John Marco Allegro was a scholar who challenged orthodox views of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Bible, and the history of religion with books that attracted widespread attention and scholarly derision. After service in the Royal Navy during World War II, Allegro started to train for the Methodist ministry but transferred to a degree in Oriental Studies at the University of Manchester.
In 1953 he was invited to become the first British representative on the international team working on the recently discovered Dead Sea Scrolls in Jordan. The following year he was appointed assistant lecturer in Comparative Semitic Philology at Manchester. He held a succession of lectureships there until he resigned in 1970 to become a full-time writer. In 1961 he was made Honorary Adviser on the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Jordanian government.
Allegro's thirteen books include The Dead Sea Scrolls (1956), The Treasure of the Copper Scroll (1960), The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross (1970), and The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Myth (1979), as well as Discoveries in the Judaean Desert of Jordan vol. V (1968) and articles in academic journals such as the Journal of Biblical Literature, Palestine Exploration Quarterly, and Journal of Semitic Studies, and the popular press.

John

Robert Gordon Wasson (September 22, 1898 – December 23, 1986) was an American author, ethnomycologist, and Vice President for Public Relations at J.P. Morgan &amp; Co. In the course of work funded by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Wasson made contributions to the fields of ethnobotany, botany, and anthropology. Wasson began his banking career at Guaranty Trust Company in 1928 and moved to J.P. Morgan &amp; Co. in 1934.&nbsp;
That same year, he published a book[6] on the Hall Carbine Affair, in which he attempted to exonerate John Pierpont Morgan from guilt with respect to the incident, which had been viewed as an example of wartime profiteering. As early as 1937, Wasson had been attempting to influence historians Allan Nevins and Charles McLean Andrews regarding Morgan's role in the affair; he used Nevins' report as a reference for his own book on the topic. The matter of Morgan's responsibility for the Hall Carbine Incident remains controversial.
On July 16, 1941, the directors of Morgan &amp; Co. appointed Wasson to the position of assistant secretary, and by 1943 he was vice president for public relations. Wasson's studies in ethnomycology began during his 1927 honeymoon trip to the Catskill Mountains when his wife, Valentina Pavlovna Guercken, a pediatrician, chanced upon some edible wild mushrooms. Fascinated by the marked difference in cultural attitudes towards fungi in Russia compared to the United States, the couple began field research that led to the publication of Mushrooms, Russia, and History in 1957.
In the course of their investigations, they mounted expeditions to Mexico to study the religious use of mushrooms by the native population and claimed to have been the first Westerners to participate in a Mazatec mushroom ritual. It was the curandera María Sabina who both allowed the Wassons to participate in the ritual and who taught them about the uses and effects of the mushroom after Wasson lied to her about being worried about the whereabouts and wellbeing of his son, as the ritual was traditionally used to locate missing people and important items.
Sabina let him take her picture on the condition that he keeps it private, but Wasson nonetheless published the photo along with Sabina's name and the name of the community where she lived. Though he faced no consequences for his deceptions and, indeed, profited greatly from the knowledge he gained from her, Sabina was subsequently ostracised from her community as a result of his actions, and her house was burned down after she was briefly jailed, eventually dying in poverty.
At the 1951 annual meeting of the American Council of Learned Societies, held in Rye, New York, on January 24-26, Wasson was appointed as a member of the Executive Committee for a period of one year. Some of Wasson's colleagues, such as Ethel Dunn, disagreed with Wasson's conclusions regarding Amanita muscaria.
Wasson's 1956 expedition was funded[8] by the CIA's MK-Ultra subproject 58, as was revealed by documents obtained by John Marks[16] under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents state that Wasson was an 'unwitting' participant in the project. The funding was provided under the cover name of the Geschickter Fund for Medical Research (credited by Wasson at the end of his subsequent Life piece about the expedition).

Kevin Kelly is a writer, editor, and speaker who has had a diverse career exploring the intersection of technology, culture, and business.
In the early days of the internet, Kelly co-founded Wired magazine in 1993 and served as its Executive Editor until 1999. He helped to shape the magazine's coverage of technology and digital culture, and his writing and editing helped to establish Wired as a leading voice in the field.
After leaving Wired, Kelly continued to write and speak about technology and its impact on society. He has written several books, including "Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, &amp; the Economic World" and "What Technology Wants," which explore how technology shapes our world and our future.
In recent years, Kelly has been a sought-after speaker and advisor on technology and its impact on society. He has spoken at conferences and events worldwide and advised companies and organizations on navigating the rapidly changing technological landscape. Kelly is also a co-founder of the All Species Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to cataloging and identifying every living species on earth. The Long Now Foundation focuses on long-term thinking and responsibility.
Overall, Kelly's career has been dedicated to understanding how technology shapes our world and helping others understand and navigate those changes.

