Western Books

You could fill a book with all the information I _don't_ know about Brazilian music... In fact, these guys already have! Concise, conversational, informative and very well laid out, this is an exceptionally readable book. Chapters on samba, bossa nova, tropicalia, forro and jazz include focused biographical sketches of dozens of key artists, as well as succinct historical information about the progress of Brazilian music from its European and African folk roots into its bewildering and often beautiful modern offshoots. The book's focus is nonpartisan: although there is plenty of room for aesthetic criticism within the various styles, the authors generally hold their preferences and dislikes to themselves. They do, however, give readers a good sense of which recordings might be best to check out -- an invaluable service considering how little of Brazil's vast musical output makes it to the United States. Highly recommended! Certainly the best English-language guide to Brazilian pop that you will find in print (online is a different matter), this is great for casual listeners and hardcore fans alike.

The Brazilian Sound is good as far as it goes - a who's who list and discography of 20th century Brazilian music. Although, the book has the feel of a junior college textbook, it's written in plain language. It would be a relatively easy read if it were not that a parenthetical list of Brazilian names breaks up every third or fourth paragraph. There are some very informative passages - notably the chapter on Bossa Nova and the "Escolas de Samba" section of Chapter 2. At their best, the authors provide clear and comphrensive explanations of the geneology and sociological context of the music.

Unfortunately, unless a person is willing to spend countless shopping hours and a couple of thousand dollars building up collection of Brazilian records, he or she will gain almost no insight from this book into what the music feels like. The authors describe individual works and artists in only vague terms - terms often identical to those previously used to describe others. They beat the term "syncopation" into irrelevance - it's clear only that all Brazilian music is syncopated. The authors habitually refer to folk music genres and song forms ala "Composer X's work is all based on the Y song form..." But they provide no practical examples or definitions of those genres or forms.

The authors stridently dumb-down their text, accepting as axiom that one has to "hear it to believe it" and that it is meaningless to describe Brazilian music in technical terms. They generally refrain from even using common musical terms - bar, measure, pulse, key, etc. - to give the reader a clearer understanding of Brazilian rhythmic and harmonic structures. They use few effective musical comparisons or verbal metaphors. It is understandably difficult to describe music in writing. But it is possible. Judicious use of metaphor, comparisions, and technical descriptions would have greatly fleshed out what in the end comes off as a skeletal text.

This 1998 edition serves as the update to the first, apparently published in 1990 or 1991. However, the amendments appear to have been quite minor - embodied by an isolated paragraph here and there, and four meager pages in the final "More Brazilian Sounds" chapter. It's as if nothing has really happened in the evolution of Brazilian music since 1990 - an impression that must be wrong.

The Brazilian Sound catalogs decent research, but is neither good writing nor effective music history.

The best book about Brazilian music in English, "The Brazilian Sound" is a beautifully written, in-depth guide to samba, bossa and other Brazilian genres. Many of the reviews below are on the mark, but BGB from WA seems not to have read the book (or to have read a different book!). The 1998 edition substantially upgrades the original 1991 version. There is much added in terms of early history, capoeira, racial issues, choro, and the blocos and afoxes in Bahia. There is more on important artists from the 1990s, like Marisa Monte, Daniela Mercury, Carlinhos Brown, Chico Cesar, Chico Science and Karnak, though these additions are in various chapters, not just the final one ("More Brazilian Sounds"). One needs to have actually read the book to know that, of course...The music is nicely described, in both musical and cultural terms. One gets a strong sense of how it sounds, and a clear understanding of its rhythmic, harmonic and melodic ingredients. Some of the writing is rather encyclopedic, dispensing a rather staggering amount of information, while many sections vividly convey a sense of the music. I often felt I was at a bossa nova club in '59, at an escola de samba rehearsal, watching one of the 1960s song festivals, or attending a forro party. "The Brazilian Life" brings to life both the current and past greats of Brazilian music. As a result, I added quite a few CDs to my collection, especially of artists like Milton Nascimento, Pixinguinha, Jobim and Marisa Monte. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

An excellent book for anyone who wants to explore Brazilian music beyond the well-known classics. Helps place current and past musicians in their historical contexts; helps you understand who influenced whom, etc. The book will pay for itself just by helping you guide your ever-growing collection of Brazilian CD's (hard to stop once you get started)!

A lively and well-written book, The Brazilian Sound provides a broad overview of the remarkable spectrum of musica popular brasileira, from samba, bossa nova and forro to tropicalia, choro and Brazilian rock. It takes us on a journey both through the evolution of Brazilian music and the history of Brazil, and places artists like Jobim within a cultural context that helps us appreciate their music all the more. One comes away with a solid grasp of the major artists and genres of Brazilian music, as well as their impact on the "North American Sound." There is an extensive glossary at the end that is worth the price of the book alone, and an exhaustive discography.

