Download or read book Battling the Gods written by Tim Whitmarsh and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2015-11-10 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How new is atheism? Although adherents and opponents alike today present it as an invention of the European Enlightenment, when the forces of science and secularism broadly challenged those of faith, disbelief in the gods, in fact, originated in a far more remote past. In Battling the Gods, Tim Whitmarsh journeys into the ancient Mediterranean, a world almost unimaginably different from our own, to recover the stories and voices of those who first refused the divinities. Homer’s epic poems of human striving, journeying, and passion were ancient Greece’s only “sacred texts,” but no ancient Greek thought twice about questioning or mocking his stories of the gods. Priests were functionaries rather than sources of moral or cosmological wisdom. The absence of centralized religious authority made for an extraordinary variety of perspectives on sacred matters, from the devotional to the atheos, or “godless.” Whitmarsh explores this kaleidoscopic range of ideas about the gods, focusing on the colorful individuals who challenged their existence. Among these were some of the greatest ancient poets and philosophers and writers, as well as the less well known: Diagoras of Melos, perhaps the first self-professed atheist; Democritus, the first materialist; Socrates, executed for rejecting the gods of the Athenian state; Epicurus and his followers, who thought gods could not intervene in human affairs; the brilliantly mischievous satirist Lucian of Samosata. Before the revolutions of late antiquity, which saw the scriptural religions of Christianity and Islam enforced by imperial might, there were few constraints on belief. Everything changed, however, in the millennium between the appearance of the Homeric poems and Christianity’s establishment as Rome’s state religion in the fourth century AD. As successive Greco-Roman empires grew in size and complexity, and power was increasingly concentrated in central capitals, states sought to impose collective religious adherence, first to cults devoted to individual rulers, and ultimately to monotheism. In this new world, there was no room for outright disbelief: the label “atheist” was used now to demonize anyone who merely disagreed with the orthodoxy—and so it would remain for centuries. As the twenty-first century shapes up into a time of mass information, but also, paradoxically, of collective amnesia concerning the tangled histories of religions, Whitmarsh provides a bracing antidote to our assumptions about the roots of freethinking. By shining a light on atheism’s first thousand years, Battling the Gods offers a timely reminder that nonbelief has a wealth of tradition of its own, and, indeed, its own heroes.

Download or read book I Don t Believe in Humans written by Cute Notebook Cute Notebook Factory and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-08-28 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This funny journal has a skeptical and cute unicorn who is thinking, "I don't believe in humans." This fun notebook for kids is the perfect gift for tween girls. An humorous birthday gift for kids, party favour, or stocking stuffer. Great for girls who love unicorns. 6X9 inch, 107 pages, cute doodle scrolls at top and bottom of pages, matte finish. Cute Notebook Factory makes wide variety of beautiful journals and note books for girls, perfect for school, work and home. Please click our name to see all of our listings.

Download or read book Believe in People written by Charles Koch and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2020-11-17 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A surprising take on how you can help tackle the really big problems in society–from one of America’s most successful entrepreneurs. People are looking for a better way. Towering barriers are holding millions of people back, and the institutions that should help everyone rise are not doing the job. Crumbling communities. One-size fits all education. Businesses that rig the economy. Public policy that stifles opportunity and emboldens the extremes. As a result, this country is quickly heading toward a two-tiered society. Today’s challenges call for nothing short of a paradigm shift – away from a top-down approach that sees people as problems to be managed, toward bottom-up solutions that empower everyone to realize their potential and foster a more inclusive society. Such a shift starts by asking: What would it mean to truly believe in people? Businessman and philanthropist Charles Koch has devoted his life to answering that question. Learn what he’s discovered during his 60-year career to help you apply the principles of empowerment in your life, in your business, and in society. By learning from the social movements and applying the principles that have enabled social progress throughout history, Koch has achieved more than he dreamed possible – building one of the world’s most successful companies and founding Stand Together, one of America’s most innovative philanthropic communities. Stand Together CEO Brian Hooks and Koch show how the only way to solve the really big problems – from poverty and addiction to harmful business practices and destructive public policy – is for each and every one of us to find and take action in our unique role as part of the solution. Full of compelling examples of what works – including several first-person accounts from individuals whose lives have been transformed – Koch and Hooks’ refreshing approach promotes partnership instead of partisanship and speaks to people from different perspectives and all walks of life. They show that no injustice is too tough to overcome if you share a deep belief in people, are willing to unite with anyone to do right, and work to empower others from the bottom up.

