Two Concepts of Freedom

Have philosophical discussions about politics, law, and government.
Featured Article: Definition of Freedom - What Freedom Means to Me
Post Reply
User avatar
Robert_in_valhalla
New Trial Member
Posts: 5
Joined: July 5th, 2015, 12:12 am

Two Concepts of Freedom

Post by Robert_in_valhalla »

This looks like a very cool site! I hope I offer something worth reading below. . .

A few weeks back I wrote an essay looking at some of the cultural dynamics found in the Scorcese flick, The Age Of Innocence. I contrasted some of the themes found in that movie with a picture of a transgendered mother and son, which was making the rounds on social media. Both mother and child had decided to transition. Mother was now father, and son was now daughter. I found that intriguing. Specifically, I saw it and still see it as an amazing act of will for both of them. The reality is that in their situation, with both of them deciding to transition, it might actually be easier as they can provide support to each other. Regardless, I imagine that typically, when a person decides to transition from one gender to the other, it is purely an act of individual will.

This individual will, this drive, which led a mother and son to transition to father and daughter, cannot be found in The Age of Innocence.

The willful individual in The Age of Innocence, which takes place in 19th century New York is controlled and dealt with through social convention. Such individuals are not welcome in this world In this world, it is not the individual will, which drives decisions. In this world found in the Age of Innocence, it is what is right, it is what is proper, that determines what one does, how one behaves. It is social norm, convention, tradition that drives what is done.

What I drew out of these two scenes in the earlier essay were two theories of value, or meaning. In the case of the mother and son or father and daughter, meaning is determined by the individuals. Both are compelled by something very much unique and inside them. It is something they must express. It is almost an artistic or creative act. In short, meaning is created through the expression of will, of self.

Going back to the Age of Innocence and 19th century New York, that is not the case. Meaning is not created by the expression of self, nor will. In fact, the expression of self is controlled and largely negated in this story. The will, or the expression of self, is perceived as a challenge or a threat to that which is valuable, that which has meaning. Specifically, individual wants and needs are fitted into the social fabric or negated, or simply ignored. The expression of self is of value only if it can be applied or brought into or is applicable to the social norms of the time.

Value and meaning in 19th century New York, as per the Scorcese movie, is based on social norm, on tradition and custom. Here what is done is determined by one's place in society, in one's family, one's business dealings, one's place in the church, within one's community. It is in this dynamic that meaning and value are derived. If there is a passion for something or someone, it is applied within this realm. It is directed. One's passion must controlled and directed. They do not control or drive one. The individual within the group, within one's family, or among one's neighbors, one's peers, determines what is acceptable to express and share within those groups, and likewise what is not by looking to those groups, their traditions, norms and customs.

Again, the value here is found in the norms and customs of these communities. And value is not created, but preserved in this world. Here, we look not for the creation of value, but rather the preservation of value. We desire to preserve the community, its norms, and customs. Anything new, anything different, is valued only if it preserves and supports what we have, who we are. If the new item challenges those things, if it harms the social fabric of our community and those within it, it is discarded. It is abandoned. Rarely is the new embraced, and if it is embraced it is over time.

So from the Scorcese movie and from the image of father and daughter, we arrive at two very different theories of value and or meaning. One originating from the self or will, and the other from within the community. In my earlier essay I suggested that these can be applied loosely to the liberal and conservative traditions. Specifically, the focus on self is to be tied to liberalism, and community is to be associated with conservatism. No doubt some explaining is required. At first blush the liberal is often seen as socialists or communists - communal. Is it not the liberal that value community? Is it not Hillary Clinton who with her book suggested that it takes a village?

Likewise, is it not the conservatives who typically values liberty, which is often associated with the individual? There is some work to be done here, but it is through this 'work' that we arrive at the two concepts of freedom referenced in the title.

First off, why do I suggest that liberalism is tied to pure will or the self? Typically liberalism is associated with big government, things such as tax and spend programs, the environment, and the support of feminists, various minority groups, and today movements such as Black Lives Matter and LGTB. How are these related to the expression of self, to the will?

My response is that these things flow from liberalism. They are largely products of the will. They are expressions of self. To come out and say I am gay or I am transgender are truly expressions of self, and the political movements I have listed here came out of such expressive acts.

