Book Description
Carlyle's belief in the importance of heroic leadership found form in this book, in which he compares different types of heroes. By the Scottish essayist, satirist, and historian, whose work was hugely influential during the Victorian era.
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Thoughts on the "Great Men" of history by the 19th centuries greatest historian
Customer Reviews:
Truly original.......2004-02-26
There are not many books sold at Amazon.com that were written almost two centuries ago. There might be a few written a few millenniums ago but they are mostly translations. There is something special when one reads the spoken word untranslated. Only in its original form, words have the mysterious effect that let the reader have a special connection with the author.
Carlyle was Scottish and lived in England, but he had close relations with the "New World" and had readers in United States. He had a lifelong friendship with an influential American Philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson. At his time, there were not many philosophers who witnessed the industrial revolution but still kept a transcendental and not a materialistic view of the world. In the 19th century, Materialism was in full swing, and the people in the West were mesmerized by the scientific technological advances of the times and running away from God like herds of cattle, just like the way intellectuals of the East did a century later. Carlyle, Emerson, Thoreau and a few others were the only exceptions in the West that still tried to keep what is beyond the "apparent" in focus or at least in search of it. Bediuzzaman tried to do the same with the voice of Qur'an and called the people to what is beyond the apparent in the face of materialism in the East in the 20th century. One interesting observation I have to point out, is that one common theme among these Western Philosophers; many were all influenced by Emanuel Swedenborg, famous 18th century Swedish Philosopher
In Heroes and Hero Worship Thomas Carlyle makes an attempt to draw a picture of the development of human intellect by using historical people as coordinates. There are people who has a perspective of history in terms of "environment" and "times" and "causes" while others like Carlyle has the view that human advancement was not continues but discrete and these jumps were mainly due to specific individuals he calls "Heroes". This is like the wave - particle duality of the "nature of light". In some phenomenon Light behaves like a wave in others like a particle. One can write a history based on ideas, cultures and mediums in which people lived, or the same history could be written by taking certain individuals and following them and their actions.
Writings of many other authors of that time and Carlyle's of course are very perceptive. Carlyle does not really care to be objective on the matter. He has an idea and he wants to tell you that idea and when telling you what that idea is, he uses whatever his hands and mind get hold of. Being so passionate about what you are telling is probably a good thing. But if one overdoes it, one cannot help but show wild swings in appreciation of the historical person in question. If we use the drawing analogy, his historical person becomes no longer a point on the painting but a thread on the brush. But that should not prevent us from benefiting from his writings.
Muhammad (PBUH) has a special place in the book under the chapter title "Hero as a Prophet". In the book Carlyle declares his admiration of Muhammad (PBUH). Carlyle's answers to pointed questions on Islam and Muhammad (PBUH) showed interesting similarities to Bediuzzaman's line of answers to similar questions. ......
Considering the fact that while the West and East were at odds and the means of communications were quite inferior to our times, seeing Carlyle having such an open mind to the "other" puts him in a category of his own with others like Swedenborg, Emerson and Thoreau. I think when we are trying to build bridges between the peoples of the West and the East we should not overlook these early historical representatives of that dialogue, as Bediuzzaman foresees in his writings.
We can't do without Heroes.......2002-01-23
This is an extraordinary work, let modern liberal critics say what they will of their 'mass movements' and 'diversity'. Long after they and their productions have bitten the dust, Carlyle will continue to speak to the enlightened few, and perhaps one day, it is to be hoped, to the enlightened many.
This work is much more than just a study of various influential men in history. Carlyle has very interesting notions of the historical process itself, the spread of religions and their demise, the importance of "true belief" in things, as opposed the unbelief that merely follows rituals and procedures. For Carlyle, true belief, is the beginning of morality, all success, all good things in this world; Unbelief, scepticism, the beginning of all corruption, quackery, falsehood.Unbelief, for instance, is at the root of all materialist philosophies, eg Utilitarianism which find human beings to be nothing more than clever, pleasure-seeking bipeds. It is also at the root of all democratic theories: faith in a democratic system means despair of finding an honest man to lead us.
