The Mingjia & Related Texts


Book Description

ESSENTIALS IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRE-QIN PHILOSOPHY. The Mingjia (School of Names) is a notional grouping of philosophers first recorded as such in the Shiji. Their identifying feature was a concern with linguistic issues particularly involving the correct use of names. The origin of this concern is taken to be Lunyu XIII.3. The group, as listed in the Han Shu, comprised seven men living between the sixth and third centuries BC. Only four of these men have extant writings attributed to them (Deng Xi, Yin Wen, Hui Shi and Gongsun Long) and in three of these there are issues of authenticity. Nevertheless, it is an important group for an understanding of the development of pre-Qin philosophy as the men themselves and the concepts they explored feature prominently in the writings of the other schools. The present work contains four sections: (i) the extant writings of the four men; (ii) all significant references to them in other works up the fourth century AD; (iii) other significant writing on the topics up to that time; and (iv) four appendices on specific issues concerning the school.




Health Promotion


Book Description

Incisively written, this new edition of a popular guide first published in 1996 slices through the rhetoric of health promotion. Its penetrating analysis quickly reveals health promotion’s conceptual roots, providing an enlightening map of their web of theory and practice. David Seedhouse proves that health promotion, a discipline intended to improve the health of a population, is prejudiced—every plan and every project stems first from human values—and argues that only by acknowledging this will a mature discipline emerge. To help speed progress the author proposes a positive, practical theory of health promotion destined to inspire anyone who wishes to create better health. This new edition includes three new chapters on conventional health promotion, radical and foundational health promotion and mental health promotion, providing examples of the use of foundational health promotion. This new edition also adds five new teaching exercises, incorporates and updates the guide for teachers and lecturers and includes a new topical case study. This book is laced with entertaining dialogues and readers are encouraged to explore ten carefully presented exercises. Educational, accessible and intelligent, Health Promotion: Philosophy, Prejudice and Practice, 2nd Edition is a seminal work which heralds the beginning of the end of health promotion’s long adolescence. It is nothing less than essential reading for all practitioners and students of health promotion.




Epistemology


Book Description

EPISTEMOLOGY “This is a superb companion to Epistemology: An Anthology. It consists of sixty commentaries, one for each of the sixty entries in that anthology. Turri is an extremely lucid writer, with a wonderful knack for finding and laying out argumentative structure, and for explaining crucial concepts. His commentary will greatly aid student comprehension and enhance class discussion.” Ernest Sosa, Rutgers University “Turri’s discussions are engaging and lucid. They are written for beginning students and will serve that purpose beautifully, but they are so well done that even veteran epistemologists will find them helpful.” John Greco, Saint Louis University Epistemology: A Guide is a straightforward and accessible introduction to contemporary epistemology for those studying the topic for the first time. It introduces and explains the main arguments of the most influential publications in the field from the last 50 years. Balancing simplicity of argument with accuracy and detail, this guide covers the central topics of theory of knowledge, including skepticism, epistemic justification, epistemic closure, virtue epistemology, and naturalized epistemology. Instead of artificially treating themes in isolation, it provides a clear context for key topics and concepts. Designed to stand alone or to accompany the second edition of Epistemology: An Anthology (Wiley Blackwell, 2008), this is a deft and concise introduction to a foundational topic in philosophy.




The Power of Small


Book Description

Tiny changes to transform your life We’ve all set out to change our lives with big plans, bold ideas, and brilliant ambitions. And too often those resolutions and plans have lasted for a day or two before real life swoops in and we are back to normal. Or, perhaps even more frequently, we find ourselves so overwhelmed with life that we feel utterly powerless to even attempt to change anything. The Power of Small offers a way forward. Instead of pushing for large, dramatic changes, Aisling and Trish Leonard-Curtin help readers make small, manageable changes in their lives. Everyday decisions pile up to create transformation. Instead of being daunted by your goals and dreams or paralyzed by the business of life, The Power of Small will help you take the practical, approachable steps that will change your life, even if you feel completely stuck or defeated. As practicing psychologists, Aisling and Trish know first-hand the power of the techniques outlined in The Power of Small and have based their writing on numerous case studies and the latest psychological research. Emphasizing self-compassion and real, actionable steps, The Power of Small will empower you to make big changes in your life—one small step at a time.




The Craft of Oblivion


Book Description

The Craft of Oblivion is an innovative and groundbreaking volume that aims to study, for the first time, the intersections between forgetting and remembering in classical Chinese civilization. Oblivion has tended to be relegated to a marginal position, often conceived as the mere destructive or undesirable opposite of memory, even though it performs an essential function in our lives. Forgetting and memory, far from being autonomous and mutually exclusive spheres, should be seen as interdependent phenomena. Drawing on perspectives from history, philosophy, literature, and religion, and examining both transmitted texts and excavated materials, the contributors to this volume analyze various ways of understanding oblivion and its complex and fertile relations with memory in ancient China.




