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Wish I Were Here: Boredom and the Interface
by Mark KingwellAre you bored of the endless scroll of your social media feed? Do you swipe left before considering the human being whose face you just summarily rejected? Do you skim articles on your screen in search of intellectual stimulation that never arrives? If so, this book is the philosophical lifeline you have been waiting for. <P><P> Offering a timely meditation on the profound effects of constant immersion in technology, also known as the Interface, Wish I Were Here draws on philosophical analysis of boredom and happiness to examine the pressing issues of screen addiction and the lure of online outrage. Without moralizing, Mark Kingwell takes seriously the possibility that current conditions of life and connection are creating hollowed-out human selves, divorced from their own external world. While scrolling, swiping, and clicking suggest purposeful action, such as choosing and connecting with others, Kingwell argues that repeated flicks of the finger provide merely the shadow of meaning, by reducing us to scattered data fragments, Twitter feeds, Instagram posts, shopping preferences, and text trends captured by algorithms. <P><P> Written in accessible language that references both classical philosophers and contemporary critics, Wish I Were Here turns to philosophy for a cure to the widespread unease that something is amiss in modern waking life.
Wissenschaft und Willensfreiheit: Was Max Planck und andere Forschende herausfanden
by Stephan SchleimUnsere Entscheidungen treffen wir selbst und frei. Oder nicht? Für unser Menschenbild ist wenig so bedeutend wie die Erfahrung, sich selbst unter Kontrolle zu haben. Doch was sagen Philosophie und Wissenschaft hierzu?Schon lange vor der Diskussion der Willensfreiheit in der Hirnforschung war man sich dieses Problems bewusst. Stephan Schleim nimmt hier den Vortrag des bedeutenden Physikers und Nobelpreisträgers Max Planck aus den 1930er Jahren zum Anlass, das Thema neu zu beleuchten. Dabei steht im Fokus, wie unsere tatsächlichen Entscheidungen in Alltagssituationen beeinflusst werden. Damit hebt sich das Sachbuch von anderen Veröffentlichungen ab, die nur Laborexperimente mit begrenzter Aussagekraft behandeln.Der Autor erklärt das Problem aus den Perspektiven von Psychologie, Neurowissenschaften, Philosophie, Rechtswissenschaften und Physik. Am Anfang werden Grundlagen vermittelt: Was hat es mit der Diskussion von Determinismus/Indeterminismus auf sich? Welche Begriffe von Willensfreiheit gibt es in der Philosophie? Wie werden Entscheidungen in der Psychologie untersucht?Nach Analyse der einschlägigen Forschung bespricht Stephan Schleim, Assoziierter Professor für Theoretische Psychologie, die praktische Dimension des Problems. Wie und warum machen wir Menschen für ihre Entscheidungen verantwortlich? Wie funktionieren Strafrecht und Moral? Und vor allem: Wie werden wir unbewusst beeinflusst und welche Möglichkeiten haben wir, damit umzugehen?
Wissenschaft, Zahlen und Politik
by Markus J. PrutschDiese Studie untersucht die dynamische Beziehung zwischen Wissenschaft, Zahlen und Politik. Was können wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse realistischerweise in und für die Politik tun? Der Band leistet einen Beitrag zu dieser Debatte, indem er sich auf die Rolle von "Zahlen" als Mittel konzentriert, mit dem Wissen ausgedrückt wird und durch das dieses Wissen in den politischen Bereich übertragen werden kann. Ausgehend von der Annahme, dass Zahlen ständig aktiv geschaffen, übersetzt und verwendet werden und dass sie in ihren jeweiligen Kontexten interpretiert werden müssen, wird untersucht, wie Zahlen und Quantifizierungen "politisch nutzbar" gemacht werden, indem ihre Produktion, ihr Übergang in die Sphäre der Politik und ihre letztendliche Verwendung darin untersucht werden. Zu den zentralen Fragen, die behandelt werden, gehören: Auf welche Weise beeinflussen wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse die politische Entscheidungsfindung in der heutigen Welt? Wie und warum hat Quantifizierung in der demokratischen Politik eine so wichtige Rolle gespielt? Was leisten wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse und Zahlen in der Politik?
