Book Description

What does it mean to say that we live in a secular age? Almost everyone would agree that we--in the West, at least--largely do. And clearly the place of religion in our societies has changed profoundly in the last few centuries. In what will be a defining book for our time, Charles Taylor takes up the question of what these changes mean--of what, precisely, happens when a society in which it is virtually impossible not to believe in God becomes one in which faith, even for the staunchest believer, is only one human possibility among others.

Taylor, long one of our most insightful thinkers on such questions, offers a historical perspective. He examines the development in "Western Christendom" of those aspects of modernity which we call secular. What he describes is in fact not a single, continuous transformation, but a series of new departures, in which earlier forms of religious life have been dissolved or destabilized and new ones have been created. As we see here, today's secular world is characterized not by an absence of religion--although in some societies religious belief and practice have markedly declined--but rather by the continuing multiplication of new options, religious, spiritual, and anti-religious, which individuals and groups seize on in order to make sense of their lives and give shape to their spiritual aspirations.

What this means for the world--including the new forms of collective religious life it encourages, with their tendency to a mass mobilization that breeds violence--is what Charles Taylor grapples with, in a book as timely as it is timeless.

Customer Reviews (13)

A great title for a poor book
This is a wonderful 200 page book. The problem is that it takes Taylor many more hundreds of pages of repetition to finish it. I normally read a couple of books each week, but i had to put this down many times over several months to get to the end. There are some brilliant observations in this haystack, like needles, but you are so exhausted in reading the same observations so many times that it becomes a tiresome book.
I can see why there was no editor for this book since a real editor would have spent years getting him to realize that a compendium of lectures (which is what this book is according to Taylor) does not lend itself to a good book.
If you want to spend a lot of time getting to how we live in a "Secular Age" which of course we do not if looking at the world as a whole, you may find a few nuggets in here, but you won't find a vein of gold that makes the effort worthwhile. Sadly this book could have been great. Sadly, it is an example of what a poor writer can do with an interesting topic.
I pity any of his students who had to suffer through these lectures without the benefit of lots of caffeine. I am sure Taylor is a very smart and engaging man, as long as you don't have to spend more time with him than the usual checkout line takes at the grocery store.

In depth reflection
A work for those interested in pondering precedents that seem to now demand a second look, a more psychological reflection. There is however a slight lack of objectivity and a very slight nostagia comes through.

Magisterial, if flawed
As someone who spends much of my time as an undergraduate teacher of theology and church-based adult educator, I regularly run up against what Taylor calls the "subtraction theory" of why secularism has largely replaced Christian faith in the Western world as the default starting point for educated people. Taylor's painstaking, detailed journey through the past five hundred years shows the constructed nature of this implicit "common sense" and then thoroughly demolishes it. Anyone who has sought to engage "atheists" or "agnostics" on why they presume (rather than express a reasoned basis for their view) that religion is for "fools" or children owes a deep debt of gratitude to Taylor's work.

Other reviewers have noted several of the stylistic flaws, such as the tendency toward repetition, the assumption that readers speak French, and so forth. I'd simply like to add a brief note of two substantive limitations.

First, Taylor's definition of "religion" is narrow, and thus misses the "religious" aspects of other forms of social/cultural bonding that function as "religions" in our world, from the relatively trivial (such as sports partisanship) to the more serious (such as patriotism and scientism). His argument is thus directed between "belief" and "unbelief," rather than between various forms of belief systems. As he notes (but does not discuss in detail), scientism functions religiously for many, including such popular authors as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, famous for their supposed "debunking" of "religion." This diminishes the power of his argument to refute some of the more powerful forms of "belief" in our world today.

Second, he gives short shrift to two forms of inner-Christian distortion that have enormous power to generate "unbelief": fundamentalism and reactionary Catholicism. I see every day young adults who describe themselves as "atheists" when what they are rejecting is the experience of one of these distortions. I realize that Taylor has striven wherever possible to establish a non-polemical stance and perhaps wanted to avoid "attacking" these positions. However, the result again is a loss of potential power in the face of very prevalent and vocal positions in our culture.

Having said this, I am very glad for having invested the time and effort in engaging Taylor's long argument. Whether or not one agrees with him on every point is not nearly as important as the exercise in clarification of thought which the effort generates.

Extraordinarily demanding, but rewarding
Charles Taylor has written one of the most rewarding and demanding books I have ever read.He describes the changing conditions of belief in Latin Christendom over the last 500 years.He explains in rich detail the move from an enchanted, hierarchical world in which time was not linear and unbelief was not an option, to our present modern era, in which time is linear, the natural is separate from the supernatural, society is organized in a largely horizontal manner, and the choices of belief/unbelief are many.

While we frequently think of this as linear progress, Taylor reminds us that something has been lost in this move.Reading Taylor's description of the many stages of the changing conditions of belief (his term for the way we frame the world - our unstated assumptions about reality) makes one rethink their own decisions about belief.It is one of those rare books that one does not have to agree with to appreciate.

I have several problems with the book.The author makes extraordinary demands of the reader: not only is the book quite long, but Taylor assumes you know Latin and French (not all quotes are translated), and are familiar with dozens (if not hundreds) of authors (he frequently cites a name rather than describing a set of beliefs).His sentence structure frequently defies the rules of grammar.So set aside a large chunk of time if you want to read this book.

My other quibble with the book is that Taylor does not extend his discussion into current scientific thinking about the embodied mind.While a full discussion of this area is well beyond what he attempts in this book, his treatment of science is very superficial and more than a little dated.He attempts to address the challenge of science to transcendent belief without really understanding the issue.

That said, this book should be read by anyone seriously interested in religious belief in the modern era.I would love to see a panel discussion with Charles Taylor, Pascal Boyer and Karen Armstrong.

Pointless
I am not sure what the point of this tome was.I could barely get through the Preface and Introduction.A rabble of unorganized ideas masquerading as a comment on secularism, whatever that is.I am not even sure the author knows.To what point? ... Read more

Book Description

In this extensive inquiry into the sources of modern selfhood, Charles Taylor demonstrates just how rich and precious those resources are. The modern turn to subjectivity, with its attendant rejection of an objective order of reason, has led--it seems to many--to mere subjectivism at the mildest and to sheer nihilism at the worst. Many critics believe that the modern order has no moral backbone and has proved corrosive to all that might foster human good. Taylor rejects this view. He argues that, properly understood, our modern notion of the self provides a framework that more than compensates for the abandonment of substantive notions of rationality.