Kevin

Huston Cummings Smith (born May 31, 1919) is among the preeminent religious studies scholars in the United States. His work, The Religions of Man (later revised and retitled The World's Religions), is a classic in the field, with over two million copies sold, and it remains a common introduction to comparative religion.
Smith was born in Soochow, China, to Methodist missionaries and spent his first 17 years there. He taught at the Universities of Colorado and Denver from 1944 to 1947, moved to Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, for the next 10 years, and then served as a professor of Philosophy at MIT from 1958 to 1973. While at MIT, he participated in some of the experiments with entheogens that professor Timothy Leary conducted at Harvard University. Smith then moved to Syracuse University, where he was Thomas J. Watson's Professor of Religion and Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Philosophy until his retirement in 1983 and current emeritus status.&nbsp;
He now lives in the Berkeley, California, area where he is Visiting Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. During his career, Smith not only studied but also practiced Vedanta Hinduism, Zen Buddhism (under Goto Zuigan), and Sufism for over 10 years each. He is a notable autodidact.
As a young man, of his own volition after suddenly turning to mysticism, Smith set out to meet with then-famous author Gerald Heard. Heard responded to Smith's letter, invited him to Trabuco College (later donated as the Ramakrishna Monastery) in Southern California, and then sent him off to meet the legendary Aldous Huxley. So began Smith's experimentation with meditation and his association with the Vedanta Society in Saint Louis under the auspices of Swami Satprakashananda of the Ramakrishna order.
Via the connection with Heard and Huxley, Smith eventually experimented with Timothy Leary and others at the Center for Personality Research, of which Leary was a research professor. The experience and history of that era are captured somewhat in Smith's book Cleansing the Doors of Perception. In this period, Smith joined in on the Harvard Project as well, in an attempt to raise spiritual awareness through entheogenic plants.&nbsp;
He has been a friend of the XIVth Dalai Lama for more than 40 years and has met and talked to some of the great figures of the century, from Eleanor Roosevelt to Thomas Merton. Smith developed an interest in the Traditionalist School formulated by Rene Guenon and Ananda Coomaraswamy. This interest has become a continuing thread in all his writings.
In 1996 Bill Moyers devoted a five-part PBS special to Smith's life and work: The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith. Smith has also produced three series for public television: The Religions of Man, The Search for America, and (with Arthur Compton) Science and Human Responsibility. His films on Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Sufism have all won awards at international film festivals. His latest DVD release is The Roots of Fundamentalism—A Conversation with Huston Smith and Phil Cousineau.

Huston

Winston Churchill was a British statesman and politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th century, leading Britain through its darkest hour during World War II.
Churchill was born in 1874 and was educated at Harrow and Sandhurst. He began his career in the British Army and later transitioned into politics, serving as a Member of Parliament for over 60 years. He held several government positions throughout his career, including as the First Lord of the Admiralty, Minister of Munitions, and Secretary of State for War.
During World War II, Churchill served as Prime Minister and played a key role in leading Britain through the war. He made powerful speeches that rallied the nation and inspired the British people to keep fighting, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. His speeches are widely considered to be some of the greatest in history, with phrases such as "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never" and "We shall fight on the beaches" becoming famous.
One of Churchill's greatest achievements as Prime Minister was his strong alliance with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Together, they led the Allied powers to victory over Nazi Germany.
After World War II, Churchill served as Prime Minister again from 1951 to 1955 but was defeated in the general election. He remained an active Member of Parliament until 1964 and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his six-volume memoir of the war. He died in 1965 at the age of 90.
Churchill's legacy continues to this day, with many seeing him as a symbol of leadership, courage, and determination in the face of adversity. He is often ranked as one of the greatest British Prime Ministers, and his speeches are still studied and admired by people all over the world.
Winston Churchill was a prolific writer throughout his life, publishing books on a wide range of subjects. One of his most notable literary achievements is his six-volume memoir, The Second World War, which he wrote during and after the war. The work, which was published between 1948 and 1954, provides a detailed and personal account of the war from Churchill's perspective, including his thoughts and decisions as Prime Minister. The memoirs were international bestsellers and were praised for their historical accuracy and Churchill's literary skill.
In addition to his memoirs, Churchill also wrote several other books throughout his life. Some of his most notable works include:
<ul>
<li>"The World Crisis" (1923-1931): A five-volume work that covers the period of Churchill's life from 1911 to 1928 and includes his thoughts on World War I and its aftermath.</li>
<li>"My Early Life" (1930): An autobiographical work that covers Churchill's childhood and early career.</li>
<li>"A History of the English-Speaking Peoples" (1956-1958): A four-volume work that covers the history of the English-speaking peoples from the Anglo-Saxon period to the end of the 19th century.</li>
<li>"Painting as a Pastime" (1948): A book in which Churchill reflects on his hobby of painting and its therapeutic effects.</li>
</ul>
Churchill's books have been widely read and praised for their historical accuracy and literary merit. They provide valuable insights into the mind of one of the most important figures of the 20th century and continue to be studied and admired today.

