Philosophy Books

What Is God?

Etan Boritzer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

great way to explain and teach about God 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

What is God is a beautiful book teaching about all beliefs in a non-judgmental and informative book. This worked well for us to teach our kids about all religions while leaving it open for them to decide what they believe.

poor syntax & too broad 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 4 people found this review helpful.

The 3 stars is for effort - I love that someone attempted to write this book for children, giving an overview of many different religious traditions and that they're all good, and that God is whatever you believe it to be. The problem, besides poor grammatical structure that makes the story difficult to follow (was this edited at all?), is that rather than just sticking to religions and including earth-based / pagan beliefs as one of those, the author goes off on her theory as if it is the truth. She doesn't seem to see that her God (everyone & everything) is also just another belief system like the others. I was disappointed & won't be giving the book as a gift like I had planned, but may attempt to write my own -- it is a much needed book!

Editorial Review:

The depth of meaning here defies easy description. Through Boritzer's clear text and Marantz's vivid and humorous illustrations, the reader does, in fact, receive an answer to the question, What is God? Full-color illustrations.

Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution

Steve Jenkins

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Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

debunking creation 4 out of 5 stars.
62 of 72 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book because my 7-year-old has learned to say hi to Jesus when he passes by a church (thanks to grandma). He stopped believing in Mother Nature and I wanted to nip religious fanaticism in the bud. This book worked! It is beautifully illustrated, interesting, and full of cool facts. It furthered our discussions about creation vs. evolution and since my son is a lover of dinosaurs, he is on his way to scientific allegiance. I highly reccommend it to any parent who wants to teach children about the history of the earth and to unteach insipid mythology. *Although I must warn, it has quite a bit of writing and big words for young children.

Editorial Review:

There are millions of different kinds of plants and animals living on the earth. Many millions more lived here in the past. Where did they all come from? Why have some become extinct and others lived on?

In this remarkable book for children, Steve Jenkins explores the fascinating history of life on earth and the awe-inspiring story of evolution, Charles Darwin's great contribution to modern science.

A Hole Is to Dig

Ruth Krauss

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

This book is to share. 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 8 people found this review helpful.

this is a wonderful, sweet, introspective book with precious, timeless illustrations. I plan on giving it as a gift to friends' children in the future.

Second generation read 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I was looking for something to send to my 4-year-old grandson and discovered this wonderful book that his father, now 44, loved when he was little. It is a complete delight, both for kids and the adults that have to read it (and read it, and read it...) to them. I still happily remember some of the definitions, these many years later. The text was written by children and the Maurice Sendak illustrations are priceless. This is one for the ages -- a real classic.

Rugs are so dogs have napkins! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I spent HOURS with this book as a child -- the hands down favorite in our family then and now with another generation -- I have bought oodles of copies for kids I know. Great illustrations, hilarious "definitions"... and always, always, in the world of Krauss and Sendak, safety, love, compassion, respect, and hilarity. Absolutely captures the world(s) of children. Ruth Kraus spoke with preschoolers to get their sideways views of the world. The tiny illustrations and compendium-like organization really do capture the "tiny"-yet-expansive world of kids. This is joy between two covers!

Editorial Review:

What is a hole?
A hole is when you step in it
you go down

A hole is
for a mouse
to live in.

And, of course,a hole is to dig.

This is the funniest book
of definitions you'll ever read!

Philosophy for Kids : 40 Fun Questions That Help You Wonder About Everything!

David A. White

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Inspire animated discussions of questions that concern kids - and all of us - with this innovative, interactive book. Open your students' minds to the wonders of philosophy. Allow them to grapple with the questions philosophers have discussed since the ancient Greeks. Questions include: "Who are your friends?" "Can computers think?" "Can something logical not make sense?" "Can you think about nothing?" Young minds will find the range of 40 questions to be both entertaining and informative. If you have ever wondered about questions like these, you are well on the way to becoming a philosopher!

Philosophy for Kids offers young people (ages 10 and up) the opportunity to become acquainted with the wonders of philosophy. Packed with exciting activities arranged around the topics of Values, Knowledge, Reality, and Critical Thinking, this book can be used individually or by the whole class. Each activity allows kids to increase their understanding of philosophical concepts and issues and enjoy themselves at the same time.

In addition to learning about a challenging subject, students philosophizing in a classroom setting as well as the casual reader of Philosophy for Kids will sharpen the ability to think critically about these and similar questions. Experiencing the enjoyment of philosophical thought enhances a young person’s appreciation for the importance of reasoning throughout the traditional curriculum of subjects.

The book includes activities, teaching tips, a glossary of terms, and suggestions for further reading.

