Product Description
This is a book for the ages.In precise and powerful prose it lays out the blueprint for the remaking of the mind and the reenchantment of the world. --Jean Houston, Ph.D., from her introductionIn the early part of the twentieth century, a visionary named Ernest Holmes began a journey of exploration and research that profoundly affected thinkers throughout America. His work, based on the teachings of the great philosophers, the sacred wisdom of both Eastern and Western traditions, and the empirical nature of science, offers a philosophy of religion and psychology emphasizing the limitless potential of the human mind.Now, for the first time, The Science of Mind appears in paperback to coincide with the seventieth anniversary of Ernest Holmes's founding of the Religious Science movement. This book contains the fundamentals of Holmes's teachings and is a primary resource used by teaching centers and spiritual healers worldwide. Its universal principles apply to people of all spiritual backgrounds as they describe a higher level of existence attainable through the use of Nature's forces and the power of God.While imparting an unrivaled technique for living, Dr. Holmes's classic guide speaks clearly to a complex world caught in transition and searching for guidance. Amazon.com Review
The Science of the Mind was originally published in 1926 by the founder of the worldwide Religious Science movement. It was completely revised in 1938 by Ernest Holmes and Maude Allison Latham; this 1997 edition is the 1938 version with an added introduction by Jean Houston and a one-year study program that breaks the weighty tome into digestible bits. Using creative techniques, Holmes guides the student in easy-to-follow steps toward mastering the powers of the mind to find purpose in life. His explanations of how to pray and meditate, heal oneself spiritually, find self confidence, and express love have helped millions change their lives for the better. The Science of Mind is one of those spiritual classics that belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who wishes a life for themselves free of compulsion and negativity. --P. Randall Cohan ... Read more

Customer Reviews (94)

The Science of Mind
Ernest Holmes had a wonderful insite to the soul and how the universe functions with God.This is a philosophy and religion of the science of Spirit.

Science of Mind paperback
VERY, VERY MISLEADING.The paperback is heavily edited and much is taken out from the hardcover issue.My beef is that there is no mention that the paperback is any different than the hardcover.I feel very deceived.

HORRIBLE Kindle version
I own and have studied SOM using "The Science of Mind" (the definitive edition) published by Tarcher/Penguin
As soon as I received my Kindle, I went straight on Amazon to download the textbook as I constantly re-read and refer to it and thought how great it would be to have it in my Kindle instead of carrying the bulky book version.

BEWARE: This version contains a different glossary.

Doesn't contain the "Meditations".

I am not even sure it contains all of the "Meditations for self-help" (the ones contained in this version are full of typos and odd symbols, distracting to read while trying to connect to the meaning.

Doesn't contain any of the Metaphysical Charts

This version would be completely useless for SOM classes and I am very frustrated with having purchased an abbreviated version.I have not had the time to compare the paper version to the Kindle version as far as other chapters are concerned.I got too frustrated with not finding one of the Meditations I really needed at the moment.I might contact Amazon for a refund on this purchase, not for the money spent, but out of principle.

I hope that the Kindle version of "This Thing Called You" will be better as that book is amazing as well.

Not the 1938 edition!
From glancing at the index and the intro, I can see this is not the 1938 edition. It is the 1926 edition. It is set up as a series of lessons. This is absent from the 1938 edition. While it is an interesting read, it is far from what we as Religious Scientists call"the textbook."

NOT the 1938 edition
The item description for this book says it is the "1938 edition with a foreword by Jean Houston". It is NOT! It is the original 1926 edition, which is not at all the same book! It is interesting in its own right, but if you're looking for The Science of Mind "textbook", this isn't what you want. ... Read more

Product Description
In Infinity and the Mind, Rudy Rucker leads an excursion to that stretch of the universe he calls the "Mindscape," where he explores infinity in all its forms: potential and actual, mathematical and physical, theological and mundane. Rucker acquaints us with Gödel's rotating universe, in which it is theoretically possible to travel into the past, and explains an interpretation of quantum mechanics in which billions of parallel worlds are produced every microsecond. It is in the realm of infinity, he maintains, that mathematics, science, and logic merge with the fantastic. By closely examining the paradoxes that arise from this merging, we can learn a great deal about the human mind, its powers, and its limitations.

Using cartoons, puzzles, and quotations to enliven his text, Rucker guides us through such topics as the paradoxes of set theory, the possibilities of physical infinities, and the results of Gödel's incompleteness theorems. His personal encounters with Gödel the mathematician and philosopher provide a rare glimpse at genius and reveal what very few mathematicians have dared to admit: the transcendent implications of Platonic realism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Is this statement true: 'this book is a collection of mistakes'?
The modern theories of the infinite were invented by Georg Cantor, though there's no notable starting date, as they emerged in a series of papers. They were anticipated by (for example) Zeno, and Euclid, or whoever it was who proved there's no largest prime number - you can always find a bigger one. Pascal pondered such questions as the value of the St Petersburg game - a coin is tossed, and if it's (say) heads the first time, you get 1; if heads second time, 2; if heads the third time, 4; then 8, 16... so it appears the game is worth an infinite amount. Anyway, Cantor invented a notation; he influenced Bertrand Russell, Goedel, and others. Rucker's book has collected together most of this material, added stuff on relativity, the mind, the big bang, and other rather dubious ideas, notably problems with self-referential language, to make this book. Some of it's been reworked to make it look original to him, e.g. a Mount Om, I think it was, much the same as the frog hopping half the distance to the end of a round pond, and never quite getting there.

My opinion is that all the material on the infinite is fallacious, because it assumed there's a continuity between colossally huge numbers and 'the infinite'. The starting point is 'one-to-one correspondence' where for example 1, 2, 3, 4,... are matched with 1, 4, 9, 16,... and the conclusion is made that if you continue forever, there is the same number (aleph subscript zero) of each of them. Then we have an aleph 1, and so on. I don't think there's any useful application or deduction that's ever been made from this construct. This isn't quite the same as infinite series, many of which have a limit, the bits left over becoming vanishingly small, so the problem of similar size bits left over doesn't arise.

The verbal problem is a similar construction and maybe appeals to similar minds. "I am a liar" illustrates the principle: there's some reference to the same sentence. Now, obviously, languages evolve and change and develop to provide useful information, maybe factual, maybe persuasive, or whatever. It's not surprising problematical marginal cases where language doesn't work can be made up. -- "Some adjectives describe themselves. Most don't - fat, red, smelly, for example. But some may do - adjectival, elongated. Let's call an adjective that does not describe itself 'heterological'. Is 'heterological' itself heterological?" It obviously is, yet it can't be.

Russell thought questions of this sort were the logician's equivalent of experiments.

