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50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need to Know
by Ben DupreHave you ever lain awake at night fretting over how we can be sure of the reality of the external world? Perhaps we are in fact disembodied brains, floating in vats at the whim of some deranged puppet-master? If so, you are not alone - and what's more, you are in exalted company. For this question and others like it have been the stuff of philosophical rumination for centuries, from Plato to Popper. In a series of accessible and engaging essays, 50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need to Know introduces and explains the problems of knowledge, consciousness, identity, ethics, belief, justice and aesthetics that have troubled the minds of great thinkers for centuries, from the ancient Greeks to the present day. Contents include: The brain in a vat, Plato's cave, Cogito ergo sum, The mind-body problem, The boo/hurrah theory, Ends and means, The categorical imperative, Acts and omissions, The rights of animals, The gambler's fallacy, Paradigm shifts, Occam's razor, Positive and negative freedom, Theories of punishment and Just war.
50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need to Know (50 Ideas You Really Need to Know series)
by Ben DupreHave you ever lain awake at night fretting over how we can be sure of the reality of the external world? Perhaps we are in fact disembodied brains, floating in vats at the whim of some deranged puppet-master? If so, you are not alone - and what's more, you are in exalted company. For this question and others like it have been the stuff of philosophical rumination for centuries, from Plato to Popper. In a series of accessible and engaging essays, 50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need to Know introduces and explains the problems of knowledge, consciousness, identity, ethics, belief, justice and aesthetics that have troubled the minds of great thinkers for centuries, from the ancient Greeks to the present day. Contents include: The brain in a vat, Plato's cave, Cogito ergo sum, The mind-body problem, The boo/hurrah theory, Ends and means, The categorical imperative, Acts and omissions, The rights of animals, The gambler's fallacy, Paradigm shifts, Occam's razor, Positive and negative freedom, Theories of punishment and Just war.
50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need to Know (50 Ideas You Really Need to Know series)
by Ben DupreHave you ever lain awake at night fretting over how we can be sure of the reality of the external world? Perhaps we are in fact disembodied brains, floating in vats at the whim of some deranged puppet-master? If so, you are not alone - and what's more, you are in exalted company. For this question and other ones like it have been the stuff of philosophical rumination from Plato to Popper.In a series of accessible and engagingly written essays, 50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need to Know introduces and explains the problems of knowledge, consciousness, identity, ethics, belief, justice and aesthetics that have engaged the attention of thinkers from the era of the ancient Greeks to the present day.(P)2008 Quercus Editions Ltd
50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need to Know (50 Ideas You Really Need to Know series)
by Ben DupreIn a series of 50 accessible essays, Ben Dupré introduces and explains the philosophical questions around knowledge, consciousness, identity, ethics and justice that have engaged the minds of thinkers from the Ancient Greeks to the present day. From Plato's cave to virtue ethics, theories of punishment to animal rights, 50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need to Know is a complete introduction to the most important philosophical concepts in history.
50 Philosophy of Science Ideas You Really Need to Know (50 Ideas You Really Need to Know series)
by Gareth SouthwellScience first began as a branch of philosophy, but it has since grown up and moved out of the family home, and its successes have put its parent in the shade. Thanks to scientific knowledge we have walked on the Moon, cured once-fatal illnesses, and even identified the very building blocks of life and the universe. But it is these very successes that underline the need for philosophy. How much should we trust the pronouncements of scientists that we read in the media? What are the ethical implications of our delving into the foundations of our DNA, reproductive treatments, or artificially prolonging life? And are there limits to what science can tell us about the world we think we know? In straightforward and accessible terms, 50 Philosophy of Science Ideas You Really Need to Know explains the key philosophical questions that continue to lie at the heart of the nature and practice of science today. The ideas explored include: Appearance and reality; Knowledge; Anti-realism; Metaphysics; Science and gender; Phenomenology and science.
50 Philosophy of Science Ideas You Really Need to Know (50 Ideas You Really Need To Know Ser.)
by Gareth SouthwellScience first began as a branch of philosophy, but it has since grown up and moved out of the family home, and its successes have put its parent in the shade. Thanks to scientific knowledge we have walked on the Moon, cured once-fatal illnesses, and even identified the very building blocks of life and the universe. But it is these very successes that underline the need for philosophy. How much should we trust the pronouncements of scientists that we read in the media? What are the ethical implications of our delving into the foundations of our DNA, reproductive treatments, or artificially prolonging life? And are there limits to what science can tell us about the world we think we know? In straightforward and accessible terms, 50 Philosophy of Science Ideas You Really Need to Know explains the key philosophical questions that continue to lie at the heart of the nature and practice of science today. The ideas explored include: Appearance and reality; Knowledge; Anti-realism; Metaphysics; Science and gender; Phenomenology and science.
