Sixteen original essays that discuss the question "what is philosophy." Each essay presents on great philosopher's unique vision of the nature of philosophy, and the collection illustrates the diversity of approaches that make philosophy perennially fascinating and that also make the great philosophers our contemporaries. Additional commentaries give readers a rich, multifaceted understanding of the meaning of philosophy. -- Publisher description

This historically based collection of philosophers' reflections--the letters, journals and prefaces that reveals their hopes and hesitations, their triumphs and struggles, their deepest doubts and convictions--allows us to witness philosophical thought in process. Ranging from Plato to Hannah Arendt, with contributions from 44 philosophers (Augustine, Maimonides, AlGhazali, Descartes, Pascal, Leibniz, Voltaire, Rousseau, Hobbes, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein, among others) this remarkable collection documents philosophers' claim that they change as well as understand the world. In her introductory essay, "Witnessing Philosophers," Amelie Rorty locates philosophers' reflections in the larger context of the many facets of their other activities and commitments.

Although much has been said and written about coincidences, there is a marked absence when it comes to the development of a comprehensive model that incorporates the many different ways in which they can be understood and explained. One reason for this omission is undoubtedly the sharp divide that exists between those who find coincidences meaningful and those who do not, with the result that the conclusions of the many books and articles on the subject have tended to fall into distinct camps. The Many Faces of Coincidence attempts to remedy this impasse by proposing an inclusive categorisation for coincidences of all shapes and sizes. At the same time, some of the implications arising from the various explanations are explored, including the possibility of an underlying unity of mind and matter constituting the ground of being.

"In The Many Faces of Christ religious historian Philip Jenkins refutes our most basic assumptions about the Lost Gospels and the history of Christianity. He reveals that hundreds of alternative gospels were never lost, but survived and in many cases remained influential texts, both outside and within the official Church. We are taught that these alternative scriptures--such as the Gospels of Thomas, Mary, or Judas--represented intoxicating, daring and often bizarre ideas that were wholly suppressed by the Church in the fourth and fifth centuries. In bringing order to the tumult, the Church canonized only four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The rest, according to this standard account, were lost, destroyed, or hidden. But more than a thousand years after Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and made his Roman Empire do the same, the Christian world retained a much broader range of scriptures than would be imaginable today"--

What if you could tell, just by looking at others, how they tend to think, feel, and behave? What if your partner's face revealed the best way to resolve any conflicts between you? And what if you could discover in your own face the wisdom that you need in order to be your true self? Based on the same ancient foundation as acupuncture and Chinese medicine, face reading has been in the ''research and development'' phase for over 3,000 years. When translated to make it meaningful for our Western lives, it's a powerful source of wisdom that we can all access. Chinese face reading shows you how to live your life in alignment with your own natural flow, find the life path that gives you joy, attract relationships that nurture you, and most of all, enable you to feel compassion for yourself and others. This book will forever change how you see yourself . . . and all the people in your life!

The Many Faces of Biblical Humor examines how the Bible writers intentionally used humor, irony, and sarcasm to argue their points concisely. This work begins with the dysfunctional families of Genesis, continues delightfully through every book of the Bible, and ends with a glorious fulfillment in Revelation. Along the way, the reader is presented humorous stories, pathetically funny characters, and poignant quips and quotes from prophets, poets, and principals. The author paraphrases each biblical text in an engaging prose that highlights the humor of that passage—humor that may not have been previously noted by the reader. Between the paraphrases, the author sets the historical and linguistic setting, allowing the reader to see how the humor (and puns) of the text enrich the biblical understanding of God's message. Also included are applications of these marvelous passages to our daily lives as we see our own foibles portrayed in the biblical characters. In many ways, this is a Bible commentary with an accent on the humorous. In another sense, it is simply a delightful book that makes the Bible come alive through the latent humor of its characters and their stories. This revised edition contains corrections of typographical errors in the first edition as well as some clarifying material to make the humor more enjoyable. For more information, visit the author's website.