Winston

Jocko Willink is an American retired Navy Seal officer, author, podcaster, and public speaker. He is best known for his involvement in the Battle of Ramadi, his success in the Navy SEALs, and his leadership philosophy, which is based on discipline, hard work, and respect for others.
Willink was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, on September 8, 1971. He joined the Navy in 1990 and, after graduating from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, was assigned to SEAL Team 3. During his service in the Navy, Willink completed multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and was eventually assigned to Task Unit Bruiser, the most decorated special operations unit of the Iraq War. During the Battle of Ramadi, Willink and his team helped to clear the city of insurgent forces, and their exemplary performance earned them the Navy Cross.
Willink retired from the Navy in 2010 and soon after began to share his leadership philosophy. He has authored several books, including Extreme Ownership, Leadership Strategy and Tactics, and Way of the Warrior Kid, as well as co-hosting the popular podcast Jocko Podcast.
Willink is also a respected public speaker, giving talks all over the world on topics such as leadership, discipline, and team building. He is a sought-after keynote speaker for both corporate and military events.
Willink is an advocate for physical and mental fitness, often speaking about the importance of proper nutrition and exercise. He also encourages people to push themselves and strive to become the best versions of themselves.
Willink is a highly respected figure in the military and business worlds, and his words have been an inspiration to many. His leadership philosophy is one that emphasizes discipline, hard work, and respect for others, and these values are ones that have served him well throughout his career.

Jocko

Rodney Stark is one of the leading authorities on the sociology of religion. He grew up in Jamestown, North Dakota, where he began his career as a newspaper reporter. Following a tour of duty in the US Army, Stark received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, where he held appointments as a research sociologist at the Survey Research Center and at the Center for the Study of Law and Society. For many years, the Pulitzer Prize nominee was a professor of sociology and professor of comparative religion at the University of Washington. In 2004 he became a Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences and co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University.&nbsp;
Stark has authored more than 150 scholarly articles and 32 books in 17 different languages, including several widely used sociology textbooks and best-selling titles like The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries; The Triumph of Faith: Why the World is More Religious Than Ever; The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World's Largest Religion; God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades; A Star in the East: The Rise of Christianity ion China; and The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success.

Rodney

Nassim Nicholas Taleb is a Lebanese-American essayist, scholar, statistician, and former trader and risk analyst whose work focuses on problems of randomness, probability, and uncertainty. He is the author of several books, including "The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable," which was published in 2007 and became a bestseller.
Taleb is a former trader and risk analyst and has worked as a professor of risk engineering at New York University's Tandon School of Engineering. He has a background in mathematics, statistics, and computer science and has published numerous papers in academic journals on topics related to randomness and uncertainty.
Taleb's main area of research is the study of "black swans," which he defines as rare events that have a large impact and are typically not predictable. He argues that traditional risk assessment methods, such as using historical data to predict future events, are inadequate because they fail to consider the possibility of black swan events.
Taleb is also known for his criticism of the concept of "normalcy" in statistics and his skepticism of the use of mathematical models in finance and economics. He has argued that the assumptions made in these models are often unrealistic and can lead to dangerous oversimplifications.
In addition to his work in academia, Taleb is also a public intellectual and has written several books for a general audience. His books have been widely discussed and debated in the media and have been translated into multiple languages.
Taleb is a strong advocate for antifragility, a concept he has developed and popularized in his books. Antifragility is the property of a system or entity that improves when subjected to volatility, shocks, stressors, or disorder and doesn't just remain indifferent to them.
Taleb's writing style is often characterized as provocative and contrarian, and he is known for his strong opinions on a wide range of topics. His work has been influential in the fields of economics, finance, and risk management and has also been discussed in the broader cultural and intellectual conversation.

Nassim Nicholas

Ryan Holiday is an American author, marketer, media strategist, and entrepreneur. He is the author of several bestselling books, including his most recent, Perennial Seller, as well as popular titles such as The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, Conspiracy, and Growth Hacker Marketing. Holiday has written for the New York Times, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, and other publications. He has also been featured in Time, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post.
Holiday is the founder of Brass Check, a creative consulting agency that specializes in marketing, media strategy, and creative consulting. He has worked with some of the world’s most successful authors, entrepreneurs, and public figures, including Tony Robbins, Tim Ferriss, Robert Greene, and Tucker Max. His clients also include media companies such as VICE, MTV, and Complex. He has also served as a consultant to brands such as American Apparel, Google, and Gillette.
As an author, Holiday has written nine books, three of which have become New York Times bestsellers. His books focus on topics such as personal and professional development, marketing, and media strategy. His most recent book, Perennial Seller, is a guide to creating and sustaining success in business, publishing, and life.
As a media strategist and consultant, Holiday has helped launch and reinvigorate several brands and campaigns. His work spans from creating marketing campaigns for startups and Fortune 500 companies to working as a creative consultant for media companies and major brands.
Holiday's work has been featured in major publications, including the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and The Washington Post. He has also appeared on television shows such as the Colbert Report, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and podcasts such as the Tim Ferriss Show and the Joe Rogan Experience.&nbsp;
In addition to his work as an author, media strategist, and consultant, Holiday is a frequent public speaker. He has been a keynote speaker at events such as SXSW, the World Business Forum, and the Inc. 5000 Conference. He also teaches marketing and media strategy classes at the University of California, Berkeley.
Holiday is passionate about helping others achieve their goals and dreams. He has created several online courses and resources to help entrepreneurs, creatives, and marketers better understand the media landscape, marketing, and creative strategies. He also serves as the Managing Director of the media startup, Contently and is an adviser to several startups and companies. He is also a mentor to many aspiring entrepreneurs and creators.