50 Political Ideas You Really Need to Know
by Ben DupreAt a time of corrosive popular cynicism and profound international unease, the need for clarity over the fundamental concepts of politics has never been greater: the forces of Terrorism and Fundamentalism endanger our Security, while government responses to it pose a basic threat to Liberty, Democracy and Human rights. Corruption, Spin and a suspect Political culture arouse public indignation, which is further aggravated by an array of Pressure groups and the far-from-disinterested attentions of the Mass media. In 50 Political Ideas You Really Need to Know, Ben Dupre clears away the murk that obscures key concepts that we ignore at our peril.
50 Politics Classics: Your shortcut to the most important ideas on freedom, equality, and power
by Tom Butler BowdonWhat if you didn't have to read the 50 most important books on Politics to know the most important ideas?This is the thinking person's guide to the big political texts from across the centuries, from the original pioneers to the contemporary. With insightful commentary for each of the 50 books, key quotes and biographical information on the authors and a guide to further reading, 50 Politics Classics gives a unique overview of the political writings that shaped history and are still shaping minds today. From Abraham Lincoln to Nelson Mandela, and from Aristotle to George Orwell, 50 Politics Classics distils the essence of the books, pamphlets, and speeches of the major leaders and great thinkers that drive real-world change. Spanning 2,500 years, left and right, thinkers and doers, Tom Butler-Bowdon covers activists, war strategists, visionary leaders, economists, philosophers of freedom, feminists, conservatives and environmentalists, right up to contemporary leaders and thought leaders such as Barack Obama, Isobel Wilkerson and Michael Pillsbury. Whether you consider yourself to be conservative, liberal, socialist, or Marxist, this book gives you greater understanding of the key ideas that matter in our politically charged times.The revised edition will:· include 5-6 new contemporary classics from White Fragility to Why Nations Fail and leaders and thought leaders such as Barack Obama, Isobel Wilkerson and Michael Pillsbury.· have a revised introduction to reflect on the seismic political movements that have blown up since the last edition· have some of the less relevant titles removed
50 Politics Classics: Your shortcut to the most important ideas on freedom, equality, and power (50 Classics Ser.)
by Tom Butler Butler BowdonWhether you consider yourself to be conservative, liberal, socialist, or Marxist, 50 Politics Classics gives you greater understanding of the key ideas that matter in our politically charged times.From Abraham Lincoln to Nelson Mandela, from Mary Wollstonecraft to George Orwell, 50 Politics Classics distills the essence of the books, pamphlets, and speeches of the major leaders and great thinkers that drive real-world change. Spanning 2,500 years, left and right, thinkers and doers, Tom Butler-Bowdon's new book covers activists, war strategists, visionary leaders, economists, philosophers of freedom, feminists, conservatives and environmentalists, from ancient philosophical texts right up to contemporary classics such as The Spirit Level and No Logo.
50 Politics Classics: Freedom Equality Power
by Tom Butler-BowdonFeaturing texts by Saul Alinsky, Edmund Burke, Rachel Carson, Carl von Clausewitz, Francis Fukuyama, Mahatma Gandhi, Friedrich Hayek, Thomas Hobbes, Martin Luther King, Niccolo Machiavelli, Karl Marx, J. S. Mill, George Orwell, Thomas Paine, Plato, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Alexis De Tocqueville, Mary Wollstonecraft, and many more. 50 Politics Classics provides commentaries on the books, pamphlets, and speeches of major leaders, from Abraham Lincoln to Winston Churchill, and the texts from Aristotle to Naomi Klein, that drive real-world change.Tom Butler-Bowdon's book spans 2,500 years of thinkers and doers, economists, activists, war strategists, visionary leaders, and philosophers of freedom. Are we living in The Post-American World? Is there a Clash of Civilizations? What is The Future of Power? Whether you consider yourself to be conservative, liberal, socialist, or Marxist, in these politically charged times we could all benefit from greater understanding of these key ideas.This is the latest bestseller in Tom Butler-Bowdon's award-winning 50 Classics series, which has already sold one hundred thousand copies in the United States and four hundred thousand copies worldwide. Tom Butler-Bowdon is an expert on the "literature of possibility," covering psychology, philosophy, self-help, spirituality, and prosperity. His first book, 50 Self-Help Classics, won the Benjamin Franklin Award and was a Foreword magazine Book of the Year. A graduate of the London School of Economics and the University of Sydney, Tom lives in Oxford, United Kingdom, and Australia. Visit: butler-bowdon.com.
