Development Philosophy

At the turn of the twenty-first century, more than 150 countries pledged to eradicate hunger by 2030. But with only a few years left, we’re far from reaching that goal. Instead, hunger is on the rise—America itself recently experienced levels of food insecurity not seen since the Great Depression. How could the richest nation in the world have so many people going hungry? In The New Breadline, aid worker and activist Jean-Martin Bauer unravels this paradox.

Do you find yourself confronted with the nagging feeling that you should be doing more, making better decisions, being a better person, and wanting more out of your life? Once upon a time in Ancient China, there was a farmer with a brand-new horse. One day, his horse ran away. His neighbors gathered around him and said “It is so unfortunate for your horse to run away.”

Imagine if Bill Nye the Science Guy and Monty Python teamed up to host a TED Talk... while drunk... at a theology convention... in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Then you'd land smack in the middle of this loony book: "Crossing the God Line, What Frankenstein Knew that Darwin Didn't." This book doesn't ask "Where did we come from?" so much as it kicks that question in the shins and shouts, "Are you sure about that, Darwin?" Armed with equal parts curiosity, sarcasm, and a suspicious amount of caffeine, the author drags readers on a whirlwind safari through human development, evolution, ...

The inspirational story of a former Microsoft executive’s quest to build libraries around the world and share the love of books What’s happened since John Wood left Microsoft to change the world? Just ask six million kids in the poorest regions of Asia and Africa. In 1999, at the age of 35, Wood quit a lucrative career to found the nonprofit Room to Read. Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as "the Andrew Carnegie of the developing world", he strove to bring the lessons of the corporate world to the nonprofit sector - and succeeded spectacularly.

AS THE SERPENT chases its tail, one can try to catch the elusive Sun to take in a global sequence of perpetual sunrise. Development has its rewards and when you are asked, “For what am I working towards?” you may take us on our word that you are working for the day when you may witness the perpetual sunrise in all its glory! There are mysteries and there are Mysteries. Above all one should not get caught, feather and tarred, seeking the mystery because of the mysterious. Undoubtedly there is much excitement when standing at the frontier of certain knowledge. But true delight is gleaned ...

Being deprived of gathering has revealed just how important it is to us; to connect with others, collaborate, share ideas and create moving, life-affirming experiences. At a time when coming together is more crucial than ever, Priya Parker sets forth a human-centred approach to gathering that can help everyone create meaningful, memorable experiences in their lives, large and small, for work and for play.

Mission Failed [Successfully]: A Guide to Embracing Your F*ck-ups, is a no-nonsense, in-your-face manual about extracting gold from the rubble of your failures, embracing your beautifully f*cked-up self, and living life by your own rulebook. Crafted by the ridiculously candid Robert Walsh, this book slaps you with a cocktail of wisdom, lessons, and personal tales that nudge you to grab the wheel of your life and tell the idea of perfection to f*ck off. Kicking things off, Walsh dives headfirst into the realm of failure, painting it as a brutal but invaluable teacher – one that feels like ...

Are you tired of being manipulated by fake news and false arguments? Arm yourself with the ultimate weapon - critical thinking. Critical Thinking For Complex Issues is your guide to cutting through the noise and discovering the truth. Learn how to spot logical fallacies, overcome confirmation bias, and analyze arguments objectively. Case studies and examples throughout show you how to apply these powerful skills in real life. Master the art of Socratic questioning to get to the heart of any issue.

What we experience as “waking consciousness” is only a fraction of the total scope of consciousness available to us. This audiobook will introduce you to the concept of turiya, or pure consciousness, and explain how you can tap into this vast storehouse of knowledge and awareness. Most of us go through life without ever suspecting that there’s a higher level of consciousness that we can access. We’re content to go about our lives, day in and day out, without questioning reality's true nature. But what if there was more to consciousness than what we’re currently aware of?

In productive classrooms, teachers don't just teach children skills, they build emotionally and relationally healthy learning communities. Teachers create intellectual environments that produce not only technically competent students, but also caring, secure, actively literate human beings.

