A Scholar S Path

English translation and appreciation by Peter Chen and Michael TanReviewed by Chan Chiu MingAn original English translation from the Chinese text:A companion edition of the book in Chinese is available â" the original classical text translated into modern Chinese and profusely annotated by Associate Professor Dr Chan Chiu Ming of National Institute of Education Singapore.

Perhaps, the noblest aspect of a scholar's life is the pursuit of truth and beauty. For it is often within the search for truth and beauty, that we find connections and meaning. Path of a Scholar invites you to walk along with the author, as he personally explores the various connections and meaning found amongst thought provoking and often inspirational words. What follows is an intriguing dichotomy of introspection and observation, emotion and logic, speculation and fact. All of the "Thought Vignettes" in this collection begin with a quote, some well known and others obscure, before proceeding with a probing and insightful discourse. Each vignette is a literary archeological dig site where the layers of interrelation and meaning are examined with the disciplines of philosophy, art, science, and history.

"The turn of the twentieth century was a decisive moment in the institutionalisation of Russia's literary scholarship. This is the first book in the English language to provide an in-depth analysis of the emergence of Russia's literary academia in the pre-Revolutionary era. In particular, Byford examines the rhetoric of self-representation of major academic establishments devoted to literary study, the canonisation of exemplary literary historians and philologists (Buslaev, Grot, Veselovskii, Potebnia, Ovsianiko-Kulikovskii), and attempts by Russian literary academics of this era to define their work as a distinct form of scholarship (nauka). By analysing a range of academic rituals, from celebrations of institutional anniversaries to professors inaugural lectures, and by dissecting the discourse of scholars' obituaries, commemorative speeches and manuals in scholarly methodology, Byford reveals how the identity of literary studies as a discipline was constructed in Russia. He provides not only a unique insight into fin-de-siecle Russian literary scholarship, but also an original approach to academic institutionalisation more widely."

Is economics always self-corrective? Do erroneous theorems permanently disappear from the market of economic ideas? Intellectual Path Dependence in Economics argues that errors in economics are not always corrected. Although economists are often critical and open-minded, unfit explanations are nonetheless able to reproduce themselves. The problem is that theorems sometimes survive the intellectual challenges in the market of economic ideas even when they are falsified or invalidated by criticism and an abundance of counter-evidence. A key question which often gets little or no attention is: why do economists not reject theories when they have been refuted by evidence and falsified by philosophical reasoning? This book explores the answer to this question by examining the phenomenon of intellectual path dependence in the history of economic thought. It argues that the key reason why economists do not reject refuted theories is the epistemic costs of starting to use new theories. Epistemic costs are primarily the costs of scarcity of the most valued element in academic production: time. Epistemic scarcity overwhelmingly dominates the evolution of scientific research in such a way that when researchers start off a new research project, they allocate time between replicable and un-replicable research. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the methodology, philosophy and history of economics.

"Wild about Harry delivers on its promise to make the Truman Scholarship application process transparent to applicants and their advisors. Truman Scholars are widely known as energetic leaders from a variety of disciplines who have in common the desire to make a difference, to bring about sustainable positive change, and to serve the greater public good"--

A unique commentary on the preliminary practices of Vajrayāna Buddhism, from a beloved Nyingma master. A Chariot to Freedom is one of the most beloved presentations of the preliminary practices, or ngöndro, that form the foundation of the Vajrayāna Buddhist path. This set of practices, common to all schools of Himalayan Buddhism, is what nearly every practitioner begins with, yet it also constitutes a complete method in and of itself. Although ngöndro are considered a prerequisite for further teachings and initiations into other practices, many of even the most accomplished masters continue to engage in them every day. Most of the other excellent works on these foundational techniques are specific to a particular tradition, but this text is widely considered to be exemplary, in part, because it is applicable to all traditions of ngöndro. Drawing from the original words of the Buddha in the sūtras and from later treatises by such masters as Nāgārjuna, Shāntideva, and Guru Padmasambhava, Shechen Gyaltsap’s commentary is a wonderfully curated anthology of Buddhist teachings on the preliminary practices of Vajrayāna Buddhism. It covers the thoughts that turn one’s mind away from ordinary pursuits and toward enlightenment, taking refuge, arousing the mind set on enlightenment (bodhichitta), purification, maṇḍala offering, and Guru Yoga. Shechen Gyaltsap explains why each practice is beneficial and provides profound and eminently useful guidance for practitioners, while simultaneously transmitting the wisdom of generations of Buddhist masters.

This book collects fifteen essays and book sections written over thirty years, about the Jesuits in India. The volume looks back into this long missionary history, but asks as well, how ought interreligious learning take place in the 21st century?