50 Politics Classics: Freedom, Equality, Power
by Tom Butler-BowdonFrom Abraham Lincoln to Nelson Mandela, and from Aristotle to George Orwell, 50 POLITICS CLASSICS distills the essence of the books, pamphlets, and speeches of the major leaders and great thinkers that drive real-world change. Spanning 2,500 years, left and right, thinkers and doers, Tom Butler-Bowdon s new book covers activists, war strategists, visionary leaders, economists, philosophers of freedom, feminists, conservatives and environmentalists, right up to contemporary classics such as The Spirit Level and No Logo. Whether you consider yourself to be conservative, liberal, socialist, or Marxist, this book gives you greater understanding of the key ideas that matter in our politically charged times.
50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God
by Guy P. HarrisonMany books that challenge religious belief from a skeptical point of view take a combative tone that is almost guaranteed to alienate believers or they present complex philosophical or scientific arguments that fail to reach the average reader. This is undoubtably an ineffective way of encouraging people to develop critical thinking about religion. This unique approach to skepticism presents fifty commonly heard reasons people often give for believing in a God and then raises legitimate questions regarding these reasons, showing in each case that there is much room for doubt. Whether you're a believer, a complete skeptic, or somewhere in between, you'll find this review of traditional and more recent arguments for the existence of God refreshing, approachable, and enlightening.From religion as the foundation of morality to the authority of sacred books, the compelling religious testimony of influential people, near-death experiences, arguments from Intelligent Design, and much more, Harrison respectfully describes each rationale for belief and then politely shows the deficiencies that any good skeptic would point out. As a journalist who has traveled widely and interviewed many highly accomplished people, quite a number of whom are believers, the author appreciates the variety of belief and the ways in which people seek to make religion compatible with scientific thought. Nonetheless, he shows that, despite the prevalence of belief in God or religious belief in intelligent people, in the end there are no unassailable reasons for believing in a God.For skeptics looking for appealing ways to approach their believing friends or believers who are not afraid to consider a skeptical challenge, this book makes for very stimulating reading. From the Trade Paperback edition.
50 Speeches that Made the Modern World
by ChambersThroughout history, great speeches have produced great change. From inciting violence and asserting control to restoring peace and securing freedom, nothing has the raw emotional power of a speech delivered at the right moment, in the right place, with the right content, and the right delivery. 50 Speeches That Made The Modern World is a celebration of the most influential and thought-provoking speeches that have shaped the world we live in. With comprehensive, chronological coverage of speeches from the 20th and 21st centuries, taken from all corners of the globe, it covers Emmeline Pankhurst's patiently reasoned condemnation of men's failure to improve ordinary women's lives in 1908 through speeches by Vladimir Lenin, Mahatma Gandhi, David Ben-Gurion, Albert Einstein, Fidel Castro, Nikita Khrushchev, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, Benazir Bhutto, Osama Bin Laden and Aung San Suu Kyi, right up to the most compelling oratory surrounding the 2016 US Presidential elections.Through the rallying propaganda speeches during World War II to the cautious rhetoric of the Cold War period, through challenging the status quo on issues of race, gender and politics to public addresses to the masses on the issues of AIDS and terrorism, through apologies, complaints, warmongering, scaremongering and passionate pleas, this book delivers the most important speeches of the modern era and why they still remain so significant.Each speech has an introduction explaining its setting, importance and impact as well as marginal notes filling in any background information.
