Philosophy & Religion
Click links to check availability.
by Tony Dungy (Get the Book)
With a "he said/she said" format, former NFL coach Dungy (Quiet Strength) and his wife, Lauren, share lessons learned over more than 30 years of marriage. They are different in personality, but their deep faith and commitment to their relationship help them grow closer through career changes, multiple moves, the rearing of nine children, and family tragedy. They discuss the wide variety of incidents and factors that have strengthened their marriage, like working through different communication styles and learning the importance of praying together. They also share the difficulties through which they have walked together, like being in the public eye-Tony became the first African-American head coach to guide a team to the Super Bowl; dealing with the loss of a parent; and coping with the suicide of their son. They offer their thoughts in personal, conversational style with the hope that readers can recognize some part of their own marriage and be able to find guidance, hope, and encouragement. The book reads more like an enjoyable chat with longtime friends than the helpful marriage guidebook that it is. --Publishers weekly
by Garth Fowden (Get the Book)
Islam emerged amid flourishing Christian and Jewish cultures, yet students of Antiquity and the Middle Ages mostly ignore it. Despite intensive study of late Antiquity over the last fifty years, even generous definitions of this period have reached only the eighth century, whereas Islam did not mature sufficiently to compare with Christianity or rabbinic Judaism until the tenth century. "Before and After Muhammad" suggests a new way of thinking about the historical relationship between the scriptural monotheisms, integrating Islam into European and West Asian history. Garth Fowden identifies the whole of the First Millennium--from Augustus and Christ to the formation of a recognizably Islamic worldview by the time of the philosopher Avicenna--as the proper chronological unit of analysis for understanding the emergence and maturation of the three monotheistic faiths across Eurasia. Fowden proposes not just a chronological expansion of late Antiquity but also an eastward shift in the geographical frame to embrace Iran. In "Before and After Muhammad," Fowden looks at Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alongside other important developments in Greek philosophy and Roman law, to reveal how the First Millennium was bound together by diverse exegetical traditions that nurtured communities and often stimulated each other. (Summary)
by Thomas Moore (Get the Book)
The author, whose bestselling Care of the Soul (1992) helped define an era of therapeutic spirituality, reprises many of the themes and preoccupations that he has written about in a dozen books: contemplation, eros, and intuition ought to play formative influences in a rich spiritual life. Moore updates his argument by considering it in the context that writings such as his helped to develop: the world of the secular, populated by those untutored in religion or critical of its institutions but interested in authentic living. For these he urges: pay attention to your dreams, desires, intuitions, and deep drives, and use religious traditions as resources in developing the titular religion of one's own. Moore's own spiritual formation is deeply Catholic. When he is read closely, his depth is apparent, but his heterodox syncretism makes him a natural target for less well-read enforcers of traditional religion. There's not much new here for those who have followed him for two decades, but he stands to make some new converts to the noninstitutional ranks of spirituality. --Publishers Weekly
by Luc Ferry (Get the Book)
This comprehensive analysis of Greek myth seeks to uncover the basic worldview that lies behind such varied and disparate stories, and allusions such as "a Herculean task" and "Pandora's box." In this, Ferry (A Brief History of Thought), a professor of philosophy at the Sorbonne, is surprisingly successful: time and again he proves that "wisdom consists of finding our natural place in a divine and everlasting order." Those who fight to uphold this divine order-Theseus, Heracles-are rewarded with a heroic legacy. But those who go against the natural order-even unwittingly, like Oedipus-are swiftly and brutally struck down. Ferry excuses much of what modern readers might perceive as injustice on the part of the gods. When Apollo flays a satyr who challenges him to a musical contest, for example, it is not vanity but the literal triumph of harmony over discord. Despite his claim that "I recount the legends as if to an audience of children," Ferry's narration proves long-winded and repetitive. However, he never loses sight of his central argument, and despite the pedantic tone, the breadth of evidence will sway most readers. --Publishers Weekly
by Margaret M. McGuinness (Get the Book)
Religious sisters have helped shape the history of the United States in important ways, with prayer and without fanfare, through the schools, hospitals, orphanages, and other institutions they established. McGuinness (religion, LaSalle Univ., Neighbors and Missionaries: A History of the Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine)Ã…culls wide-ranging historicalÃ…evidence,Ã…examinesÃ…European roots, andÃ…bringsÃ…contributions to greater light and perspective with her collective storyÃ…of many communities across the United States, beginning with the Ursuline sisters in New Orleans in 1727. She draws on histories covering earlier decades (e.g., George C. Stewart Jr.'s Marvels of Charity; Carol Coburn's Spirited Lives) and blends stories buried in academic and archival sources not readily available. The book covers the post-Vatican II returns to tradition,Ã…as well asÃ…contemporary service involving peace and justice issues, the environment, immigration, and even martyrdom. The text might have been enhanced by maps but includes black-and-white photos. -VERDICTÃ…This is a comprehensive, objective, and readable contribution to a subject of growing interest despite fewer numbers of sisters. Recommended for both general and academic readership. --Library Journal