Ryan

Sam Harris is an American neuroscientist, philosopher, and author. He is the founder and CEO of Project Reason, a non-profit organization that promotes science and secularism. Harris is known for his critiques of religious faith and his promotion of scientific rationality and secular humanism. He has written several books, including "The End of Faith," "Letter to a Christian Nation," "The Moral Landscape," "Free Will," and "Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion." Harris is also a frequent speaker and commentator on neuroscience, philosophy, and religion issues.
Sam Harris hosts a podcast called "Making Sense," produced by his non-profit organization, Project Reason. The podcast features Harris having in-depth conversations with various guests, including scientists, scholars, authors, and other public figures. Topics of discussion on the podcast include science, philosophy, politics, and current events. The podcast is released weekly, and episodes can be found on various platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube. The podcast has been running since 2013 and has been well-received by listeners for its in-depth and thought-provoking conversations.
Harris has written extensively on neuroscience and its implications for understanding the nature of consciousness, free will, and morality. In addition, he is known for his work on the neural basis of belief and emotion and his critiques of traditional religious and spiritual beliefs.
Project Reason is a non-profit organization that promotes scientific understanding and critical thinking on issues related to religion, morality, and politics. It provides a forum for open and rational discussion of these topics and works to combat the influence of dogmatism and superstition in public life. Some of the activities of Project Reason include public lectures, debates, discussions with experts in various fields, and the production of multimedia content such as podcasts, videos, and articles. Harris' organization also provides educational resources and materials for educators and students.

Steven Pinker is an internationally renowned experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist, and popular science writer. He is a professor at Harvard University, where he has taught since 2003. He is the author of several books, including The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, and The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined.
Pinker's research focuses on language and cognition, and he is the chair of the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary. He is also a contributing editor for The New Republic, and he is a frequent commentator on popular science topics in newspapers and magazines.
Pinker was born in Montreal, Canada, in 1954. He received his B.A. from McGill University in 1976 and his Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University in 1979. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 2018 for his book, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined.
Pinker's research has been highly influential in the fields of linguistics, cognitive science, and evolutionary psychology. He has written extensively on the evolution of language, the nature of the mind, and the power of reason. He has also written on the topics of human intelligence, morality, beauty, and violence.
Pinker has argued that evolutionary forces largely shape human intelligence and that the human mind is a complex set of mental modules. He has also argued that reason can be used to solve moral dilemmas and that violence has declined over time due to the spread of reason.
Pinker's work has been widely praised by academics and intellectuals, and he has been described as one of the leading public intellectuals of our time. His books have been translated into dozens of languages, and they have sold millions of copies. He has appeared on numerous television shows and has been the subject of multiple documentaries.
In addition to his academic and popular writing, Pinker is also an active public speaker. He frequently lectures on scientific topics and has appeared as a guest on talk shows and news programs. He has been featured in numerous films, including the documentary film The Edge of Reason, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2016.
Pinker is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the American Philosophical Society. He has been awarded numerous honorary degrees, including doctorates from the Universities of Toronto, Harvard, and Oxford.

Steven

Paul Graham is an entrepreneur, programmer, and essayist. He is the co-founder of Y Combinator, a startup accelerator that has funded over 2,000 companies including Dropbox, Airbnb, and Reddit. His career has been focused on technology and startups. He began his career as a programmer and software developer, working on various projects and startups. In 1995, he co-founded Viaweb, one of the first web-based companies that allowed users to create their own online stores. The company was later sold to Yahoo in 1998 for $49 million.
After the sale of Viaweb, Graham turned his attention to startup investing and mentoring. In 2005, he co-founded Y Combinator, a startup accelerator that provides funding, resources, and mentorship to early-stage startups. Y Combinator has since funded over 2,000 companies, many of which have gone on to become successful and valuable companies, such as Dropbox, Airbnb, and Reddit.
Paul Graham has several notable achievements in his career, including:
<ul>
<li>Co-founding Viaweb: Viaweb was one of the first web-based companies that allowed users to create their own online stores. The company was later sold to Yahoo in 1998 for $49 million.</li>
<li>Fellowship at Harvard's Society of Fellows: Graham is a Fellow at Harvard's Society of Fellows, a prestigious group of scholars who receive funding and support to pursue their research.</li>
<li>Helping launch successful startups: Graham has helped launch many successful startups through Y Combinator and has mentored many entrepreneurs. Some of the successful companies that came out of Y Combinator include Dropbox, Airbnb, and Reddit.</li>
</ul>
In addition to his work with Y Combinator, Graham is also known for his essays on technology and startups. He has written extensively on the startup ecosystem, the role of technology in society, and the future of the internet. His essays have been collected in two books, "Hackers &amp; Painters" and "Ansi Common Lisp." He continues to share his thoughts and insights on his website, paulgraham.com.

