Customer Reviews:
Juicy.......2007-06-18
I bought this book in 1997, 10 years ago, and it was already 5 years old. It was enjoyable but a slog to get through and not all was retained in my head at the end of the read. I was left tired and I moved on. The true value of the book, however, became apparent as the years passed - every re-read of portions gave pleasure through forgotten information freshly revealed, or insights put forth in the book that have finally sunk in, or new color/nuance to previously remembered arguments. I also bought one other, more recent, book of his, "On Equilibrium", and it complements "Voltaire's Bastards" nicely. The intervening years continue to demonstrate the validity of many arguments in the book, thus getting closer to the definition of a 'classic'. One of my best book purchases.
Not quite as dense as some might insist..........2007-04-17
Few books that are truly worth reading make for an easy read, and this is certainly the case with Voltaire's Bastards. Other reviewers have complained of Saul's density and have even accused him of dull, poor writing. Don't be fooled by such baseless nonsense. Saul is actually an excellent writer. He beautifully elucidates the finer, invariably ignored philosophical points of our modern political culture (which seeps through into every stratum of our lives) with grace and ease. The "density" arises when he undertakes historical narratives which lend credence to the points he makes. I'll agree that this can often make for slow, dry reading. However, his astute commentary on the modern "theology" of reason, power, secrecy, language and bureacracy more than compensate for such shortcomings. If you've ever felt inexplicably frustrated by what seems to be an amputated, purely rationalist, beady-eyed approach to politics, culture and knowledge in general, then the ideas presented within this book will likely excite you as much as they excited me.
Mixed feelings.......2006-12-31
Much has been said amongst the other reviews about the seemingly incoherent, diatribal and drawn-out nature of Saul's book. And I agree. It's far from being a masterpiece in the larger sense of the world. What's brilliant about this book is not how right the author is but how wrong (often infuratingly so!) he is. Because I found that I've learnt more from this book, including the wrong parts than I have from many books that were more coherent or right. Unfortunately this does not seem to be Saul's aim.
He begins with section 1 called "Argument". However it read like a bunch of generalisations and sweeping statements without much argument. What he seems to be saying is this: that the concept of reason has been hijacked in the last century of public life in the west. That it has come to mean a bureaucratic, elitist, undemocratic, secretive, closed approach that also refuses to take into account the realities of life. That this style of reason is fanatical in that insisting that it is always right as a dogma. And finally, that it has been the result of untold amounts of suffering because it proclaims itself as a moral system, whereas it's only a system of management. Because of this, it can and is used to inhuman ends because it is itself devoid of any values.
All this I largely agree with. Especially in terms of the last point about reason being amoral you only need to read some Hume. However this exposition of his argument comes only from his second section, where he actually gives some concrete examples. The second section is largely a diatribe that attempts to apply these arguments to concrete historical examples. I think this is the strongest section of the book in that it is actually about something. The third section is some musings on art, individualism etc. much of which was entirely disagreeable.
What then are the strengths of the book? It is a hodge-podge that speaks of everything under the sun and often misses as a result. But by speaking about everything Saul successfully expresses the extent to which things are a problem. If he were more methodical one could claim that such-and-such and such-and-such institution is broken. However this book has convinced me that the world is much more broken than even I previously thought. He just could have done it in a third of the word count. I would definitely recommend the book but not as some incredible analysis but rather as something that will provoke and engage almost every reader. It seems paradoxical but in the chaos that is criticised by so many, Saul makes some surprising observations that would have been missed if he was more careful.
My new bible.......2006-09-24
Some books are to be read once. Others, like this one are to be read many times.
I could have given it 4 stars, because there are places that are dry and repetetive. In those places, I would turn the pages.
Places like the evolution of the purpose of art, beginning with religious motivation and moving into art, for art's sake. I didn't care though.
The fact is, the details JRS includes are things I have never heard before and they are what makes this book a MUST HAVE.