by Huston Smith (Get the Book)
Huston Smith's masterpiece explores the essential elements and teachings of the world's predominant faiths, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the native traditions of Australia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. Emphasizing the inner--rather than the institutional--dimension of these religions, Smith devotes special attention to Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, Sufism, and the teachings of Jesus.He convincingly conveys the unique appeal and gifts of each of the traditions and reveals their hold on the human heart and imagination. (Summary)
by Joan Chittister (Get the Book)
Well-known in Catholic circles for her willingness to take on anybody--even the pope--in defense of women's rights, Chittister, now in her 70s, examines how it feels "to be facing that time of life for which there is no career plan." Clearly, getting older has not diminished the controversial nun, activist, lecturer and author of nearly 40 books on feminism, nonviolence and Benedictine wisdom. This collection of inspirational reflections, "not meant to be read in one sitting, or even in order, [but] one topic at a time," abounds in gentle insights and arresting aphorisms: "'Act your age' can be useful advice when you're seventeen; it's a mistake when you're seventy-seven." Beginning each short chapter with a trenchant quotation ("'It takes a long time,' Pablo Picasso wrote, 'to become young'"), she ponders topics such as fear, mystery, forgiveness and legacy. Old age is rich for those who choose to thrive, not wither: "We can recreate ourselves in order to be creative in the world in a different way than the boundaries of our previous life allowed." --Publishers Weekly
by Robert D. Lupton (Get the Book)
Americans are a generous people. Individually and as a nation, we contribute money, goods, and countless volunteer hours in order to address needs both here and abroad. Yet poverty, hunger, unemployment, and lack of economic opportunity continue to plague individuals and communities the world over. Lupton, with many years of experience in urban renewal, argues that the lack of better results lies not in our good intentions but in our charitable activities themselves. We hurt those whom we seek to help. When relief does not transition to development in a timely way, compassion becomes toxic. Immediate needs such as food, clothing, and shelter should surely be met. Subsequent efforts must empower those less fortunate to do for themselves, lest we create a culture of dependence that is dehumanizing. Lupton chronicles examples of good intentions gone awry and examines charitable activities that are resulting in transformative outcomes. Compassion must be both long-term and results oriented if it is to be successful. A must-read book for those who give to help others. --Booklist
by Mark Rowlands (Get the Book)
The dancing thoughts that appear to philosophy-professor Rowlands during his runs, and the rhythm and value of those runs themselves, make for a meditative read. Rowlands incorporates work by philosophers from Aristotle to Wittgenstein with his own musings, leading to ruminations on topics as diverse as midlife crises, evolution, and the meaning of life, love, and mortality. He recalls his runs on both sides of the Atlantic with various canine companions, including Brenin, featured in his previous book The Philosopher and the Wolf (2009). You don't need to be a runner to enter the philosophical investigations in this book, although you do have to be willing to follow the author on his rambling, sometimes repetitive, musings. The runs are recalled with clarity, capturing both the agony and exhilaration of the experience, and connect to his thoughts through, for instance, relating the phases of a marathon to certain philosophers. Rowlands, more critical than starry-eyed, still brings deep feeling to his work. Cerebral and heartfelt, this memoir uses one man's history on the road as a foundation to investigate universal experiences. --Booklist
by Anne Lamott (Get the Book)
Lamott's (Help, Thanks, Wow) latest inspirational title explores how we can find significance in the face of pain or disaster. Readers are guided by an older, wiser Lamott than we met 20 years ago, when Operating Instructions was published. This narrator is not afraid to say that she has learned a few things, and that there are not "shortcuts to wisdom and self-knowledge. . I so resent this." This is also vintage Lamott: funny, brilliantly self-deprecating, and insightful. Characteristically, she ruminates about needing help to get through life, and about finding your family in a group of people who love you and who are not necessarily your blood kin. Indeed, faithful readers may be disappointed by the extent to which Lamott reprises earlier themes-as in Traveling Mercies, Lamott here quotes C. S. Lewis on forgiveness and says it is best to start with something small; she rehearses a vignette she previously told in a novel. Still, Lamott succeeds at using "some of Christianity's language and symbols" to offer spiritual truths that will reach beyond a church audience, and the delights of this new offering outweigh the frustrating repetitions. --Publishers Weekly