Rucker includes quite a bit of related material - he must have combed through a university library - plus, as I've said, things like the highly suspect 'big bang' and the highly suspect relativity. And the inevitable material on religion, three-in-one, God, and so on. He includes some problems, and even gives his answers.

Infinite Amount of Math
I've always been facinated with the concept of infinity. Having been a math minor I figured the math wouldn't be all that bad; however, after the first 100 pages, the book became 'Infinitly Bored out of my Mind'. Anyone without a PhD in math, looking for a philosophical read on infinity and infinity paradox, can safely skip this book.

Pro - It has a pretty cover
Con - Anything beyond the cover

Rucker's personal notes on the Infinity problem
I was first introduced to this book by a mathematical philosopher friend in 2001. Immediately I was drawn into the book, because it dealt with many subjects I'd been thinking, such as how there are more real numbers than natural numbers, how infinity comes in different sizes, and how the mere existence of infinity is to be questioned. Soon I got lost in all the numbers and had to put the book down a few times until the summer of 2006.

Rucker's writing was more like personal notes he wrote for himself than a well-constructed thesis on the subject. And here are some of my own personal notes about this book.

Chapter one reviews the history of infinity, and introduces the concept of mindscape. Years ago I was excited about the idea of mindscape, but after I had the fortune to see the Reality as a whole, I found this idea rather intuitive and basic. I was happy to see the mention of the Absolute as part of the discussion of Infinity.

Chapter two is about all the numbers. Again soon I became confused with the names of different infinities. Unless one can tightly grab onto the endless symbols Rucker introduced incessantly throughout the chapter (and the book) one would have a difficult time follow the text. Also his figures are ill-labeled. I don't think I am missing much by skipping some of the paragraphs. I also skipped the two excursions because they are even more technical.

Chapter three is titled "The Unnameable", and Rucker discussed the Berry Paradox and discussed the reality of Truth, among other subjects. It's interesting to see how systematically and detailed he talks about the logic of "This sentence is false", and even distinguishes it from "This sentence is not true". I skipped the more technical section of Richard's Paradox, assuming it is along the similar line of the truth discussion. I was glad to find out that Rucker is also a Borges's fan (I only wish I could write reviews of books and movies as clearly and originally as Borges). From Borges's story about the Library of Babel--the library of all possible books, Rucker introduced a clever tool--to code each book into a natural number. Furthermore, the whole universe can be coded into a natural number, and thus we can think about the infinity nature of the universe the way we think about numbers.

Chapter four is about robots and souls, but the more interesting part is the three conversations Rucker had with Godel. I was happy to know that Godel is a mystic, partly because I am becoming more and more identified with the label mystic.... Godel has found. Rucker is still seeking.

Chapter five is on the One and the Many, the most philosophical chapter of the book. Rucker probably does not have the One figured out, but it's interesting to see how he compares the One and the Many in a rational way.

Rudy Rucker wrote this book in 1982. Perhaps he has reached another stage in his search. Despite of many inadequacies I found in this book, it nonetheless has showed me fascinating new ways of thinking about the universe. For this I am grateful. I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

p.s. I feel I am much slower than 5 years ago. I don't seem to be able to comprehend complex systems as effortlessly as I used to--perhaps a sign that my brain power is declining?

Infinity and the Mind
This book is packed full of a lot of good information on infinity.However, the author's philosophical position on infinity is a bit extreme, outside the mainstream of mathematical thought today.

Misleading
Rucker had finished writing this by June 19, 1981, as his preface says.Yet, he has the naivete (or perhaps the gall) to say something inane like "Set theory is, indeed, the science of the Mindscape.A set is the form of a possible thought." on p. 41.Since Zadeh published his landmark "Fuzzy Sets" paper in 1965, and Black and others had written similar ideas years earlier, along with multivalued logicians like Lukasiewicz developing possibly infinite-valued logics as far back as the 1920s, one would think that Rucker would be informed or wise enough than such statements.It appears otherwise.I find it curious that Rucker also knew Godel who did work in multivalued logics, but basically Rucker doesn't acknolwedge multivalued logics as even possible forms of thought.

As for the comments about Mr. Rucker qualifying as an intellectual descendent of Hegel, they simply don't hold water.Rucker denies the property of contradiction (it is not the case that A and not A hold).Hegel accepted it and sought some other way to do logic than Aristotle's logic. ... Read more

Product Description
This book presents a series of traditional Buddhist slogans to be used as a study aid for practitioners of meditation, the aim of which is to train the mind, awaken the heart, and cultivate love and kindness toward others. In use by Tibetan Buddhists for 800 years, the slogans are brought here into contemporary usage. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

not particularly inspiring or approachable
this is a bit more how to than it is inspirational.not much that I want to get out of it.

Essential for Self Knowledge
For PTSD trauma, War Veterans, Abuse survivors & Mental Health professionals, this small, inexpensive book from Amazon.com is a Jewel! After thirty-four years of extreme abuse and 22 years of recovery programs, these 59 Points of Mind Training provide the most effective, practical tools I've ever encountered for cutting through any ego construct, neurosis or low self-esteem issue. I found it a delightful mix of belly-laugh humor and incredible Discipline. and If I can learn to be totally responsible for & truly LOVE myself . . . to Know myself & have compassion for all, then Anyone can!

These teachings provide immeasureable strength.
I've worked with this book every day for the last 12 years.I used to keep a copy in my desk at work, as well as passed along copies to other spiritual friends.This book will teach you much about how the world relates to you.It has the potential to erase a lot of negative thinking.It could turn you into a people-pleaser!Therefore, it must be used with meditation, and ideally the assistance of a spiritual master.These teachings have the potential to challenge every bit of strength you have.I think Americans have a tough time with Buddhism, as we are acculturated to conduct ourselves in public with self-worth.Whereas the Heart Slogans, adapted from Atisha, who was a student of Buddha, will rub you raw.So I think these teachings shift our awareness from self-esteem towards being more genuine.These practices can conflict with your personal boundaries.If you're a student of psychology, you would want to think about how the Slogans work for establishing respect with colleagues, family, etc.If you want a healthier, simpler, more honest life, this book will take you there.It will show you how you relate to the three poisons, jealousy, attachment and ignorance.This can be detrimental.It's good to have a support-system of like-minded Buddhist friends and teachers.