"Jefferson, founder and patron of the University of Virginia, never allowed his university to give degrees. He considered them pretentious, irrelevant to learning and unconnected to the preparation for responsiblity. This wasn't idealism. It was the opinion of the most successful practitioner of reason. The purpose of universities has now been inverted. Learning has become a goal-oriented process aimed at winning a degree."
"Modern wine tends to be filled with sulfur, chemical stabilizers, fungicides, beet sugar and alcohol additives. These elements, not grape alcohol, are the cause of most hangovers. Contemporary wine doesn't taste anything like Henry IV's Nuit St. Georges. It is forced, matures quicker and dies faster. Like nuclear reactors, modern wine is part of the secretive promise of our society.
truly "a hand grenade disguised as a book"!.......2006-05-02
If you want to understand the world we live, then read this book. It's message is liberating. It is totally on the mark. It was published in 1992, but it fully explains everything that has happened since then. The author is brilliant. It's a citizen's survival guide to the 21st century. The book is very dense so don't expect a lazy, breezy read.
Book Description
This survey of both discrete and continuous mathematics focuses on the logical thinking skills necessary to understand and communicate fundamental ideas and proofs in mathematics, rather than on rote symbolic manipulation. Coverage begins with the fundamentals of mathematical language and proof techniques (such as induction); then applies them to easily-understood questions in elementary number theory and counting; then develops additional techniques of proofs via fundamental topics in discrete and continuous mathematics. Topics are addressed in the context of familiar objects; easily-understood, engaging examples; and over 700 stimulating exercises and problems, ranging from simple applications to subtle problems requiring ingenuity.
ELEMENTARY CONCEPTS. Numbers, Sets and Functions. Language and Proofs. Properties of Functions. Induction. PROPERTIES OF NUMBERS. Counting and Cardinality. Divisibility. Modular Arithmetic. The Rational Numbers. DISCRETE MATHEMATICS. Combinatorial Reasoning. Two Principles of Counting. Graph Theory. Recurrence Relations. CONTINUOUS MATHEMATICS. The Real Numbers. Sequences and Series. Continuity. Differentiation. Integration. The Complex Numbers.
For anyone interested in learning how to understand and write mathematical proofs, or a reference for college professors and high school teachers of mathematics.
Customer Reviews:
Difficult but well worth it.......2007-10-10
I'm using this in an undergraduate introduction to proofs class with a focus on analysis. As a freshman, it seems a bit overwhelming at times - I wouldn't recommend it to most freshmen or even sophomores.
I do feel like this does a more than adequate job preparing me for more advanced math, and goes far above and beyond similar "proofs and problem solving" style books.
Filled with Information.......2007-10-05
This is a great book filled with great proofs and just a great amount of information. Whenever I'm unsure of a proof or need confirmation of some obscure factoid of numbers, this is where I look first. Great for building the foundations needed for learning advanced mathematics.
no solutions.......2007-03-30
The material covered does not help you solve the exercises at the end of the chapter. I wish there was a solutions manual available, so I don't have to guess the answer and be left unsure of what to do to solve a problem.
The best reference for Proofs.......2000-07-28
This is an advanced book, with a lot of information on every page. I use it as a reference book, since it has hundreds of wonderful proofs and problems, along with thorough and concise definitions for just about every major branch of mathematics.
It's highly recommended for anyone who is *serious* about mathematical proofs. Although the book is packed with material, it's a small book, so it's one of the first I choose to take with me when I travel.
Very good introductory text.......1998-08-24
With a disposition towards problem solving, the book was very helpful for someone like myself who needs the mathematical tools but lacks the background. Occasionally the book lapses into the silly notion that you've seen some of the material and concepts before.
Book Description
An anthology of the best work of an always compelling, often controversial, and absolutely essential philosopher of the modern American Experience.
