Other books that might interest you

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  Opening to Oneness - A Practical...

  Nancy Mujo Baker

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  In Opening to Oneness, Zen teacher Nancy Baker offers a detailed path of practice for Zen students planning to take the precepts and for anyone, Buddhist or non-Buddhist, interested in deepening their personal study of ethical living. She reveals that there are three levels of each precept: a literal level (don't kill, not even a bug), a relative level that takes moral ambiguity into account (what if it's a malaria-spreading mosquito?), and an ultimate level—the paradoxical level of nonduality, in which the precepts are naturally expressed from a state of oneness. 
   
   
   
  Full of nuance, intelligence, and compassion, the first half of the book addresses the ten grave precepts mostly from the relative level, including instructions for how to practice these precepts individually and in pairs or groups. The second half of the book takes a deep dive into looking at the precepts from the ultimate perspective, largely through an exploration of the writings of Dogen, the thirteenth-century religious genius who founded the Soto Zen school. 
   
   
   
  At once comprehensive and innovative, Opening to Oneness will take its place alongside classics like The Mind of Clover, The Heart of Being, and Being Upright as a cherished guide to Zen Buddhist ethics.

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  The Problem of Democracy -...

  Shadi Hamid

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  What happens when democracy produces "bad" outcomes? Is democracy good because of its outcomes or despite them? This "democratic dilemma" is one of the most persistent, vexing problems for America abroad, particularly in the Middle East—we want democracy in theory but not necessarily in practice. 
   
   
   
  When Islamist parties rise to power through free elections, the United States has too often been ambivalent or opposed, preferring instead pliable dictators. With this legacy of democratic disrespect in mind, and drawing on new interviews with top American officials, Shadi Hamid explores universal questions of morality, power, and hypocrisy. Why has the United States failed so completely to live up to its own stated ideals in the Arab world? And is it possible for it to change? 
   
   
   
  In The Problem of Democracy, Hamid offers an ambitious reimagining of this ongoing debate and argues for "democratic minimalism" as a path to resolving democratic dilemmas in the Middle East and beyond. In the seemingly eternal tension between democracy and liberalism, recognized by the ancient Greeks and the American founders alike, it may be time to prioritize one over the other, rather than acting as if the two are intertwined when increasingly they are not.

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  The Things We Make - The Unknown...

  Bill Hammack

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  Discover the secret method used to build the world . . . 
   
   
   
  For millennia, humans have used one simple method to solve problems. Whether it's planting crops, building skyscrapers, developing photographs, or designing the first microchip, all creators follow the same steps to engineer progress. But this powerful method, the "engineering method", is an all but hidden process that few of us have heard of—let alone understand—but that influences every aspect of our lives. 
   
   
   
  Bill Hammack, a Carl Sagan Award–winning professor of engineering and viral "The Engineer Guy" on YouTube, has a lifelong passion for the things we make, and how we make them. Now, for the first time, he reveals the invisible method behind every invention and takes us on a whirlwind tour of how humans built the world we know today. From the grand stone arches of medieval cathedrals to the mundane modern soda can, Hammack explains the golden rule of thumb that underlies every new building technique, every technological advancement, and every creative solution that leads us one step closer to a better, more functional world. Spanning centuries and cultures, Hammack offers a fascinating perspective on how humans engineer solutions in a world full of problems.

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  The Founding of America - The...

  Alexander Hamilton, James...

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  This anthology brings together 20 texts which were vital in forging the United States and its constitution as we know it. 
  Since the founding of the republic, great thinkers and politicians have set out their visions for America through formal documents, impassioned speeches and momentous treaties. This collection includes some of the most important works that helped define the country that America was to become. 
  Politicians like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton helped define the founding values of the United States of America. Their bold and revolutionary ideas did not come about unopposed, and they found themselves called upon to explain their reasoning to the wider public. The words of these incredible individuals ring just as true today as when they were first made and provided a firm foundation for the country that is the America we know and love today. 
  This volume features documents such as: 
  The Declaration of IndependenceBenjamin Franklin's Final Speech to the Constitutional ConventionThe Constitution and the AmendmentsThe Federalist PapersPresident George Washington's Farewell AddressThe Emancipation Proclamation

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  Beyond Good and Evil

  Friedrich Nietzsche

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  "Beyond Good and Evil" by Friedrich Nietzsche is a thought-provoking and challenging work that explores fundamental questions about morality, truth, and the nature of existence. In this book, Nietzsche offers a scathing critique of traditional morality and the idea of objective truth, arguing instead for a new ethical framework that is based on the individual will to power. Drawing on a wide range of philosophical and cultural influences, Nietzsche takes readers on a journey of self-discovery that challenges many of our most deeply held assumptions about the world. With its bold and original ideas, "Beyond Good and Evil" is a classic of Western philosophy that continues to inspire and challenge readers today.

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  The Connected Community -...

  Cormac Russell, John McKnight,...

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  Find out how to uncover the hidden talents, assets, and abilities in your neighborhood and bring them together to create a vibrant and joyful community. It takes a village! 
   
  We may be living longer, but people are more socially isolated than ever before. As a result, we are hindered both mentally and physically, and many of us are looking for something concrete we can do to address problems like poverty, racism, and climate change. What if solutions could be found on your very doorstep or just two door knocks away? 
   
  Cormac Russell is a veteran practitioner of asset-based community development (ABCD), which focuses on uncovering and leveraging the hidden resources, skills, and experience in our neighborhoods. He and John McKnight, the cooriginator of ABCD, show how anyone can discover this untapped potential and connect with his or her neighbors to create healthier, safer, greener, more prosperous, and welcoming communities. They offer a wealth of illustrative examples from around the world that will inspire you to explore your own community and discover its hidden treasures. 
   
  You will learn to take action on what you already deeply know-that neighborliness is not just a nice-to-have personal characteristic but essential to living a fruitful life and a powerful amplifier of community change and renewal.

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