John Vervaeke Recommended Books

A magisterial mappa mundi of the terrain that Pierre Hadot has so productively worked for decades, this ambitious work revises our view of ancient philosophy―and in doing so, proposes that we change the way we see philosophy itself. Hadot takes ancient philosophy out of its customary realm of names, dates, and arid abstractions and plants it squarely in the thick of life. Through a meticulous historical reading, he shows how the various schools, trends, and ideas of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy all tended toward one to provide a means for achieving happiness in this life, by transforming the individual’s mode of perceiving and being in the world.Most pressing for Hadot is the question of how the ancients conceived of philosophy. He argues in great detail, systematically covering the ideas of the earliest Greek thinkers, Hellenistic philosophy, and late antiquity, that ancient philosophers were concerned not just to develop philosophical theories, but to practice philosophy as a way of life―a way of life to be suggested, illuminated, and justified by their philosophical “discourse.” For the ancients, philosophical theory and the philosophical way of life were inseparably linked.What Is Ancient Philosophy? also explains why this connection broke down, most conspicuously in the case of academic, professional philosophers, especially under the influence of Christianity. Finally, Hadot turns to the question of whether and how this connection might be reestablished. Even as it brings ancient thoughts and thinkers to life, this invigorating work provides direction for those who wish to improve their lives by means of genuine philosophical thought.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's famous investigations of "optimal experience" have revealed that what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow. During flow, people typically experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life. In this new edition of his groundbreaking classic work, Csikszentmihalyi demonstrates the ways this positive state can be controlled, not just left to chance. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience teaches how, by ordering the information that enters our consciousness, we can discover true happiness and greatly improve the quality of our lives.

Since Descartes famously proclaimed, "I think, therefore I am," science has often overlooked emotions as the source of a person’s true being. Even modern neuroscience has tended, until recently, to concentrate on the cognitive aspects of brain function, disregarding emotions. This attitude began to change with the publication of Descartes’ Error in 1995. Antonio Damasio—"one of the world’s leading neurologists" (The New York Times)—challenged traditional ideas about the connection between emotions and rationality. In this wondrously engaging book, Damasio takes the reader on a journey of scientific discovery through a series of case studies, demonstrating what many of us have long suspected: emotions are not a luxury, they are essential to rational thinking and to normal social behavior.

Euclid was a mathematician from the Greek city of Alexandria who lived during the 4th and 3rd century B.C. and is often referred to as the “father of geometry”. Within his foundational treatise “Elements,” Euclid presents the results of earlier mathematicians and includes many of his own theories in a systematic, concise book that utilized a brief set of axioms and meticulous proofs to solidify his deductions. In addition to its easily referenced geometry, “Elements” also includes number theory and other mathematical considerations. For centuries, this work was a primary textbook of mathematics, containing the only framework for geometry known by mathematicians until the development of “non-Euclidian” geometry in the late 19th century. The extent to which Euclid’s “Elements” is of his own original authorship or borrowed from previous scholars is unknown, however despite this fact it was his collation of these basic mathematical principles for which most of the world would come to the study of geometry. Today, Euclid's “Elements” is acknowledged as one of the most influential mathematical texts in history. This volume includes all thirteen books of Euclid's “Elements”, is printed on premium acid-free paper, and follows the translation of Thomas Heath.

Every day we make intuitive decisions—from the mundane choice of what clothes to wear to more important issues such as which new car "feels right" or which person would be "good" for a particular job. To varying degrees, logic plays a role in these decisions, but at a certain point all of us rely on intuition, our sixth sense. Is this the right way to decide? Should we trust our gut feelings? When intuition conflicts with logic, what should we do?In Educating Intuition , Robin M. Hogarth lays bare this mysterious process so fundamental to daily life by offering the first comprehensive overview of what the science of psychology can tell us about intuition—where it comes from, how it works, whether we can trust it. From this literature and his own research, Hogarth finds that intuition is a normal and important component of thought that has its roots in processes of tacit learning. Environment, attention, experience, expertise, and the success of the scientific method all form part of Hogarth's perspective on intuition, leading him to the surprising—but natural—conclusion that we can educate our sixth sense. To this end he offers concrete suggestions and exercises to help readers develop their intuitive skills and habits for learning the "right" lessons from experience.Artfully and accessibly combining cognitive science, the latest research in psychology, and Hogarth's own observations, Educating Intuition eschews the vague approach to the topic that has become commonplace and provides instead a wholly engaging and practical guide to enhancing our intuitive skills.