The authors succeed in bringing the music to life, whether they are conveying the playfulness of the choro musical style, placing the reader at an Olodum concert in Salvador, or describing a samba-school rehearsal on a "hot and humid night in Rio de Janeiro." For the latter, they write, "Surdos (bass drums) pound out a booming beat, and their incessant drive provides the foundation for the rest of the bateria, the drum-and-percussion section that will later parade triumphantly during Carnaval. Snare drums called caixas rattle away in a hypnotic frenzy, and above them tamborins (small cymbal-less tambourines that are hit with sticks) carry a high-pitched rhythmic phrase like popcorn in an overheated pot. Enter the sad cries and humorous moans of the cuica (friction drum), the crisp rhythmic accents of the reco-reco (scraper), and the hollow metallic tones of the agogo (double bell). Other percussion instruments add more colors, the ukelele-like cavaquinho adds its high-register plaintive harmonies, and the puxador (lead singer) belts out the melody...." Such vivid and elaborate descriptions helped me make sense of the wall of sound that is samba, and made me want to book the next flight to Rio de Janeiro for Carnaval.

The second edition adds more historical information and brings the book up to date with musical developments in the `90s. There is extensive additional information about the origins of capoeira (the Brazilian martial art which is accompanied by music in training and which is gaining increasing popularity all over the world), and about racial issues in Brazil as reflected in popular music. There are new profiles of contemporary artists such as Marisa Monte, Nacao Zumbi, Karnak, Daude, Chico Cesar, Daniela Mercury, Timbalada, and Carlinhos Brown. The descriptions of Bahian percussionist-songwriter Carlinhos Brown's collaboration with Sergio Mendes (on the 1992 album Brasileiro) and his groundbreaking 1996 solo album Alfagamabetizado are especially memorable. This is a classic study of Brazilian music, a must for any world-music aficionado.

As a Social Work student, I have taken several classes on counseling/therapy and I was struggling with how to reconcile the ideas I was learning in my classes with the philosophy of Buddhism. Coming across Aronson's book has been a great help to me in addressing these questions. On the surface it may seem like psychotherapy and Buddhism clash on ideas of anger, the self, and attachment, but as Aronson explains, they are not really so contradictory after all.

I also appreciate the words of caution he has for westerners taking up this religion. The cultural differences are real and it would be a mistake to ignore them. If we're not careful, we as westerners can use our Buddhist practice to reinforce dysfunctional behavioral patterns and thinking. I was surprised how spot on Aronson was in identifying these problems. He is clearly someone who is very familiar with both Buddhism and psychotherapy and has a deep understanding of how the two can interact for westerners. I learned a great deal about myself in reading this book and I am very grateful to Aronson for that.

I highly recommend this book for any western Buddhist, whether they are involved in psychotherapy or not, and also for any therapists in general as it will help them understand some of the struggles their Buddhist clients may be experiencing.

This book was desperately needed for those that live in the West and practice Buddhism! The honesty, directness and usefulness of this book is great! I'm so glad this book was published!

A well written and thought-out book that can be of great use for western practioners of the buddha-dharma. Having been exposed to many of the challenges written about in this book I find it helpful that such a book has been written by someone with so much experience in the buddhist world as well as the world of psychotherapy. A veritable boon for all westerners on the path of awakening!

For more than half a century scholars and psychologists have been trying to see whether the practices and philosophy of Eastern religions and philosophical systems can be engaged with Western psychology. Some of the finest attempts at doing this have come from Ken Wilber, Roger Walsh and Frances Vaughan. To their number we should now add the name Harvey Aronson. I do not know him, but I read that he is a psychotherapist and Buddhist lecturer and this is one of the most comprehensive attempts to examine the basic differences and convergences between Asian and Western cultural and spiritual values.

This is far from being an arcane topic. Virtually every meditation teacher has been struck by the amount of psychological work that we need to do. Not just at the outset, but, as practice continues, many psychological issues tend to come up. Often people find themselves struggling with the apparent contradictions of being a Christian and needing therapy. Or alternatively of being a Western practitioner of Buddhism who enters therapy and then has to try and reconcile the apparent contradictions between a meditation practice that stresses the gradual dissolution of the ego and social inter-dependence, with therapeutic models that tend to emphasize ego-strengthening, autonomy and individuality.

The influential Chögyam Trungpa, founder of Naropa University in Boulder, talked a lot about meditation as therapy, but always said that meditation should be seen as an unconditional way of life rather than a form or medicine or healing.

The author's background enables him to expand on the subject in a way that only a few other writers have. In this book he focuses on the four central strands of the teachings of the Buddha: The Self, anger, love and attachment, and how these strands can illuminate and enrich Western psychological thought.

