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The Basis of Belief tells the story of the University of Minnesota s unofficial educational agenda. Steven Keillor considers selected controversies that have been energetically debated by educators, administrators, and students for over a century at the University. Keillor describes the clash between an experimental, scientific basis for knowledge and a reliance on testimony, as in stories and first-hand accounts. Which means of obtaining knowledge was best? Which direction should a university take in influencing and promoting one or the other? These arguments concern the place in the University curriculum and student life of such matters as science, religion, psychology, literature, evolution, American Studies, academic freedom, and loyalty, as well as less scholarly activities, such as student protests and strikes. Keillor carefully draws upon diaries, letters, published accounts, and interviews to assess how religion affected these subjects in academic life.

"Three be the things I shall never attain: Envy, content, and sufficient champagne." --Dorothy Parker From pubs, alehouses, wine bars, vineyards, across the table, and under the table comes a flowing river of thoughts about drinking. Some of it you'll find profound, some of it funny, some of it silly. But all of it's about that most inspired of human inventions: alcohol. From the ancient ("The man who isn't jolly after drinking is just a driveling idiot to my thinking." --Euripedes) to the modern ("Alcohol--the cause of and the solution to all of life's problems." --Homer Simpson), here is wit, wisdom, and drunken ramblings about beer, wine, whiskey, gin, and every other alcoholic substance humans have happily used since the beginning of time to pickle their livers. Mixed with favorite drink recipes, short biographies of potable quotables, and information about favorite watering spots, this is a resource you will want to keep next to the bottle of Beefeaters and bitters.

The authors document how four forces--exponential technologies, the DIY innovator, the Technophilanthropist, and the Rising Billion--are conspiring to solve our biggest problems. "Abundance" establishes hard targets for change and lays out a strategic roadmap for governments, industry and entrepreneurs, giving us plenty of reason for optimism.

"In An Equation for Every Occasion, John M. Henshaw tells fifty-two entertaining stories, each inspired by a different mathematical equation. His succinct, easy-to-read narratives come from the spheres of sports, business, history, the arts, science, and technology. Anecdotes about famous equations...appear alongside tales of not-so-famous -- but equally fascinating -- equations, such as the one that's used to determine the SPF number on a bottle of sunscreen. Drawn from the breadth of human endeavor, Henshaw's stories demonstrate the power and utility of math. He entertains us by exploring the ways that equations can be used to explain, among other things, Ponzi schemes, the placebo effect, 'dog years', IQ, the wave mechanics of tsunamis, the troubled modern beekeeping industry, and the Challenger disaster. Smartly conceived and fast paced, his book offers something for anyone curious about math and its impacts. Yet readers will find themselves learning more than just math; they'll learn about the workings of the universe. Once immersed in this book, you'll find yourself thirsting for the next equation in this original page-turner." -- Book jacket.

Pragmatism with Purpose collects essays by the late Peter Hare, a leading proponent of the American philosophical tradition. The volume includes essays on “holistic pragmatism” that Hare developed in conversation with Morton White, as well as historical articles on William James and C. S. Peirce and commentaries on the profession.

"A model of scientific writing: erudite, witty, and clear." —New York Review of Books In this Pulitzer Prize finalist and national bestseller, one of the world's leading cognitive scientists tackles the workings of the human mind. What makes us rational—and why are we so often irrational? How do we see in three dimensions? What makes us happy, afraid, angry, disgusted, or sexually aroused? Why do we fall in love? And how do we grapple with the imponderables of morality, religion, and consciousness? How the Mind Works synthesizes the most satisfying explanations of our mental life from cognitive science, evolutionary biology, and other fields to explain what the mind is, how it evolved, and how it allows us to see, think, feel, laugh, interact, enjoy the arts, and contemplate the mysteries of life. This edition of Pinker's bold and buoyant classic is updated with a new foreword by the author.

A veteran pastor with thirty years of experience guides readers through a ten-step process to preaching Old Testament narratives from text selection to delivery. The first edition received a Christianity Today award of merit and a Preaching magazine Book of the Year award. This edition, now updated and revised throughout for a new generation, includes a new chapter on how to preach Christ from the Old Testament and an exemplary sample sermon from Mathewson. Foreword by Haddon W. Robinson.

"There's no such thing as rural America. Or, rather, as Steven Conn argues, "rural America" is a phrase that has been made to mean so many things that it doesn't mean anything. In fact, he maintains, rural America--so often characterized as in crisis or in danger of being left behind--has been shaped by the same major forces as the rest of the country since at least the end of the Civil War: militarization, industrialization, corporatization, and suburbanization. Conn calls for us to dispense with the fantasies and visions that are often imposed on rural America, in the hopes of more productively addressing the real challenges facing all of America"--

A sensitive and realistic look at the spiritual life and practices of the Amish This second book by the authors of the award-winning Amish Grace sheds further light on the Amish, this time on their faith, spirituality, and spiritual practices. They interpret the distinctive practices of the Amish way of life and spirituality in their cultural context and explore their applicability for the wider world. Using a holistic perspective, the book tells the story of Amish religious experience in the words of the Amish themselves. Due to their long-standing friendships and relationships with Amish people, this author team may be the only set of interpreters able to provide an outsider-insider perspective. Provides a behind-the-scenes examination of Amish spiritual life Shows how the Amish practices can be applied to the wider world Written by authors with unprecedented access to the Amish community Written in a lively and engaging style, The Amish Way holds appeal for anyone who has wanted to know more about the inner workings of the Amish way of life.

Former students often thank their music teachers for what they were taught about music and about life. Play it from the Heart uses stories and concepts from music education as models for success. Making music together requires exceptional cooperation, and ensembles are the ultimate cooperative organizations. J. Steven Moore relates what he and his students have learned about excellence, leadership, responsibility, cooperation, and passion from being in the band. Calling on personal experience, student feedback, and resources ranging from Tim Lautzenheiser to Mahatma Gandhi, Moore shares the lessons of playing from the heart.