Edwin Hutchins combines his background as an anthropologist and an open ocean racing sailor and navigator in this account of how anthropological methods can be combined with cognitive theory to produce a new reading of cognitive science. His theoretical insights are grounded in an extended analysis of ship navigation -- its computational basis, its historical roots, its social organization, and the details of its implementation in actual practice aboard large ships. The result is an unusual interdisciplinary approach to cognition in culturally constituted activities outside the laboratory -- "in the wild."Hutchins examines a set of phenomena that have fallen in the cracks between the established disciplines of psychology and anthropology, bringing to light a new set of relationships between culture and cognition. The standard view is that culture affects the cognition of individuals. Hutchins argues instead that cultural activity systems have cognitive properties of their own that are different from the cognitive properties of the individuals who participate in them. Each action for bringing a large naval vessel into port, for example, is informed by culture: the navigation team can be seen as a cognitive and computational system.Introducing Navy life and work on the bridge, Hutchins makes a clear distinction between the cognitive properties of an individual and the cognitive properties of a system. In striking contrast to the usual laboratory tasks of research in cognitive science, he applies the principal metaphor of cognitive science -- cognition as computation (adopting David Marr's paradigm) -- to the navigation task. After comparing modern Western navigation with the method practiced in Micronesia, Hutchins explores the computational and cognitive properties of systems that are larger than an individual. He then turns to an analysis of learning or change in the organization of cognitive systems at several scales. Hutchins's conclusion illustrates the costs of ignoring the cultural nature of cognition, pointing to the ways in which contemporary cognitive science can be transformed by new meanings and interpretations. A Bradford Book

Ramsay is a man twice born, a man who has returned from the hell of the battle-grave at Passchendaele in World War I decorated with the Victoria Cross and destined to be caught in a no man's land where memory, history, and myth collide. As Ramsay tells his story, it begins to seem that from boyhood, he has exerted a perhaps mystical, perhaps pernicious, influence on those around him. His apparently innocent involvement in such innocuous events as the throwing of a snowball or the teaching of card tricks to a small boy in the end prove neither innocent nor innocuous. Fifth Business stands alone as a remarkable story told by a rational man who discovers that the marvelous is only another aspect of the real.

Earth is long since dead. On a colony planet, a band of men has gained control of technology, made themselves immortal, and now rule their world as the gods of the Hindu pantheon. Only one dares oppose them: he who was once Siddhartha and is now Mahasamatman. Binder of Demons, Lord of Light.

Searching for Bobby Fischer is the story of Fred Waitzkin and his son Josh, from the moment six-year-old Josh first sits down at a chessboard until he competes for the national championship. Drawn into the insular, international network of chess, they must also navigate the difficult waters of their own relationship. All the while, Waitzkin wonders about and searches for the elusive Bobby Fischer, whose myth still dominates the chess world and profoundly affects Waitzkin's dreams for his son.

A love story, an adventure, and an epic of the frontier, Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize— winning classic, Lonesome Dove, the third book in the Lonesome Dove tetralogy, is the grandest novel ever written about the last defiant wilderness of America. Journey to the dusty little Texas town of Lonesome Dove and meet an unforgettable assortment of heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settlers. Richly authentic, beautifully written, always dramatic, Lonesome Dove is a book to make us laugh, weep, dream, and remember.

Enriched Classics offer readers accessible editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and commentary. Each book includes educational tools alongside the text, enabling students and readers alike to gain a deeper and more developed understanding of the writer and their work.This allegorical novel, set in sixth-century India around the time of the Buddha, follows a young man on his search for enlightenment.This edition includes:-A concise introduction that gives the reader important background information-A chronology of the author's life and work-A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context-An outline of key themes and plot points to guide the reader's own interpretations-Detailed explanatory notes-Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work-Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction-A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience

“Plato is philosophy, and philosophy, Plato.”—Emerson The Republic and other great dialogues by the immortal Greek philosopher Plato are masterpieces that form part of the most important single body of writing in the history of philosophy. Beauty, love, immortality, knowledge, and justice are discussed in these dialogues, which magnificently express the glowing spirit of Platonic philosophy. Translated by W. H. D. Rouse, one of the world’s most outstanding classical scholars and translator of Homer’s The Odyssey and The Iliad, this volume features the complete texts of seven of Plato’s most revered works. “In Rouse’s pages Socrates’ strength of mind, his dedication to philosophical truth, are borne in on the modern reader with something of the power that impressed and disturbed the ancient Greeks.”—Time