Grades 4-12

Maybe Yes, Maybe No: A Guide for Young Skeptics

Dan Barker

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Perfect to Increase a Child's Critical Thinking Ability 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book when I realized that my eight year old was beginning to be led ("beginning" is perhaps a mother's wishful thought!) by his peer group. The intent was to get him to be more skeptical in his thinking, as I believe that will serve him well in a variety of the peer pressure fronts.

My son was interested in reading the book from the first page and responded well to the bite sized text paragraphs and the bringing to life of the lesson in the illustrations below.

My daughter loves this book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

My 7 year old daughter loves this book, and she's really not into reading that much. I was hoping she would be interested and was very pleasantly surprised. The first half is in a comic strip format with explanations leading through the story. It is an excellent representation of what critical thinking process should be used by children when presented with extraordinary claims. (The example given is whether there is a ghost in someone's house. They ask the right questions and stick through the process to determine what had actually caused the noises, etc. ) The end of the book deals specifically with why you should be skeptical of religion. This section is clearly anti-religion.

Editorial Review:

Encourages having an open mind and checking things out to find the truth, rather than blindly accepting everything we hear.

The Greatest Power

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Emperor Ping, the boy emperor known for his love of harmony, sets a challenge to the children of his kingdom: show him the greatest power in the world. "To know the greatest power in the world is to know the greatest peace," Emperor Ping announces. "Whoever knows this harmony will become the new prime minister."

The children get to work right away and have many bright ideas. The greatest power must be weapons! It must be beauty! It must be money!

But as a young girl named Sing reflects upon the challenge, she wonders how any of those things, which cannot last forever, could be the greatest power in the world. She is certain there is something even more powerful, and the source of this power will surprise and delight her.

A companion to Demi's stunning picture book The Empty Pot, The Greatest Power continues the story of Ping now that he has become an emperor. With striking artwork and a lovely, lyrical text, this next chapter in Emperor Ping's life is sure to enrapture young readers.

The American Transcendentalists: Essential Writings (Modern Library Classics)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Chockful of thought-provoking selections 5 out of 5 stars.
44 of 46 people found this review helpful.

When we think of Transcendentalism, we first turn to Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. But the literary movement was made up of more personalities than just those two men; and while "Nature" and "Walden" are key writings, they're not the only examples anyone can or should read. Hence the need and attraction of any transcendental anthology: it brings us multiple voices, perhaps even some unfamiliar or unusual ones.

This volume is a treasure-trove of transcendental goodies, containing more than 100 selections from 32 writers. Emerson's "Nature" and part of Thoreau's "Walden" are here, along with dozens of essays, sermons, and poems from a variety of personalities, men and women, too numerous to mention. Some pieces will be familiar to anyone who's read about the mid-1800s; others are refreshlingly new to most of us. Thanks to reading this book from cover to cover, I have discovered that I like Theodore Parker's writing quite a bit. I may have to stray off my Thoreauvian path and delve into Parker a bit more.

And yet, I disagree with some of the editor's observations in this volume. Unlike Buell, I don't think Thoreau considered surveying "a day job he didn't particularly care for," and I'm fairly certain he was never a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. I'm also not fond of the titles Buell created for some of the selections, because that method makes it difficult to compare his anthology with others or with the original works. For example, what is labelled here as Thoreau's "Christianity and Hinduism Compared" is really a portion from the book "A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers." "A Walk to Walden" by Nathaniel Hawthorne is really an excerpt from "The American Notebooks." But the sheer diversity, variety, and thematic arrangement of the selections far out-weighs any misgivings about their titling. If you are interested in transcendentalism, this is a wonderful book to start with. It's a nicely-priced paperback that's easy to carry around, which is important, because it'll take you a while to pore over and absorb (or even skip) its entries.

In addition, three older anthologies of transcendental writings may interest readers: "Transcendentalism: A Reader" (Joel Myerson, ed., 2000); "The Transcendentalists: An Anthology" (Perry Miller, 1977), and "The American Transcendentalists: Their Prose and Poetry" (Perry Miller, 1957). Each anthology has a focus, and surprisingly little overlap occurs when comparing their contents. And each contains a few jewels not found in any other contemporary anthology. Happy hunting!

Editorial Review:

Transcendentalism was the first major intellectual movement in U.S. history, championing the inherent divinity of each individual, as well as the value of collective social action. In the mid-nineteenth century, the movement took off, changing how Americans thought about religion, literature, the natural world, class distinctions, the role of women, and the existence of slavery.
Edited by the eminent scholar Lawrence Buell, this comprehensive anthology contains the essential writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and their fellow visionaries. There are also reflections on the movement by Charles Dickens, Henry James, Walt Whitman, Louisa May Alcott, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. This remarkable volume introduces the radical innovations of a brilliant group of thinkers whose impact on religious thought, social reform, philosophy, and literature continues to reverberate in the twenty-first century.