50 Things You're Not Supposed to Know: Religion (50 Things You're Not Supposed to Know)
by Daniele BolelliThis compendium of obscure facts about the world’s religions highlights the political, cultural, and philosophical aspects of the history of religion.If you’re waiting for the world’s “Holy Men” to tell you the truth about their religions, do you suppose they’ll mention that:The Tao Te Ching was only created because Lao Tzu was thrown in jail by a disciple who didn’t want to let him leave town without writing down his teachings?“Passover” celebrates God killing all firstborn Egyptian kids while Jewish homes were “passed over” by the angel of death?Shinto, a natureloving, mellow religion, was transformed by the Japanese government into a nationalistic ideology promoting “holy” war?Adding to its popular “50 Things You’re Not Supposed To Know” series, Disinformation has teamed with Daniele Bolelli—writer, professor of comparative religion, and renowned martial arts practitioner and philosopher—to tackle an ever more serious and important topic: popular misconceptions about religion. Among other revelations:Carpocrates, an early Christian, argued that sex orgies were a key to heaven.Prostitution was a religious duty in Mesopotamian temples.The two major Chinese religions (Taoism and Confucianism) are completely at odds with each other and yet are often practiced together.Despite having persecuted Jews for two thousand years, Christian fundamentalists are Israel’s biggest supporters.Capturing just the right balance of in-depth knowledge, respect, humor, and irreverence, Bolelli takes an ecumenical approach to the task, revealing surprising, shocking, and little-known facts about the “big three” religions but also many more, including Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and, of course, the increasingly popular nonreligion: atheism.
50 Years On: A Prejudiced History of Britain Since the War
by Roy HattersleyIn FIFTY YEARS ON, Roy Hattersley explores and explains the events which have shaped modern Britain. Combining acute analysis of domestic politics with a brilliant eye for the bigger picture, his 'prejudiced history' takes the reader from the high hopes of 1945 to the cynicism of end-of century Britain. Roy Hattersley focuses his attention on two particular features of post-war Britain: the perpetuation of an education system which fails to meet the needs of the whole country, and our stubborn refusal to accept that the United Kingdom is a medium-sized European nation which can only increase its power and prosperity by real integration within the European union. FIFTY YEARS ON is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the forces that have shaped us.
50 Years On: A Prejudiced History of Britain Since the War
by Roy HattersleyIn FIFTY YEARS ON, Roy Hattersley explores and explains the events which have shaped modern Britain. Combining acute analysis of domestic politics with a brilliant eye for the bigger picture, his 'prejudiced history' takes the reader from the high hopes of 1945 to the cynicism of end-of century Britain. Roy Hattersley focuses his attention on two particular features of post-war Britain: the perpetuation of an education system which fails to meet the needs of the whole country, and our stubborn refusal to accept that the United Kingdom is a medium-sized European nation which can only increase its power and prosperity by real integration within the European union. FIFTY YEARS ON is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the forces that have shaped us.
501 Practical Ways to Teach Your Children Values
by Bobbie ReedHow to teach your children values from a Biblical perspective
536 Puzzles and Curious Problems
by Martin Gardner Henry E. DudeneyFor two decades, self-taught mathematician Henry E. Dudeney wrote a puzzle page, "Perplexities," for The Strand Magazine. Martin Gardner, longtime editor of Scientific American's mathematical games column, hailed Dudeney as "England's greatest maker of puzzles," unsurpassed in the quantity and quality of his inventions. This compilation of Dudeney's long-inaccessible challenges attests to the puzzle-maker's gift for creating witty and compelling conundrums. This treasury of intriguing puzzles begins with a selection of arithmetical and algebraical problems, including challenges involving money, time, speed, and distance. Geometrical problems follow, along with combinatorial and topological problems that feature magic squares and stars, route and network puzzles, and map coloring puzzles. The collection concludes with a series of game, domino, match, and unclassified puzzles. Solutions for all 536 problems are included, and charming drawings enliven the book.
The 60-Second Philosopher: Expand your Mind on a Minute or So a Day!
by Andrew PessinPhilosophy means "love of knowledge" in Greek. Unfortunately, as much as we all love knowledge, we don't all have the time to spend acquiring it! This fabulous little book provides the perfect antidote. Split into 60 one-minute chapters, Andrew Pessin offers you a snippet of philosophical wisdom everyday, giving you something to think about on your coffee break. From time travel and morality, to happiness and freedom, Pessin is bound to entertain you with his razor-sharp wit. The perfect way to hone your mental faculties ,The Sixty-Second Philosopher will delight aspiring thinkers everywhere! Andrew Pessin is Chair of Philosophy at Conneticut College. He is the author of Gray Matters: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind and has appeared several times on the David Letterman show as "The Genius".