important techniques and lessons for all
What do salty sailors, communists, ad execs, and Tibetan Buddhists have in common?The Power of Slogans!From `Have a Coke and a Smile' to "Be all that you can Be", the brain loves a good saying.This book is Trungpa's translation of the 59 slogans used to instruct Tibetan Buddhists, with his commentary on each.Trungpa is unassailable as an instructor: the 11th generation of a line of chosen Tibetan Trungpas, he went to oxford on a scholarship and then moved to the US in the 1970's where he founded what remain as among the foremost Buddhist/meditative institutions in the country.I tend to believe Buddhism gained a little more than it lost en route to japan, so I prefer the zen stuff, but this book has a lot to offer anyone.Some nitpicking:For a guy who dedicated his life to bringing jargonless Buddhism to the west, the book is a little full of `mystical-sounding foreign words' though thankfully the glossary is very fine.And plenty of important Buddha concepts don't shine through (cause and effect, and the big mirror concepts don't get too much play here) so just make sure this isn't the only book you read on the topic.And some of the slogans are simply not too memorable and consequently lose their force; `always be grateful' is dandy, though `the mahayana instruction for ejection of consciousness at death is the five strengths' seems like an important one that alas probably won't be dancing off too many tongues at the critical moment.Still this is a fine book, a great book for beginners or advanced alike, coming from any tradition whatsoever.& the small format fits well, making it a great book for commutes or travels.Enjoy!(& remember:just because I didn't like the book as much as you doesn't mean you should vindictively vote against my review!)

Small book, big message.
It is always amazing to me that more people don't know the wonderful work that Trungpa did in bringing Buddhism to the West. He was a proponent of loving kindness who skillfully assisted thousands in understanding both thebasic precepts of Buddhism, and specific traditions of Tibetan Buddhism asthey are now practiced in both East and West.

This small format book isa wealth of information -- more than the mere "slogans" whichlead each section. It is a careful revelation of principals and practicesone usese to train the mind, emphasizing how one can use compassion andintelligence in dealing with everyday situations. A real gem of a book toread and read again. ... Read more

Product Description
By introducing key themes in philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and the basic concepts of neuroscience, this text provides philosophers with the necessary background to engage the neurosciences and offers neuroscientists an introduction to the relevant tools of philosophical analysis.Amazon.com Review
We've come a long way from "I think, therefore I am." If only things were that simple; as we see in Philosophy and the Neurosciences: A Reader, the interplay between our thoughts about ourselves and our body of scientific knowledge is becoming increasingly complex and arcane. Edited by Washington University's William Bechtel and several of his former graduate students, the book uses classic and contemporary selections to thoroughly cover several areas of mutual interest to neuroscientists and philosophers. Vision, language, and representation are the hottest topics, and heavy hitters like Broca and the Churchlands dissect them as precisely as their considerable knowledge and skill permit. Each broad section is bookended between a brief introduction and an intriguing question list; the readings are best suited for sparking classroom-style discussion and further research. Still, the individual reader will profit from the clarity and force of the book's arguments regarding the intersection between these two profoundly interesting fields. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Product Description
When facing demands at work, dealing with emotional situations at home, or struggling with a relationship, stressful thoughts and feelings can be overwhelming and may cause stress-related physical or emotional problems. This meditational will help readers identify the source of their stress and will offer techniques to reduce unhealthy tension, anger and frustration. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Peace of Mind Daily Meditations Easing Stress
The book is great with affirmations to give you peace and to touch emotions of gladness and its positive quotes help. I reccomend this to anyone who needs quotes and short messages to get the most out of everyday. This book offers mind changing positive ways to ease almost any situation and read at random for helping whatever situation with the index.The font is bold and my eyes are getting bad so glasses are used but you won't stress to be able to see the font.Pick out this book.You will be glad you did.

Peace of Mind
This is a wonderful daily devotional that reminds us how blessed we are each day!

Not Meditation
This is a nice, simple daily reading book. It has concise, helpful thoughts for a life of "less stress". But it has nothing to do with meditation.

I was disappointed to find this book is not instructive if one wants to learn more about real meditation.

Peace of Mind: Daily Meditations for Easing Stress

Excellent Daily Reading
I've been a fan of the little daily meditation books for years now and this one is among my favorites.It has insights from various sources, and really does what the title claims, offering Peace of Mind.I highly recommend it for giving yourself reason to pause in your day, and reflect on the little nuggets provided within this gem of a book.(I got it for my husband, but have been trying to steal a glance each day.)

love it
I'm not reading this book as a daily guide.I'm reading it like a book.Common sense approach to living each day to the fullest.Easy to read and easy to understand.Love it.You can read one meditation or read several. ... Read more

Product Description
Discover how great philosophers can help you live a more purposeful and peaceful life.

This inspiring new book from the bestselling author of Little Big Minds reveals how the heartbeats of philosophy- clear thinking, quiet reflection, and good conversation- are essential ingredients in a well-lived life. Full of great discussion ideas and activities you can do with a group, How Philosophy Can Save Your Life is framed around ten "big ideas"-themes that, according to McCarty, are necessary to grasp if one wants to live a truly fulfilling life. They are:

1. Simplicity (philosophers include Epicurus and Charlotte Joko Beck)
2. Communication (philosophers include bell hooks and Karl Jaspers)
3. Perspective (philosophers include Bertrand Russell and Mary Wollstonecraft)
4. Flexibility (philosophers include Socrates, Plato and Alan Watts)
5. Empathy (philosophers include the Dalai Lama and Martin Luther King, Jr.)
6. Individuality (philosophers include Jean-Paul Sartre and Elizabeth Spelman)
7. Belonging (philosophers include Albert Camus and Rita Manning)
8. Serenity (philosophers include Epictetus and Lao Tzu)
9. Possibility (philosophers include John Stuart Mill and Simone de Beauvoir)
10. Joy (philosophers include Shunryu Suzuki and Jane Addams)

So join the greatest thinkers of all time to discover the ideas that will help you live a happier, healthier life! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Good idea, faulty execution
I know, I know, previous reviews rate the book as one of the best books on "practical Philosophy" ever written, however I believe it is not, here is why: let's consider the structure of the book: for each chapter or idea there comes a light introduction about how miserable and lacking our life is in that respect, then comes what this or that philosopher(s) said about it, finally there comes some truly superficial activities for working in groups. The problem with the first section (introduction plus exposition of the philosopher's thinking) is that it is very short and superficial, no real discussion of the idea, but just one point of view and that's it, even worse, sometimes this single point of view is explained in a poor, not even coherent way, as for example when the author talks about Jaspers' ideas on communication.

Now, the section that disappointed me most is the homework: full of trivial, sometimes even silly suggestions that I honestly doubt even people who gave the book 5 stars would take seriously. On the other hand, the section called "Discussion Questions" does indeed contain some interesting and important questions, but wait a minute, should not the author -a philosopher herself- at least have tried to answer some of them? No, not in this life!, all that hard work is left to the reader.

