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The order of time / by Rovelli, Carlo,1956-author.; Segre, Erica,translator.; Carnell, Simon,1962-translator.; translation of:Rovelli, Carlo,1956-Ordine del tempo.English.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Why do we remember the past and not the future? What does it mean for time to 'flow'? Do we exist in time or does time exist in us? In lyric, accessible prose, Carlo Rovelli invites us to consider questions about the nature of time that continue to puzzle physicists and philosophers alike"--
Subjects: Space and time.; Time.; Presentism (Philosophy); Cosmology.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The invention of good and evil : a world history of morality / by Sauer, Hanno,author.; Heinrich, Jo,translator.; translation of:Sauer, Hanno.Moral.English.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."What makes us moral beings? How do we decide what is good and what is evil? In the vein of Sapiens comes a grand history of our universal moral values at the moment of their greatest crisis. How did we learn to distinguish good from evil? Have we always been capable of doing so? And will we still be in the world to come? In this breathtaking book, ethics expert Hanno Sauer offers a great universal history of morality in the era of its darkest crisis. He finds that morality existed long before there was talk of God, religion, or philosophy. Its history is, first of all, the fruit of a process of natural selection, going back to the dawn of humanity, in the forests of East Africa which, five million years ago, thinned out owing to climate change. Among the early humans that came down from the trees, there were also our ancestors, who adapted to open spaces by organizing themselves into large groups. Under the pressure of environmental factors, morality emerges as the foundation for cooperation, a quality that is as precarious as it is essential to the survival of the species. Moving between paleontology and genetics, psychology and cognitive science, philosophy and evolutionism, Sauer traces a genealogy of morality and along the journey, marks the main moral transformations in the history of humanity. In the end, he concludes that millions of years of stratifications has led to the moral crisis of our present--and the only way to build a future together is to retrace our history."--
Subjects: Ethics;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Wintering : the power of rest and retreat in difficult times / by May, Katherine,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."An intimate, revelatory book exploring the ways we can care for and repair ourselves when life knocks us down. Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a break up, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered. A moving personal narrative shot through with lessons from literature, mythology, and the natural world, May's story offers instruction on the transformative power of rest and retreat. Illumination emerges from many sources: solstice celebrations and dormice hibernation, C.S. Lewis and Sylvia Plath, swimming in icy waters and sailing Arctic seas. Ultimately Wintering invites us to change how we relate to our own fallow times. May models an active acceptance of sadness and finds nourishment in deep retreat, joy in the hushed beauty of winter, and encouragement in understanding life as cyclical, not linear. A secular mystic, May forms a guiding philosophy for transforming the hardships that arise before the ushering in of a new season"--
Subjects: Nature, Healing power of.; Rest.; Self-acceptance.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Our tribal future : how to channel our foundational human instincts into a force for good / by Samson, David Ryan,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."An astounding and inspiring look at the science behind tribalism, and how we can learn to harness it to improve the world around us. What do you think of when you hear the word "tribalism?" For many, it conjures images of bigotry, xenophobia, and sectarian violence. Others may envision their own tribe: family, friends, and the bonds of loyalty that keep them together. Tribalism is one of the most complex and ancient evolutionary forces; it gave us the capacity for cooperation and competition, and allowed us to navigate increasingly complex social landscapes. It is so powerful that it can predict our behavior even better than race, class, gender, or religion. But in our vast modern world, has this blessing become a curse? Our Tribal Future explores a central paradox of our species: how altruism, community, kindness, and genocide are all driven by the same core adaptation. Evolutionary anthropologist David R. Samson engages with cutting-edge science and philosophy, as well as his own field research with small-scale societies and wild chimpanzees, to explain the science, ethics, and history of tribalism in compelling and accessible terms. This bold and brilliant book reveals provocative truths about our nature. Readers will discover that tribalism cannot, and should not, be eliminated entirely--to do so would be to destroy what makes us human. But is it possible to channel the best of this instinct to enrich our lives while containing the worst of its dangers?"--
Subjects: Collective behavior.; Human evolution.; Social evolution.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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This one wild and precious life : the path back to connection in a fractured world / by Wilson, Sarah,1974-author.;
Will you sleep through the revolution? Or do you want to wake up and reclaim your one, wild and precious life? From New York Times bestselling author Sarah Wilson comes a spiritual guidebook for surviving and thriving during challenging times. Many of us are living with the sense that things are not right with the world, as global problems like the pandemic, the climate crisis, political polarization, and social injustice mount, leaving us in a state of spiritual PTSD. We have retreated, morally and psychologically; we are experiencing a crisis of disconnection--from one another, from our true values, from joy, and from life as we feel we are meant to be living it. Sarah Wilson argues that this sense of despair and disconnection is ironically what unites us--that deep down, we are all feeling that same itch for a new way of living. This One Wild and Precious Life opens our eyes to how we got here and offers a radically hopeful path forward. Drawing on science, literature, philosophy and the wisdom of some of the world's leading experts, and her personal journey, Wilson weaves a one-of-a-kind narrative that lights the way back to the life we love. En route, she shows us how to wake up and reconnect with life with "wild practices."