Las 7 máximas para la felicidad del alma: Cómo liberar tu felicidad interior
by Paul Rodney TurnerLa felicidad es algo que todos buscamos, ya sea en la comida, el sexo, el entretenimiento, las relaciones, los niños, la carrera, los pasatiempos o el sueño. La felicidad nos impulsa, y de hecho define la calidad de nuestra vida. Uno puede tener una riqueza inmensa, pero si no son felices, entonces, en su mayoría, han fallado en la vida. Sin felicidad, la vida pierde su valor y, con la aparente disminución de la satisfacción, estamos viendo un aumento en el suicidio en todo el mundo. En un mundo donde los estímulos mentales y físicos abundan, parece inconcebible que alguien pueda ser infeliz. Seguramente, todos pueden encontrar alguna forma de felicidad, pero desgraciadamente, muchas, muchas personas fracasan y viven sus vidas tristes y exasperadas; o esperanza contra esperanza para que aparezca un poco de alegría en el horizonte de su destino. La felicidad es la naturaleza del espíritu, como se afirma en los Vedanta-sutras: anandamayo 'bhyāsāt - "el alma, por naturaleza, está llena de alegría". Sin embargo, debido a la identificación errónea de nuestro verdadero ser con la materia, perdemos el contacto con este estado natural de felicidad y nos identificamos con el dolor y el sufrimiento de una forma física. Cuando un alma es atrapada por un cuerpo material, se identifica de inmediato con las relaciones físicas y olvida su verdadera identidad como ser espiritual. Este ego falso, influenciado por los modos de la naturaleza material, atrapa aún más el alma en una red de acciones y reacciones kármicas. Mientras que la mente es el instrumento para sentir, la inteligencia tiene una función deliberativa y puede ayudarnos a navegar a través del fango del materialismo. La persona inteligente, por lo tanto, puede lograr liberarse de la ilusión de la existencia material mediante el uso adecuado de la inteligencia. La forma humana es ciertamente una bendición maravillosa, ya que sólo as
7 Ways of Looking at Religion: The Major Narratives
by Benjamin SchewelAn ambitious scholar&’s lucid analysis of religion&’s shifting place in the modern world.Western intellectuals have long theorized that religion would undergo a process of marginalization and decline as the forces of modernity advanced. Yet recent events have disrupted this seductively straightforward story. As a result, while religion has somehow evolved from its tribal beginnings up through modernity and into the current global age, there is no consensus about what kind of narrative of religious change we should alternatively tell.Seeking clarity, Benjamin Schewel organizes and evaluates the prevalent narratives of religious history that scholars have deployed over the past century and are advancing today. He argues that contemporary scholarly discourse on religion can be categorized according to seven central narratives: subtraction, renewal, transsecular, postnaturalist, construct, perennial, and developmental. Examining the basic logic, insights, and limitations of each of these narratives, Schewel ranges from Martin Heidegger to Muhammad Iqbal, from Daniel Dennett to Charles Taylor, to offer an incisive, broad, and original perspective on religion in the modern world.&“The book should be a widely read guide to the ideas that structure many of the debates scholars are having today about the meaning of postsecularism and future of religion.&” —Geoffrey Cameron, Review of Faith and International Affairs"What is the future of religion and how should we narrate its past? For all readers interested in these questions, this balanced and concise book is a must read.&” —Hans Joas, Humboldt University, Berlin, and University of Chicago
7000 años de Patriarcado: ... hasta la era radical (7000 Years #1)
by Ioana Petra"7000 años..." es una selección de análisis feministas radicales originales, escritos de la manera más accesible posible, con la menor cantidad de referencias bibliográficas posibles. La sencillez de la exposición —un desafío para la autora que proviene del mundo académico científico— no debe tener nada que ver con la sencillez de las ideas y las conclusiones a las que llegan los análisis a partir de ideas biológicas originales. Este libro parte de un proyecto concebido como capaz de llevar el feminismo radical más lejos, no sólo planteando nuevas críticas al patriarcado (visto también desde otros ángulos), sino también nuevas reivindicaciones feministas radicales. Y, por último, pero no menos importante, quiere iniciar la fundación de una nueva cultura feminista centrada en las mujeres, en sus deseos, y lo más libre posible de la contaminación patriarcal. Quería hacer de este libro un ejercicio de creatividad, libre pensamiento, valentía. Espero que las cosas también sean iguales para las lectoras y lectores.