In general my view is this: the author is well intended, she really tries to put philosophy to the level of basically everybody but she did it in a wrong way, they way she did it makes philosophy look more like the cheap, good for nothing self-help books that can be found by thousands. The extremes are bad, hard, academic Philosophy is not easy to understand, with no practical application in sight, on the other hand philosophy as presented here is too superficial, trying to make Philosophy accessible is "accomplished" by paying a high price: a complete lack of depth, a lack of real arguments therefore, the result is not surprisingly disappointing.

I honestly believe Philosophy do matter, actually whether we like it or not it is always with us because we live our lives according to a particular form of it (understood as a set of principles, values and shared views that guide our thinking, decisions and behavior and therefore our social project). In our case, we live under the unwritten philosophy of modern capitalism. Not being truly aware of this, not thinking about it in a reflexive, highly critical way so we can take action can lead us to our own destruction because many of its core values put the survival and the continuing functioning of the system right above basically everything else.

Well, too harsh a review maybe, but in the author's favor I have to say that at least she made the word philosophy visible again, and perhaps made many people think, which is good of course. In general, her commentaries and advise are OK, the problem starts when she mixes it with light, too superficial philosophical arguments, in this respect the title and especially the editorial review are misleading, creating expectations the book does not fulfill.

A Deep Self-Help Book?
//How Philosophy Can Save Your Life// by Marietta McCarty is an engaging mix of philosophical discourse and self-help strategies blended together in one handy volume. While perhaps not as deep as some philosophical treatises, McCarty's work, unlike many self-help guides, is not the least bit shallow.

McCarty has subtitled her book //10 Ideas That Matter Most//, and each chapter addresses one of these ideas: simplicity, communication, perspective, flexibility, empathy, individuality, belonging, security, possibility, and joy. Each chapter, in turn, includes an overview of the main idea, a description and analysis of what famous philosophers have said on the topic, and, lastly, discussion questions and homework. This arrangement may sound a bit too much like a text book, but it allows for a full understanding of the philosophical ideas and how to incorporate them into one's life.

McCarty's goal is to bring philosophy out of the classroom and into the real world. She wants to show that philosophy has real, practical import, and can be a means for making one's life more rich and meaningful. She also wants to expose readers to a wide range of thinkers, from Socrates to the Dalai Lama. In //How Philosophy Can Save Your Life//, she succeeds on all counts.

Reviewed by Doug Robins

Improve your quality of life with philosophy
Philosophy underlies how we think, what we believe, who we are. Marietta McCarty, who teaches philosophy at a community college in Virginia, has come up with 10 areas where philosophy helps us live fulfilling lives: simplicity, communication, perspective, flexibility, empathy, individuality, belonging, serenity, possibility and joy. For each of them she chooses two philosophers' work, pairing the famous (the Dalai Lama and Martin Luther King Jr. on empathy, for example) along with the unfamiliar or surprising (Shunryu Suzuki and Jane Addams on joy).

But the real strength of the book is in the "homework," extensive exercises, suggestions and questions for personal growth and group discussion. They encompass music, literature, experience and thought in exhilarating, far-ranging combinations. "Flexibility," for instance, contrasts "Old Man River" from Show Boat with the Moldau by Bedrich Smetana while also invoking David Bowie, John Cage, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Chubby Checker, Enya, Haydn and seven others -- and that is just the music. Also cited are works of poetry, prose, drama and documentary. This book could keep you exploring your personal path for years.

-- Fran Gardner, New Connexion Journal
[...]

A Mix:Excitement and Contentment
In my life so far, questions have always arisen - usually without answers, but this book "How Philosophy Can Save Your Life:10 Ideas That Matter Most," provides other interesting and, in some cases, exciting perspectives on how values and one's own thoughts pertain to so many conflicting cultural values in our country and around the world.Even if we set a path for ourselves when young, have we considered the options?Do we know we have choices?Do we know we have choices as we come to the end of life?Marietta McCarty wants to send us on our own ways - not hers, accompanied by the philosophers she introduces, but she hopes we will find friends and acquaintances to share the dialogue, listen to the music, and read the poetry along our own journeys in search of contentment in living.The end-of-chapter suggestions provide an abundance of opportunities to deepen our own understandings and appreciation of each of the ten ideas.

Philosophy Is Fun


Who knew philosophy could be fun, accessible, poignant, illuminating, and helpful?In the past, boring, complex, and unattainable were some of the adjectives that came to mind whenever someone mentioned philosophy.That was before I read "How Philosophy Can Save Your Life" ("HPCSYL") by Marietta McCarty.Today, when I hear the word philosophy I think:curiosity, discovery, community, happiness....

"HPCSYL" is an invitation to explore and celebrate valuable ideals. It is a cookbook of savory philosophy and thoughtful activities to help individuals cultivate a meaningful or "good life".Enjoy it on your own, preferably from in a comfy seat with a choice beverage, then give one to friends and family.When it is shared with others, the book comes alive, growing from a personal treasure into an attractive starting point for valuable conversation and connection.

In "HPCSYL", McCarty makes seemingly complex and meaningful topics approachable, understandable, dissectible.She carefully samples diverse philosophers, including eastern and western, ancient and modern, male and female.Her skillful style, insight and dashes of humor make her distillation of philosophy enjoyable and accessible.Her message to me:Philosophy isn't old, dusty and limited those in ivory towers;it can be clean, modern and for everyone!Her questions and suggestions encourage personal exploration, creative pursuits, and help strike up life-changing conversations.Ideas and exchanges ensue, helping to grow and focus personal perspectives and journeys.

"HPCSYL" walks the walk.It highlights the importance of community and belonging and becomes a great tool for connecting groups of people.Recently, we hosted a town-wide book group to discuss the first chapter of "HPCSYL".Over thirty people gathered together at our local library to form one big philosophy circle.What a sight!Ultimately, we broke up into smaller circles and we will continue to meet biweekly, discussing each chapter's topic.Local artists have jumped on board to show their "perspectives" via their individual mediums.The "possibilities" for enjoying this book and your own philosophical quest are endless. ... Read more

Product Description
Eknath Easwaran shows readers how to choose the way they think, feel, aspire, and desire. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Conquer your mind, control your life
"Dwelling on oneself is the root cause of most personal problems.The more pre-occupied we are with our private fears, resentments, cravings - the more power they have over us."

This is quite an exceptional book. The core purpose of the book is to discover the art of training the mind how to respond to life's challenges. The mind can be changed and controlled through meditation.While the major focus on changing and controlling the mind is through meditation, there are many lessons to be learned even if you are not actively engaged in formal meditation.

If you are practicing meditation, Easwaran brings up a very valuable point - practice your meditation throughout the day.The concept is that you learn to control your mind at all times.This is excellent advice, but much easier said than done.

