker on the subject to begin with, the method produced an exceptionally excellent book. I do not think it is an easy book to read, especially if you do not skip any of the aside comments. You may need to skip parts on the first reading, and come back to it later to cover all of it. However, I think you will definitely feel a sense of achievement after reading it. You may gradually develop wisdom about how to live your own life after reflecting on the human condition covered in such detail over such vast time periods by the book.

I just finished this book for the first time. I'm very impressed you've read it seven times! (see review below) It took me about three hours per day for four weeks to finish (including some re-reading). My current view is that it's the best book I've ever read - not an objective statement, obviously, but a description of my thankfulness to Mr Barzun for sharing his astonishingly rich perceptions. He's spot on even about the last 50 years - ignore the reviewers flustered by his lack of political correctness (eg Alistair Cooke's snotty comment about "idiosyncracy of judgement").

Also, he turned me on to Hazlitt - what a writer!

This is a masterfully in-depth survey of cultural evolution. Barzun goes several layers of fame down, to show the significance of numerous poorly remembered innovators, whose contributions rival those of more often-repeated names. For just one example we have Lady Marquise de Ramboullet, who in the 1600s opened her Paris salon, dedicated to high-minded conversation between men and women. The issues her guests discussed included government, science, or the church -- subjects which were previously matters for men of rank. But here a cultured woman set the rules and tone for debate on matters public and private. In de Ramboullet's game, the object was not to "win" arguments or humiliate opponents, but to stimulate creativity, interaction, and mutual admiration. The participants were to treat each other as ladies and gentlemen, the way they dreamed of being treated themselves. Their competition was to raise the level of consideration and self-respect for every guest. Perhaps de Ramboullet's salon was a sophisticated play, set apart from the real world. But the play soon became a standard by which the world and its human relations were judged. (p. 187-188)

With loads of lights like this for century after century, who cares if Barzun turns into a sour-puss on contemporary culture by the book's end?

history, religion and literature understand how it came to be and why it was so important.

Barzun is one of the 20th century's greatest literary minds and writers and this proves it all. From country to country, decade to decade, each person is tied to those he met and influenced.

The book containes > and < symbols with the page numbers so that one can look forward or back to see what is being referenced.

I have read it 3 times and still come back for more.

I have been reading philosophy for a long time now and occasionally, when I talk about it to my friends, I get asked where one can start when it comes to a massive subject like philosophy. Before this book, I would have a hard time pinpointing a good source for a newcomer because most books out there are either boring and dull college books or books that are way too complicated and wordy for anyone without a background to enjoy them.

This series turned out to be perfect for starting a journey in philosophy or brushing up on your ancient Greek philosophy - where it all started. It is a pity that it does not include some Eastern thought schools that are very important to explore but I suppose it had to limit itself on some scale. It is easy to comprehend, laid out rather nicely and often enough refers to former chapters so you don't lose the thread. Not only does it give paragraphs of good translations of the original texts from Plato and Aristotele etc, but it also enriches these thoughts with its own neat and current examples.

I highly recommend it. It was a very pleasant read.

This item was in very good shape and came to me in no time. It was shipped the same day of the purchase and i got it 2 days later.

This book offers an excellent summery of the basic teachings, understandings, and doctrines from Thales of the pre-socratics to the late Classical period in Rome (Epicurus, Cicero, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, ect). The History of Western Philosphy Series is an excellent addition to the mind and bookshelf of all scholars who maintain interest in the evolution of the human mind. This specific book goes well hand in hand with F. M. Cornfield's "From Religion to Philosophy (A Study in the Origins of Western Speculation)."

This book, 'The Classical Mind', is the first volume of a five-volume series on the history of Western Philosophy by W.T. Jones, professor of philosophy in California. This series is a very strong, thorough introduction to the course of Western Philosophy, beginning at the dawn of the philosophical enterprise with the pre-Socratics in ancient Greece to the modern thinkers such as Wittgenstein and Sartre. It has grown, over the three decades or so of its publication, from one to four then to five volumes. It has remained a popular text, and could serve as the basis of a one-year survey of philosophy for undergraduates or a one-semester survey for graduate students. Even advanced students in philosophy will find this valuable, all major topics and most minor topics in the course of philosophy are covered in these volumes.

Jones states that there are two possible ways for a writer to organise a history of philosophy -- either by addressing everyone who ever participated in philosophy (which could become rather cumbersome if one accepts the premise that anyone could be a philosopher), or to address the major topics and currents of thought, drawing in the key figures who address them, but leaving out the lesser thinkers for students to pursue on their own. Jones has chosen the latter tactic, making sure to provide bibliographic information for this task.

