The Ruling Elite of Cambridgeshire, England, C. 1520-1603 (Studies in British History, 74)

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This digital document is an article from Albion, published by North American Conference on British Studies on September 22, 2004. The length of the article is 719 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Ruling Elite of Cambridgeshire, England, c. 1520-1603.(Book Review)
Author: Michael Zell
Publication: Albion (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2004
Publisher: North American Conference on British Studies
Volume: 36 Issue: 3 Page: 509(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Thank you Dr. Fitzgerald

Incredible Resource

A Life Transforming Work of Brilliance

A Very Useful Book!

Turn the page to better health

The Detox Solution: The Missing Link to Radiant Health, Abundant Energy, Ideal Weight, and Peace of Mind
Patricia Fitzgerald
Manufacturer: Illumination Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0970829906

Book Description

The number and amount of toxins in the environment is at an all-time high, and the American Cancer Institute links three-quarters of all cancer cases to environmental factors. This book offers consumers a way to effectively fight the ill effects of these toxins and live a healthier life. In addition to listing the toxins that are found in such everyday sources as food, cosmetics, and cleaning products, this guide offers nontoxic alternatives. Toxic influences on the mind and spirit are also explored and suggestions for achieving emotional balance round out this whole-health plan. Knowing the risks and rewards of a less toxic lifestyle empowers consumers to make the choices that result in not only better physical health, but in improved emotional health as well.

Life- and health-enhancing topics include:

• Why the need to detox is greater than ever in the 21st century
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• Where to find organic food that is inexpensive and convenient
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Customer Reviews:

Thank you Dr. Fitzgerald.......2007-09-26

This book is a must read for all who are interested in the integration of body/mind/spirit. Dr. Fitzgerald leads the reader through a comprehensive and in depth journey of health and healing that encompasses all three elements into an easy to follow and understand program of fundamental wellness.

This book answered many questions for me and helped me to understand that I can achieve optimum health with ease, grace and a gentle progression of healthy lifestyle and dietary changes that I can live with and incorporate into my life.

I now understand the importance of keeping my body tuned and free of toxins, and how to do that. It empowered me take dominion over the harmonious interaction of my body/mind/spirit for a greater sense of wellbeing and joy.

Incredible Resource.......2007-09-21

Thanks to Dr. Patricia Fitzgerald for writing her book The Detox Solution. It's full of the answers to the questions I've had about changing my lifestyle for optimum health. I'm so glad this book has found it's way into my life. It's an amazing resource. I've already begun to use some of the suggestions on a daily basis and am already noticing a difference.

A Life Transforming Work of Brilliance.......2007-08-17

Dr. Fitzgerald has provided an amazing book which has allowed me to understand how I can better participate in improving my mind, body, and spirit. What I like a lot about this book is that the author has taken a potentially complex topic like detoxification and made it easy to understand. This is a book that I will refer to time and time again. You can decide to make a few changes or undergo a profound transformation; the possibilities are endless. Unlike some books which make lofty promises and promote the myth that a significant detox program can be done in a week or a few days, The Detox Solution is realistic and helps you to understand that detoxification is about lifestyle choices that can be improved, gently and one at a time. A major part of this book that also helped me is the area that deals with emotional/spiritual stress and how to have a better attitude towards myself and others. As I keep applying the suggestions in this book, I notice my health and well being is improving significantly.

A Very Useful Book!.......2007-06-21

This book is very comprehensive and readable. It also just makes a lot of sense. I was originally interested in the book for it's detox info - which I find very valuable- but I'm really liking its information on general health issues. I definitely recommend it.

Turn the page to better health.......2007-04-07

The Detox Solution is essential reading for all who value their health. Dr. Fitzgerald has written a work that is part of the canon of nutritional information. I would rank it along side Balch and Balch's "Nutritional Healing" as a book that can be referred to over and over for answers to the healthful enrichment of life through detoxing. In that we are what we eat, the Detox Solution shows us that we are even better from what we eliminate. Fitzgerald spells out A to Z do's and don'ts and head to toe explanations of the body's systems for optimal health. The key is what she tells to use to help the body is as important as what we must avoid that will hinder it. This is not a populist fad but a proven medical way to health and well being.