The major insight of Sources of the Self is that modern subjectivity, in all its epistemological, aesthetic, and political ramifications, has its roots in ideas of human good. After first arguing that contemporary philosophers have ignored how self and good connect, the author defines the modern identity by describing its genesis. His effort to uncover and map our moral sources leads to novel interpretations of most of the figures and movements in the modern tradition. Taylor shows that the modern turn inward is not disastrous but is in fact the result of our long efforts to define and reach the good. At the heart of this definition he finds what he calls the affirmation of ordinary life, a value which has decisively if not completely replaced an older conception of reason as connected to a hierarchy based on birth and wealth. In telling the story of a revolution whose proponents have been Augustine, Montaigne, Luther, and a host of others, Taylor's goal is in part to make sure we do not lose sight of their goal and endanger all that has been achieved. Sources of the Self provides a decisive defense of the modern order and a sharp rebuff to its critics.

Customer Reviews (12)

Great, BUT
I read this very popular, yet scholarly, and extolled book when it first was published, and found it elegant, helpful, and problematic. The title is the subject of the book: What sources have gone into making of modern identity? Obviously philosophy and theology are the dominant contributors, with psychology pulling up the rear (which is as it should be, since the latter only came to be 150 years ago).

While I agree with Taylor that philosophy, more than either theology or psychology, actually informs our sense of self, particularly the modern self, I'm not sure psychologists would agree. In today's marketplace of ideas, it's psychology that crowds bookstore shelves with a panoply of "self-help" books. Conversely, while the sense of self is implicit in earlier philosophy, not many modern philosophers address the matter at all. Ergo, the need for this book.

Taylor weaves his theory through the prism of philosophical history and the evolutionary unfolding of how the sense of the modern self has come into being. It's a compelling, perhaps unattractive, pinnacle to which we have come. The "modern" sense of self begins with the works of Rene Descartes (i.e., the thinking being), which may or may not have improved on Boethius's medieval ontology (i.e., the rational animal). Still, the sense of "self" is far more complex than either a rational animal or a thinking being alone would suggest. Perhaps either thesis is the starting point, and obviously necessary, but it's certainly not sufficient, to capture what we mean by "self" today.

To Taylor's credit, he begins to add other necessary features, and the features he adds aren't uncontroversial. Yes, phenomenology is a part of the structure; so too is language a key feature to the identity of the modern self; but where are the well-spring of the emotions? This particularly salient feature of emotions barely registers on Taylor's radar. And it's this deficit, the failure to bring our emotional features to bear, that makes this work such an enormous disappointment.

For the other facets, dimensions, and features, Taylor elegantly, eruditely, and heuristically surveys philosophical history and culls most of its ideas. But how could the emotions (e.g., love, hate, joy, grief, etc.) not figure into Taylor's conception of the "modern self." Even if Taylor relies primarily on philosophical perspectives, the philosophy of emotions is not a nil set. David Hume devoted Part II of his seminal "Treatise on Human Nature" to the passions; numerous contemporary philosophers have addressed focused on the emotions in the years immediately preceding the publication of this book. And even if Taylor had been deprived of the philosophical accounts, he certainly could not have been deprived of psychological accounts. So, the minimalist attention to this most salient of features is jarring.

Why such a fuss about this omission? Robert Solomon, whose works both precede and follow Taylor's book, insists that it is the emotions that make life itself meaningful and valuable: Not independent of the other salient features, but intrinsically integrated with them. The "passions" are what give life zest and interest and dynamic. When's the last time that looking at language's performatives brought "joy" to one? What happens when the self ratiocinates that makes it meaningful to us? Of course, the "eureka" of discovery, the pride of accomplishment, the joy of understanding, the hope of implementation, the desire to act, etc., are what make ratiocination interesting and valuable. Cogitation qua cogitation is significant, no doubt, but we cogitate in order to understand, and understand to implement, and implement to enjoy. Thus, pleasure is integral to the cogitation, for without it, it's simply cold, calculating, and indifferent ratiocination. Per Solomon, the passions (i.e., emotions) are what give life meaning.

If Solomon's thesis about emotions giving the self meaning is true, and it is, how could something so obvious and necessary have been overlooked in this magisterial tome? This singular omission marrs this otherwise fascinating and comprehensive history and analysis of what it means to have a "self." It's as if Taylor started to analyze the pictures on the wall, but ignored the elephant in the middle of the room. The emotions are what give life meaning, and any examination of "the self" that omits them may have given us the container, but has also forgotten to fill it.

Happily, despite this serious omission, Taylor provides a probing and detailed exegesis of the development and structure of the modern self. As long as one supplements this massive tome with other reading (e.g., Solomon's "The Passions," "Love," "The Philosophy of Erotic Love," etc., or Martha Nussbaum's "The Therapy of Desire," "Upheavals of Thought," etc., or Ronald de Souza's "The Rationality of Emotions"), Taylor's work provides the outline and identity of the other salient features, but having given us the wall, but missed the nucleus, of the cell, the work lacks life.

A True Classic!
Sources of the Self is an exceptional piece of scholarship. In SOS, Taylor engages in a course of philosophical anthropology to demonstrate that our understanding of the self as interior is by no means universal. For Taylor, understandings of the self are inextricably linked to our understandings of the good. Thus, self-understanding is directed by evolving conceptions of the source and location of the good. This idea has been lost, according to Taylor, because of the narrow conception of the good in our modern world and the naturalist suppression of moral ontology.

Taylor defends this argument in two ways. First, he provides a strong argument that the self exists within inescapable moral frameworks. "To know who you are" Taylor argues, "is to be oriented in moral space." These frameworks are composed of hierarchical moral distinctions (i.e., some things are viewed as better than, or more important than others -- for instance, in our time, the notion of respect for persons). Second, Taylor argues that previous goods have been victim to historical suppression.

The bulk of the text is aimed at re-articulating historically suppressed goods. This illustration provides a fascinating romp through the history of ideas from Plato, Augustine, Descartes, Locke, Rousseau and MANY others, as well an interesting pieces about cultural history (e.g., the Puritans, art theory, etc).

One caution -- this is NOT an easy read. The argument itself is in the first few chapters, the remander is illustration. But keep the argument in mind the whole way. You will have to work to get through it - but it is well worth it! You will never see the self the same way again.

"immersion" course in the ideas
Someone told philosophy is simply a specific genre of European literature; I would tend to agree if permitted to add that to validate itself as "philosophy" the opus has to include references to the previous philosophical works. Otherwise, however similar in vein and content, a book of philosophy it will not be.
According to that definition philosophers are writers doomed to retell stories heard from their predecessors; far is the day when the Allegory of the Cave will drop off that rambling and overburdened philosophical cart (driven by the Buridan donkey, no doubt) and be moved out of readers' sight.

Whether this definition is true or not, Taylor in his book behaves exactly as described, repeating and condensing others' treatises and opinions. They are many in the long history of our civilization, so the author's tactic is to find connecting "narratives": here is the great "Inward Turn", from which premises of Romanticism easily follow, there came "veneration of the ordinary", which brought about the phenomenon of the modern novel.
It is precisely in this that both the greatest weakness of the oevre and its greatest utility lie: the book has collected innumerable praises from the horde of us, intellectual sloths, for in it we immediately spotted the opportunity to use the results of this marvellous compression, with the narratives as aids to jog our lazy memories, without reading the whole philosophical library of Taylor's sources shelf after shelf, and cover to cover.