This is a well-written, clear and practical book that I recommend highly.

The author is psychotherapist, & meditation teacher with many famous associates/teachers in Theravada, Vajrayana, Dzogchen, & Bon (e. g. Surya Das, the IMS crew, Hopkins, Dudjom R., Norbu, Wangyal, Goenka et al), & Anne Klein's husband. He builds on the work of other therapist-Buddhists (Engler, Rubin, Epstein, Safran, Welwood) in explaining differences, risks, & potential cross-fertilization between these Eastern & Western approaches p. xiii: "Buddhist philosophy & meditation practice offer many tools for profound spiritual development, but they do not address all the psychological concerns of Westerners. Without more culturally appropriate interventions such as psychotherapy, even some advanced meditators continue to suffer from anxiety, depression, isolating narcissism, or numbed disengagement," p. xv: "When unacknowledged, such cultural gaps can cause teachers to misunderstand their students, who in turn suffer feelings of alienation & emotional injury," p. 2: "When we assimilate Buddhist practice into preexisting patterns, we merely introduce new content into old forms," & p. 65: "Confusion can occur when we are not mindful that we are taking concepts out of a Buddhist historical & linguistic context, translating them & depositing them into our own cultural-linguistic framework." As Tibetan/Pali/Sanskrit translator, he provides extensive discussion of how words, used differentially in English & Asian tongues, cause misunderstanding; thus, he focuses on 4 often confusing topics: self, anger, love, & attachment, providing examples of cultural & linguistic differences. Carefully choosing his words, he provides examples, stories, personal experiences, & quotes from both Buddhist masters & psychotherapists as well as meditation exercises (Tonglen, metta/maitri--see Pema Chödrön's works for more detail). He describes his aim as: p. 91: "cross-cultural & psychological reflections on Buddhist teachings," pointing out that p. 228 note 30: "Our way of understanding our experience is then very different from that of traditional Asian cultures." For example, p. 92: "Healthy anger, or assertion, differs from the intent to harm, which is the traditional Buddhist meaning of anger." p. 101: "Buddhist texts have no single morally neutral term for our abstract concept `emotions'." Also, p. 162: "It is an unfortunate & significant misreading of Buddhist literature to confuse the attitude of a Buddhist practitioner who embodies engaged nonattachment with that of a person who is defensively detached." He addresses how Buddhism will be absorbed into the West (reminiscent of Tsomo's & others' books on Western Buddhist Women), stating--p. 80: "We in the West will inevitably place Buddhist philosophical teachings within our psychological frame." p. 195: "While it is important to recognize the complex web of language, philosophy, social customs, & history that have both informed Buddhism & been informed by it in Asia, there is no way that we can-or should-seek to replicate all segments of that web when we incorporate Buddhist practice into our lives. From what I have seen, it is most effective to craft our own psycho-spiritual milieu, one that combines both traditional & modern approaches in addressing the broad array of concerns that we currently experience." p. 205: "We are seeing the evolution of an entirely new style of Buddhism in the West, influenced by cultural forces not prevalent in traditional Asia."

Thank you so much for the wonderful cookbook. It is filled with great recipes that are tried and true.

This cookbook was given to me when it was first published. I have used it ever since and today the cover has finally fallen off but it is still very much in use.

I haven't prepared a recipe in here that isn't fantastic. The presentation always amazes guests as they think whatever is made took hours and hours.

Like others have said, the recipes are not that difficult and stand the test of time.

Thank you so much for the cookbook. I received it in a timely manner and it was in perfect condition. What a wonderful way to receive a book that was impossible to find before.

I received this cookbook in the hardback edition from a friend back in 1980. I have used and used it over and over again. There are many favorites that I have used again and again; the Tahoe Brunch and Lasagne, to name only two. Buy it an see for yourself!!

The copy of the book I purchased was a present for one of my children. I have used the California Heritage Cookbook for 20 years. Every recipe I have made was good--to the extent that I do not hesitate to serve what appears to be a truly strange combination of ingredients to company. My favorite cookbook (and I collect cookbooks).

I was very pleased with the service and quality of my purchase. He was professional and efficient.

This book is an excellent source for the wroks of philosophers beginning with Plato and going on to all the other greats of Western Philosophy. Although I am only on the writings of Aristotle, I am enjoying the book and find that the footnotes provide some much-needed explanantions in parts. Further, the price I got this book for was much lower than what my college bookstore was asking for.

Cahn's text was a requirement for a historical-introduction to philosophy class that I had. Cahn has included much relevant material from key philosophers from Plato and on. I highly recommened this book over Pojman.

