For centuries books have changed lives. Some even improved lives.This book provides an historical sketch of mankind's path during the past four millennia with a focus on mankind's use of faith and reason as faculties to guide life. Along this path there have been endless efforts to guide human lives; some even sought to reduce the brutishness of humans. Among the early efforts to encourage civility in human behavior were tenets, doctrines of faith-based religions. With faith, as used in this copy, one accepts without question doctrines and tenets of a religion. Later along mankind's path, reason developed as a faculty enabling one to question, to seek truths and to use integrity, ethics and morality to do what is right.As in any path, there are increments of progress, steps, which serve as landmarks along the way. Reason, with rational thinking, got a foothold in the second millennium BCE, beginning a transfer by mankind in using reason rather than faith as a faculty to guide human life. The text describes some of the more progressive, landmark steps by 11 historical figures in the path of mankind illustrating advantages of reason as a faculty to guide one's life. Many instances could mark the beginning of this path, but the one selected for the copy is the story of Abraham. With this person, beginning in Mesopotamia, the path traverses westward to the life of Thomas Paine in Paris, London and Philadelphia.The objective in this copy is to help the reader comprehend these progressive steps in utilizing reason rather than faith as a faculty to guide one's life and to correct intolerance, injustice and other brutishness of humanity. Relevant historical information on the notable humans taking these steps, and on their times, hopefully will provide useful illumination for the steps described. Key Lines from Reviews of Steps, Faith to Reason "White examines how men from Abraham and Seneca to Voltaire and Thomas Paine helped 'establish the use of reason rather than faith as a guide for mankind.'" "...Steps, Faith to Reason is nothing short of the history of Western thought condensed into a single, easily understood volume." [Steps, Faith to Reason]..."represents the author's sober assessment of the intellectual path humanity has taken from theocracy to secularity, from the ubiquity of religion to the use of scientific thought." [Steps, Faith to Reason]..."offers a guide to the ways mankind has used faith and reason as a guiding light over the past four millennia." Paragraph Constructed from Three Reviews by ForeWord Clarion, BlueInk and Kirkus Indie of the Book, Steps, Faith to Reason Fear, with fear of death above all others, was the first mother of the gods. From this line, credited to Lucretius (a Roman philosopher in the century just before Christ), Steps, Faith to Reason provides a very readable history of increments of progress (steps) by mankind in the past four millennia in shifting from faith to reason as the facility to guide one's life. The steps of progress described begin with the Biblical account of Abraham, continuing with descriptions of progress by ten notable philosophers, from Socrates to Thomas Paine. The author, realizing that the choice between these two faculties is for each human, does not deride religious faith. He describes the progress by mankind in preferring rational thought, thereby, facilitating the march of rationalism...utilizing reason as the guide for life.

Current conflicts in both national and international arenas have undermined the natural, organic concept of nationhood as conventionally espoused in the nineteenth century. Conceiving a Nation argues that the modern understanding of the nation as a contested concept—as the product of a fluid and ongoing process of negotiation open to a range of livable solutions—is actually rooted in the Bible. This book draws attention to the contribution that the Bible makes to political discourse about the nation. The Bible is particularly well suited to this open-ended discourse because of its own nature as a text whose ambiguity and laconic quality render it constantly open to new interpretations and applicable to changing circumstances. The Bible offers a pluralistic understanding of different models of political development for different nations, and it depicts altering concepts of national identity over time. In this book, Morgenstern reads the Bible as the source of a dynamic critique of the ideas that are conventionally considered to be fundamental to national identity, treating in successive chapters the ethnic (Ruth), the cultural (Samson), the political (Jotham), and the territorial (Esther). Throughout, she explores a number of common themes, such as the relationship of women to political authority and the “strangeness” of Israelite political existence. In the Conclusion, she elucidates how biblical analysis can aid in recognition of modern claims to nationhood.

This edition of Leviathan is intended to provide the reader with a modestly abridged text that is straightforward and accessible, while preserving Hobbes' main lines of argument and of thought. It is meant for those who wish to focus primarily on the philosophical aspects of the work, apart from its stylish but often daunting early modern prose. The editors have updated language, style, punctuation, and grammar throughout. Very long, complicated sentences have been broken into two or more sentences for enhanced readability. In some instances, terms within a sentence are rearranged for enhanced clarity. Occasionally, an equivalent contemporary word is substituted for an archaic one. Ellipses indicate omissions of more than one sentence. Care has been taken to maintain the strength, nuance, and flavor of the work, especially of Hobbes' most difficult arguments. In addition, the volume offers a general Introduction and concise headnotes to each chapter. Annotation is geared to the student or novice reader. A glossary of key terms is also included, as well as an index.