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A must own for all that take Aikido and are interested in the philosophy behind it.
"In true budo there are no enemies."---Morihei Ueshiba
This book is the definitive biography of Morihei Ueshiba.
An Excellent Overview of the Origins of Aikido
Absolutely Fabulous!

Abundant Peace
John Stevens
Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0877733503
Release Date: 1987-05-12

Book Description

Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), the founder of Aikido—whose name means "abundant peace"—was "undoubtedly the greatest martial artist who ever lived," according to his biographer, John Stevens. "Even if we accept every exploit of all the legendary warriors, East and West, as being literally true, none of those accomplishments can be compared to Morihei's documented ability to disarm any attacker, throw a dozen men simultaneously, and down and pin opponents without touching them, recorded scores of times in photographs, on film, and by personal testimony." How did the diminutive master—barely five feet tall—attain this uncanny power? In Abundant Peace, John Stevens tells the real story behind Morihei's achievement, illuminating the man and his message in a way that will delight and stimulate the reader. Focusing on the how and why of Morihei's career, Stevens describes the people, events, and ideas that influenced his lifelong spiritual quest, which culminated in the unique teachings of Aikido. Illustrated with photographs of Morihei in action and filled with revealing anecdotes about his life and times, the book also offers a valuable discussion of the Founder's conception of Aikido as a path of harmony and love, unifying mind and body, self and others, man and the universe.

Customer Reviews:

A must own for all that take Aikido and are interested in the philosophy behind it........2007-04-14

A must own for all that take Aikido and are interested in the philosophy behind it. I use the principles of Aikido almost every day in my life and John Stevens did a great job of getting to the essence of Aikido's philosophy and the spiritual views of the founder. Thanks John Stevens for writing this book!

"In true budo there are no enemies."---Morihei Ueshiba.......2006-11-26

ABUNDANT PEACE is akidoka John Stevens' rather quirky (coffee table paperback) biography of the rather quirky Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), the founder of Aikido, usually referred to by Aikidokai (but interestingly, never by Stevens himself in this book) as O'Sensei, the Great Teacher.

Stevens unhesitatingly says that Ueshiba was "undoubtedly the greatest martial artist who ever lived" and this claim may well be true. The diminutive (5'0'') Ueshiba was able to pin sumo wrestlers with one finger, evade multiple attackers with such grace that he literally became invisible to them, and could defeat an opponent simply by uttering a "peculiar kiai."

Ueshiba ultimately became a universalist, but very little in the first half of his life indicated that he would do so. Ueshiba was idiosyncratic at best (he was given to pounding his head against rocks hundreds of times a day in order to thicken his skull and enjoyed uprooting small trees barehanded in contests of strength), temperamental, moody, and given to egoistic adventurism (he founded an agricultural colony on barren Hokkaido, later leaving it suddenly and without explanation, and was intimately involved in the Great Mongolian Adventure, a Japanese expansionist incursion into China for which he was nearly hanged by that country's leaders).

The one constant in Ueshiba's life was martial arts, and even here his choices seemed strange. As a young man he came under the tutelage of Sokaku Takeda, a hard-drinking, violent and mendacious street fighter who was also the last Samurai-trained warrior in Japan. Although Ueshiba later broke with Sokaku, early Aikido clearly owes much to the man.

Following his break with Sokaku, Ueshiba became a close disciple of Onisaburo, the founder of Omoto-Kyo, a messianic Shinto sect. The odd Onisaburo was part charlatan, part clairvoyant, part spiritualist, and part Liberace (at least in his theatricality). In the 1920s, Japan was undergoing a spiritual crisis as those who followed the old ways finally died out and modernity and militarism became key. Dime store messiahs seemed to be on every streetcorner, but Onisaburo maintained his credibility. The Omoto-Kyo sect became so popular that it was violently suppressed by the government around 1932. A few selected personages (Ueshiba among them) were spared. In Ueshiba's case, his martial arts prowess was such that he was appointed to teach the Japanese military. It may seem ironic that Ueshiba (whose name means "Abundant Peace") was teaching Aikido ("The Way of Peace") to what was unquestionably one of the most bellicose organizations ever formed, but it was not the first, nor would it be the last, time that irony ruled Ueshiba's life.

