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by Herbert Marcuse

One-Dimensional Man by Herbert Marcuse is a seminal work that delves into the intricacies of advanced industrial society and the subtle ways in which ideology influences and shapes our everyday lives. By exploring the concept of one-dimensionality, Marcuse dissects the impact of technological advancements, consumer culture, and social control mechanisms on individual freedom and critical thinking.

Through insightful analysis and thought-provoking arguments, Marcuse challenges readers to question the status quo and break free from the confines of a society that promotes homogeneity and conformity. One-Dimensional Man serves as a critical examination of contemporary society while providing a roadmap for envisioning a more liberated and authentic existence. This book continues to resonate with readers seeking to navigate the complexities of modern life and understand the forces that shape our collective consciousness.

Beacon Press. Boston. 1964. 274p.

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BY SISSELA BOK

In "Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life," author Sissela Bok delves into the complex ethical considerations surrounding deception. Exploring the impact of lies on both personal relationships and societal dynamics, Bok challenges readers to confront the nuances of truth-telling in various contexts. Drawing upon philosophical insights and real-world examples, the book invites readers to reflect on the moral implications of deceit and the role of honesty in fostering trust and integrity. A thought-provoking exploration of a ubiquitous yet often overlooked aspect of human behavior, "Lying" offers a compelling case for the importance of ethical decision-making in our daily lives.

VINTAGE BOOKS. A Division of Random House. New York. 1974. 381p.

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BY MAX HORKHEIMER AND THEODOR W. ADORNO

Dialectic of Enlightenment is, quite justifiably, one of the most celebrated and often cited works of modern social philosophy. It has been identified as the keystone of the 'Frankfurt School', of which Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer were the leading members, and does not cease to impress in its wide-ranging ambition and panache. Adorno and Horkheimer addressees themselves to a question which went to the very heart of the modern age, namely 'why mankind, instead of entering into a truly human condition, is sinking into a new kind of barbarism'. Modernity, far from redeeming the promises and hopes of the Enlightenment, had resulted in a stultification of mankind and an administered society, characterised by simulation and candy-floss entertainment. To seek an answer to the question of how such a condition could arise, Adorno and Horkheier subjected the whole history of Western catagories of reason and nature, from Homer to Nietzsche, to a searching philosophical and psychological critique. Drawing on psychoanalytical insights, their own work on the 'culture industry', deep knowledge of the key Enlightenment and anti-Enlightenment thinkers, as well as fascinating considerations on the relationship between reason and myth - the rational and the irrational - the authors exposed the domination and violence towards both nature and humanity that underpin the Enlightenment project

Verso, 1997, 258 pages

By Ernest Becker

From the Preface: “The prospect of death. Dr, Johnson said, wonderfully concentrates the mind. The main thesis of this book is that it does much more than that: the idea of death, the fear of it, haunts the human animal like nothing else; it is a mainspring of human activity—activity de­signed largely to avoid the fatality of death, to overcome it by denying in some way that it is the final destiny for man. The noted anthro­pologist A. M. Hocart once argued that primitives were not bothered by the fear of death; that a sagacious sampling of anthropological evidence would show that death was, more often than not, ac­companied by rejoicing and festivities; that death seemed to be an occasion for celebration rather than fear—much like the traditional Irish wake. Hocart wanted to dispel the notion that (compared to modem man) primitives were childish and frightened by reality; anthropologists have now largely accomplished this rehabilitation of the primitive. But this argument leaves untouched the fact that the fear of death is indeed a universal in the human condition. To be sure, primitives often celebrate death—as Hocart and others have shown—because they believe that death is the ultimate promotion, the final ritual elevation to a Higher form of life, to the enjoyment of eternity in some form. Most modem Westerners have trouble believing this any more, which is what makes the fear of death so prominent a part of our psychological make-up.

In these pages I try to show that the fear of death is a universal that unites data from several disciplines of the human sciences, and makes wonderfully clear and intelligible human actions that we have buried under mountains of fact, and obscured with endless with endless back and forth arguments about “true” human motives.”

NY. The Free Press. 1973. 326p. CONTAINS MARK-UP

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By Emile Durkheim.

A Tour-de-Force of religious life, thoughtful and incisive, by the father of modern sociology. A must read for all students of sociology, not to mention theology, though many of his insights are a relevant today as they were in the early 20th century. The inventor of the phrase “the sacred and the profane” (1915) 563 pages.

George Allen & Unwin Ltd. 1915, 533 pages