Download or read book Cosmic Scholar written by John Szwed and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2023-08-22 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Named one of the Best Books of 2023 by the New Yorker and The New York Times' Dwight Garner “The first comprehensive biography of this hipster magus . . . [John Szwed] allows different sides of Smith’s personality to catch blades of sun. He brings the right mixture of reverence and comic incredulity to his task.” —Dwight Garner, The New York Times Grammy Award–winning music scholar and celebrated biographer John Szwed presents the first biography of Harry Smith, the brilliant eccentric who transformed twentieth century art and culture. He was an anthropologist, filmmaker, painter, folklorist, mystic, and walking encyclopedia. He taught Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe about the occult, swapped drugs with Timothy Leary, had a front-row seat to a young Thelonious Monk, lived with (and tortured) Allen Ginsberg, was admired by Susan Sontag, and was one of the first artists funded by Guggenheim Foundation. He was always broke, generally intoxicated, compulsively irascible, and unimpeachably authentic. Harry Smith was, in the words of Robert Frank, “the only person I met in my life that transcended everything.” In Cosmic Scholar, the Grammy Award-winning music scholar and celebrated biographer John Szwed patches together, for the first time, the life of one of the twentieth century’s most overlooked cultural figures. From his time recording the customs of Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest and Florida to his life in Greenwich Village in its heyday, Smith was consumed by an unceasing desire to create a unified theory of culture. He was an insatiable creator and collector, responsible for the influential Anthology of American Folk Music and several pioneering experimental films, but was also an insufferable and destructive eccentric who was unable to survive in regular society, or keep himself healthy or sober. Exhaustively researched, energetically told, and complete with a trove of images, Cosmic Scholar is a feat of biographical restoration and the long overdue canonization of an American icon. Includes black-and-white and color images

Download or read book American Cosmic written by D.W. Pasulka and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-23 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than half of American adults and more than seventy-five percent of young Americans believe in intelligent extraterrestrial life. This level of belief rivals that of belief in God. American Cosmic examines the mechanisms at work behind the thriving belief system in extraterrestrial life, a system that is changing and even supplanting traditional religions. Over the course of a six-year ethnographic study, D.W. Pasulka interviewed successful and influential scientists, professionals, and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who believe in extraterrestrial intelligence, thereby disproving the common misconception that only fringe members of society believe in UFOs. She argues that widespread belief in aliens is due to a number of factors including their ubiquity in modern media like The X-Files, which can influence memory, and the believability lent to that media by the search for planets that might support life. American Cosmic explores the intriguing question of how people interpret unexplainable experiences, and argues that the media is replacing religion as a cultural authority that offers believers answers about non-human intelligent life.

Download or read book The Cosmic Trilogy written by C. S. Lewis and published by Voyager. This book was released on 2006-07-03 with total page 1104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The classic science fiction trilogy by the author of The Chronicles of Narnia at last available in a new A-format boxed set The Cosmic Trilogy is a remarkable work of fantasy, demonstrating yet again the powerful imagination of C.S Lewis. OUT OF THE SILENT PLANET Dr Ransom, a Cambridge academic, is abducted and taken on a spaceship to the red planet of Malacandra, which he knows as Mars. His captors are plotting to plunder the planet's treasures and plan to offer Ransom as a sacrifice to the creatures who live there. Ransom discovers he has come from the 'silent planet' -- Earth -- whose tragic story is known throughout the universe...PERELANDRA Dr Ransom is called to the paradise planet of Perelandra, or Venus, which turns out to be a beautiful Eden-like world. He is horrified to find that his old enemy, Dr Weston, has also arrived and is putting him in grave peril once more. As the mad Weston's body is taken over by the forces of evil, Ransom engages in a desperate struggle to save the innocence of Perelandra...T decapitated head, Jane Studdock sees the same face in a newspaper and has the growing feeling that she is being warned of something real and ominous. Meanwhile, her husband Mark has been enticed to join the National Institute for Co-ordinated Experiments, which aims to control human society. As he is drawn into the sinister organization, he discovers the truth about his wife's dreams, while she seeks helps at a community called St Anne's, led by the charismatic Dr Ransom...