In 1942, Ueshiba underwent the second of his three great enlightenments in which he perceived the oneness of all life, soon thereafter resigning his offices and becoming a committed pacifist. Stevens rather cynically points out that his second enlightenment occurred not long after Pearl Harbor, when Ueshiba's retreat from public life would mean that he had little chance of being marked as a war criminal after the Pacific War, a war he knew Japan could not win. Be that as it may, Ueshiba is proof positive that human beings can grow and change throughout their lives. There is no greater difference ever seen than between the dour middle-aged Ueshiba, looking like a Mexican bandit while being photographed in leg irons as a Chinese prisoner during the Great Mongolian Adventure, and the aged will o' the wisp bearded sage who created a kakemono which reads, "The lovely form of heaven and earth lovingly created by the Great God, Father of Humankind."

Stevens rather bizarrely divided ABUNDANT PEACE into three sections. "The Man" is a straightforward, honest, but rather colorless recitation of the facts of Ueshiba's outer life. "The Martial Artist" addresses Ueshiba's development of Aikido over his lifetime from a form of attack and defense into a philosophy of love. "The Message" is a discussion of Ueshiba's inner life, the spiritual underpinnings of Aikido, the importance of ki (life energy) in the practice, and (though Ueshiba was Shinto not Buddhist) Aikido's relationship especially to Zen (Stevens himself is a Professor of Buddhist studies, which explains this otherwise inexplicable focus on a faith not Ueshiba's own). Despite Ueshiba's Omoto-Kyo Shinto practice, so much of his writing is identical to Zen philosophy that the cross-pollination of Japanese culture is completely evident throughout.

The problem with this three-way division of ABUNDANT PEACE is that each section presents us a dynamically different Ueshiba, dividing him into three parts. Unlike Caesar's Gaul, it would have been better if Stevens had given us a unified portrait of this incredibly complex, self-contradictory, earthy and spiritual man, and brought him alive. As it is, ABUNDANT PEACE is a fine if brief introduction to the world of Aikido and it's amazing founder.

This book is the definitive biography of Morihei Ueshiba........2005-12-26

There is not a more complete work on this subject to be found in the English language. O'Sensei was both enigmatic and cryptic, and this book clears up much of the cloudiness. From rare photos to rare personal insights, it is a must-have in any Aikido collection.

An Excellent Overview of the Origins of Aikido.......2000-12-30

Stevens' biography of Morihei Ueshiba goes a long way towards providing the interested student with great information about the origins and philosophies behind Aikido. His examination of the Omoto-kyo religion and Ueshiba's esoteric Shinto beliefs provides a great background on the philisophy of Aikido, while the information on Morihei Ueshiba's teachers and personal investigations into the martial arts shows both the origonality and relation to other arts of Aikido. The book moves reletively quickly over Ueshiba's life, and at times it feels as if a lot of time is being rather quickly skipped over. It would be interesting to know what other information there is to fill in these gaps. The author also makes obvious his own personal admiration for Ueshiba; the many stories of O-Sensei's unbelievable feats are presented uncritically, and with no more concrete attribution than any of the other apocryphal reports of Ueshiba's power. Abundant Peace is perhaps most valuable as a source of information on the martial and philisophical origins of Aikido, particularly for its focus on the origins of the Omoto-kyo movement, Ueshiba's own beliefs in kotodama, and the innovation involved in the techniques of Aikido. As a biography of Morihei Ueshiba it is at times too brief and too uncritical, but serves as an excellent starting point for learning about the life of the founder of Aikido.

Absolutely Fabulous!.......1998-12-02

A wonderful book for Aikido students of all levels

The Abundant Life - Boost Your Earning Power and Make Peace With Money (6 Compact Discs)

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The Abundant Life - Boost Your Earning Power and Make Peace With Money (6 Compact Discs)
Jerrold Mundis
Manufacturer: Nightingale-Conant Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000M8I7SM

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Discover the surprising secrets to creating the prosperous life you deserve! Are you always running out of money or worried that you will? Does your salary never seem to stretch far enough? Are you living beyond your means and unable to see a way out? Is your financial situation one of the major sources of stress and anxiety in your life? You can change all of that, now and forever. The Abundant Life will show you how. The Abundant Life offers a clear, simple, step-by-step system that will help you permanently free yourself from what author Jerrold Mundis calls "underearning." This highly effective program is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Nor does it advocate pinching pennies, working overtime, or taking a job you hate. Instead, The Abundant Life will show you how to change your relationship with money at the deepest levels. When you do that, you will pave the way for lasting change and create a path on which money can easily flow into your life. As you progress through The Abundant Life, you may be shocked to find out all the ways you've been saying "no" to money through the years - and the unsuspected ways you can bring much more money into your life, without expending a lot more effort.

