Harris uses excerpts from songs and historical sketches of the classic rock era to illustrate the philosophical significance of what has been condemned as just noise made to annoy parents. Obviously music that moved so many at a pivotal point in our nation's history has many philosophical underpinnings, and Harris points out themes and relates them to the work of many philosophers, including (big surprise!) Nietzsche. It's an entertaining read and made me wish for a class using this as a text.

The vocabulary in this book is simply remarkable. It is so very artsy. I am also glad it's not 1000 pages long. I recomend this book to all. Also if David Franklin reads the review I would very much like to meet you, for you are the man who inspired me to wright THe play Nursinghome Nightmares. Submitted by John Madison Franklin and Bretton Hughes Chatham

This is a book I've used in several classes, for students who are returing to college, some after many years of non-academic work. The exercises at the ends of the chapters offer a bridge between the reading and their own writing. I particularly like the chapter on coherence.

...here's the description from the back of the book to help you decide if this book is for you: "From the producer of the Wagons West series -- the moving saga that began with "the Hawk and the Dove" now blazes across the great southwest. John Cooper Baines -- The Hawk -- comes of age. Strong and bold, his restless spirit drives him to challenge the vast unconquered wilderness of Texas and New Mexico. But when destiny lures him into bloody feuds with Mexico's outlaw barons, the young American is forced to choose between protecting his pregnant wife or battling for his country's freedom. Swept up by the seething currents of a lawless era, John Cooper Baines charts a daring course for a generation of bold adventurers -- the iron-hard men and fiery women who forged a new world from the savage frontier."

I treasure this book! Not just a book of quotations -- in a series of annectdotes, mouthwatering morsels, that leave you hungry for more, this is a literary feast. It presents Ben Franklin in a way that few books can. The reason? It shows you the Franklin you want -- when you want him. The topics -- prejudice, slander, or party loyalty -- to name some, are clear, well-organized, and often witty. But these are not the main reasons I treasure the book. You might have excellent access to short squibbs on Warren Harding. The book draws its delight from the greatness of Franklin and the authors abiding appreciation of the First American. A possessor of the earlier edition, I promise you an inexhaustible treasure.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a great book to reference for business negotionating. It is put togther so very well that makes it enjoyable to read as well as an extremely awesome resource.

Excellent grouping of ideas. The author doesn't talk down to you, doesn't talk over your head, and doesn't have the ego of saying he knows everything. This is current, timely, and easy to read. The adhoc diagrams are exactly the kind of medium that is effective to architects. I'm buying another and requiring the entire office to read it.

This book is a wonderful source for architecture firm owners, and employees working in small firms. The "hands-on" diagrams give you the clear vision on proceedures, rules, and guides. Included in this book are tips, and tools you can use to organize yourself, understand cause and effect relations, and help you work more efficiently. Great not only to read, but I use it as a reference often. I have hundreds of books, but this is one of the select few that resides on my desk!

This book is about common sense: the way ordinary people have reasoned about the world since the beginning of recorded history. It is a compendium of anecdotes, about anecdotal thinking. I find the insights engrossing, entertaining, and scholarly-if not scientific. This book hopes to rigorously analyze the processes that thinkers have followed throughout recorded history in order to reach rational conclusions. These processes are interesting in their history of use as official rules of thumb, but they are fatally flawed. The fundamental flaw is that the nonscientific processes are not reasoning- they are persuasion, as in rhetoric. Being nonscientific in nature, "The Science of Conjecture" is misnamed, but quite worthwhile to those of us who would like to understand the lawyer and jurors' mind.

This is the sort of book whose indispensability creeps up on you: you start it without any idea that you'll require it to broaden your mind, but it insidiously works its magic. Totally unclassifiable -- it mixes the disciplines of history, mathematics, philosophy and jurisprudence -- it also happens to be a rivettingly lucid read, notwithstanding the outwardly abstruse nature of its materials.