The 8 Laws of Change: How to Be an Agent of Personal and Social Transformation
by Stephan A. SchwartzScientifically based strategies for enacting successful and enduring change on personal, societal, and global levels, no matter what your background • 2016 Nautilus Silver Award • Shares the stories of people who have changed history, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Ben Franklin, and Gandhi, detailing how they used the 8 laws of change • Based on more than 16 years of scientific and historical research as well as the author’s own experiences during the Civil Rights movement • Explores research in the fields of medicine, neuroscience, biology, and quantum physics to reveal the science of how the 8 laws of change work Inspired by his own powerful experiences during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s and other social movements in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, Stephan Schwartz spent 16 years researching successful social transformations, uncovering the science and the patterns behind them all. He found that there are three ways to create social change. The first is the advancement of technology and science. The second--change compelled by physical power--is almost always coercive and violent and, for those reasons, not long lasting. The third avenue of change he discovered--the most successful and enduring--is one brought about by something so subtle it is often not taken seriously: small individual choices based on integrity and shared intention. Revealing how the dynamics of change are learnable, Schwartz explains the 8 laws of individual and social behavior that can enable any person or small group--even ordinary people without great wealth, official position, or physical power--to bend the arc of history and create successful lasting transformation. He shares the stories of individuals who have actually changed history, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Franklin, Mother Teresa, and Mahatma Gandhi, detailing how they implemented the strategies and tactics of the 8 laws to achieve their success. The author explores research in the fields of medicine, neuroscience, biology, and quantum physics to reveal the science of how these laws of change work. He explains why compassionate and life-affirming changes have the most enduring impact and shows how each of the 8 laws cultivates a sense of “beingness” in the individual, empowering your integrity and connecting you to something greater than yourself--the key to lasting change on the personal, societal, and global levels.
The 80/20 Principle and 92 Other Powerful Laws of Nature
by Richard KochIn this follow-up to his best-selling The 80/20 Principle, the power law that helped hundreds of thousands achieve more by doing less, Richard Koch puts science to work, applying ninety-two other natural laws to promote the "science of success" within the ever-changing world of business. What does Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection prove about developing a niche product line? How can Isaac Newton's laws of motion and gravity help in a crowded marketplace? This is a must-have book for business leaders looking for clear, evidence-based reasoning that explains why some companies seem to find success everywhere they turn, while others don't make progress.
935 Lies: The Future of Truth and the Decline of America's Moral Integrity
by Charles LewisFacts are and must be the coin of the realm in a democracy, for government OC of the people, by the people and for the people, OCO requires and assumes to some extent an informed citizenry. Unfortunately, for citizens in the United States and throughout the world, distinguishing between fact and fiction has always been a formidable challenge, often with real life and death consequences. But now it is more difficult and confusing than ever. The Internet Age makes comment indistinguishable from fact, and erodes authority. It is liberating but annihilating at the same time. For those wielding power, whether in the private or the public sector, the increasingly sophisticated control of information is regarded as utterly essential to achieving success. Internal information is severely limited, including calendars, memoranda, phone logs and emails. History is sculpted by its absence. Often those in power strictly control the flow of information, corroding and corrupting its content, of course, using newspapers, radio, television and other mass means of communication to carefully consolidate their authority and cover their crimes in a thick veneer of fervent racialism or nationalism. And always with the specter of some kind of imminent public threat, what Hannah Arendt called OCyobjective enemies. OCOOCO An epiphanic, public comment about the Bush OC war on terrorOCO years was made by an unidentified White House official revealing how information is managed and how the news media and the public itself are regarded by those in power: OC You journalists live] OC in what we call the reality-based community. But] thatOCOs not the way the world really works anymore. WeOCOre an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality . . . weOCOre historyOCOs actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do. OCO And yet, as aggressive as the Republican Bush administration was in attempting to define reality, the subsequent, Democratic Obama administration may be more so. Into the battle for truth steps Charles Lewis, a pioneer of journalistic objectivity. His book looks at the various ways in which truth can be manipulated and distorted by governments, corporations, even lone individuals. He shows how truth is often distorted or diminished by delay: truth "in time" can save terrible erroneous choices. In part a history of communication in America, a cri de coeur for the principles and practice of objective reporting, and a journey into several notably labyrinths of deception, "935 Lies" is a valorous search for honesty in an age of casual, sometimes malevolent distortion of the facts.