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The abundant peace,
Robert C Garretson
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ProductGroup: Book
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Tap The Panther Energy...Swift Protection and Abundant Hunt Energy...A DreamSpeak (DST) MasterPEACE (The DreamSpeak Technology (DST) series, volume 8)

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Tap The Panther Energy...Swift Protection and Abundant Hunt Energy...A DreamSpeak (DST) MasterPEACE (The DreamSpeak Technology (DST) series, volume 8)

Manufacturer: Powerlearning Seminars International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
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Imagine the Panther...Sleek, powerful and deep purple...so deep purple that it appears black. The panther needs our help now and in return it will help us, and HOW!...shape shift, with permission from the panther, and learn...in return she will grant you energies you only dreamed about... energies that are simply pure instinct...pure LOVE. We need to stop killing the panther...we need to stop the hunters' bullets, the trappers' traps that wound and kill this majestic yet humble big cat that is wiser than a tiger, lightspeed to a lion...so sleek, so wise...soul wise. Will the panther grant you permission?...if your mission comes from love...if your agenda is otherwise she asks you to move on...move on. She will teach you infinite stillness...a lightspeed swipe of her claw...she will teach you Universal law... Recorded in DreamSpeak you will have the deep wise part of you hear and experience and absorb her learning...in return you will be granted the deep panther passion answer energies. She teaches you...she reaches you...swiftly and free of worry and regret. Your panther friend lives in the power of now energies. NOW...NOW...it is time. Mother earth needs these eternal, expanding energies...In 45 infinite shape shifting minutes, the panther lends you the answer...until it becomes yours. Until it becomes ours...ALL of OURS...for a world that is being born NOW!!!

Confessions of a Kept Woman A Faith Journey to Peace, Purpose, and Abundant Living

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Confessions of a Kept Woman A Faith Journey to Peace, Purpose, and Abundant Living
Barbara Harris Curtis
Manufacturer: Back2Back Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0974569704

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Barbara Harris Curtis' new book CONFESSIONS OF A KEPT WOMAN is getting rave reviews from women and men across the country! This faith-building book is packed with words of wisdom and proven keys to unlock and maximize your potential. You will develop a more confident sense of self and healthier relationships with others by learning to use your thoughts and words to create the victorious life that God intended. In a very down-to earth and practical style, Barbara empowers you to step into a new season of peace , purpose and abundance .

What is the price for peace? (The Abundant Life)

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What is the price for peace? (The Abundant Life)
Bernhard Wiebe
Manufacturer: Mennonite Radio Mission
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Binding: Unknown Binding

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Viva o Professor Xavier!.......1999-05-29

Since the marginal films of " Boca do Lixo" until "Macunaíma", this book shows the post-Cinema Novo.

Viva o Professor Xavier!.......1999-05-29

Since the marginal films of " Boca do Lixo" until "Macunaíma", this book shows the pos-Cinema Novo. Enjoy, 'cause here in Brazil we don't have hardcover of this book!

Customer Reviews:

This is Hell?.......2002-03-20

I would have thought Hell would be a hell of a lot worse than this farce. Very poorly organized, this module odes not give me any feeling of Hell whatsoever. Where are the souls suffering for their moral turpetude? Instead, Hell is just a realm of badass demons and devils. As usual, there is little to no roleplaying. Players will be confused and bored at times. Steer clear.

High level adventures are a rare thing.......2001-09-20

We had a bit of fun with this. However it wasn't our style.
This is one of those adventures that is like a story that is already written. The path that the characters take thru it is very narrow and pre-defined. Not terrible, but we really would like to see a high level extra planar "adventure" where the players make the story.
The other problem I had DMing this was that the monsters where just too weak. My players where average 18th level and had played all production adventures to that point, so their level of magic items was reasonable, although they did end up being a very strong party. When played with intelligence, it takes alot to stop them.
It was dissapointing that this adventure was just not a threat, especially when going to hell etc.