Download or read book The Savior s Journey The Life of Jesus Christ written by Sincan Stelian and published by Stelian Sincan. This book was released on 2023-12-01 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Embark on a soul-stirring odyssey through the sacred pages of "The Savior's Journey," a poignant and illuminating exploration of the life of Jesus Christ. This meticulously crafted book unfolds like a tapestry, weaving together the threads of divinity and humanity, offering readers an intimate glimpse into the transformative journey of the Savior. From the hallowed echoes of Bethlehem's manger to the profound teachings resonating across the hills of Galilee, each chapter unfurls the narrative of a life that transcends time. Delve into the wisdom of parables, witness the miracles that defy earthly bounds, and join the crowds who sought solace in the presence of a compassionate healer. As the pages turn, the poignant relationships that shaped Jesus' path come to life—the camaraderie of disciples, the tender exchanges with Mary Magdalene, and the divine connections that define his purpose. "The Savior's Journey" invites readers to witness the profound humanity of a figure whose impact has reverberated through centuries. This book does not shy away from the trials that marked Jesus' destiny—the poignant Last Supper, the harrowing betrayal, and the sacrificial crucifixion that echoed through the hills of Golgotha. In each chapter, the narrative captures the essence of a life lived with purpose, love, and an unwavering commitment to a divine mission. "The Savior's Journey" transcends the boundaries of time and space, presenting a masterful blend of historical accuracy and poignant storytelling. It is a testament to the enduring legacy of Jesus Christ, exploring themes of faith, redemption, and the eternal significance of a life that continues to inspire and guide countless souls. Immerse yourself in the pages of "The Savior's Journey," and discover anew the timeless and universal truths that illuminate the path of the one who proclaimed, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

Download or read book Space Is the Place written by John Szwed and published by Duke University Press. This book was released on 2020-04-30 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Considered by many to be a founder of Afrofuturism, Sun Ra—aka Herman Blount—was a composer, keyboardist, bandleader, philosopher, entrepreneur, poet, and self-proclaimed extraterrestrial from Saturn. He recorded over 200 albums with his Arkestra, which, dressed in Egypto-space costumes, played everything from boogie-woogie and swing to fusion and free jazz. John Szwed's Space is the Place is the definitive biography of this musical polymath, who was one of the twentieth century's greatest avant-garde artists and intellectuals. Charting the whole of Sun Ra's life and career, Szwed outlines how after years in Chicago as a blues and swing band pianist, Sun Ra set out in the 1950s to impart his views about the galaxy, black people, and spiritual matters by performing music with the Arkestra that was as vital and innovative as it was mercurial and confounding. Szwed's readers—whether they are just discovering Sun Ra or are among the legion of poets, artists, intellectuals, and musicians who consider him a spiritual godfather—will find that, indeed, space is the place.

Download or read book The New Cosmic Story written by John F. Haught and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2017-01-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A foremost thinker on science and religion argues that an adequate understanding of cosmic history requires attention to the emergence of interiority, including religious aspiration Over the past two centuries scientific advances have made it clear that the universe is a story still unfolding. In this thought-provoking book, John F. Haught considers the deeper implications of this discovery. He contends that many others who have written books on life and the universe--including Stephen Hawking, Stephen Jay Gould, and Richard Dawkins--have overlooked a crucial aspect of cosmic history: the drama of life's awakening to interiority and religious awareness. Science may illuminate the outside story of the universe, but a full telling of the cosmic story cannot ignore the inside development that interiority represents. Haught addresses two primary questions: what does the arrival of religion tell us about the universe, and what does our understanding of the cosmos as an unfinished drama tell us about religion? The history of religion may be ambiguous and sometimes even barbarous, he asserts, but its role in the story of cosmic emergence and awakening must be taken into account.

Download or read book The Consolation of Philosophy as Cosmic Image written by Myra L. Uhlfelder and published by Renaissance Society of America. This book was released on 2018 with total page 99 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this study, Uhlfelder (recently deceased) argues convincingly that, in portraying his literary persona as an exemplum of man in his quest for self-knowledge, Boethius has made the whole Consolatio a cosmic image representing man as microcosm. The mental faculties of sensus, imaginatio, ratio, and intellegentia are arranged as a proportion suggesting both Plato's famous "divided line" at the end of Book 6 of the Republic and, at the same time, the four elements of the physical cosmos which, according to the Platonic Timaeus, are connected with one another so as to form a geometrical proportion. The philosophical argument of the Consolatio in books II through V comprises another cosmic image with III. M.9 at its exact center; in addition, the other three cosmic depictions, revolving as concentric circles around III. M.9, may be viewed as forming an image of cosmic order. In its structure, then, Boethius' work is an anagogic eikon which formally depicts its content.

Download or read book Cosmic written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2010-01-19 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Liam has always felt a bit like he's stuck between two worlds. This isprimarily because he's a twelve-year-old kid who looks like he's about thirty. Sometimes it's not so bad, like when his new principal mistakes him for a teacher on the first day of school or when he convinces a car dealer to let him take a Porsche out on a test drive. But mostly it's just frustrating, being a kid trapped in an adult world. And so he decides to flip things around. Liam cons his way onto the first spaceship to take civilians into space, a special flight for a group of kids and an adult chaperone, and he is going as the adult chaperone. It's not long before Liam, along with his friends, is stuck between two worlds again—only this time he's 239,000 miles from home. Frank Cottrell Boyce, author of Millions and Framed, brings us a funny and touching story of the many ways in which grown-upness is truly wasted on grown-ups.

