This book explains how utterly different ancients were from us in how they saw the world and themselves in it. And how - without assistance by unnatural applications of reason and science - we're precisely the same if allowed to be. It raises questions of how we can possibly save our natural world and truly believe in a spiritual reality if we and the natural world are subjected to modern thinking found to be so successful.

Focusing on Sumer and Egypt we find the ancients didn't separate man from nature. Man was part of society embedded in nature, dependent on cosmic forces. Long before Old Testament declarations of conquest over nature, man was not in opposition. They obviously struggled "against" a "hostile" environment, but this account is our language describing their situation, not their state of mind. Reminiscent of Campbell's clarification between modern and ancient perspectives as "it" vs. "thou", our authors describe this difference as "subject" vs. "object". The ancients had one mode of expression, thought, speech - the personal. Everything had a will and personality revealing itself. They could reason logically but such intellectual detachment was hardly compatible with their experience of reality. Impersonal laws did not satisfy their understanding. When the river doesn't rise, it's not due to lack of rain - the river refused to rise. You'd not hurt yourself in a fall - the ground chose to hurt you, or not. Their view was qualitative and concrete, not quantitative and abstract.

In science we apply a procedure, progressively reducing phenomena until subjected to universal laws. We "de-complicate" systems to understand them. There's a hierarchy of complexity making planetary motions simpler systems than say, living cells, thus more or less complete theories of each, but we've proven since Galileo initiated modern science that we're so close to the truth of nature (the judge of our understanding) that our theories can earn our acceptance through success of their predictions and utility. We really did build Voyager to that understanding and it really did what we thought it would when released to nature's command - three billion miles from earth, still obeying our grasp of nature. Furthermore, accurate theories are able to predict things never dreamed possible when created. Relativity still yields such surprises. We see phenomena as manifestations of general laws, not by what makes them peculiar.

The ancient mind is termed "mythopoetic". Their perspective is why scriptures were written when they were and not anymore - writings imbibed with mystery and inflation of life one assumes we've lost to critical reason and economic forces. But the mythopoetic mind is still here, the natural mind we are born with. It's why we have palm readers, cults, astrologers, ghosts, UFOs, Creationists, pet psychics, TV conversations with the dead, best selling books on how to "know" God and beliefs that flying jets into buildings will send their pilots to heaven. All expanding lives otherwise sterilized by 9-to-5, traffic jams, ignorance, poverty. In Mexico women are advised to remain inside during a solar eclipse, least they become spontaneously pregnant. As my Aunt said of Columbia, "If God wanted us to be in space he'd given us wings." If God wanted us to drive cars he'd given us wheels, or to live under roofs, he'd have put shingles on our head. What some battle as absurd is also quite natural, dangerous and capable of elevating life, avoiding deconstruction and reductionism applied to humans made of more than carbon and water. A dilemma revealed by this book. And if Tattersall is correct, this behavior may have a lot to do with our messy brain structure, a condition we're stuck with.

This book by F.C.T. Moore provides a valid and worth while engagment of the philosophy of one of France's most important philosophers. Bergson's theories of space and time "Duree", were vital in Futurist thinking and provided a grounding for their initial, and some may argue best work. F.C.T Moore presents Bergsons philosophy in a practical and systematic manner, easily understood and comperhensive. This is a good book.

Henri Bergson was an influential philosopher claimed by the French as an early phenomenologist, and in American and Britain as a vitalist philosopher. Bergson And Philosophy is an introductory study of his use of philosophical form and dispels the view that Bergson ever stuck to one type of philosophy at all, either vitalism or phenomenology. Rather, a Bergsonian idea of "metaphilosophy" stating that, in a universe with no static foundations, there can never e a philosophy means that if everything is changing, then change is also a constant truth of philosophy. John Mullarkey is a teacher of philosophy at the University of Sudnerland who explores each of Bergson's seven major works from a metaphilosophical perspective. Highly recommended for personal, professional, and academic philosophy collections, Bergson And Philosophy showcases an important and lucid reassessment of an influential philosopher while setting his work in an appropriate philosophical context.