The weakness of the approach could be in a certain arbitrariness of the found stories and connections. They make what was announced as "history of the central terms on which the modern man appreciates himself" seem too logical and inevitable. Those threads or constantly developing themes, when historical rather than invented, could be simultaneous, interweaving and interplaying - not consecutive and orderly.
In short, they are patterns half discerned and half imposed on history and philosophy by Taylor himself.

The second peculiarity of the book is the Taylor's style.
Once, they say, physisists came to a University bursar to ask for funds. The bursar studied their proposal for a long time, and then complained: "It's always like this with you, physisists. You always ask for huge sums to do your experiments. Mathematicians are so much better! All they use is paper, pencils and erasers." Then he thought a bit and added: "And philosophers are best of all. They do not even need erasers."
Taylor's style is unnecessarily dense and repetitive. I had an impression that he was more engrossed in wording than in laying out logically when writing. Very often, when the thread has been followed through to the very end, one realises, it could have been greatly reduced, and reduced to almost a platitude, I caught myself thinking at times: yes, "the original unity" of religious worldview was shattered and became multiple disciplines in modernity, emergence of protestant churches is habitually used to explain the Western individualism et cetera et cetera et cetera.
The "difficulty" of the book may be in the density of its style, and not always in the subject matter being discussed.

But still...
they say laziness is the King and true source of all Good in the world, so I cannot help but give the deserved 5 stars to this crash "immersion" course in the ideas of Western philosophy (in the guise of a treatise about Good, Ethics and sources of Modernity), nicely condensed and organized in a number of stories to follow for a curious reader but less than dedicated philosopher.
Digesting the Taylor's tome is the easiest way to read one book and then be able to convincingly claim to know many, many more.

A Substantive Theory of the Good
Taylor would like to revitalize the ancients' emphasis on what he calls a substantive theory of the good.This he contrasts with a procedural conception of ethics that he ties to certain elements of Modernism.In particular, Taylor takes on modern ethical systems for being too focused on obligation rather than what he terms the "hypergood."

It is not a simple call for revisiting classical philosophy.Taylor is doing more than trying to draw attention to what he sees as wrong turns and misguided focuses in modern ethical thinking.There is a constructive element to the work.

It is not an introductory piece and many would find the depth of references frustrating.For those who have not read many works to which he refers (e.g. Locke, Kant, Rawls, Habermas, Williams) or who cannot distinguish a Kantian from a utilitarian, etc. it might be a bit of a slog.For ethicists or anyone interested in philosophical issues of identity, self, or conceptions of the common good, it is clearly a very important work.

From community to self- and the evolution of ethics...
Taylor is an important voice in today's philosophical community- one that refuses to give in to the excesses of either postmodern relativism or extreme conservatism.Instead, with "Sources of the Self", (expanding on "The Ethics of Authenticity"), he's written an important summary of the evolution of moral ideas from the ancient virtue-hierarchies of the Greeks, through the communitarian great chain of medieval philosophy, to the independent "I" of modernity.In doing so, he explains the strengths of modern ethics:

-the "hypergoods" of liberty, equality, and freedom of expression.

-the "sanctification" of ordinary life (esp. as it stems from the Protestant reformation)

-the pursuit of scientific inquiry and it's benefits to modern life.

He also, however, points out the problems that occur when modernity's "focus" on the self turns into the narcissistic "obsession" with self of the Romantics and postmodernists.

I highly recommend this book to philosophical liberals as one of the best defenses of modern liberalism in print, to scholars of philosophy as an important history of the evolution of the idea of the self, and to fans of the works of Jurgen Habermas and Ken Wilber, both of whom also deal extensively with issues tackled in this book. ... Read more

Book Description
This is a major and comprehensive study of the philosophy of Hegel, his place in the history of ideas, and his continuing relevance and importance. Professor Taylor relates Hegel to the earlier history of philosophy and, more particularly, to the central intellectual and spiritual issues of his own time. He engages with Hegel sympathetically, on Hegel's own terms and, as the subject demands, in detail. This important book is now reissued with a fresh new cover. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Making the case for Hegel
Since I'm not half through, I wouldn't be reviewing this if anyone else had stepped up.I'm enjoying the book.Hegel's been a sore spot ever since the seminar on the "Phenomenology of Spirit" where I felt like a complete illiterate trying to read him (in translation no less).

Since Hegel's practically the definition of "pseudo-philosophy" in the English-speaking world, it's fascinating to read this treatment by a sensible English (?) philosopher.Taylor does a great job in the 1st chapter setting up Hegel's problematic, with a survey of German romanticism and its issues.Those issues are in large part still with us today, so that Hegel's working on problems that should be of interest to us.

But are those problems solvable?Can we take seriously someone who argues that "the rational is real, and the real is rational"?Taylor's carefully developing and qualifying Hegel's claims of universal rationality and trying to see his case for them.

Even if you hate Hegel, or think you do, the great anti-Hegelian Bertrand Russell said that the 1st step to evaluating a philosophy is to engage with it as sympathetically as possible (in a bit of a Hegelian moment himself as I recall:sympathy-antipathy-evaluation).This book may be your best shot in English.

Nietzsche argued that (1) the world is meaningless and "irrational," and that (2) humans cannot accept (1).If he's right, then something like Hegel's system may be the necessary consequence. ... Read more

Book Description

Charles Taylor is one of the most important English-language philosophers at work today; he is also unique in the philosophical community in applying his ideas on language and epistemology to social theory and political problems. In this book Taylor brings together some of his best essays, including "Overcoming Epistemology," "The Validity of Transcendental Argument," "Irreducibly Social Goods," and "The Politics of Recognition." As usual, his arguments are trenchant, straddling the length and breadth of contemporary philosophy and public discourse.

The strongest theme running through the book is Taylor's critique of disengagement, instrumental reason, and atomism: that individual instances of knowledge, judgment, discourse, or action cannot be intelligible in abstraction from the outside world. By developing his arguments about the importance of "engaged agency," Taylor simultaneously addresses themes in philosophical debate and in a broader discourse of political theory and cultural studies. The thirteen essays in this collection reflect most of the concerns with which he has been involved throughout his career--language, ideas of the self, political participation, the nature of modernity. His intellectual range is extraordinary, as is his ability to clarify what is at stake in difficult philosophical disputes. Taylor's analyses of liberal democracy, welfare economics, and multiculturalism have real political significance, and his voice is distinctive and wise.

