Showing results for "Popular Culture" in Philosophy

The stuff of conspiracy theories makes for great, entertaining stories in movies, books, and television. And there is no shortage of subjects: from who really killed JFK to the truth behind 9/11. And then, there are subjects from alien invasions to the Moon landing was simulated - theories that are truly out of this world, which according to some, is flat. Many of these crazy concepts have jumped off the pages or screens to become so pervasive in our culture that thousands - even millions - subscribe to them as reality.

The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Anxious Generation shows how a deeper understanding of the world's philosophical wisdom can enrich and transform our lives The Happiness Hypothesis is a book about ten Great Ideas. Each chapter is an attempt to savor one idea that has been...

Taoism. Taoism, also romanized as Daoism, is an indigenous Chinese tradition encompassing philosophy and organized religion, both oriented toward aligning human life with the Dao, the ineffable cosmic process and underlying reality of the universe. Originating in the 6th century BCE, it traces its foundational ideas to Laozi (Lao Tzu), a semi-legendary figure credited with authoring the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching), a concise text of aphorisms emphasizing simplicity, spontaneity, and the principle of wu wei—effortless action in accordance with natural rhythms rather than coercive ...

As a Man Thinketh by James Allen. This book is about our thoughts and how they determine our actions and very being. A few quotes will give a good taste of the riches in this book: "A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts." "Cherish your visions. Cherish your ideals. Cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environment, of these, if you but remain true to them your world will at last ...

In Crowd A Study of the Popular Mind, Gustave Le Bon delves into the nature of crowds and their impact on civilization. He argues that throughout history, societies have been shaped and guided by a select intellectual elite rather than the masses. While crowds possess the power to destroy, they lack the capacity to create and maintain civilization, which requires discipline, rationality, and cultural sophistication. Le Bon likens the destructive influence of crowds to microbes that accelerate the decay of weakened societies. This thought-provoking exploration challenges readers to reconsider ...

Deism. Deism is a philosophical and theological stance that affirms the existence of a supreme creator who established the universe through rational design but refrains from subsequent intervention, with knowledge of this deity derived exclusively from human reason and empirical examination of the natural order rather than from purported divine revelations or sacred texts. Emerging in seventeenth-century England, it traces its foundational articulation to Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, whose 1624 treatise De Veritate outlined core tenets including the innate recognition of a ...

Voltaire and the French Enlightenment by Will Durant. In this Little Blue Book Number 512, Will Durant describes François-Marie Arouet, the writer, historian, and philosopher known as Voltaire (1694-1778) as "unprepossessing, ugly, vain, flippant, unscrupulous, even at times dishonest" and "tirelessly kind, considerate, ...as sedulous in helping friends as in crushing enemies." "My trade is to say what I think," wrote Voltaire, and he did so in ninety-nine "sparkling and fruitful" volumes. He advocated for freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and for the separation of church and state. ...

The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine. The Age of Reason; Being an Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology is a pamphlet, written by a British and American revolutionary Thomas Paine. The Age of Reason challenges institutionalized religion and challenges the legitimacy of the Bible, the central sacred text of Christianity. Published in three parts in 1794, 1795, and 1807, it was a bestseller in the United States, where it caused a short-lived deistic revival. Part 1 was written sometime in 1793, and attacks the concepts of divine revelation and inspiration. He urged his readers to employ ...

Thoughts are Things by Prentice Mulford. Thought movement, published in 1889, that teaches how to use the power of thought to improve one's life, health, and happiness. It explains that individuals have two minds—a limited "mind of the body" and a higher "mind of the spirit"—and that by aligning with the spiritual mind, one can manifest positive changes through mental discipline, personal responsibility, and understanding the "law of attraction". The book argues that thoughts are real forces that shape our physical reality, a concept that became a cornerstone of self-help and ...

Welcome to Popular Culture and Theory.A Podcast dedicated to breaking down complex Social Science/Humanities Academic Theories and Concepts via the use of popular culture.Transcripts are available via my website. https://ashleyremminga.com/❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀You can also find this podcast on these platforms:Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/popular-culture-theory/id1784161449iHeartRadio: https://iheart.com/podcast/246377428/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ekYVQZLU8GZT0uDMd18SSWebsite: https://ashleyremminga.com/Youtube: https://...

