Poetry from the Future - Why a Global Liberation Movement Is Our Civilisation's Last Chance by Srecko Horvat

$19.99 AUD

Category: Philosophy and Religion

What is democracy? Have our democratic societies turned into a form of totalitarianism? If so, how do they get away with it? The past is forgotten, and the future is without hope. Dystopia has become a reality. Capitalism and historical revisionism are part of the fabric of this new world of normalized apocalyptic politics. Our passivity is guaranteed if we believe there is no future--this is a radical manifesto for hope in democracy, union and internationalism. Srecko Horvat, a leading European philosopher, calls for a radical internationalism in order to bring true democracy to Europe. ...Show more

Chinese Thought: From Confucius to Cook Ding by Roel Sterckx

$24.99 AUD

Category: Philosophy and Religion | Series: Pelican Bks.

How did the ancient Chinese think about the world? What does environmental consciousness stand for in the Chinese tradition? Where does China's obsession with education come from? We are often told that the twenty-first century is bound to become China's century. Never before has Chinese culture been s o physically, digitally, economically or aesthetically present in everyday life in the Western world. But how much do we really know about its origins and key beliefs, especially compared to the many histories of Western philosophy? In this enlightening book, Roel Sterckx, one of the foremost experts in Chinese thought, takes us through centuries of Chinese history, from Confucius to Daoism to the Legalists. With evocative examples from philosophy, literature and everyday life, he shows us how the ancient Chinese have shaped the thinking of a civilization that is now influencing our own. ...Show more

Eve Escapes by Hélene Cixous

$31.95 AUD

Category: Philosophy and Religion

"I get up every day with one day more," says Eve, the writer's 97-year-old mother. She is escaping into the New Life and the writer must race to catch up. As things slip away and fall into oblivion, as her mother's world and thus her own relentlessly shrinks, the writer is stunned to see for the first t ime the vestiges of a prison scene in her beloved Tower of Montaigne, which she has been visiting for fifty years. It represents the story of Cimon and Pero, a daughter's act of charity that saved her father from certain death. How extraordinary that it should only now appear to this other daughter who dreams of nothing less for her parent and thus for herself. A different prison scene draws the writer to reflect on Freud's remark "that the dream of a prisoner can have nothing other than escape as content," a comment he illustrates with Moritz von Schwind's painting The Prisoner's Dream. But it is Freud's own dreams of escape from the prison of declining powers in his old age that the writer channels through her telepathic connection to the one she calls her "nuncle." She knows that the worst, worse even than the effects of the disease eating through his body, would have been the obliteration of his dreams upon waking, a sensation of theft that is "like a rug one pulls from beneath the head's feet, bam, bam like a tapestry of life folded up in a flash." And yet life's tapestry has never seemed more richly colored, more elaborately woven, more abundantly endowed with the gifts of Eve, the mother, the midwife, the irrepressible story-teller, the great escape artist, and the indomitable heroine of this book. ...Show more

Knowledge of the Higher Worlds and Its Attainment by D. (TRN) Lisa Henry B. (TRN); Monges Rudolf; Monges Steiner

$32.99 AUD

Category: Philosophy and Religion

The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity by Toby Ord

$29.99 AUD

Category: Philosophy and Religion

Humanity stands at a precipice. We live at a time of unprecedented innovation. Technology is accelerating faster than at any point in history, granting us ever greater power, and creating ever greater risk. In the twentieth century, we developed the means to destroy ourselves o without developing the mo ral framework to ensure that we won't. The Precipice introduces us to the risks to humanity's future, from the familiar man-made threats of climate change and nuclear war, to the greater risks on the horizon from engineered pandemics and advanced artificial intelligence. With clear and rigorous thinking, Toby Ord calculates the various risk levels, and shows how our own time fits within the larger story of human history. Can we protect the legacy of the hundred billion who have come before us, and secure a future for the trillions of generations that could follow? What can we do, in our present moment, to face the risks head on? Guided by a positive vision of the long-term future, The Precipice is a call for a new ethical perspective- a major reorientation in the way we see the world, our history, and the role we play in it. ...Show more

The Way of the Monk - The Four Steps to Peace, Purpose and Lasting Happiness by Gaur Gopal Das

$29.99 AUD

Category: Philosophy and Religion

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER. Do you ever have the feeling that life isn't going your way? Discover how to master the monk mindset with world-renowned motivational coach and Indian monk Gaur Gopal Das as he reveals how to tackle our modern anxieties with characteristic serenity, profound wisdom and irre sistible humour. In The Way of the Monk, Das takes us on an unforgettable journey and offers precious insights to make life happier and easier, even in the stormiest of times. Whether you are looking to find your purpose, strengthen relationships, discover inner calm or give back to the world, this thought-provoking book will challenge you to change your outlook and align yourself with the life you want to live. ...Show more

Until the End of Time by Brian Greene

$49.99 AUD

Category: Philosophy and Religion

In both time and space, the cosmos is astoundingly vast, and yet is governed by simple, elegant, universal mathematical laws. On this cosmic timeline, our human era is spectacular but fleeting. Someday, we know, we will all die. And, we know, so too will the universe itself. Until the End of Time is Brian Greene's breathtaking new exploration of the cosmos and our quest to understand it. Greene takes us on a journey across time, from our most refined understanding of the universe's beginning, to the closest science can take us to the very end. He explores how life and mind emerged from the initial chaos, and how our minds, in coming to understand their own impermanence, seek in different ways to give meaning to experience: in story, myth, religion, creative expression, science, the quest for truth, and our longing for the timeless, or eternal. Through a series of nested stories that explain distinct but interwoven layers of reality-from the quantum mechanics to consciousness to black holes-Greene provides us with a clearer sense of how we came to be, a finer picture of where we are now, and a firmer understanding of where we are headed. Yet all this understanding, which arose with the emergence of life, will dissolve with its conclusion. Which leaves us with one realization: during our brief moment in the sun, we are tasked with the charge of finding our own meaning. Let us embark. ...Show more