Cornel West is one of the nation's premier public intellectuals and one of the great prophetic voices of our era. Whether he is writing a scholarly book or an article for Newsweek, whether he is speaking of Emerson, Gramsci, or Marvin Gaye, his work radiates a passion that reflects the rich traditions he draws on and weaves together--Baptist preaching, American transcendentalism, jazz, radical politics. This anthology reveals the dazzling range of West's work, from his explorations of "Prophetic Pragmatism" to his philosophizing on hip-hop. The Cornel West Reader traces the development of West's extraordinary career as academic, public intellectual, and activist. In his essays, articles, books, and interviews, West emerges as America's social conscience, urging attention to complicated issues of racial and economic justice, sexuality and gender, history and politics. This collection represents the best work of an always compelling, often controversial, and absolutely essential philosopher of the modern American experience.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent!.......2007-04-05
I truly believe that Cornel West is one of the preeminent socio-political thinkers of our time. Mr. West has the ability to engage his readers without patronizing them and to encourage thoughtful dialogue without lecturing. Anyone who lives in this country would benefit from reading Mr. West; not only social liberals.
Cornal West Reader.......2006-07-03
Interesting and informative, West gives a new perspective on the Black identity in the post era. One has to be well versed in philosophy, religion, and sociological theory to derive the full essence of West's writings. West is truly an intellectual, one driven by commitment, conviction, and love for the Black community. He is truly an asset to the academic community.
west is a genius........2006-04-07
if you wish to understand, buy this book. west is a genius and his essays, poetry and interviews are a must for anyone wishing to participate in the practice of diversity. dr. west is, in my mind, the most gifted intellectual in america today - i have learned so many things from the man and his writings. he stretches my imagination and pushes me to a greater appreciation for the pursuit of understanding. i hope you feel as deeply indebted to the man after reading this tome.
To be Human, Modern, and America mean...?.......2006-03-14
This book is a tour de force, a virtual Kamikazee attack, a guerilla assault on the lazy or indifferent American progressive intellect.
Self-described "Chekhovian Christian," Public Philosopher, Cultural and Literary Critique, Christian Minister, Democratic Socialist, Radical Democrat, and Princeton Professor, Cornel West uses this book to extend his existential journey into better understanding (and as a partial response to), what he sees as the deep and unnecessary misery and suffering seen in the richest culture in the world. He does this by exploring the intellectual and existential resources needed to continue to feed our courage for the fight over the long-haul towards achieving real democracy.
Much of his quest is directed at answering three basic questions: What does it mean in a radically contingent and fragile world to be: human, modern, and American?
West answer those questions in the following way:
To be human means: enduring with dignity and honesty the existential incongruities and sufferings of life, including the inevitability of death -- and still being able to maintain the courage to continue the battle for a separate identity, freedom and equality.
To be modern is to: have the courage to use one's intelligence to first see and then engage in a conscious and constructive process of questioning and challenging the prevailing authorities, powers and hierarchies of the society. It means not giving in to the easy certainties of ideologies and false prophecies; and being ever conscious of the modalities of self-making and the self-creating possibilities of those who suffer.
To be American means to: be consciously engaged in a fragile experiment in which democratic dialogue sits precariously at the center of all self-making and self-creating projects -- projects that with sufficient energy, self-reliance, boldness and restlessness, can open up vast possibilities for those truly committed to democratic principles. It is to have unrestrained hope for a future that can transcend any troubled past; yet it also means living side-by-side with pervasive mendacity, cruel contradictions, and stage-managed hypocrisy. To be American is to raise (but leave unanswered) the most frightening of democratic questions: What does the public interest have to do with the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society?
And this is just for starters.
In explaining how he came to this mature intellectual and existential perspective, West chronicles his intellectual and spiritual development, and here there are many surprises. One cannot safely tuck West into any old box with the familiar labels: Christian, Black, Marxist, Public Intellectual, etc., for he is not only careful but has come to his development though hard work, insight and deeply felt human awareness. Calling himself a Chekhovian Christian is no accident any more than calling himself a Democratic Socialist, or a Radical Democrat, is. These things are not only what he embraces but are also who he is. But, whether intentional or not, they also serve to "distance" him from the normal categories these labels typically apply to.