A great module for hack and slashers.......2001-03-24

Well, I'm going to give this a five star, since previous posters have been grossly cruel in teheir reviews.

Because of the old reviews, I bought this through Amazon. And, there's actually some pretty good plot links by Asmodeus, as he draws various devil lords to do his doings, but the players don't seem to have much control over that outcome.

That said, this is really a big hack and slash festival. And, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. All depends on the style of our players and on you.

The thrust of this adventure is to put the group on a cool devil ship with a devil crew, which the wizard lends to the group, as they go looking for a temple that has been displaced. Mind you, this is a good temple.

Asmodeus has a whole plan here but he never shows up. Another devil lord does though and you get to fight him. As you can imagine, this is quite bloody. Pit fiends are numerous and the lesser devils are all over the place. This is going to be a bloodbath either way and hopefully it's the devils biting it and not the players.

Would recommend this for the right group of gamers who want mostly hack and slash. If you want more RPGing or negotiations or problem solving, you will need to add/subtract various points into/out of the module. That's what I'm doing.

BTW, there's some really interesting info on the hells here as well as what spells and items don't work/work poorly on the planes of hell.

If you want an adventure in hell that has more mystery to it, more opportunities to roleplay and far less combat (yet still some deadly combat), look for THE FIRES OF DIS which I also wrote a review about.

My players favorite adventure!.......2000-09-26

This one had it all: A demon possesed boat, a run in with the Lords of the Nine, and more new treasures than you can shake the Sword of Horus at. This one STILL gets talked about in my group, and rightly so. My boys want me to rerun it, and that says something. So if you are ready to let the Netherworld rock with a good party, buy this adventure!

Don't bother.......2000-09-05

I'd rather light myself on fire than play this module again. No background story, rooms designed solely for the purpose of confusing the PCs, and bizarre fractional rounds await those who enter. Poorly designed and written, this module isn't worth the paper it was printed on.

Average customer rating:

If an irrational populist ran a non-profit agency

Brilliant

Genuinely non-Aristotelian look at Business Leadership...

makes philosophy come alive

I find myself enjoying this over and over

If Aristotle Ran General Motors
Tom Morris
Manufacturer: Owl Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Amazon.com

Philosophy purists take note: yes, this is a business self-help book. But Tom Morris has plenty of philosophical street credibility: after getting his Ph.D. from Yale, he taught for 15 years at the University of Notre Dame (where stunts like bringing the ND marching band to class for an impromptu "pep rally" before a big test made him one of the most popular professors on campus). And Morris isn't dumbing down his message for the corporate culture. Rather, he's genuinely interested in fostering a workplace environment where one can seriously think about truth, beauty, goodness, and unity. "If we let the great philosophers guide our thinking," he says, "and if we then begin to become philosophers ourselves, we put ourselves in the very best position to move towards genuine excellence, true prosperity, and deeply satisfying success in our businesses, our families, and our lives. Why should we settle for anything less?" Why indeed?

Book Description

Since its hardcover publication in 1997, If Aristotle Ran General Motors has been one of the year's most talked about books, not only in the United States but around the world, where it has been translated into many languages. Author Tom Morris has emerged as one of America's most popular motivational speakers, bringing his inspirational message of ancient wisdom in modern business to thousands of employees at major companies like ATamp;T and Merrill Lynch. In 1998 Morris will give more than 100 keynote speeches at corporate seminars to further establish If Aristotle Ran General Motors as a must-read for anyone doing business today.

Customer Reviews:

If an irrational populist ran a non-profit agency.......2004-09-19

This book is neither about Aristotle nor General Motors. Do not be fooled into believing it is in any way an application of Aristotelian ethics in modern business; it is not. Morris consistently contradicts Aristotle throughout the book.

An example is Morris' proselytizing conclusion that leadership requires humility. To make his point Morris quotes ancient Hasidic verse and the Tao Te Ching to establish that we are all worms. Nobility, Morris suggests, is lowness.

Did Aristotle ever say this? No. Could Aristotelian writing lead us to these conclusions? No again. Is Taoism consistent with Aristotelian reason and logic? No, no, no. Is Hasidic verse? Definitely not. So what is going on? Did Morris forget to read Aristotle?