The environment or our interest in environmental issues is again an expression of self. (This is truly a topic or essay unto itself!) For now though, let me point to a prima facie case. In a nutshell, Take the first line of America the Beautiful,
"O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain,"
And then jump to the recent TV series Madmen, when Don and Betty Draper go on a picnic circa the early 1960s, and abandon their soda cans and all else right there where they had picnicked. The problem was right there. It just took us awhile to see it. When I watched it in 2012 I certainly saw it. The US in 1960 had to be shown it. Such practices had to be pointed to in 1960. We were not conscious of such issues in 1960, it required an act of will.

Of course the other perception of America the Beautiful and its environment are the tears of Iron Eyes Cody. Cody was the actor in that classic commercial with the native American looking up and down the roadway, cars whizzing by. The roadway littered with trash and in the end there is a tear in Cody's eye. That commercial, it could be said of course was not will, but marketing.

Regardless, at a certain point in our history, we became conscious of how our environment was being harmed. And with that, the defense of the environment became an act of will. It became a social movement. That movement though started with an individual perceiving what had become and sharing that with others. Some first person had to perceive and express that we were damaging the environment. Likewise, Rosa Parks on her bus, and the Montgomery Bus Boycott which followed. This is another example of an individual expressing their will and the consequences of such.

I know I am conflating the liberalism of the enlightenment with the contemporary. That said, I do want to suggest the two are still connected. The technocratic state based upon reason and science, is inspired by and propelled by its citizens and ultimately their citizen's passions and wills. Much of our "big government" in all its varieties, I would argue begins with or points back to acts of will.

A bigger issue perhaps is my suggestion that only liberals act on their will. Surely, conservatives can offer up their own social movements, driven just as much by willful individuals. This is a valid point there, however, I would argue that typically conservative social movements are driven not by inspiration but by preservation. Let me restate that. Conservatives certainly have social and political movements, but their movements are responses to the social movements originated by liberals. The conservative's social movement is intent upon preserving the social structure, the world as they know it. The liberal movement wants to change the way in which we live and engage. they want to change the world. The conservative movement largely wants to preserve and conserve.

For example, to make claims that we are harming our environment is to challenge our industries, our factories, our capitalist system, our way of life. The conservative response to feminism is and was to advocate for the traditional family. Those who are Pro-Life are basically challenging the woman's right to choose. They want to eliminate abortion, which was not legally available until 1973. They want to return to what was. The NRA and those who are advocates of the 2nd Amendment want to protect and defend their right to bear arms. In each case they want to protect something they have. (Interestingly, it could be argued they did not originally have it the case of the 2nd Amendment. . .) Again, in the Age of Innocence it is a focus on and a preservation of the existing social norms, traditions, and conventions.

This leads us to another interesting space - Progress. Liberals are today often referred to as progressives. The two terms in today's vernacular are largely equivalent and there has been a relation between the two for roughly the last one hundred years. In the little comparison which I have sketched between that which is liberal and that which is conservative, we can see that conservatives are not going to have it. They do not embrace progress, certainly not the progress advocated by the various social movements of liberals.

Likewise, they are not going to have the progress of science. Now conservatives will certainly contest this, but I would argue that the anti-intellectualism often associated with the conservative movement is rooted in the desire to preserve what we have, the norms, conventions and traditions which make us who we are. Their skepticism regarding science is rooted in their norms, traditions, and conventions which facilitate and enable the relationships, and the world in which they live.

In short, the liberal state, "big government", and science all challenge the world as it is. Both were devised or inspired to some degree with that intent of progress, of overcoming what is. For conservatives however, progress offers challenges such as abortion and the Roe vs Wade decision of 1973. With science we environmentalism, less global warming, both of which attempt to dismantle our factories and our markets. Transgender transitions would not be possible without advances in medicine. Racial justice would not be feasible without a state to impose such. All are the result of liberalism and ultimately the will.

I know I paint with an extremely large brush here. Those around me have already pointed this out, but sometimes it behooves us to go to the satellite image, unless of course it is overcast. The question I am left with here, and this is again another tangent, is this: Does reason come from the will or from social convention and norms? For our purposes I offer up that reason for liberals is inspired, it is transcendent. It originates from the will, but it is also universal. All have will and all have reason. Once discovered, the products of the will can be seen by and embraced by others. Will and reason cut across culture, convention, and norm.

