The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind


Julian Jaynes - 1976
    The implications of this revolutionary scientific paradigm extend into virtually every aspect of our psychology, our history and culture, our religion -- and indeed our future.

Belief


Gianni Vattimo - 1996
    He argues that there is a substantial link between the history of Christian revelation and the history of nihilism, in particular as the latter appears in the work of Nietzsche and Heidegger, Vattimo’s philosophical specialty. Tracing the relation between his response to these two thinkers and his own life as a devout Catholic, Vattimo shows how his interpretation of Heidegger’s work and his conceptions of “weak thought” and “weak ontology” can be seen as closely linked to a rediscovery of Christianity.Vattimo speaks here in the first person—a risk that results in a disarmingly open exploration of the themes of charity, truth, dogmatism, morality, and sin, viewed through the lens of his own life and his own return to Christianity. While deeply critical of institutionalized religion and the Church, Vattimo discovers in the Christian tradition a voice (not a distinct message) whose interpretation is still being played out around us. Shaped by his readings of Nietzsche and Heidegger, Vattimo’s decision to affirm his formation within the Christian tradition provides an original and engaging contribution to the contemporary debate on religion.At the center of this book is the enigma of belief. Freed by modernity from its Platonic subordination to knowledge, belief is recovered as a crucial and inevitable feature of our cultural and personal lives. “Do you believe?” Vattimo is asked. “I believe so,” he replies.

Reality Transurfing 1: The Space of Variations


Vadim Zeland - 2004
    The book opens a bizarre world where everyday reality reveals facets which you are not familiar with. Many issues of day-to-day life are perceived in an absolutely new way. We all, in one way or another, find ourselves trapped by circumstances. Desires go unfulfilled, dreams never come true, whereas our worst expectations justify themselves, as if to spite us. Can’t we turn this around? It appears that we can. And you’ll learn how. Transurfing is the technology for controlling reality. You don’t have to “attain your objectives” as everything will happen in accordance with you desires without any effort. All goals are reached without you. Unbelievable? Well, you won’t be asked to just believe it as the author presents specific methods that allow you to verify everything yourself. And only then will your ordinary way of looking at things fall apart. In spite of the completely fantastic nature of the ideas presented in this book, they have already found practical affirmation. Those who have tried Transurfing, have experienced amazement, verging on ecstasy. The world surrounding transurfers changes in an inexplicable way, literally before their very eyes. And here there is no place for mysticism as everything is absolutely real. Readers say: “It seems we knew it intuitively before! And here, at long last our gut feelings were put into words and our vague ideas proved.” This is the first English translation of the first volume of Reality Transurfing, the top non-fiction bestellers in the world in 2005 and 2006. It describes a new way of looking at reality, indeed of creating it. It provides a scientific explanation of the laws that help you do this, building up a scientific model, speaking in detail about particular rules to follow and giving important how-to tips, illustrated with examples.

Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment


Robert Wright - 2017
    The mind is designed to often delude us, he argued, about ourselves and about the world. And it is designed to make happiness hard to sustain. But if we know our minds are rigged for anxiety, depression, anger, and greed, what do we do? Wright locates the answer in Buddhism, which figured out thousands of years ago what scientists are only discovering now. Buddhism holds that human suffering is a result of not seeing the world clearly—and proposes that seeing the world more clearly, through meditation, will make us better, happier people. In Why Buddhism is True, Wright leads readers on a journey through psychology, philosophy, and a great many silent retreats to show how and why meditation can serve as the foundation for a spiritual life in a secular age. At once excitingly ambitious and wittily accessible, this is the first book to combine evolutionary psychology with cutting-edge neuroscience to defend the radical claims at the heart of Buddhist philosophy. With bracing honesty and fierce wisdom, it will persuade you not just that Buddhism is true—which is to say, a way out of our delusion—but that it can ultimately save us from ourselves, as individuals and as a species.