Aristotle understood Man as a rational being with happiness as the moral purpose of his life. Morris does not. This book does not.

Morris peppers his book with quotes at the furious rate of no less than one or two per page. He quotes every thing from fortune cookies to Einstein. Ironically with all this mad quoting he never once, ever, (I checked) quotes Aristotle - never.

This book could better be titled, "If an irrational populist ran a non-profit organization."

The prefaces of basic economic texts usually contain better discussions of the practical intersection of business and philosophy.

Brilliant.......2002-09-16

When you ask business people what they think about ethics and morality, they usually answer that these are important things in today's business environment. When you ask them what they REALLY think about ethics and morality, most of them don't want to answer you in any detail. A few will reply that morality is "idealistic" and that one must be "pragmatic" in everyday business practice. The belief that "morality is a topic to be debated after the bills are paid" seems to be the dominant belief in business (and other) circles.

This book, brilliant in every way, attempts, and succeeds, in arguing that wisdom and its concrete manifestation in ethics, should be the cornerstone of business life. The author is a philosopher, and not a business owner, but with his insight into the dynamics of the marketplace and its optimization, his ideas are clearly thinking "out of the box". One can only hope that business leaders (and others) will discover the ideas in this book or some other like it. With today's headlines in corporate fraud and other scandals (some justified and some not), business people need to start believing in the efficacy of ethics in optimizing their business ventures.

The preface to the book concerns "reinventing corporate spirit", the author drawing on the thoughts of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle to set up the foundation for his arguments in the book. He recognizes correctly that it is ideas that fundamentally move the world.

Throughout the book are many interesting insights into the psychology of business practices. When speaking of happiness for example, in relation to Aristotle's notion of eudaemonia, one of these is the recognition that money is frequently not the end goal for business people, the real goal being to achieve admiration in the eyes of others. The resulting ostentatious lifestyle is primarily done to impress, this being a transient and ultimately unsatisfying motivation in the eyes of the author.

The book is divided up into four parts: Truth, Beauty, Goodness, and Unity. Each of these stand for respectively, the intellectual, aesthetic, moral, and spirtual necessities for achieving true happiness.
In "Truth" the discussion is interesting in that it emphasizes the importance of telling the truth not just from the standpoint of what it will do in relation to others, but what it will do for the individual involved. Telling a lie damages one's self confidence. Individuals who practice the telling of falsehoods are intimidated by truth and do not have any confidence in the efficacy of their own minds. In addition, the author discusses the importance of "open-book management": that the sharing of knowledge results in greater productivity among the employees. This is to be contrasted with the nervous attitude among some managers who feel threatened by information, again lacking self-confidence and are in a perpetual state of worry that the dissemination of knowledge among employees or co-workers will result in their comptetitive demise. These views on truth are most refreshing. "Lying is the most dangerously corrosive and subtly destabilizing activities to be found in human life" he says. He's right.

Quoting the Hindu proverb "The true nobility is in being superior to your precious self", the author encourages the view of competition as being one in which individuals surpass their former abilities, instead of worrying about their status in relation to others. He's right.

Even more important is that the author addresses the influence of philosophy in the development of ethical attitudes in business. Ethical relativism and nihilism have wreaked havoc in society as a whole, not just in business, and the author emphasizes the need for coming to grips with these beliefs, and replacing them with sound philosophical systems that are both rational and meshed with common sense. "Ideas rock the world" he states. He's right.

Most refreshingly, the author does not shy away from addressing the issue of self-interest. Confronting the "What's in it for me?" question that is asked by some, he clearly believes that self-interest is not something to be swept under the rug in discussions on ethics and morality in business. "The view that ethics requires total personal disinterestedness is a dangerous distortion of the truly moral point of view", he states. He's right.

Peer pressure and "going with the flow" are always issues that everyone has to deal with in the business environment. Not being labeled as a "team player" can be detrimental to one's growth in a particular organization. The author asks the reader to count the costs of conformity and not to "associate with evil men, lest you increase their number", quoting George Herbert. He's right.

But ethics is not merely a collection of arbitrary rules to follow, the author argues. The right course of action is built into the nature of reality and meshes with human nature and human needs. Since this is the case, the practice of true ethical norms is not only productive, but pleasureful to the individual, and instead of causing boredom as some might believe, alleviates it, argues the author. He's right.