For the conservative reason is common sense. That which is reasonable is in fact among a particular group. Reason for the conservative is not universal. What one culture believes might overlap what another culture might believe. There might be a great deal of overlap of belief, but no two cultures are not identical nor are the logical propositions embraced by them. Each has their own values and practises and what is reasonable and logical are different in each. And that is why we must protect our beliefs and consider how we engage the world. Such engagements with other cultures do put at risk who we are, what we value, and what we believe.

Finally, we arrive at our two concepts of freedom, derived from the story I tell above. Both liberalism and conservatism value freedom, but if the stories I offer of each have any validity, they will impact upon how each defines freedom. Now the basic definition of freedom is the ability to act. Accepting this, the question then becomes how does each of them, liberalism and conservatism, view the ability to act? What is it for each of these to be able to act?

For liberalism, freedom, the ability to act, is the ability of the individual to express their will. The goal is to enable the individual to express themselves. This translates to various government initiatives allowing individuals to achieve various goals, whether those goals entail getting a mortgage, an education, The pursuit of a student loan, to gender reassignment surgery, to applying for Social Security at age 65 - each of these is an act of will and an act of freedom. Each of these becomes a prosthetic device enabling the individual's will to be expressed. And as was pointed out earlier, this is universal. To be human is to have a will, a voice and we must allow its expression. Not only allow it but nurture and facilitate it.

And for conservatism? Here, freedom is not the ability to express one's self. Freedom, for the conservative, is not the ability to create or express. The ability to act here is to be free from intrusion. Both conservatives and liberals will agree that freedom is the ability to live one's own life. The conservative, however, sees life not as will, but as communal, as social. They see life as defined by family, church, commerce, ultimately engagement with a community. In short, freedom is the ability to engage those closest to you, embracing the customs, norms and traditions that nurtured those relationships. You are defined by these relationships. How you maintain these relations tells us what kind of person you are. Self is defined by those relationships. And to deny one freedom is to deny one access to those relationships along with the customs, norms and traditions they are based upon.

Lastly, one footnote of sorts, the state and likewise science are seen by conservatives not as prosthetic devices to facilitate the will but as intrusions into one's life. They prevent one from properly engaging others. They take away from and disrupt one's life as they not only prevent one from embracing custom and tradition, but destroy and uproot custom and tradition. They like the will, destroy life.
User avatar
LuckyR
Moderator
Posts: 7932
Joined: January 18th, 2015, 1:16 am

Re: Two Concepts of Freedom

Post by LuckyR »

In my experience, your summary of the conservative view of freedom though at least partially accurate, is illogical. In the sense that those conservatives (not libertarians) who cry the loudest against regulations, feel totally justified telling other folks what they can't do in the privacy of their own homes.
"As usual... it depends."
User avatar
-1-
Posts: 878
Joined: December 1st, 2016, 2:23 am

Re: Two Concepts of Freedom

Post by -1- »

You had me until coady the iron eye. It went on too long. Too few points per units of text mass.

Please try to make it less beefy. It is written in the style for people who are slow on the uptake (lots of examples and minute details enlarged) but it carries conclusions that are heavy-weight.

Decide, please, which is your audience, and write for it. You can't play for both teams.
This search engine is powered by Hunger, Thirst, and a desperate need to Mate.
User avatar
Robert_in_valhalla
New Trial Member
Posts: 5
Joined: July 5th, 2015, 12:12 am

Re: Two Concepts of Freedom

Post by Robert_in_valhalla »

Regardless of which team it is too long. . .needs an editing!

-- Updated August 29th, 2017, 9:15 am to add the following --
LuckyR wrote:In my experience, your summary of the conservative view of freedom though at least partially accurate, is illogical. In the sense that those conservatives (not libertarians) who cry the loudest against regulations, feel totally justified telling other folks what they can't do in the privacy of their own homes.
My position though overstated here does account for the conservative challenge to both regulation and privacy. They believe in neither. Regulation of commerce is not done as it interferes with the norms and conventions of business. And interestingly laws regarding what is done in private also firm up and reaffirm what is the norm, what is accepted norm.

Freedom, regulation and privacy all are determined by convention this framework.