Book Description
Charles Taylor has been one of the most original and influential figures in contemporary philosophy: his 'philosophical anthropology' spans an unusually wide range of theoretical interests and draws creatively on both Anglo-American and Continental traditions in philosophy. A selection of his published papers is presented here in two volumes, structured to indicate the direction and essential unity of the work. He starts from a polemical concern with behaviourism and other reductionist theories (particularly in psychology and the philosophy of language) which aim to model the study of man on the natural sciences. This leads to a general critique of naturalism, its historical development and its importance for modern culture and consciousness; and that in turn points, forward to a positive account of human agency and the self, the constitutive role of language and value, and the scope of practical reason. The volumes jointly present some two decades of work on these fundamental themes, and convey strongly the tenacity, verve and versatility of the author in grappling with them. They will interest a very wide range of philosophers and students of the human sciences. ... Read more

Book Description

A new edition of the highly acclaimed book Multiculturalism and "The Politics of Recognition," this paperback brings together an even wider range of leading philosophers and social scientists to probe the political controversy surrounding multiculturalism. Charles Taylor's initial inquiry, which considers whether the institutions of liberal democratic government make room--or should make room--for recognizing the worth of distinctive cultural traditions, remains the centerpiece of this discussion. It is now joined by Jürgen Habermas's extensive essay on the issues of recognition and the democratic constitutional state and by K. Anthony Appiah's commentary on the tensions between personal and collective identities, such as those shaped by religion, gender, ethnicity, race, and sexuality, and on the dangerous tendency of multicultural politics to gloss over such tensions. These contributions are joined by those of other well-known thinkers, who further relate the demand for recognition to issues of multicultural education, feminism, and cultural separatism.

Praise for the previous edition:

Customer Reviews (5)

Remains a seminal work on the issues surrounding multiculturalism
Charles Taylor's classic essay "The Politics of Recognition" that constitutes the heart of this book along with the several excellent responses to it remains at the center of the philosophical and political discussions of multiculturalism.Taylor's main contribution to the debate was to link the debate to the concept of authenticity, arguing that an individual's sense of self requires not merely a social context but respect that affirms them.Because group identity is a crucial aspect of one's sense of self, to have one's tradition or group recognized and respected becomes crucial.Taylor therefore concludes that under certain circumstances the state may intervene with prejudice to protect a group or provide it with special benefits.He situates this very contemporary position in the context of the history of the notion of authenticity as it has developed in Western culture.

Taylor's essay comprises, along with editor Amy Gutman's introduction, around half the book.The bulk of the volume consists of a number responses that were contained in the original publication of the book as well as two subsequent essays that were added to a later addition.All of these are, to speak truthfully, absolutely first rate, though they are of varying usefulness.Most of the first edition essays merely amend Taylor's original arguments.Why I think they make important alterations to his essay, none of them reach the heart of it.To be frank, Taylor is a wonderfully engaging, persuasive writer.Even if one has troubles with many of his core ideas, nonetheless even the most disengaged reader will agree with a host of his insights.If he errs, he does not err wildly.

The final two essays do take issue with Taylor on a deeper level.The Habermas essay is not, in my view, especially helpful.He is unquestionably one of the premiere philosophers of his age, but although he has been influenced by Anglo-American philosophy to a degree that is unusual in a German philosopher, his essays seems alien to every other essay in the collection.One first has to understand Habermas and then engage in the difficult work of fitting it to the discussion as initiated by Taylor.I simply did not find it to be terribly helpful.The essay by Kwame Anthony Appiah, on the other hand, is a different matter.Appiah is the lone writer to respond to Taylor's challenge and lay bare many of the shortcomings of his argument.He has gone on to do this additionally in his exceptionally fine THE ETHICS OF IDENTITY.Most of the ideas contained in his essays in this volume show up in expanded form in that book.Essentially, Appiah wants to question Taylor's assumption that political rights attach to groups as they do to individuals.More to the point, he wants to deny that groups are the basic unit of political consideration.Taylor believes that groups can be extended rights to such a degree that lesser rights of individuals can be impinged.For instance, in French Canada children of French-speaking parents can have access to English-language schools banned so as to guarantee the continued existence of a French-speaking population to keep Quebec French-speaking.Appiah is suspicious of the limitations on individuals that such considerations place on them, of the kinds of scripts and expectations imposed upon them.Appiah can hardly be accused of parochialism.As the child of a Ghanese father and white English mother--and therefore in the algebra of our society considered black--who was raised in Ghana, educated in England, and lives in America, and who is also gay, he falls into a number of groups that could be considered collectivities deserving of special consideration.But he finds such thinking in the long run harmful to the individuals in such groups.He is acutely aware of how a culture is essential in providing the raw material for any person to be a person, but he insists in the end that the individual and not groups--that may be impossible to define clearly in addition to all else--is the fundamental political unit.

Multiculturalism
I found this book to be well written and therefore, very easy to read.Wonderful new material. I have learned several new theories.

Academic professionalism
At first sight the book seems so insightful - and it clearly stems from a sincere wish to understand other cultures and others holding different views than one's own within one's own culture. But then comes page 20.Gutmann writes that the task is to rescue us from a world of entrenchedbattlefields and point the way to "mutually respectful communities ofsubstantial, sometimes even fundamental, INTELLECTUAL disagreement"(my emphasis).What such a viewpoint does is to limit the discussion torational discourse. One can agree on a base-line of open discussion withthose you may be in diasagreement with but only when the 'crazies' havebeen left outside, those who preach hatred, or even those who choose to optout. This is all what Richard Rorty called 'wet liberalism'. Terriblydisappointing. After Gutmann's intellectualist and ultimately elitist pointof view dawns, the other essays fall within the same light.

A timely debate, with an emphasis on the philosophical.
One web page which I recently encountered urged the USA to adopt an official policy of multiculturalism, and thereby become the first great nation to make this postmodern leap; ahead of the U.K., and all of theother states which have considered such a move. Yet Canada and Australiahave been formally self-designated as multicultural states for decades.What has been the result, and what does multiculturalism offer otherpluralist states, such as the United States, in the 21st century? Afterall, some say that the end of the 'melting pot' would be the end ofnational unity in America, while others feel it would truly be thebegining.In this book, neither the 'potential for utopia', nor the'armageddon scenario' of multicultural policies will be appeased. ProfessorCharles Taylor examines the implications of state-enshrinedmulticulturalism, and then opens the floor to several of the world'sleading intellectuals (including Jurgen Habbermas) to debate the topic inthis 'heady' little book. The result is rather surprising.Rather thannarrowing in on the details of the Canadian or Australian experiences withthe policy, the book explores the entire developement of modern liberalismwhich lead to such policies, and devotes many pages to the argumentconcerning whether such policies weaken individual rights, while creatingcollective rights.This is not a manual for extremists, on either sideof the debate, but it should aid those who seek to peer deeply beneath thesurface of multicultural policies unearthing their philosophical base. Theimplications of such policies are widely considered, and for a wide rangeof groups across North America and Europe.

