A New York Times Notable Book for 2011 We all want to know how to live. But before the good life was reduced to ten easy steps or a prescription from the doctor, philosophers offered arresting answers to the most fundamental questions about who we are and what makes for a life worth living. In Examined Lives, James Miller returns to this vibrant tradition with short, lively biographies of twelve famous philosophers. Socrates spent his life examining himself and the assumptions of others. His most famous student, Plato, risked his reputation to tutor a tyrant. Diogenes carried a bright lamp in broad daylight and announced he was "looking for a man." Aristotle's alliance with Alexander the Great presaged Seneca's complex role in the court of the Roman Emperor Nero. Augustine discovered God within himself. Montaigne and Descartes struggled to explore their deepest convictions in eras of murderous religious warfare. Rousseau aspired to a life of perfect virtue. Kant elaborated a new ideal of autonomy. Emerson successfully preached a gospel of self-reliance for the new American nation. And Nietzsche tried "to compose into one and bring together what is fragment and riddle and dreadful chance in man," before he lapsed into catatonic madness. With a flair for paradox and rich anecdote, Examined Lives is a book that confirms the continuing relevance of philosophy today—and explores the most urgent questions about what it means to live a good life.

Gretchen Richard was a vivacious, competent woman who moved to Chicago on her twentieth birthday and began her rise in the hospitality industry. In her off hours, she devoured the nightlife with a string of young swain who wanted to marry her. But in 1950 after she had already become a wife and mother, everything changed for Gretchen when Dr. Walter Freeman pronounced her a paranoid schizophrenic on a Friday and performed a lobotomy the following Monday, robbing her of her drive and sparkle forever. In a compelling memoir and family history, Roberta Reb Allen shares a fascinating glimpse into her mother, Gretchen’s, journey before, during, and after the lobotomy as she was adjudged insane and institutionalized for periods of time. Utilizing family letters, diaries, scrapbooks, medical records, an unpublished novel, poetry, photographs, and the writings of Walter Freeman, Allen sheds light on the effects the lobotomy had on her mother and herself as well as the societal and familial forces that fostered their mental illnesses, all while giving a long-awaited voice to the female patient whose lobotomy was completely unnecessary. Examined Lives provides a candid look at mental illness while offering hope for overcoming even the most debilitating psychological conditions with the right kind of support.

An exploration of topics of everyday importance in the Socratic tradition.

In this book, the follow-up to the best-sellingPhilosophy for Kids, Dr. David White delves deeper into the philosophical questions kids (and adults) care about deeply. Through vibrant discussions and debate, the book offers ways teachers can help students grapple with age-old questions about the nature of friendship (Aristotle), time (Augustine), knowledge (Plato), existence of God (Aquinas), perception (Berkeley), freedom and society (Rousseau), and many more. The book is divided into three sections. Part 1 presents primary source readings that will encourage discussion and debate; Part 2 offers easy-to-use activities that focus on the direct application of philosophy to areas such as critical thinking, language, and the arts; and Part 3 offers a unique perspective just for teachers—a philosophical look at how teachers can become more reflective philosophers themselves. This is an excellent teachers' handbook for using advanced philosophy in the classroom. Grades 7-12

An easy to understand overview of the process of psychoanalysis with illustrative examples.

The characteristic feature of the Christian moral life remains the very person of Jesus Christ. As the Eternal Word of the Father, Christ supplies the universal, personal, and concrete norm for all moral comportment. When human action flows from the agent's union with Christ, human freedom meets up with its own graced source of energy. From the moment that a human creature encounters the triune God, the creature discovers who he is: For when God chooses a person to share in the blessed communion of his own life, the individual achieves a quality of personal being that only God can bestow. The more authentic our relationship with the Persons of the blessed Trinity becomes, the more the divine life takes hold of us and, through the virtues, shapes our daily actions. This new book treats the virtues of the Christian life from a Trinitarian perspective. The chapters pursue a common theme: To show believers how they can decide what is morally good and, by embracing the moral good, grow to the full statue of Christ's own loving kindness. To achieve this aim, the text treats in an innovative and fresh manner both the theological virtues, faith, hope, and charity, as well as the cardinal moral virtues, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. The author also reflects on allied questions of moral theology and so provides a significant commentary on the third part of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Life Examined is an anthology of carefully edited readings designed to serve as an introduction to many of the fundamental concepts of ethical and socio-political thought. It includes primary sources from a variety of traditions, with selections that range chronologically from ancient times through to the present day. These readings have been thoughtfully selected, edited, and contextualized to provide students with opportunities to sharpen their capacities for critical and theoretical reflection. The book begins with three key texts that frame the historical discourse. Subsequent chapters are organized around ethical themes and theoretical questions that have animated debates throughout the ages, including the nature of practical rationality, scientific reasoning, wisdom, the law, equality, power, violence, and identity.

List of transactions, v. 1-41 in v. 41.