Download or read book The Silence of Animals written by John Gray and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2013-06-04 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "An exploration of the failures of reason in human life and the enduring role of myth in science, politics, and morality"--

Download or read book Alfie and Me What Owls Know What Humans Believe written by Carl Safina and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2023-10-03 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A moving account of raising, then freeing, an orphaned screech owl, whose lasting friendship with the author illuminates humanity’s relationship with the world. When ecologist Carl Safina and his wife, Patricia, took in a near-death baby owl, they expected that, like other wild orphans they’d rescued, she’d be a temporary presence. But Alfie’s feathers were not growing correctly, requiring prolonged care. As Alfie grew and gained strength, she became a part of the family, joining a menagerie of dogs and chickens and making a home for herself in the backyard. Carl and Patricia began to realize that the healing was mutual; Alfie had been braided into their world, and was now pulling them into hers. Alfie & Me is the story of the remarkable impact this little owl would have on their lives. The continuing bond of trust following her freedom—and her raising of her own wild brood—coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a year in which Carl and Patricia were forced to spend time at home without the normal obligations of work and travel. Witnessing all the fine details of their feathered friend’s life offered Carl and Patricia a view of existence from Alfie’s perspective. One can travel the world and go nowhere; one can be stuck keeping the faith at home and discover a new world. Safina’s relationship with an owl made him want to better understand how people have viewed humanity’s relationship with nature across cultures and throughout history. Interwoven with Safina’s keen observations, insight, and reflections, Alfie & Me is a work of profound beauties and magical timing harbored within one upended year.

Download or read book Charlotte written by Sabrina Chesters and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2019-09-29 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charlotte is written in a stream of conscious format. This allows for the abstraction of her random thoughts to be revealed to the reader as the plot develops. Generally, the plot focuses on Charlotte’s internal struggles with herself after experiencing a traumatic event generated by her, now, ex boyfriend. A boy named Drew comes into Charlotte’s life at this time of mourning and confusion. They both have devastating pasts and through this they begin their friendship. Charlotte covers topics such as domestic violence, sexual assault, mental health, and a few others.

Download or read book I Don t Believe in Atheists written by Chris Hedges and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No Marketing Blurb

Download or read book Five Proofs of the Existence of God written by Edward Feser and published by Ignatius Press. This book was released on 2017-08-25 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a detailed, updated exposition and defense of five of the historically most important (but in recent years largely neglected) philosophical proofs of God’s existence: the Aristotelian, the Neo-Platonic, the Augustinian, the Thomistic, and the Rationalist. It also offers a thorough treatment of each of the key divine attributes—unity, simplicity, eternity, omnipotence, omniscience, perfect goodness, and so forth—showing that they must be possessed by the God whose existence is demonstrated by the proofs. Finally, it answers at length all of the objections that have been leveled against these proofs. This work provides as ambitious and complete a defense of traditional natural theology as is currently in print. Its aim is to vindicate the view of the greatest philosophers of the past— thinkers like Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Aquinas, Leibniz, and many others— that the existence of God can be established with certainty by way of purely rational arguments. It thereby serves as a refutation both of atheism and of the fideism that gives aid and comfort to atheism.

Download or read book The Heart Eating Humans of Hollywood written by Brad T. Gottfred and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2005-12 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this wickedly intriguing mystery, one man finds that in order to achieve his moviemaking dreams, he must allow powerful, evil executives to devour his heart.

Download or read book History of Humans written by Trung Nguyen and published by EnCognitive.com. This book was released on 2016-12-22 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The truth about humans and humanity shall set your life free. “History of Humans”, the third book in the series “Is There a God?” discusses the origin of humans and humanity. Chapters include, Chapter 1: Science versus Religion Chapter 2: The Three Worlds Chapter 3: The Physical World Chapter 4: The Psychological World Chapter 5: The Spiritual World Chapter 6: Beings of Love and Light Chapter 7: The -ISMs of Existence Chapter 8: Naturalopy Chapter 9: Terminologies and Notations

Download or read book The Language of God written by Francis Collins and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2008-09-04 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dr Francis S. Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, is one of the world's leading scientists, working at the cutting edge of the study of DNA, the code of life. Yet he is also a man of unshakable faith in God. How does he reconcile the seemingly unreconcilable? In THE LANGUAGE OF GOD he explains his own journey from atheism to faith, and then takes the reader on a stunning tour of modern science to show that physics, chemistry and biology -- indeed, reason itself -- are not incompatible with belief. His book is essential reading for anyone who wonders about the deepest questions of all: why are we here? How did we get here? And what does life mean?

