Popular philosophy: Meaning of life Books
HarperCollins Publishers Japonisme Ikigai Forest Bathing Wabisabi and more
Book SynopsisA Japanese-inspired guide to living a happier, more fulfilled life.Japonisme explores the Japanese art of findingcontentment and includes practical tips and tricksto live a happier, healthier, more thoughtful life.What is your ikigai (purpose)? How do you practice mindfulness in the unpredictability and chaos of everyday life?From shinrinyoku (forest bathing), calligraphy, ikebana(fl ower arranging) to tea ceremonies and their approach tofood, the Japanese have found contentment through traditions,philosophies, and the practice of art. This book shows how we can all incorporate aspects of Japonisme into our daily lives.Enhance your lifestyle and enrich your mind by looking at lifethrough the lens of wabi-sabi (the transient nature of life),kintsugi (repairing broken ceramics with gold) or kaizen(habit-forming techniques), in an accessible, practical way.
£12.34
HarperCollins Publishers Walden and Civil Disobedience Collins Classics
Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. Henry David Thoreau, WaldenTrade Review‘Thoreau was a great writer, philosopher, poet, and withal a most practical man, that is, he taught nothing he was not prepared to practise in himself. … He went to gaol for the sake of his principles and suffering humanity. His essay has, therefore, been sanctified by suffering. Moreover, it is written for all time. Its incisive logic is unanswerable.’ Mohandas Gandhi ‘I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. No other person has been more eloquent and passionate in getting this idea across than Henry David Thoreau. As a result of his writings and personal witness, we are the heirs of a legacy of creative protest.’ Martin Luther King, Jr
£5.62
HarperCollins Publishers The Little Book of Sloth Philosophy
Book SynopsisRelax, unwind and soak up the wisdom of the sloth with the slowest page turner you'll ever read.From tidying and Hygge, to living Lagom, the endless pressure to be happier, live better, sleep soundly, and eat mindfully can be exhausting. But this year's lifestyle trend finally delivers the perfect antidote welcome to the year of the sloth.Sloths are mindfulness in action. Contemplative, deliberate, relaxed, and focused. They resist the rat race, the incessant pressures from society to be more productive, and they don't care how many steps they've logged on their fitness tracker. Long-limbed, a little bit shaggy, and a lot wide-eyed, they're wonderful creatures, not to mention completely adorable.Here you can enjoy take-it-slow wisdom inspired by sloths; including advice on sleep (more restorative than a 6am run), eating and exercise' (sloths are the original pioneers of slow food and yoga after all), work (did you know that lazy people have higher IQs?), family life, and love.Dispelli
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers THE WISDOM OF NO ESCAPE How to Love Yourself and
Book SynopsisMassmarket edition of this spiritual guide to making the most of life, through bad times as well as good, from bestselling author Pema Chödrön. This accessible book has been on the US bestseller lists consistently for four years now.In The Wisdom of No Escape, bestselling author Pema Chödrön shows us the profound value of our situation of no exit' from the ups and downs of life.This book is about saying yes to life in all its manifestations about making friends with ourselves and our world and embracing the potent mixture of joy, suffering, brilliance, and confusion that characterizes the human experience.It urges us to wake up wholeheartedly to everything and to use the abundant, richly textured fabric of everyday life as our primary spiritual teacher and guide.Trade Review‘Pema’s deep experience and her fresh way of looking at things are like mountain water – clear and deep.’ Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry. ‘As one of Pema Chödrön’s grateful students, I have been learning the most pressing and necessary lesson of all: how to keep opening wider my own heart.’ Alice Walker ‘It is a lively and accessible take on ancient techniques for transforming terror and pain into joy and compassion.’ O, the Oprah Winfrey magazine
£8.99
HarperCollins Publishers Gods Little Book of Hope
Book SynopsisWith God's Little Book of Hope, words of refreshment and encouragement are always at hand, and they will bring renewed inspiration and vigour to our daily lives.
£6.99
The School of Life Press Stoicism: find serenity and strength in a
Book SynopsisWe still pay homage to one of the most relevant philosophies ever devised when we call someone ‘stoic’ for the way they handle the challenges in their lives with resilience and calm. Originating in Greece around 300 BCE, Stoicism was for many centuries the most popular philosophy in the Western world, teaching people practical advice on how they could flourish in uncertain times and overcome their anxieties. This box of cards gathers together the best insights and sayings from the great Stoic thinkers and marries them up with commentaries that bring out their applicability to our own lives. This is both an elegant summary of an ancient philosophy and a route to self-knowledge, serenity and strength of mind.