Wissenschaftlich Arbeiten - heute
by Anna Kollenberg Wolfgang KollenbergDie Stellung von Wissenschaft in der Gesellschaft hat sich im Laufe der Zeit immer wieder verändert. Heute ist der Zugang zu einer wissenschaftlichen Ausbildung leichter als je zuvor. Die Zahl der Hochschulen und der Studiengänge hat enorm zugenommen. Forschung findet heute nicht nur an staatlichen Hochschulen, sondern zu einem erheblichen Teil in der Industrie und privaten Institutionen statt. Was bedeuten diese Veränderungen für das Wissenschaftliche Arbeiten? Anna und Wolfgang Kollenberg geben einen detaillierten Einblick in das Panorama wissenschaftlicher Methoden, wobei gelegentlich auch Einblicke in die Theorie und Geschichte der Wissenschaft geboten werden. Dadurch ist dieses Buch nicht nur ein reicher Fundus für angehende Wissenschaftler und Forschende, sondern auch für wissenschaftsinteressierte Laien überaus lesenswert.
Wissenschaftsfreiheit im Konflikt: Grundlagen, Herausforderungen und Grenzen
by Elif ÖzmenDemokratie gründet auf dem Recht des Einzelnen, anderer Meinung sein und diese frei äußern und verbreiten zu dürfen. Analog verhält es sich innerhalb der Institutionen der freien Wissenschaft und der kritischen Universität: Sie dienen der Selbstkontrolle wissenschaftlicher Tätigkeit, ebenso dem Schutz einer kritischen Öffentlichkeit. Aber unter welchen Voraussetzungen entwickelt Wissenschaftsfreiheit dieses epistemische, ethische und demokratische Potential? Darf man im universitären Raum alles sagen und diskutieren? Oder gibt es eine Grenze zwischen Freiheit und Zügellosigkeit? Wer sollte nach welchen Maßstäben Grenzen ziehen zwischen dem legitimen Wettbewerb um Meinungen einerseits und der Provokation, Diskriminierung und der Verachtung des Gegners andererseits? Gibt es normative Grundlagen für den Gebrauch der akademischen Freiheiten, die ihre Grenzen zu bestimmen erlauben?
Wissenschaftsphilosophie: Eine Einführung in die wissenschaftliche Modellbildung (essentials)
by Stefan SchäfflerDieses essential bietet eine verständliche Einführung in die philosophischen Grundprinzipien der Wissenschaften. Beantwortet werden Fragen wie: Was bedeutet eigentlich „logisch“? Was ist Deduktion, was ist Induktion? Welche Wissenschaften sind rein deduktiv? Kann ein wissenschaftliches Modell wahr oder falsch sein? Warum ist jedes wissenschaftliche Modell eine Deutung von Beobachtungen?
Wissenstransfer im Bildungsbereich: Konzepte, Erfahrungen und Perspektiven
by Hadjar Ghadiri-Mohajerzad Josef SchraderDieser Band bietet eine Einführung in das Thema Wissenstransfer im Bildungsbereich unter Berücksichtigung aktueller Studien. Bildungswissenschaftliches Wissen soll das pädagogische Personal unterstützen, doch es besteht Zweifel an der Erfüllung dieser Erwartung, und es wird zunehmend gefordert, Forschungserkenntnisse effektiv in der Praxis umzusetzen. Dabei ist der Wissenstransfer entscheidend, um wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse positiv auf die Bildungsrealität einwirken zu lassen. Der Wissenstransfer von Forschungswissen in die Bildungspraxis und Bildungspolitik ist ein komplexer Prozess und gestaltet sich sehr unterschiedlich. In diesem Band wird der Versuch vorgenommen, die Konzepte, Erfahrungen und Perspektiven zum Wissenstransfer zu systematisieren. Die Lektüre gibt außer dem Stand der aktuellen Forschung mehr Einblicke auf die verschiedenen Akteure des Wissenstransfers: Während eine zügige und an Probleme und Handlungsmöglichkeiten der Praxis anschlussfähige Vermittlung von Forschungswissen insbesondere von der Bildungspolitik eingefordert wird, zeigen Forschende grundsätzlich eine Bereitschaft zu Wissenstransferaktivitäten, aber legen keine Priorität auf Wissenstransfer. Schließlich rezeptieren Bildungspraktiker*innen Forschungswissen eher zögerlich. Abschließend wird diskutiert, welche Strategien genutzt werden können, um einen erfolgreichen Wissenstransfer zu leisten.