Some might label, and the author does unashamedly, the framework outlined in the book as "spiritual". Goal-oriented, truth-valuing, truth-loving conduct results in a productive, life-loving spiritual individual, in complete antithesis to that of a sterile, non-creative, cynical one who views life as a burden with crosses to bear.

Some of course might view this book, and one on ethics in general, as being "idealistic" or "naive". Such individuals may not wish to even pick it up, let alone read it. But individuals who practice these ideas, or ones very similar, haved moved the world, and will continue to do so.

Genuinely non-Aristotelian look at Business Leadership..........2002-07-20

Despite a provocative and promising title, Tom Morris delivers neither a new nor a true approach to the art of business leadership. While the book is occasionally clever and sometimes humorous, the vast majority of this book is mostly just a hodgepodge of relativism only somewhat related to the art of management and leadership. In short, the content of the book leads the reader miles away from what might result from the title scenario.

Morris falls short perhaps because he is simply a mediocre scholar of Aristotle, perhaps because he was a professor of philosophy at a Catholic university, or perhaps because he is simply just a below-average writer. Regardless, the author comes up lacking in both the style and substance of a book premise that could be truly great in more capable hands.

As to style, the book is replete with anecdotes that sometimes illustrate points quite well and sometimes are clearly inserted only because the author had them at his disposal. Likewise, the book is peppered with quotations that interrupt the flow of the narrative and only rarely have anything more than a tangential relevance to the text surrounding it. One such quote, from the author himself, neatly summarizes my view of this production: "Obscurity is not a mark of profundity, however many confused writers have hoped to bully us into believing otherwise." How true, how true indeed: I wonder how many of his students felt the same way after one of his philosophy lectures.

As to substance, the book is almost a complete loss. I say almost because, to be fair, Morris does come close to painting an Aristotelian view of life when he delves into the meaning of life. The author frames up his answer beautifully but then promptly undermines it in his attempts at clarification. To be more specific, Morris claims that the meaning of life is to be found in "creative love" (or, more accurately, in the love of creativity). While this sounds at first blush to be both logical and promising, not unlike the true motive power behind human innovation, Morris explains his surmise so ineptly that it becomes readily apparent to the reader that any proximity to the truth was merely an accident. Far from leading the reader closer to any meaningful answers, Morris abandons the audience as if in mid-thought, convincing them that his conclusions were as much the product of coincidence as of rational thought.

This is just one example of the sort of philosophical inconsistency that exists throughout this book. In nearly every chapter, Morris makes sweeping, unsubstantiated statements and then proceeds as if these statements were self-evident truths. This might be passable if the author were able to consistently proceed from these sweeping statements in a logical progression. However, the reader frequently gets no more than one or two steps away from an assertion masquerading as immutable law when the author creates transparent straw man arguments to bolster his tenuous premises. Even if the reader can forgive (and accept as true) the first premise of the author's progression, the subsequent steps are so disorienting and fallacious that it is hard to move past them.

Perhaps the most obvious example of this is how Morris routinely equates rational self-interest with intellectual myopia. For instance, in painting the entire philosophical landscape, he cites only three schools of thought: Nihilism, Relativism, and Absolutism. While he aptly defines the concepts of Nihilism and he readily betrays himself as a Relativist, he casts Absolutism as the province solely of religious zealots.

Morris's emphatic use of the relativist's scale on which to measure thought is perhaps the fundamental flaw of his book. It is a small wonder that he finds no thematic consistency when he shows us a different yardstick for the measurement of each new topic. This changing standard sometimes becomes outright silly. For instance, on nearly a half dozen occasions, Morris attempts to weave coherent messages by juxtaposing concepts from the writings of Aristotle next to those of prominent theologians. The result of this sort of conceptual looseness is that better than half of the supposed insights delivered by the book turn out to be little more than fortune cookie proclamations-statements devoid of both context and independently verifiable meaning.

All of this should be hardly surprising from someone who openly claims that any "unifying principle of philosophy is a dream." The question that remains for the reader, however, is: Why choose Aristotle if you believe philosophical unification is unachievable? Why co-opt the one Philosopher who may have come closest to philosophical unity than any other? Why not be honest with your readers? Why not entitle the book: If Dale Carnegie Ran General Motors? Even Plato or Immanuel Kant or William James would have been better choices, but that discussion is for another time.