Subjects: Self-help publications.; Environmental psychology.; Nature and civilization.; Quality of life.; Loneliness.; Solitude.; Social isolation.; Social change.; Alienation (Social psychology); Self-realization.; Self-actualization (Psychology);
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Embracing hope : on freedom, responsibility & the meaning of life / by Frankl, Viktor E.(Viktor Emil),1905-1997,author.; Vesely, Alexander,1974-writer of foreword.; Esch, Tobias,1970-writer of introduction.; Young, Joelle,translator.;
Includes bibliographical references."A highly anticipated, rediscovered collection from Viktor Frankl, published for the first time in the United States, exploring freedom, responsibility, and how we can draw meaning from the temporary nature of our lives. The Library of Congress lists Man's Search for Meaning as one of the ten most influential books in history. Scientists and artists, politicians and celebrities regularly cite Frankl as one of the most important authors every person should read. Now, there is another book for his devoted fans to add to their collections. Published here for the first time in the United States, Embracing Hope continues Frankl's enduring life's work and provides even more lessons for those searching for meaning and purpose. It's made up of four distinct pieces from Frankl on different themes-all uniting around the idea that we should remain open to life even when we have been subjected to appalling injustice, and even when we are faced with our own mortality and the brief nature of our lives. At a time of global suffering where so many are searching for hope and meaning, Frankl's work seems more relevant and more important than ever. Whether you're a devoted follower of Frankl's work or a newcomer seeking to enrich your understanding of life's purpose, this book promises a captivating journey that will leave you pondering its teachings long after you've turned the final page."--
Subjects: Hope.; Liberty.; Meaning (Philosophy);
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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To speak for the trees : my life's journey from ancient Celtic wisdom to a healing vision of the forest / by Beresford-Kroeger, Diana,1944-author.;
"Canadian botanist, biochemist and visionary Diana Beresford-Kroeger's startling insights into the hidden life of trees have already sparked a quiet revolution in how we understand our relationship to forests. Now, in a captivating account of how her life led her to these illuminating and crucial ideas, she shows us how forests can not only heal us but save the planet. When Diana Beresford-Kroeger-- whose father was a member of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy and whose mother was an O'Donoghue, one of the stronghold families who carried on the ancient Celtic traditions-- was orphaned as a child, she could have been sent to the Magdalene Laundries. Instead, the O'Donoghue elders, most of them scholars and freehold farmers in the Lisheens valley in County Cork, took her under their wing. Diana became the last ward under the Brehon Law. Over the course of three summers, she was taught the ways of the Celtic triad of mind, body and soul. This included the philosophy of healing, the laws of the trees, Brehon wisdom and the Ogham alphabet, all of it rooted in a vision of nature that saw trees and forests as fundamental to human survival and spirituality. Already a precociously gifted scholar, Diana found that her grounding in the ancient ways led her to fresh scientific concepts. Out of that huge and holistic vision have come the observations that put her at the forefront of her field: the discovery of mother trees at the heart of a forest; the fact that trees are a living library, have a chemical language and communicate in a quantum world; the major idea that trees heal living creatures through the aerosols they release and that they carry a great wealth of natural antibiotics and other healing substances; and, perhaps most significantly, that planting trees can actively regulate the atmosphere and the oceans, and even stabilize our climate. This book is not only the story of a remarkable scientist and her ideas, it harvests all of her powerful knowledge about why trees matter, and why trees are a viable, achievable solution to climate change. Diana eloquently shows us that if we can understand the intricate ways in which the health and welfare of every living creature is connected to the global forest, and strengthen those connections, we will still have time to mend the self-destructive ways that are leading to drastic fires, droughts and floods."--