For instance, a Chekhovian Christian cannot be confused with those who use the Christian label as a "get-out-hell free card," and as a way to immunize themselves against the "sins of others." Being a Chekhovian Christian is refusing to be imprisoned and walled-in by intentionally inflicted misery. It is to wake up each day with a new strategy for survival.
Being a "Democratic socialist;" again is not just a knee-jerk ideological label but is the result of a status carefully cultivated and carved out by West after traveling a difficult and precarious intellectual path to a clearing somewhere in the middle of a vast Marxist intellectual dessert. His Marxism is in fact as much a reinterpretation of Marx's on ethical teachings, as it is traditional Marxism. The areas upon which West's Marxism ideas are based, are so obscure and profound that most everyday card-carrying Marxists have never heard of them.
And of course, his designation of being a Radical Democrat, is arrived at by simply transposing the label of the pre-Reconstruction Radical Republicans, to today's under-Radicalized Democrats, which not only are not radical, but are card-carrying "Lite Republicans."
All of what I have reviewed so far gets one up to about page 11, and already I feel like I could pass a Phd orals in Philosophy, Sociology, Political Science, Social Theory, and Literary Criticism.
There are not enough stars in the universe to evaluate and properly judge this book.
Amen.
poor.......2005-08-04
I must say that Cornel West is more suited to acting in the Matrix or singing on his rap album than he his as a 'scholar' or university professor. President Summers was right to justly criticize Prof. West, but of course in the Jesse Jackson-era of America (jump on situations to shill money out of companies, institutions, and individuals in the name of combating 'racism' but really just to line your own pockets...for an example, look at how Jesse and his sons burgled millions out of Anheuser-Busch), Harvard quickly appointed a diversity advisor and earmarked 50 million dollars u.s. for "diversity." A sad reflection of the sorry state of our times.
Book Description
'Make no mistake, the normative authority of the United States of America lies in ruins': such is the judgement of the most influential thinker in Europe today reflecting on the political repercussions of the war in Iraq. The decision to go to war in Iraq, without the explicit backing of a Security Council resolution, opened up a deep fissure in the West which continues to divide erstwhile allies and to hinder the attempt to develop a coordinated response to the new threats posed by international terrorism.In this timely and important volume J ürgen Habermas responds to the dramatic political events of the period since 9/11 and maps out a way to move the political agenda forward, beyond the acrimonious debates which have pitched opponents of the war against the Bush Administration and its 'coalition of the willing'. What is fundamentally at stake, argues Habermas, is the Kantian project of abolishing the state of nature between states. Habermas develops a detailed multidimensional model of transnational and supranational governance inspired by Kantian cosmopolitanism, situates it in the context of the evolution of international law towards a cosmopolitan constitutional order during the 19th and 20th centuries, and defends it against the new challenge posed by the 'hegemonic liberal' vision underlying the aggressive unilateralism of the current US administration.The Divided West is a major intervention by one of the most highly regarded political thinkers of our time. It will be essential reading for students of sociology, politics, international relations and international law, and it will be of great interest to anyone concerned with the current and future course of European and international politics.
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Modernity and the State: East, West (Studies in Contemporary German Social Thought)
Claus Offe
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
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A Brief History of Neoliberalism
ASIN: 0262650479 |
Book Description
Clause Offe, one of the most insightful contemporary theorists of society and politics, has contributed greatly to our understanding of social policy and the odyssey of advanced capitalism in the late twentieth century. Modernity and the State, a dozen essays written over the last decade, develops his earlier lines of interest and extends them to the new societies emerging in Central-Eastern Europe.
