Philosophy & Religion
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by Karen Armstrong (Get the Book)
The relationship of
religion and violence arose, Armstrong relates, as nomadic hunter-gatherers
settled into agrarian communities that developed a system in which protectors
kept peons at work, especially to produce more than the community needed—wealth
that the protectors controlled with the same violence exerted against alien
thieves. The religion of nomads was adapted to apologize for this
master-and-subject structure of agrarian society, thereby inextricably
entwining religion and politics. Eventually, though, in each major religion, a
reaction set in, reaffirming the egalitarianism of hunter-gatherer society
through mutual pacific love. The first part of this—characteristically for
Armstrong—sweeping history traces that development and that reaction in Mesopotamia,
India, China, and among the Hebrews. Reaction continues as the theme of the
second part, examining the challenges of Jesus and Muhammad to the systemic
violence of empires and the ethical crippling of Christianity and Islam as they
were incorporated into empires. The third part, covering modernity, reports the
conceptual separation of religion from the state, the emergence of secularism,
and the battles seemingly between religion and secularity in our own time, in
which secular movements have proved as violent as religious ones, and religion
is often only opportunistically claimed to inspire a violent political
movement, for instance, al-Qaeda. Armstrong again impresses with the breadth of
her knowledge and the skill with which she conveys it to us.
by Kurt M. Jordan (Get the Book)
Too often in life, we see only what we are conditioned to see. Influenced by our parents, environment, education, religious beliefs, mass media, or society in general, these narrow-minded perspectives limit our growth and prevent us from truly connecting with others. In his guidebook Thoughts for a New Perspective, an innovative transformational leader shares fascinating insight on how to remove our blinders, open our minds to a new way of thinking, and ultimately find a new perspective on life. Through a unique roadmap filled with over eight hundred transformational thoughts, Kurt Jordan leads others through an introspective process that opens the mind to think about God in a new way, encourages a look inward to find the answers to a variety of questions about life, offers a new outlook on relationships and love, and shares guidance on how to connect with our spirit in order to discover who we really are deep inside. (Publisher)
by Edward O. Wilson (Get the Book)Eloquent and caring biologist and humanist Wilson posits that it is our limited biological understanding of our now dominant species that induces us to unthinkingly destroy the biosphere and, therefore, ourselves even as we're developing genetic technologies that will allow us to direct our own evolution. To gain the knowledge we need to navigate these dilemmas, Wilson argues, we must unite the humanities and the sciences to develop a deeper form of history that embraces both biology and culture. In this collection of rigorous yet lyrical essays, themselves models of the science-humanities fusion he envisions, Wilson extends his in-depth analysis of our complex, competitive social behavior launched in The Social Conquest of Earth (2012), nimbly discussing the evolutionary sources of our inborn turmoil. Homo sapiens is an innately dysfunctional species, Wilson avers, due to what he defines as the Paleolithic Curse, genetic adaptations that once helped us thrive but now hold us back. Wilson's suggested solutions to our paradoxical predicaments are firmly rooted in science and finely crafted with tonic common sense, unusual directness, and no small measure of valor. --Booklist
by Henry J. Nouwen (Get the Book)This extended meditation on the biblical story of the prodigal son is full of insight. Nouwen's inspiration was a portion of Rembrandt's painting depicting the return of the younger son. As he discusses the painting and its subject, the reader is able to visualize the canvas and become, with Nouwen, each of the characters in the story. His understanding of the aspects of his own character that mirror the humility and hope of the younger son, the anger of the elder, and the patient forgiveness of the father is remarkable. Everyone should be this honest when they encounter others. This is a book that can be read again and again. --Booklist
