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Our selection of books and associated reviews. Each cover is an affiliate link to Amazon for purchase.
Angry Candy
The Seattle Times said of Angry Candy: “Ellison’s stories rattle the bars of complacency that people put around their souls…Razor sharp…piercingly profound.” Once again, Ellison’s writing defies all labels. These seventeen stories by a modern master are an “assembled artifact” of anger and faith-as bittersweet as a “jalapeno-laced cinnamon bear.”
Atheism and the Case Against Christ
Description A novel critique that undermines Christianity and theism at their foundations. Hundreds of millions of people believe that Jesus came back from the dead. Philosopher Matthew S. McCormick presents a decidedly unpopular view in this cogent, forcefully argued book—namely, that the central tenet of Christianity, the resurrection of Jesus, is false. McCormick asks a […]
Being and Nothingness
The often criticized philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre encompasses the dilemmas and aspirations of the individual in contemporary society. This work of power and epic scope provides a vivid analysis for all who would understand one of the most influential philosophic movements of this or any age. Sarte’s Being is also an excellent introduction to Heidegger’s […]
Billions and Billions
“The late author of Cosmos draws on the latest research into science, mathematics, and space in a study of the mysteries of life, addressing such topics as global warming, the abortion debate, life on Mars, and his own battle with myelodysplasia. 75,000 first printing.” “In this book, his last, Carl Sagan shows once again his […]
Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal
Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal contains essays in politics and economics by Rand and other Objectivist authors. Of particular interest are “What is Capitalism?,” in which Rand argues that capitalism is the only moral social-political system; “The Roots of War”; “Gold and Economic Freedom,” a defense of the gold standard by Alan Greenspan; and “Conservatism: An […]
Confession
Wittgenstein probably read the Confession while in an Italian prisoner-of-war camp during the First World War. This work along with Tolstoy’s gospel harmonization entitled The Gospels in Brief, profoundly influenced the young Wittgenstein and probably accounts for the metaphysical theories expounded in the sixth section of Tractatus-Logico Philosophicus. Tolstoy’s Confession is a highly readable, gripping […]
Darwin and Design: Does Evolution Have a Purpose?
This text surveys the argument from design from its introduction by the Greeks, through the coming of Darwinism, down to the present day. Written in clear, nontechnical language; offers an assessment of the status of the argument from design in light of the advances of modern evolutionary biology and the thinking of today’s philosophers. The […]
Defense of the Faith
Reformed theologian Cornelius Van Til systematically analyzes the essential equivalence of thought in the arminiun view of salavation and the world’s view of the autonomy of man. He further argues that if humans are indeed “autonomous,” as existentialism teaches, then our choices are an illusion because we are enslaved to chance and will ultimately fall […]
Doubt: A History : The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation
In this grand sweeping history, Jennifer Michael Hecht celebrates doubt as an engine of creativity and as an alternative to the political and intellectual dangers of certainty. Just as belief has its own history featuring people whose unique expressions of faith have forever changed the world, doubt has a vibrant story and tradition with its […]
Ethical Theory
Ethical Theory provides a fascinating and accessible selection of the most important work in contemporary moral philosophy. Divided into two parts, the first part deals with the question of objectivity in ethics and the viability of ‘moral realism.’ The second part deals with philosophical theories about how we ought to live, including utilitarianism, social contract […]
Facing Up: Science and Its Cultural Adversaries
In a recent New York Times profile, James Glanz remarked, “Steven Weinberg is perhaps the world’s most authoritative proponent of the idea that physics is hurtling toward a ‘final theory,’ a complete explanation of nature’s particles and forces that will endure as the bedrock of all science forevermore. He is also a powerful writer of […]
Foundation’s Edge
At last, the costly and bitter war between the two Foundations had come to an end. The scientists of the First Foundation had proved victorious; and now they retum to Hari Seldon’s long-established plan to build a new Empire that the Second Foundation is not destroyed after all — and that its still — defiant […]
God, Freedom, and Immortality
A collection of independent essays by the reknowned and well-respected philosopher Antony Flew on God, freedom, and immortality. The essays on “The Presumption of Atheism” and “The Principle of Agnosticism” are especially good.