Paul

Karen Armstrong is a British author and commentator of Irish Catholic descent known for her books on comparative religion. A former Roman Catholic religious sister, she went from a conservative to a more liberal and mystical Christian faith. She attended St Anne's College, Oxford, while in the convent and majored in English. She left the convent in 1969. Her work focuses on commonalities of the major religions, such as the importance of compassion and the Golden Rule.
Armstrong received the US$100,000 TED Prize in February 2008. She used that occasion to call for creating a Charter for Compassion, unveiled the following year. Armstrong was born at Wildmoor, Worcestershire, into a family of Irish ancestry who, after her birth, moved to Bromsgrove and later to Birmingham. In 1962, at the age of 17, she became a member of the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, a teaching congregation in which she remained for seven years.&nbsp;
Armstrong says she suffered physical and psychological abuse in the convent; according to an article in The Guardian newspaper, "Armstrong was required to mortify her flesh with whips and wear a spiked chain around her arm. When she spoke out of turn, she claims she was forced to sew at a treadle machine with no needle for a fortnight." Once she had advanced from postulant and novice to professed nun, she enrolled in St Anne's College, Oxford, to study English.&nbsp;
Armstrong left her order in 1969 while still a student at Oxford. After graduating with a Congratulatory First, she embarked on a DPhil on the poet Alfred Tennyson. According to Armstrong, she wrote her dissertation on a topic that the university committee had approved. Nevertheless, it failed her external examiner because the topic had been unsuitable. Armstrong did not formally protest this verdict, nor did she embark upon a new topic but instead abandoned hope of an academic career.&nbsp;
She reports that this period in her life was marked by ill health stemming from her lifelong but, at that time, still undiagnosed temporal lobe epilepsy. Around this time, she was lodged with Jenifer and Herbert Hart, looking after their disabled son, as told in her memoir The Spiral Staircase. Armstrong is unmarried. Although she described herself as a "freelance monotheist," more recently, she said, "I wouldn't even call myself a monotheist anymore. … If anything, I'm a Confucian, I think."
In 1976, Armstrong took a job teaching English at James Allen's Girls' School in Dulwich while working on a memoir of her convent experiences. This was published in 1982 as Through the Narrow Gate to excellent reviews. That year she embarked on a new career as an independent writer and broadcasting presenter. In 1984, British Channel Four commissioned her to write and present a television documentary on the life of St. Paul, The First Christian, a project that involved traveling to the Holy Land to retrace the steps of the saint.
Armstrong described this visit as a "breakthrough experience" that defied her prior assumptions and provided the inspiration for virtually all her subsequent work. In A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (1993), she traces the evolution of the three major monotheistic traditions from their beginnings in the Middle East to today and discusses Hinduism and Buddhism. As guiding "luminaries" in her approach, Armstrong acknowledges (in The Spiral Staircase and elsewhere) the late Canadian theologian Wilfred Cantwell Smith, a Protestant minister, and the Jesuit father, Bernard Lonergan. In 1996, she published Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths.
Armstrong's The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions (2006) continues the themes covered in A History of God and examines the emergence and codification of the world's great religions during the so-called Axial age identified by Karl Jaspers. In the year of its publication, Armstrong was invited to choose her eight favorite records for BBC Radio's Desert Island Discs program. She has made several appearances on television, including on Rageh Omaar's program The Life of Muhammad. Her work has been translated into forty-five languages.&nbsp;
She was an advisor for the award-winning PBS-broadcast documentary Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet (2002), produced by Unity Productions Foundation. In 2007 the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore invited Armstrong to deliver the MUIS Lecture. Armstrong is a fellow of the Jesus Seminar, a group of scholars and laypeople who attempts to investigate the historical foundations of Christianity. She has written numerous articles for The Guardian and other publications.&nbsp;
She was a key advisor on Bill Moyers' popular PBS series on religion, has addressed members of the United States Congress and was one of three scholars to speak at the UN's first-ever session on religion. She is a vice president of the British Epilepsy Association, otherwise known as Epilepsy Action. Armstrong, who has taught courses at Leo Baeck College, a rabbinical college and center for Jewish education located in North London, says she has been particularly inspired by the Jewish tradition's emphasis on practice and faith: "I say that religion isn't about believing things.&nbsp;
It's about what you do. It's ethical alchemy. It's about behaving in a way that changes you, that gives you intimations of holiness and sacredness." She maintains that religious fundamentalism is not just a response to but is a product of contemporary culture and, for this reason, concludes that "We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological, and religious boundaries.&nbsp;
Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensable to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community." Awarded the $100,000 TED Prize in February 2008, Armstrong called for drawing up a Charter for Compassion, in the spirit of the Golden Rule, to identify shared moral priorities across religious traditions to foster global understanding and a peaceful world. It was presented in Washington, D.C., in November 2009.&nbsp;
Signatories include Queen Noor of Jordan, the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Paul Simon. In 2012, the Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue recognized her outstanding achievement in advancing understanding about and among world religions and promoting compassion as a way of life. During her award residency in Canada, Armstrong gave the "State of the Charter for Compassion Global Address" and co-launched a compassionate cities initiative in Vancouver.

