Ugliness and Judgment


Book Description

A novel interpretation of architecture, ugliness, and the social consequences of aesthetic judgment When buildings are deemed ugly, what are the consequences? In Ugliness and Judgment, Timothy Hyde considers the role of aesthetic judgment—and its concern for ugliness—in architectural debates and their resulting social effects across three centuries of British architectural history. From eighteenth-century ideas about Stonehenge to Prince Charles’s opinions about the National Gallery, Hyde uncovers a new story of aesthetic judgment, where arguments about architectural ugliness do not pertain solely to buildings or assessments of style, but intrude into other spheres of civil society. Hyde explores how accidental and willful conditions of ugliness—including the gothic revival Houses of Parliament, the brutalist concrete of the South Bank, and the historicist novelty of Number One Poultry—have been debated in parliamentary committees, courtrooms, and public inquiries. He recounts how architects such as Christopher Wren, John Soane, James Stirling, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe have been summoned by tribunals of aesthetic judgment. With his novel scrutiny of lawsuits for libel, changing paradigms of nuisance law, and conventions of monarchical privilege, he shows how aesthetic judgments have become entangled in wider assessments of art, science, religion, political economy, and the state. Moving beyond superficialities of taste in order to see how architectural improprieties enable architecture to participate in social transformations, Ugliness and Judgment sheds new light on the role of aesthetic measurement in our world.




The Catholic Gentleman


Book Description

What it means to be a man or a woman is questioned today like never before. While traditional gender roles have been eroding for decades, now the very categories of male and female are being discarded with reckless abandon. How does one act like a gentleman in such confusing times? The Catholic Gentleman is a solid and practical guide to virtuous manhood. It turns to the timeless wisdom of the Catholic Church to answer the important questions men are currently asking. In short, easy- to-read chapters, the author offers pithy insights on a variety of topics, including • How to know you are an authentic man • Why our bodies matter • The value of tradition • The purpose of courtesy • What real holiness is and how to achieve it • How to deal with failure in the spiritual life




A Complete Concordance to Shakespeare


Book Description

A complete concordance or verbal index to words, phrases and passages in the dramatic works of Shakespeare. There is also a supplementary concordance to the poems. This is an essential reference work for all students and readers of Shakespeare.




The Gospel According to Matthew


Book Description

The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.




Through God's Eyes


Book Description

When you feel stuck in your job or relationship . . . when all you worked for leaves you feeling empty inside . . . when fear of what is to come consumes sleepless nights . . . when love seems like an impossible choice to make . . . when the world is not large enough to contain your grief . . . when you struggle to forgive the unforgivable . . . there is one solution that brings true peace. See the world through God's eyes. Look through God's eyes and you see that you are being guided in every moment with infinite wisdom and inexhaustible love, that life is unfolding with indescribable beauty and grace, that Spirit is gently urging you to align your will with Divine Will and be a source of love, hope, and healing energy to all who cross your path. If you have more confusion than clarity about how to live your beliefs, the ancient wisdom permeating "Through God's Eyes" offers the hope and promise that you can escape from the prison of human perception, welcome peace, love, and joy as the dearest of friends, and become a more positive and powerful force for good in the world. "Through God's Eyes: Finding Peace and Purpose in a Troubled World" is unique in two fundamental ways. First, it is the only book that presents a vast array of spiritual principles in an elegant, engaging format that shows how all these concepts interact, how to weave them together into a cohesive worldview, and how to practically apply this spiritual wisdom to daily life. Second, its inventive format alternates illuminating comments with inspiring quotes that support, build upon, and flow into each other to convey penetrating insights into the meaning and purpose of life and the vastness of human potential. TESTIMONIALS "Through God's Eyes" is s a superb book, a truly enlightened piece of work that is an essential read for all people who are truly devoted to the care and refinement of their soul. Phil is a contemporary mystic, a man whose life is a living commitment to spiritual service. I am honored to know him. Caroline Myss, author of "Defy Gravity" Regardless of how you conceive the Absolute-as God, Goddess, Allah, Universe, or simply as a sense of cosmic beauty and order-your belief will be enriched by "Through God's Eyes." This fine book is a refreshing departure from the preachy ideology of religious dogmatism. It reveals the richness, complexity, and meaning of everyday life, warts and all. Larry Dossey, MD, author of "The Power of Premonitions" In "Through God's Eyes," Phil Bolsta has assembled a Dream Team of spiritual wisdom. The book gathers together remarkable luminaries from every tradition-and non-tradition as well-and creatively organizes them into topical categories, like panelists in separate meeting rooms at a large conference; only these wise ones are available to readers any time they are needed. And we all need them. As we make our way along the spiritual path, with all its perplexities, complexities, mysteries, and ambiguities, these trusted companions can provide reliable, timeless guidance. Philip Goldberg, author of "American Veda" At first glance, this monstrous 538-page book appears to be a collection of inspirational quotes from cultural icons as well as sages throughout the ages. However, as you read the book carefully, you will be pleasantly surprised to discover that it actually provides a detailed road map for your spiritual quest for a meaningful and harmonious life. Here lies the genius of Bolsta-he makes the profound look simple and his simple steps can lead to profound changes in individuals and society. Dr. Paul Wong, author of "The Human Quest for Meaning" One of the most important books I've ever read. An incredible compilation of spiritual wisdom and insight. It's the owner's manual God should give you when you're born. Robert Peterson, author of "Out of Body Experiences"




