In Praise of Failure

In Praise of Failure
Author: Costica Bradatan
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2023-01-03
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0674287363

Squarely challenging a culture obsessed with success, an acclaimed philosopher argues that failure is vital to a life well lived, curing us of arrogance and self-deception and engendering humility instead. Our obsession with success is hard to overlook. Everywhere we compete, rank, and measure. Yet this relentless drive to be the best blinds us to something vitally important: the need to be humble in the face of life’s challenges. Costica Bradatan mounts his case for failure through the stories of four historical figures who led lives of impact and meaning—and assiduously courted failure. Their struggles show that engaging with our limitations can be not just therapeutic but transformative. In Praise of Failure explores several arenas of failure, from the social and political to the spiritual and biological. It begins by examining the defiant choices of the French mystic Simone Weil, who, in sympathy with exploited workers, took up factory jobs that her frail body could not sustain. From there we turn to Mahatma Gandhi, whose punishing quest for purity drove him to ever more extreme acts of self-abnegation. Next we meet the self-styled loser E. M. Cioran, who deliberately turned his back on social acceptability, and Yukio Mishima, who reveled in a distinctly Japanese preoccupation with the noble failure, before looking to Seneca to tease out the ingredients of a good life. Gleefully breaching the boundaries between argument and storytelling, scholarship and spiritual quest, Bradatan concludes that while success can make us shallow, our failures can lead us to humbler, more attentive, and better lived lives. We can do without success, but we are much poorer without the gifts of failure.

You Have the Power: Creating the Life You Desire

You Have the Power: Creating the Life You Desire
Author: Pranay Mudigonda
Publisher: Pranay Mudigonda
Total Pages: 77
Release: 2023-08-30
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN:

Step into the transformative world of "You Have the Power: Creating the Life You Desire", a compelling guide that unlocks the profound potential that rests within every individual. This masterpiece provides a step-by-step journey to self-discovery, empowerment, and intentional living. Across 25 insightful chapters, readers are taken on an expedition to recognize and harness their inherent power. From the limitless possibilities of the mind to the tangible strategies like visualization, affirmations, and intuition, the book offers tools to overcome limitations and craft a life of purpose. Delve into chapters that address emotional intelligence, the significance of mindfulness, the wisdom concealed in failures, and the essence of connecting with like-minded spirits. The book also offers a deep dive into nurturing self-belief, embracing life's uncertainties, goal setting, achieving financial freedom, and much more. "You Have the Power: Creating the Life You Desire" is not just a book—it's a movement. It beckons readers to embark on a journey of growth, to unearth the magic that lies within, and to mold a life that resonates with their truest aspirations. Whether at the cusp of personal transformation or in search of renewed inspiration, this e-book stands as a lighthouse, guiding the way towards a life brimming with purpose, passion, and boundless possibilities.

Uh-Oh Plato!

Uh-Oh Plato!
Author: Charles Pépin
Publisher: Europe Comics
Total Pages: 95
Release: 2018-01-22T00:00:00+01:00
Genre: Humor
ISBN:

France—the early 21st century. A young student must complete a corporate job shadowing internship. Thanks to a cousin on his father's side, also of Greek descent, he gets a foot in the door at a famous consulting firm. He will soon discover the true face of office life. The intern's name: Kevin Plato. From Nietzsche the director of human resources, to Foucault the video-surveillance monitor, to Teresa of Ávila the executive secretary, and many, many more, Plato dives headfirst into the world of work... philosopher style.

Reasonable Faith

Reasonable Faith
Author: William Lane Craig
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2008
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433501155

This updated edition by one of the world's leading apologists presents a systematic, positive case for Christianity that reflects the latest work in the contemporary hard sciences and humanities. Brilliant and accessible.

Celebrating Failure

Celebrating Failure
Author: Ralph Heath
Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser
Total Pages: 154
Release: 2009-07-15
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1601638868

Celebrating Failure is the definitive how-to manual for leaders seeking to embrace the power of failure as a learning tool to improve their organizations and achieve ever-greater goals. The business world (and, lately, the political arena) is convinced that the number one topic is change. Heath posits that it might well be failure, because if you do it right, failure can become a launching pad for change.Heath contends that "positive failures" are not only necessary steps on the path to success, but encourage greater freedom to take risks in pursuit of one's life goals. This counter-intuitive but powerful title includes:•Engaging stories of real-life business and personal failure experiences.•Practical steps to apply each chapter's "lessons" and change your approach to risk-taking and failure.•Positive, effective ways to eliminate the "fear of failure" that can hold you back in today's competitive, fast-changing world.Heath's insightful stories lay out his own failures and reveal his human side as a son, father, athlete, and business leader.

