Bookpedia : Library WWWisdom : Author : R

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Summary: 1. Dall'unificazione alla crisi di fine secolo 1861-1900
2. Dall'età giolittiana al delitto Matteotti 1901-1925
3. Dalla dittatura fascista alla liberazione 1926-1945

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Summary: I progetti dei più importanti teorici dell'anarchismo, le vicende, le utopie, le intuizioni e gli errori del movimento anarchico, dalla Prima Internazionale alla rivoluzione spagnola. E gli sviluppi del secondo dopoguerra, dal Sessantotto ai movimenti no global.

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Summary: This book is a valuable guide to the Internet for writers, beginners or experienced or indeed other users. It gives a clear explanation of the different features of the Internet and assumes no previous knowledge. If you are a writer and do not use the Internet, then this book will open your eyes. If you do use it there will still be extra information. The book is a ready reference source of information and the careful layout with summaries and extensive index of web sites. This book is a rarity : an internet book written for UK and US markets, not assuming we all live in the USA. Clear and succinct. this paperback is worth the purchase price for any Internet user, but particularly fort its target audience of writers. It should be in any personal or school library.

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Summary: Ayn Rand's book is not about religious cultivism - usually the only argument that critics manage to articulate. It is about the missing ideological link between human rights (individual rights) and economics. This book should be regarded as food for thought - claiming that only a free economy can be part of a free society. This is true by definition but Rand is simply one of the few non-technical minds that put it to paper without equations. (That government intervention is restricting our wealth and personal freedom has been proven infinite times before.) Another striking feature is the non-scientific assumption about man's selfish altruism. It was only decades later that her non-scientific assumptions were actually confirmed by the major biologists of our time. It is true that many of her arguments skip scientific explanations - but she is never dangerously far off from our biological and economic understanding of humans. A must read for every open mind. A must read for those who believe in the possibility of doing good for themselves and others at the same time.
As a European - I know that 99% of all academics in Europe have never come even close to thinking about similiar ideas. That is restricitng their understanding of the US altogether...

Summary: This book was recommended to me by a friend who described it as a life-altering work and the best book he had ever read. I greeted this with the cynicism that such emotive comments often deserve. Nevertheless, I bought the book and have bought it for many more friends since. No book (or other art form, for that matter) has influenced me, encouraged me, excited me and criticised me as much as Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead".
I find it impossible to describe precisely what I took away from the book other than an overwhelming desire to meet the protagonist, Howard Roark. I compared myself (somewhat unfavourably) to his inspirational character; a man of complete integrity (in the sense of being whole and unimpaired) and, above all, a man who remains incorruptibly faithful to himself (odd though that sounds - read the book!). I fell short in almost every respect because he is, of course, a work of fiction living in a stylised world. However, I have since found that in some small measure we can attempt to lead our lives in a manner which more closely resembles Roark's philosophy (or, rather, his way of being). I agree with another reviewer that this is not The Answer, but I believe it is some small part, without which the remainder may be unobtainable.
This book will not be universally liked. It polarises opinion because its message is not to everyone's taste. Nor is it the most beautifully crafted prose (it was the author's second language, after all). And, Ayn Rand sometimes verges on being self-consciously clever. However, if the measure of a book is how often you refer back to it, how heavily you rely on its message and how vociferously you recommend it to others, it is clearly the best book I have ever read (and the only book I have felt obliged to review online).
Just my thoughts - I hope you enjoy it.