Karen

Scott Adams is an American cartoonist, writer, and businessman best known for creating the popular comic strip Dilbert. Adams has achieved considerable success as a cartoonist, author, and entrepreneur. He has been described as a "genius" and a "Renaissance man" due to his wide range of talents and interests.
Adams began drawing Dilbert while working as a bank teller in 1989, and it quickly became a hit. The strip was syndicated shortly thereafter and soon became a staple in newspapers around the world. In addition to creating Dilbert, Adams has written many books, including The Dilbert Principle and Dogbert's Clues for the Clueless.
Adams has also been very successful in business. He co-founded a software company called Adams-Martin Group in 1991 and sold it in 1998 for a reported $100 million. He then went on to develop an online comic strip called "The Dilbert Zone," which he sold to United Media in 1999.
Adams has also become a popular speaker and motivational coach. He has been a keynote speaker at numerous events, including the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He is an outspoken advocate for business-minded individuals, and his books and talks often focus on how to be successful in business.
Adams has achieved considerable success in his career and is widely admired for his creativity, intelligence, and success. He is an inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs and cartoonists alike and continues to be a leader in the world of business and cartooning.
In addition to his business and cartooning endeavors, Adams is also a passionate philanthropist. He has supported a number of charitable causes, including education and poverty alleviation. Adams also founded the Scott Adams Foundation, which provides grants to charitable organizations around the world.
Adams is also a vocal supporter of free enterprise and free markets. He is an outspoken critic of government regulation and government interference in the free market. He has written several books on the topic, including The Dilbert Future and Free Market Revolution.
Adams is a highly respected figure in the world of business and cartooning. He is an inspiration to many and continues to be a leader in the world of business and cartooning.

Scott

Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty (born November 20, 1940) is an American Indologist whose professional career has spanned five decades. A scholar of Sanskrit and Indian textual traditions, her major works include, 'The Hindus: an alternative history'; Asceticism and Eroticism in the Mythology of Siva; Hindu Myths: A Sourcebook; The Origins of Evil in Hindu Mythology; Women, Androgynes, and Other Mythical Beasts; and The Rig Veda: An Anthology, 108 Hymns Translated from the Sanskrit.&nbsp;
She is the Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of History of Religions at the University of Chicago, and has taught there since 1978. She served as president of the Association for Asian Studies in 1998. Wendy Doniger was born in New York City to immigrant non-observant Jewish parents, and raised in Great Neck, New York, where her father, Lester L. Doniger (1909–1971), ran a publishing business. While in high school, she studied dance under George Balanchine and Martha Graham.
She graduated summa cum laude in Sanskrit and Indian Studies from Radcliffe College in 1962, and received her M.A. from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in June 1963. She then studied in India in 1963–1964 with a 12-month Junior Fellowship from the American Institute of Indian Studies. She received a Ph.D. from Harvard University in June 1968, with a dissertation on Asceticism and Sexuality in the Mythology of Siva, supervised by Daniel H. H. Ingalls, Sr.&nbsp;
She obtained a D. Phil. in Oriental Studies from Oxford University, in February 1973, with a dissertation on The Origins of Heresy in Hindu Mythology, supervised by Robert Charles Zaehner. Doniger holds the Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor Chair in History of Religions at the University of Chicago. She is the editor of the scholarly journal History of Religions, having served on its editorial board since 1979, and has edited a dozen other publications in her career.&nbsp;
In 1985, she was elected president of the American Academy of Religion, and in 1997 President of the Association for Asian Studies. She serves on the International Editorial Board of the Encyclopædia Britannica. She was invited to give the 2010 Art Institute of Chicago President's Lecture at the Chicago Humanities Festival, which was titled, "The Lingam Made Flesh: Split-Level Symbolism in Hindu Art".
Since she began writing in the 1960s, Doniger has gained the reputation of being "one of America's major scholars in the humanities". Assessing Doniger's body of work, K. M. Shrimali, Professor of Ancient Indian History at the University of Delhi, writes: ... it (1973) also happened to be the year when her first major work in early India's religious history, viz., Siva, the Erotic Ascetic was published and had instantly become a talking point for being a path-breaking work.&nbsp;
I still prescribe it as the most essential reading to my postgraduate students at the University of Delhi, where I have been teaching a compulsory course on 'Evolution of Indian Religions' for the last nearly four decades. It was the beginning of series of extremely fruitful and provocative encounters with the formidable scholarship of Wendy Doniger. Doniger is a scholar of Sanskrit and Indian textual traditions. By her self-description,
I myself am by both temperament and training inclined to texts. I am neither an archaeologist nor an art historian; I am a Sanskritist, indeed a recovering Orientalist, of a generation that framed its study of Sanskrit with Latin and Greek rather than Urdu or Tamil. I've never dug anything up out of the ground or established the date of a sculpture. I've labored all my adult life in the paddy fields of Sanskrit, ...
Her books both in Hinduism and other fields have been positively reviewed by the Indian scholar Vijaya Nagarajan and the American Hindu scholar Lindsey B. Harlan, who noted as part of a positive review that "Doniger's agenda is her desire to rescue the comparative project from the jaws of certain proponents of postmodernism". Of her Hindu Myths: A Sourcebook Translated from the Sanskrit, the Indologist Richard Gombrich wrote: "Intellectually, it is a triumph..." Doniger's (then O'Flaherty) 1973 book Asceticism and Eroticism in the Mythology of Śiva was a critique of the "Great tradition Śivapurāṇas and the tension that arises between Śiva's ascetic and erotic activities."
Richard Gombrich called it "learned and exciting"; however, John H. Marr was disappointed that the "regionalism" so characteristic of the texts is absent in Doniger's book, and wondered why the discussion took so long. Doniger's Rigveda, a translation of 108 hymns selected from the canon, was deemed among the most reliable by historian of religion Ioan P. Culianu. However, in an email message, Michael Witzel called it "idiosyncratic and unreliable just like her Jaiminiya Brahmana or Manu (re-)translations."