Art Deco: The Golden Age of Graphic Art & Illustration


Michael Robinson - 2008
    Divided into three sections – the movement, its fashion and advertising – the reader gains great insight into the artists and innovators that helped popularize the Art Deco movement, such as Georges Barbier, Erté, Cassandre and Paul Colin. While the main focus for this intriguing book is centred on graphic art, numerous examples of other forms of Art Deco are also featured. Nestled among the posters and paintings, sculpture, objets d'art and jewellery assert their similarity, whether through line, form or theme. These echoes serve to show the creativity fertility of the period as styles and ideas traversed artistic media.

The Map of Heaven: How Science, Religion, and Ordinary People Are Proving the Afterlife


Eben Alexander - 2014
    The Map of Heaven takes the broad view to reveal how modern science is on the verge of the most profound revolution in recorded history—all around the phenomenon of consciousness itself!When Dr. Eben Alexander told the story of his near-death experience and his vivid journey to the other side, many readers wrote to say it resonated with them profoundly. Thanks to them, Dr. Alexander realized that sharing his story allowed people to rediscover what so many in ancient times knew: there is more to life, and the to the universe, than this single earthly life. Dr. Alexander and his co-author Ptolemy Tompkins were surprised to see how often his readers’ visions of the afterlife synced up with each other and with those of the world’s spiritual leaders, as well as its philosophers and scientists. In The Map of Heaven, he shares the stories people have told him and shows how they are echoed both in the world’s faiths and in its latest scientific insights. It turns out there is much agreement, across time and terrain, about the journey of the soul and its survival beyond death. In this book, Dr. Alexander makes the case for heaven as a genuine place, showing how we have forgotten, but are now at last remembering, who we really are and what our destiny truly is.

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir: Spots on


Cheryl Black - 2016
    Pigeon, who wants to turn the capital into a huge nature reserve for the birds he communicates with. Will Paris ever be safe from Hawk Moth and his akuma? SPOTS ON, CLAWS OUT!

Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha


Thich Nhat Hanh - 1991
    It is retold alternately through the eyes of Svasti, the buffalo boy who provided kusa grass for the Buddha's enlightenment cushion, and the Buddha himself.

The Salt in His Kiss: Poems


Alfa Holden - 2019
    With more than 180 poems focusing on resilience, inner strength, and self-love, The Salt in His Kiss celebrates the fantastic creature inside every woman.

Semiconductor Optoelectronic Devices


Pallab Bhattacharya - 1993
    KEY TOPICS: Coverage begins with an optional review of key concepts--such as properties of compound semiconductor, quantum mechanics, semiconductor statistics, carrier transport properties, optical processes, and junction theory--then progress gradually through more advanced topics. The Second Edition has been both updated and expanded to include the recent developments in the field.

Metazoa: Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind


Peter Godfrey-Smith - 2020
    Yet these creatures are our cousins. As fellow members of the animal kingdom—the Metazoa—they can teach us much about the evolutionary origins of not only our bodies, but also our minds.In his acclaimed 2016 book, Other Minds, the philosopher and scuba diver Peter Godfrey-Smith explored the mind of the octopus—the closest thing to an intelligent alien on Earth. In Metazoa, Godfrey-Smith expands his inquiry to animals at large, investigating the evolution of subjective experience with the assistance of far-flung species. As he delves into what it feels like to perceive and interact with the world as other life-forms do, Godfrey-Smith shows that the appearance of the animal body well over half a billion years ago was a profound innovation that set life upon a new path. In accessible, riveting prose, he charts the ways that subsequent evolutionary developments—eyes that track, for example, and bodies that move through and manipulate the environment—shaped the subjective lives of animals. Following the evolutionary paths of a glass sponge, soft coral, banded shrimp, octopus, and fish, then moving onto land and the world of insects, birds, and primates like ourselves, Metazoa gathers their stories together in a way that bridges the gap between mind and matter, addressing one of the most vexing philosophical problems: that of consciousness.Combining vivid animal encounters with philosophical reflections and the latest news from biology, Metazoa reveals that even in our high-tech, AI-driven times, there is no understanding our minds without understanding nerves, muscles, and active bodies. The story that results is as rich and vibrant as life itself.

