What We Do Next Really Matters

The choices we make over the next few years will resonate for decades, and perhaps centuries. This is because our world is at a critical turning point in history, as old certainties are swept aside by a global pandemic, climate change and political upheaval. How we respond to these challenges will determine whether we usher in a new Age of Enlightenment, or a second Dark Ages. In this compelling book Mark Roeder makes sense of our predicament, and explains why we must reconsider some of our most fundamental beliefs. Our current path is not sustainable – socially, environmentally or economically. We are literally devouring our planet, and our communities are becoming more polarised and fearful of the future. The time has come for us to make some bold changes to the way we live. This book explains what these changes should be, and how to implement them.

This book provides a general introduction to the basic beliefs of Christian theology togther with their significance for Christian living and worship

EVERYTHING WE DO MATTERS In a land and time very distant from us, two men encountered one another. One was a Brahmin, a Hindu priest. He realized that the man he was look­ ing at was no ordinary being and so he inquired: "Are you a god?'' "No, Brahmin." "Are you an angel?" "No, Brahmin." "Are you a spirit?" "No, Brahmin." "What are you then?" "I am awake," replied the Buddha. By his own assertion, the Buddha was not a god. He was an ordinary man living in a world engulfed in greed, anger, ignorance, and delusion. Twenty-five hundred years ago, when the Buddha was teaching what he had awoken to, his world was similar in many ways to our world today. There were great centers of culture, and there were lands of stagnation. There were rulers with great power who thirsted for even more, and there were oppressed people who only wanted to live in peace. There were men who said that they alone held the key to spiri­tual secrets, and there were those who searched for different answers. There were people who had great wealth, and there were those who had nothing. There were people who said we must change, and there were those who denied there was anything wrong. Perhaps that distant land and time is not that distant after all. Greed, anger, ignorance, and delu­sion are still very much with us. In the world today, we hear so much about con­flict: Economic conflict between the developed countries and third-world countries. Cultural conflict between the East and the West. Sectarian conflict in the Middle East. Ethnic conflict in Africa. So much pride and arrogance, so much hatred, so much pain. When even government leaders cannot peacefully resolve the world's problems, what are we supposed to do? How can we, individuals without power or influence, hope to accomplish anything positive in the face of such fury and intolerance? ...

Why do we make things? Why do we choose the emotionally and physically demanding work of bringing new objects into the world with creativity and skill? Why does it matter that we make things well? What is the nature of work? And what is the nature of a good life? This January, whether you're honing your craft or turning your hand to a new skill, discover the true value in what it means to be a craftsman in a mass-produced world. Part memoir, part polemic, part philosophical reflection, this is a book about the process of creation. For woodworker Peter Korn, the challenging work of bringing something new and meaningful into the world through one's own efforts is exactly what generates authenticity, meaning, and fulfilment, for which many of us yearn. This is not a 'how-to' book in any sense, Korn wants to get at the 'why' of craft in particular, and the satisfaction of creative work in general, to understand its essential nature. How does the making of objects shape our identities? How do the products of creative work inform society? In short, what does the process of making things reveal to us about ourselves? Korn draws on four decades of hands-on experience to answer these questions eloquently in this heartfelt, personal and revealing book. 'If you are in the building trade or just love creating things as a hobby, you will find this book fascinating' The Sun

If there exist such things as the things we mean, then those things are also the things we believe, and the things in terms of which we must understand all semantic notions. If such entities as the things we mean and believe exist, an account of their nature must be the most foundational concern in the theory of linguistic and mental representation. Schiffer argues that there are such things as the things we mean and believe. They are what he calls pleonastic propositions, and he provides an account of what they are in themselves and of their place in nature, language and thought. After developing the theory of pleonastic propositions, Schiffer uses it to provide accounts of (among other things) linguistic meaning and knowledge of meaning, the relation between intentional and non-intentional facts, vagueness and indeterminacy, moral discourse, conditionals, and the role of propositional content in information acquisition and explanation. This radical new treatment of meaning will command the attention of everyone who works on fundamental questions about language, and will attract much interest from other areas of philosophy.

This book illustrates that the stereotypical representations of Gregor Mendel and his work misrepresent his findings and their historical context. The author sets the historical record straight and provides scientists with a reference guide to the respective scholarship in the early history of genetics. The overarching argument is twofold: on the one hand, that we had better avoid naïve hero-worshipping and understand each historical figure, Mendel in particular, by placing them in the actual sociocultural context in which they lived and worked; on the other hand, that we had better refrain from teaching in schools the naive Mendelian genetics that provided the presumed “scientific” basis for eugenics. Key Features Corrects the distorting stereotypical representations of Mendelian genetics and provides an authentic picture of how science is done, focusing on Gregor Mendel and his actual contributions to science Explains how the oversimplifications of Mendelian genetics were exploited by ideologues to provide the presumed “scientific” basis for eugenics Proposes a shift in school education from teaching how the science of genetics is done using model systems to teaching the complexities of development through which heredity is materialized

Foster good habits. Press into pain. Never, ever get another perm. Despite what many think, our twenties aren’t that dead space between youth and real life. Done right, they can be among our most important years. In 20 Things We’d Tell Our 20-Something Selves, college professors Peter and Kelli Worrall look back on it all—the good, the bad, and the miserable—to give you the best of what they’ve learned. With humility, warmth, and brilliant storytelling, they invite you not only into their wisdom but into their lives, sharing about faith, marriage, drawn-out adoptions, dark nights of the soul, and the God who’s in it all. 20 Things is more than a list of advice; it’s a book that can change your life. Let the trend of your twenties be sowing wisdom, and who knows what the rest of life will bring? Includes action steps, discussion questions, and ideas for further reading at the end of each chapter.