Georg Luck's Books

Arcana Mundi: A Collection of Ancient Texts

Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds

By: Georg Luck

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Arcana Mundi: A Collection of Ancient Texts

Magic and the Occult in the Greek and Roman Worlds

By: Georg Luck

Discover a different way to see classical civilization in this collection of ancient Greek and Roman texts on magic and the occult. Magic, miracles, daemonology, divination, astrology, and alchemy were the arcana mundi, the “secrets of the universe,” of the ancient Greeks and Romans. In this path-breaking collection of Greek and Roman writings on magic and the occult, Georg Luck provides a comprehensive sourcebook and introduction to magic as it was practiced by witches and sorcerers, magi and astrologers, in the Greek and Roman worlds. In this new edition, Luck has gathered and translated 130 ancient texts dating from the eighth century BCE through the fourth century CE. Thoroughly revised, this volume offers several new elements: a comprehensive general introduction, an epilogue discussing the persistence of ancient magic into the early Christian and Byzantine eras, and an appendix on the use of mind-altering substances in occult practices. Also added is an extensive glossary of Greek and Latin magical terms. In Arcana Mundi Georg Luck presents a fascinating?and at times startling?alternative vision of the ancient world. “For a long time it was fashionable to ignore the darker and, to us, perhaps, uncomfortable aspects of everyday life in Greece and Rome,” Luck has written. “But we can no longer idealize the Greeks with their “artistic genius” and the Romans with their “sober realism.” Magic and witchcraft, the fear of daemons and ghosts, the wish to manipulate invisible powers?all of this was very much a part of their lives.” “An excellent translation of ancient texts on the subject, but it’s a lot more than that. It’s a glimpse into the minds of the everyday people of the times and what made them turn, what made them stop, what made them look over their shoulders.” —Courier-Gazette,(Rockland, Maine) “No one currently at work in ancient magic or related fields can remotely compare with Luck for the breadth and profundity of his knowledge of the literary texts . . . or for the humility and lightness of touch with which he conveys his scholarship.” —Daniel Ogden, author of Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds

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859

Publisher

JHU Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0801888972

ISBN 13

9780801888977

The Heart of Africa

Vol. 1

By: Georg Schweinfurth

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The Heart of Africa

Vol. 1

By: Georg Schweinfurth

Reprint of the original, first published in 1873.

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Page Count

614

Publisher

BoD – Books on Demand

Published Date

ISBN 10

3385200318

ISBN 13

9783385200319

The Philosophy of the Daodejing

By: Hans-Georg Moeller

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The Philosophy of the Daodejing

By: Hans-Georg Moeller

For centuries, the ancient Chinese philosophical text the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) has fascinated and frustrated its readers. While it offers a wealth of rich philosophical insights concerning the cultivation of one's body and attaining one's proper place within nature and the cosmos, its teachings and structure can be enigmatic and obscure. Hans-Georg Moeller presents a clear and coherent description and analysis of this vaguely understood Chinese classic. He explores the recurring images and ideas that shape the work and offers a variety of useful approaches to understanding and appreciating this canonical text. Moeller expounds on the core philosophical issues addressed in the Daodejing, clarifying such crucial concepts as Yin and Yang and Dao and De. He explains its teachings on a variety of subjects, including sexuality, ethics, desire, cosmology, human nature, the emotions, time, death, and the death penalty. The Daodejing also offers a distinctive ideal of social order and political leadership and presents a philosophy of war and peace. An illuminating exploration, The Daodejing is an interesting foil to the philosophical outlook of Western humanism and contains surprising parallels between its teachings and nontraditional contemporary philosophies.

