July 14, 2009
The Chronicle Review, which is the section of The Chronicle of Higher Education that focuses on all things book-related, ran an intriguing feature article last month. The article, titled “Reading Dickens Four Ways,” examined the novel Little Dorritt through four different text formats. The author explains her study thusly:
Do I love books or do I love reading?
When my book group picked Little Dorrit, I found myself asking that question.
…I went automatically to my old Penguin paperback, standing ready on the shelf. Never mind its familiar and friendly orange spine — I hesitated. Maybe it would make sense to read the book on the Kindle that my husband bought me last year. Then again, for my daily Manhattan life, I love audiobooks, the best choice for crowded public transportation and a wonderful companion for walking. And now that I use an iPhone, I have been surprised by the ease of reading its crisp, bright screen.
So, between the print edition, the audiobook, the Kindle, and the iPhone, who wins? As it turns out, the answer isn’t so simple. Click here to head over to the full article. If you’re at all interested in the future of publishing, it’s well worth a read.
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General | Tagged: publishing, e-books, Dickens, audio book, iPhone, Kindle | 
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Posted by Templeton Editor
July 10, 2009
For some time, the effect of the market economy on moral values has been strongly debated amongst many.
Recently, Pope Benedict XVI released his third encyclical titled Caritas in Veritate or “Charity in Truth.” The encyclical addressed a variety of issues but it focused on ethics and the economy. In his encyclical, Benedict stated the need for a “true world political authority” with “real teeth” to manage the global economy with God-centered ethics.
In October, the John Templeton Foundation also addressed the issue of ethics and the economy in its conversation on “Does the free market corrode moral character?” It is the fourth question in a series of conversations that the Foundation hosts among leading scientists, scholars, and public figures about the “Big Questions.” A few of the respondents answered with a strong “No!”, while others answered with an indecisive “Yes, sort of” or “Yes and no.”
Few agree on what exactly is moral, not to mention what corrodes morality. However, if the question Does the free market corrode moral character? was posed to you, how would you respond?
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John Templeton Foundation, News | Tagged: Big Questions, economics, John Templeton Foundation, Religion | 
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Posted by Templeton Editor
July 7, 2009
Tomorrow will mark the anniversary of the passing of our founder, Sir John Templeton. You can read more about his legacy as an investor, philanthropist, and visionary in our memorial post from last year.
1912-2008
One of the hallmarks of his personal philosophy was the idea of seeking “progress” in all endeavors. I think he would have found the past year fascinating — especially with regard to the progress we’ve been pursuing in our little corner of the publishing world. In our mission statement, he tasked us with seeking progress “through the development, acquisition, and publishing of books, videos, and other publications that will ultimately result in distribution of the materials to individuals and institutions through domestic and international sales, distribution, and translations.” In other words, he wanted us to disseminate knowledge on our core subject areas through any and all means to the widest possible audience.
In the past year we’ve not only witnessed the blossoming of new technologies that will bring our titles to a wider global audience (e-books, widgets, downloadable audio books, freely browsable online samples, etc.), but also an explosion of new ways of spreading our message beyond the book format through social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, our blogs, etc.). We’re even working on building our first iPhone App. It’s an exciting time to be involved in the publishing business — full of uncertainty, but also full of the kinds of possibilities that Sir John famously sought during other uncertain times.
Things are changing. The publishing world is experiencing progress on an unprecedented scale, and by embracing these advances we hope to honor his legacy as a true forward-thinking visionary.
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Sir John Templeton | Tagged: progress, publishing, Sir John Templeton, social media, technology | 
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Posted by Templeton Editor
July 2, 2009
Vic Mansfield was a professor of physics and astronomy at Colgate University. Along with a wide range of science courses, he taught courses focusing on Tibetan Buddhism and Jungian psychology. He is an award-winning teacher who published scores of technical articles in science and several dozen interdisciplinary papers connecting physics to Tibetan Buddhism and depth psychology. For nearly four decades, he practiced and studied with spiritual leaders in the U.S., Europe, and India.
On July 10, 2009, the inaugural Victor Mansfield Memorial Speaker Series will take place from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM in the Human Services Building, Ithaca, NY. The goal of the Speaker Series is to honor the memory and further the intellectual work of Vic Mansfield (1941-2008). Each year the series will host a Western scholar who has enhanced the study of Tibetan Buddhism. This year’s scholar is Dr. B. Alan Wallace, Founder and Director of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies.
The Speaker Series events are free to the public. Donations are welcomed. For more information click here.
Leave a Comment » | Author Blogroll, Science and Religion, Spring 2008 | Tagged: Author news, Conferences, Science & Religion, Spring 2008 books | Permalink
Posted by Templeton Editor
June 30, 2009
If you will be in the Phoenix area next month, you might want to check out the annual Metanexus Conference at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel. The theme this year is Cosmos, Nature, Culture: A Transdisciplinary Conference and the Metanexus site beckons you thusly:
Join us for the 10th international Metanexus Conference when philosophers, biologists, physicists, cosmologists, neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, theologians, scholars in religious studies, and other researchers and educators will discuss these and other profound questions of cosmos, nature, and culture in a rapidly evolving and complex world.
Among the many featured speakers and respected scholars are some of our very own Templeton Press authors, such as Nancy K. Morrison, Sally K. Severino, and Holmes Rolston. We’ll be there too, so be sure to drop by the Templeton Press table and say hello. Also be sure to wear plenty of sunscreen and stay hydrated (sorry, but as a former resident of “the valley of the sun” I feel compelled to share this advice with any and all visitors).
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Posted by Templeton Editor
June 25, 2009
We need your help! Amazon is a wonderful resource, but sometimes our lines of communication get crossed, and our data doesn’t always quite make it to their systems in tact. So we turn to the power of crowdsourcing!
If you have a few moments to spare head on over to Amazon and check out the listings for some of our books. If you see one of our titles listed without a cover image or product description… let us know here in the comments section! In return for helpful information, we will send you a book of your choice from our recently released Spring 2009 titles.
Just think… a mere five minutes of browsing could win you a FREE book!
NOTE: We’ll need to limit this to one book per user.
Leave a Comment » | Spring 2009 | Tagged: contest | Permalink
Posted by Templeton Editor
June 16, 2009
Can’t make it to New York for the World Science Festival? How about the new Galileo exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia instead? It runs from April through September and it showcases Galileo’s accomplishments, his relationship to the ruling Medici family, his discoveries, and his overall impact on astronomy, physics, and math. It also happens to be supported by our parent organization, the John Templeton Foundation.
If you’re looking for more Galileo, be sure to check out our Fall 2009 new titles, where you’ll find From Galileo to Gell-Mann: The Wonder that Inspired the Greatest Scientists of All Time. This beautiful new book is going to feature writings from Galileo and several other notable scientists on the sense of wonder and awe that inspired them to dedicate their lives to scientific research.
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Posted by Templeton Editor