World renowned researcher Dr. Barbara Fredrickson gives you the lab-tested tools necessary to create a healthier, more vibrant, and flourishing life through a process she calls "the upward spiral." You'll discover: -What positivity is, and why it needs to be heartfelt to be effective- The ten sometimes surprising forms of positivity- Why positivity is more important than happiness- How positivity can enhance relationships, work, and health, and how it relieves depression, broadens minds, and builds lives- The top-notch research that backs the 3-to-1 "positivity ratio" as a key tipping point- That your own sources of positivity are unique and how to tap into them- How to calculate your current positivity ratio, track it, and improve it With "Positivity," you'll learn to see new possibilities, bounce back from setbacks, connect with others, and become the best version of yourself. "From the Hardcover edition."

Since their publications in 1982, Samuel Shirley's translations of Spinoza's Ethics and Selected Letters have been commended for their accuracy and readability. Now with the addition of his new translation of Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect this enlarged edition will be even more useful to students of Spinoza's thought.

The West has lost its way. But which way was it? Disoriented by postmodern relativism and critical theory, many seek refuge in older certainties of religious or political traditions. But many of these paths, author Thomas Plant maintains, are only recent forks off a wider, older road—a way that belongs as much to the East as to the West, and can unite Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and more in pursuit of the truly common Good.This Way is the nondualistic philosophy of Eastern or “theurgic” Platonism. Claiming Indian and Egyptian roots, it entered medieval European universities through the works of Dionysius the Areopagite. Overshadowed in the West, it continued to thrive in Eastern Christian and Sufi spiritual teachings that spread along the Silk Road, providing thereby a basis for creative dialogue with Taoists and Buddhists. The Lost Way to the Good is a guidebook for a spiritual and metaphysical journey with Dionysius from Athens to Kyoto and the True Pure Land Buddhism of Shinran Shonin. Find out, by perusing its pages, where the West deviated from the track, and how even radically differing religious traditions can nonetheless unite to resist the divisive forces of Western secular modernity.“ The Lost Way to the Good is a profound reflection on one of the greatest mystics of the Eastern Church, undertaken in light of insights offered by the largest school of Buddhism in Japan. Yet this is no ordinary study in comparative religion. In revealing the metaphysical wisdom shared by Dionysius and Shinran, Thomas Plant paves the way for a deeper engagement with the spiritual crisis afflicting the world today. He does so by raising an impressive bulwark against the ravages of secular materialism, reductionism, and nihilism, while grounding his critique in a more satisfying conception of divine reality—one that transcends confessional boundaries. This important, compelling work forges new possibilities for living authentically in the face of modernity’s relentless assault on the sacred.”— JOHN PARASKEVOPOULOS , author of Immeasurable The Essence of Shin Buddhism“‘The West will rediscover its identity and its tradition only in him [Jesus Christ], but will rediscover him only by walking the road we used to share with the East,’ declares Fr Tom Plant in this robust, wide-ranging, stimulating call for the retrieval and reinvigoration of the paths of metaphysical exploration broadly described as ‘Platonist.’ Plant’s standpoint is grounded in a firm assent to the Christian faith, as received in the catholic tradition. Unlike many who self-identify as ‘traditionalists,’ though, his horizon is resolutely, daringly ecumenical in scope. So, the two figures he engages most deeply are the Christian [‘Pseudo’] Dionysius the Areopagite, from the Middle East, and the Buddhist Shinran, from Japan; in between, he broaches the possibilities of a similar engagement with Islam. Given such an unusual configuration, Plant’s path is likely to prove a solitary one, and certainly it is unfashionable; but those very qualities underline the uniqueness and timeliness of the challenge he presents with such insistence in this passionate appeal. For any caught in the post-truth relativism and fragmentation of contemporary Western culture, Tom Plant will prove an engaging, learned, and persuasive companion and guide.”— RT REVD DR MICHAEL IPGRAVE , Bishop of Lichfield“Thomas Plant has written a timely, profound, and trenchant work. He writes with admirable verve, eloquence, and scholarly this is an important book.”— DOUGLAS HEDLEY , Director of the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism“Reading Tom Plant’s The Lost Way to the Good is like drinking from a fresh, clear, thirst-quenching.”— STEPHEN J. BLACKWOOD , founder of Ralston College