Training the mind or controlling the mind is a concept that is foreign to most westerners.We do not think of controlling our mind.Our natural inclination is to try to control things - we will never be successful in controlling things.But if we learn to control our desires, fears, resentments and cravings we can control our world.

Some of the major points of the book are:

We have become a nation of emotional drifters.We allow our feeling to wander at will.We lose total control over the directions our minds take.

The exercises for reducing the ego is simple, learn to put the welfare of others before our own.

We feel incomplete so we try to manipulate things and people to get what we want to fulfill our inner need.This will never work.In the long run, we have no control over people or things.So we will always have unmet needs.

Those who always try to satisfy their personal desires will never find peace in this life.

The book explains a lot of the problems in our society that is focused on constant acquisition of new and bigger things.Our society that is fixed on instant gratification will never truly be content.As soon as we accomplish one goal, one desire our minds are askng what is next.

The book is well written and easy to read.Even if you have no plans to begin meditation, you will gain some valuable insights into why we all feel so unfulfilled.

If you conquer your mind, you will control your life.It is that simple.

Exceptional Book. I have fallen in love with it. Must Read!!!
I accidently came across this book and from the page one, I started loving it. I was able to related and undoubtedly agree to most (or probably all) of the things which Eknath Eshwaran has written in the book. I just could not keep the book down. Very simple language, very easy read and very powerful message. I tried to implement the suggestions in the book and I am already noticing the positive difference it has made on me in very short time. I will recommend it to anyone and everyone, who is eagerly waiting for effecting training to keep the powerful mind calm and happy.

Conquest of Mind
Complete with amusing personal anecdotes to open each chapter, this book examines the joys and problems with meditation which the spiritual seeker will encounter. This is less an introduction of his complete program, like his book Meditation, and more a series of gentle talks he's giving students who have already progressed a little on the path and want to hear about the spiritual life.The author is Hindu, but doesn't emphasize any one religion to the exclusion of others.People of any, or no, faith can use this.Entertaining and a gentle, easy, thoughtful read.

Incredible, wonderful book
This has got be one of the top books written on the subject of understanding the mind, including anger and other mental ills. Eknath not only educates, but shows the way out. For the relativley balanced, it reviews thier understanding of the mind and shows the next critical levels of evolution. What a wonderful read.

How to get control of your life
I read this book after reading Easwaran's "Take Your Time", which had introduced me to the idea that controlling your mind was the key to getting your life into balance. Like that book, "Conquest of Mind" is deceptively easy to read, full of stories that lead you gently through a set of ideas until Easwaran suddenly presents you with a conclusion that makes unarguable sense. If you want a book that is really going to help you change the way you live your life for the better, then you should try this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Mindware: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Cognitive Science invites readers to join in up-to-the-minute conceptual discussions of the fundamental issues, problems, and opportunities in cognitive science. Written by one of the most renowned scholars in the field, this vivid and engaging introductory text relates the story of the search for a cognitive scientific understanding of mind. This search is presented as a no-holds-barred journey from early work in artificial intelligence, through connectionist (artificial neural network) counter-visions, and on to neuroscience, artificial life, dynamics, and robotics. The journey ends with some wide-ranging and provocative speculation about the complex coadaptive dance between mind, culture, and technology.
Each chapter opens with a brief sketch of a major research tradition or perspective, followed by short yet substantial critical discussions dealing with key topics and problems. Ranging across both standard philosophical territory and the landscape of cutting-edge cognitive science, Clark highlights challenging issues in an effort to engage readers in active debate. Topics covered include mental causation; machine intelligence; the nature and status of folk psychology; the hardware/software distinction; emergence; relations between life and mind; the nature of perception, cognition, and action; and the continuity (or otherwise) of high-level human intelligence with other forms of adaptive response. Numerous illustrations, text boxes, and extensive suggestions for further reading enhance the text's utility. Helpful appendices provide background information on dualism, behaviorism, identity theory, consciousness, and more. An exceptional text for introductory and more advanced courses in cognitive science and the philosophy of mind, Mindware is also essential reading for anyone interested in these fascinating and ever-changing fields. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Book, But No Introduction
First, let me say, I took so much from this book. I'm a cognitive science major myself and there were ideas in this book that hadn't ever come to my attention. I would like to say, however, that the chapter on connectionism didn't do the topic justice. Also, the book's chapters on the whole tend to mesh together to build up to the author's personal philosophical paradigm, extended mind hypothesis and largely embodied cognition (which is what most cognitive scientists believe). I find that in doing this, however, the reader misses out on the history and therefore context that these competing paradigms share.

Second, although this is a great book, I'm not sure I could recommend it to a layman audience. For that reason (not being as the title says, an introduction) I deducted one star from the review. However, if there's any philosophers of the mind, psychologists, biologists, or just curious people out there, I'd recommend this book to read for cognitive science (also, it helps a lot, for undergrad cog sci majors to give this a read before entering into your first cogs class).

Great Overview of Cognitive Science
This book was recommended to me by a cognitive scientist researcher at my university as the single best thing I could read to obtain an up-to-date overview of what's going on in cognitive science.The book lived up to this promise.I found it an excellent, scientifically and philosophically informed, treatment of this topic. ... Read more

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Contemporary philosophers of mind tend to assume that the world of nature can be reduced to basic physics. Yet there are features of the mindconsciousness, intentionality, normativity that do not seem to be reducible to physics or neuroscience. This explanatory gap between mind and brain has thus been a major cause of concern in recent philosophy of mind. Reductionists hold that, despite all appearances, the mind can be reduced to the brain.Eliminativists hold that it cannot, and that this implies that there is something illegitimate about the mentalistic vocabulary. Dualists hold that the mental is irreducible, and that this implies either a substance or a property dualism. Mysterian non-reductive physicalists hold that the mind is uniquely irreducible, perhaps due to some limitation of our self-understanding.

In this book, Steven Horst argues that this whole conversation is based on assumptions left over from an outdated philosophy of science. While reductionism was part of the philosophical orthodoxy fifty years ago, it has been decisively rejected by philosophers of science over the past thirty years, and for good reason. True reductions are in fact exceedingly rare in the sciences, and the conviction that they were there to be found was an artifact of armchair assumptions of 17th century Rationalists and 20th century Logical Empiricists. The explanatory gaps between mind and brain are far from unique. In fact, in the sciences it is gaps all the way down.And if reductions are rare in even the physical sciences, there is little reason to expect them in the case of psychology.

Horst argues that this calls for a complete re-thinking of the contemporary problematic in philosophy of mind. Reductionism, dualism, eliminativism and non-reductive materialism are each severely compromised by post-reductionist philosophy of science, and philosophy of mind is in need of a new paradigm.

