If among the many truths of Giambattista Vico's New Science there is one that is deepest, it is the truth that language, mind, and society are but three modes of a common reality. In Vico's term, that reality is the monde civile, the world of man. It is a world of many guises and faces. If reflected in a mirror, those faces would reveal an image of the full array of contemporary arts and sciences, all the disciplines of learning and technique by which, so Vico judged, humanity attains its perfection. Humanity in its perfection, however, is so rare a moment, so delicate and subtle a state, that it is never to be found among the nations of the world -- or is found in so fragile a form that it threatens always to crack and fall to the ground. In the West, a persistent line of thinking that has flourished from time to time holds that language is primary in culture, metaphor a necessity, and jurisprudence our highest achievement. This was the position of Vico, who not only received and cherished the tradition, but looked deeply into it, saw what its principles implied, and so made ready for the great social theorists of the nineteenth century. That is the thesis of this work. After an introductory chapter on Vico himself -- in which his intellectual world and his movements within it are sketched -- the work unfolds in three parts. These parts successively treat rhetoric, pedagogy, and culture, each proceeding from a major Vichian text.

If among the many truths of Giambattista Vico's New Science there is one that is deepest, it is the truth that language, mind, and society are but three modes of a common reality. In Vico's term, that reality is the monde civile, the world of man. It is a world of many guises and faces. If reflected in a mirror, those faces would reveal an image of the full array of contemporary arts and sciences, all the disciplines of learning and technique by which, so Vico judged, humanity attains its perfection. Humanity in its perfection, however, is so rare a moment, so delicate and subtle a state, that it is never to be found among the nations of the world -- or is found in so fragile a form that it threatens always to crack and fall to the ground. In the West, a persistent line of thinking that has flourished from time to time holds that language is primary in culture, metaphor a necessity, and jurisprudence our highest achievement. This was the position of Vico, who not only received and cherished the tradition, but looked deeply into it, saw what its principles implied, and so made ready for the great social theorists of the nineteenth century. That is the thesis of this work. After an introductory chapter on Vico himself -- in which his intellectual world and his movements within it are sketched -- the work unfolds in three parts. These parts successively treat rhetoric, pedagogy, and culture, each proceeding from a major Vichian text.

"Renaissance Thought and Its Sources" presents the fruits of an extraordinary lifetime of scholarship: a systematic account of major themes in Renaissance philosophy, theology, science, and literature, show in their several settings. Here, in some of Paul Oskar Kristeller's most comprehensive and ambitious writings, is an exploration of the distinctive trends and concepts of the Renaissance, grounded in detailed historical investigation.

All of these fourteen essays were originally delivered as lectures. Part One identifies the classical sources of Renaissance thought and exposes its essential physiognomy, indicating its humanist, Aristotelian, and Platonist traditions. The next two parts present Renaissance thought in the historical context of the Latin and Greek Middle Ages. Part Four offers a thematic study of Renaissance thought, examining its characteristic conceptions of man's dignity, destiny, and grasp of truth. Part Five forms a summary from the perspective of a central theme of Renaissance intellectual life and of the entire Western tradition: the relation of language to thought and the seemingly insoluble contest between our literary and philosophical traditions.

The reader of "Renaissance Thought and its Sources" enjoys the results of meticulous study in a concise yet comprehensive format. Throughout, Kristeller achieves a graceful blending of sever historical scholarship and adherence to humane values that the editor calls "nearly a lost art in our times."

On April 12, 2011, the 112th Congress of the United States of America recognized the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Version of the Bible. By removing the verse numbers and reworking the structure of the sentences and paragraphs, the author has created a version of the Bible that can be read repeatedly and in only a few days.

With more than 330 scientific references, this book provides a comprehensive guide to the medical use of anabolic steroids, growth hormone, supplementation, optimal nutrition, and exercise to prevent and treat the loss of lean body mass and body alterations experienced by people with HIV.

What happens to the spirit of generosity of the average person when the economies of the world melt down around them? How are charitable individuals committed to obedient giving going to navigate through budget breakers like runaway gas prices, high food costs, unemployment, and tax increases, to pay for a government spending frenzy? Robbing God is simply a book about personal freedom-a freedom that is experienced when individuals discover the kind of giving first demonstrated by a loving God. A God that has not withheld anything from those he loves. Somehow, as with many of the bible's teachings and principles, some have managed to turn the act of giving into little more than a self-serving personal agenda, complete with greed and corruption. While some may teach that giving produces personal gain and wealth, many give for the sheer joy and privilege of giving. God was the ultimate giver and created us in his image. We are certainly at our best when we learn to give cheerfully, just as he gave. Is it really possible to rob God? If so, who is capable of robbing God? For many years I have watched money collected in many places and in many ways. I've heard and witnessed the simple, the sublime, and the ridiculous. It is not difficult for us to understand giving. There is something within all of us, a part of our nature that wants to give. Our hearts respond to the needs of others. We see ordinary hero's jump into action everyday when people are in trouble. Giving is as natural for us as receiving. If we made a list of all the ways we give on a daily basis, we would truly be amazed. Opening a door, helping a child, picking up the tab for lunch, sharing a cookie, saying a prayer, offering an encouraging word, there is really no end to the list. We do it willingly and without coercion or manipulation the majority of the time. All of us are givers. Giving is not just a rich man's game. Jesus called attention to a poor elderly widow woman that with two pennies, gave more than all those he witnessed giving at a temple. He also informed us that by giving to the least we were also giving to him. How is it that we have managed to take the joy out of so much of our giving? I can't accept that God's love for a cheerful giver is limited to cash on hand. God gave his son. Jesus gave his life. What little we give should at the very least be given cheerfully. So here it is, our "aha " moment, a moment to let our guard down in order to experience the joy of giving, a moment to learn how to recognize and resist the guilt driven, coerced, and manipulated giving that robs us of the ability to give cheerfully. It is scripturally and contextually inaccurate to emotionally manipulate an offering out of the faithful by suggesting they are robbing God if they don't give. If we trust God and trust one another, we need not out of fear, rely on manipulative practices to fund God's work or provide for our own needs. A cheerful God provides for his children, and he loves it when we cheerfully give.