Audiobooks by Christopher Phillips

Battleground: 10 Conflicts that Explain the New Middle East

The essential guide to geopolitics in the modern Middle East The Middle East is in crisis. The shocking events of the war in Gaza have rocked the entire region. More than a decade ago, the Arab Spring had raised hopes of a new beginning but instead ushered in a series of civil wars, coups, and even harsher autocracies. Tensions were exacerbated by the meddling of outsiders, as regional and global powers sought to further their interests. The United States, for so long the dominant actor, had stepped back, leaving a vacuum behind it to be fought over. Christopher Phillips explores geopolitical rivalries in the region, and the major external powers vying for influence: Russia, China, the European Union, and the United States. Moving through ten key flashpoints, from Syria to Palestine, Phillips argues that the United States' overextension after the Cold War, and retreat in the 2010s, has imbalanced the region. Today, the Middle East remains blighted by conflicts of unprecedented violence and a post-American scramble for power-leaving its fate in the balance.

Christopher Phillips (Author), Elliot Fitzpatrick (Narrator)

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Six Questions of Socrates: A Modern-Day Journey of Discovery through World Philosophy

How people around the world grapple with the great questions posed by Socrates. What is virtue? What is moderation? What is justice? What is courage? What is good? What is piety? Socrates thought that understanding the perspectives of others on these six great questions would help him become a more excellent human being. Following in Socrates's footsteps, Christopher Phillips—'Johnny Appleseed with a master's degree' (Utne Reader)—investigates these same questions, beginning in the marketplace of modern-day Athens. He goes on to investigate the timely responses and outlooks of people from different cultures and backgrounds around the world: from Greece and Spain to Japan and Korea, Mexico City, and Chiapas, where the region's indigenous people struggle for fundamental human rights. Phillips also traveled throughout the United States, holding dialogues in diverse communities from New York City to the Navajo Nation. Introducing us to less familiar thinkers in non-Western traditions who were kindred spirits of Socrates, Phillips enlarges our perspectives on life's fundamental questions, creating an innovative world survey of philosophy.

Christopher Phillips (Author), Sean Rohani (Narrator)

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Socrates in Love: Philosophy for a Die-hard Romantic

A breakout book completing a trilogy of Socratic exploration by the inimitable Johnny Appleseed of philosophy. Christopher Phillips goes to the heart of philosophy and Socratic discourse to discover what we're all looking for: the kind of love that makes life worthwhile. Love here is not defined only or even primarily as eros, but in all its classic varietiesfrom love of family and love of neighbor to love of country, love of God, love of life, and love of wisdom. Phillips's explorations take us from New Orleans at Mardi Gras and the gambling dens of Las Vegas to the last evangelical revival presided over by Billy Graham. He talks with moms and dads about 'parent love,' with inmates of a maximum-security prison about 'unconditional love,' with Hurricane Katrina refugees and a family who took them in, and with Japanese seniors and schoolchildren in Hiroshima Peace Park. Throughout, he enriches his dialogues with commentary on the great philosophers of love from the ancients to Rumi to Ayn Rand and Anais Nin.

Christopher Phillips (Author), Sean Rohani (Narrator)

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Constitution Café: Jefferson's Brew for a True Revolution

“A provocative extension of Jefferson’s original plan.”—Kirkus Reviews Thomas Jefferson believed that every generation of Americans should rewrite our Constitution from scratch—to mirror the progress of the human mind and, most of all, to maintain the revolutionary spirit. He would be dismayed that it’s considered untouchable these days. Taking up Jefferson’s cause, Christopher Phillips leads a motley group of Americans across the fruited plain in an offbeat Constitutional Convention. His Constitution Café project is sparking a much-needed conversation about our founding document and forging common ground at a time when our country needs it most.