Horst suggests that such a paradigm might be found in Cognitive Pluralism: the view that human cognitive architecture constrains us to understand the world through a plurality of partial, idealized, and pragmatically-constrained models, each employing a particular representational system optimized for its own problem domain. Such an architecture can explain the disunities of knowledge, and is plausible on evolutionary grounds. ... Read more

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The idea of a disjunctive theory of visual experiences first found expression in J.M. Hinton's pioneering 1973 book Experiences. In the first monograph in this exciting area since then, William Fish develops a comprehensive disjunctive theory, incorporating detailed accounts of the three core kinds of visual experience--perception, hallucination, and illusion--and an explanation of how perception and hallucination could be indiscriminable from one another without having anything in common. In the veridical case, Fish contends that the perception of a particular state of affairs involves the subject's being acquainted with that state of affairs, and that it is the subject's standing in this acquaintance relation that makes the experience possess a phenomenal character. Fish argues that when we hallucinate, we are having an experience that, while lacking phenomenal character, is mistakenly supposed by the subject to possess it. Fish then shows how this approach to visual experience is compatible with empirical research into the workings of the brain and concludes by extending this treatment to cover the many different types of illusion that we can be subject to. ... Read more

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Comprising a series of specially commissioned chapters by leading scholars, this comprehensive volume presents an up-to-date survey of the central themes in the philosophy of mind. It leads the reader through a broad range of topics, including Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness, Dualism, Emotions, Folk Psychology, Free Will, Individualism, Personal Identity and The Mind-Body Problem.

• Provides a state of the art overview of philosophy of mind.
  
• Contains 16 newly-commissioned articles, all of which are written by internationally distinguished scholars.
  
• Each chapter reviews a central issue, examines the current state of the discipline with respect to the topic, and discusses possible futures of the field.
  
• Provides a solid foundation for further study.

Customer Reviews (1)

Lots of reductionist magictricks but also some counterbalance
Mainstream science still is not very interested in theories that start from a fundamental, ontological difference between body and mind. According to dominant models, consciousness would be completely determined by the brain and it would therefore be a priori unthinkable for a person to still have subjective experiences while his or her brain demonstrates a flat EEG.
Unfortunately, many scholars seem to consider this view as the rational outcome of scientific research, whereas it really is a position within the so-called 'philosophy of mind' that rather precedes empirical investigations, at least implicitly and serves as an ontological framework for empirical theory.
The Blackwell Guide to the Philosophy of Mind offers an introduction to this branch of philosophy. The book is divided into 16 chapters about a specific topic, written by influential Anglo-Saxon philosophers.
The general level of the book is high, which means that only readers who are accostumed to reading academic literature will really be able to understand its contents.
The individual chapters can be read as thorough introductions to several specific compartments within the philosophy of mind, but also as independent articles in which an author shares his most recent insights.
In Chapter 4, Howard Robinson shows that (Neo-)Cartesian substantialist dualism still seems to be the best candidate for solving the mind-body problem despite thewell-known physicalist objections. Dualism is also taken seriously in Chapter 5, namely by the celebrated philosopher David Chalmers who declares he no longer wishes to dismiss the notion of an interaction between consciousness and the brain out of hand.
However, many other chapters have certainly been written from a 'naturalist' viewpoint, i.e. that they are based on the idea of a mind that is completely determined by the brain. Thus, we can read about attempts to harmonise the existence of concepts and meaning with the nature of our nervous system. Several authors try to explain away the non-physical properties of consciousness or reduce these to physical properties of the brain. Particularly apalling in this respect is Chapter 14, written by John Bickle. He complains that philosophers do not take enough notice of neurological data and he confidently claims that a total theoretical reduction of consciousness to physicalist neuroscientific concepts is feasible. According to Bickle, such a materialist reduction is even more important than the quests of genetics.

In general,The Blackwell Guide to the Philosophy of Mind amounts to a useful, broad introduction to this important field of contemporary analytical philosophy for anyone who wants to deal at this level with the philosophical bases of empirical theorical research into the mind and consciousness.
It offers a good overview of the state of affairs: there are still a lot of outdated reductionist magic tricks but there is also some refreshingly confident counterbalance from the anti-physicalist camp.

Titus Rivas




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"Introducing Mind and Brain" examines a profound and mysterious puzzle: how does the biological tissue that makes up the brain give rise to the activities that our culture refers to as 'the mind'? How does the three pounds of electric sponge stowed in the top of your head allow you to experience enchantment in front of an evening landscape, and then make you remember the shopping, say 'Damnl' and head off to the supermarket? This book explains what the sciences have to say about planning and action, language, memory, attention, emotions and vision. It traces the historical development of ideas about the brain and its function from antiquity to the age of neuro-imaging. Through a clear combination of words and images, writer Angus Gellatly and award-winning artist Oscar Zarate invite the reader to take a fresh look at the nature of mind, consciousness and personal identity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Fascinating introduction to the workings of the human mind
I really enjoyed this comic-book style introduction.It was easy to read, yet thought-provoking and educational.I learned a lot of things I did not know before.Makes me want to learn more, and has a list of books for additional reading.I gave it one star less since I think the historical introduction at the beginning misses a lot and in some cases is not correct.For example saying that phrenology was invented around 1800 by Franz Gall completely ignores the Arabic phrenology textbooks from 1000 years earlier.Overall the book is highly Eurocentric and makes little of developments outside of that continent.

The Best Insights To Brain Architecture--A 'Must-Own' For Brain Researchers
Recently, I have been reading several books on the brain--not just its cold, on-the-slab anatomy but its functional anatomy at the neuron column level. I read:
"On Intelligence" [Jeff Hawkins] which was excellent
"The Creative Brain" [Nancy Andreason]
"Origins of Genius" [Keith Simonton]
among others.
This one tiny volume, almost like a comic book at first glance because of the profusion of illustrations [one of these authors must be left handed], was the absolute most important resource on the structure and function of the brain. Other books I read and set aside. This one I keep around as a guide book to the brain. I would suggest this "Introducing Mind and Brain" book and "On Intelligence" as the only must buy.

Related to A.I. and Consciousness
I have just finished reading Introducing Artificial Intelligence, Introducing Mind & Brain, and Introducing Consciousness from Icon books. In reading these back to back, it reminded me that they are all different views on the same subject. This was a rewarding experience for me. I recommend that you read these books together if you can.