My wife and I used this book to plan our honeymoon to Hawaii. We stayed at one of the hotels Gayot's recommended, and it was better than described. This book is extremely accurate yet a little conservative, so you won't be disappointed by reality. The restaurant section is excellent. This is a superior guide without all the filler of other guide books.

Truly an incredible work. The characters attain the perfect synthesis of hilarious outrageousness and touching realism. A wonderful read, and an even better performance.

As this book will prove to anyone who doubts it, Paul Cezanne is definitely the Father of Modern Art. Of course, that is ironic because Cezanne was said to be against many of the principles of modern art.

That said, this book is a wonderful source for art history lovers like me. There are many beautiful reproductions of paintings in this book, spanning Cezanne's entire career, that are ALL IN COLOR. And that makes the book quite a gem on its own account. However, not only are the paintings in color, but also since this is a tall, wide book, the paintings take up a page, even a whole page, if need be. The book also explores Cezanne's personality--how it affected his art, as well as his life. It is not serious reading, by it will enable one to better appreciate his art more. This book, despite only being $..., is priceless. It will probably be worth much more in coming years. There is no excuse not to buy this book if you love art history--I know you'll enjoy it immensely!!!

This story is told from the point of view of Paul, Henri Fabri's son. Paul relates his boyhood experiences being involved with his father's lifework, the study of insects. This is a true "living" science book that will grab your children's interest. Each chapter focuses on one insect that Fabri and his children studied. The pencil drawings focus on the close family relations of this homeschooling family in the 1800's. The drawings also clearly illustrate the insects. This book may inspire the study of an insect and recording the findings in a nature notebook. I look forward to reading more books in this series.

This book is a biographical gem. It reviews the life and photography of David Seymour in an understated style of writing which was the man himself; bald, spectacled, yet powerful in his humanity and in his skill at nurturing friendships with photography as a shared interest.He lived a romantic European life of high times and tragic personal losses including his own premature death in 1956.The photographs are brilliant. Foreground and background tell a story in many of the photos. It is not a book of nudes or still-lifes. It is more intimate than that.

Well, I just received CISTERCIAN ABBEYS and I CAN TELL YOU - THIS IS MY SORT OF BOOK!Un-put-down-able.This thick glossy book has it all - every page has at least one picture or map. The pictures shown are clear and well taken. Depicted are the interior of the monastries, the turrets, the brickwork, the decorations, glorious photos of relics, the courtyards, the art. The text is well written, easy to understand & contains useful information. Another fine book by Konemann & I have many including BAROQUE, ROMANESQUE, ROME, CASTLES OF FRIULI, MEDIEVAL CASTLES OF SPAIN, CHATEAUX OF THE LOIRE VALLEY. Cannot be faulted and for a 399page h/bound volume inexpensive. A must. I change my travel plans every time I pick up any of my Konemann's.

This is an amazing collection, as most collections on the science of consciousness are, for the exitement the topic arises.
It is at times a bit too technical, like in E. Jones or Steriade's chapters on thalamic neurobiology. Other chapter are too abstract or "dated" (or is it classical?). But there are also jewels, like the clearest introduction to Edelman and Tononis, Crick and Kotchs, and Jeffrey Grays theories of consicousness. This last chapter was specially interesting, as Grays model of the contents of consicousness was used to study schitzofrenia. Gazzaniga and his interpreter seem more plausible solutions to some major troubles in consicousness theorizing every time I read him. Chapters on language and development are also there and great, as well as one on vision, by no other than H.Hubel, along with T. Weasel, one of the most influential neuroscientists of vision. Philosophical introductions by Patricia Churchland and D. Chalmers and other unmentioned contributions were also quite good.
The cream is however, found on the comment sessions after each paper and the general session at the end of the book. Debates at that level are seldom recorded, and are extremely interesting and though-provoking.
A must-have for serious researchers and thinkers on consciousness.