The Essential Communitarian Reader


Book Description

This book shows why communitarian thought has had such a profound influence on contemporary public policy - from strengthening neighbourhoods to fighting AIDS and educating children.




Thinking the Faith


Book Description

"As the Christian movement nears the end of its second millennium, it faces a crisis that could not have been anticipated at the close of the first thousand years—or, indeed, by most of our own great-grandparents. … "Since the most conspicuous dimensions of the waning of Christendom have to do with material decline (the decline in church membership and active attendance of Sunday services, the decline in financial and physical prosperity, the decline of influence in high places), such analyses as there are usually belabor the obvious: something drastic is happening to the churches! … "Throughout most of its long history, Christianity has not required of its adherents that they should think the faith. The historical accident of its political and cultural establishment 15 centuries ago… ensured that a thinking faith would be purely optional for members of the church. … "But thought-less faith, which has always been a contradiction in terms, is today a stage on the road to the extinction, not only of Christianity itself, but of whatever the architects of our civilization meant by 'Humanity.' Only a thinking faith can survive. Only a thinking faith can help the world survive! " ——From the Preface




The Road Less Traveled and Beyond


Book Description

Peck's views on being a separate courageous individual.




Simplism


Book Description

Within these pages, we ponder excellence. The entirety of this book you now hold proposes the complex as simple. The courage of the math and psychology goes to show how much of a difficult journey it was for the author. We can find unity at different levels. The extreme of the text enters from creative views into concrete evidence. This book, now known as Simplism is genuine, show the extreme and simplify. Psychology and physics on a new level are justified. If one cannot ponder the significance, try the shuffle to find the certain something this book contains. A chance of a lifetimeto have to see how much differences are understood.




A Philosophy of Simple Living


Book Description

Today, “simple living” is a rallying cry for anti-consumerists, environmentalists, and anyone concerned with humanity’s effect on the planet. But what is so revolutionary about a simple life? And why are we so fascinated with simplicity today? A Philosophy of Simple Living charts the ideas, motivations, and practices of simplicity from antiquity to the present day. Bringing together an array of people, practices, and movements, from Henry David Thoreau to Steve Jobs, and from Cynics and Shakers to the “slow movement,” voluntary simplicity, and degrowth, this book is as comprehensive as it is concise. Written in elegant, spare prose, A Philosophy of Simple Living will be of great benefit to all who wish to declutter and pare back their complicated, modern lives.




Engineers of Jihad


Book Description

A groundbreaking investigation into why so many Islamic radicals are engineers The violent actions of a few extremists can alter the course of history, yet there persists a yawning gap between the potential impact of these individuals and what we understand about them. In Engineers of Jihad, Diego Gambetta and Steffen Hertog uncover two unexpected facts, which they imaginatively leverage to narrow that gap: they find that a disproportionate share of Islamist radicals come from an engineering background, and that Islamist and right-wing extremism have more in common than either does with left-wing extremism, in which engineers are absent while social scientists and humanities students are prominent. Searching for an explanation, they tackle four general questions about extremism: Under which socioeconomic conditions do people join extremist groups? Does the profile of extremists reflect how they self-select into extremism or how groups recruit them? Does ideology matter in sorting who joins which group? Lastly, is there a mindset susceptible to certain types of extremism? Using rigorous methods and several new datasets, they explain the link between educational discipline and type of radicalism by looking at two key factors: the social mobility (or lack thereof) for engineers in the Muslim world, and a particular mindset seeking order and hierarchy that is found more frequently among engineers. Engineers' presence in some extremist groups and not others, the authors argue, is a proxy for individual traits that may account for the much larger question of selective recruitment to radical activism. Opening up markedly new perspectives on the motivations of political violence, Engineers of Jihad yields unexpected answers about the nature and emergence of extremism.




Pedagogy of Commitment


Book Description

This first English translation of Pedagogy of Commitment takes readers deep into the acts and meaning of living a life of community and social commitment. Paulo Friere discusses how, for teachers specifically, this commitment is not only to students, to the underprivileged, or to the education of those who speak a different language, but to the transformation of the self to become more deeply responsive to the needs of social transformations. More than any other Freire book, this speaks directly and plainly to the lives of individuals and to teachers. It is an inspiring and passionate call from a global giant of progressive education.




Engineering and Social Justice


Book Description

The profession of engineering in the United States has historically served the status quo, feeding an ever-expanding materialistic and militaristic culture, remaining relatively unresponsive to public concerns, and without significant pressure for change from within. This book calls upon engineers to cultivate a passion for social justice and peace and to develop the skill and knowledge set needed to take practical action for change within the profession. Because many engineers do not receive education and training that support the kinds of critical thinking, reflective decision-making, and effective action necessary to achieve social change, engineers concerned with social justice can feel powerless and isolated as they remain complicit. Utilizing techniques from radical pedagogies of liberation and other movements for social justice, this book presents a roadmap for engineers to become empowered and engage one another in a process of learning and action for social justice and peace.




Change Your World


Book Description

A New Creation Our very survival is at stake. We must change. The references and values on which we used to depend are becoming relativized and questionable, and the true sense of integrity, responsibility, and purpose now seems outdated. Instead, we seem to have chosen the path of shortsighted success and gratification, convenient arrangements, and sometimes the one-sided fanaticism and fundamentalism. No wonder we find ourselves in such a deep spiritual crisis that makes all other crises possible, probable, and even certain and extremely dangerous. Change Your World: Awakening to the Power of Truth Beauty Simplicity - Change is an invitation to faithfully recapture the basics, deeply rediscover the very reason for our existence, and carefully reassess our references and values. Truth will make us free. Beauty will save the world. Simplicity will help redefine our priorities. Change will transform us and will transform our world into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is a profoundly political book; it describes, in an original and engaging way, how to live and govern from our highest and most sacred consciousness. Therefore, do not expect politics as usual, politically correct, well-calculated, and feeling good spirituality talks. Expect rather as it is articulation, straightforward approaches, and unequivocal descriptions of the new creation values. Our survival depends on our ability to be truly human and in alignment with our most sacred consciousnessthe mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Isnt contemplation the highest form of activity, as Aristotle suggested? Masterfully, Dr. Maalouf uncovers the simple truths of a happy, healthy, and meaningful life, and discloses the secret of the fullness of life. A contemplative approach to life is indispensable for grasping and living the essence of what it means to be truly human.