Wit and Wisdom for Teachers: 930 Quotes to Motivate and Inspire
by John BlaydesNationally acclaimed speaker and educator John Blaydes complies nuggets of wit and wisdom to motivate and inspire his fellow educators. The Educator&’s Book of Quotes is a comprehensive resource for quotes relating to education and leadership, organized by sixteen themes for easy access and reference, including: The Art of TeachingBalancing the Time CrunchPrinciples and PrincipalsCreating a Culture of ExcellenceInspirational LeadershipEducation is KeyContaining hundreds of inspirational quotes for teachers in all stages of their career, The Educator&’s Book of Quotes is a must have.
Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary History
by Alan Charles Kors Edward PetersSelected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Book for 2001 The highly-acclaimed first edition of this book chronicled the rise and fall of witchcraft in Europe between the twelfth and the end of the seventeenth centuries. Now greatly expanded, the classic anthology of contemporary texts reexamines the phenomenon of witchcraft, taking into account the remarkable scholarship since the book's publication almost thirty years ago. Spanning the period from 400 to 1700, the second edition of Witchcraft in Europe assembles nearly twice as many primary documents as the first, many newly translated, along with new illustrations that trace the development of witch-beliefs from late Mediterranean antiquity through the Enlightenment. Trial records, inquisitors' reports, eyewitness statements, and witches' confessions, along with striking contemporary illustrations depicting the career of the Devil and his works, testify to the hundreds of years of terror that enslaved an entire continent. Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, Thomas Hobbes, and other thinkers are quoted at length in order to determine the intellectual, perceptual, and legal processes by which "folklore" was transformed into systematic demonology and persecution. Together with explanatory notes, introductory essays--which have been revised to reflect current research--and a new bibliography, the documents gathered in Witchcraft in Europe vividly illumine the dark side of the European mind.
The Witcher and Philosophy: Toss a Coin to Your Philosopher (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series)
by Kevin S. Decker Matthew BrakeEmbark on a revealing philosophical journey through the universe of The Witcher “If I'm to choose between one evil and another, I'd rather not choose at all,” growls the mutant “witcher,” Geralt of Rivia. Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher books lay bare the adventures of monster hunters like Geralt, who seek to avoid humanity's conflicts and live only for the next kill and the coin that comes with it. But Geralt's destiny is complicated by his relationship with a powerful sorceress, Yennefer of Vengerberg. When he connects with a displaced princess, Ciri, Geralt lands right in the middle of the political conflicts of the Continent, which is endangered by Nilfgaard, a domineering southern kingdom that threatens to conquer the world. Part of the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, The Witcher and Philosophy brings on twenty-seven philosophers to test their mettle against werewolves, the bruxa, strigas, vodyanoi, and kikimora; their work addresses the phenomenally popular books, three standalone Witcher video games, and the hit Netflix streaming show. These authors pass on their fascination with all manner of horror and sorcery: the mutations that make Geralt and others witchers, the commonalities between the Continent and post-apocalyptic settings, the intricacies of political power and scandal in the world of The Witcher, and reflections of our own world's changing views on race and gender that might offer hope—or portend a grim future. Engaging and accessible, The Witcher and Philosophy considers key themes and questions such as: Who is human, and who is a monster? Can Geralt afford to stay neutral? What kind of politics do sorceresses engage in? How many universes converge on the Continent? If we stare long enough into the abyss, does it stare back into us? Silver or steel? “Destiny is just the embodiment of the soul's desire to grow,” says Jaskier the bard, proving himself to be a natural philosopher. The tales of The Witcher remind us that our lives are a play written by both choice and destiny. And it is your destiny to read and be inspired by The Witcher and Philosophy.