Like so many academic philosophers and modern business writers, Morris selects philosophical concepts based on their emotional appeal rather than with regard to any underlying consistency. This book, like virtually every business book on the market (with a few highly worthwhile exceptions) simply promotes the art we witness in greeting cards and long-distance phone commercials on television. From it, we get nothing more than the regurgitation of unthinking, it-takes-a-village drivel that characterizes so much of todays supposed non-fiction writing. Morris' entire effort seems to be very much like a Hollywood production-aiming to tug at heartstrings with nothing more substantive as a goal. In the end, that is all this book is equipped to do: provide us with a feeling...sadly, that feeling is simple, straightforward disappointment.

makes philosophy come alive.......2001-10-28

I had never been a philosophy
buff, but reading this book has changed my mind . . . I now
see that the subject can be fun (if you can believe that), as
well as interesting to study . . . Morris takes ancient truths
and effectively relates them to the business world, as well
as to life overall . . . i'm now looking forward to getting his
first effort, TRUE SUCCESS: A NEW PHILOSOPHY
OF EXCELLENCE, which somebody else has
recommended to me.

I know i'm really "into" a book if I find myself taking all
sorts of notes on it, not only for my own use--but to share
others . . . the biggest problem I now
face is to edit these down to just a few passages, but let
me try:
If Aristotle ran General Motors, everyone employed there would
think of it as one large partnership, encompassing myriads
of smaller partnerships for the purpose of living well. If he
ran the corner grocery store, he would instill in everyone there
the same mindset. And if he offered you advice, I think that this
would be at its core: Always think of yourself as entering with
other people into partnerships for living well. This highly general
truth about the deep beauty of business can provide us with an
important perspective on many specific decisions we face. We
should always be asking ourselves whether what we contemplate
doing will enhance or diminish this crucial function of the
business within our own domain of influence. Are we building
partnerships for living well?

I saw the professor later that day and asked him about it. He
answered with a big smile, "At Hampden-Sydnery, we have a rule
that every student must greet everyone they pass on campus."
I said, Why do you have a rule like that?" And he explained, "At
Hampden-Syndey, we believe that etiquette is where ethics
meet everyday life. . . . If we don't help our students get
it right in the little things, they'll never be in a position to get
it right in the big things. We teach them to be courteous,
hoping that this will help them to be moral."

In an office building full of hundreds of Ph.D.s, whenever anyone
faces a personal challenge, has trouble at home, is bothered by
any sort of worry or fear, or just needs a spark or renewed energy,
they easily discovered that the wisest course of action is to seek
out the one man in the building who didn't graduate from high
school, Brother Jeff. He whistles while he works, he sings,
he greets everyone with a big smile and a kind word: "How
are you today, my friend?" An otherwise dour face may
brighten and respond, "Fine, Jeff and how are you?" The
inevitable answer: "Everything's pretty!" A conversation
then may or may not ensure, on almost any topic imaginable.
But if it does, it always ends with a hearty send-off: "You
have yourself a great day, my friend!"

I find myself enjoying this over and over.......2001-05-08

I purchased the audio version of this book to listen to during my commute, and a year after the original purchase I realized that I've played this tape more than any other.

Why?

Aristotle's ideas can be like knives cutting through cluttered thinking, but his presentation can be a bit long and dry. Morris does a nice job of presenting Aristotle's virtues of Truth, Goodness, Unity, and Beauty as they can be applied to business while putting a fun and popular face on them.

You can find good arguments in many books for being honest in business as well as doing good and creating a sense of unity. Beauty was a surprise, but Morris argues well for it. I felt that the combination of ancient wisdom with modern examples made Morris' message meaningful and more inspirational than many other business books.

I've gotten a lot of mileage out of these ideas, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking to find Aristotle's virtues in the workplace.

Average customer rating:
if aristotle ran general motors
morris tom
Manufacturer: Henry Holt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K5SCNW

Average customer rating:
If Aristotle Ran General Motors : The New Soul of Business
Tom Morris
Manufacturer: Recorded Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 0788719815

Average customer rating:
if aristotle ran general motors
morris tom
Manufacturer: Henry Holt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K5QBXA

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