A sophisticated philosophical defense ofmulticulturalism
If you want to read a justification for the politics of difference, this isw your book. Taylor stays consistent with his previous work and lays out a solid theory. The only criticism of this book (and Taylor in general) is that his personal political views on Quebec get in the way of his philosophical writing and creates some tension in terms of the practical aplication of the theory. ... Read more

Book Description

Everywhere we hear talk of decline, of a world that was better once, maybe fifty years ago, maybe centuries ago, but certainly before modernity drew us along its dubious path. While some lament the slide of Western culture into relativism and nihilism and others celebrate the trend as a liberating sort of progress, Charles Taylor calls on us to face the moral and political crises of our time, and to make the most of modernity's challenges.

At the heart of the modern malaise, according to most accounts, is the notion of authenticity, of self-fulfillment, which seems to render ineffective the whole tradition of common values and social commitment. Though Taylor recognizes the dangers associated with modernity's drive toward self realization, he is not as quick as others to dismiss it. He calls for a freeze on cultural pessimism.

In a discussion of ideas and ideologies from Friedrich Nietzsche to Gail Sheehy, from Allan Bloom to Michel Foucault, Taylor sorts out the good from the harmful in the modern cultivation of an authentic self. He sets forth the entire network of thought and morals that link our quest for self-creation with our impulse toward self-fashioning, and shows how such efforts must be conducted against an existing set of rules, or a gridwork of moral measurement. Seen against this network, our modern preoccupations with expression, rights, and the subjectivity of human thought reveal themselves as assets, not liabilities.

By looking past simplistic, one-sided judgments of modern culture, by distinguishing the good and valuable from the socially and politically perilous, Taylor articulates the promise of our age. His bracing and provocative book gives voice to the challenge of modernity, and calls on all of us to answer it.

Customer Reviews (6)

Malaises and their mending
Charles Taylor focuses on three malaises of modernity in this short book. The first is individualism, which comprises a set of liberties and beliefs having to do with the privilege of the individual to determine his or her course of life. Taylor thinks individualism has removed us from concerns originating outside the self; the result is a narrowing and flattening of our lives. The second malaise is the primacy of instrumental reason. Cost-benefit analyses and means-to-an-end rationality have cost us our genuine respect and concern for human beings. In effect, humanity takes a back seat to the bottom line. Morality is pushed out of ethics, since what we should do depends on what we can get and what we need to get it, and not on what is right or good, praiseworthy or blameworthy, virtuous or vicious. Finally, the third malaise of the modern era has to do with the implications of individualism and instrumental reason for political, social, and economic institutions. Here Taylor's analysis is brief and weak. He basically laments what he sees as a lack of a sense of civic duty among the inhabitants of politically developed nations. The progress of technology and the organizational structure of bureaucracies have weakened our democratic initiative. We are in danger of becoming willing victims of a "soft" despotic government. The only way out of our current situation is to develop and adhere to an ethic of authenticity that makes concerns beyond the self a necessary precondition of self-concern. Furthermore, if we are to fly out of the "iron cage" of modernity, we must acknowledge various modes of reasoning and chose those that preserve our moral integrity. Although Taylor does not offer us detailed solutions to the proposed malaises, he at least turns our heads toward some of the possible paths we may take.

A Great Little Overview of Integral Ethics
Lately I'd been reading various critiques of modernity- Leo Strauss and Alan Bloom, the "neoconservatives", and conservatives in general, who see nothing but a great moral and intellectual decay in modern society, beset by postmodern relativism and an intellectual trap that can't be escaped short of "noble" (read: blatant) lies.While I found many of their arguments quite convincing, something just didn't quite sit right with me.

Taylor explained exactly what's wrong with such critiques- they ignore the fact that "relativism" is merely a perversion of a powerful moral standard that these conservatives ignore- the ethic of authenticity, of being true to one's self and to the rights of others, a liberal standard of the enlightenment that conservatives threaten to destroy along with the excesses of postmodern nihilism.Taylor then goes on a quest to take down both the "boosters" and "knockers" of modernity- and points out where they're right and wrong.

For anyone wrestling with the liberal and conservative debates in this country today, I recommend this little volume heartily, along with Taylor's (much larger) "Sources of the Self" and Ken Wilber's "Sex, Ecology, Spirituality: The Spirit of Evolution", which takes on the same issues from multiple perspectives.

An ethic whose time has come
This is a short and powerful book.The frequent references to Taylor's "Sources of the Self" may indicate that it is a mere introduction to the longer work, but I feel that it stands well alone.

Taylor, a Canadian, observes the conservative-liberal debate in America from an outsider's position.He is able to distance himself from the rhetoric, vocabulary, and narrow categories of this debate.I found his insights well worth consideration.

In essence, Taylor attempts to redefine the debate.His concerns are threefold.First, radical individualism has disavowed most moral absolutes, eroded the meaningfulness of life, and resulted in a centripetal self-orientation that denigrates relational connectiveness.Secondly, Taylor is concerned that modern thought has become dominated by a reason that finds the highest good in the economic maximizing of ends.This "instrumental reason" demeans others as mere means to an end, disregards important perspectives that are not integral to the cost/benefit equation, and creates a technological supremacy that may cost us our humanity.Thirdly, Taylor is concerned that institutions have embraced instrumental reason as supreme and creating a power-base that may stand in the way of reform.

Most of this book deals exclusively with Taylor's thoughts on the first of these concerns.Conservatives will be upset that Taylor does not call for a return to older values and older worldviews.Instead, he accepts the modern emphasis on individualism and the corollaries of self-fulfillment and self-actualization.He parts with these liberal ideals by arguing that the centripetal self-focus can only find meaning outside of the self.Discovery of my originality and uniqueness is a dialogical process (with others, values, or deity) that demands an objective "horizon."

Hence, my definition of Taylor's authenticity is the dialogical discovery of my "being."Others are not used to complete my project, but are collaborators and partners.Together we work to throw off the shackles of psychological, institutional, and familial pressures to conform.Freedom from these shackles is not license to abuse, but becomes ground to assume responsibility for self without excuse.Radical individualism escapes meaninglessness only in dialogic connectedness and assumption of personal responsibility.

In my view, the ethics of authenticity are much needed.I hope this book finds many receptive readers.

Good Political Science book
As a guy who is very conservative, I'm always interested to hear about NEW approaches that aren't just the same old liberal bilge.

I read this book for my political science class last semester, and was interested by Taylor's approach.He believes that a lack of authenticity and extreme individualism are our fundamental ills in society.He diagnoses further and suggests cures, but I will leave that for you to read.

If you've read "Spirit of Community" by Amitai Etzioni, you've already got a good head start onto what you'll find here.