Thoreau at Walden

John Porcellino

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Richie's Picks: THOREAU AT WALDEN 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."

"I see young men, my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, cattle and farming tools...for these are more easily acquired than got rid of."

"Shall we always study to obtain more of these things...and not sometimes to be content with less"

It is a lovely evening in Sebastopol to be reading and contemplating the words of Henry David Thoreau. There have been a few good rainy days over the past couple of weeks. Everything is suddenly sprouting -- even little weed seeds stuck on the sides of stones -- and one can easily recognize the increase in the height of the newly growing grass from a given morning to the same day's late afternoon. My osmanthus bush, at the bottom of the stairs outside, has in the past couple of days exploded in blossoms that once again send out the sweet, fragrant apricot scent that I fell in love with during that fall, long ago, when I first arrived here in Sebastopol.

It is a warm evening tonight and, with the windows open, the din of birds, bugs and frogs that lay mute just a few weeks ago in the dryness of late summer is providing a rich soundtrack of Mother Nature's fertile stirrings, a symphony of night music to accompany my reading of this inspiring little graphic novel.

THOREAU AT WALDEN succeeds quite beautifully in introducing readers to pearls of Henry David Thoreau through the incorporation of manageable passages of his writings into the graphic format.

"The greater part of what my neighbors call good I believe in my soul to be bad...and if I repent of one thing, it is likely to be my good behavior."

"I hear an irresistible voice..which invites me away from all that."

"And he saw the tree above him, and the stars
And the veins in the leaf
And the light, and the balance."
-- Graeme Edge/Ray Thomas "The Balance"

I had the good sense a few years ago, when ALA was in Boston, to take time to walk from Concord to Walden in the dead of winter and experience in solitude the environs where Henry David melded his observations of his surroundings, his compassion, and his examination of the human condition into a philosophy that has since, for generation after generation, inspired so many of us whose feet move to the beat of a different drummer.

It is not an easy path to follow -- it never has been with the pounding beat of commercialism everywhere we turn. (I'm seeing ads for a life insurance company and a cell phone service provider being projected onto my email browser screen as I write this.)

"It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves...how worn and dusty, then, must be the highways of the world, how deep the ruts of tradition and conformity."
"I went to the woods to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach -- and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

For someone like me, who came of age in the Seventies reading the works of E.F. Schumacher and Amory Lovins, THOREAU AT WALDEN is a joy to behold, a lovely book to inspire a new generation to live deliberately.

Editorial Review:

"I am convinced, both by faith and experience, that to maintain one's self on this earth is not a hardship, but a pastime, if we will live simply and wisely." So said Henry David Thoreau in 1845 when he began his famous experiment in living on Walden Pond. In this graphic masterpiece, John Porcellino uses only the words of Thoreau himself to tell the story of those two years off the beaten track. The pared-down text focuses on Thoreau's most profound ideas, and Porcellino's fresh, simple pictures bring the philosopher's sojourn at Walden to cinematic life. For readers who know Walden intimately, this graphic treatment will provide a vivid new interpretation of Thoreau's story. For those who have never read (or never completed!) the original, it presents a contemporary look at a few brave words to live by.

The Legend of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching

Demi, Lao Tzu

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

THIS IS THE LEGEND OF LAO TZU,

who may or may not have been born; who may or may not have founded Taoism, on of the greatest religions in the world; and who may or may not have written one of the greatest books of wisdom in the world: the Tao Te Ching, or the "Way of Heaven."

This thoughtful and thought-provoking book opens with a biography of Lao Tzu, the mysterious philosopher who is said to have been born at the age of eighty-one with snow-white hair, the ability to walk and talk, and unparalleled wisdom. Many credit him with creating the Tao Te Ching, which was written for the good of all humankind. Twenty of the eighty-one passages of the Tao Te Ching are included here, paired with stunning illustrations by the award-winning artist Demi. On topics ranging from silence to moderation, from governing to the balance of earth and heaven, these passages carry a powerful message and are sure to give each and every reader something new to consider.

Solutions Manual for Even Numbered Problems for Derivatives Markets

Robert L. McDonald

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Helpfulness of solutions book 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

It's definitely easier to learn from the book by having the solutions to the end of chapter questions, however, as a whole I was not impressed with this solutions book. A lot of the problem is from the end of the chapter questions though. Many of the questions are "verify this.." or "show this equation in chapter is right..." so not exactly user-friendly learning tools. In addition, for many questions I found the solution book would just show a graph and not necessarily explain how they got the answer. I'm still glad I got it though as any supplement to chapter material is beneficial.