The Human Predicament

The Human Predicament
Title The Human Predicament PDF eBook
Author David Benatar
Publisher Oxford University Press
Pages 289
Release 2017-05-05
Genre Philosophy
ISBN 0190633832

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Are our lives meaningful, or meaningless? Is our inevitable death a bad thing? Would immortality be an improvement? Would it be better, all things considered, to hasten our deaths by suicide? Many people ask these big questions -- and some people are plagued by them. Surprisingly, analytic philosophers have said relatively little about these important questions about the meaning of life. When they have tackled the big questions, they have tended, like popular writers, to offer comforting, optimistic answers. The Human Predicament invites readers to take a clear-eyed and unfettered view of the human condition. David Benatar here offers a substantial, but not unmitigated, pessimism about the central questions of human existence. He argues that while our lives can have some meaning, we are ultimately the insignificant beings that we fear we might be. He maintains that the quality of life, although less bad for some than for others, leaves much to be desired in even the best cases. Worse, death is generally not a solution; in fact, it exacerbates rather than mitigates our cosmic meaninglessness. While it can release us from suffering, it imposes another cost - annihilation. This state of affairs has nuanced implications for how we should think about many things, including immortality and suicide, and how we should think about the possibility of deeper meaning in our lives. Ultimately, this thoughtful, provocative, and deeply candid treatment of life's big questions will interest anyone who has contemplated why we are here, and what the answer means for how we should live.

Living Untethered

Living Untethered
Title Living Untethered PDF eBook
Author Michael A. Singer
Publisher New Harbinger Publications
Pages 200
Release 2022-05-10
Genre Self-Help
ISBN 1648480950

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Now a New York Times bestseller! The book you need right now is finally here! From beloved spiritual teacher Michael A. Singer—author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, The Untethered Soul—this transformative and highly anticipated guide will be your compass on an exciting new journey toward self-realization and unconditional happiness. Now more than ever, we’re all looking to feel more joy, happiness, and deeper meaning in our lives. But are we looking in all the wrong places? When our sense of wholeness depends on things or people outside ourselves—whether it’s a coveted job, a new house, a lavish vacation, or even a new relationship—sooner or later we’re bound to feel unsatisfied. That’s why we must look inside for real freedom, love, and inspiration. But how do we embark on this inner journey? Living Untethered is the book to reach for. At once profoundly transcendent and powerfully practical, it provides clear guidance for moving beyond the thoughts, feelings, and habits that keep you stuck—so you can heal the pain of the past and let your spirit soar. On each page, you’ll discover a deeper understanding of where your thoughts and emotions come from, and how they affect your natural energy flow. Finally, you’ll find freedom from the psychological scars, or samskaras, that block you and keep you from reaching your highest potential. It’s time to stop struggling and start experiencing. This miraculous book will show you how to put the spiritual teachings of Michael A. Singer into practice every day, and propel you toward a life of liberation, serenity, openness, and self-knowledge. Isn’t it time you started Living Untethered? This book is copublished by New Harbinger Publications, Inc., the premier publisher of psychology and self-help books for nearly fifty years; and Sounds True, the leading multimedia publisher of original works by world-renowned spiritual teachers.

The Human Predicament in Hardy's Novels

The Human Predicament in Hardy's Novels
Title The Human Predicament in Hardy's Novels PDF eBook
Author Jagdish Chandra Dave
Publisher Springer
Pages 223
Release 2016-02-25
Genre Literary Criticism
ISBN 1349076465

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Better Never to Have Been

Better Never to Have Been
Title Better Never to Have Been PDF eBook
Author David Benatar
Publisher Oxford University Press
Pages 250
Release 2008
Genre Medical
ISBN 0199549265

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Most people believe that they were either benefited or at least not harmed by being brought into existence. David Benatar presents a startling challenge to these assumptions. He argues that people systematically overestimate the quality of their life, and suffer quite serious harms by coming into existence.

Phlogs

Phlogs
Title Phlogs PDF eBook
Author George Stranahan
Publisher
Pages 0
Release 2009
Genre Photography, Artistic
ISBN 9780981781037

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Words and pictures come together in this book about the life and photography of George Stranahan, physicist, professor, rancher, founder of Flying Dog brewery [and Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey], philanthropist, former head of Aspen Community School, and friend of Hunter S. Thompson and Ralph Steadman. Starting out by imitating the work and subject matter of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, Stranahan grew into his own idiosyncratic style. “As I look at my photos now,” he says, “I think that perhaps they are the serious work of my life.” (Cornell Alumni Magazine, March/April 2010) WINNER of the 2010 Colorado Book Award, Pictorial Category WINNER of The Indie Next Generation Coffee Table/Photography Book Award and Grand Prize Winner - Second Place, Non-Fiction Award

The Immanent Divine

The Immanent Divine
Title The Immanent Divine PDF eBook
Author John J. Thatamanil
Publisher Fortress Press
Pages 260
Release
Genre Religion
ISBN 9781451411379

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While traditional Christian thought and spirituality have always affirmed the divine presence in human life, Thatamanil argues we have much to learn from non-dualistic Hindu thought, especially that of the eighth-century thinker Sankara, and from the Christian panentheism of Paul Tillich. Thatamanil compares their diagnoses and prognoses of the human predicament in light of their doctrine of God or Ultimate Reality. What emerges is a new theology of God and human beings, with a richer and more radical conception of divine immanence, a reconceived divine transcendence, and a keener sense of how the dynamic and active Spirit at work in us anchors real hope and deep joy.Using key insights from Christian and Hindu thought Thatamanil vindicates comparative theology, expands the vocabulary about the ineffable God, and arrives at a new construal of the problems and prospects of the human condition.

Philosophy, Humor, and the Human Condition

Philosophy, Humor, and the Human Condition
Title Philosophy, Humor, and the Human Condition PDF eBook
Author Lydia Amir
Publisher Springer Nature
Pages 314
Release 2019-12-19
Genre Philosophy
ISBN 3030326713

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This book presents an original worldview, Homo risibilis, wherein self-referential humor is proposed as the path leading from a tragic view of life to a liberating embrace of human ridicule. Humor is presented as a conceptual tool for holding together contradictions and managing the unresolvable conflict of the human condition till Homo risibilis resolves the inherent tension without epistemological cost. This original approach to the human condition allows us to effectively address life’s ambiguities without losing sight of its tragic overtones and brings along far-ranging personal and social benefits. By defining the problem that other philosophies and many religions attempt to solve in terms we can all relate to, Homo risibilis enables an understanding of the Other that surpasses mere tolerance. Its egalitarian vision roots an ethic of compassion without requiring metaphysical or religious assumptions and liberates the individual for action on others’ behalf. It offers a new model of rationality which effectively handles and eventually resolves the tension between oneself, others, and the world at large. Amir’s view of the human condition transcends the field of philosophy of humor. An original worldview that fits the requirements of traditional philosophy, Homo risibilis is especially apt to answer contemporary concerns. It embodies the minimal consensus we need in order to live together and the active role philosophy should responsibly play in a global world. Here developed for the first time in a complete way, the Homo risibilis worldview is not only liberating in nature, but also illuminates the shortcomings of other philosophies in their attempts to secure harmony in a disharmonious world for a disharmonious human being.