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186

Publisher

Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

023113679X

ISBN 13

9780231136792

The Moral Fool

A Case for Amorality

By: Hans-Georg Moeller

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The Moral Fool

A Case for Amorality

By: Hans-Georg Moeller

Justice, equality, and righteousness these are some of our greatest moral convictions. Yet in times of social conflict, morals can become rigid, making religious war, ethnic cleansing, and political purges possible. Morality, therefore, can be viewed as pathology-a rhetorical, psychological, and social tool that is used and abused as a weapon. An expert on Eastern philosophies and social systems theory, Hans-Georg Moeller questions the perceived goodness of morality and those who claim morality is inherently positive. Critiquing the ethical "fanaticism" of Western moralists, such as Immanuel Kant, Lawrence Kohlberg, John Rawls, and the utilitarians, Moeller points to the absurd fundamentalisms and impracticable prescriptions arising from definitions of good. Instead he advances a theory of "moral foolishness," or moral asceticism, extracted from the "amoral" philosophers of East Asia and such thinkers as Ludwig Wittgenstein and Niklas Luhmann. The moral fool doesn't understand why ethics are necessarily good, and he isn't convinced that the moral perspective is always positive. In this way he is like most people, and Moeller defends this foolishness against ethical pathologies that support the death penalty, just wars, and even Jerry Springer's crude moral theater. Comparing and contrasting the religious philosophies of Christianity, Daoism, and Zen Buddhism, Moeller presents a persuasive argument in favor of amorality.

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224

Publisher

Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0231519249

ISBN 13

9780231519243

Hydration and Intermolecular Interaction

Infrared Investigations with Polyelectrolyte Membranes

By: Georg Zundel

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Hydration and Intermolecular Interaction

Infrared Investigations with Polyelectrolyte Membranes

By: Georg Zundel

Hydration and Intermolecular Interaction: Infrared Investigations with Polyelectrolyte Membranes focuses on the intriguing possibilities of ion-exchange resins. This book explains that water-containing ionized resins are unique models of electrolyte solutions that enable the study of water behavior in the solvation sphere without interference from the bulk of solvent. The topics discussed include assignment of the IR bands, free water molecule, electron structure of the anions in the salts, and removal of antisymmetric stretching vibration. The measurements on polystyrenesulfonic acid as a function of degree of hydration, preparation of membranes for IR spectroscopy, and IR investigations at low temperatures are also deliberated. This publication is beneficial to chemists, electrochemists, and spectroscopists.

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Page Count

325

Publisher

Elsevier

Published Date

ISBN 10

0323155847

ISBN 13

9780323155847

Travels in Ireland, Part 4

By: Johann Georg Kohl

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Travels in Ireland, Part 4

By: Johann Georg Kohl

This is a reproduction of part of the original text of 'Travels in Ireland' by J.G. Kohl (1808-1878), German travel writer and historian, first published in 1844. It takes through Dundalk, Newry, Belfast and the Antrim Coast, Rathlin and the Giant's Causeway. It gives a picture of Ireland prior to the Great Famine. Having visited the Boyne and New Grange, he spends an evening of Gaelic story telling and music. The neat orderliness of County Down is contrasted with the wretchedness of the rest of rural Ireland. Newry and Belfast are marked by of the emergence of new world of enterprise and mechanization. In contrast, his trip up the north coast is into the remnants of Gaelic Ireland. His account of life on Rathlin Island and his speculations on the origin of the Giant's Causeway reveal the breadth of his informed interest in both folklore, scientific investigation and the emerging rationalism of his age. This edition has been enhanced by the inclusion of footnotes and an index.

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Page Count

148

Publisher

Lulu.com

Published Date

ISBN 10

1909906395

ISBN 13

9781909906396

Book's by Georg Luck

Arcana Mundi: A Collection of Ancient Texts

Arcana Mundi: A Collection of Ancient Texts

The Heart of Africa

The Heart of Africa

The Philosophy of the Daodejing

The Philosophy of the Daodejing

The Moral Fool

The Moral Fool

Hydration and Intermolecular Interaction

Hydration and Intermolecular Interaction

Travels in Ireland, Part 4

Travels in Ireland, Part 4

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