-- Updated August 30th, 2017, 1:55 am to add the following --
-1- wrote:You had me until coady the iron eye. It went on too long. Too few points per units of text mass.

Please try to make it less beefy. It is written in the style for people who are slow on the uptake (lots of examples and minute details enlarged) but it carries conclusions that are heavy-weight.

Decide, please, which is your audience, and write for it. You can't play for both teams.

I offer you an edited less verbose version. Again, thank you for the simple suggestion.
Roughly a week ago I published an essay titled "Two Concepts of Freedom". This is simply an edited less verbose version of that essay. RGS

A few weeks back I wrote an essay looking at some of the cultural dynamics found in the Scorcese flick, The Age Of Innocence. I contrasted some of the themes found in that movie with a picture of a transgendered mother and son, which was making the rounds on social media. Both mother and child had decided to transition. Mother was now father, and son was now daughter. I found that intriguing. Specifically, I saw in that picture that the act of transition for a transgender person is an act of pure will. To initiate and complete that process requires an amazing amount of will.

This individual will, this drive, which led a mother and son to transition to father and daughter, cannot be found in The Age of Innocence.

The willful individual in The Age of Innocence, which takes place in 19th century New York, is controlled and dealt with through social convention. Such individuals are not welcome in this world. In this world, it is not the individual will, which drives decisions. In this world of the Age of Innocence, it is what is right, it is what is proper, that determines what one does, how one behaves. It is social norm, convention, and tradition that drives what is done.

What I drew out of these two scenes in the earlier essay were two theories of value, or meaning. In the case of the mother and son or father and daughter, meaning is determined by the individual. Both are compelled by something very much unique and inside them. It is something they must express. It is almost an artistic or creative act. In short, meaning is created through the expression of will, of self.

In the Age of Innocence and 19th century New York, that is not the case. Meaning is not created by the expression of self, nor will. In fact, the expression of self is controlled and largely negated. In this world the expression is perceived as a challenge or even a threat to that which is valuable, that which has meaning. Individual wants and needs are fitted into the social fabric or negated, or simply ignored. The expression of self is of value only if it can be applied or brought into or is applicable to the social norms of the time.

Value and meaning in 19th century New York, as per the Scorcese movie, is based on social norm, on tradition and custom. Here what is done is determined by one's place in society, one's family, one's business dealings, one's place in the church, within one's community. It is in this dynamic that meaning and value are derived. If there is a passion, it must be controlled and directed. Passion does not control or drive one. Further value is not created here, but preserved. The intent is to preserve community, its norms, and customs.

So from the Scorcese movie and from the image of father and daughter, we arrive at two very different theories of value and or meaning. One originating from the self or will, and the other from within the community. In my earlier essay I suggested that these can be applied loosely to the liberal and conservative traditions. Specifically, the focus on self or the will is to be tied to liberalism, and community is to be associated with conservatism. No doubt some explaining is required. At first blush the liberal is often seen as socialists or communists - communal. Is it not the liberal that value community?

Likewise, is it not the conservatives who typically values liberty, which is often associated with the individual? There is some work to be done here, but it is through this 'work' that we arrive at the two concepts of freedom referenced in the title of this essay.

So how does one begin with acts of will and arrive at liberalism? Typically, liberalism is associated with big government, the environment, Black Lives Matter and LGTB. How are these related to the expression of self, to the will? These things are largely products of the will. They are expressions of self. To come out and say I am gay or I am transgender again is an expressions of self. The political movements and groups listed above originate out of such acts. The environment or our interest in environment is again an expression of self. In the mid to late 20th century the US became conscious of the environment. And again, it became a social and political movement.

Another criticism is that I am conflating the liberalism of the enlightenment with the contemporary. That said, I want to suggest the two are still connected. The technocratic state based upon reason and science, is inspired by and propelled by its citizens and ultimately their citizen's passions and wills. Much of our "big government" in all its varieties, begins with or points back to acts of will.

A bigger issue perhaps is my suggestion that only liberals act on their will. Surely, conservatives can offer up their own social movements, driven just as much by willful individuals. This is a valid point, however, I would argue that conservative social movements are driven not by inspiration but by preservation. Again, conservatives certainly have social and political movements, but their movements are responses to the social change, often the movements originated by liberals. The conservative's social movement is intent upon preserving the social structure, the world as they know it.