If you read "Sophies World" by Jostein Gaardner and wanted something with more bite, this book is it. It's one of the few truly intellectual books I've read without being academic or boring. I had no idea how much we take certain things in our 21st century thinking for granted. One example is juries and innocence until proven guilty. The book is a marvelous history of legal and ethical thinking and how we came to civilized methods to deal with charges of guilt. It makes me aware of the manipulative power of different styles of logical arguments. Buts it's not only about law. The author explains why Islam is fundamental (God can't be wrong) so why bother considering pros and cons of situations. Christianity was lucky to have the reformation and counter-reformation to challenge why there is probability/chance or unknowing. There are great sections on scientific theory - reasoning for hard sciences like physics and astronomy. Why cannot astrology be a science? Because there are no hard rules; too much depends on the art or experience of interpreters who "explain" exceptions to rules, because so many situations don't follow their rules. The sections on soft science describe biology and medicine, and the impact of clinical trials. How did we arrive at "scientific thinking" to establish proofs? Its all here. I'm not into mathematics and the title sounded so boring to me - mathematics and before the 16th century ie Pascal. If ever there was a case for "don't judge a book by its cover" this is it. Its solid reading, but it is also deeply satisfying and fascinating in understanding a little bit more about how and why we think like do in the 21st century. As an aside the author is also a Latin scholar who translates many texts, correcting false interpretations. But he does it in subtle ways; nothing show-off. James Franklin dazzles us with his humility one moment and superb, accessible writing on complicated subjects the next moment. I never knew that "like" and "probably" were introduced from Greek. Medieval Europeans did not have sophisticated languages that included "like" or "probably" but with medieval enlightment they were introduced. What an impact these two words had. The author corrects cultural misthinking of how poor medieval thinking was. It was an explosion of brilliance in virtually a person's lifetime from 1150-1200. The Renaissance was mild in comparison. This book touches and explains our human development of consciousness and thinking in so many fields eg law, medicine, science, ethics. The author draws on Ancient Greek texts, Roman texts, the Talmud, Jewish philosophers, Islamic philosophers, Christian theologians and even Sanskrit writings. The subjects discussed heavily affect my daily life and thinking. Understanding a little bit of what we take for granted, makes me reconsider glib, slick arguments I'm confronted with in newspapers and television every day. If you buy the book, it's a great read over 1-2 months that can be savored and sipped like a great wine.

This book is a "must read" for anyone interested in learning about the Korean War. The day to day experiences of Sgt Kestner are riveting. You won't want to put the book down. This book should be in every reference library concerned with the Korean War. Wes Guthals, Lt.Col.USAF(ret).

Franklin Kestner's book is a must read for all of us interested in the trials and tribulations of the average GI's life in combat. Franklin has an unusual way of isolating all the frustrations associated with the Military life and putting it in terms we can all appreciate.

I would suggest that if you found this book interesting please read his book TO THE LAST MAN about his experiences with Company D at the Chosin Reservoir.His email address is DAWG21@AOL.com He is an exceptional individual.

I was impressed with Mr. Kestner's ability to realistically depict army life throughout a war that has eluded historical notoriety on a grand scale. It was a great read and I also enjoyed seeing all the photos. I highly reccommend this book.

I read this book for a report, and I found it very factual and helpful. I don't think it would be the kind of book someone would just pick up and read. I would only read it if I wanted to research or find information on Drunk Driving.

taking away license or puting people in jai

An excellent, thrilling and believable story set toward the end of WWII in Berlin. Commando Jack Cray is assigned by Pres. Roosevelt to bring an end to the war with Germany by assassinating Adolf Hitler. The SS and Gestapo learn of the plot and free Otto Dietrich, an inventive police detective to find Cray and kill him before he can complete his mission. Cray is a likeable hero with an extremely high pain threshold. He befriends Katrina von Tornitz, a spy working for the allies, who helps him. The dialogue between them is realistic and entertaining.

This story held my interest throughout. The realism is unforgetable, especially war-torn Berlin, the memorable characters Cray meets, and the dogged pursuit of Dietrich, who finds himself in a life altering position in the end.

This story is very well done! The best advertisement for an author's books is the quality of the one you've just completed. In James Thayer's case Pursuit and White Star are on my "to read" list.

The chilling events in this book serve as a reminder of the grim reality and senseless brutality of war. James Thayer's "Five Past Midnight" is thought provoking; at times riveting; always well written. Jack Cray, an American POW in Germany during WWII, escapes from Colditz Castle as part of an elaborate plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. A German political prisoner, Otto Detrich, formerly chief criminal inspector with the Belin Police, is freed from his inhuman existence in order to track down Cray. The heroes of this story are individual people, rather than nations or political philosophies, for the lines between good and evil are not as clear as hindsight might lead us to believe. I found myself being swept away by this amazing tale and its vivid characters, often wondering how much of this scenario might have a factual basis and how much was a product of meticulous research enhanced by skill and creativity. The violence is graphic and unsettling and no matter how much of this story is from the writer's vivid imagination, it is an eloquent reminder of the nobility of individuals amid the horrors of war. It's also a ripping good yarn

Five Past Midnight is an extremely suspenseful and dramatic fictional story about the Nazi powerhouse in World War II. The author, James Thayer, draws a captivating picture of what might have happened had Adolf Hitler's assassination attempt been successful. The American assassin, Jack Cray, escapes a POW camp and takes the reader on a journey of clever sniper tactics and cold- blooded killing, and he will not stop until he completes his mission. Cray gets aid from a few important characters along the way. Katrina von Tornitz is a young and widowed spy for the allies, adding a perfect dose of romantic spin to the tale. Otto Dietrich is brought back into the world after being imprisoned by the Gestapo to track down the well-known and feared American killer, adding suspense to the story. Thayer makes the characters very real. I could almost hear their voices while reading. The way he described Hitler through the characters emotions and thoughts was remarkable. The bunker scene, where Hitler was residing toward the end of the book, was particularly amazing. I recommend the book to any one with a taste for suspense, and those who enjoy history or war related topics.