On the Heights of Despair

On the Heights of Despair
Author: E. M. Cioran
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 154
Release: 1996-10
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 9780226106717

"Born of a terrible insomnia wchich E. M. Cioran called "a dizzying lucidity which would turn even paradise into hell," this book presents the youthful Cioran, a self-described "Nietzsche still complete with his Zarathustra, his poses, his mystical clown's tricks, a whole circus of the heights." On the Heights of Despair shows Cioran's first grappling with themes he would return to in his mature works: despair and decay, absurdity and alienation, futility and the irrationality of existence. It also presents Cioran as a connoisseur of apocalypse, a theoretician of despair, for whom writing and philosophy both share the "lyrical virtues" that alone lead to metaphysical revelations. An exorcism of despair, this book offers insights into the ironic anguish of Cioran's philosophic mind while providing fascinating information on his early development as a writer and thinker."

Very Good Lives

Very Good Lives
Author: J. K. Rowling
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 81
Release: 2015-04-14
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 0316369144

J.K. Rowling, one of the world's most inspiring writers, shares her wisdom and advice. In 2008, J.K. Rowling delivered a deeply affecting commencement speech at Harvard University. Now published for the first time in book form, VERY GOOD LIVES presents J.K. Rowling's words of wisdom for anyone at a turning point in life. How can we embrace failure? And how can we use our imagination to better both ourselves and others? Drawing from stories of her own post-graduate years, the world famous author addresses some of life's most important questions with acuity and emotional force.

How to be a Failure and Still Live Well

How to be a Failure and Still Live Well
Author: Beverley Clack
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2020-01-23
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1350030708

In consumer economies, success has increasingly been defined in terms of material attainment and the achievement of status. This model of 'the good life' and its formulas for success ignore the haunting possibility that one may not succeed and as a result be deemed 'a failure'. How to be a Failure and Still Live Well explores that often neglected theme of failure, not just as the opposite of achievement, but also, and more importantly, how it has been conflated with loss: that which haunts all transient, mortal human experience. Understanding loss as a form of failure affects our ability to cope with the everyday losses that permeate existence as a result of the natural processes of ageing, death, and decay. Engaging with loss and thinking about what it inevitability means for our lives and commitments, allows different values to emerge than those connected to success as attainment. Relationships, spontaneity, and generosity are explored as qualities that arise from taking seriously our vulnerability and that form the basis for richer accounts of what it might mean to 'live well'.

Bertrand Russell’s Life and Legacy

Bertrand Russell’s Life and Legacy
Author: Peter Stone
Publisher: Vernon Press
Total Pages: 213
Release: 2018-01-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1622733185

Almost five decades after his death, there is still ample reason to pay attention to the life and legacy of Bertrand Russell. This is true not only because of his role as one of the founders of analytic philosophy, but also because of his important place in twentieth-century history as an educator, public intellectual, critic of organized religion, humanist, and peace activist. The papers in this anthology explore Russell’s life and legacy from a wide variety of perspectives. This is altogether fitting, given the many-sided nature of Russell, his life, and his work. The first section of the book considers Russell the man, and draws lessons from Russell’s complicated personal life. The second examines Russell the philosopher, and the philosophical world within which his work was embedded. The third scrutinizes Russell the atheist and critic of organized religion, inquiring which parts of his critical stance are worth emulating today. The final section revisits Russell the political activist; it directs an eye both at Russell’s own long career of peace activism, but also at his place in a highly political family tradition of which he was justifiably proud. This book thus constitutes an invitation, if one were needed, to the world of Bertrand Russell. Those new to Russell, but with an interest in biography, philosophy, religion, or politics, will hopefully find something to learn here. This may spark an interest in learning more about Russell. But this book is not just intended for the Russell neophyte. The book sheds fresh light on a number of topics central to Russell studies—his connections to other philosophers, for example. Scholars well-versed in Russell studies will enjoy grappling with the treatment given to these topics here.