Whether one agrees with Carlyle or not in his appraisal of democratic and other systems, one must admit, at least, that very little good is to be gotten from "the checking and balancing of greedy knaveries." If we have no honest men in government or in business, but only a bunch of self-interested quacks, then we cannot expect any system, however ingenious, to save us. Even the most skilled architect will not be able to construct a great building, if you give him only hollow, cracked bricks to build it with. Find your honest men, says Carlyle, and get them into the positions of influence; only then will it be well with you.
Praise for the individual.......2001-02-03
Six lectures delivered by Carlyle in 1840. He classifies six kinds of heroes: as Divinity (Wotan, paganism); Prophet (Mohamed); Poet (Dante, Shakespeare); Priest (Luther, Knox); Man of Letters (Johnson, Rousseau, Burns); and Ruler (Cromwell, Napoleon). The trait that defines a hero is: absolute sincerity and firm belief in his principles.
In his highly rhetorical lectures, Carlyle highlights and reinforces the role of the individual in the social process, as opposed to the role of the masses. And he did that precisely when the foundations were being laid for the most influential "pro-mass" movement in History: Marxism. The tragedy of Marxism, at least one of them all, is that, when translated into action, the blind masses were also led by "heroes" of the most authocratic sort. Not properly the work of an historian, these lectures are vivid, inflamed and enthusiast. Their uselfuness for our present age is precisely that they remind us of the crucial role significant individuals play in history, to accelerate or slow down (and even reverse) the process of social change, which is usually more gradual, diffused, and diverse.
Six vigorous meditations on the role of the hero in history........1998-10-29
Carlyle is not properly a historian or a philosopher, but a moralist, a fervent admirer of excellence, and a prose-poet of the first rank. Six meditations deal respectively of the hero as: Divinity, Prophet, Poet, Priest, Man of Letters, and King. If this book can't rightly be shelved with philosophy or history, it belongs in Literature with a capital "L," and Poetry. Carlylye loved the English Language and used it masterfully, energetically, and reverentially, without a trace of the trivial overindulgence of self-conscious and self-absorbed "poets."
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Heroes and Hero Worship and the Heroic in History
Manufacturer: Collins' Clear Type Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Carlyle, Thomas
| Classics
| British
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
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ASIN: B000BWNP04 |
Product Description
6x4, red boards, with lovely black and white pictures. Rare. Edition date is an approximation because none is given.
Book Description
The aerial attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, a global spectacle of unprecedented dimensions, generated an enormous volume of commentary. The inviolability of the American mainland, breached for the first time since 1812, led to extravagant proclamations by the pundits. It was a new world-historical turning point. The 21st century, once greeted triumphally as marking the dawn of a worldwide neo-liberal civilization, suddenly became menaced. The choice presented from the White House and its supporters was to stand shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism or be damned.
Tariq Ali challenges these assumptions, arguing instead that what we have experienced is the return of History in a horrific form, with religious symbols playing a part on both sides: 'Allah's revenge,' 'God is on Our Side' and 'God Bless America.' The visible violence of September 11 was the response to the invisible violence that has been inflicted on countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Palestine and Chechnya. Some of this has been the direct responsibility of the United States and Russia.
In this wide-ranging book that provides an explanation for both the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and new forms of Western colonialism, Tariq Ali argues that many of the values proclaimed by the Enlightenment retain their relevance, while portrayals of the American Empire as a new emancipatory project are misguided.
Customer Reviews:
Socialists of the World - Unite and read this book! .......2006-08-21
I'm sorry but I am not a Socialist as I do not share their aversion to religion and their view that religion is the opiate of the masses.
But those of you who are Socialists and anti-Imperialists (so the USSR was not an Imperialist power?),this is an interesting and thoughtful book written by a declared `unbelieving Muslim'. He identifies himself with Muslims but is an Atheist.
