Magnanimity is a virtue that has led many lives. Foregrounded early on by Plato as a philosophical virtue par excellence, it became one of the crown jewels in Aristotle's account of human excellence and was accorded equally salient place by other ancient thinkers. It is one of the most distinctive elements of the ancient tradition to filter into the medieval Islamic and Christian worlds. It sparked important intellectual engagements and went on to carve deep tracks through several of the later philosophies to inherit from this tradition. Under changing names and reworked forms, it would continue to breathe in the thought of Descartes and Hume, Kant, and Nietzsche. Its many lives have been joined by important continuities, yet they have also been fragmented by discontinuities -- discontinuities reflecting larger shifts in ethical perspectives and competing answers to questions about the nature of the good life, the moral nature of human beings, and their relationship to the social and natural world they inhabit. They have also been punctuated by moments of intense controversy in which the vision of human greatness has itself been called into doubt. The aim of this volume is to provide an insight into the complex trajectory of a virtue whose glitter has at times been as dazzling as it has been divisive. By exploring the many lives it has lived, we will be in a better position to evaluate whether this is a virtue we still want to make central to our own ethical lives, and why.

This volume examines a selection of late medieval works devoted to the intensive infinite in order to draw a comprehensive picture of the context, character and importance of scholastic efforts to reason philosophically about divine infinity. As Dominican masters face Franciscan 'spirituals' and as university-trained theologians face evangelical laymen, the purpose and meaning of divine infinity shift, reflecting a basic tension between the Church's Petrine vocation for geopolitical orthodoxy and its more Pauline mission to promote Christian orthopraxis. The first part of the book traces the scholastic defense of divine infinity from the holocaust of Montségur up to John Duns Scotus. The second part examines the semiotic breakthrough initiated by William of Ockham and the subsequent penetration of infinist theory into a wide variety of disciplines.

Why does modern life revolve around objectives? From how science is funded, to improving how children are educated -- and nearly everything in-between -- our society has become obsessed with a seductive illusion: that greatness results from doggedly measuring improvement in the relentless pursuit of an ambitious goal. In Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned, Stanley and Lehman begin with a surprising scientific discovery in artificial intelligence that leads ultimately to the conclusion that the objective obsession has gone too far. They make the case that great achievement can't be bottled up into mechanical metrics; that innovation is not driven by narrowly focused heroic effort; and that we would be wiser (and the outcomes better) if instead we whole-heartedly embraced serendipitous discovery and playful creativity. Controversial at its heart, yet refreshingly provocative, this book challenges readers to consider life without a destination and discovery without a compass.

In a world of competing voices about what church is all about, Gene Getz, with the wisdom God has granted him over decades of ministry, provides a solidly grounded and thoroughly biblical approach to how God assesses the strength, health, and maturity of a local church. Previously titled The Measure of a Church. He addresses... -The definition of the church -The standard of measure by which the church should be defined (Is it centered on Christ? Does it display the fruit of the Spirit? Is it growing in its ability to display faith, hope, and love?) -How does one measure leadership? -How does one measure worship? -What is the one, ultimate standard the church is measured by?

This path-breaking work offers the first comprehensive examination of the important personalities and events that have influenced the course of history. It discusses whether people who go down in history are different from the rest of us and whether specific personality traits predispose certain people to become world leaders, movie stars, scientific geniuses, and athletes. It sheds light on the depth of potential in everyone, yielding important clues as to how we can take advantage of our own individual personality traits. Probing the lives of a range of important figures, the book explores the full range of phenomena associated with greatness, scrutinizing the significance of everything from genetic inheritance, intuition, aesthetic appreciation, and birth order, to formal education, sexual orientation, aging, IQ, and alcohol and drug abuse. This book will be of interest to anyone interested in the people and events that have helped shape the world, including mental health professionals and scholars studying psychological topics in the larger context of science, art, politics, and history. The book also serves as an engaging text for undergraduate psychology courses.

At the first National Conference on Christian Education of the United Church of Christ, held at Purdue University in the summer of 1958, Martin Luther King presented two notable devotional addresses. Moved by the clear and persuasive quality of his words, many of the 3000 delegates to the conference urged that the meditations be made available in book form. They wanted the book for their own libraries and they were eager to share Dr. King’s vital messages with fellow Christians of other denominations. In the resolute struggle of American Negroes to achieve complete acceptance as citizens and neighbors the author is recognized as a leader of extraordinary resourcefulness, valor, and skill. His concern for justice and brotherhood and the non-violent methods that he advocates and uses, are based on a serious commitment to the Christian faith. As his meditations in this book suggest, Dr. King regards meditation and action as indivisible functions of the religious life. When we think seriously in the presence of the Most High, when in sincerity we “go up to the mountain of the Lord,” the sure event is that “he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths” (Isaiah 2:3).

How do you measure greatness? Whereas “excellence” is about becoming the best you can be at one particular thing, greatness moves you past routine success and onto a new plateau where your achievements are more meaningful and satisfying. It is a deliberate act of finding the best in yourself and making choices from a different mindset. It’s a way of seeing a special kind of "more" in your life. And while achieving greatness inevitably leads to profit and phenomenal success in business, it's also—surprise!—a profoundly satisfying way to live. This revelatory book contains a powerful step-by-step process showing you how to: develop a clear idea of who you are and what you want • cultivate a positive new orientation from which better choices can be made • generate action in yourself and create unusual impact on others • overcome information overload • create a built-in mechanism to generate this sort of greatness consistently Filled with inspiring examples from sports and business, this book points the way to a life lived more deeply and filled with joy, passion, success, excitement, and peace.