Download or read book Identity and Political Participation Among Young British Muslims written by A. Mustafa and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-01-30 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book tackles unanswered questions on British Muslims and political participation: What makes religion a salient 'political' identity for young Muslims (over any other identity)? How do young British Muslims identify themselves and how does it relate to their political engagement? A fascinating insight into the lives of young British Muslims.

Download or read book The Humans written by Matt Haig and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-07-02 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The bestselling, award-winning author of The Midnight Library offers his funniest, most devastating dark comedy yet, a “silly, sad, suspenseful, and soulful” (Philadelphia Inquirer) novel that’s “full of heart” (Entertainment Weekly). When an extra-terrestrial visitor arrives on Earth, his first impressions of the human species are less than positive. Taking the form of Professor Andrew Martin, a prominent mathematician at Cambridge University, the visitor is eager to complete the gruesome task assigned him and hurry home to his own utopian planet, where everyone is omniscient and immortal. He is disgusted by the way humans look, what they eat, their capacity for murder and war, and is equally baffled by the concepts of love and family. But as time goes on, he starts to realize there may be more to this strange species than he had thought. Disguised as Martin, he drinks wine, reads poetry, develops an ear for rock music, and a taste for peanut butter. Slowly, unexpectedly, he forges bonds with Martin’s family. He begins to see hope and beauty in the humans’ imperfection, and begins to question the very mission that brought him there. Praised by The New York Times as a “novelist of great seriousness and talent,” author Matt Haig delivers an unlikely story about human nature and the joy found in the messiness of life on Earth. The Humans is a funny, compulsively readable tale that playfully and movingly explores the ultimate subject—ourselves.

Download or read book Public Papers of the Presidents fo the United States George W Bush written by and published by Government Printing Office. This book was released on with total page 978 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Humans Are Not the Enemies written by R S Amblee and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2008-07-07 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A rouge planet moving in the dark sky, hiding in the shadow of many celestial bodies enters the solar system without being noticed. World unites under one presidency and one military. Life as we know it undergoes chaos and unprecedented changes. When NASA's plan fails to achieve a substantial deflection of the rogue planet, humans seek refuge in all three directions: underground, in space, and on Mars. As the rouge planet passes by, its gravity feeds on Earth's resources. Earth, the cradle of life, comes close to extinction. Did the human race survive? Read this daring adventure of mankind's attempt to escape global catastrophe. Global unity at its best. Human ingenuity at its finest. The most advanced life form in the universe is on a quest, to survive!

Download or read book Humans written by Sergio Almécija and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2023-05-23 with total page 526 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How did humanity evolve? And what does our evolutionary history tell us about what it means to be human? These questions are fundamental to our identity as individuals and as a species and to our relationship with the world. But there are almost as many answers to them as there are scientists who study these topics. This book brings together more than one hundred top experts, who share their insights on the study of human evolution and what it means for understanding our past, present, and future. Sergio Almécija asks leading figures across paleontology, primatology, archaeology, genetics, and many other disciplines about their lives, their work, and the philosophical significance of human evolution. They reflect on questions that are both fun and profound: What set you down your career path? Are humans special? Where and when would you travel in a time machine? Does human evolution offer lessons for society? Is evolution compatible with spirituality and religion? Humans features a remarkably accomplished cast of contributors, including Kay Behrensmeyer, Frans de Waal, Nina Jablonski, Richard Leakey, Robert Sapolsky, and Richard Wrangham. Together, they provide a refreshing, personable, engaging, cross-disciplinary, and thought-provoking exploration of different—even diametrically opposed—ideas about our nature and evolution, what makes humans unique, and what our future might hold. This book also offers practical suggestions for readers seeking to embark on a scientific career.

Download or read book Understanding Humans written by David Edmonds and published by SAGE Publications Limited. This book was released on 2023-09-14 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Compiling the best episodes of SAGE′s ′Social Science Bites′ podcast since its beginning in 2012, this pocket-sized volume is sure to inspire and provoke. With a foreword by David Edmonds, host of the podcast, this book will show you how social science can help to solve problems in today′s society. It is structured into sections on identity, learning, human behaviour, social change, and the unexpected, with each chapter offering the perspective of one of the most dynamic thinkers in the social sciences. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, Edmonds′ selection of interviews includes topics such as racial inequality, moral psychology, the pandemic, and the prison system. Interviewees include Sam Friedman, Professor of Sociology at LSE, Gurminder K. Bhambra, Professor of Postcolonial and Decolonial Studies at the University of Sussex, and Jennifer Richeson, Professor of Psychology at Yale University. This book will show you the range of voices in the social sciences today, and how this diversity is what is needed to grapple with the complexity of the issues we face.