Witches, Whores, and Sorcerers: The Concept of Evil in Early Iran
by S.K. Mendoza ForrestEarly Iranians believed evil had to have a source outside of God, which led to the concept of an entity as powerful and utterly evil as God is potent and good. These two forces, good and evil, which have always vied for superiority, needed helpers in this struggle. According to the Zoroastrians, every entity had to take sides, from the cosmic level to the microcosmic self. One of the results of this battle was that certain humans were thought to side with evil. Who were these allies of that great Evil Spirit? Women were inordinately singled out. Male healers were forbidden to deal with female health disorders because of the fear of the polluting power of feminine blood. Female healers, midwives, and shamans were among those who were accused of collaborating with the Evil Spirit, because they healed women. Men who worked to prepare the dead were also suspected of secret evil. Evil even showed up as animals such as frogs, snakes, and bugs of all sorts, which scuttled to the command of their wicked masters. This first comprehensive study of the concept of evil in early Iran uncovers details of the Iranian struggle against witchcraft, sorcery, and other “evils,” beginning with their earliest texts.
Witcraft: The Invention of Philosophy in English
by Jonathan RéeAn ambitious new history of philosophy in English that broadens the canon to include many lesser-known figures Ludwig Wittgenstein once wrote that “philosophy should be written like poetry.” But philosophy has often been presented more prosaically as a long trudge through canonical authors and great works. But what, Jonathan Rée asks, if we instead saw the history of philosophy as a haphazard series of unmapped forest paths, a mass of individual stories showing endurance, inventiveness, bewilderment, anxiety, impatience, and good humor? Here, Jonathan Rée brilliantly retells this history, covering such figures as Descartes, Locke, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Mill, James, Frege, Wittgenstein, and Sartre. But he also includes authors not usually associated with philosophy, such as William Hazlitt, George Eliot, Darwin, and W. H. Auden. Above all, he uncovers dozens of unremembered figures—puritans, revolutionaries, pantheists, feminists, nihilists, socialists, and scientists—who were passionate and active readers of philosophy, and often authors themselves. Breaking away from high-altitude narratives, he shows how philosophy finds its way into ordinary lives, enriching and transforming them in unexpected ways.
With and Against: the Situationist International in the Age of Automation
by Dominique RouthierThe little-known story of the Situationist International&’s struggle against the automation of everyday lifeNo other art movement has so profoundly influenced radical politics as the Situationist International. But beyond the clichés about its purported leader Guy Debord, the "society of the spectacle," détournement and dérive, lies a more complex story about key historical shifts in the composition of capital, work, labor, art, and revolutionary theory during the 1950s and 60s.With and Against reframes the history of the Situationist International as a struggle to come to terms with the then-emerging ideologies of cybernetics and automation. Through each of the book's four chapters, Dominique Routhier dissects Situationist pamphlets, documents, artworks, and objects that refract elements of a "cybernetic hypothesis": the theoretically hyperbolic belief that technological progress, computers and automation make class struggle and the idea of revolution obsolete.With equal attention to aesthetic detail and to the broader contours of political economy, this book serves as a critical intervention in art history as well a call to reconsider, more broadly, the contemporary lessons of the most political of all artistic avantgardes.