Social Theories of Art


Book Description

This elegantly written book explores the tension between the theory and practice of art, taking issue with the approaches of the New Art History and its deconstructionist critics. It critically examines influential social theories of art from the viewpoint of the artworlds they target and, through a consideration of work by Rorty, Bauman, Gadamer and others, develops a new and fruitful set of connections between ethical, social and art theory that gives central importance to reflexivity as a living and problematic, as well as a theoretical, concept.




Another Gospel?


Book Description

“This may be the most influential book you will read this year.” —Lee Strobel, bestselling author of The Case for Miracles A Movement Seeks to Redefine Christianity. Some Think that It Is a Much-Needed Progressive Reformation. Others Believe that It Is an Attack on Historic Christianity. Alisa Childers never thought she would question her Christian faith. She was raised in a Christian home, where she had seen her mom and dad feed the hungry, clothe the homeless, and love the outcast. She had witnessed God at work and then had dedicated her own life to leading worship, as part of the popular Christian band ZOEgirl. All that was deeply challenged when she met a progressive pastor, who called himself a hopeful agnostic. Another Gospel? describes the intellectual journey Alisa took over several years as she wrestled with a series of questions that struck at the core of the Christian faith. After everything she had ever believed about God, Jesus, and the Bible had been picked apart, she found herself at the brink of despair . . . until God rescued her, helping her to rebuild her faith, one solid brick at a time. In a culture of endless questions, you need solid answers. If you or someone you love has encountered the ideas of progressive Christianity and aren’t sure how to respond, Alisa’s journey will show you how to determine—and rest in—what’s unmistakably true.










History of Aesthetics


Book Description

Tatarkiewicz's History of Aesthetics is an extremely comprehensive account of the development of European aesthetics from the time of the ancient Greeks to the 1700s. Published originally in Polish in 1962-7, it achieved bestseller status and acclaim as the best work of its kind in the world. The English translation of 1970-74 is a rare masterpiece. Covering ancient, medieval and modern aesthetics, Tatarkiewicz writes substantial essays on the views of beauty and art through the ages and then goes on to demonstrate these with extracts from original texts from each period. The authors he cites include Homer, Democritus, Plato, St Augustine, Boethius, Thomas Aquinas, Dante, William of Ockham, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo, Bacon, Shakespeare and Rubens. His study is systematic and extremely wide, including the aesthetics of the archaic period, the classical period, Hellenistic aesthetics, Eastern Aesthetics, Western Aesthetics, the Renaissance, sixteenth-century visual arts, poetry and music, Italian, English, Spanish and Polish aesthetics of the sixteenth century, Baroque aesthetics, and theories of painting and architecture in the seventeeth century. Tatarkiewicz (1886-1981) was the most distinguished Polish historian of philosophy of the twentieth century, with an international reputation as an aesthetician and authority in art criticism, the history of art and classical scholarship. The erudition, lucidity and clarity of his writing make this unique work an accessible and invaluable source for the study of the history of aesthetics.