Wendy

Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, and political activist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential intellectuals of the second half of the 20th century and one of the leading figures in linguistics. He is the author of more than 100 books on linguistics, war and politics, and mass media.
Chomsky is best known for his theory of generative grammar, which argues that the ability to learn and use language is innate and hardwired into the human brain. This theory has significantly impacted linguistics and influenced research in other fields, such as cognitive science and neuroscience.
In addition to his linguistics work, Chomsky is known for his political activism and critiques of U.S. foreign policy and capitalism. He has strongly criticized U.S. imperialism, U.S. interventions in Latin America, and U.S. support for authoritarian regimes. He has also written and spoken extensively about the role of the mass media in shaping public opinion and serving the interests of the powerful. In addition, Chomsky has advocated freedom of speech and democracy.
He is also known for criticizing the mainstream media and its role in shaping public opinion. He argues that the mainstream media serves the interests of the powerful rather than providing citizens with the information they need to make informed decisions about general issues. He has advocated for alternative media and independent journalism beholden to corporate or government interests.
Chomsky has significantly influenced the political left and peace and social justice movements. He has been described as "arguably the most important intellectual alive" by the New York Times and continues to be a prominent public intellectual and influential voice in political discourse.
In his political activism, Chomsky has been a vocal advocate for freedom of speech and democracy. He has advocated for alternative media and independent journalism not beholden to corporate or government interests. Chomsky has been critical of the mainstream media's role in shaping public opinion and often criticized the role of media in manufacturing consent.
Chomsky has been influential on the political left and has impacted various social movements and progressive causes. He advocates for workers' rights and has spoken out against poverty, inequality, and the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the few. He has also been a vocal critic of the influence of corporate governance on politics and the democratic process.
He is also an advocate for peace and is a strong critic of U.S. military interventions and wars, arguing that these actions often result in the loss of lives and civil liberties, as well as hindering the progress of democracy around the world. Chomsky has also been a vocal critic of the War on Terror, arguing that the "war" has been used to justify a wide range of human rights abuses and has hindered the progress of democracy worldwide.
In summary, Chomsky is an influential voice in political discourse, and his activism and writing often focus on democracy, human rights, and media manipulation. He is a strong advocate for social and political change, and his work continues to inspire and inform many progressive political movements.

Noam

Jeffrey

In his three previous volumes, Jeffrey Burton Russell, a prominent professor and theologian, explained that the Christian Devil has evolved over time, falling out of favor in some denominations while still being an important part of others.  In his new book—volume four of the series—he explains that the Devil gained popularity during the Renaissance and Enlightenment, becoming even more central to Western religious thought. 

