Moving away from the Marxist/Freudian approaches that had concerned him earlier, Baudrillard developed in this book a theory of contemporary culture that relies on displacing economic notions of cultural production with notions of cultural expenditure.Baudrillard uses the concepts of the simulacra—the copy without an original—and simulation. These terms are crucial to an understanding of the postmodern, to the extent that they address the concept of mass reproduction and reproduceability that characterizes our electronic media culture.Baudrillard's book represents a unique and original effort to rethink cultural theory from the perspective of a new concept of cultural materialism, one that radically redefines postmodern formulations of the body.Sheila Glaser is an editor at Artforum magazine.

    Gallagher grapples with provocative questions—Can we train our focus? What’s different about the way creative people pay attention? Why do we often zero in on the wrong factors when making big decisions, like where to move?—driving us to reconsider what we think we know about attention. Gallagher looks beyond sound bites on our proliferating BlackBerries and the increased incidence of ADD in children to the discoveries of neuroscience and psychology and the wisdom of home truths, profoundly altering and expanding the contemporary conversation on attention and its power. Science’s major contribution to the study of attention has been the discovery that its basic mechanism is an either/or process of selection. That we focus may be a biological necessity— research now proves we can process only a little information at a time, or about 173 billion bits over an average life—but the good news is that we have much more control over our focus than we think, which gives us a remarkable yet underappreciated capacity to influence our experience. As suggested by the expression “pay attention,” this cognitive currency is a finite resource that we must learn to spend wisely. In Rapt, Gallagher introduces us to a diverse cast of characters—artists and ranchers, birders and scientists—who have learned to do just that and whose stories are profound lessons in the art of living the interested life. No matter what your quotient of wealth, looks, brains, or fame, increasing your satisfaction means focusing more on what really interests you and less on what doesn’t. In asserting its groundbreaking thesis—the wise investment of your attention is the single most important thing you can do to improve your well-being—Rapt yields fresh insights into the nature of reality and what it means to be fully alive.

    Adopting the viewpoints of two distinct figures with radically different beliefs--the aesthetic young man of Part One, called simply 'A', and the ethical Judge Vilhelm of the second section--Kierkegaard reflects upon the search for a meaningful existence, contemplating subjects as diverse as Mozart, drama, boredom, and, in the famous Seducer's Diary, the cynical seduction and ultimate rejection of a young, beautiful woman. A masterpiece of duality, Either/Or is an exploration of the conflict between the aesthetic and the ethical--both meditating ironically and seductively upon Epicurean pleasures, and eloquently expounding the noble virtues of a morally upstanding life.This lightly abridged edition fully conveys the vigour and eloquence of the original. Alastair Hannay's introduction explains the philosophical background to the work and places it in the context of its times.

    After working one too many jobs you couldn't care less about, maybe you've wondered if there's something bigger out there for you - some larger purpose? This is it? Milk the Pigeon is about the three existential questions we often struggle with when we feel lost in life. "What should I do with my life?" "How do I find work I love?" "How do I create an awesome, meaningful life?" Based on a combination of stories and success habits for anyone in their 20s, Milk the Pigeon is a brutally honest look at the reality of going after your dreams. Inside Milk the Pigeon, you'll learn: * The biggest life mistakes people make in their 20s (and how to figure out what to do) * The VIP back door theory: how the best job are found (and filled) * The "Drunken Staircase" life roadmap: how to act when you have no clue what direction to go in (and aren't sure what work you enjoy) * The Bruce Lee Rockstar theory of goal achievement - why "SMART" goals don't always work to be more successful in business and life * The messy process of finding your passion (and why "strengths tests" don't work) * How to go from confusion to clarity when you have too many ideas about careers, jobs, interests, passions, and hobbies If you're looking for a roadmap to surviving (and thriving) in your 20s (or 30s), if you want direction in life, and if you're struggling to figure out how to create a great life - Milk the Pigeon is a brutally honest look at the reality of going after your dreams.

    There’s a reason you keep trying all the programs. And after all you’ve learned and all you’ve done, there’s a reason you still haven’t put the pieces together and used the Law of Attraction to manifest the life you’ve always wanted.And it’s not because it doesn’t work. Let’s be clear. The Law of Attraction WORKS. It’s been working this whole time, with absolute precision, right underneath your nose. So why hasn’t it been working for YOU? What are you missing?The answers to these questions will not only explain everything in a way you never would have expected, but they’re going to demonstrate with crystal clarity everything you’ve been missing until now.You’re about to learn firsthand why every other Law of Attraction book never actually worked for you (it’s not what you think -- they actually gave you 100% accurate info). You’re going to understand how to make the Law of Attraction “do” what you always wanted (it’s easier than you realize -- it only takes ONE small adjustment). And you’re going to stop wasting years of your life wishing for a better way ...and finally attract and manifest the money, relationships, health, and success you’ve always dreamed of.Everything you want has been waiting for you. And it wants you just as much. The time to claim it all has finally arrived. This is The Last Law of Attraction Book You’ll Ever Need To Read. Includes nearly 60 pages of top-tier powerhouse techniques for finally getting out of your own way and manifesting your life’s desires. Original concepts for understanding the Law of Attraction that aren’t available anywhere else (you’ll relate to it in a way you never would have thought of). A clear game plan for using manifestation methods with a level of enthusiasm and consistency that guarantees results. A new way of tapping into the Universe to easily attract happiness and success.