H. L. Mencken on Religion
No one ever argued more forcefully or with such acerbic wit against the foolish aspects of religion as H. L. Mencken (1880-1956). As a journalist, he gained national prominence through his newspaper columns describing the now-famous 1925 Scopes trial, which pitted Fundamentalists against a public school teacher who dared to teach evolution. But both before […]
How to Think About Weird Things
Can critical thinking be taught? Certainly, and this is the book that does so. The authors have done an excellent job of compiling many techniques for critical thinking and put them into a form that is both understandable and fun to read.
I Have Landed: The End of a Beginning in Natural History
Here is bestselling scientist Stephen Jay Gould’s tenth and final collection based on his remarkable series for Natural History magazine—exactly 300 consecutive essays, with never a month missed, published from 1974 to 2001. Both an intellectually thrilling journey into the nature of scientific discovery and the most personal book he has ever published, I Have […]
Introduction to Logic
A book no serious thinker or writer should be without! Introduction to Logic will help you write better research papers and to avoid common mistakes in argumentation.
Jesus Camp (DVD)
Description Academy Award nominated for Best Documentary Feature, Jesus Camp, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (directors of the critically acclaimed The Boys of Baraka), follows Levi, Rachael, and Tory, to Pastor Becky Fischer’s “Kids On Fire” summer camp in Devil’s Lake North Dakota where kids as young as six are taught to become […]
Lead Us Not into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children
In the autumn of 1984, Jason Berry first heard reports of the sexual abuse of boys by a priest in rural Louisiana. He didn’t want to believe it. As a Catholic, he loved the church. As an expectant father, he was horrified for the abused children. But as a reporter, he wanted to find out […]
Lovecraft : Disturbing the Universe
No summary available.
Moral Relativism and Moral Objectivity
Do moral questions have objective answers? This book explains and argues for relativism, emotivism and moral skepticism. In its view, moral disagreements are like disagreements about what to pay for a house: there are no correct answers ahead of time, except in relation to one or another moral framework.
Nightfall
On a planet with six suns, night is about to fall for the first time in two thousand years. The planet Kalgash is on the brink of chaos — but only a handful of people realize it. Kalgash knows only the perpetual light of day; for more than two millenia, some combination of its six […]
One True God: Historical Consequences of Monotheism
Western history would be unrecognizable had it not been for people who believed in One True God. There would have been wars, but no religious wars. There would have been moral codes, but no Commandments. Had the Jews been polytheists, they would today be only another barely remembered people, less important, but just as extinct […]
Philosophical Investigations (Philosophische Untersuchungen)
Unavailable for thirty years, this volume presents the original English / German edition of Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations — one of the most influential philosophical works of the twentieth-century. The last product of intensive work by Wittgenstein during the period 1929-49, Philosophical Investigations explores the concept of meaning; of understanding; of propositions; of logic; of states […]
Rage Against the Veil: The Courageous Life and Death of an Islamic Dissident
Rage Against the Veil is a scathing indictment of Islam’s oppression of women. It tells the story of Dr. Homa Darabi, the first Iranian ever to be accepted into the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, who committed suicide in a crowded public square in Tehran in 1994 in order to bring awareness to the […]
Religion Explained (Paperback)
What’s it all about? Though we might never answer the really big questions–with good reason–maybe we can understand why we ask them. Cognitive anthropologist Pascal Boyer tackles this topic in the unapologetically titled Religion Explained, and it is sure to polarize his readers. Some will think it’s an impermissible invasion of mental territory beyond the […]
Romantic Manifesto
Published shortly after her death, Philosophy: Who Needs It? contains Rand’s writings on a variety of issues. The title essay is a transcript of a speech delivered to the graduating class of West Point in 1974. In it, Rand stresses the great importance of philosophy in each individual’s life and its role in shaping a […]
Second Foundation
Second Foundation follows the Seldon Plan after the First Empire’s defeat and describes its greatest threat – the growth of a dangerous mutant. This mutant strain hasd gone wild, producing a mind capable of bending men’s wills, directing their thoughts, reshaping their desires, and destroying the universe.
Songs of Distant Earth
Thalassa was a paradise above the earth. Its beauty and vast resources seduce its inhabitants into a feeling of perfection. But then the Magellan arrives, carrying with it one million refugees from the last mad days of earth. Paradise looks indeed lost….
Synaptic Self: How Our Brains Become Who We Are
Product Description: In 1996 Joseph LeDoux’s The Emotional Brain presented a revelatory examination of the biological bases of our emotions and memories. Now, the world-renowned expert on the brain has produced with a groundbreaking work that tells a more profound story: how the little spaces between the neurons–the brain’s synapses–are the channels through which we […]