Regarding environmentalism, conservatives defend factories, plastics, and cars as our way of life. In response to feminism, they advocate the family. The NRA and those who advocate the 2nd Amendment want to protect and defend their right to bear arms. In each case they want to protect their commerce, their families, their way of life. There is a correspondence to the Age of Innocence in their focus on and a desire to preserve the existing social norms, traditions, and conventions.

This leads us to progress. Liberals are often referred to as progressives. The two terms in today's vernacular are largely equivalent and there has been a relation between the two for roughly the last one hundred years. Conservatives, however, do not embrace progress, certainly not the progress advocated by the various social movements of liberals. Likewise, they do not embrace the progress of science. Now conservatives will certainly contest this. I would argue however, that the anti-intellectualism often associated with the conservative movement is rooted in the desire to preserve their world. They want to preserve the norms, conventions they hold dear. Their skepticism regarding science is rooted in those norms, traditions, and conventions.

In short, the liberal state, "big government", and science both challenge the world as it is. Both were devised or inspired to some degree with that intent of progress, of overcoming what is. For conservatives however, progress offers a series of challenges. It offers things such as Roe vs Wade. With science and the state we have the EPA, which wants to dismantle our factories and markets. Transgender transitions would not be possible without advances in medicine. All are the result of liberalism and ultimately the will.

I know I paint with an extremely large brush here. Those around me have already pointed this out, but sometimes it behooves us to go to the satellite image, unless of course it is overcast. The question I am left with here, is this: Does reason come from the will or from social convention and norms? For our purposes I offer up that reason for liberals is inspired, it is transcendent. It originates from the will, but it is also universal. All have will and all have reason. Once discovered, the products of the will can be seen by and embraced by others. Will and reason cut across culture, convention, and norm.

For the conservative reason is common sense. That which is reasonable is in fact reasonable among a particular group. Reason for the conservative is not universal. What one culture believes might overlap the beliefs of another culture. There might be a great deal of overlap of belief, but no two cultures are identical. Each has their own values and practises and likewise what is reasonable. And that is why we must protect our beliefs and consider how we engage the world. Such engagements with other cultures do put at risk who we are, and what we value. By engaging others, we risk who we are, we risk losing our traditions.

Finally, we arrive at our two concepts of freedom, derived from the story I tell above. Both liberalism and conservatism value freedom, but if the stories I offer of each have any validity, they will impact upon how each defines freedom. Now the basic definition of freedom is the ability to act. Accepting this, the question then becomes how does each of them, liberalism and conservatism, view the ability to act? What is it for each of these to be able to act?

For liberalism, freedom, the ability to act, is the ability of the individual to express their will. The goal is to enable the individual to express themselves. Whether it is a college degree, or gender reassignment surgery, each is an act of will and an act of freedom. The state and science become prosthetic devices enabling the individual's will to be expressed. And as was pointed out earlier, this is universal. To be human is to have a will, a voice and we must allow its expression. Not only allow it but nurture and facilitate it.

And for conservatism? Here, freedom is not the ability to express one's self. Freedom, for the conservative, is not the ability to create or express. The ability to act here is to be free from intrusion. Both conservatives and liberals will agree that freedom is the ability to live one's own life. The conservative, however, sees life not as will, but as communal, as social. They see life as defined by family, church, commerce, ultimately engagement with a community. In short, freedom is the ability to engage those closest to you, embracing the customs, norms and traditions that nurtured those relationships. To deny one freedom here is to deny one access to those vital relationships, and the customs, norms and traditions they are based upon.

Lastly, the state and likewise science are seen by conservatives not as prosthetic devices to facilitate the will but as intrusions into one's life. They prevent one from properly engaging others. They take away from and disrupt one's life as they not only prevent one from embracing custom and tradition, but destroy and uproot custom and tradition. They like the will, destroy life.
User avatar
LuckyR
Moderator
Posts: 7932
Joined: January 18th, 2015, 1:16 am

Re: Two Concepts of Freedom

Post by LuckyR »

-1- wrote:You had me until coady the iron eye. It went on too long. Too few points per units of text mass.

Please try to make it less beefy. It is written in the style for people who are slow on the uptake (lots of examples and minute details enlarged) but it carries conclusions that are heavy-weight.