The title of the book is probably a reply to Samuel Huntigton's book, `A Clash of Civilisations'. He does very well to support the cause his Socialist ideology by highlighting the alleged inherent weaknesses of the Capitalist/Western system who believe in human rights as long as it supports the cause of the Western/Capitalist system. He talks a little about the Neocon influence in the world how it is damaging world politics and causing terrorist groups to form. The underlying argument presented (with furnishing of examples) is that Western Govts. Have been responsible for the problems in the world, including the recent threats from terrorist groups.
Every chapter has its value and contains a wealth of information starting from the Israel/Palestine crisis through to the crises in Kashmir, Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. The chapter entitled, `Short Course History of US Imperialism' is very interesting and in my view is a reply to Samuel Huntingon's thesis, `Clash of Civilisation', and Francis Fukayama's, `End of History'. The Socialist response to the Capitalist scholars is short and to the point, but I don't believe it challenges the theses of both of these scholars.
The Socialist and anti-religion thread of the book is obvious. Socialists would love it. Muslims may be ambivalent. The Fukayama students and Capitalists in general may loathe this book. From an objective point of view, I give it a reasonable rating.
Hasan Ali Imam
(Ex-Parliamentary Candidate, Conservative Party)
London
UK
what a stupid review.......2006-08-20
I haven't read this book (yet), but the Library Journal review is outrageously stupid. Every one of the "undocumented howlers" the reviewer cites is a well-known fact. That kind of smug liberal dismissal only makes me cherish Ali's strident anti-imperialism even more. People like Holmes are far more interested in policing the left than opposing the right, and that's why they're utterly useless.
Biased against Islam, but has some interesting Info.......2006-06-04
Alright, first of all, in response to the reviewer who stated that the author must have made up the fact that the US shot down an Iranian Passenfer jet, a quick google search yielded the following:
Iran Air Flight 655 (IR655) was a commercial flight operated by Iran Air that flew from Tehran to Bandar Abbas to Dubai. On July 3, 1988, the airplane flying IR655 was shot down by the U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes between Bandar Abbas and Dubai, killing all 290 passengers and crew aboard, including 38 non-Iranians and 66 children.
This is an interesting book that should be read with an eye toward verifying the info for one's self, don't be lazy. I disagree with the Author's view of early Islam and reccommend that anyone who reads this book, supplement it with pro-Islamic and pro Secular sources. There's a reason that mysticism in Islam was always strong, and a reason why many of the current Mullahs hate Sufi's and Mysticism. The Author's take on current Middle Eastern affairs are interesting and valuable. Just take the time to verify them because this book seems written by memory more than research, so it's good to check the validity of some of the historical statements.
Rich but disappointing.......2005-06-02
Ali's book contains much vivid detail, but while the flow of his discourse is vividly literary, his sentences somehow fail to explain clearly. Many passages left me scratching my head. He does succeeded in nicely deconstructing Middle Eastern and Western fundamentalisms, but it would have been nice to see more constructed in its wake. Somewhat overwhelming in its detail, and not as focused as I would have liked.
Belongs in either the fiction or humor department.......2005-03-31
I'd love to read about American imperialism, and see some thoughtful and imaginative constructive criticism of our nation. This isn't it.
Oh, and I've been told that the author is an atheist. Well, that makes little difference to me. From my perspective, atheists are a majority in the world (I count monotheists as atheists, given that they believe in such a small number of Gods and Goddesses). I've also been told that the author is in favor of human rights. After reading this book, I have my doubts about that.
I'd love to see some useful information about places I wish I knew more about, such as Pakistan. But I didn't get anything I could trust from this book, nor even guidance from it on how to find trustworthy material.
The topic I do know something about is Israel, and on this topic, Ali is way off. So far off that I couldn't trust anything he said after reading the many things he said about it. Oh, Ali does admit that Israel did indeed fight in 1967, and that its survival caused it problems. That makes sense; if it hadn't survived, it would have had fewer problems! Yes, many Jews were genuinely and rightfully worried in 1967. According to Ali, they were afraid that Arab revenge on them would be brutal. Um, is that anything like the worry many Jews felt in central Europe in the early 1940s? Were these Jews rightfully worried that German revenge on them would be brutal? After all, several million Jews did get murdered at that time. But I almost forgot! Revenge for what?