Excellent
This short book concerns what has been called "authenticity," namely the idea that values are only important to the extent that they are chosen by the individual.Particularly in America, there is a heavy emphasis on self-fulfilment. We are told that you have to be happy, have self-esteem, and be fulfilled as a person. As Taylor writes, "In adopting the ideal, people in the culture of authenticity, as I want to call it, give support to a certain kind of liberalism, which has been espoused by others as well. . . . The good life is what each individual seeks, in his or her own way, and government would be lacking for all citizens, if it took sides on this question." [pp. 17-8.] Taylor diagnoses this tendency from a variety of perspectives, neither dismissing it out of hand nor giving it unconditional praise.This a serious, but easy to read, book.

Those seeking a lengthier discussion of these issues might profitably consult the author's larger, Sources of the Self, which deals with these matters from a historical perspective. ... Read more

Book Description
Introduction to Hegel's thought for the student and general reader, emphasizing in particular his social and political thought and his continuing relevance to contemporary problems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

N.B.: Dupicative of certain chapters of Taylor's "Hegel."
The book does deserve five stars--but there is a need to call attention to the preface of "Hegel and Modern Society," which is absent from the free, searchable content available here.Professor Taylor candidly puts it, in the preface, that this book is substantially the same as the various chapters in his excellent "Hegel" dealing with Hegel's relation to contemporary society.In short, if you own a volume of Taylor's "Hegel" you already have the content of this book--you needn't buy both.

Accessibility without simplification
Hegel is notoriously difficult to understand.When an exposition of his philosophy, entitled "The Secret of Hegel", was published in the 19th century, a critic accused its author of "keeping thesecret."Charles Taylor, by contrast, without academic arrogance--infact, with characteristic humility--makes brilliantly accessible thisabstruse philosopher.Taylor eloquently extracts the essence and logic ofHegel's arguments; and shows the relationships between Hegel's metaphysicsand social philosophy; thereby revealing to the reader the whole system ofHegel's philosophy, rather than its isolated components.Along the way, hedispels many of the false myths that surround Hegel's often quoted butrarely read philosophies.And not only does Taylor make sense of Hegel inthe philosopher's own historical and intellectual contexts, but, as thetitle of the book implies, Taylor shows the relevance that Hegel's ideasstill hold today.This is a gem of a book for people studying Hegel, forpeople studying philosophy, political science, or history.Highlyrecommended. ... Read more

Book Description
This revised edition of Taylor's classic work on the internal-combustion engine incorporates changes and additions in engine design and control that have been brought on by the world petroleum crisis, the subsequent emphasis on fuel economy, and the legal restraints on air pollution.

The fundamentals and the topical organization, however, remain the same. The analytic rather than merely descriptive treatment of actual engine cycles, the exhaustive studies of air capacity, heat flow, friction, and the effects of cylinder size, and the emphasis on application have been preserved. These are the basic qualities that have made Taylor's work indispensable to more than one generation of engineers and designers of internal-combustion engines, as well as to teachers and graduate students in the fields of power, internal-combustion engineering, and general machine design.

Charles Fayette Taylor is Professor of Automotive Engineering Emeritus at MIT. He directed the Sloan Automotive Laboratories at MIT from 1926 to 1960 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A Tough Act to Follow
The other reviewers have extolled the engineering strengths of this book so I won't go over old ground yet again.The book has exceeded my expectations in virtually all respects.It is an absolute bedrock foundation in ICEs. It will help you to answer questions you already had about ICEs and it will increase your ICE awareness on a quantum level so as to cause you to ask questions you never had before.I can't say enough good things about this book.I am saddened by the fact the author has already passed away and from a purely selfish perspective will not be able to continue to contribute to the knowledge base he has so generously left us as a part of his legacy.

This is a must have book in your library!

Lots of Thermodynamics
This is the first of two volumes. It deals, mostly, with the Thermodynamic processes. A lot of information, but requires some engineering background. An important textbook to have in your library, if you are interested in the theory of internal combustion engines.

Volume II, which deals with design considerations, is available through MIT Press.

Excellent book
Very well written and extremly in depth. A must have for anyone that wants to know what really makes an ICE work.

still a classic, but where is a 3rd edition?
Sadly there will be no 3rd edition by Taylor. He died in 1996, at the age of 102. These volumes remain classics. Written by a person whose life spanned most of the development of the internal combustion engine, and who worked for the Wright brothers.

The book gives an excellent education in the basic physics of the engine. Nor does the book confine itself to a strict 4 stroke engine. It also covers the two stroke engine, typically found in motorcycles and lawnmowers. The comparison between the 4 and 2 stroke designs are especially illuminating. It gives you an idea of the defining properties of both, and their relative limitations.

Perhaps Taylor's estate can find someone suitably talented to co-author a third edition. The second edition dates from 1985, and there have been improvements in this field. Somewhat modest perhaps, but the progress of time makes those changes sufficient to deserve recognition in a book of this repute. Plus, the currently perceived high price of petrol is leading to investigations of improved engine performance, be this in such areas as fuel mixtures or mechanical configuration. Another incentive to update the text.

Bible of ICE design
This is the bible of Internal Combustion Engine design.Every automotive engineer has one (or has access to one at work) for reference. Excellent for engineering students also. Not a book for people with no engineering or automotive background.Also not a book of the "latest and greatest" developments.It is a detailed book of fundamentals, and in that capacity it is excellent. ... Read more

Book Description
One of the most influential philosophers in the English-speaking world, Charles Taylor is internationally renowned for his contributions to political and moral theory, particularly to debates about identity formation, multiculturalism, secularism, and modernity. In Modern Social Imaginaries, Taylor continues his recent reflections on the theme of multiple modernities. To account for the differences among modernities, Taylor sets out his idea of the social imaginary, a broad understanding of the way a given people imagine their collective social life.

Retelling the history of Western modernity, Taylor traces the development of a distinct social imaginary. Animated by the idea of a moral order based on the mutual benefit of equal participants, the Western social imaginary is characterized by three key cultural forms—the economy, the public sphere, and self-governance. Taylor’s account of these cultural formations provides a fresh perspective on how to read the specifics of Western modernity: how we came to imagine society primarily as an economy for exchanging goods and services to promote mutual prosperity, how we began to imagine the public sphere as a metaphorical place for deliberation and discussion among strangers on issues of mutual concern, and how we invented the idea of a self-governing people capable of secular “founding” acts without recourse to transcendent principles. Accessible in length and style, Modern Social Imaginaries offers a clear and concise framework for understanding the structure of modern life in the West and the different forms modernity has taken around the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Concise but sometimes confusing
I'm glad Taylor wrote this short, concise book. His book Sources of the Self, a long tour through modern Western ideas of the human individual and their implications for moral philosophy, is wonderful and illuminating; but you don't always want to read 800 pages. So this book has the virtue of relative brevity. It also extends Taylor's ideas about Western thought from models of modern selfhood to modern institutions: the market and political self-governance.