With Charity Toward None: An Analysis of Ayn Rand's Philosophy
by William F. O'NeillThis book is a study of Ayn Rand's philosophy of objectivism. It addresses three basic questions: What is objectivism? What is the full meaning of the objectivist point of view? And what are the basic social implications of objectivism? The book is divided into two major sections. The first part summarizes Ayn Rand's philosophy with respect to three basic areas of inquiry: (1) knowing and the known, (2) personal value and the nature of man, and (3) the ethics of objectivism. The second part consists primarily of a critical analysis of the ideas presented in the earlier pages. The purpose of the study is to deal with Ayn Rand's basic premises; only secondary consideration is given to the way in which these premises apply to specific problems in such areas as politics, economics and esthetics. Throughout, O'Neill is less concerned with criticizing what Rand says than with determining whether what she says makes sense in terms of established procedures for rational and semantic analysis and with respect to generally accepted principles for the scientific verification of evidence.
With Charity Toward None: An Analysis of Ayn Rand's Philosophy
by William F. O'NeillAn in-depth and evenhanded examination of Ayn Rand&’s philosophy as expressed in her novels and nonfiction writings. In With Charity Toward None, William F. O&’Neill addresses the fundamentals of objectivism and the full meaning of an objectivist point of view. He delves into the social implications of putting such a philosophy into action. Neither fawning nor dismissive, O&’Neill forgoes the popular controversy surrounding Rand, focusing instead on rational and semantic analysis of her work. Divided into two major sections, the first part of this book summarizes the three basic areas of Randian philosophical inquiry: (1) knowing and the known, (2) personal value and the nature of man, and (3) the ethics of objectivism. The second part consists primarily of a critical analysis of the ideas presented in the earlier pages.
With Dogs at the Edge of Life
by Colin DayanIn this original and provocative book, Colin Dayan tackles head-on the inexhaustible world, at once tender and fierce, of dogs and humans. We follow the tracks of dogs in the bayous of Louisiana, the streets of Istanbul, and the humane societies of the United States, and in the memories and myths of the humans who love them. Dayan reorients our ethical and political assumptions through a trans-species engagement that risks as much as it promises. She makes a powerful case for questioning what we think of as our deepest-held beliefs and, with dogs in the lead, unsettles the dubious promises of liberal humanism.Moving seamlessly between memoir, case law, and film, Dayan takes politics and animal studies in a new direction—one that gives us glimpses of how we can think beyond ourselves and with other beings. Her unconventional perspective raises hard questions and renews what it means for any animal or human to live in the twenty-first century. Nothing less than a challenge for us to confront violence and suffering even in the privileged precincts of modernity, this searing and lyrical book calls for another way to think the world. Theoretically sophisticated yet aimed at a broad readership, With Dogs at the Edge of Life illuminates how dogs—and their struggles—take us beyond sentimentality and into a form of thought that can make a difference to our lives.
With the Stroke of a Pen: Executive Orders and Presidential Power
by Kenneth MayerThe conventional wisdom holds that the president of the United States is weak, hobbled by the separation of powers and the short reach of his formal legal authority. In this first-ever in-depth study of executive orders, Kenneth Mayer deals a strong blow to this view. Taking civil rights and foreign policy as examples, he shows how presidents have used a key tool of executive power to wield their inherent legal authority and pursue policy without congressional interference. Throughout the nation's life, executive orders have allowed presidents to make momentous, unilateral policy choices: creating and abolishing executive branch agencies, reorganizing administrative and regulatory processes, handling emergencies, and determining how legislation is implemented. From the Louisiana Purchase to the Emancipation Proclamation, from Franklin Roosevelt's establishment of the Executive Office of the President to Bill Clinton's authorization of loan guarantees for Mexico, from Harry Truman's integration of the armed forces to Ronald Reagan's seizures of regulatory control, American presidents have used executive orders (or their equivalents) to legislate in ways that extend far beyond administrative activity. By analyzing the pattern of presidents' use of executive orders and the relationship of those orders to the presidency as an institution, Mayer describes an office much more powerful and active than the one depicted in the bulk of the political science literature. This distinguished work of scholarship shows that the U.S. presidency has a great deal more than the oft-cited "power to persuade."