Summary: In these essays from the 1960s and early 1970s, Ayn Rand identifies the underlying nihilism of the Left and the student movement of the time. Already back then, she warned of the toxic influence of the left and pointed out that the intellectual battle does not consist of opposing, denouncing or evading, but of exposing and disproving evil ideas and proclaiming a consistent alternative to the left’s bankrupt philosophy.
In the essay Apollo and Dionysus, she compares the 1 million people that converged on Cape Kennedy on July 16, 1969 to witness the launch of Apollo 11 with the 300 000 that gathered at Woodstock on August 15 that year. Rand explores these events in the light of Nietzsche’s metaphysical principles of reason and emotion as observed in Greek theatre.
Whilst denying that reason and emotion are irreconcilable antagonists, she shows how the media virtually ignored the one event while blowing the significance of the other out of all proportion. On the one hand, decent people were sharing an event of great achievement and on the other, self-indulgent hedonists behaving like pigs. As she explains so eloquently, it is irrational emotions that drag people down into the mud, and it is reason that lifts us up to the stars.
In the essay The Left: Old And New, Rand predicted that the issue of the environment would be the next big crusade of the Leftists, after Vietnam. In this, as on so many other issues, she was correct and we still have the EnviroNuts with us and they are shriller than ever before with their self-serving tooth fairy tales of global warming.
The short essay “Political Crimes” looks at the dangerous notion that there could be a distinction between political and non-political criminals. Crime is a violation of the rights of others by force of fraud, thus there is no such thing as a political crime. The essay The Chicken’s Homecoming discusses the results of promulgating doctrines like Pragmatism, Logical Positivism and Linguistic Analysis, and how these doctrines disarmed the best and unleashed the nihilists. In this regard, see The Anti-Chomsky Reader, edited by David Horowitz and Peter Collier.
The Age Of Envy is one of the very best in this collection. In it, Rand claims that the Age of Reason and the Age of Enlightenment had been followed by ours, the Age of Envy. She takes envy to mean: The hatred of the good for being the good. Here too, she nails down the left, old and new, with keen insight and prescience. She demonstrates how the appeasement of evil has been an undertow of mankind’s cultural stream down the ages.
The Comprachicos is the disturbing essay that concludes the collection. It warns against the hijacking of the minds of children and students by the leftist, collectivist educational establishment. This even more true now than it was then: the modern seats of leftism are the universities and the Old Media which Rand exposes throughout the book.
To show how right Ayn Rand has been, I highly recommend the following books: The New Thought Police and The Death Of Right And Wrong by Tammy Bruce, Intellectual Impostures by Alan Sokal and Jean Bricmont, Unholy Alliance by David Horowitz, treason by Ann Coulter and Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild by Michelle Malkin.

Summary: This book focuses on the ethics of the philosophy of objectivism. Rather than being a book with chapters, it is a selection of articles which cover various questions, such as what selfishness is, the ethics of charity and voluntary help, the false dichotomy of altruism and selfishness, and what the theory of Objectivism actually is.
This is a good place to start to learn about the philosophy of objectivism as it concentrates on the philosophy itself rather than applying it to real-world examples. For those who wish to know more about objectivism applied, the books "Capitalism, the Unknown Ideal", "The Anti-Industrial Revolution", and "Why Businessmen Need Philosophy" would be more relevant.
Whether one disagrees with the philosophy or not, the articles in this book are clearly written, simple to understand, and passionately argued. Some parts are flippant, particularly with reference to the dismissal of the ideas of other philosophers, and Rand does not truly manage to justify why objectivism is actually objective [see Nozick's book Socratic Puzzles). Nevertheless, this book is worth reading if you are interested in this area of politics and philosophy.

Summary: I picked up a musty old copy from the 1959 recently..being in a glow about Atlas. This book moved me beyond belief with the struggles and harsh realities presented. I probably am one of the few Rand readers that like her clumsy style but in this story, her words flowed well and the American reader did not get all mixed up with long names and places that we could not reference. To quote Ayn: "..is not a novel about Soviet Russia. It is a novel about Man against the State. Its basic theme is the sanctity of human life..." To those who associate Ayn with the defenders of big companies and nazism...remember her semi autobiographical outlet in Kira. People that were Ayn's protagonists were those with life premises, to live and exist for themselves. Be it Dagny or Andrei, Ayn Rand's message was true and bittersweet.

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Summary: Experiencing Architecture was a basic text in my first year of design school; the principles that I learned from it have followed me ever since.
Rasmussen takes the visual world apart and taught me to see things in their simplest forms. His commentaries on form, texture, and massing heightened my appreciation for all forms of design; his discussion of color--for one who is colorblind--provided a life-long guidedog.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wanted to pioneer the Lego curriculum at university--

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Summary: Since it appeared in 1971, John Rawls's "A Theory of Justice" has become a classic. The author has now revised the original edition to clear up a number of difficulties he and others have found in the original book. Rawls aims to express an essential part of the common core of the democratic tradition--justice as fairness--and to provide an alternative to utilitarianism, which had dominated the Anglo-Saxon tradition of political thought since the 19th century. Rawls substitutes the ideal of the social contract as a more satisfactory account of the basic rights and liberties of citizens as free and equal persons. "Each person", writes Rawls, "possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a whole cannot override." Advancing the ideas of Rousseau, Kant, Emerson and Lincoln, Rawls's theory is as powerful today as it was when first published. --"Christine Buttery"