Since Ali didn't tell you what crime the Jews committed, I will. They became emancipated. That was the crime that needed avenging! Now you can see why I am suspicious of Ali's commitment to human rights.
Anyway, I read books to be informed, not misinformed.
Still, suppose you want to read something witty, imaginative, and both politically and factually incorrect. Something anti-monotheistic and anti-Israeli. Something that hits the neocons below the belt. Something by a person who has established his right to fly completely off the handle (thereby encouraging wallflowers like me). Well, would this book be a good choice? No. If that's what you want, try Gore Vidal.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Labour/Le Travail, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2005. The length of the article is 7019 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Imperialism and its discontents.(The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity)(The Clash of Barbarisms: September 11 and the Making of the New Worm Disorder)(Welcome to the Desert of the Real)(The New Rulers of the World)(The New Mandarins of American Power)(Book Review)
Author: Abigail B. Bakan
Publication:
Labour/Le Travail (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Issue: 56
Page: 269(14)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This book tells the stories of the lives and achievements of fifteen women scientists who either won a Nobel Prize or played a crucial role in a Nobel Prize-winning project. NOBEL PRIZE WOMEN IN SCIENCE book reveals the relentless discrimination these women faced both as students and as researchers. They succeeded because they were passionately in love with science.
Customer Reviews:
case studies in discrimination.......2006-02-20
McGrayne chronicles the discrimination faced by female scientists in the 20th century. Even by those who would eventually achieve the highest prize of the Nobel. She also includes biographies of a few women who never won the Nobel, but were acknowledged later by many to have merited it. Lise Meitner, of course. She was doubly disadvantaged. Being female and Jewish in Germany during the 1920s and 30s. The story of how Otto Hahn won the Physics Nobel shortly after World War 2 for work that he did jointly with her is well known to physicists.
Jocelyn Bell's work on pulsars is also described. Bell's advisor would later garner the Nobel for this, though Bell made the crucial observations and deductions from those.
Both these chapters can be exercises in frustration to a reader. Injustices that were never remedied. Though Bell is still alive, and so there is a chance that the Nobel committe might redress this oversight.
Great book.......2005-09-03
I found this book really excellent--I was coming at it from being a female scientist (chemist) myself. Good from beginning to end....no complaints!
stories of women who loved science.......2000-11-04
Why so few? This is the question which the author put on the first page of the book. More than 300 scientists have won the Nobel Prize since its establishment,however, only 10 of them are women. Why? Why have so few women won the Nobel Prize in science? Some people might say this small number could be evidence for old prejudices. But the author tried to find a different answer through this book. This book contains stories of 15 women scientists who won the Nobel Prize or had a critical role in Nobel Prize winning works. Although this book takes the style of a biography and also describes all the scientific details quite well, it is neither just a biography nor just a science book for general readers. It is more than both of them. These women scientists had gone through lots of difficulties. All of them had experiences of being rejected from the opportunity of receiving a higher education. Most of them had more than once been mistreated and disregarded of their abilities as well as their works. And some of them, such as Rosalind Franklin, still have not received the full credit which she deserves. One might say that all the scientists who did remarkable works had faced and overcome many kinds of difficulties. But these women had to carry the added burden of being "women scientists". So, as the author pointed, another question should arise when the book is finished. Why so many? Why have so many women challenged themselves with such difficult works in spite of all the obstacles? The answer is simple. They loved science. And, through this book, the readers will find a love and a understanding for these fearless women as well as their lover,science.
