Other books that might interest you

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  Drawing the Line - What to Do...

  Erich Hatala Matthes

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  Recent years have proven rife with revelations about the misdeeds, objectional views, and, in some instances, crimes of popular artists. Given more access than ever thanks to social media and the internet in general, the public has turned an alert and critical eye upon the once-hidden lives of previously cherished entertainers. But what should we members of the public do, think, and feel in response to these artists' actions or statements? It's a predicament that many of us face: whether it's possible to disentangle the deeply unsettled feelings we have toward an artist from how we respond to the art they produced. As consumers of art, and especially as fans, we have a host of tricky moral question to navigate: do the moral lives of artists affect the aesthetic quality of their work? Is it morally permissible for us to engage with or enjoy that work? Can we separate an artist from their art? 
   
   
   
  In Drawing the Line, Erich Hatala Matthes offers insight and clarity to the ethical questions that dog us. He argues that it doesn't matter whether we can separate the art from the artist, because we shouldn't. Matthes argues both that the lives of artists can play an important role in shaping our moral and aesthetic relationship to the artworks that we love and that these same artworks offer us powerful resources for grappling with the immorality of their creators.

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  The Noosphere-The Thinking Layer...

  Brian Thomas Swimme, Monica...

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  Are we living in and collectively participating in a planetary nervous system? Are we all creative participants guiding Earth’s destiny? Here we focus on the noosphere, which represents the third major evolutionary layer enveloping Earth, following the geosphere (inanimate matter) and the biosphere (biological life).  Brian Thomas Swimme, Ph.D. is Professor of Evolutionary Cosmology at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. He is the Director of the Third Story of the Universe at The Human Energy Project He is the host of the Emmy-award winning PBS special "Journey of the Universe," written with Mary Evelyn Tucker. He is also the host of the 35-part video series "Story of the Noosphere," created for the Human Energy Project.  Monica DeRaspe-Bolles is a doctoral student at the California Institute of Integral Studies in the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness program. Her area of research is the “Third Story of the Universe” and the potential emergence of a new structure of experience fostering cosmogenic awakening. She is a collaborator with Brian Swimme on the video series “Story of the Noosphere.” They are the co-authors of the book The Story of the Noosphere (Orbis Books 2024) This interview with Justine Willis Toms was recorded on July 11, 2025 
  Tags: Brian Thomas Swimme, Monica DeRaspe-Bolles, Noosphere, geosphere, biosphere, James Webb telescope, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Vladimir Vernadsky, Jiffy time, Arno Penzias, Robert Wilson, universal mind, planetary mind, Zarathustra, entelechy, diversification, conscious recall, Personal Transformation, Philosophy, Science, Community

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  Becoming Baba Yaga - Trickster...

  Kris Spisak

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  Explore the folklore of the trickster, villain, and rescuer known as Baba Yaga in a new light. “With Becoming Baba Yaga, Kris Spisak presents a robust work of scholarship. Baba Yaga is a wily shapeshifter, nearly impossible to pin down—but Spisak miraculously transforms alongside her, ever keeping up.” —from the foreword by GennaRose Nethercott, bestselling author of Thistlefoot   When darkness, fear, and instability inundate our daily lives, folktale figures like Baba Yaga speak to the dichotomy of our existence—the hope and the horror, the magic and the mundane. At once an old hag and an enchantress, a demon and wish granter, a feminist and nothing more than a fairytale, Baba Yaga is an endlessly complex folktale character.  Becoming Baba Yaga provides an in-depth look at the Baba Yaga mythos and history through Slavic folklore. Filled with historical and cultural context, analyses, and the stories themselves that add depth to the conversation. A comprehensive resource for anyone hoping to learn more about this ambiguous character and how her multifaceted presence still ripples through the present day, Becoming Baba Yaga is as thoughtful as it is illuminating.   Spisak explores Baba Yaga’s connection to nature as an Earth goddess and as an herbalist. She also delves into the Shadow Self and Baba Yaga’s aspect as a trickster and places her in a modern context as not merely a witch of the woods but also as an archetype and force for finding your own path. Becoming Baba Yaga shares how she is both a force for good as much as evil and a feminist before her time.

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  Constitution of Liberty The:...

  Briefly Summaries

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  This is a concise summary and analysis of The Constitution of Liberty, by Friedrich A. Hayek.
   
  It is not the original book and is not affiliated with or endorsed by 
  Friedrich A. Hayek.
  Ideal those seeking a quick and insightful overview.
   
  A groundbreaking exploration of the principles of freedom and the role of individual liberty in society, The Constitution of Liberty is a seminal work in political philosophy and economics. It delves into the foundations of free societies, examining the delicate balance between personal autonomy and government intervention. Through its compelling arguments, the book presents a robust defense of classical liberalism and provides insights into the economic and moral underpinnings necessary for a thriving and free civilization.

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  Marvel Comics - The Untold Story

  Sean Howe

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  A behind-the-scenes chronicle of a beloved American media empire and the men behind it, including Martin Goodman, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby.  
   
  A New York Times–Bestseller 
   
  “A definitive portrait of comics in American culture.” —The Wall Street Journal 
   
  In the early 1960s, a struggling company called Marvel Comics presented a cast of brightly costumed characters distinguished by smart banter and compellingly human flaws: Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the X-Men. Over the course of a half a century, Marvel’s epic universe would become the most elaborate fiction narrative in history and serve as a modern American mythology for millions of readers. 
   
  For the first time, Marvel Comics reveals the outsized personalities behind the scenes, including Martin Goodman, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and generations of editors, artists, and writers who struggled with commercial mandates, a fickle audience, and—over matters of credit and control—one another. Marvel Comics is a story of fertile imaginations, lifelong friendships, action-packed fistfights, and third-act betrayals—a narrative of one of the most extraordinary, beloved, and beleaguered pop-culture entities in America’s history. 
   
  “Sean Howe’s history of Marvel makes a compulsively readable, riotous and heartbreaking version of my favorite story, that of how a bunch of weirdoes changed the world . . . That it’s all true is just frosting on the cake.” —Jonathan Lethem

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  To the Person Sitting in Darkness

  Mark Twain

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  “The Person Sitting in Darkness” by Mark Twain is a searing political satire that exposes the hypocrisy and brutality of imperialism at the turn of the 20th century. With his signature wit and razor-sharp critique, Twain challenges the moral justifications used by Western powers—especially the United States—in their global conquests. Written in 1901, this provocative essay attacks the exploitation of weaker nations under the guise of civilization and religion, making it as relevant today as it was over a century ago. A must-read for fans of political commentary, anti-imperialist literature, and Twain’s bolder, less-publicized works.

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