Download or read book Kusama Cosmic Nature written by Mika Yoshitake and published by Rizzoli Publications. This book was released on 2021-06-22 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Experience the brilliant artist's lifelong obsession with nature and immersion in gardens, a bedrock of her hugely influential work. Yayoi Kusama’s work is the product of an infinite curiosity and obsessive drive to create. Throughout the artist’s long and varied career, there is one persistent yet little-studied through line—her deep engagement with nature. From early sketches depicting flowers at her family’s plant nursery in Japan, to her most recent monumental sculptures of botanical forms poised to take flight, Kusama consistently calls our attention to the patterns, connections, and cycles of living things that are not always visible. KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature is the accompanying catalogue to the first comprehensive exploration of the artist’s enduring fascination with the natural world, exhibited across the 250-acre landscape of The New York Botanical Garden. The exhibition examines her lifelong awareness and attunement to nature, which serves not merely as a source of inspiration, but is an integral source of power for her artistic language. This profound life force pervades all of Kusama’s work, from studies of the molecular to contemplations of the universal, resulting in a transcendent, cosmic nature. Exhibition guest curator Mika Yoshitake, an independent scholar specializing in postwar Japanese art, and Joanna L. Groarke, NYBG exhibitions curator, catalogue co-editors, bring together essays by art historians, curators, and a scientist, who each present unique interpretations of Kusama’s engagement with the natural world. Featuring more than 120 drawings, paintings, sculptures, and archival photographs, including stunning views of the works displayed in NYBG’s gardens and galleries, KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature offers a new perspective on one of the world’s most celebrated contemporary artists.

Download or read book Cosmic Discovery written by Martin Harwit and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-03-21 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The search -- Discoveries -- Observation -- Detection, recognition, and classification of cosmic phenomena -- The fringes of legitimacy : the need for enlightened planning.

Download or read book Reports from a Scholar s Life written by Tryggve N. D. Mettinger and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2015-11-09 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tryggve N. D. Mettinger, emeritus professor of Hebrew Bible at Lund University, has long been one of the best known and most admired voices in biblical studies. His eight (English-language) books and countless articles, published in a career spanning over four decades, have changed the field in many ways. Mettinger is renowned not as an iconoclast, but as one working within mainstream scholarship who is nevertheless willing to challenge cherished ideas and who takes nothing for granted. For example, in one of his earliest works, A Farewell to the Servant Songs—published in its entirety in this volume—Mettinger, with his trademark brevity and articulation, drew attention to the shaky ground on which this consensus idea was built and called fellow scholars to reexamine this notion taken for granted by so many for so long. For Mettinger, the Bible is sacred literature, but in biblical interpretation there are no sacred cows. Reports from a Scholar’s Life: Select Papers on the Hebrew Bible collects 16 studies (one short monograph, twelve articles, and three reviews), originally published between 1977 and 2008, into one volume, along with a new reflective essay. The papers included provide not only Mettinger’s most groundbreaking publications, but also glimpses into several of the areas of study that occupied the author. Mettinger’s work ranged far and wide in the Hebrew Bible, and here one finds examples of his contributions to the study of, among other things: • the notions of God, the Gottesbild, in ancient Israel ; the theology of “YHWH Sabaoth” in the monarchic period ; • the development of the story of David in 1–2 Samuel; • aniconism in ancient Israel; the motif of the “dying and rising god” in the ancient world ;• narrative criticism of the book of Job; • the development and structure of Second Isaiah The entire volume is opened by the titular essay, published for the first time here, “Report from a Scholar’s Life.” This article was originally delivered as the farewell address upon his retirement from Lund University, and it provides a retrospective on his entire life and career.

Download or read book Science and Religion in Search of Cosmic Purpose written by John F. Haught and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This stimulating book offers candid reflections on the question of cosmic purpose written both by prominent scientists and by scholars representing the world's religious traditions. Examining the issue from a wide variety of perspectives, this is the only current book to deal with cosmic purpose from an interreligious and interdisciplinary perspective. The contributions address the question of whether a religiously-based notion of a purposeful cosmos is consistent with the latest scientific understanding of nature, and whether theology can affirm the presence of divine action without contradicting science.