With the Stroke of a Pen: Executive Orders and Presidential Power
by Kenneth R. MayerThe conventional wisdom holds that the president of the United States is weak, hobbled by the separation of powers and the short reach of his formal legal authority. In this first-ever in-depth study of executive orders, Kenneth Mayer deals a strong blow to this view. Taking civil rights and foreign policy as examples, he shows how presidents have used a key tool of executive power to wield their inherent legal authority and pursue policy without congressional interference. Throughout the nation's life, executive orders have allowed presidents to make momentous, unilateral policy choices: creating and abolishing executive branch agencies, reorganizing administrative and regulatory processes, handling emergencies, and determining how legislation is implemented. From the Louisiana Purchase to the Emancipation Proclamation, from Franklin Roosevelt's establishment of the Executive Office of the President to Bill Clinton's authorization of loan guarantees for Mexico, from Harry Truman's integration of the armed forces to Ronald Reagan's seizures of regulatory control, American presidents have used executive orders (or their equivalents) to legislate in ways that extend far beyond administrative activity. By analyzing the pattern of presidents' use of executive orders and the relationship of those orders to the presidency as an institution, Mayer describes an office much more powerful and active than the one depicted in the bulk of the political science literature. This distinguished work of scholarship shows that the U.S. presidency has a great deal more than the oft-cited "power to persuade."
Within Reason: Rationality and Human Behavior
by Donald B. CalneIt has long been a central conviction of western humanistic thought that reason is the most godlike of human traits, and that it makes us unique among animals. Yet if reason directs what we do, why is human behavior so often violent, irrational and disastrous? <BR>In Within Reason, leading neurologist Donald B. Calne investigates the phenomenon of rationality from an astonishingly wide array of scientific, sociological, and philosophical perspectives--and shows that although reason evolved as a crucial tool for human survival, it is an aspect of mind and brain which has no inherent moral or spiritual qualities and one whose relationship to our thoughts and actions may not be as central as we want to believe. Learned, lucid, and always illuminating, Within Reason brings together the latest developments in the science of mind with some of the most enduring questions of Western thought. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
Within School Walls: The Role Of Discipline, Sexuality And The Curriculum (Routledge Library Editions: Education)
by AnnMarie WolpeDrawing from her in-depth ethnographic study of a London comprehensive school the author shows how gender formation for both girls and boys is mediated by disciplinary control, sexuality and the curriculum. Her findings for girls and boys – with their important emphases – are revealed. So are the responses and perspectives of the teachers. Prior to publication of this volume much feminist writing depicted the subordination of girls as a function of patriarchal control, both in terms of the teaching the girls receive and the behaviour of the boys around them. The author’s narrative implicitly and explicitly challenges some of these views.
Without Answers Vol 8
by Rush RheesFirst published in 2003. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Without Criteria: Kant, Whitehead, Deleuze, and Aesthetics (Technologies of Lived Abstraction)
by Steven ShaviroA Deleuzian reading of Whitehead and a Whiteheadian reading of Deleuze open the possibility of a critical aesthetics of contemporary culture. In Without Criteria, Steven Shaviro proposes and explores a philosophical fantasy: imagine a world in which Alfred North Whitehead takes the place of Martin Heidegger. What if Whitehead, instead of Heidegger, had set the agenda for postmodern thought? Heidegger asks, “Why is there something, rather than nothing?” Whitehead asks, “How is it that there is always something new?” In a world where everything from popular music to DNA is being sampled and recombined, argues Shaviro, Whitehead's question is the truly urgent one. Without Criteria is Shaviro's experiment in rethinking postmodern theory, especially the theory of aesthetics, from a point of view that hearkens back to Whitehead rather than Heidegger. In working through the ideas of Whitehead and Deleuze, Shaviro also appeals to Kant, arguing that certain aspects of Kant's thought pave the way for the philosophical “constructivism” embraced by both Whitehead and Deleuze. Kant, Whitehead, and Deleuze are not commonly grouped together, but the juxtaposition of them in Without Criteria helps to shed light on a variety of issues that are of concern to contemporary art and media practices.