I must confess my review is about the third edition, but it got me through understanding many a dry philosophical lecture. The book encompasses many of the great philosophical minds of in western history - the usual Greek medley plus other greats such as Locke, Descartes, Spinoza.
Each set of highlighted works is prefaced by a small biography.
If current western philosophical college curricula is anything to go by this book brings the relevant philosophers together in one place and thus forms a vital part of any student's bookshelf.

This anthology is by far the best anthology of its kind. If you love ancient and medieval philosophy the way I do, it is possible to teach an entire semester "intro. to phil." course out of Plato, Aristotle, Sextus, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Maimon, Ockham, Gerson, and the Stoa.
This book could also support a whole early moderns course, as it features full texts of MEDITATIONS ON FIRST PHILOSOPHY, ETHICS, MONADOLOGY, AN ENQUIRY CONCERNING HUMAN UNDERSTANDING, and DIALOGUES CONCERNING NATURAL RELIGION. This great text also contains a well-selected excerpt from Kant's KrV.
If you are a philosophy instructor who loves great texts, and if you teach an historical approach to intro., this text is your choice. This servicable anthology is priced reasonably enough that it can also serve as a primary-source reference for thematic courses. Thanks to Hackett for this gem. This text is also ideal as the core text for a one-trimester course. I have even used this book once for a one-semester ethics course!

A great book, it has even more information than the movie does about Cloud and his family. A must for Cloud fans and horse lovers.

This is a marvelous book and companion to the video which deals with wild horses in the Rockies. The photography is superb and the author's style is easy reading while capturing the beauty of the wild horse. I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in horses, both domestic and wild.

The book is wonderful. Beautifully written and photographed. However, people should know that Cloud's herd of wild horses is in great danger of being rounded up and permanently removed from the Pryor Mountains in Montana which has been cleared of all other herds of Mustangs. The Bureau of Land Management has caved in to cattle and sheep ranchers who want all wild horses removed from the range, including Public Lands and areas such as the Pryor Mountains where cattle are not grazed.

Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies is an interesting book, with vivid photographs of mustangs. I received it as a gift back when I was still obsessed with horses, and could not get enough of it. Even now that I only slightly like horses anymore, I find this book very enjoyable.

Interspersed with moving photography, this is Ginger Kathrens' story of a wild stallion called Cloud. She followed his herd before he was born, and followed him all over afterwards. A simple but well-written documentary that, I can only imagine, rivals the show produced on Nature's television series, this is a must for any young horse-lover, or even an older one.

I highly recommend this book. The pictures are full-color and the story is superb; you will be getting your money's worth with this book. Long live Cloud!

The heck with being a book for teen girls ----- it is a book for all horse lovers and non horse lovers alike! Beautiful photos and a GREAT TRUE Story! It is WONDERFUL!

Just purchased this rightoff on Alibris and was real excited to read this even tho I'm into music conducting, arranging, writing, hearing by ear, all of it.

This is deeply a Music Must if u're interested of being a most-talented musician, bandleader, music director, conductor, and/or just trying it out for practice.

Alot of people been recommend 'cuz the man himself Brock Elheran tells it right here from the heart and it's rocks on to this day 4ward.

I just begun conducting while in high school with the band and duggin' up everybody who can do that. I'm also a talented musician myself so ya'll know the basics 'bout that. I look 4ward of reading more books like this in the future and 'mos definitely on arranging, composing, orchestration, theory, composition, leadership, music production, all of the above.

I'm proud to say that I studied with Brock. He is an amazing conductor with great passion for music. While his book was required reading for his undergraduate conducting class, his concepts are used every day is my choral rehearsals. I've been conducting for 12 years now, and know that his concepts and rehearsal techniques have served me well. A very simple, concise, and practical guide by an incredible teacher and conductor.

I bought this book shortly after I'd agreed to conduct an adult community choir, and studied it with fearful concentration through the first tentative weeks while the choir and I developed some trust in each other's good will and ignorance. I'm still a novice conductor, but I've now stood in front of some big groups of singers, experienced and beginners, and I trust this book. Even when it's not hidden in the music in front of me.

There's room for argument with some of what McElheran says, and I haven't yet seen a choral conductor who works as he recommends, but the book is clear, sensible, brief, and practical. What's more, it's in better shape than most of my music, although it's travelled further and lived rougher.

I've found the exercises very useful, especially those with "a group of friends". I tried these with my novice choir, in a spirit of "let's explore", and we all learnt from them.

Warmly recommended for anyone interested in conducting, even those who are not about to try their hand, with or without baton, at it.

This is the best book for technique I've come across, period. The style is not unnecessarily abtruse and the clarity of the book in explanation is magnificent. What appealed to me is the fact that logical, scientific explanations are given for most of the technique encompassed, and the author does not take refuge in 'tradition'. It is as suited to the absolute beginner as it is to the professional looking to polish his/her tehnique.

