Commentary Philosophy

Veteran film and TV actor John Rixey Moore takes a trip across the country in an open air buggy. Admitting that nature helps him realize that "the universe is conscious", and as philosophical as ever, he gives voice to thoughts along the way. If a brain is just a few pounds of goo, blood, and electricity, how does it manage to dream, to worry, contemplate itself, do time and motion studies, admire the shy paw of a cat, design ships, and enjoy all the grand and lesser mayhem of the heart? How can a neuron feel compassion?

In 1918, a world war raged, and a lethal strain of influenza circled the globe. In the midst of all this death, a bizarre disease appeared in Europe. Eventually known as encephalitis lethargica, or sleeping sickness, it spread worldwide, leaving millions dead or locked in institutions. Then, in 1927, it disappeared as suddenly as it had arrived. Asleep, set in 1920s and '30s New York, follows a group of neurologists through hospitals and asylums as they try to solve this epidemic and treat its victims - who learned the worst fate was not dying of it, but surviving it.

Ignác Semmelweis is remembered for the now-commonplace notion that doctors must wash their hands before examining patients. In mid-19th century Vienna, however, this was a subversive idea. With deaths from childbed fever exploding, Semmelweis discovered that doctors themselves were spreading the disease. While his simple reforms worked immediately - childbed fever in Vienna all but disappeared - they brought down upon Semmelweis the wrath of the establishment, and led to his tragic end.

A riveting, fast-paced, inside look at one of the most incredible private sector achievements in history, Moonshot recounts the intensive nine months in 2020 when the scientists at Pfizer, under the visionary leadership of Dr. Albert Bourla, made “the impossible possible”—creating, testing, and manufacturing a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine that previously would have taken years to develop. Dr. Bourla chronicles how the brilliant, dedicated minds at Pfizer overcame a series of crises that were compounded by social and political unrest.

Few diseases are more gruesome than typhus. Transmitted by body lice, it afflicts the dispossessed - refugees, soldiers, and ghettoized peoples - causing hallucinations, terrible headaches, boiling fever, and often death. The disease plagued the German army on the Eastern Front and left the Reich desperate for a vaccine. For this they turned to the brilliant and eccentric Polish zoologist Rudolf Weigl.

Salk became a cultural hero and icon for a whole generation. Now, at the fiftieth anniversary of the first national vaccination program, and as humanity is tantalizingly close to eradicating polio worldwide, comes this unforgettable chronicle. Salk's work was an unparalleled achievement, and it makes for a magnificent listen.

Divided into three sections - extensive commentary, English translation, and Sanskrit text with transliteration - The Pursuit of Power and Freedom is a valuable reference both for scholars and for those beginning their study of the Upanishads.

In the book I talk about Christ, God, and the Kingdom, but also currents, like immigration, the wall, government shutdown, Iran, investing, mention 5G, China, Bitcoin, Socio-economic dilemmas, Christ parabolic and Solomonic business principles, reality, infidelity, The Art of War, with a little psycho-theology theory of my own.

Feeling feverish, tired, or achy? Listening to Gina Kolata's engrossing account of the 1918 Influenza epidemic is sure to give you the chills. A gripping work of science writing, Flu addresses the prospects for a great epidemic recurring, and considers what can be done to prevent it.

Almost daily, headlines announce newly discovered links between cancers and their genetic causes. Science journalist Jessica Wapner vividly relates the backstory behind those headlines, reconstructing the crucial breakthroughs, explaining the science behind them, and giving due to the dozens of researchers, doctors, and patients whose curiosity and determination restored the promise of a future to the more than 50,000 people diagnosed each year with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

This unique book brings together George Bernard Shaw's witty and iconoclastic take on Wagner's masterwork, The Ring of the Nibelungen, with the composer's own essay on the role of art in revolution.

Introducing a brand new translation of Marcus Aurelius's timeless work, "Meditation," accompanied by insightful commentary from the author including a full index of historical figures mentioned in the text and a seldom seen testimony from Aurelius to the Roman Senate. This edition offers a fresh perspective on the philosophical musings of the ancient Roman emperor, providing listeners with a deeper understanding of his wisdom and teachings. With clear and engaging language, this translation and commentary bring the profound insights of Marcus Aurelius to life for contemporary audiences.

The Book of Enoch has re-emerged from the sands of time to shed more light on the background and context of New Testament. With copies discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls, it is now apparent that this book was well-known and respected before the time of Christ. What did Jesus and the Apostles think of this book?

Applying Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism to the most pressing free speech issues of the day, the essays in this book reveal the attacks on free speech to be the product of destructive ideas - ideas that are eroding Western culture at its foundation. They expose those ideas and the individuals who hold them, and, importantly, they identify the only ideas on which Western civilization can be sustained: reason, egoism, and individual rights.

The great scientists Louis Pasteur (1822-1893) and Joseph Lister (1827-1912) revolutionized medical practice in the 19th century. Pasteur's discovery of the cause of fermentation formed the basis of modern germ theory while Lister developed antiseptic surgical methods based on that. The book contains a description of the theory, and accounts of their work and experiments.