Offe frames the essays by suggesting that the key question for analyzing present-day Western democracies is, Who is in charge? He traces the recent problems of almost all political leaders to four factors: the end of the Cold War, borders that are increasingly porous, "postmodern" social and political trends that make it increasingly difficult to form long-standing coalitions, and the loss of clear-cut work categories of the sort that once made collective action feasible.
The essays are divided into four parts. "Modernity and Self-Limitation" explores the contradictory relationship between modernity and liberty and the possibilities of renewing civil society so as to alleviate this contradiction. "State Theory: Continuities and Reorientation" applies the concepts and categories developed in the first part to recent policy debates over deregulation, market orthodoxy, and the most effective forms of democratic practice. "The Politics of Social Welfare," the heart of the book, explores the extent to which market outcomes must be accepted (in the name of efficiency) or corrected (in the name of justice and equity). "The New East" argues that the issue of balancing and correcting market outcomes is as central and contested in the new market economies of Central-Eastern Europe as it has always been in the West, and that the success of democratization will depend on the extent to which the operation of the labor market is mitigated by appropriate structures of social security.
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Mathematics at Berkeley: A History
Calvin C. Moore
Manufacturer: AK Peters
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1568813023 |
Book Description
In this fascinating history of the mathematics department at the University of California, Berkeley, Moore describes how this institution evolved from a single faculty member at a financially-troubled private college into a major research center that is ranked among the very best in the USA and in the world. Moore's account spans from its origins in the 1850s to the establishment and early years of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) in the early to mid 1980s.
Book Description
Christianity in the democracies of the 'first' world has been declining in power, popularity and prestige for a century. However, many commentators, social scientists as well as church leaders, try and minimize the extent of this change. They maintain that religious sentiment remains strong despite declining levels of church involvement, and insist that secularization is an academic myth.In this robust defense of the secularization paradigm, Bruce elaborates just what Weber, Durkheim, Berger and Wilson thought was happening to religion in the West, and responds to critics of this concept. Specific topics covered include the significance of New Age spirituality, the influence of eastern religions on the West, the impact of science, the charismatic movement, religion and politics in the USA, and the future of religion.Bruce concludes the old orthodoxy was right: cultural diversity, in egalitarian and liberal democracies that place the individual above the community, undermines religious belief. Drawing on a diverse range of international examples, and written by one of the foremost sociologists of religion working today, God is Dead moves the debate about secularization forward. It will be an invaluable resource for students of sociology of religion, modern religion, Christianity, new religious movements and religion and culture.
Customer Reviews:
Meticulously argumented theory/idea.......2007-04-23
Just a quick review: The first chapter is Bruce explaining the secularization theory (paradigm, idea, whatever). He uses a graph to illustrate this. It is very intricate and complex, but he explains each part very clearly. The rest of the book is basically him refuting any opposition the theory faces - chapter by chapter. He states what people often argue, state what they don't understand about the theory (which they obviously must NOT understand, or else they wouldn't be arguing, or so he'd say ;) and then state how what they're saying isn't true. It is a complicated book, and you may not agree with it (MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE THEORY COMPLETELY BEFORE DISAGREEING, its not as theo-bashing as it may sound!) but it is interesting, well done, and relevent to today.
Customer Reviews:
An informative 'myth-buster'.......2000-07-12
This book pushes the field of Ecology to a new level. Whilst the concepts of Traditional Ecological Knowledge are not new (in fact they are ancient), the range and maturity of the discussion makes it very accessible to the average reader. Berkes ranges widely with his examples and clearly the book involved significant internationl networking (Yes, there were even examples from my home of New Zealand!). Some fascinating myths that are exploded include the Chief Seattle Speech and the Eskimo snow hoax. I recommend it to every ecologist as a way to bring the sacred into science.
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The Design of Inquiring Systems: Basic Concepts of Systems and Organization
Charles West Churchman
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0465016081 |
Books:
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