Letting Go of the Person You Used to Be: Lessons on Change, Loss, and Spiritual Transformation


Surya Das - 2003
    For many people, recent years have been characterized by profound change, whether it relates to financial upheaval, political shifts, or even massive losses of life to disease and violence. Even on the personal level each person must confront the curves life throws his or her way. Buddhism has a great deal to say about change and impermanence and how to meaningfully deal with it. Change--whether on a large or small scale--provides our most important opportunity for learning about ourselves and the nature of reality. From this essential insight Lama Surya Das has crafted a fulfilling and important path to understanding and healing ourselves and finding peace. Full of personal stories, anecdotes, practical exercises, guided meditations and reflections, and pithy original aphorisms, Letting Go of the Person You Used to Be addresses life's most universal difficulties in a way that is accessible to all. By using memorable concepts such as The Virtues of Adversity, The Pearl Principle ("No inner irritation, no pearl"), and Gaining through Loss, Surya reminds readers that hiding from change and loss is futile. Learning to consciously accept and embrace change leads to a better understanding of ourselves and our own innate divine light. About The Author: About The Author: A voice of clarity in difficult times, Surya Das offers timeless wisdom in a timely message of hope helpful for us today and tomorrow. An authorized lama in the Dzogchen lineage of Tibet, SURYA DAS is a sought-after spiritual teacher and meditation master, poet, and spokesperson for the emerging American Buddhism. Founder of the Dzogchen Center, he is also the author of several pop

Leveraging the Universe: 7 Steps to Engaging Life's Magic (Abridged)


Mike Dooley - 2004
    So just pitch your pitches, take your baby steps, enjoy the journey, and prepare to be astounded. Building on the principles shared in Infinite Possibilities and Manifesting Change, New York Times bestselling author Mike Dooley offers his first “how-to” book, spelling out exactly what can, should, and must be done to harness the Universe and life’s magic and what should—at all costs—never be done. In just seven steps, from understanding the nature of reality to aligning your beliefs with your dreams, Dooley shares exactly what you can immediately do to chart a course for seeing lasting results. Interwoven with the author’s inspiring personal history, from fear to fortune, to demonstrate firsthand how you can begin from wherever you are, find traction, and blast forward to success, Leveraging the Universe is about using the gifts of thought, word, and deed to harness an infinite grace that tirelessly strives to sweep you off your feet, surround you with friends, and create the life you most want.

Oneness


Rasha - 2003
    These rare, life-changing books always seem to show up at the perfect moment in time, exactly when we all need it the most. "Oneness" is such a book--one that will change your life.In February 1998, Rasha began a profound dialogue with the universal Presence, "Oneness"--the Divinity we all share. Word for word, she transcribed the principles for a new understanding of the mystery we call "life." These teachings empower us to take a quantum leap into our own inner depths and totally transform our lives--and our world.Oneness gives humanity an astounding new vision of who we really are--and where we're headed. Here, we discover clues that inspire us to create the kinds of lives we long for and help us release the energies that prevent us from realizing our dreams. We learn to recognize the emotional patterns that undermine our best intensions. And we start to harmonize with the powerful energies building all around us--and with the power of Creation that's driving it.Oneness speaks in a voice that reaches out to the heart of each of us. The words are personal--and the experience of embracing the understandings they hold is transformational. We come away from the simple act of reading feeling like we've been touched by something indescribable--and holy.Filled with astounding metaphysical concepts and catalysts for change, Oneness takes us to the outer reaches of our own humanness and to the depths of the Divinity within. Reading it becomes a sacred, experiential journey that leaves the reader empowered with timeless tools for real transformation and a clear roadmap of the inner path to enlightenment.

On The Musically Beautiful


Eduard Hanslick - 1854
    "Like Hanslick, Professor Payzant is both musician and philosopher; and he has brought the knowledge and insights of both disciplines to this large undertaking." --Gordon Epperson, Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism