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Our selection of books and associated reviews. Each cover is an affiliate link to Amazon for purchase.
The Extreme Right: Freedom and Security at Risk
From the Oklahoma City bombing to the Vladimir Zhirinovsky phenomenon in Russia, manifestations of extremism remain a feature of the post-Cold War era, presenting a danger to both established and emerging democracies. This timely volume examines the threats to freedom and security posed by right-wing extremism in established democracies and by the blend of left- […]
The Fundamentals of Extremism (Paperback)
On September 11, 2001, Americans witnessed horrific carnage inspired by religious extremism. We saw that religious fundamentalists will stop at nothing to reign terror on those they regard as their enemies. In our response, we began to focus on the oppressive treatment of women and children in other parts of the world where religious fundamentalism […]
The Hitchhikers’s Guide to the Galaxy
Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway. Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend, researcher Ford Prefect. Together they hitch a ride to parts unknown, encounter creatures unheard of, and take part in comic adventures unparalleled.
The Jesus Myth
“In The Jesus Myth, the latest in G.A. Wells’s series of eagle-eyed scrutinies of the Gospels and of contemporary New Testament scholarship, the author once again takes the role of the Diogenes of the theologians. Charitable yet unflinching, Well’s analysis forces one to the inevitable conclusion that the apologists for the historical Jesus are less […]
The Lost Gospel : The Book of Q & Christian Origins
A reconstructed collection of sayings attributed to Jesus reveals Jesus as a Jewish sage who was later mythologized into the “Christ” revered by the world’s Christian communities.
The Missionary Position: Mother Theresa in Theory and in Practice
What’s next–The Girl Scouts: The Untold Story? How could anybody write a debunking book about Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity order? Well, in this little cruise missile of a book, Hitchens quickly establishes that the idea is not without point. After all, what is Mother Teresa doing hanging out with a dictator’s wife […]
The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution
The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution contains essays by Rand on politics, focussing on the New Left. The “New Left” is a rather vague term created by the media in the 1960’s to refer to a new liberal movement characterized by concern with the environment, racism and state oppression. The members of this movement often […]
The Philosophy of Humanism
Released by Humanist Press in its degenerized eighth edition, this powerful book is the definitive study of the history and growth of the humanist movement in North America. Renowned philosopher and activist Corliss Lamont offers a vigorous argument for humanism and provides an affirmative, intelligent guidebook for shaping a better life in today’s complex world.
The Question of Humanism
For centuries, humanists have celebrated and cherished the limitless potential of humankind and its irrepressible spirit. For its efforts to develop rational solutions to human problems rather than invoking supernatural intervention, humanism has been rewarded with a rich and distinguished heritage whose contributors include many of the brightest minds of intellectual history. Advocating reason, critical […]
The Selfish Gene
Inheriting the mantle of revolutionary biologist from Darwin, Watson, and Crick, Richard Dawkins forced an enormous change in the way we see ourselves and the world with the publication of The Selfish Gene. Suppose, instead of thinking about organisms using genes to reproduce themselves, as we had since Mendel’s work was rediscovered, we turn it […]
The Trigger
From Arthur C. Clarke, bestselling author of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Creator Of The Rama Series, and Michael Kube-Mcdowell comes a breathtaking new novel of bold scientific speculation and edge-of-your-seat suspense: a riveting thriller in which the fate of humanity depends on whose finger is on…The Trigger. It is the ultimate antiweapon. A device […]
The Whole Shebang
Plenty of books try to explain the origin of the universe, but despite the ascendance of the Big Bang theory, numerous details of that theory remain in flux as new observations are made and new hypotheses formed (and then confirmed or rejected). Timothy Ferris’s The Whole Shebang is an up-to-date account of the various mechanisms […]
Under His Very Windows: The Vatican and the Holocaust in Italy
Under His Very Windows: The Vatican and the Holocaust in Italy describes what the Vatican did–or did not do–to help Jews in Italy in World War II. Author Susan Zuccotti, who has written two other books about the Holocaust, demonstrates that little help of any kind came from Popes Pius XI and XII or their […]
Western Atheism: A Short History
Thrower’s excellent little tome (at 151 pages) introduces you to the major currents of atheistic thought within Western Civilization. It makes a great addition to your home library.
Who Wrote the Gospels?
