One of America's foremost philosophers reflects on the discipline and its relation to everyday life.

Thoreau wrote that we have professors of philosophy but no philosophers. Can't we have both? Why doesn't philosophy hold a more central place in our lives? Why should it? Eloquently opposing the analytic thrust of philosophy in academia, noted pluralist philosopher Bruce Wilshire answers these questions and more in an effort to make philosophy more meaningful to our everyday lives. Writing in an accessible style he resurrects classic yet neglected forms of inquiring and communicating. In a series of personal essays, Wilshire describes what is wrong with the current state of philosophy in American higher education, namely the cozy but ultimately suffocating confinements of professionalism. He reclaims the role of the philosopher as one who, like Socrates, would goad us out of self-contentedness into a more authentic way of being and knowing.

This volume aims to inspire a return to the energetics of Nietzsche's prose and the critical intensity of his approach to nihilism and to give back to the future its rightful futurity. For too long contemporary thought has been dominated by a depressed 'what is to be done?'. All is regarded to be in vain, nothing is deemed real, there is nothing new seen under the sun. Such a 'postmodern' lament is easily confounded with an apathetic reluctance to think engagedly. Hence our contributors draw on the variety of topical issues: the future of life, the nature of life-forms, the techno-sciences, the body, religion...as a way of tackling the question of nihilism's pertinence to us now.

Psychedelics are part of a resurgence of interest in consciousness studies, especially as altered states of consciousness are being re-examined in the context of psychedelic-assisted therapies. To date, discussions about psychedelics in modern medicine have been dominated by studies in biomedicine. However, given that cultural factors play a significant role in the subjective effects of psychedelics, psychedelics can be considered a uniquely powerful point of convergence between the cultural and biomedical. Writers and artists, alongside psychiatrists and pharmacologists, have participated in shaping ‘the psychedelic experience’ by drawing on a rich set of approaches that blend narrative, arts, and humanities concepts to explain and interpret psychedelic experiences and explore consciousness for creative purposes. Psychedelic studies, past and present, emphasize the importance of ‘set and setting’ or the context of psychedelic consumption and its paramount importance in shaping psychedelic experiences. These non-pharmacological factors rely on a different set of methods and interpretations that necessarily rely on studies conducted outside of the biomedical sciences.

Drug Abuse in the Modern World: A Perspective for the Eighties is a compilation of research papers presented at an international symposium, held at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. The focus of the conference is the assessment of the effects of addictive drugs on an individual, both in mind and body, and the repercussions of its widespread use on society, specifically during the decade of the 80’s. The book is composed of 49 chapters, which were divided into five parts. The first part presents the pharmacological properties of addictive drugs; its effect on brain functions; and changes in the user’s behavior leading to physical and psychic dependence, which when left unmitigated may cause neurological disorders. A paper on pharmacological cure, specifically for tobacco and alcohol abuse, is presented, as well as the effects of marijuana on the reproductive system. The second part examines drug use among children, family relationships, and drug abuse in adults engaged in various professions and undertakings. The third part exposes how a ""pro-drug"" media can be instrumental in the proliferation of drug use in society and also how religion may have also propagated drug use. In contrast, several articles are likewise written that extols the use of media in spreading the detrimental effects of drugs. Part 4 discusses the state of drug abuse in different cultures and societies; the drug trade; and various interventions being implemented by local governments and international organizations to curb the spread of this epidemic. Part 5 is devoted to the status of drug abuse in the 80’s, efforts made, and plans to fight it. The text is a must-read for physicians, pharmacists, educators, social workers, lawyers, law enforcers, sociologists, students, and people who want to get rid of this menace to the human race.

A multifaceted ecological and socio-cultural crisis confronts us, and the irresponsible and unsustainable operations and actions encouraging this predicament are bound up with contemporary societal, economic, organisational, and managerial practices. The recent and on-going global economic crisis with its failures of responsibility and pervasive (or existential) threat posed to natural ecologies are among many more manifestations of a profound disintegration, unwise forms of practices, and non-integral ways of living. The current crisis, scandals, and tensions between corporations and civil society, and numerous examples of unethical practices that are partly validated by common practice have helped to intensify demands to scrutinise corporate behaviour and practices. The increasingly instrumentalised contexts and impositions of neoliberal regimes with their systemic constraint call for a rethinking of phrónêtic capacities and dispositions for wise practices in prâxis and corresponding sustainable actions. This book explores how practical wisdom can be conceptualised and applied to practices that respond to the life-worldly realities of organisations. At the same time, it relates to prâxis, understood as situated conduct in an ethico-political configuration. It is this nexus that is mediating between individual and social actions (micro), organisations (meso), and economy/society (macro). This book invites dialogue for thought-provoking reflection on how wisdom can help organisations and leaders deal with our age’s most pressing challenges. It opens a path to considering how such an understanding can help us to more effectively and more critically understand and appropriately respond to complex, multifaceted, emerging phenomena. It will be of value to researchers, academics, and students interested in leadership, organisational studies, wisdom, and business ethics.

The New Nihilism is a group of 13 essays by anarchist author Peter Lamborn Wilson that discusses anarchy, medicine, crime, ecological sustainability, consciousness, modernity & Celtic revival.