Summary: Economics is broken. It has failed to predict, let alone prevent, financial crises that have shaken the foundations of our societies. Its outdated theories have permitted a world in which extreme poverty persists while the wealth of the super-rich grows year on year. And its blind spots have led to policies that are degrading the living world on a scale that threatens all of our futures. Can it be fixed? In Doughnut Economics, Oxford academic Kate Raworth identifies seven critical ways in which mainstream economics has led us astray, and sets out a roadmap for bringing humanity into a sweet spot that meets the needs of all within the means of the planet. En route, she reconstructs the character of 'rational economic man' and explains what really makes us tick. She reveals how an obsession with equilibrium has left economists helpless when facing the boom and bust of the real-world economy. She highlights the dangers of ignoring the role of energy and nature's resources -- and the far-reaching implications for economic growth when we take them into account. And in the process, she creates a new, cutting-edge economic model that is fit for the 21st century -- one in which a doughnut-shaped compass points the way to human progress. Ambitious, radical and rigorously argued, Doughnut Economics promises to reframe and redraw the future of economics for a new generation.

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Summary: It may be foolish to consider Eric Raymond's recent collection of essays,"The Cathedral and the Bazaar", the most important computer programming thinking to follow the Internet revolution. And yet it would be more unfortunate to overlook the implications and long-term benefits of Raymond's fastidious description of Open Source software development considering the growing dependence businesses and economies have on emerging computer technologies.
"The Cathedral and the Bazaar" takes its title from an essay of the same name which Raymond read at the 1997 Linux Congress and that was previously available only online. The essay documents Raymond's acquisition, re-creation and numerous revisions of an email utility known as "fetchmail". Raymond engagingly narrates the "fetchmail" development process while at the same time elaborating upon the on- going bazaar development method he employs with the assistance of numerous volunteer programmers who participate in the writing and debugging of the code. The essay smartly spares the reader from the technical morass that could easily detract from the text's goal of demonstrating the efficacy of the Open Source, or bazaar, method in creating robust, usable software.
Once Raymond has established the components and players necessary for an optimally running Open Source model, he sets out to counter the conventional wisdom of private, closed source software development. Like superbly written code, the author's arguments systematically anticipate their rebuttals. For those programmers who "worry that the transition to open source will abolish or devalue their jobs", Raymond adeptly and factually counters that "most developer's salaries don't depend on software sale value." Raymond's uncanny ability to convince is as unrestrained as his capacity for extrapolating upon the promise of Open Source development.
In addition to outlining the Open Source methodology and its benefits, Raymond also sets out to salvage the "hacker" moniker from the nefarious connotations typically associated with it in his essay "A Brief History of Hackerdom" (not surprisingly he is also the compiler of "The New Hacker's Dictionary"). Recasting "hackerdom" in a more positive light may be a heroic undertaking in itself, but considering the Herculean efforts and perfectionist motivations of Raymond and his fellow Open Source developers, that light is going to shine bright. - -"Ryan Kuykendall, amazon.com"

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Summary: Herbert Read was a maverick character in the cultural life of the twentieth century. A radical leader of the avant garde in the 1930s, and an anarchist revolutionary during the war years, by the time of his death in 1968 he had become a key figure at the heart of the British cultural establishment. To Hell with Culture offers readers an ideal overview of the ideas that marked out this seminal and hugely influential thinker. It is a controversial work that engages the reader in a wide range of topics, from revolutionary art to pornography.
Adept at challenging assumptions and penetrating to the heart of any issue, Read's deft prose encourages the reader to think critically, to question and to subvert the voice of authority, of whatever political or cultural creed. Only through such a critical evaluation of culture, Read believes, can one appreciate the art that arises from the 'unpolitical manifestation of the human spirit'. At a time when authority and value are questionable terms, and when culture itself is a contested concept, Read's is both a challenging and an enlightening voice.