Christopher Phillips (Author), Dominic Hoffman (Narrator)

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Socrates Café: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy

Christopher Phillips is a man on a mission: to revive the love of questions that Socrates inspired long ago in ancient Athens. “Like a Johnny Appleseed with a master’s degree, Phillips has gallivanted back and forth across America, to cafés and coffee shops, senior centers, assisted-living complexes, prisons, libraries, day care centers, elementary and high schools, and churches, forming lasting communities of inquiry”—Utne Reader. Phillips not only presents the fundamentals of philosophical thought in this “charming, Philosophy for Dummies-type guide”—USA Today; he also recalls what led him to start his itinerant program and re-creates some of the most invigorating sessions, which come to reveal sometimes surprising, often profound reflections on the meaning of love, friendship, work, growing old, and others among Life’s Big Questions.

Christopher Phillips (Author), Patrick Lawlor (Narrator)

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Sócrates Café: Un soplo fresco de filosofía

Hace mucho tiempo que la filosofía pareciera haber renunciado a su papel como guía en la vida de las personas y haber dejado esta función a la ciencia, la política, la autoayuda o la cultura del éxito económico y laboral. Sin embargo, las grandes preguntas de la vida como: ¿qué significado tienen el amor y la amistad?, ¿cómo puedo saber si he actuado correctamente?, ¿por qué me angustia envejecer?, no se responden tan fácilmente desde ninguna de estas trincheras. En este libro, Christopher Phillips relata su aventura de regresar la filosofía a la gente, «a dónde pertenece», a través de la organización de espacios de diálogo y convivencia en librerías, cafés, escuelas, incluso en prisiones. En estas tertulias, la pregunta por el sentido de la vida se discute con la misma tranquilidad y alegría con la que se comparte una taza de café entre amigos. La critica ha dicho «Una interesante combinación de memorias y reflexión filosófica, […] Christopher Phillips muestra con éxito un método cautivador para lograr que la filosofía prospere más ampliamente.» Publishers Weekly

Christopher Phillips (Author), Rubén Hernández (Narrator)

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La filosofía de ser niños: Cómo liberar la creatividad, la curiosidad y la razón a través de la sabi

Cómo liberar la creatividad, la curiosidad y la razón a través de la sabiduría de los más jóvenes. La niñez es nuestra plataforma de despegue, el periodo de la vida en el que el aprendizaje es más intenso, y adquirimos el conocimiento crítico y las habilidades que nos permitirán adaptarnos. Filósofos de todas las épocas han señalado que, con el paso del tiempo, los seres humanos tendemos a encogernos mental y emocionalmente. Desvirtuamos nuestra naturaleza -caracterizada por la curiosidad, la empatía, la razón, el asombro y el deseo de experimentar y entender- y, de esta manera, se va volviendo borroso nuestro sentido de identidad. Comenzamos nuestras vidas con un estallido moral, intelectual y creativo. Siguiendo las evidencias científicas que así lo demuestran, Christopher Phillips advierte que la niñez no es simplemente un estado de desarrollo, de transformación -de llegar a ser-, ni la adultez un momento de plenitud o acabamiento. Si aprovechamos las cualidades propias de la niñez, no estaremos condenados a volvernos seres desanimados y frágiles, sino que creceremos y viviremos guiados por el asombro, la curiosidad, la imaginación, el sentido de juego y la compasión. Explorando y explotando la filosofía de ser niños, podremos desarrollar ilimitadamente nuestro potencial. Vinculando filosofía, ciencias sociales, investigación neurocientífica y anécdotas personales, este libro propone una aproximación radicalmente distinta al tema de la frontera entre niñez y adultez, para mostrarnos que la forma como los niños ven y viven el mundo puede ser una clave para un desarrollo pleno, para alcanzar eso que los griegos llamaban areté o excelencia.

Christopher Phillips (Author), Rubén Hernández (Narrator)

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The Essential Questions

In 2001, Phillips released the book Socrates' Café and started a movement that shares its title, spawning gatherings where, like the sages of old, modern-day thinkers - citizens like you and me - gather in dialogue to make sense of the choices we make as individuals and as a society. Now, he shares the insights he's gleaned from participating in such gatherings all across the continent, and reminds us of the critical role they play in the evolution of our democracy.

Christopher Phillips (Author), Michael Toms (Narrator)

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