But I have to agree with "Squirrel's" comment that this book is not always clear. The sentences are always lucid and graceful. The examples are germane. But Taylor too rarely pauses to explain the implications of this analysis (as he does very beautifully in Sources of the Self). Unless you already know the larger framework of Taylor's philosophy, it can be hard to puzzle out exactly why he has been going on about a given topic. I tried to use this book in a graduate course, but most of the students had difficulty detecting what was at stake in Taylor's arguments.

This is a case where one might wish a short book were just a bit longer. If Taylor had added even a couple of pages to each chapter, unpacking the larger implications for the way he had just mapped out a given sector of the modern social imaginary, it would have made this a better book. Even so, the map itself is learned and valuable.

Excellent dissection of the ideology of modernity
This book is Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor (not to be confused with the Liberian ex-dictator of the same name!) at his most concise and accessible. Here he uses his typical "history of ideas" approach to explaining the content of the modern way of seeing the world, one that so profoundly affects the West and its policies yet is so hard to describe.

Taylor's general philosophical project is to attack the idea of Western liberalism as being a "neutral" or "non-ideological" view of the world, and to downplay its role in the formation of modern man. Instead, he proposes a more communitarian view of liberalism, where liberalism is one comprehensive moral doctrine between others, but happens (for historical reasons) to be one that has been very succesful in shaping the mindset of Western man, rather more so than it has been succesful politically.

Taylor also rejects many of the ideas of liberalism itself, in particular the "rights-based" thinking and its concept of the individual's relation to his culture. The former is most clearly seen in his book "Sources of the Self", whereas the latter is most clearly expressed in this work. The modern social imaginary, i.e. the ways in which modern man is capable of seeing the world (which is not the same as the way he sees the world!) is explored from every possible cultural and philosophical angle.

On the whole, his communitarian philosophy tends to be conservative, but rather of the traditionalist conservative kind than of the religiously inspired reactionary kind one sees in the US so much (though Taylor is very catholic). His interests are clearly in defining what makes modernist culture a culture of its own and why it is a historically developed integral whole, not a content-neutral political system as many liberals seem to think it is. Because of this appeal to historicism, Taylor's work is also very useful and interesting for more radical progressives seeking to criticize the liberal's claims to neutrality and autonomy.

On the whole, this booklet (less than 200 pages of content) is an exciting and relatively legible summary of Taylor's views on Western society and where it came from. Recommended to everyone except those who have read Taylor's larger works (especially "Sources of the Self" and "Multiculturalism"), for whom it will perhaps not be as new as it was for me.

How we imagine who we are
Charles Taylor, along with Will Kymlicka, represents Canada's claim to be taken seriously as an intellectual superpower. In this small work, he has brought his immense intellect to bear on the question of how we imagine who we are as members of societies. For students of political theory this is a useful work.

Lucid Brilliance
Charles Taylor is one of the Western world's foremost intellectuals and theorists of what is broadly called "modernity" which begins somewhere around the 16th century and continues today, even as it is challenged by so-called "post-modernists".The current work puts the concept of modernity into a theoretical framework which Taylor terms the "social imaginary" (hence the title of the book).

The "social imaginary", broadly speaking, consists of images, stories and legends, is shared by large groups of people, and serves to make possible "common practices and a widely shared sense of legitimacy" (23).The particularities of the *modern* social imaginary is that "Modernity is secular ... in the fact that religion occupies a different place, compatible with the sense that all action takes place in profane time" (194).The modern social imaginary consists of the objectivity of the economic sphere, the public sphere (which is beyond the control of any particular political or religion interest group) vs. the private sphere (which is the sphere of the family and of religion), and the sovereignty of "the people".

What emerges, then, is a series of fairly thick discussions of political philosophy, economic theory and, yes, theology.Taylor ties modernity to Protestantism for in setting itself against the medieval/catholic worldview of sacred time (feast and fast days with their attendant saints, liturgical seasons) and the broadly accepted idea that the world was enchanted - miracles, angels, demons and saints were all a part of the medieval worldview - time itself became a profane realm such that it would eventually become eclipsed by nationalism with its own local feast days and national saints (patriots, so to speak).The disenchantment of the world, then, is the foundation of the modern social imaginary and all modernities are rooted in this disenchantment.

This disenchantment, however, is by no means the exorcising of the idea of a moral order.What the aforementioned disenchantment serves to do is to root the belief in a moral order in something other than a transcendent realm: nature.Nature, reason and science all serve to metaphysically ground a particular understanding of people - that they are fundamentally reasonable/rational - and, from this, that society must necessarily progress along natural, reasonable lines.This understanding of people makes people sovereign, so to speak, and eventually serves to ground what Taylor sees as the ultimate myth of modernity: the American myth of "We the people..." founding their own political *order*.

This is a brilliant work and, despite its highly theoretical orientation, should be picked up by all who are interested in discussions of moderity, religion, the public sphere, democracy, and the moral order.As an extended discussion of a central section of his Gifford Lectures of 1999, "Living in a Secular Age", it also serves as a tantalizing prelude to Taylor's next book.

Brilliant - though often confusing.
In Modern Social Imaginaries, Charles Taylor does what he does best - trace the trajectories of certain ideas that we take as unquestionable truths. In this particular piece, he examines the "imaginaries" of the market economy, the public sphere, and the notion of self-governing people. He then provides a facinating examination of the French Revolution in contrast to the American Revolution to demonstrate how new imaginaries are built upon past imaginaries -- with stunningly different results.

I must say -- one thing that troubles me about Taylor is his writing style. He is often hard to follow. He has a habit of saying there are three points to x, but then not clearly stating what they are. Also, he often goes off on an example that is fascinating -- but it is difficult to know what his point is because he doesn't tie it back to his main argument clearly.

This said - I still think this is an amazing book. I would reccommend keeping his argument in mind as you read his examples because he is so interesting that it is tempting to get lost in them, and lose the argument in the process. ... Read more

Amazon.com
The first things you notice about Charles Taylor are his eyebrows. Indeed, they appear to bristle from Ruth Abbey's cover photograph, lending him an air of farsightedness that is entirely appropriate for his intellectual depth. Taylor is one of the rare philosophers today who occupies an intellectual's role in the public sphere and also enjoys a distinguished reputation in academia. In particular, his work on political theory finds expression in his activism in the politics of his native Canada. In academia, he is probably best known for Sources of the Self, a lengthy but widely read volume on modern identity and morality that is one of the most important recent contributions to the social sciences and humanities.