Non-Material Logic


Book Description

Non-Material Logic ‘We cannot know where we are headed if we do not know where we are from’ At some juncture in most people’s lives, they will question their existence with varying degrees of intensity, such as, ‘Who am I?’, ‘What happens to me when I die?’ and ‘What is my purpose in life’? Or something along similar lines. The problem with finding answers to those questions is that they will discover most answers are restricted to preexisting beliefs and constructs using materially developed language to define what is non-material. That does not necessarily make those beliefs and constructs wrong, but their material construction can limit them. Consequently, the book Non-Material Logic develops a language compatible with both divergent language forms by delineating how humans have a non-material component that gives ‘life’ to their material life. Consequently, the book is designed to demonstrate the existence of a non-material Personal Source-of-Creation, logically and experientially, as ‘I Am That, I Am’ self-aware First-Manifest. The ‘I Am’ describes the First-Manifest’s non-material Personal existence. And the ‘I Am That’ expresses the Living-Essence of that Life as a Nature. The book then proceeds to logically confirm the following. 1- Can the Living-Essence of the First-Manifest’s Nature be personally experienced using non-material logic? Absolutely. 2- Can non-material logic depict how the non-material energy of the First-Manifest transforms into material energy to create the universe? Absolutely. 3- Can non-material logic establish a logically formed but experienceable pathway to demonstrate how an individual can transition beyond an earthly existence? Absolutely. 4- Can the delineated processes, developed using non-material logic, be applied to daily life? Absolutely. Because it defines a personal purpose for your existence, it reveals a directional certainty used to develop ethical practices founded on a self-created moral foundation that, in some manner, will benefit everyone. Accordingly, it takes a considerable amount of exploratory information to reach a logically formed experientially verifiable conclusion to confirm that humans can never be independent or isolated because humans, knowingly or not, are perpetually non-materially connected to the Source-of-Creation. And to discover that Source, the book begins at absolute zero, where all that existed was infinity and nothing else. From that position, without using beliefs or constructs, the book logically defines how a Source-of-Creation emerged from infinity, what that Source is, and how it functions. Then, it proceeds to explain the non-material Structure of that Source is non-materially reflectively used to create the non-material, and so invisible, structure of our material biology. The book is a new vision of personal existence without relying on constructs or beliefs to define it. Everything within it is logically formed and contains experiential processes to confirm the logic, revealing the meaning and purpose of personal existence. It will support the development of an individual’s self-worth, forming the foundation for a stabilized self-image with a heart-centered view of humanity. In this manner, you create meaning and value for yourself and your society. When mutual value exists, you have unveiled a new life within the old. And the directional intent of the book is to provide supportive processes for discovering that new life. * *




The Queen's English


Book Description

From "chips" and "crumbs" to "spending a penny," The Queen's English is your indispensable guide to surviving and thriving in the tricky byways of the English language, which has shown many a poor soul the way out for little more than twanging a vowel, splitting an infinitive or, crime of all crimes, saying dinner instead of tea. With The Queen's English there's no need to become "flummoxed" ever again. This must-have A to Z guide uncovers the quintessential meanings behind more than 100 familiar words and phrases of the distinctively British lexicon, including: By hook or by crook (adv. phrase): It is good to find a phrase in common use that goes back as far as this one, and which appears (though not entirely proven) to link back to England's feudal past. In medieval times when the peasantry were not allowed to cut down trees, they were permitted nonetheless to gather firewood from loose or dead branches which could be obtained using "hook" (bill hook, a traditional cutting tool) or "crook," a staff with a curved end. No doubt the desperate peasant often exceeded the strict use of these tools, and so the sense is to achieve something by whatever means possible. The first recorded use of the phrase is from the fourteenth century. Gazump (vt.): Usually so proud of their reputation for playing fair, the English have a curious blind spot when it comes to buying and selling houses. To "gazump" is to raise the price of a piece of real estate after the sale has been agreed but before the contract is signed, usually on the pretext that the owner has received a higher offer elsewhere. The original buyer is then forced to raise their offer or the property goes to the higher bidder. This unethical but not illegal practice appeared first with the spelling "gazoomph" and was derived from an older and more general term "gazumph" (or gezumph) for the various kinds of swindling that go on at dishonest auctions. In a nutshell (adv. phrase): "Oh God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a King of infinite space..." cries Hamlet in Shakespeare's tragic play. But the meaning of the expression, namely, to put much into a small space, goes way back to classical times, to Pliny's Natural History where he writes: "Cicero records that a parchment copy of Homer's poem The Iliad was enclosed in a nutshell (in nuce)." In Shakespeare's own time, a Bible is said to have been produced that could fit into a nutshell, and that curiosity may have come to the playwright's notice. People like us (np.): Often abbreviated to PLU, this phrase is used by those of a certain social class to approve of others as acceptable by birth and station, and originates in the 1940s milieu typified by the artistic, wayward, and eccentric Mitford sisters, daughters of the second Baron Redesdale. We get a flavor of the attitude where Nancy Mitford, in a letter to her sister Jessica (August 28, 1957), declared that "People Like Us are never killed in earthquakes ...." Nancy refined the art of social class distinctions in her book Noblesse Oblige with a list of subtle differences in vocabulary first defined as U (upper class) and non-U (aspriring middle class) by the sociolinguist Alan Ross in 1954. So if you ever wanted to know what it means to be a "meat-and-potatoes man," a "lame duck," or to be in a "pretty pickle," stop "umming and erring" and read this fascinating collection "straightaway."