Originally published in 1966, Susan Sontag's first collection of essays is a modern classic and includes the famous essays "Notes on Camp" and "Against Interpretation", as well as, her impassioned discussions of Sartre, Camus, Simone Weil, Godard, Beckett, Levi-Strauss, science-fiction movies, psychoanalysis, and contemporary religious thought.

Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche. First published in 1886 at Nietzsche's own expense, the book was not initially considered important. In it, Nietzsche denounced what he considered to be the moral vacuity of 19th century thinkers. He attacked philosophers for what he considered to be their lack of critical sense and their blind acceptance of Christian premises in their considerations of morality and values. Beyond Good and Evil is a comprehensive overview of Nietzscheâs mature philosophy.

Your Invisible Power by Genevieve Behrend. Genevieve Behrend was a teacher of Mental Science, a New Thought discipline created by Thomas Troward (1847- 1916). Your Invisible Power, published in 1921, is her first and most famous book. It is a guide to the use of visualization and other mental processes in life enhancement and the achievement of personal goals.

Have you heard that language is violence and that science is sexist? Have you read that certain people shouldn't practice yoga? Or been told that being obese is healthy, that there is no such thing as biological sex, or that only White people can be racist? Are you confused by these ideas, and do you wonder how they have managed to challenge the logic of Western society? In this probing volume, Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay document the evolution of the dogma that informs these ideas, from its coarse origins in French postmodernism to its refinement within activist academic fields.

More Damned Lies and Statistics encourages all of us to think in a more sophisticated and skeptical manner about how statistics are used to promote causes, create fear, and advance particular points of view. Best identifies different sorts of numbers that shape how we think about public issues: missing numbers are relevant but overlooked; confusing numbers bewilder when they should inform; scary numbers play to our fears about the present and the future.

Apology of Socrates by Plato. Plato's Apology is not a novel, but a Socratic dialogue recounting Socrates' defense speech at his trial in 399 BC, where he was charged with impiety and corrupting the youth. The title comes from the Greek apologia, meaning a speech in defense, not an admission of guilt, as Socrates defends his life's work of questioning Athenians and seeking truth, famously claiming his wisdom comes from knowing he knows nothing. It's a foundational text in philosophy, portraying Socrates as a "gadfly" challenging the status quo, and is one of four dialogues (with Euthyphro, ...

Dive into the profound world of The Republic, where philosophy meets politics. Explore the thought-provoking dialogue between Socrates and his peers as they tackle the essence of justice, the ideal state, and the nature of the human soul. This timeless work invites you to reflect on your own beliefs and the structure of society, making it a must-listen for anyone interested in the foundations of Western thought.

The Dhammapada by Unknown. The Dhammapada is is a Buddhist scripture, containing 423 verses in 26 categories. According to tradition, these are verses spoken by the Buddha on various occasions, most of which deal with ethics. It is is considered one of the most important pieces of Theravada literature. Despite this, the Dhammapada is read by many Mahayana Buddhists and remains a very popular text across all schools of Buddhism.

The Tao Teh King by Lao Tzu. Lao-Tze's Tao Teh King illuminates The Tao: a guiding principle of the universe and all within it. By exploring the nature of dualities and complements, Lao-Tze dissects strength and weakness; presence and absence; life and death. The Tao Teh King has served as a foundation for centuries of philosophy and wisdom.

What I Believe by Leo Tolstoy. "The inner working of my soul, which I wish to speak of here, was not the result of a methodical investigation of doctrinal theology, or of the actual texts of the gospel; it was a sudden removal of all that hid the true meaning of the Christian doctrine – a momentary flash of light, which made everything clear to me. It was something like that which might happen to a man who, after vainly attempting, by a false plan, to build up a statue out of a confused heap of small pieces of marble, suddenly guesses at the figure they are intended to form by the shape of...