This reflective and solitary work was written by one of the best of the "good" Roman emperors, Marcus Aurelius (A.D. 121-180), during the course of his military campaigns against barbarian hordes who
One of America's best known social and political philosophers, Sidney Hook, compiled this fascinating combination of essayspopular and technicaladdressing questions by professionals and lay readers al
In this classic work, renowned rationalist and scholar of religion Ernest Renan is the first biographer of Jesus to present him as entirely human. Renan describes Jesus as a popular religious leader a
Galileo Galilei was a great scientist, and therefore not afraid of causing controversy, even if he had to pay a great price. His public advocacy of the Copernican over the Aristotelian system of the u
John Dewey, one of America's greatest popular philosophers and educators, emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and the vital role education should play.In this progressive work, written more
Includes a state-by-state survey of direct or indirect aid for parochial and other non-public schools, and discusses the controversy in American education on church and state
Biographies of apparent wonder-workers, some of whom were masters of illusion and some of whom actually claimed to have psychic powers, including Daniel Home, Harry Houdini, and Edgar Cayce
This collection demonstrates the strong influence that humanism and freethought had in developing the history and ideals of black intellectualism.Most people are quick to note the profound influence t
Discusses the difference between science and superstition, the basic nature of science as a way of thinking, and the ways in which amazing events can be explained rationally
Are the characteristics and relationships among spatio-temporal entities "real" or are they simply conventional terms that note similarities among things in the world but lack any reality of their own
Traces the evolution of role-playing games, describes over 1250 individual game systems, recommends systems and products, lists award-winning games, and offers advice for collectors
Like many cultures then and now, the early Greeks pondered the nature of the soul. Originally conceived as a kind of ghost, surviving in a bloodless existence after the death of the body, the soul was
Written originally as the 15th and 16th chapters of his great work, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776-1788), On Christianity joined the growing number of revisionist histories whose autho
In this powerful work, John Stuart Mill sets forth representative government as the most sensible compromise between unreflective rule by the masses and the self-indulgence of the few. The reader of this volume senses that Mill is being pulled in opposing directions: steadfastly committed to majority rule with minority rights while at the same time being just enough of an aristocrat to believe that the masses need examplars to emulate.On Representative Government is one of the most compelling political essays of the 19th century.
An account of one man's triumph over the unusual compulsion of asphyxiophilia, a disorder in which sexual arousal and orgasm are dependent upon self-strangulation and asphyxiation. (Asphyxiophiliac ri
In this wide-ranging collection of articles, essays, and speeches, George H. Smith analyzes atheism and its relevance to society today.The featured essay in this volume provides a full analysis of Ayn
A landmark work. Mandatory reading for anyone who wants to learn to be a good skeptic.In this widely acclaimed and highly controversial book, Paul Kurtz examines the reasons why people accept supernat
"The whole function of philosophy ought to be to find out what definite difference it will make to you and to me, at definite instances in our life, if this world-formula or that world-formula be the
Like many politicians, reporters, social workers, and others concerned about the homeless, Robert C. Coates lived for a short time on the street. But rather than returning from his mission with yet an
For more than a hundred years, Buffalo was one of the world's great industrial cities. Its grand office buildings and stately mansions overlooked a metropolis that was the eleventh largest industrial
The first publication of Raw Talent created an extraordinary flurry of publicity. Jerry Butler appeared on dozens of talk shows, capturing audiences with his intensity and charm. Reviews of the book l
Throughout history philosophers have sought to define, understand, and delineate concepts important to human well-being. One such concept is "knowledge." Many philosophers believed that absolute, cert
Ever since humankind raised its head toward the heavens in search of universal understanding and spiritual fulfillment, wars, pogroms, persecution, prejudice, and contempt have been the means of resol
Metaphysicians have for centuries attempted to clarify the nature of the world and how rational human beings construct their ideas of it. Materialists believed that the world (including its human comp
Psychologist Baker traces the history and current status of hypnosis, reviewing the role played by suggestion and examining the major contemporary theories and misconceptions regarding the phenomenon.
Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899) was perhaps the most famous American of his day. As an enlightened freethinker and pioneer of humane, rational, and agnostic views, Ingersoll was a tireless advocate of
Buber scholars have long agreed that in this study of the political-communal image of kingship rich, imaginative historical scholarship combines with brilliant insight and style to make this work an o
Philosophy and Truth offers the first English translation of six unpublished theoretical studies (sometimes referred to as Nietzsche's "Philosopher's Book") written just after the publication of The B
Portrays the history of the Imperial Chinese court, tracing the origins of the eunuchs during the Shang and Chou dynasties, their rise to power and influence, and eventual collapse of the system
In a collection of writings spanning thirty years, Gardner probes the state of contemporary scientific research with emphasis on the problems of pseudoscience and the lack of hard evidence to support
A scholarly but non-technical elucidation and critique of two contemporary analytic philosophers, Alvin Plantinga and Richard Swinburne, who have attempted to develop a logical defense of theism. Pars
Dr. Searle’s book, first published in 1971, provides a lucid and important illumination of late-Victorian and Edwardian Britain focused through the theme of "competitiveness" and possible national "de
Glotzer, a political theorist and close associate of Trotsky in the 1930s, alternates between anecdote and appraisal in this account of the man and the movement he inspired. He recounts Trotsky's year
The twentieth century has witnessed the blossoming of Western culture: new technology; communications and transportation systems; social, political, educational, agricultural, and medical advances. Bu
If ever there was a thinker who swam against the social and ethical tide of his day, it was Nietzsche. Nineteenth-century Europe was for him a moral wasteland filled with false altruism, duplicity, do
In this, one of the most influential works of the post-Hegelian era, Feuerbach captures the synthesis that emerges from the dialectical process of a transcending Godhead and the rational and material