From the author of the best-selling If You Don't Feed the Teachers, They Eat the Students, comes an innovative resource for all who work with pre-K through 12th grade students. Neila Connors presents a wealth of strategies and techniques to help teachers develop, maintain, and sustain positive student relationships. If You Don't Feed the Students offers practical, commonsense methods for improving classroom performance, served up in an engaging and entertaining manner.

A profound expansion of David McCullough, Jr.’s popular commencement speech - a call to arms against a prevailing, narrow, conception of success viewed by millions on YouTube - You Are Not Special is a love letter to students and parents as well as a guide to a truly fulfilling, happy life. By acknowledging that the world is indifferent to them, McCullough takes pressure off of students to be extraordinary achievers and instead exhorts them to roll up their sleeves and do something useful with their advantages.

Here, leading social philosopher Roman Krznaric unearths fascinating insights and inspiration from the last 1000 years of world history that could help us confront the most urgent challenges facing humanity in the twenty-first century. From bridging the inequality gap and keeping AI under control, to reviving our faith in democracy and avoiding ecological collapse, History for Tomorrow shows that history is not simply a means of understanding the past but a way of reimagining our relationship with the future.

VITAL SIGNS: RESURRECTING THE DYING PARTS OF YOUR POTENTIAL. Your potential isn't dead—but parts of it are on life support, barely registering a pulse. In this raw, no-bullshit guide, bestselling author Robert Walsh delivers an emergency intervention for the flatlined aspects of your ambitions. This isn't fluffy self-help; it's a critical care manual for dreams that have stopped breathing. Each chapter monitors a different vital sign of your potential, from the irregular heartbeat of your confidence to the shallow breathing of your creativity. You'll discover exactly which parts of your ...

Best-selling author Rafe Esquith, the only teacher to receive the National Medal of Arts, has garnered the American Teacher Award and numerous other honors. Still teaching fifth graders in a small, leaky classroom in downtown Los Angeles, Esquith fosters a wholesome climate where character, humility, and diligence matter and support is unconditional. For his mostly poor and Hispanic students, Esquith models two maxims: Be nice and work hard, and There are no shortcuts. And his students thrive!

Gleaned from Rainer Maria Rilke's voluminous, never-before-translated letters to bereaved friends and acquaintances, The Dark Interval is a profound vision of the mourning process and a meditation on death's place in our lives. Following the format of Letters to a Young Poet, this book arranges Rilke's letters into an uninterrupted sequence, showcasing the full range of the great author's thoughts on death and dying as well as his sensitive and moving expressions of consolation and condolence.

In How Children Succeed, Paul Tough introduced us to research showing that personal qualities like perseverance, self-control, and conscientiousness play a critical role in children's success. Now, in Helping Children Succeed, Tough takes on a new set of pressing questions: What does growing up in poverty do to children's mental and physical development? How does adversity at home affect their success in the classroom, from preschool to high school?

Seen in The New York Times, on CNN, FOX, VICE, and more–Social skills and relationship coach Anthony Recenello’s brash approach to life transforms the ever-present media narrative that says that you must be extroverted and dominating to achieve romantic success and find fulfillment. Characterized as “the balanced introvert”, Recenello seeks to revitalize the seemingly lost art of soft spoken charm.

We are socialised to believe that schooling is synonymous with education, but it's only one approach. Self-directed education puts the child back in control of their learning. This enables children to flourish in their own time and on their own terms. It enables us to put wellbeing at the centre of education. Changing Our Minds brings together research, theory and practice on learning. It includes interviews with influential thinkers in the field of self-directed education and examples from families alongside practical advice.

While you can’t control the chaos around you, you can control how you respond to it. The solution lies in a powerful ancient philosophy that has stood the test of time… Stoicism offers a practical, grounded path to inner peace, resilience, and emotional clarity — no matter what life throws your way. You don’t have to stay stuck in the storm of modern life. Let Stoicism guide you back to clarity and calm — right where you are.