Decide, please, which is your audience, and write for it. You can't play for both teams.
You read the whole thing? Wow you are a better man than I. I started with the paragraph that starts: "Finally..."
"As usual... it depends."
User avatar
-1-
Posts: 878
Joined: December 1st, 2016, 2:23 am

Re: Two Concepts of Freedom

Post by -1- »

LuckyR wrote:
You read the whole thing? Wow you are a better man than I. I started with the paragraph that starts: "Finally..."
No... 1. I did not read the whole thing. 2. I am not a better man than you are. 3. I hadn't even attempted to read the shorter, edited version, as it is overwhelmingly and oppressively too long still.

Gimme three paragraphs of 300 words each maximum. Beyond that, I get googly-eyed.

Clearly, my ineptitude, not yours, Robert in Valhalla. But you can write shorter, and I can't read longer... if something has to give in order to make it possible for me to materially assess your essay, then it is your essay that needs to be RADICALLY further shortened.
This search engine is powered by Hunger, Thirst, and a desperate need to Mate.
User avatar
Burning ghost
Posts: 3065
Joined: February 27th, 2016, 3:10 am

Re: Two Concepts of Freedom

Post by Burning ghost »

A little advice:

By all means go into detail if you wish. First set out your general idea/question before delving into specifics. The movies you reference don't help at all, other than to distance the reader (unless they happen to have seen the movies).

Generally I am not sure what kind of response you wish to have from us? It does like you've taken certain political perspectives as rigid idealities, which I don't find to be a reasonable approach.

Ignore comments about the length of your exposition. Length is not a bad thing as long as the reader is compelled by the clarity of the information presented to continue reading on.

Look forward to reading an edited version of what you have above :)

note: It may help if you provide us with the kind of critique you are looking for and/or what particular points you wish us to address.

-- Updated September 3rd, 2017, 4:01 am to add the following --

Note 2 : Present your views of "meaning" and "value" more clearly. You say you have a theory of these, but I didn't really see them marked out clearly or defined, in any particular context, anywhere. If you are using one to help define the other this can cause problems.
AKA badgerjelly
User avatar
Robert_in_valhalla
New Trial Member
Posts: 5
Joined: July 5th, 2015, 12:12 am

Re: Two Concepts of Freedom

Post by Robert_in_valhalla »

Burning ghost wrote:A little advice:

By all means go into detail if you wish. First set out your general idea/question before delving into specifics. The movies you reference don't help at all, other than to distance the reader (unless they happen to have seen the movies).

Generally I am not sure what kind of response you wish to have from us? It does like you've taken certain political perspectives as rigid idealities, which I don't find to be a reasonable approach.

Ignore comments about the length of your exposition. Length is not a bad thing as long as the reader is compelled by the clarity of the information presented to continue reading on.

Look forward to reading an edited version of what you have above :)

note: It may help if you provide us with the kind of critique you are looking for and/or what particular points you wish us to address.

-- Updated September 3rd, 2017, 4:01 am to add the following --

Note 2 : Present your views of "meaning" and "value" more clearly. You say you have a theory of these, but I didn't really see them marked out clearly or defined, in any particular context, anywhere. If you are using one to help define the other this can cause problems.
Regarding the movies, I reference one movie. Scorcese's Age of Innocence. The other is the image, which I encountered on Facebook, but unable to share here due to my still being new to the site. Do a search of Google and you will have various articles, videos, media coverage etc. of this Australian mom and son who are both transitioning. they are both transgender. Regardless these are starting points where I point to the two core things I am stressing here: the will and cultural heritage and tradition, and the tension between them.

Regarding the suggestion that I have "taken certain political perspectives as rigid idealities" I define neither liberal or conservative. I point to certain political and social movements associated with each. I do not argue that any conservative or liberal must believe x. At least not in regard to policy and political theory.

I do argue that their value systems are drastically different. To be liberal is focus on the will and its expression, and to be conservative is to focus on tradition and heritage. These are their core values. In short, I am arguing that in pursuit of their various agendas and goals, each appeals to these values. And I would argue that for my purposes here, values and meaning are largely synonymous. Certainly the values they hold effect the meaning of their words, and the sentences they utter.