Jordan Peterson is a Canadian clinical psychologist, cultural critic, and professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. He first gained widespread recognition in 2016 with the publication of his book "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos," which became a best-seller and sparked a global conversation about personal responsibility, masculinity, and the nature of meaning in life.
Peterson's ideas and teachings center around the idea of personal responsibility and self-improvement. He encourages individuals to take responsibility for their own lives and to strive for self-actualization rather than relying on external factors to create meaning and purpose in life. He is known for his critiques of political correctness and what he views as a lack of individual responsibility in society. He is also known for his views on masculinity and the role of men in society.
Peterson is a practicing clinical psychologist who has written extensively on personality and the psychological foundations of human behavior. He has also written about the intersection of psychology and religion and has been critical of postmodernism and Marxism.
Peterson has been a controversial figure, with some seeing him as a champion of free speech and individual rights, while others see him as promoting regressive and harmful ideas. He has faced criticism for his views on gender and race and for his opposition to certain government policies related to these issues.
In addition to his writing and speaking engagements, Peterson has also conducted research on the role of personality in mental health and has been involved in a number of clinical studies. He is also a popular lecturer and has given many public talks on a wide range of topics related to psychology, philosophy, and culture.
Peterson is a well-known figure in the cultural and intellectual landscape, known for his ideas on personal responsibility, self-improvement, and the nature of meaning in life, as well as his critiques of political correctness and certain government policies. Despite his critics, his impact is undeniable. His books and lectures have helped many people to improve themselves and their lives.
In addition to his books and lectures, Jordan Peterson also has a popular YouTube channel where he posts videos on a variety of topics, including psychology, philosophy, and cultural criticism. He is also active on social media, where he engages with his followers and shares his thoughts and ideas.
Peterson's influence extends beyond the academic and intellectual spheres. His ideas have resonated with a wide range of people, from young men seeking guidance on how to navigate the complexities of modern life to professionals looking for ways to improve their personal and professional lives. He has also been a vocal advocate for fathers' importance and encouraged men to take responsibility for their families and communities.
In 2019, Peterson announced that he was suffering from an addiction to benzodiazepines and that he would be taking a leave of absence from his work to focus on his recovery. In 2020, he announced that he was also suffering from a serious case of pneumonia and had to undergo chemotherapy, which left him with many health complications. Despite this, Peterson continues to publish new content, write and speak in interviews, showing great resilience and determination.
In summary, Jordan Peterson is a well-known figure in the cultural and intellectual landscape, known for his ideas on personal responsibility, self-improvement, and the nature of meaning in life. His books and lectures have helped many people to improve themselves and their lives. He is also active on YouTube and social media and continues to publish new content and speak in interviews despite his health issues.

Jordan

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Jeffrey Burton Russell's book Mephistopheles provides a deep understanding of the concept of evil. He explores the evolution of the devil figure, Mephistopheles, throughout history. This book will make you see the concept of evil from a different perspective.

Understanding the Concept of Evil

The book gives a detailed historical context of Mephistopheles. Russell digs into the origins and evolution of this devil figure, tracing its roots back to ancient times. You'll find it fascinating to see how the image of Mephistopheles has changed over the centuries.

Historical Context of Mephistopheles

Russell's research shows how Mephistopheles has influenced various aspects of culture, including literature, art, and even popular culture. It's interesting to see how this figure has been used to represent evil and temptation in different cultural contexts.

Impact of Mephistopheles on Culture

In Mephistopheles, Russell also explores the human nature and our capacity for good and evil. He makes you question your own beliefs and actions, encouraging you to look into your own nature and moral choices.

Exploring the Human Nature

The book offers profound theological insights. Russell takes a look at how the figure of Mephistopheles has been used in religious contexts, and what it tells us about our understanding of good and evil. This book will make you rethink your own spiritual beliefs.

Theological Insights

Mephistopheles

Jeffrey Burton Russell (born 1934) is an American historian and religious studies scholar. Russell received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1955 and his Ph.D. from Emory University in 1960. He is currently a Professor Emeritus of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has also taught History and Religious Studies at Berkeley, Riverside, California State University, Sacramento, Harvard, New Mexico, and Notre Dame.
Russell has published widely, mostly in medieval European history and the history of theology. His first book was Dissent and Reform in the Early Middle Ages (1965). He is most noted for his five-volume history of the concept of the Devil: The Devil (1977), Satan (1981), Lucifer (1984), Mephistopheles (1986), and The Prince of Darkness (1988).
In Inventing the Flat Earth (1991), he argues that 19th-century anti-Christians invented and spread the falsehood that educated people in the Middle Ages believed that the earth was flat. As one writer summarizes, "Russell also examined a large selection of textbooks and found those written before 1870 usually included the correct account, but most textbooks are written after 1880 uncritically repeated the erroneous claims in Washington Irving, John William Draper, and Andrew Dickson White.&nbsp;
Russell concludes that Irving, Draper, and White were the main writers responsible for introducing the erroneous flat-earth myth that is still with us today." Russell has also written two books on the history of the notion of Heaven: A History of Heaven: The Singing Silence (1997), which deals with the period from around 200 B.C. up to Dante, and Paradise Mislaid (2006), which takes the story up to the present day.

Discover the Best Books Written by Jeffrey Burton Russell

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Mephistopheles

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Mephistopheles

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