This book has become a common introductory text for undergraduate level conducting gesture in the United States. In this respect, the book is extremely effective.

McElheran's treatise is laid out in ultra-clear chapters, all of which are concise and contain possible "Assignments." Not to get too bogged down in the mire of conducting gesture, McElheran's first chapter is on Inspiration. In short, "make the performers want to do their best," he says.

The next few chapters cover aspects such as the baton, beat patterns, the left hand, dynamics and other aspects of music, cues, off-beat accents, fermatas, and some aspects about rehearsals and performance. There are more chapters but you get the picture. All are good.

Some readers may wonder if this is meant for "orchestral" or "choral" conducting. McElheran states clearly that there is (or should be) little difference and that choral conductors should develop an orchestral technique. While I would say that good choral and orchestral conducing are about 95 % similar (perhaps even more so), choral conductors should be aware that there are some differences, especially in ideas of always "hitting the imaginary table" or conducting every single beat. Nonetheless, Conducting Technique can be very helpful for the beginning choral conductor.

Moreover, McElheran's writing style is very fresh and full of self-effacing wit. Reading the book gives one the impression that Brock McElheran is the type of person who takes the art of music seriously but not himself seriously. I think any beginner of conducting should consult this book, and even professionals might want to have it around just as a reference.

"Cooking Alaskan" is well-written with good, easy-to-follow recipes. Not only does it have great suggestions for varied recipes, it also teaches the reader how to actually work with the foods from live crab to fish or octopus. I recommend this book to anyone, especially if you live in or visit Alaska!

I had no idea that a whole porcupine could be cooked by throwing it on hot coals and burning off the quills. This could change the face of suburban barbecue. The whole book is a delight in many ways. It gives a real sense of people who depend upon the bounty of nature, and make the best use of the great things they have. It would be worthwhile just for the read, but there is good advice on cooking game and seafood. The recipes are mostly simple, no lavish sauces here. The message is a basic one: if you have great stuff to start with, there is no need to doll it up. The great chef James Beard said his favorite foods were raw apples and raw oysters -- things that require no cooking at all. It's worth pondering.

As a lifelong Alaskan, this book contained recipes that I've been searching for, but have never found. Yay!! It covers a variety of recipes - from blueberries to Walrus - and it would make a great gift for friends in and out of Alaska.

Bought this for my daughter and she loved it. I've gone to her home unexpectedly and there it was propped open on her coffee table with markers in pages, so I know she is reading it.

Even though I live in Louisiana, I think this is a great book on cooking. It has lots of useful ideas, and you can substitute your local foods for the Alaskan products. The important thing is that this book teaches how to use what you have on hand, and how to prepare it and make it tasty, the same way that Alaskans have adapted to their environment. Great book at a great price.

and How it Ended up Creating the World as We Know It_ could have been another title of this superb book that is written with cogency, urgency, and a real desire to get across the reader what the author has to say. The synopsis of the story is as another reveiwer has already described below: namely that the kick-off of modernity with Descartes' "I think therefore I am" was not something that popped out of the blue of his profound brain but a working hypothesis in search of a foundation of certainty---to be applied to theology promarily so as to end the sort of savagery that was devastating Europe in the name of religion during his lifetime (the 30 Years War).

Toulmin contextualizes Newton's discovery and Hobbes' political philosophy (briefly but enough to make the connection) in the light of this quest for certainty that held so many of the best minds in Europe spellbound for all these years. With a pace that won't let up, Toulmin takes you on a tour of Europe's social and intellectual transformation: going from poverty and social schism and a sense of doom in 1610 to a confident, unquestionable, and unquestioned, established cosmopolitical paradigm of order that was foisted onto social and political (thus also art) agendas.

So far so good but it sounds like something you've heard before doesn''t it? That's when this book takes off:
Toulmin digs at the 'subtexts' of these common-knowledge events to show you some very interesting presuppositions (seemingly innocuous at first) inherent in these great scientific discoveries that could not but lead to the institutionalization of racism, sexism, and nationalisms that had such traumatic consequences in the 20th century, with continuing severe after-shocks today.

Looking back, we might smugly click our tongues at the insanity that gripped post-Montaigne Europe, and wonder what the fuss was all about. But Toulmin makes his thesis pressingly relevant to us today by drawing parallels with events and situations that are still with us today.

The author rounds out his argument by giving a brief but clear accounting of the major players (French and German) today who are redefining the concept of modernity from mutually opposite ends.

Toumin's assessment of the legacy of modernity--however it may have got started--is one of of hope and optimism as he reminds the reader that in making the distinction between 'power' and 'force' (Hobbes) there is also this thing called ' moral influence' which, he hopes, will serve as the engine of renewal and humanization of 'modernity' in all its possibilities.