"Introducing Mind & Brain" could have been titled "Introducing Neuroscience". Those readers having difficulty buying into the functionalist materialist viewpoint described in the other two books will find persuasive evidence here. ... Read more

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Over the last two decades, debates over the viability of commonsense psychology have been center stage in both cognitive science and the philosophy of mind. Eliminativists have argued that advances in cognitive science and neuroscience will ultimately justify a rejection of our "folk" theory of the mind, and of its ontology. In the first half of this book Stich, who was at one time a leading advocate of eliminativism, maintains that even if the sciences develop in the ways that eliminativists foresee, none of the arguments for ontological elimination are tenable.Rather than being resolved by science, he contends, these ontological disputes will be settled by a pragmatic process in which social and political considerations have a major role to play. In later chapters, Stich argues that the widespread worry about "naturalizing" psychological properties is deeply confused, since there is no plausible account of what naturalizing requires on which the failure of the naturalization project would lead to eliminativism. He also offers a detailed analysis of the many different notions of folk psychology to be found in philosophy and psychology, and argues that simulation theory, which purports to be an alternative to folk psychology, is not supported by recent experimental findings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

misleading title...
I bought this book as a reference for support in my belief in eliminativism. To the contrary, it turns out to be a very cogent argument in support of a rich and real set of mental processes. The author's logic is impeccable and leads relentlessly to the conclusion that the eliminativists have got things wrong.

I will admit that I initially felt threatened by a confrontation with evidence that mental processes were real.I simply had to take seriously some concepts I thought I had permanently dismissed. Now, I am very relieved to dismiss the vacuous state of dead materialism instead. I feel human again.

I can heartily recommend this book for others who retreat into eliminativism in order to make life simpler. I can understand the selection of a title that draws the attention of precisely the readers who make the mistake of pretending the mind does not exist.

"Folk" discussion, anyone?
i'm curently working through "from folk psychology to cognitive science...." looking for others who have or are currently reading this or any other work on similar topics (e.g. content of beliefs, conceptualrepresentation, etc....) if anyone has stich's homepage id love to chatwith him....i think that the richness of this work requires some educateddiscussion, of which there is a paucity in this area. ... Read more

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Designed for a first course in the philosophy of mind, this book has several distinctive features. The first chapter concludes with a section on Evaluating Theories, a discussion of the factors to consider in assessing any theory. An ongoing series of Notes on Terminology explains in ordinary language each of the more technical philosophical terms used. Throughout the text, pertinent information from neuroscience and psychology is provided. Each chapter is followed by a list of Issues for Discussion, helping to actively engage the reader in the questions at hand, and Suggested Research Projects -- short, focused assignments that introduce the reader to relevant materials outside the text, fostering the skills needed to do independent research as well as the skills required for preparing clear, well-organised papers and class presentations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The best philosophy of mind intro
Cunningham's book is a breakthrough in writing clearly and simply about philosophy, without dumbing anything down.She has written a comprehensive introduction to some of the most difficult material to understand in the field.It is intended as a textbook but is written so well that I'd recommend it for any reader at any level.It seems to me that one wouldn't even need to have taken an introductory philosophy course to completely understand her explanations.Can't recommend this enough. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Read after having read at least Kant and Hegel
The theme of this book is in contrasting the two great antipodes and of German culture: Kant and Goethe. The part for Goethe is 43 pages, Kant 110 pages and Hegel 71 pages.

This is not a scholastic introduction to the philosophies or philosophical systems of Kant or Hegel, rather it's everything else. (For an introduction, I can recommend German Philosophers: Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche.) You could say it's an attempt to relate these philosophers to the whole of German culture (and Goethe), or that it's an overview, and on Kant's part, an argument against their views on life.

So for this reason you should've read at least Kant before picking it up. (I hadn't.)

final work of a great humanist
Ever since I tried to read it in college, philosophy has repelled me, or rather, I was unwilling to make the effort to get through the classic texts because they were so poorly written and abstruce.Nonetheless, I always felt that this area was a hole in my learning and that I should have made more effort in it.As such, it was an enormous pleasure to find Kaufmann:he writes with an enormous clarity and grace, and to my delight, he is as disgusted with the poor writing style of modern philosphers as was I.And he had the authority to say it, which I could never claim!

This volume introduces the reader to three great minds, which Kaufmann sees as leading to the great psychologists if the 20C.First, with Goethe, we find a man who broke new ground in the investigation of human psychology, bringing a poets depth and eloquence to bear.It is so exciting and well written that Kaufmann makes the reader want to learn German and then specialize in Goethe. He is seen as an ideal of bringing poetry to the study of the mind, a tradition that waited until Freud to be renewed.Second, he examines Kant, whom he respects but sees as a rather dry intellect, and alas, as the one who began the tradition of sloppily and hastily written modern philosophy.But his critique goes much farther than that as we see Kant turn the mind into something abstract, immutable, and that neither evolves nor reflects the context into which it is born.This sets philoophical inquiry into psychology, in my interpretation, on a long and infertile road that took the poetry out of the study of the mind.Finally, with Hegel, Kaufmann sees the reintroduction of certain notions of evolution and context, but still in a way that lacks poetry.

This is a fascinating interpretation and it is so beautifully written that many will enjoy as did I.Warmly recommended.

An examination of the human qualities worth cultivating
Goethe, Kant, Hegel is the first book of the Discovering the mind trilogy. This trilogy was Kaufmann's final work. The ideas discussed in this book are not new to hiswork but rather make it more complete.All ofKaufmann's work taken together forms an organic seamless whole.

In thisbook as with his others Kaufmann is interested in uncovering, exploring,defining and evaluating what is the essence of being human. He also extendsthis search beyond mere identifying to an exploration of what he considers are thehuman qualities worthy of cultivation and represent the best ofhumanity. To my knowledge his approach of a philosophical study ofindividuals breaks some original ground and because Kaufmann is building onprevious work he is hugely successful in this task. This book should be aclassic, recognized for its pioneering effort toward discovery of the mind(Kaufmann's definition of mind here is a "term for feeling andintelligence, reason and emotion, perception and will).Not only is itscholarly (in the best sense of the word) but it has a clearvision thatKaufmann is able to communicate clearly.

It is not enough for Kaufmannto present compelling reasons why life is most meaningful when meaning andpurpose come from within, nor that the autonomous life (he discussesautonomy at length in Without guilt or Justice)is the key to finding thatmeaning. Kaufmann knows that even a dictator and tyrant can become such aperson. Kaufmann goes on to articulate his vision of morality (a themedeveloped in his earlier work- The Faith of a Heretic). In this and the twosubsequent volumes he shows us what attributes of these various men ofvarying greatness he sees as most representative of both qualities whichgive personal meaning to that individual but also elevate for us all thehuman spirit,as well as those qualities that do not. In Goethe, Kant,Hegel, Kaufmann rigourously illuminatesthatinterior terrain into theminds of each of these men taking us on a journey of understanding. Whileit's clear that Kaufmann's vision (what is it to be human) is his own, theseeds of that vision can be found in his profound empathy of Goethe ,Nietzsche(vol.ll), and Freud(vol.lll). In fact, implicit to reading thiswork is that we come to understand Kaufmann'smind as well. The book alsoprovides us with the tools to be our own explorers and thus continue thecontribution. In Goethe, Kant, Hegel, Kaufmann quotes from a letter writtenby someone who knew Goethe. In reading the attributes ascribed to Goetheone cannot help but feel that the description is just as apt ofKaufmann.

