Philosophy & Religion
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by Michael Harris (Get the Book)
"Every revolution in communication technology from papyrus to the printing press to Twitter -is as much an opportunity to be drawn away from something as it is to be drawn toward something. And yet, as we embrace technology's gifts, we usually fail to consider what we're giving up in the process. Why would we bother to register the end of solitude, of ignorance, of lack? Why would we care that an absence had disappeared?" Soon enough, nobody will remember life before the Internet. What does this unavoidable fact mean? For future generations, it won't mean anything very obvious. They will be so immersed in online life that questions about the Internet's basic purpose or meaning will vanish. But those of us who have lived both with and without the crowded connectivity of online life have a rare opportunity. We can still recognize the difference between Before and After. We catch ourselves idly reaching for our phones at the bus stop. Or we notice how, mid-conversation, a fumbling friend dives into the perfect recall of Google. In this eloquent and thought-provoking book, Michael Harris argues that amid all the changes we're experiencing, the most interesting is the one that future generations will find hardest to grasp. That is the end of absence-the loss of lack. The daydreaming silences in our lives are filled; the burning solitudes are extinguished. There's no true "free time" when you carry a smartphone. Today's rarest commodity is the chance to be alone with your own thoughts. (Summary)
by Joona Taipala (Get the Book)
At the dawn of the modern era, philosophers reinterpreted their subject as the study of consciousness, pushing the body to the margins of philosophy. With the arrival of Husserlian thought in the late nineteenth century, the body was once again understood to be part of the transcendental field. And yet, despite the enormous influence of Husserl's phenomenology, the role of "embodiment" in the broader philosophical landscape remains largely unresolved. In his ambitious debut book, Phenomenology and Embodiment, Joona Taipale tackles the Husserlian concept--also engaging the thought of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Michel Henry--with a comprehensive and systematic phenomenological investigation into the role of embodiment in the constitution of self-awareness, intersubjectivity, and objective reality. In doing so, he contributes a detailed clarification of the fundamental constitutive role of embodiment in the basic relations of subjectivity. (Summary)
by Bill Hybels (Get the Book)
Getting caught up in the busyness of life, with its clutter and its crazy pace, can harm relationships, jobs, sanity, and health. But how can one simplify life by letting go of anxiety and spending time on the most important things? Influential pastor Hybels (Too Busy Not to Pray), founder of Willow Creek Community Church, gently but firmly points out common stress-inducing topics and offers ways of coping with them that are alternatives to the typical frenetic response. Among those topics are over-scheduling, forgiveness, finances, anxiety, and the workplace. He likens personal fulfillment to an "energy bucket." That bucket is filled when people are happy at work, but leaks profusely when individuals are miserable. Those unhappy with work should consider leaving it to do something enjoyable, and work around the financial aspects. "Simplicity cannot be achieved without clarity about the big-picture target of your life," Hybels says. Instead of cluttering the calendar with things that have to be done in the next 30 days, he suggests asking, "Who do I want to become in this next season of my life?" and then using the calendar to help accomplish those goals. Readers who are ready to take somewhat drastic measures to simplify their lives will be ready to implement all 10 of Hybels' practices, while others may need to pick which ones are the most immediately doable and tackle the others when they're ready. --Publishers Weekly
by Charles J. Healey (Get the Book)
Charles J. Healey, SJ, is an adjunct professor at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts, and chaplain to the alumni at Boston College High School. He teaches summers in the graduate program in spirituality at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Fr. Healey holds a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome. He is the author of several books, including The Ignatian Way (Paulist Press).
A Jesuit priest and teacher presents a rich treasury of materials for prayer and meditation produced by a great cloud of Jesuit witnesses beginning with St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, and continuing right to the present day. (Summary)
