Tag Archives: nonfiction

Book Review: Reinventing the Sacred

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Harry Katz

Reinventing the Sacred By Stuart A. Kauffman Basic Books, New York, 2008 I really admire the scope and boldness of Stuart Kauffman’s 2008 book Reinventing the Sacred. Prof. Kauffman is a biologist and complexity theorist. He sets out not merely … Continue reading →

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Cosmopolitanism

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Harry Katz

Kwame Anthony Appiah’s book, Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers, is about finding ways for different people, and peoples, to live together in our increasingly globalized world. Born in England, raised in Ghana, and now a professor of philosophy … Continue reading →

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The Black Swan

Posted on May 13, 2008 by Harry Katz

Nassim Nicholas Taleb, options trader cum philosopher, defines a Black Swan as an extremely improbable event that has huge impact. Think 9/11 or the current subprime lending crisis. The title comes from the fact that black swans – the birds … Continue reading →

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Reading Like a Writer

Posted on November 18, 2007 by Harry Katz

Reading Like a Writer is a book for aspiring writers that teaches by example. In it, Francine Prose, author of about two dozen works of fiction and non-fiction, examines various aspects of writing by quoting and then analyzing the works … Continue reading →

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Book Review: To the Castle and Back

Posted on October 11, 2007 by Harry Katz

In December 1989, when the Communist government was driven from power in Czechoslovakia, the crowds demonstrating in the squares of Prague chanted “Havel na Hrad!” or “Havel to the Castle!” They were calling for the playwright turned dissident Václav Havel … Continue reading →

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