£16.20
HarperCollins Publishers What it Means to be Human
Book Synopsis What is the role of fate in our lives? Why should we avoid repeating patterns? And how can we identify our purpose? Trade ReviewPraise for Driving with Plato: ‘This is a fascinating and deeply impressive book’ Daily Mail ‘Smith has the suave wit of the professional intellectual’ Financial Times ‘I'll never drive the same way again. Or have a midlife crisis the same way again, for that matter. This book is elegant proof that philosophy doesn't have to be fusty and musty’ A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically ‘A friendly guide to the meaning of life's milestones’ Guardian ‘I am often asked to recommend a good introduction to philosophy – now I've discovered one … Smith's work is witty, inventive and intelligent’ THES ‘Roland Smith is a gifted communicator and each chapter is perfectly balanced, and several times my mind was asking 'yes, but what about…?' only to have Roland Smith anticipate this and provide answers in the very next paragraph’ Bookbag Praise for Breakfast with Socrates: ‘Philosophy made accessible … manages to be funny without underestimating the reader’ Financial Times ‘This charming book wears its erudition with ease’ Publishers Weekly ‘Smith has written a remarkable book, which goes through the seemingly mundane events of a day – waking up, having a bath, commuting, reading a book, and so on – and explores them with a philosophical eye to see what insights might be gleaned … joyously wise’ Church Times ‘A very thoughtful and continuously entertaining picture of human behaviour … a filling mental meal that should leave you delightfully satisfied’ Wired
£8.99
HarperCollins Publishers How to Live
Book SynopsisThe Rule of St. Benedict (the rule) arose in an era when a great civilization was threatened by violence, economic forces that favored the wealthy, political leaders that lacked the trust of the public, and rampant xenophobia. The events that occurred in sixth-century Rome were much those like on the nightly news.Benedict was not a priest or religious official. He was just a young man disillusioned by a corrupt society that lacked compassion. He had a vision of a society in which human values reigned supreme; a vision of compassion, harmony, and hope.This is a book about livingnot just surviving. It is a book about how to live a balanced, meaningful, and conscious life rooted in the ancient and time-tested wisdom of the rule.Valente''s book reflects her training as a journalist. The narrative is engaging, conversational, and filled with anecdotes. It reflects the sensibility of someone who has struggled with balancing work and family with finding true meaning and happiness that is not Trade Review“ This is a timely book for troubled times, showing how the values and prac- tices established by St. Benedict in the 6th century can help us lead happier lives. A self-professed workaholic, the author allows the reader to see how her life has changed for the better since she took this ancient wisdom to heart.”—KATHLEEN NORRIS, author of e Cloister Walk, Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, Acedia and Me, and Amazing Grace
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers Permission to Rest
Book SynopsisWe all have the power to transform our lives from the inside out by simply slowing down.Resting is one of the most impactful practices we can adopt for self-compassion, emotional well-being, collective care, and environmental repair. When we take a few moments each day to pause, we are reclaiming the innate wisdom within our bodies and within the natural world: the wisdom of rest.Permission to Rest is a timely manifesto and compassionate call to action. It is an invitation for you to pause, look inward, learn to feel your own rhythms, and value rest as a deeply healing, empowering, and spiritual way of life. This book is a revolutionary reminder that we have the power to transform our lives, our communities, and our planet from the inside out. It comes at a time when many of us are urgently being called to do so.Trade Review‘Ashley Neese is such a special teacher—and you can feel her calming, beautiful presence throughout these pages. She’s exactly the person you want to show you how to truly rest.’ Gwyneth Paltrow, founder and CEO of goop ‘In my telehealth functional medicine clinic, I see all the time the negative impact chronic stress can have on a person’s physical health. And as a self-proclaimed JOMO (joy of missing out) enthusiast, Neese’s book shows us why slowing down is so important and exactly how to do so in a way that facilitates true rest and growth. It’s the guide we didn’t know we so desperately needed.’ Dr. Will Cole, functional medicine expert, and author of New York Times bestseller, Intuitive Fasting and Gut Feelings ‘Ashley’s approach to rest is a natural extension to her approach to breathwork, it's a simple invitation to invite more softness into your life – whenever you're ready.’ Erica Chidi, Co-founder and CEO of LOOM
£15.29
SteinerBooks, Inc From Normal to Healthy
Book SynopsisA practical guide to a series of spiritual exercises to help readers actively engage with their consciousness and embark on a journey to inner development.