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Summary: "Una spolverata di cinismo, un pizzico abbondante di perfidia, una macinata di comicità sfumata al nero". È quanto scrive Santo Piazzese pensando a Recami, e descrive idealmente la commedia umana tratteggiata dallo scrittore fiorentino in questa raccolta di racconti, vero e proprio catalogo di caratteri esemplari, specchio deformante e disvelatore dell'indole nazionale. Attraverso narrazioni che si rifanno alla commedia all'italiana, alla novella esistenzialista, al racconto iperreale, Recami sviluppa una satira comica e feroce dei vezzi e dei vizi, dello snobismo e del pressappochismo di quell'affollato condominio a forma di stivale in cui farsa e tragedia si alternano senza interruzione. E su tutto domina un sentimento universale, che accomuna i personaggi di ogni ordine e grado: l'ansia, la preoccupazione, la nevrosi pungente, l'agitazione tremebonda, l'insicurezza mascherata da precisione maniacale, la persuasione delirante di essere nel giusto, insomma quell'atmosfera emotiva in cui ognuno di noi è quotidianamente immerso.

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Summary: The stories behind the twentieth century's quotable sayings

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Summary: On the Psychoanalysis of Romantic and Sexual Emotions

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Summary: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings

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Summary: A systems-theoretic approach to a coherentist theory of knowledge

Summary: An Essay on the Justification of Inductive Reasoning

Summary: A Systems-theoretic Approach to the Theory of Knowledge

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Summary: Finding connection in a computerized world

Summary: Exploring the Brave New Technologies of Artificial Experience and Interactive Worlds - From Cyberspace to Teledildonics

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Summary: Trucchi e segreti per preparare buoni cocktail a casa: questo libro è dedicato agli appassionati, a chi da tempo coltiva personalmente l'arte della miscelazione, ma anche a chi non ha mai preso in mano uno shaker. Il primo capitolo introduce le grandi famiglie dei cocktail, affronta il problema delle attrezzature necessarie e descrive le tecniche di preparazione, mettendo in guardia il lettore dagli errori più comuni. Perché preparare un buon cocktail non è difficile (anzi!), ma sbagliarlo è facilissimo. Segue una parte dedicata ai principali prodotti da tenere in casa, dai distillati ai liquori, fino ai vini aromatizzati e agli ingredienti di contorno. Dopo il capitolo legato alle rotte del bere miscelato, che ripercorre a grandi passi la storia delle miscelazione fino alla tendenze odierne, è il momento di prendere in mano strumenti e bicchieri. 30 i cocktail trattati, illustrati da Luca Tagliafico: per ognuno è raccontata la genesi, la ricetta classica e quella reinterpretata in chiave moderna dai principali professionisti italiani del bancone, i trucchi per prepararlo a casa e i momenti migliori per berlo. La guida ai produttori italiani e un agile e prezioso glossario completano il volume. Prefazione di Paolo Massobrio.

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Summary: A plea for lifelong learning

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Summary: This is, in my opinion, the best introduction to what was arguably the 20th Century's most fascinating artistic movement. Why is it the best introduction? For one, it is purely on the subject of Dadaism, which is so often coupled with the much more general subject of Surrealism. Secondly, Hans Richter was genuinely involved in the movement, and is therefore suitably enthusiastic, and well versed on its every detail. Add to this the very affordable price and the comprehensive selection of illustrations and facsimiles, and 'Dada: Art and Anti-Art' becomes an invaluable document for anyone vaguely interested in the movement. The book was written in the early 60's, and it remains the definitive introduction to the world of Dada.

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Summary: London Transport Posters 1908 to the Present

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Summary: "Nature Via Nurture" follows on from Matt Ridley's bestselling "Genome". He takes on a centuries-old question: is it nature or nurture that makes us who we are? Ridley asserts that the question itself is a "false dichotomy". Using copious examples of human and animal behaviour, he presents the notion that our environment affects the way our genes express themselves.
Ridley writes that the switches controlling our 30,000 or so genes not only form the structures of our brains but do so in such a way as to cue off the outside environment in a tidy feedback loop of body and behaviour. In fact, it seems clear that we have genetic "thermostats" that are turned up and down by environmental factors. He challenges both scientific and folk concepts, from assumptions of what's malleable in a person to sociobiological theories based solely on the "selfish gene".
Ridley's proof is in the pudding for such touchy subjects as monogamy, aggression, and parenting, which we now understand have some genetic controls. Nevertheless, "the more we understand both our genes and our instincts, the less inevitable they seem". A consummate populariser of science, Ridley once again provides a perfect mix of history, genetics, and sociology for readers hungry to understand the implications of the human genome sequence. "--Therese Littleton, Amazon.com"