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Islam by Malise Ruthven
Category: Philosophy | Series: Very Short Introductions Ser.
Islam dominates the news, often in stories filled with images of violence. Yet these disturbing images are at odds with a faith that most adherents--who now number over a billion worldwide--would regard as no less pacific than Buddhism or Christianity. Indeed, the word Islam in Arabic means "self-surren ...Show more
Islam: A Very Short Introduction by Malise Ruthven
Category: Spirituality | Series: Very Short Introductions
Contains insights into issues such as why Islam has such major divisions between movements such as the Shi'ites, the Sunnis, and the importance of the Shar'ia (Islamic law) in Islamic life. This book also deals with contemporary questions: can women find fulfilment in Islamic societies? How must Islam a ...Show more
Jesus: A Very Short Introduction by Richard Bauckham
Category: Philosophy and Religion | Series: Very Short Introductions
Two billion people today identify as Christians, with the implication that Jesus is the focus of their relationship with God, and their way of living in the world. Such followers of Jesus are now more numerous and make up a greater proportion of the world's population than ever before. Despite its decli ...Show more
Jewish History : A Very Short Introduction by David N. Myers (Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History, UCLA)
Category: No Category | Series: Very Short Introductions
How have the Jews survived? For millennia, they have defied odds by overcoming the travails of exile, persecution, and recurring plans for their annihilation. Many have attempted to explain this singular success as a result of divine intervention. In this engaging book, David N. Myers charts the long jo ...Show more
Judaism: A Very Short Introduction by Norman Solomon
Category: Religion | Series: Very Short Introductions
Normon Solomon's succinct book is an ideal introduction to Judaism as a religion and way of life. Demonstrating the diverse nature and ethnic origin of those with the Jewish faith, Solomon explores how the Jewish religion has developed in the 2,000 years since the days of the Bible. This Very Short Intr ...Show more
Jung: A Very Short Introduction by Anthony Stevens
Category: Self-Help | Series: Very Short Introductions
Explains the basic concepts of Jungian psychology, and examines Jung's views on such disparate subjects as myth, religion, alchemy, 'sychronicity', and the psychology of gender differences. This book also discusses the stages of life, Jung's theory of psychological types, the interpretation of dreams, a ...Show more
Kant - A Very Short Introduction by Roger Scruton
Category: Culture | Series: Very Short Introductions
Kant is one of the most influential modern philosophers, but also one of the most difficult. This book explores the background to Kant's work, and shows why the "Critique of Pure of Reason" has proved so enduring.
Kierkegaard: A Very Short Introduction by Patrick Gardiner
Category: Culture | Series: Very Short Introductions
Soren Kierkegaard (1813-55), one of the most original thinkers of the nineteenth century, wrote widely on religious, psychological, and literary themes. This book shows how Kierkegaard developed his views in emphatic opposition to prevailing opinions. It describes his reaction to the ethical and religio ...Show more
Knowledge: A Very Short Introduction by Jennifer Nagel
Category: Culture | Series: Very Short Introductions
What is knowledge? How does it differ from mere belief? Do you need to be able to justify a claim in order to count as knowing it? How can we know that the outer world is real and not a dream? Questions like these are ancient ones, and the branch of philosophy dedicated to answering them - epistemology ...Show more
Lincoln: a Very Short Introduction by Allen C. Guelzo
Category: History | Series: Very Short Introductions Ser.
Beneath the surface of the apparently untutored and deceptively frank Abraham Lincoln ran private tunnels of self-taught study, a restless philosophical curiosity, and a profound grasp of the fundamentals of democracy. Now, in Lincoln: A Very Short Introduction, the award-winning Lincoln authority Allen ...Show more
Literary Theory : a Very Short Introduction by Jonathan Culler
Category: Culture | Series: Very Short Introductions
What is literary theory? Is there a relationship between literature and culture? In fact, what is literature, and does it matter? These are some of questions addressed by Jonathan Culler in this Very Short Introduction to literary theory. Often a controversial subject, said to have transformed the study ...Show more
Logic : A Very Short Introduction by Graham Priest
Category: Philosophy | Series: Very Short Introductions
Logic is often perceived as having little to do with the rest of philosophy, and even less to do with real life. In this lively and accessible introduction, Graham Priest shows how wrong this conception is. He explores the philosophical roots of the subject, explaining how modern formal logic deals with ...Show more