Abbey's short survey of Taylor is particularly notable because his work spans a breadth that includes science, ethics, politics, history, language, epistemology, and art. Her approach is carefully accurate, eschewing reductionism just as Taylor himself "refuses the temptation to reduce complexity to single principles." She successfully addresses herself to a thinker whose multifaceted thought often defies simple category divisions. Taylor is one of the most fascinating and articulate voices on today's philosophical scene, and Abbey has provided us with a useful field guide to his work. Her book represents a valuable companion to Taylor's philosophy, as well as a thoughtful articulation in its own right. --Eric de Place Book Description

Charles Taylor (b. 1931) is one of the most influential and prolific philosophers in the English-speaking world. His unusually broad interests range from artificial intelligence to theories of meaning, from German idealism to contemporary multiculturalism. Ruth Abbey, in the first systematic single-authored study of this extraordinary thinker, offers a stimulating overview of his contribution to some of philosophy's enduring debates.

The core chapters take up Taylor's approaches to moral theory, selfhood, political theory, and epistemology. Alone, these chapters constitute a solid introduction to Charles Taylor. However, the author also offers a great deal to those interested in pursuing the links across his positions, defining Taylor in terms of both his political engagement and his particular form of anti-foundationalism. In addition, she engages with some of the secondary literature to correct common misreadings of Taylor's writings. Abbey concludes by outlining Taylor's most recent reflections on what it means to live in a secular age and pointing to likely future directions of his work.

This book makes accessible one of the most read and discussed philosophers of our day. It will serve as an ideal companion to Taylor's own writings for students of philosophy and political theory. And it will be welcomed as well by the nonspecialist seeking an authoritative guide to Taylor's large, disparate body of work.

Customer Reviews (2)

it's good
Abbey offers a fine introduction to Taylor's thought, helpfully summing up his moral, anthropological (ontological), political and epistemological views.Taylor's writings tend to be a bit diffuse- one essay here on politics and one here on epistemology- and so this introduction is very helpful for getting a general understanding of how his various ideas fit together.A worthwhile read for those who want to understand Taylor's thought in its integrity

Keep Them Comming
Finally, what I've been waiting for, a series that accessibly captures the thoughts of the masters in more than "90 Minutes".This book figures prominently next to Milan Rai's _Noam Chomsky_ and other well written secondary sources designed specifically to bring great thinkers to a broader audience.If you're intimidated by unelucidated technical language or insulted by having to buy a book titled "For Morons", then this and its series companions are the books you're looking for. I sincerely hope to see more additions in the future, especially branching into coverage of great thinkers of the past.Thank you Ruth Abbey and thank you series editor John Shand. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A classic description of modern naval warfare
This was Taylor's first novel, written while the Soviet navy was still a dominant force on the world's seas.It is set in a "near future" in which two US and Soviet naval battle groups meet and engage in a remote corner of the globe.Taylor creates a well detailed picture of modern naval warfare, describing both the high speed engagements of computer driven missile duels and the thoughts of the opposing task force commanders as they manuever, attempting to anticipate each other's moves in a deadly chess-like game.The author is superb at illustrating both the awesome power and the severe weaknesses of carrier battle groups.The characters are believable and sympathetic.There are many heroes but no villains, just warriors demonstrating great courage as they serve their respective countries.The book is out of print and 25 years old, but it is well worth reading for the excellent descriptions of naval battles and for its reminder of the lesson that military veterans know only too well: that warfare is bloody and deadly, and should be entered as a last resort and for only the best and most necessary reasons.

From Cuba to World War III
Two admirals, one Soviet, one American, are on the opposite sides of the Cold War. Admiral David Charles is
a graduate of Annapolis. He joins the crew of the USS Bagley, a World War II destroyer, in 1961. The Bagley's sent to cover the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The Bagley's orders change to no support. Twenty-two years later, Charles and
his Soviet counterpart, are in the Mediterranean. They're
commanding carrier battle groups on the eve of World War
III. They eventually end up sharing a lifeboat. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Reviewing the Skilled Pastor
I enjoyed Charles Taylor's book and learned a great deal. While based on Scripture, Taylor's book gives concrete examples of what to do and what to avoid when counseling. His use of this teaching method made things very clear for me.

Listen, Love, Christ
We used this book in our Lay / seminary training. It is Excellent. The tips on body language and listening skills is great

The Skillled Pastor
This book is very good for persons whose grasp of psychology and religious training tend to be basic in understanding. It can be a valuable help in this situation.

Counseling as the practice of theology
Professor Taylor combines remarkable theological insight with equally remarkable understanding of what's needed in real-life pastoral situations: theory and practice are interwoven.Taylor's main thesis is "The way to help persons deal with their problems is to help them change the beliefs that contribute to their distressing feelings and behaviors.Thus, the goal...is to help people change through hearing and responding to the gospel." (p. 137) Taylor presents three types of pastoral skills needed to accomplish this goal, and presents information on specific techniques that undergird each skill.His underlying theology is centered on the gospel.For the student pastor trying to serve God and his/her fellow humans, Taylor's logical, step-by-step analysis of pastoral encounters and appropriate helping strategies can be invaluable.Although the book is remarkably clearly written, this is not easy material to put into practice, and you'll benefit from practice with a peer group, supervisor, or classroom teaching. ... Read more

Book Description
Charles Taylor has been one of the most original and influential figures in contemporary philosophy: his 'philosophical anthropology' spans an unusually wide range of theoretical interests and draws creatively on both Anglo-American and Continental traditions in philosophy. A selection of his published papers is presented here in two volumes, structured to indicate the direction and essential unity of the work. He starts from a polemical concern with behaviourism and other reductionist theories (particularly in psychology and the philosophy of language) which aim to model the study of man on the natural sciences. This leads to a general critique of naturalism, its historical development and its importance for modern culture and consciousness; and that in turn points, forward to a positive account of human agency and the self, the constitutive role of language and value, and the scope of practical reason. The volumes jointly present some two decades of work on these fundamental themes, and convey strongly the tenacity, verve and versatility of the author in grappling with them. They will interest a very wide range of philosophers and students of the human sciences. ... Read more

Book Description
Presents a critical evaluation of Charles Taylor's conception of the self, and of its moral and political possibilities. ... Read more

Book Description
The Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor is a key figure in contemporary debates about the self and the problems of modernity.

This book provides a comprehensive, critical account of Taylor's work. It succinctly reconstructs the ambitious philosophical project that unifies Taylor's diverse writings. And it examines in detail Taylor's specific claims about the structure of the human sciences; the link between identity, language, and moral values; democracy and multiculturalism; and the conflict between secular and non-secular spirituality. The book also includes the first sustained account of Taylor's career as a social critic and political activist.

Clearly written and authoritative, this book will be welcomed by students and researchers in a wide range of disciplines, including philosophy, psychology, politics, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies and theology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

excellent clear introduction
This book is an excellent introduction to the philosophy of Charles Taylor and his contributions to various current debates in philosophy and political theory, such as the politics of recognition, multiculturalismetc. It is comprehensive and very clearly written. ... Read more