The Good State: On the Principles of Democracy by A. C. Grayling

$34.99 AUD

Category: Philosophy and Religion | Reading Level: very good

The foundations upon which our democracies stand are inherently flawed, vulnerable to corrosion from within. What is the remedy?   A. C. Grayling makes the case for a clear, consistent, principled and written constitution, and sets out the reforms necessary - among them addressing the imbalance of power between government and Parliament, imposing fixed terms for MPs, introducing proportional representation and lowering the voting age to 16 (the age at which you can marry, gamble, join the army and must pay taxes if you work) - to ensure the intentions of such a constitution could not be subverted or ignored. As democracies around the world show signs of decay, the issue of what makes a good state, one that is democratic in the fullest sense of the word, could not be more important.   To take just one example: by the simplest of measures, neither Britain nor the United States can claim to be truly democratic. The most basic tenet of democracy is that no voice be louder than any other. Yet in our 'first past the post' electoral systems a voter supporting a losing candidate is unrepresented, his or her voice unequal to one supporting a winning candidate, who frequently does not gain a majority of the votes cast. This is just one of a number of problems, all of them showing that democratic reform is a necessity in our contemporary world.   ...Show more

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran; Rupi Kaur (Foreword by)

$24.99 AUD

Category: Philosophy and Religion | Series: A\Penguin Classics Hardcover Ser.

Utterly unique and beloved around the world, The Prophet is a collection of twenty-six poetic essays by the Lebanese artist, philosopher and writer Khalil Gibran. Telling the story of the prophet Al-Mustafa and his conversations with various acquaintances as he returns home after a long absence, the boo k touches on subjects of universal concern, including love, friendship, passion, pain, religion and freedom. Thought-provoking, comforting and wise, the simple truths of The Prophet remain compelling and rewarding to this day. Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure. ...Show more

Benedictus: A Book of Blessings by John O'Donohue

$29.99 AUD

Category: Philosophy and Religion

We have fallen out of belongingconsequently, when we stand before crucial thresholds in our lives, we have no rituals to protect, encourage and guide us as we cross over into the unknown. For such crossings, we need to find new words. What is nearest to the heart is often farthest from the word. This bo ok is an attempt to reach into that tenuous territory of change that we must cross...'In sharing words of profound grace and wisdom, master storyteller John O'Donohue's BENEDICTUS offers blessings to shelter us as we confront the many challenges we face on our journey through life. Living in an anxious world - a world so often dominated by unwelcome change, unhappiness and even despair - many readers will find comfort in John O'Donohue's illuminating introductions, covering areas such as Beginnings, Desires, States of the Heart, Callings and Beyond Endings, and the blessings themselves provide an inspiring and reassuring new vision of possibility. It is also a vision of hope and belonging for this sometimes troubled world. ...Show more

The Nature of Things by Richard Jenkyns (Introduction by); Lucretius Staff; A. E. Stallings (Translator)

$19.99 AUD

Category: Philosophy and Religion | Series: Penguin Classics Ser.

The acclaimed new translation of the classic poem at the heart of Stephen Greenblatt's The Swerve   Lucretius' poem On the Nature of Things combines a scientific and philosophical treatise with some of the greatest poetry ever written. With intense moral fervour he demonstrates to humanity that i n death there is nothing to fear since the soul is mortal, and the world and everything in it is governed by the mechanical laws of nature and not by gods; and that by believing this men can live in peace of mind and happiness. He bases this on the atomic theory expounded by the Greek philosopher Epicurus, and continues with an examination of sensation, sex, cosmology, meteorology, and geology, all of these subjects made more attractive by the poetry with which he illustrates them.   For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. ...Show more

Divine Beauty: The Invisible Embrace by John O'Donohue

$19.99 AUD

Category: Philosophy and Religion

In this eagerly awaited follow-up to his international bestsellers ANAM CARA and ETERNAL ECHOES, John O'Donohue turns his attention to the subject of beauty - the divine beauty that calls the imagination and awakens all that is noble in the human heart. In these uncertain times of global conflict and cr isis, we are riven with anxiety; our trust in the future has lost its innocence, for we know now that anything can happen from one second to the next. In such an unsheltered world, it may sound naive to suggest that this might be the moment to invoke and awaken beauty, yet this is exactly the claim that this book seeks to explore. DIVINE BEAUTY is a gentle but urgent call to awaken. O'Donohue opens our eyes, hearts and minds to the wonder of our own relationship with beauty. Rather than 'covering' this theme, he uncovers it, exposing the infinity and mystery of its breadth. His words return us home to the dignity of silence, the profundity of stillness, the power of thought and perception, and the eternal grace and generosity of beauty's presence. In this masterful and revelatory work, O'Donohue encourages our greater intimacy with beauty, and celebrates it for what it really is: a homecoming of the human spirit. As he focuses on the classical, medieval and Celtic traditions, on art, music, literature, nature and language, O'Donohue reveals how beauty's invisible embrace invites us towards new heights of passion and creativity. DIVINE BEAUTY is an exquisite treasury of Forms of the Beautiful. Its surface employs narrative, image, anecdote and myth, while into the silence of its subtext are sown seeds of reflection that gradually blossom in the heart. ...Show more