Readings/writings


Book Description

Reading is a dance on the beaches of the mind, writes Greg Dening. His reading-dances are about the pain of cross-cultural encounters, of loomings beyond the horizons of discipline, gender and race, of the pleasures of a hundred texts. In Readings/Writings his aim is to cultivate our imaginations so that we might see further, understand more deeply and hear more acutely. This book opens with Dening's extraordinary piece, 'Memorial', a deeply moving reading of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. Dening's profound yet lucid reflections on the meanings contained in this stark, simple memorial set the tone for the book.




Advanced English Phrases: Phrases Combining Two or More Words


Book Description

In this book, I have compiled English phrases containing two or more words. Each of these phrases comprises at least one tough English word. The meaning of the tough English word in every phrase has also been given. Example sentences have also been provided for many advanced phrases. Sample this: 01 -- abandoned building / abandoned mines / abandoned orphan / abandoned street / abandoned vehicles [meaning of abandoned: ‘left completely and no longer needed] Example Sentence: Abandoned vehicles can cause a nuisance by obstructing roads, traffic and pedestrians. 02 -- abatement notice [meaning of abatement: ‘the reduction or removal of a nuisance’] Example Sentence: A person served with an abatement notice may appeal against the notice to a magistrate’s court. 03 -- aberrant behavior / aberrant individuals [meaning of aberrant: ‘departing from an accepted standard or usual course’] Example Sentence: Should the teachers and administrators tolerate the aberrant behavior of the students? 04 -- abhorrent deed [meaning of abhorrent: ‘causing hatred, especially for moral reasons’] Example Sentence: He shall be put to death since he has committed an abhorrent deed. 05 -- abiding influence [meaning of abiding: ‘(of a feeling, memory or an idea, etc.) lasting a long time’] Example Sentence: Land use regulations have an abiding influence on our lives. 06 -- abiding affection / abiding hostility / abiding influence / abiding love / abiding notice / abiding tradition [meaning of abiding: ‘continuing without change'] Example Sentence: I have a deep and abiding affection for my birthplace. 07 -- abject despair [meaning of abject: ‘extreme and without hope’] Example Sentence: They are dealing with abject despair and complete disillusion. 08 -- abjectly poor [meaning of abjectly: ‘in an utterly hopeless manner’] Example Sentence: More than a billion people in the world are abjectly poor. 09 -- abominable deed / abominable laws / abominable scene / abominable system [meaning of abominable: ‘very bad and shocking’] Example Sentence: Some states have passed abominable laws that are a disgrace to democracy and to our society 10 -- abominably rude / abominably cruel [meaning of abominably: ‘in a very bad or unpleasant way’] 11 -- aboriginal civilization / aboriginal inhabitants / aboriginal times / aboriginal tribes [meaning of aboriginal: ‘relating to the people who existed in a region from the earliest time; primitive’] 12 -- abortive attack / abortive attempt / abortive bid / abortive campaign / abortive expedition / abortive infection / abortive insurrection / abortive negotiations / abortive rebellion / abortive treatment [meaning of abortive: ‘failed, unsuccessful’] Example Sentence: They led an abortive rebellion against the government 13 -- abrasive chemical / abrasive compounds / abrasive materials / abrasive personality [meaning of abrasive: ‘showing little concern for the feelings of others | causing damage, wear, or removal of surface material by grinding or rubbing’] Example Sentence: We can't hire anyone with an abrasive personality liable to annoy customers and co-workers, | She applied an abrasive chemical and rubbed it down to clean rust off knives. 14 -- abridged edition / abridged story / abridged translation / abridged version [meaning of abridged: ‘(of a piece of writing) having been shortened’] Example Sentence: That was an abridged edition of the author's previous three-volume work. 15 -- abrupt change / abrupt departure / abrupt dismissal / abrupt end / abrupt exit / abrupt halt / abrupt response / abrupt slope / abrupt transition [meaning of abrupt: ‘sudden’] Example Sentence: His promising career in football was brought to an abrupt end by injury.




Wholes, Sums and Unities


Book Description

In this work, the author formulates a critique of widely accepted mereological assumptions, presents a new conception of wholes as ‘Unities’, and demonstrates the advantages of this new conception in treating a variety of metaphysical puzzles (such as that of Tibbles the cat). More generally he suggests that conceiving wholes as Unities offers us a new way of understanding the world in non-reductive terms.