Maybe this is not the best or the most comprehensive account of the origin of post-modernism and/or its tendencies, but the book does give you about a 120 degree panorama--through a powerful telescope. Isn't that enough in a book?

The book is a inspiring discussion on modernity and basic aspects of our view of world. It's an essential book in time of the pos-modernity challenge.

Wow! Toulmin takes the reader on an exhaustive tour of the modernist program, tracing the roots of modern thought way, way back to the 16th century...and before. He makes a compelling case, with some interesting side trips, that modern thought grew out of the religious wars of the early 1600s and the desire for non-sectarian certainty that those wars created. If that doesn't make sense, you should read this book. Fascinating history, and a broad sweep of science and philosophy make this book quite readable, though neither short nor easy. Still, it goes a long way toward explaining why the ground seemed to shift under our feet around 1960. It was an earthquake that was as inevitable as it was overdue. I highly recommend this book to any serious student of culture.

This book is very useful for anyone who tries to understand the phenomenon of modernity, it origin, and its weaknesses.

Cosmopolis brings it all together! Dreary and disconnected readings of Aquinas, Montaigne and Descartes take on new significance with Toulmin's "revised account" of Modernism. By contextualizing prominent figures, Toulmin provides the novice reader with the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate the philosophical contribution to the historical idiom. His witty, often humorous discourse is essentially readable and familiar. Philosophy can be tedious and intimidating, Toulmin proves it both fundamental and accessible.

This is a great book. Required for my class. You can probably find this book a few bucks cheaper. I rather pay the extra dough and save on time and hassle wasted like waiting in line during the beginning days of school or waiting for the auction to end or hoping the seller ships your book to get it before the beginning weeks of class. Just save time and sanity and purchase from amazon.

This is a great resource for any theological library. Whether you agree or disagree with what Hume writes, this book is `a must' as you wrestle with faith and epistemic certainty. It is used in many theology and philosophy classes and will aid any reader to become more familiar with a different perspective on the origin of religion, the Enlightenment struggle with reason and faith and the broader conversation of contemporary epistemology.

David Hume, a philosopher of the period often classified as British Empiricism, is the intellectual associate of philosophers John Locke and George Berkeley. Born in Edinburgh in 1711, he attended the University of Edinburgh but did not graduate. He went to France during his 20s, and spent time there working on what would become his most famous work, 'An Enquiry into Human Understanding', first published under the title 'Treatise of Human Nature'. However, Hume was a prolific writer, and dealt with many areas of philosophy, including politics and ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics. He wrote in the area of history as well, and had a politic career as British ambassador to France and a post as a minister in the government for a few years. His final work, 'Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion', was published posthumously in 1779, although work had begun on it as early as the 1750s.

Hume was very concerned about rationality. Hume was never publicly and explicitly an atheist, but his rational mind, concerned about sensory and intelligible evidence, led him to question and doubt most major systems of religion, including the more general philosophical sense of religion and proofs of the existence of God. The primary arguments in his 'Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion' deal with the Argument from Design, and the Cosmological Argument. There is an assumed distinction here between natural religion and revealed religion, an especially important distinction in the Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment philosophical structure.


- Natural Religion and Revealed Religion -

Natural religion is the idea that we come to know and understand God (and, consequently, what God wants or expects of us, if anything) simply from nature and our sensory perceptions, as well as our interpretations (emotion and rational) of this kind of understanding. From very early in his writing career, Hume attacked the idea of natural religion and most of its conclusions, drawing a sharp line between what we can actually know and what ends up being fanciful extrapolations based on other-than-rational ideas and evidence. Revealed religion is primary what most religions base themselves upon - the burning bush to Moses, the resurrection and post-resurrection appearances to the Apostles, the Buddha's enlightenment under the tree - these are examples of revelation. While Hume does take on the idea of revealed religion in his other works, this particular text does not concern itself with that topic, and stays in the domain of addressing natural religion.


- The Argument from Design -

Arguments from Design have always had a strong appeal to believers within religious frameworks; they have often been used as tools of evangelism, as attempts to show that beyond the revealed doctrines, the very nature of things points to a creator. In very short order, the Argument from Design in Hume's newly-industrial time might have read like this:

- Machines are designed by beings with intelligence.
- The world and the universe it is in resembles a machine.
- Therefore, the world must have been created by means of intelligent design.

This is an argument by analogy, and is convincing to some, but often more convincing to those already inclined to believe in the existence of God.


- The Cosmological Argument -

The Cosmological Argument is at once both more subtle and more simple. The most simple way of stating it would be that God is the 'first cause' of everything. If everything has to have a cause (even the whole universe), then that first cause must be God. In the twentieth century era of thinking of a universe that began with a Big Bang, it seemed to some that the Cosmological Argument was confirmed.

