"'This is a book about humanists, but even humanists cannot agree on what a humanist is,' declares Sarah Bakewell. Indeed, for centuries now, thinkers, writers, scholars, politicians, activists, artists, and countless others have been searching for and refining a philosophy of the human spirit. Humanism can be found in writings of Plato and Protagoras and in the thought of Confucius. It is ever-present in the work of Michel de Montaigne, and guided...

In this collection, CBS News anchor Couric calls upon leaders and visionaries in the fields of politics, entertainment, sports, philanthropy, the arts, and business, all of whom share heartfelt insights about success and fulfillment. Includes contributions by Madeleine Albright, Bill Clinton, Chelsea Handler, Malcolm Gladwell, Steve Martin, Helen Mirren, and dozens of others.

From the age of Darwin to the present day, biologists have been grappling with the origins of our moral sense. Why, if the human instinct to survive and reproduce is "selfish," do people engage in self-sacrifice, and even develop ideas like virtue and shame to justify that altruism? Many theories have been put forth, some emphasizing the role of nepotism, others emphasizing the advantages of reciprocation or group selection effects. But evolutionary...

Sebastian Rudd is not your typical street lawyer...He has no firm, no partners, no associates, and only one employee, his driver, who's also his bodyguard, law clerk, confidant, and golf caddy...Sebastian defends people other lawyers won't go near: a drug-addled, tattooed kid rumored to be in a satanic cult, who is accused of molesting and murdering two little girls; a vicious crime lord on death row; a homeowner arrested for shooting at a SWAT team...

"Beyond Religion" is a stirring call to move beyond religion for the guidance to improve human life on individual, community, and global levels--including a guided meditation practice for cultivating key human values.

A young aspiring engineer comes to realize that failure is necessary for success.

In a desert zone in California, a civilian tribunal sentences groups of dissidents and gives them the option of participating in law enforcement exercises in the Bear Montain National Punishment Park. Now these prisoners have to fight for their lives.

Over 5300 years ago, a Neolithic clan settled near a creek. While their leader Kelab is hunting, the settlement is attacked, and the tribe is brutally murdered, amongst them Kelab's wife and son. His infant son is missing. He sets out after the murderers on what turns into a grand odyssey where he must fight constantly, for the infant's survival; against the forces of nature; against hunters; the loneliness of the quest, and the growing sense of doubt...