Beyond Evolution


Book Description

Anthony O'Hear takes a stand against the fashion for explaining human behaviour in terms of evolution. He maintains, controversially, that while the theory of evolution is successful in explaining the development of the natural world in general, it is of limited value when applied to the human world. Because of our reflectiveness and our rationality we take on goals and ideals which cannot be justified in terms of survival-promotion or reproductive advantage. O'Hear examines the nature of human self-consciousness, and argues that evolutionary theory cannot give a satisfactory account of such distinctive facets of human life as the quest for knowledge, moral sense, and the appreciation of beauty; in these we transcend our biological origins. It is our rationality that allows each of us to go beyond not only our biological but also our cultural inheritance: as the author says in the Preface, 'we are prisoners neither of our genes nor of the ideas we encounter as we each make our personal and individual way through life'.




The Best of Alastair Reynolds


Book Description

This is an amazing collection of some of the best short fiction ever written in the SF genre, by an author acclaimed as 'the mastersinger of space opera' THE TIMES. With an introduction by noted SF critic Johnathan Strahan, this collection of twenty short stories, novellettes and novellas includes MINLA'S FLOWERS, SIGNAL TO NOISE, TROIKA, and seven previous uncollected stories, including TRAUMA POD, THE WATER THIEF and IN BABELSBERG. Alastair Reynolds has won the Sidewise Award and been nominated for The Hugo Awards for his short fiction. One of the most thought-provoking and accomplished short-fiction writers of our time, this collection is a delight for all SF readers




Beyond Honour


Book Description

"Beyond Honour" addresses the issue of honour related violence by using Marx's Historical Materialist approach. This study is a blend of academic research and personal experiences. It is an attempt to look beyond the cultural notion of honour as the main/only motive behind gender-based violence by examining related issues through historical academic research along with the simple narration of present day stories of victims around the globe.




Beyond Phenomenology


Book Description

This book argues that the understanding and explanation of religion is always historically contingent. Grounded in the work of Bakhtin and Ricoeur, Flood positions the academic study of religion within contemporary debates in the social sciences and humanities concerning modernity and postmodernity, particularly contested issues regarding truth and knowledge. It challenges the view that religions are privileged, epistemic objects, argues for the importance of metatheory, and presents an argument for the dialogical nature of inquiry. The study of religion should begin with language and culture, and this shift in emphasis to the philosophy of the sign in hermeneutics and away from the philosophy of consciousness in phenomenology has far-reaching implications. It means a new ethic of practice which is sensitive to the power relationship in any epistemology; it opens the door to feminist and postcolonial critique, and it provides a methodology which allows for the interface between religious studies, theology, and the social sciences.




Explanation of the psalms


Book Description




Space-time and Beyond


Book Description




Beyond Enlightenment


Book Description

Enlightenment is the last host. Beyond it, all boundaries disappear, all experiences disappear. Experience comes to its utmost in enlightenment; it is the very peak of all that is beautiful, of all that is immortal, of all that is blissful -- but it is an experience. Beyond enlightenment there is no experience at all, because the experiencer has disappeared. Enlightenment is not only the peak of experience, it is also the finest definition of your being. Beyond it, there is only nothingness; you will not come again to a point which has to be transcended. Experience, the experiencer, enlightenment -- all have been left behind. You are part of the tremendous nothingness that is infinite. This is the nothingness out of which the whole existence comes, the womb; and this is the nothingness in which all the existence disappears.




Building a Community of Interpreters


Book Description

In Building a Community of Interpreters Walter Dickhaut argues that the practice of reading (and, by extension, listening) is no less creative than the practice of writing (and speaking); readers and hearers, just as much as writers and speakers, are producers of meaning. Hence, the work of biblical interpretation is the work--the calling--of a community. Focused on the experience of the reader (or hearer) of biblical texts, he explores such questions as: -What happens when the author disappears? -What happens when a reader opens a book to meet the author? -What happens when a book is read? -What happens when the reader changes spectacles? Into discussion of such issues as the reader's angle of vision, when texts open and close, the reader's expectations, the reader's meeting up with the text, and the functions of filters and lenses in the practice of reading and hearing, the author introduces mystery, surprise, and expectation as hermeneutical lenses that can enlarge what may be seen in biblical texts. In addition to some homiletical samples, the author concludes with a suggested teaching plan for building a community of interpreters.




Wisdom Beyond Years


Book Description

This book is an understanding of how people’s behavior controls our destiny. It is a study of what makes us as human beings do the things we do. It then studies and dissects what causes us to do the things we do and why. Once we understand what makes us tick, we can make the changes we desire to live the life we want to live instead of the life we are living. Living in love, peace, and Joy can be a challenge because of the way the world looks to us. Many people believe the world is happening to them. The truth, once understood from this powerful book, can be very freeing. The world isn’t happening to you; it is coming from you. This will become your new reality once you understand the concepts and you take action on the exercises in the book. You have a unique opportunity to make changes in your life that will attract the abundance, love, peace, and joy we all desire in our lives. Personal development takes commitment, discipline, and patience, which are all qualities taught in this book. When you learn the principles and laws of the universe, everything you ever wanted in your life comes with ease and effortlessly. Make this book one of your sources for your personal growth and recognize this is not something that can be understood with your mind. You will either feel it with your heart or you are not ready for it yet. If that is the case, then put it down and pick it up in six months after you have had more experiences of suffering in your life. You see pain is a given; it will happen in all our lives at some point. Whether you suffer or not will be your choice. I have put handling the pain of life into an easy, step-by-step way to remove the suffering part so you can live a happy, more enjoyable life. This book will change your destiny if you choose to accept the challenges laid out in its pages. Don’t let it pass you by. This is the life-changing book you have been waiting for.




The Sociogony


Book Description

The Sociogony attempts to forge a new strain of critical social theory by repositioning Durkheim’s relationship to Hegel and Marx. A fresh look at social facts, authority, and processes of genesis, rule, and decay provide a stable social ontology for a world turned upside down.