Hume would have been familiar with Leibniz's more subtle form of the Cosmological Argument, which argues for a world of infinite contingent causes. However, there has to be something outside of this system of infinite causes that produced the series - thus, even in a universe with no set beginning or ending, there would still need to be an overarching cause.


- Hume's Arguments -

Hume argues on many levels. His first criticism of the Argument from Design is that this analogy (as are most arguments from analogy) is faulty and not exact; we have no idea if the universe is like a machine. Even if it was, machines are often designed and built by several designers - why argue for one God rather than several? How do we know that matter and the universe don't have their own, internal self-organising principles?

With regard to the Cosmological Argument, the argument is a little more strained. Hume argues that, in any series of causality, once one knows about each cause, it makes no sense to inquire beyond the sequence of causes to some other effect. This is a very Empirical argument, to be sure, and while perhaps not entirely satisfying, it still has merit in philosophy to this day.


- Hume's Structure -

This is a dialogue, set up in the classical way of people talking with each other about the subjects. Hume draws primarily from Cicero, whose work 'On the Nature of the Gods' uses characters of the same names. However, whereas Cicero was concerned about the nature of the Gods (their attributes, powers, etc.) and not their existence, it is the very existence of God that occupies Hume's thoughts.

Hume, despite many years of work on this text, probably never quite thought it was finished. He left the work to Adam Smith (the noted economist, and friend of Hume in Edinburgh), who also thought the arguments against the existence of God were too strong, and likely too damaging to Hume's overall reputation. The tug-of-war over the publication makes for interesting reading in and of itself.

These are important arguments, worthy of discussion and dialogue in philosophy classes, theology classes, and among others who ponder the existence of God.

How lucky am I to have this namesake.

This work is dynamite.

Hume walks right in and starts slaying every Sacred Cow in the place.

Not one God is left standing when he's finished. This is like watching Darwin taking the secateurs to church. Richard Dawkins doesn't even come close to Hume's intellectual power or economy of thought. They are in completely different leagues.

The introduction to this particular compilation paints a wonderful portrait of a man who deserves far more attention than he has received.

Erudite, clever, intellectually unassailable.

Apologists are left with nothing.

This work should be required reading for every school age child in the world.

It's fine to believe, but know what you're believing first.

Hume will take you there.

This is a wonderful collection of Hume's most famous and influential writings on religion. Few books I've encountered include this much first-rate philosophy for the price, and so I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Hume's thinking about religion. It includes the section on miracles from Hume's Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals and the full versions of both The Natural History of Religion and the Dialogues concerning Natural Religion. (Hume's short autobiography, "My Own Life," is also included.) Furthermore, Gaskin has provided some helpful editorial material: there's a useful introductory essay discussing the selections, and he includes explanatory notes that clarify some of Hume's more obscure references.

The central theme of Hume's religious thought is the central theme of his philosophical thought as a whole--namely the extent of our ignorance and the impotence of human reason to discover the things we really want to discover. And, for this reason, his writing on religion provides a good illustration of his general philosophical method: he begins by pointing out the impotence of reason, and then he offers a naturalistic psychological explanation of why we continue to think as we do. Our tendency to believe various religious thesis, he argues, cannot be explained as a justifiable way of thinking about the world that we arrive at through the use of reason. It is, instead, explained by certain general principles governing the operation of human minds. And two major works in this volume illustrate the two components of Hume's philosophical method. In the Dialogues he argues that neither empirical research nor the a priori exercise of reason is likely to reveal that our religious beliefs are justified. In The Natural History he begins the project of explaining why we do in fact believe what we do about religion.

As I said above, the Dialogues pertain to the first part of the method. Most of the Dialogues is devoted to discussion of a posteriori arguments for the existence of God, though there is also a short section on various a priori arguments. The main argument considered here is the classical argument from design, which Hume seems to understand as an analogical argument of the following sort: the complexity and order of the universe show that it is similar to artifacts created by human intelligences; similar causes have similar effects; therefore, the universe must have been created by a being with something like a human intelligence; therefore, the universe must have been created by God.

Hume's objections to this argument are legion, and many of the individual objections are both ingenious and forceful. He provides reasons for thinking that the universe isn't all that similar to artifacts created by human beings. Hume also provides for thinking that, even if we think the universe is similar to a human artifact, we ought to think the universe was created by a being quite unlike God. In addition, he suggests certain speculative naturalistic explanations of the existence and nature of the universe; and he claims that it's unclear why an appeal to divine creation is to be preferred to these speculative naturalistic stories of the universe's creation. Hume's cumulative case against the argument from design is quite impressive. Indeed, I'm pretty sure that Hume has shown that the argument from design is more or less worthless as support for anything resembling traditional theism.