"He is violent in all of his emotions but often has agreat deal of self-control. His way of thinking is noble; free ofprejudices, he acts as he feels without caring whether others like it,whether it is the fashion, whether the way one lives permits it. Allcompulsion is hateful to him... He is not what one calls orthodox. But notfrom pride or caprice or to make an impression. About certain very importantissues he speaks to few and does not like to disturb others intheir calm ideas...I wanted to describe him, but it would become too lengthy,for there is much that could be said about him. He is, in one word, a veryremarkable human being."

This book is well worth reading. ... Read more

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Minds, Brains, and Computers presents a vital resource -- the most comprehensive interdisciplinary selection of seminal papers in the foundations of cognitive science, from leading figures in artificial intelligence, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Scientific Study of Cognition Research
The book contains a sampling of original research papers of the histroy of the scientific study of congition.

Three sections include research on: Mind as Computer, Mind as Neural Network and Mind as Brain.Each section has well known authors: the two Churchlands, Chomsky, Putnam, Searle and (interestingly) Alan Turing.I have not see such an easy way to quickly find such diverse research on Cognative Science.

This research is generally "materialist" (e.g., scientific methods of observations are used to form theories) and a "dualist" (who believes mind is non-physical) will probably not agree with much of this scientific form of Philosophy of Mind.

I find this book useful for artificial intelligence research and design of future computers.Also, the ideas in the paper on *engrams* was used in science fiction's "Star Trek" to explain the (fictional) M-5 advanced computer.The book may also be found in the "Linguistics" section of book stores -- note Chomsky and Putnam both have several papers presented here.

The main reason why I can not give _five stars_ is because the most recent functional MRI papers are not included (although there are seven pared where MRI is mentioned.Yet, this is a "foundational history" book, not current research.Also, it is heavy in philosophy of Mind (good) and _not just_ pure science observation and explanatory theories only. ... Read more

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The Elements of Philosophy: Readings from Past and Present offers an extensive collection of classic and contemporary readings, organized topically into five main sections: Religion and Belief, Moral and Political Philosophy, Metaphysics and Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind and Language, and Life and Death. Within these broad areas, readings are arranged in clusters that address both traditional issues--such as the existence of God, justice and the state, knowledge and skepticism, and free will--and contemporary topics--including God and science, just war theory, vegetarianism, and time travel. Carefully chosen selections from a wide range of pre-20th-century philosophers are paired with writings from more than fifty leading contemporary philosophers and thinkers. The traditional philosophers represented range from Plato and Aristotle to Immanuel Kant and A.J. Ayer; the contemporary philosophers include Saul Kripke, David Lewis, Thomas Nagel, Derek Parfit, Hilary Putnam, Robert Nozick, Judith Jarvis Thomson, John Rawls, Bernard Williams, and Susan Wolf. Also included are selections from linguist Noam Chomsky, physicist Albert Einstein, and psychologist William James.
Edited by a team of scholars who are also highly esteemed instructors, The Elements of Philosophy is uniquely student-friendly. A team of undergraduate philosophy majors played a central role in helping to select topics, choose readings, and identify terms likely to require clarification. In response to their suggestions, the volume includes detailed introductions to each section, explanatory footnotes that define unfamiliar terms and concepts, an extensive glossary, and a guide to further resources. A companion Instructor's Manual, available on CD, offers article summaries, suggested essay questions, reading guides, model handouts, and sample syllabi. One of the most extensive and expansive anthologies available, The Elements of Philosophy is an ideal choice for both general and targeted introductory philosophy courses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Decent book, but extremely dry and boring
The book takes excerpts from various philosophers and their most famous works. However, don't expect some explanations at the end, this book is designed for philosophers who understand the philosophy that's written easily, even when the language used is very cryptic. It's meant to be used as a reference for certain speeches or essays by philosophers, it isn't to be used as a way to understand philosophy.

The Elements of Philosophy: Readings from Past and Present
good book for a cheap price, it is a college text book that many schools use. only would buy because i have to ... Read more

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Philosophy of fear by Lars Svedsen
Thank you for a prompt delivery. I have not read the book yet but am looking forward to the pleasure ... Read more

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This newly repackaged edition of one of Tarcher's bestselling Holmes backlist titles contains wisdom designed to help each reader experience the Science of Mind philosophy day by day. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Mile High Inspiration
I live in Denver, which homes one of the greatest Sciene of Mind churches, Mile High Church of Religious Science, where I purchased the hardcopy version of the book. I have been a church member since 1996. I have gone through all of the SOM classes and this one book is just enough to motivate you each and every day.I feel like it is one of the ministers or practitioners that wrote something special for me each day.It's powerful, moving, and full of wisdom. You have to read it like you believe it, otherwise it is not going to mean anything.Science of Mind is a nondemnominational church that respects and appreciates all faiths in life. Do not confuse this with Scientology, which is a totally different view.

A jumpstart for your day!
Take a minute or two and dive into your greatest Self. Ponder, reveal, and evolve with this excellent addition to your daily spiritual practice.

365 Science if Mind
I received this book last year for Christmas and have been reading the daily devotion and think it is a fantastic way to start my day!I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for a positive way to start the day!

365 Science of Mind
This is an excellent book for new members being introduced to theScience of Mind philosophy.Our church recently had a "New Member Orientation" which we gave the book to our new members as gifts and to be used as a book for fuure reference.

Addtinally, as mentioned in my review with you and A1 books, I ordered the books used and did not pay close attention to the estimated delivery date.When I notifid you that the books were needed by a certain date, they were indeed delivered in time and in A-1 condition for used books!.The situation was handled in a most professioonal and timely manner and we were able to pesent our program as originally scheduled.

Prolific
It helps to be familiar with Holmes' writings because these daily prayers and explanations complement his works. I enjoy these because I try to begin each day reading a little from the Bible, then on to Holmes' Bible Explanations book, then read the spiritual guidance for the day from this book. Somehow, the 3 books seem to meld together and even if I skip a day or two of reading and then get back to the mind "work", the daily advice is still right on target. More often than not, I'll read a passage in the Bible, go on to the Bible Explanations book and then read the passage from this daily book and the books somehow relate to one another. I'm surprised that this occurs so frequently. Must be a sign that the spirit world is indeed alive and knows what we need to hear and when we need it.
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