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Biographies.; Beresford-Kroeger, Diana, 1944-; Botanists; Biochemists; Celts; Forest ecology.; Forests and forestry; Trees; Trees;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Determined : a science of life without free will / by Sapolsky, Robert M.,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."One of our great behavioral scientists, the bestselling author of Behave, plumbs the depths of the science and philosophy of decision-making to mount a devastating case against free will, an argument with profound consequences. Robert Sapolsky's Behave, his now classic account of why humans do good and why they do bad, pointed toward an unsettling conclusion: We may not grasp the precise marriage of nature and nurture that creates the physics and chemistry at the base of human behavior, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Now, in Determined, Sapolsky takes his argument all the way, mounting a brilliant (and in his inimitable way, delightful) full-frontal assault on the pleasant fantasy that there is some separate self telling our biology what to do. Determined offers a marvelous synthesis of what we know about how consciousness works-the tight weave between reason and emotion and between stimulus and response in the moment and over a life. One by one, Sapolsky tackles all the major arguments for free will and takes them out, cutting a path through the thickets of chaos and complexity science and quantum physics, as well as touching ground on some of the wilder shores of philosophy. He shows us that the history of medicine is in no small part the history of learning that fewer and fewer things are somebody's "fault"; for example, for centuries we thought seizures were a sign of demonic possession. Yet, as he acknowledges, it's very hard, and at times impossible, to uncouple from our zeal to judge others and to judge ourselves. Sapolsky applies the new understanding of life beyond free will to some of our most essential questions around punishment, morality, and living well together. By the end, Sapolsky argues that while living our daily lives recognizing that we have no free will is going to be monumentally difficult, doing so is not going to result in anarchy, pointlessness, and existential malaise. Instead, it will make for a much more humane world"--
Subjects: Free will and determinism.;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Slow productivity : the lost art of accomplishment without burnout / by Newport, Cal,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."The author of Digital Minimalism and Deep Work offers a philosophy for pursuing meaningful accomplishment while avoiding overload. History's most creative and impactful philosophers, scientists, artists, and writers mastered the art of producing valuable work with staying power. In this book, Cal Newport harnesses the wisdom of these traditional knowledge workers to transform modern jobs. Drawing from research on the habits and mindsets of a varied cast of thinkers from Galileo and Isaac Newton to Jane Austen and Georgia O'Keefe, Newport lays out the key principles of "slow productivity" and provides step-by-step advice for workers to replace the standard notion of productivity with a slower, more humane alternative"--
Subjects: Humanism.; Labor productivity.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Inseparable : a never-before-published novel / by Beauvoir, Simone de,1908-1986,author.; Atwood, Margaret,1939-writer of introduction.; Smith, Sandra,1949-translator.; translation of:Beauvoir, Simone de,1908-1986.Inséparables.English.;
"From the moment Sylvie and Andrée meet in their Parisian day school, they see in each other an accomplice with whom to confront the mysteries of girlhood. For the next ten years, the two are the closest of friends and confidantes as they explore life in a post-World War One France, and as Andrée becomes increasingly reckless and rebellious, edging closer to peril. Sylvie, insightful and observant, sees a France of clashing ideals and religious hypocrisy--and at an early age is determined to form her own opinions. Andrée, a tempestuous dreamer, is inclined to melodrama and romance. Despite their different natures they rely on each other to safeguard their secrets while entering adulthood in a world that did not pay much attention to the wills and desires of young women. Deemed too intimate to publish during Simone de Beauvoir's life, Inseparable offers fresh insight into the groundbreaking feminist's own coming-of-age; her transformative, tragic friendship with her childhood friend Zaza Lacoin; and how her youthful relationships shaped her philosophy. Sandra Smith's vibrant translation of the novel will be long cherished by de Beauvoir devotees and first-time readers alike."--
Subjects: Autobiographical fiction.; Bildungsromans.; Feminist fiction.; Historical fiction.; Female friendship;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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