I hope this helps.
Post Reply

Return to “Philosophy of Politics”

2023/2024 Philosophy Books of the Month

Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise

Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise
by John K Danenbarger
January 2023

Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul

Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul
by Mitzi Perdue
February 2023

Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness

Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness
by Chet Shupe
March 2023

The Unfakeable Code®

The Unfakeable Code®
by Tony Jeton Selimi
April 2023

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
by Alan Watts
May 2023

Killing Abel

Killing Abel
by Michael Tieman
June 2023

Reconfigurement: Reconfiguring Your Life at Any Stage and Planning Ahead

Reconfigurement: Reconfiguring Your Life at Any Stage and Planning Ahead
by E. Alan Fleischauer
July 2023

First Survivor: The Impossible Childhood Cancer Breakthrough

First Survivor: The Impossible Childhood Cancer Breakthrough
by Mark Unger
August 2023

Predictably Irrational

Predictably Irrational
by Dan Ariely
September 2023

Artwords

Artwords
by Beatriz M. Robles
November 2023

Fireproof Happiness: Extinguishing Anxiety & Igniting Hope

Fireproof Happiness: Extinguishing Anxiety & Igniting Hope
by Dr. Randy Ross
December 2023

Beyond the Golden Door: Seeing the American Dream Through an Immigrant's Eyes

Beyond the Golden Door: Seeing the American Dream Through an Immigrant's Eyes
by Ali Master
February 2024

2022 Philosophy Books of the Month

Emotional Intelligence At Work

Emotional Intelligence At Work
by Richard M Contino & Penelope J Holt
January 2022

Free Will, Do You Have It?

Free Will, Do You Have It?
by Albertus Kral
February 2022

My Enemy in Vietnam

My Enemy in Vietnam
by Billy Springer
March 2022

2X2 on the Ark

2X2 on the Ark
by Mary J Giuffra, PhD
April 2022

The Maestro Monologue

The Maestro Monologue
by Rob White
May 2022

What Makes America Great

What Makes America Great
by Bob Dowell
June 2022

The Truth Is Beyond Belief!

The Truth Is Beyond Belief!
by Jerry Durr
July 2022

Living in Color

Living in Color
by Mike Murphy
August 2022 (tentative)

The Not So Great American Novel

The Not So Great American Novel
by James E Doucette
September 2022

Mary Jane Whiteley Coggeshall, Hicksite Quaker, Iowa/National Suffragette And Her Speeches

Mary Jane Whiteley Coggeshall, Hicksite Quaker, Iowa/National Suffragette And Her Speeches
by John N. (Jake) Ferris
October 2022

In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All

In It Together: The Beautiful Struggle Uniting Us All
by Eckhart Aurelius Hughes
November 2022

The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause and New Solution for Cybersecurity

The Smartest Person in the Room
by Christian Espinosa
December 2022

2021 Philosophy Books of the Month

The Biblical Clock: The Untold Secrets Linking the Universe and Humanity with God's Plan

The Biblical Clock
by Daniel Friedmann
March 2021

Wilderness Cry: A Scientific and Philosophical Approach to Understanding God and the Universe

Wilderness Cry
by Dr. Hilary L Hunt M.D.
April 2021

Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute: Tools To Spark Your Dream And Ignite Your Follow-Through

Fear Not, Dream Big, & Execute
by Jeff Meyer
May 2021

Surviving the Business of Healthcare: Knowledge is Power

Surviving the Business of Healthcare
by Barbara Galutia Regis M.S. PA-C
June 2021

Winning the War on Cancer: The Epic Journey Towards a Natural Cure

Winning the War on Cancer
by Sylvie Beljanski
July 2021

Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream

Defining Moments of a Free Man from a Black Stream
by Dr Frank L Douglas
August 2021

If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your Buts

If Life Stinks, Get Your Head Outta Your Buts
by Mark L. Wdowiak
September 2021

The Preppers Medical Handbook

The Preppers Medical Handbook
by Dr. William W Forgey M.D.
October 2021

Natural Relief for Anxiety and Stress: A Practical Guide

Natural Relief for Anxiety and Stress
by Dr. Gustavo Kinrys, MD
November 2021

Dream For Peace: An Ambassador Memoir

Dream For Peace
by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah
December 2021