Without Foundations: Justification in Political Theory
by Donald J. HerzogCan political theorists justify their ideas? Do sound political theories need foundations? What constitutes a well-justified argument in political discourse? Don Herzog attempts to answer these questions by investigating the ways in which major theorists in the Anglo-American political tradition have justified their views. Making use of a wide range of primary texts, Herzog examines the work of such important theorists as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, the utilitarians (Jeremy Bentham, J. S. Mill. Henry Sidgwick, J. C. Harsanyi, R. M. Hare, and R. B. Brandt), David Hume, and Adam Smith. Herzog argues that Hobbes, Locke, and the utilitarians fail to justify their theories because they try to ground the volatile world of politics in immutable aspects of human nature, language, theology, or rationality. Herzog concludes that the works of Adam Smith and David Hume offer illuminating examples of successful justifications. Basing their political conclusions on social contexts, not on abstract principles, Hume and Smith develop creative solutions to given problems.
Without the Least Tremor: The Sacrifice of Socrates in Plato's Phaedo (SUNY series in Contemporary Continental Philosophy)
by M. Ross RomeroIn Without the Least Tremor, M. Ross Romero considers the death of Socrates as a sacrificial act rather than an execution, and analyzes the implications of such an understanding for the meaning of the Phaedo. Plato's recounting of Socrates's death fits many of the conventions of ancient Greek sacrificial ritual. Among these are the bath, the procession, Socrates's appearance as a bull, the libation, the offering of a rooster to Asclepius, the treatment of Socrates's body and corpse, and Phaedo's memorialization of Socrates. Yet in a powerful moment, Socrates's death deviates from a sacrifice as he drinks the pharmakon "without the least tremor." Developing the themes of suffering and wisdom as they connect to this scene, Romero demonstrates how the embodied Socrates is setting forth an eikôn of the death of the philosopher. Drawing on comparisons with tragedy and comedy, he argues that Socrates's death is more fittingly described as self-sacrifice than merely an execution or suicide. After considering the implications of these themes for the soul's immortality and its relationship to the body, the book concludes with an exploration of the place of sacrifice within ethical life.
Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel's Classroom
by Ariel BurgerWINNER OF THE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD—BIOGRAPHY Elie Wiesel was a towering presence on the world stage—a Nobel laureate, activist, adviser to world leaders, and the author of more than forty books, including the Oprah’s Book Club selection Night. But when asked, Wiesel always said, “I am a teacher first.” In fact, he taught at Boston University for nearly four decades, and with this book, Ariel Burger—devoted protégé, apprentice, and friend—takes us into the sacred space of Wiesel’s classroom. There, Wiesel challenged his students to explore moral complexity and to resist the dangerous lure of absolutes. In bringing together never-before-recounted moments between Wiesel and his students, Witness serves as a moral education in and of itself—a primer on educating against indifference, on the urgency of memory and individual responsibility, and on the role of literature, music, and art in making the world a more compassionate place. Burger first met Wiesel at age fifteen; he became his student in his twenties, and his teaching assistant in his thirties. In this profoundly thought-provoking and inspiring book, Burger gives us a front-row seat to Wiesel’s remarkable exchanges in and out of the classroom, and chronicles the intimate conversations between these two men over the decades as Burger sought counsel on matters of intellect, spirituality, and faith, while navigating his own personal journey from boyhood to manhood, from student and assistant, to rabbi and, in time, teacher. “Listening to a witness makes you a witness,” said Wiesel. Ariel Burger’s book is an invitation to every reader to become Wiesel’s student, and witness.