£19.51
University of Exeter Press TV-Philosophy: How TV Series Change Our Thinking
Book SynopsisThis is the first book to explore the hold of TV series on our lives from a philosophical and ethical perspective. Sandra Laugier argues that this vital and ubiquitous expression of popular culture throughout the world is transformative in its effects on the activity of philosophy in everyday life. Drawing on Stanley Cavell’s work on film and ordinary experience, Laugier contends that we are deeply affected by the formative role played by the TV series we watch, and by the ways they become interconnected with our daily lives. The philosophical thinking embodied in series empowers individuals in their capacity to experience, understand and appropriate elements of the world, and to educate themselves. Through our relationships with TV series, we develop our own tastes and competences, which are constitutive of our distinct experience of life. ‘Series-philosophy’ is thus a democratizing force. It also offers us a new ethics, for morality can be found not in general rules and abstract principles but in the narrative texture of characters in everyday situations facing particular ethical problems, and with whom we form attachments that result in our moral education—in sometimes surprising ways.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. An Education 2. Forms of Shared Experience 3. Family Resemblances 4. Caring For, By, and With TV Series Conclusion Bibliography Serigraphy and Filmography Index
£54.00
University of Exeter Press TV-Philosophy in Action: The Ethics and Politics
Book SynopsisTV-Philosophy in Action is inspired by philosopher and series-devotee Sandra Laugier’s monthly columns published in the French journal Libération. It is her contribution to the collective reflection on TV series produced by critics, theorists, and the vast mass of individual watchers who evaluate and discuss these programmes every day. The book brings together a selection of articles from Libération, as well as longer pieces, to demonstrate ‘TV-Philosophy in action’: Laugier’s response as a philosopher-viewer to a range of particularly salient TV shows from the last 20 years, and their relationship to social and political issues of our times. Arranged under a number of important themes—relating to politics, identity, and the stories we tell ourselves about our world—the book shows how TV series provide a rich resource for thinking about our lives, and places them centre-stage as works of art, and of thought, in their own right.Table of ContentsForeword by William Rothman Introduction and Acknowledgements 1. Perfectionism 2. The Second Wave: Gender, Race, and Class 3. Spoilers, Stories, Stars 4. Metaphysics 5. Serial Care Bibliography Serigraphy and Filmography Index
£57.00
Anthem Press Two Thousand Thoughts
Book SynopsisIn the course of one’s life in the academia, one tends to formulate insights on various matters one encounters in a succinct form to share with one’s students and colleagues. This book is a collection of such thoughts. Trade Review“Arvind Sharma is one of the few scholars of theology and religion with a firm grasp of both the Western and Eastern traditions and the changes that have taken place in each of them as they have responded to each other. The interaction of East and West is the frontier of current religious studies, and no one has mastered it as well as Sharma. Further, he writes in a clear, understandable style, without elaborate scholarly decor. This book is the fruit of a long career in the study of religion and culture, East and West” — Harvey Cox, author of A New Heaven: Death, Human Destiny and the Kingdom of God.“Despite his humorous skepticism, Arvind Sharma goes straight for the Truth in some of his provocative thoughts, such as ‘The moment a wave calms down, it disappears. So does the mind.’ These aphorisms reflect wisdom gleaned from his long experience and appreciation of all religions, and life as it is” — Mary Pat Fisher, author of Living Religions, and Manager of Gobind Sadan interfaith community, New Delhi.Table of ContentsPreface to Two Thousand Thoughts; Thoughts
£15.15
Batsford Ltd An Apothecary of Art: To Soothe Your Soul
Book Synopsis'This book combines great works of art with great thoughts from the likes of Sophocles, Harriet Tubman and Charlie Chaplin….. Intended to be a "journey" to help you through any stage of life, this book will leave your soul feeling well and truly soothed.' – Katharine Spurrier, Daily MailSHORTLISTED for best Wellbeing Book in the Health & Wellbeing Awards 2023.Take a transformative journey to improve your mental wellbeing with this sumptuous collection of 80 paintings and uplifting quotes. Ravenous Butterflies is the online brainchild of artist Lisa Azarmi and was designed to provide a safe sanctuary for emotional wellbeing. An Apothecary of Art is a soothing blend of 80 beautiful paintings and inspiring, comforting and uplifting quotes to lift the spirit, calm the mind and heal the soul. The contents page is artfully divided into 24 emotional journeys that suggest routes in which to navigate the book to explore different feelings along the way, and to provide comfort and solace in difficult times. Within these pages you will find both the works of world-renowned masters and the paintings of lesser-known talents paired with uplifting thoughts from great poets, writers and thinkers. A biographical section on the featured artists will provide context on your new favourite finds. This inspiring debut collection from Ravenous Butterflies features 80 exquisite works of art from the likes of Modigliani, Hasui Kawase, and Thomas Cooper Gotch with accompanying quotes from inspirational voices including Sappho, Pablo Neruda and Harriet Tubman. This illumination of the power of art as a source of wellbeing is modern yet timelessly beautiful – the perfect book to dip into to lift your spirits. Trade Review‘Intended to be a “journey” to help you through any stage of life, this book will leave your soul feeling well and truly soothed’, Daily Mail, Katharine Spurrier‘The ideal gift for your nearest and dearest who are looking to live a more mindful life, An Apothecary of Art to Soothe Your Soul is a testament to the healing power of art.’ Love Reading'It’s a lovely, gentle book, best experienced in your favourite armchair with a cup of tea and a packet of chocolate malted milk biscuits. There can be no higher praise’, Daily Mail, Marcus Berkmann
£16.14