The names we associate with the gospel writers are all second century guesses. If this comes as a surprise, welcome to the cutting edge of modern biblical scholarship. According to Helms, the gospels were written to convert or confirm their highly colored arguments of powerful authors, not just transparent windows upon the historical Jesus. If […]
Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time
UFO abductions… television psychics… creationism… Holocaust denial. Faced with the rapid changes and anxiety of modern life, many people are turning to the alluring comforts of pseudoscience and the occult. In Why People Believe Weird Things, science historian Michael Shermer, the publisher of Skeptic magazine and director of the Skeptics Society, explores the very human […]
A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes
Was there a beginning of time? Will there be an end? In this landmark volume, Professor Hawking shares his blazing intellect with nonscientists everywhere, guiding us to confront the supreme questions of the nature of time and the universe. Hawking, who has earned an international reputation as the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Einstein, shares […]
A Second Anthology of Atheism and Rationalism
As the influence of religion increasingly insinuates itself into society, aided by media messages touting the personal and social advantages of Christian-defined moral virtues, the need to express well-developed criticism of religious propaganda and to support clearly-stated secular ideals assumes a new urgency. Freethinkers, atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and rationalists will rejoice to discover that Dr. […]
An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding
David Hume’s aim in writing An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding (1748) was to introduce his philosophy to a European culture in which many educated people read original works of philosophy. He gives an elegant and accessible presentation of strikingly original and challenging views about the limited powers of human understanding, the attractions of scepticism, the […]
Atheism: A Reader
Atheism: A Reader is a unique anthology that presents for the first time a comprehensive selection of writings on atheism, agnosticism, and skepticism by some of the world’s most celebrated thinkers, past and present. Arranged thematically, the essays in this valuable collection cover many of the significant areas in which atheists have questioned religious orthodoxy. […]
Bare-faced Messiah: the true story of L. Ron Hubbard
The classic account of the life of L Ron Hubbard and the extraordinary true story of how the Church of Scientology began.
Beyond the Fall of Night
Premier science fiction writers Arthur C. Clarke and Gregory Benford team up to tell a riveting and moving story – continuing a journey begun by Clarke with his classic novella Against the Fall of Night. Diaspar is the last living city on Earth. Timid and untried, the only humans in existence have stagnated there for […]
Can We Be Good Without God: Biology, Behavior, and the Need to Believe
Recent neurological studies have shown that there are regions of the brain that seem predisposed to create beliefs. Are we hardwired to believe? And if so, why do beliefs sometimes inspire major contributions to society, while on other occasions they precipitate horrendous acts of destruction? In this provocative and stimulating study of the connection between […]
Coming Of Age In The Milky Way
Twelve years in the making and impeccably researched, Coming of Age in the Milky Way chronicles the awakening of the human species to the vastness of our cosmos and shows how each time the model of the universe has been altered, tremors have rumbled through such realms as theology and politics. Winner of the 1988 […]
Cultural Software: A Theory of Ideology
Cultural Software offers a new theory about how ideologies and beliefs grow, spread, and develop– a theory of cultural evolution, which explains both shared understandings and disagreement and diversity within cultures. Cultural evolution occurs through transmission and spread of cultural information and know-how– or “cultural software “– in human minds. Individuals embody cultural software: they […]
Deconverted: A Journey from Religion to Reason
Description Deconverted: A Journey from Religion to Reason is a well-written autobiography told with humor and heart by an “average” person. It is the story lived by many thousands of people in America and around the World every day–a story that could very well be your story of doubt and loss of religious faith. The […]
Does God Exist: The Craig-Flew Debate
This book presents the most recent debates by leading contemporary philosophers of enduring themes and issues concerning the question of God’s existence. William Craig and Antony Flew met on the 50th anniversary of the famous Copleston/Russell debate to discuss the question of God’s existence in a public debate. The core of this book contains the […]
Eternal Lovecraft : The Persistence of HPL in Popular Culture
Return to Arkham and behold the Old Gods in all their horrific darkness. Eighteen authors take a stab at interpreting the mythos of H.P. Lovecraft, master of a compelling style and setting so unique it has spawned a name — Lovecraftian — describing the unique blend of science fiction, fantasy, and horror that made him […]
Facing Death: Epicurus And His Critics
The ancient philosophical school of Epicureanism tried to argue that death is “nothing to us.” Were they right? James Warren provides a comprehensive study and articulation of the interlocking arguments against the fear of death found not only in the writings of Epicurus himself, but also in Lucretius’ poem “De rerum natura” and in Philodemus’ […]
Foundation
In Foundation, Isaac Asimov draws a compelling portrait of the Foundation’s embryonic development and rise to peripheral power – domination of kingdoms on the outskirts of the Galaxy. Foundation begins a new chapter in the story of man’s future life. The Old Empire was crumbling into ancient barbarism throughout the million worlds of the galaxy. […]