Liberation in Hour-Long Chapters.......2000-09-17
Nobel Prize Women in Science is a superb collection of hour-long biographies of women who either won a Nobel Prize or worked on a project that won a Nobel Prize in science. The biographies are full of memorable vignettes and quotes and lucid explanations of the scientific discoveries. This reader found the book liberating because it debunked so many myths she had had about good scientists. This book makes great bedtime reading and excellent gifts for both men and women.
inspirational.......1999-10-20
I was enthralled by this delightful, healing, and eye opening crediting over the wonder works of scientific endeavor made by woman--unsung heroines who did not flinch one bit from their true calling, what for all the drowning out and dumbing down of class ostracism inundating them and their sisters in their times. These Ladies are the truest measure of what is called a benchmark in the progress of humanity to wake up and rise to The Greatest Challenge: to free the mind, the spirit, the yoke of history's circumstance, to unite us in peace, recognition, respect, and unqualified defference to all who carry forth the Light. From my heart, Thank You Sharon Bertsch McGrayne! And for those for whom it is easier to quip, 'a woman's place is in the home, raising children and so forth....' I'll just add, we got BILLIONS of 'em.
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- A useful guide to proactively simplifying your life
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A Procrastinator's Guide to Simple Living
Jim McKnight
Manufacturer: Melbourne University Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Self-Help
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
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Conservation
| Environment
| Outdoors & Nature
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General
| Conservation
| Outdoors & Nature
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Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
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ASIN: 0522849695 |
Book Description
Most people can see that the present Western way of life is unsustainable. We know that humanity cannot continue to pursue growth economics in a world of finite and scarce resources, but few of us have made the obvious response of moving towards an earth-friendly, sustainable way of life. The Procrastinator's Guide to Simple Living is a psychologist's analysis of our reasons for resisting the changes we admit are urgently needed. The book offers an action guide for those who wish for a better life beyond the accelerating rat-race.
Customer Reviews:
A useful guide to proactively simplifying your life.......2003-09-20
Jim McKnight's book is interesting, thought-provoking and a great motivation to anyone who wants to simplify their life but doesn't know where to start, or to people who know what they want or need to do, but somehow can't seem to actually do it. He thoroughly and convincingly covers the reasons why change is necessary, as well as outlining some of the things that stand in the way of moving to a long-term, more sustainable way of life: the problems facing us are usually presented by the Green movement with an emphasis on urgent and radical change. This is supposed to sufficiently scare us and stir us into action, but more often than not, it only makes the task seem insurmountable, and most of us resist change because - let's face it - going with the flow is just easier.
McKnight is fully aware of these problems, and as a psychologist, he also expands a little on the nature of procrastination in general. I found this discussion useful as I have a definite tendency to procrastinate. He goes on to offer practical suggestions and applies them to aspects of the voluntary simplicity movement.
I must confess that I skipped most of the chapter where he goes into an indepth discussion of interest debt - it seems a little too complex and heavy for inclusion in the book, and my guess is that anyone who was a chronic procrastinator would probably get bogged down and then just put off finishing the book. In fact, I knew that if I kept trying to plough through it, I'd just get disillusioned, so I skipped it kept going. I also skimmed the next couple of chapters on housing and communal living, not because they weren't interesting, but mostly because I felt it was a fair way beyond where I am at the moment (only finished studying recently, barely employed, still living at home and probably not cut out for living in a commune).
Overall I found the first two and the last two chapters the most interesting, relevant (to me), and easy to read. There are, of course, numerous other books that deal with the various problems we face associated with overconsumption and environmental degradation and the people that seek to solve them, but this book looks at the issue from a slightly different but worthwhile angle.
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- Only the Best: A Celebration of Gift Giving in America
- Patient Billing: Using MediSoft for Windows, Student Edition with Data Disk
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- Philosophical Foundations of Historical Knowledge
- Political Corruption in America: An Encyclopedia of Scandals, Power, and Greed
- Prophet of Decline: Spengler on World History and Politics (Political Traditions in Foreign Policy)
- Pursuit of History: Aims, Methods and New Directions in the Study of Modern History, Revised Third Edition
- Race, State, and Armed Forces in Independence-Era Brazil: Bahia (1790s-1840s)
- Rape in Antiquity: Sexual Violence in the Greek and Roman Worlds
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