    The truth is, there are untapped sources of meaning all around us right here, right now. Drawing on the latest research in positive psychology; on insights from George Eliot, Viktor Frankl, Aristotle, the Buddha, and other great minds; and on interviews with seekers of meaning, Emily Esfahani Smith lays out the four pillars upon which meaning rests. Belonging We all need to find our tribe and forge relationships in which we feel understood, recognized, and valued to know we matter to others.Purpose We all need a far-reaching goal that motivates us, serves as the organizing principle of our lives, and drives us to make a contribution to the world.Storytelling We are all storytellers, taking our disparate experiences and assembling them into a coherent narrative that allows us to make sense of ourselves and the world. Transcendence During a transcendent or mystical experience, we feel we have risen above the everyday world and are connected to something vast and meaningful. To bring those concepts to life, Smith visits a tight-knit fishing village on the Chesapeake Bay, stargazes in West Texas, attends a dinner where young people gather to share their experiences of untimely loss, and more. And she explores how we might begin to build a culture of meaning in our schools, our workplaces, and our communities. Inspiring and story-driven, The Power of Meaning will strike a profound chord in anyone seeking a richer, more satisfying life."

    As Tibet's leader-in-exile, he has worked tirelessly not only on behalf of the Tibetan people, but as a voice for human rights worldwide.

    This edition includes a new introduction reflecting on the impact of the book since it was written.

    Hadot's book demonstrates the extent to which philosophy has been, and still is, above all else a way of seeing and of being in the world.

    Dan Millman makes your ascent accessible by bringing enlightenment down to earth-applying spiritual wisdom to the practical realities of everyday life. Explore the challenges and mysteries of body, mind, and emotions. Discover a new approach to success. Change confusion into clarity and knowledge into action. It begins as you turn the first page and enter... 1. Discover Your Worth 2. Reclaim Your Will 3. Energize Your Body 4. Manage Your Money 5. Tame Your Mind 6. Trust Your Intuition 7. Accept Your Emotions 8. Face Your Fears 9. Illuminate Your Shadow 10. Embrace Your Sexuality 11. Awaken Your Heart 12. Serve Your World The Time is Now. The Road is Open. Your Destiny Awaits.

    This Penguin Classics edition of The Complete Essays is translated from the French and edited with an introduction and notes by M.A. Screech.In 1572 Montaigne retired to his estates in order to devote himself to leisure, reading and reflection. There he wrote his constantly expanding 'assays', inspired by the ideas he found in books contained in his library and from his own experience. He discusses subjects as diverse as war-horses and cannibals, poetry and politics, sex and religion, love and friendship, ecstasy and experience. But, above all, Montaigne studied himself as a way of drawing out his own inner nature and that of men and women in general. The Essays are among the most idiosyncratic and personal works in all literature and provide an engaging insight into a wise Renaissance mind, continuing to give pleasure and enlightenment to modern readers.With its extensive introduction and notes, M.A. Screech's edition of Montaigne is widely regarded as the most distinguished of recent times.Michel de Montaigne (1533-1586) studied law and spent a number of years working as a counsellor before devoting his life to reading, writing and reflection.If you enjoyed The Complete Essays, you might like Francois Rabelais's Gargantua and Pantagruel, also available in Penguin Classics.'Screech's fine version ... must surely serve as the definitive English Montaigne'A.C. Grayling, Financial Times'A superb edition'Nicholas Wollaston, Observer

    One of the world's most respected classical scholars offers translations of the complete texts of "The Republic, Apology of Socrates, " "Crito, " "Phaedo, " "Ion, " "Meno, " and "Symposium."

    It redirected philosophical attention to neglected questions of natural and metaphysical necessity and to the connections between these and theories of reference, in particular of naming, and of identity. From a critique of the dominant tendency to assimilate names to descriptions and more generally to treat their reference as a function of their Fregean sense, surprisingly deep and widespread consequences may be drawn. The largely discredited distinction between accidental and essential properties, both of individual things (including people) and of kinds of things, is revived. So is a consequent view of science as what seeks out the essences of natural kinds. Traditional objections to such views are dealt with by sharpening distinctions between epistemic and metaphysical necessity; in particular by the startling admission of necessary a posteriori truths. From these, in particular from identity statements using rigid designators whether of things or of kinds, further remarkable consequences are drawn for the natures of things, of people, and of kinds; strong objections follow, for example to identity versions of materialism as a theory of the mind.This seminal work, to which today's thriving essentialist metaphysics largely owes its impetus, is here published with a substantial new Preface by the author.

    While the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation and encouragement, Marcus Aurelius also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a timeless collection that has been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers and readers throughout the centuries.

    It is an easy-to-use handbook of scientifically proven, field-tested methods to improve skills—your skills, your kids’ skills, your organization’s skills—in sports, music, art, math, and business. The product of five years of reporting from the world’s greatest talent hotbeds and interviews with successful master coaches, it distills the daunting complexity of skill development into 52 clear, concise directives. Whether you’re age 10 or 100, whether you’re on the sports field or the stage, in the classroom or the corner office, this is an essential guide for anyone who ever asked, “How do I get better?”“The Little Book of Talent should be given to every graduate at commencement, every new parent in a delivery room, every executive on the first day of work. It is a guidebook—beautiful in its simplicity and backed by hard science—for nurturing excellence.”—Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of The Power of Habit   “It’s so juvenile to throw around hyperbolic terms such as ‘life-changing,’ but there’s no other way to describe The Little Book of Talent. I was avidly trying new things within the first half hour of reading it and haven’t stopped since. Brilliant. And yes: life-changing.”—Tom Peters, co-author of In Search of Excellence