This volume, 'The Classical mind', starts and ends in ancient Greece. Plato and Aristotle are well featured, to be sure, but the pre-Socratics and the post-Aristotilean thinkers are also discussed in great detail. The first chapter deals with a number of thinkers whose names are well-known to those who study the history of science as well as to philosophers -- Thales, Anaximander, Pythagoras -- showing the interconnection of disciplines that recurs again and again throughout history, but never again so closely as in these opening days of Western thought.

Jones gives a general history lesson along with the history of the development of thought so that the reader will understand the social and historical context in which ideas developed. Plato and Aristotle both came out a context in which Greece was a fairly violent place much of the time, with warring factions and city-states variously dependent upon and warring against each other.

The discussion of Plato largely deals with his theories of knowledge and metaphysics, with an additional chapter on subsequent topics such as ethics, politics, religion and art. Similiarly, Aristotle is dealt with in two chapters, with the major topics of metaphysics, logic, ethics, politics, aesthetics, and other issues addressed. At the end of each of these sections, Jones gives a general critique of the philosopher's main ideas, and in the final chapter of the book, sets the stage for further developments, particularly in terms of the decline of the Golden Age in Greece. In some regards, all subsequent Western philosophy vacilates between Plato and Aristotle, so a thorough grounding is important.

Each volume ends with a glossary of terms, and a worthwhile index. The glossary warns against short, dictionary-style definitions and answers to broad terms and questions, and thus indicates the pages index-style to the discussion within the text for further context. The one wish I would have would be a comprehesive glossary and index that covers the several volumes; as it is, each volume has only its own referents.

This is minor criticism in a generally exceptional series. It is not easy text, but it is not needlessly difficult. The print size on the direct quotes, which are sometimes lengthy, can be a strain at times, but the reading is worthwhile.

W. T. Jones' first volume, The Classical Mind, is a fantastic introduction for studying ancient philosophy. His work is fairly clear and not very difficult in terms of being able to understand his explication of various philosophers and theories. That is, Jones does not write to other philosophers; he is writing to would-be philosophers or students. Jones considers important aspects such as the timing and events surrounding the philosophical theories in order to demonstrate that these ideas do not develop ex nihilo. They arise because of important questions or issues developed in the relevant cultures.

This work covers quite a few people. Of course, it is not exhaustive on every thinker; nor is such even possible since many of the writings of people like the pre-socratics do not exist beyond a few manuscripts. In any case, Jones starts with them (specificaly Homer and Hesiod), through Thales, to Plato, to Aristotle, and up to the skeptics (e.g., Carneades and Sextus). From time to time, Jones will comment upon some of the positive and negative (or implausible) aspects of each of the theories provided. Sometimes his objections are good; other times, they can be answered. For instance, Jones treats Plato's argument for the Forms as a transcendental argument and he applies Stephan Korner's uniquness argument against Plato (c.f. Korner, "The Impossibility of Transcendental Deductions"). Jones doesn't refer to Korner, but it is the same point. I think Plato could *in principle* answer Jones.

There are a couple areas where I think that Jones has misinterpreted some of the early thinkers. For instance, Jones treats Aristotle as only holding to the intellectual virtues as being eudaimonia (for an alternative view, see Cooper, John M. "Reason and Human Good in Aristotle"). Also, Jones gives a traditional analysis of Parmenides. Patricia Curd offers an alternative analysis in "The Legacy of Parmenides." Both of these thinkers challenge the traditional views that Jones sides with. In any case, that's a head's up for readers who have not done exhaustive reading on these philosophers; just something to keep in mind when reading Jones.

Finally, I think that Jones often uses far too long of quotes from other people. At one point, he quoted Plato for an entire three pages (8 size font!). Jones could have summarized the point and added a footnote. Nevertheless, this is a great textbook for studying ancient philosophy and it deserves five stars despite my harsh disapproval of some of his analyses and writing style :)

I felt that this textbook which was used for one of my mba classes was confusing. There are mistakes and typos which are unacceptable in a finance text. The cases do not get directly to the point, and add distracting information to make the case seem more 'real,' but instead it is just unclear. The explanations and examples are not explained well.

This book explains very well the diffrent concepts and techniques used in capital budgeting such as Divident, risk-adjusted cash flow analysis, WACC calculations, and an introduction to Linear programing. However, it does not provide a very advanced analysis of the techniques. The book shows you how to use them, the different assumptions behind each technique, advantage and disadvantage, but does not explain how to apply the techniques in very complexe situations. Overall, it is a classic in terms of content and the number of topics cavered.

An excellent book to refresh your knowledge or as a reference source. Well written and covers everything.

I have used this as a textbook for executive MBA students. The text is comprehensive and the reading is easy but some cases, although short, are confuse. The authors spend precious time in topics which are usually subject of other disciplines and the students have already studied, like derivatives, lease analysis, linear programming and mergers, just to name a few. On the other hand, the discussion of option models is restricted to a few pages and do not emphasize the use of options to evaluate flexibility. It's almost unconceivable to organize a course in capital budgeting without discussing real options, so the book has to be complemented, while several chapters could be eliminated.

This is the original story by Annie Proulx as well as the movie script. Great for fans of the film as a collector item.

I had to purchase this book for a college course, otherwise I probably would never have read it. I found it boring and realized that it's probably better suited for either men who like cowboy stories, or people who are into studying how to create a screenplay from a move. The screenplay stays very true to the short story. The best part about this book is the essay in the back by Proulx. I suggest you read it before you read the short story as it answered my main question, which is why a straight woman in her 60s would write a story about rough cowboys who were having trouble accepting their sexual orientation.

This item took you through the entire life of the book to the screenplay to the movie. It was great reading what the writers said about the project and how it was a labor of love for everyone involved. It was wonderful reading how devoted everyone was to the project. Much how the two main characters were devoted to each other.

In an effort to check out my approach to writing a book adaption to screenplay, I thought it would be a good exercise to experience how others have done it. After reading the Brokeback Mountain short story, then reading the shooting script, then watching the film, I knew I was right on target. It is invigorating to experience and understand the progression from story to screenplay to film. The book also includes backround information from the short story writer, Annie Proulx and the two screenwriters, Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, which tops off the value of this book. Reading it is a great process, and once you've read the book, you'll appreciate the film even more.
-Catherine Busch-Johnston-

This is an excellent addition to anyone's book collection - not only do you receive Annie Proulx's wonderful story, but you can experience Larry McMurtry's and Diana Ossana's sweet, lilting and poignant screenplay. Ennis and Jack jump off the page, fictional characters who have somehow become real, as we are transported with them through the most beautiful twenty years of their star-crossed lives. No, it is not a story about gay cowboys....it is a story about two young men who find love and happiness in an unlikely relationship, and simply don't know how to handle it. The part of this story that always grabs me is that through a simple twist of fate, the entire ending could have been different.

I suggest this book couple with the movie - seeing the screenplay come to life through Heath Ledger's and Jake Gyllenhaal's performances is spell bounding.

It was a fascinating read to see the short story move from Annie's simple prose to screenplay. And the chapters at the end which discuss the story and the filming of this heart-wrenching story is worth the price. I highly recommend it. Thanks for listening.

This is a scholarly work with all the bases covered. What Western Philosophy is from Descartes to Kant to modern philosophy and how this changes things.


The linguistics and philosophy are both presented in very accessible language so that no background in either is a prerequisite. It is a very readable work for the non-scholar.


Good read.

George Lakoff and Mark Johnson have now demonstrated in this book that philosophy is almost exclusively based in human experience and not in abstraction. Unfortunately, they had to bring their own extreme personal political and religious views into what was a good linguistic text. This book is like many others in that you must discern the good (i.e., the epistemology) and disregard the bad (i.e., their personal options of politics, religion, and morality).

It is not possible to deal properly with such a subject by using Kant, leaving out Nietzsche and the selfish gene of Dawkins. The general philosophers they use are in the shadow of a platonist metaphysic (the Socratic Judaeo-Christian metaphysic) which thus forces them to deal with pseudo-problems. Sorry to be so grumpy. It is easy to stand back and take pot-shots at another person's work.

I read the editors reviews above and the top customer reviews for this text. I don't feel I need to cover the same ground and I'm not going to. However, I have some personal thoughts that may be useful to add.

In my opinion, Philosophy in the Flesh is a monumental undertaking because it is an attempt to topple an existing paradigm marked by many unexamined assumptions about the nature of the mind, consciousness and the mind-body relationship. This is a very tall order and while the book has some shortcomings, it successfully makes a dent in this direction.

I agree with one reviewer's comments about not including and integrating work from researchers on the relationship between consciousness, the body and emotions such as Damasio. To get this background on your own, I would consider reading "The Feeling of What Happens" and other research in the field. I also agree with this same reviewer's comment about neglecting an evolutionary perspective and to get this I would start by reading David Buss. Understanding our cognitive biases is important and many of these do come from evolutionary psychology. For dramatic examples of these, you might try reading THE EVOLUTION OF DESIRE on sexual mating strategies or JEALOUSY by David Buss. There are also other many good books in this general genre and David Buss has written more than a few of them.

With respect to PHILOSOPHY IN THE FLESH itself, I found the first 136 pages most useful. This justifies the cost of the book because it lays out the author's basic theories, the disconnects between what we know about the mind and what is assumed to be true because of an enduring, but outdated concept of the mind-body relationship. In other words, the first 136 pages are like a nitty-gritty short book on the "must know" concepts.

The remainder of the book goes more deeply into specific examples of how the mind is embodied, the role of unconscious condition as the "hidden hand" that influences our actions, etc. It basically amounts to a defense of the first 136 pages, which in itself is convincing and compelling.

This book has implications for anyone who is interested in the mind-body relation and the body's role in cognition. Not everyone will want to read all of it, but I found that picking it up periodically and diving deeper into specific areas useful. It's not a bedtime story, so plowing through all 600 pages over a week or two might be a bit too much for someone who isn't a specialist in this area.

Lakoff has also written some interesting things on metaphor in dreams. If you have an interest in dreams, this book might be thought provoking and if so, you might also be interested in some of Lakoff's articles on interpreting dreams. If you want a nice introduction to dream interpretation that has a good article by Lakoff, consider DREAMS edited by Kelly Bulkeley. (Kelly also has a lot of other excellent books on dreaming and is quite a scholar in that area.)

I liked this book and I think it made a good dent in bringing down an outdated paradigm. I think anyone who is a cognitive therapist should read this and consider the implications. This would also be a good book for people who are more somatically-oriented therapists or who have a strong interest in mind-body medicine. I think Feldenkrais practioners and Rosen Bodyworks people would also benefit greatly from understanding this material.

Lastly, if you like this book, you might also like AWARENESS THROUGH MOVEMENT (Feldenkrais), the EMBODIED MIND (Varela), THE ANATOMY OF CHANGE and The Body (Yuasa Yasuo). Some of these books are less mainstream than others, but they are ALL thought provoking in different ways.

This is a big, thick, and dull book. Much of what is in it seems trivial. And I feel that were the material in this book to be lost somehow, it could be re-invented so easily that one has to doubt its overall value.

The authors start by saying that abstract concepts are largely metaphorical. And that may well be true, but I feel the authors do not make much of a case for all this having much significance. There is also a discussion of how people categorize concepts; it's not particularly profound.

We see Lakoff and Johnson talk about scientific truth. But I'm not impressed. In fact, there are some mathematical "truths" whether we are aware of them or not. And there are some aspects of reality that we may or may not recognize. And that is about it. My guess is that most folks could, if they applied themselves, write a better essay on truth than the authors did.

There's a section on time. Saint Augustine and Zeno get mentioned here, even though I feel that they were hardly great thinkers. We do not even see Augustine's question about whether time is discrete or continuous (actually a very good question) let alone his idiotic answer to it. And the authors have plenty to say about events and causes, once again offering little of value.

Next we see a discussion of the mind. It is explained that we make analogies between unappetizing food and distasteful ideas, but even this is in fact garbled. In fact, we have a greater tendency to make analogies between unappetizing items and lies.

The authors talk about artificial intelligence and the Turing test. This section is not all that special, but I actually liked it, and I feel that it is worth reading.

There is plenty about the use of language. But most of it is not very illuminating. I could talk about language as well and, say, examine the difference between "getting ahead of oneself" and "being beside oneself." But I doubt there would be much value in that!

The authors talk about some famous philosophers of the past. In doing so they mention that it makes no sense to speak of a time before the Big Bang, since time did not exist then. But that's merely semantic, and it is (in my opinion) a particularly silly thing to say in a book on philosophy! By simply asking if it's a little provincial to say that Reality extends in time to only a few times the age of our planet, I've already said something sensible (and maybe even profound!) about Reality outside of the Big Bang.

Lakoff and Johnson include a weak chapter on morality. But to their credit, they do at least show some of the problems with various types of moral systems. Of course, we do not need the authors to tell us that. For example, we can all see that during World War Two, many Jewish officials (highly educated to be moral leaders) in communities that were being annihilated wound up with (quite deservedly) no moral authority whatsoever with those who remained in these communities.

We read about theories of "rational action." Once again, I found little of value here. I do think it makes sense for people to be responsible for their actions and to benefit from their accomplishments, but I can't see why it would be profound to say so.

At the end of the book, there is a mention of evolutionary theories. That could have led to an interesting discussion of what direction we're all headed in, what we ought to do to get there, how to avoid upcoming problems, and how to adapt to what could be Reality in the future. All this could have been discussed in more detail, but the authors did not do that.

There's some good material in the book, so I am awarding it three stars, but I feel it is barely worth reading.