But where, in the end, does Hume come down on the issue of theism? It seems clear that he has no sympathy for organized religion, or for any religious views that purport to describe the nature of God, His intentions, or how and why He created the universe as He did. For any such religious view is going to overstep the bounds within which he thinks human reason can operate. And the only positive religious claim that is given respectful treatment here is the bare claim that we have reason to think that the cause of the universe as a whole is somewhat similar to a human intelligence. But does acceptance of this minimal thesis amount to his being a theist? It's very hard to tell. The problem is that it often seems Hume's explicit advocation of this position amounts to little more than a description of what he thinks is an inevitable human tendency to think this way.

And this is where the second part of his project, the part carried out in The Natural History of Religion, becomes relevant. For The Natural History is the work in which Hume sets out to trace the sources of religious belief to certain natural principles of the human mind. There he argues that the the operation of our minds, along with the conditions in which we find ourselves, leads us to arrive at the sorts of religious beliefs we find to be popular in past and present human societies. Our ignorance about the way the world operates and our apprehensiveness about the ways these unknowns can affect our lives naturally lead human beings to a form of polytheism. We tend to attribute the underlying principles by which the world operates to a large number human-like beings, and this is what polytheistic religion amounts to. But once polytheism is in place our tendency to attribute greater powers and more perfect natures to individual gods leads us to something closer to monotheistic views according to which there is a single wholly perfect being behind all the underlying principles governing the world and behind the existence of the world itself.

It should be clear, then, why it's difficult to pin down just what Hume though about religion. He does think that it's hard for beings like us to deny the general thesis that the universe as a whole was probably created by a human-like intelligence. For given how our minds actually work, he seems to think, we're bound to think something like this about the origin of the universe. Yet it's somewhat unclear that he thinks forming beliefs in this way is reliable. It may simply be that we have a brute instinct to think in a way that insures we'll see the world as resulting from some human-like intelligence, and it's at least not clear that that isn't a debunking account of the plausibility of theism.

I think this is a great reference book to have for anybody who is interested in the world of philosophy and religion. However its only shortcoming is there is more coverage on western civilization than others. It is understandable in any case because of the great difficulties involved in covering all civilizations. I hope the future expanded editions may remedy this to some extent. I am very glad to have a copy of it.

The ordered book arrived on time in good condition. Thanks.

When I am bored with everything, this is one of the books I like to pick up and browse through. There's so much material here, I'm bound to find something interesting or even inspiring.

This is one of the most readable books that I own, which seems out of character for a "Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion" but it is very true. I can sit down with this book for hours at any given time. I think a big part of that is the excellent cross-reference system, so you can start anywhere and then see the linkages between different thoughts; which means that every reading of the book is like a journey. Another great feature of the book is that it covers both ideas and the people who forwarded them in the linking system so you can start with a study on epistemology and then end up ranging over half the book because you link to the people with the ideas and then back to the other ideas that the particular philospher had.

The drawbacks to such an approach are clear. After all, the book has to have some limitation to its length and it is covering many authors who wrote many thousands of pages on their own ideas, so the articles have to do quite a bit of summing up. Since it is absurd to expect deeper coverage from such a book anyway, I feel just fine highly recommending it.

I have been using this book for years, but I never had to learn anything that is in this book, being so amateur in philosophy that I don't have to trouble myself with the ideas for which most of the people in this book have become famous. I have usually expected things to be much simpler than the information which this book has to offer. It has nice definitions of some Greek and Latin words that I find meaningful, once I know what they are supposed to be about. On the Hebrew source of the word "Gehenna," the place used for "the city dump of Jerusalem" where fires burned constantly, the extra information, "according to tradition, [first-born] children had been sacrificed there to the god Moloch," provides a lot of insight into its use in The New Testament, where the King James Version often uses "hell."

For years, this book was my main source of information on Giordano Bruno (1548-1600). I suspect that it is right about "he was condemned to death, and burned alive in the Campo Dei Fiori on February 17, 1600." I have tried to make sense of a few of Bruno's books, like THE EXPULSION OF THE TRIUMPHANT BEAST, but I'm inclined to accept the list of main ideas in this dictionary as the sum of his accomplishments. Dying for the idea that "The universe is infinite" makes more sense than some of his monads, and "To consider reality in its multiplicity" is an achievement that I can appreciate.

On the other hand, the entry for Paul Tillich (1886-1965) illustrates a theologian's ability to distinguish "between three forms of reasoning~heteronymous, autonomous, and theonomous." I thought heteronymous would be pretty good, but Tillich thought that even "Autonomous reason takes its principles from within, but thereby reveals itself as vacuous and tautological." Being able to accept that Tillich would say that is part of being able to appreciate what this book is all about. I'm not saying that these guys are always right about anything.