Download or read book The Cosmic Cocktail written by Katherine Freese and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2016-05-17 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The inside story of the epic quest to solve the mystery of dark matter The ordinary atoms that make up the known universe—from our bodies and the air we breathe to the planets and stars—constitute only 5 percent of all matter and energy in the cosmos. The rest is known as dark matter and dark energy, because their precise identities are unknown. The Cosmic Cocktail is the inside story of the epic quest to solve one of the most compelling enigmas of modern science—what is the universe made of?—told by one of today's foremost pioneers in the study of dark matter. Blending cutting-edge science with her own behind-the-scenes insights as a leading researcher in the field, acclaimed theoretical physicist Katherine Freese recounts the hunt for dark matter, from the discoveries of visionary scientists like Fritz Zwicky—the Swiss astronomer who coined the term "dark matter" in 1933—to the deluge of data today from underground laboratories, satellites in space, and the Large Hadron Collider. Theorists contend that dark matter consists of fundamental particles known as WIMPs, or weakly interacting massive particles. Billions of them pass through our bodies every second without us even realizing it, yet their gravitational pull is capable of whirling stars and gas at breakneck speeds around the centers of galaxies, and bending light from distant bright objects. Freese describes the larger-than-life characters and clashing personalities behind the race to identify these elusive particles. Many cosmologists believe we are on the verge of solving the mystery. The Cosmic Cocktail provides the foundation needed to fully fathom this epochal moment in humankind’s quest to understand the universe.

Download or read book Alchemy written by Rudolf Steiner and published by Rudolf Steiner Press. This book was released on 2023-10-20 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The wisdom contained in this book is not derived via the usual methods of scholarly and historical research, and neither is it based on theory or speculation. Rudolf Steiner acquired his original contribution to human knowledge from metaphysical dimensions of reality which are hidden to most people – but visible to anybody who is prepared to develop spiritual means of perception. With his philosophical and scientific training, Steiner brought a new systematic discipline to the field of spiritual research, allowing for fully conscious methods and comprehensive results. A natural seer, he cultivated his spiritual vision to a high degree, enabling him to speak with authority on previously veiled mysteries. Samples of his work are to be found in this book of edited texts, which brings together excerpts from his many talks and writings on the subject of Alchemy. This volume also features an editorial introduction, commentary and notes by Dr Andrew Welburn. Chapters: Alchemy and the Rise of the Modern Mysteries; The Loss of the Divine and the Alchemical Quest; Mysteries of the Metals; The Standpoint of Human Wisdom Today; Alchemy and Consciousness – the Transformation; Alchemy and Archangels; The Alchemy of Nature – Mercury, Sulphur, Salt; Beyond Nature Consciousness – the Spiritual Goal.

Download or read book Cosmic Commons written by John Hart and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2013-11-14 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cosmic Commons explores terrestrial-extraterrestrial intelligent life Contact. It uses a thought experiment to consider the ecological-economic-ethical-ecclesial impacts of Contact, analyzing incidents around the world described by credible witnesses (two of whom are interviewed for the book), including Roswell and the Hudson River Valley. It discusses government and academic efforts to use ridicule and coercion to suppress Contact investigations, supports a scientific method to research ETI reports in a field that should excite scientists, and calls on academics to publicly disclose their Contact experiences. It traces Earth ecological and economic injustices to the European Enlightenment and the Discovery Doctrine by which European nations rationalized invasion of distant continents, genocide, and seizure of the territories and natural goods of native peoples. It advocates a change in humans' Earth conduct to avoid replicating in space the policies and practices that wrought economic injustice and ecological devastation on Earth, provides an innovative cosmosociological praxis ethics theory and practice toward that end, and develops a Cosmic Charter, based on UN documents, to guide humankind in space and in ETI encounters. Permeated by a profound sense of the sacred, Cosmic Commons explores a positive relationship between religion and science as humankind ventures into space.

Download or read book Scholar and Educator written by and published by . This book was released on 1977 with total page 666 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Religion in Late Modernity written by Robert C. Neville and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 2002-07-17 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religion in Late Modernity runs against the grain of common suppositions of contemporary theology and philosophy of religion. Against the common supposition that basic religious terms have no real reference but are mere functions of human need, the book presents a pragmatic theory of religious symbolism in terms of which the cognitive engagement of the Ultimate is of a piece with the cognitive engagement of nature and persons. Throughout this discussion, Neville develops a late-modern conception of God that is defensible in a global theological public. Against the common supposition that religion is on the retreat in late modernity except in fundamentalist forms, the author argues that religion in our time is a stimulus to religiously oriented scholarship, a civilizing force among world societies, a foundation for obligation in politics, a source for healthy social experimentation, and the most important mover of soul.