Philosophy Now bimonthly, $5.95

review by matt mccoy

    Philosophy Now is a dynamic publication whose editor changes with each magazine.  each new editor brings his own style and preference to the magazine, a necessity for avoiding the archaic, beating a dead horse rhetoric which scares away the non-philosopher.

    interviews and human interest stories link abstract philosophic ideas with our everyday lives.  the march/april issue features articles about food, including an overview of many philosophers’ favorite foods (or least favorite, including jean-paul sartre’s mescaline-induced fear of lobster).  an interview with peter singer introduces the reader to the ethical reasons behind vegetarianism and improving conditions for animals.

   the above may satisfy the more passive reader, but there are many more articles to satisfy the most avid philosopher.  one can find articles trying to pin down how we know (or if we can know), pitting kant against leibniz with a priori knowledge at stake.

   Philosophy Now is far from a light read, and not for the faint of heart.  $5.95 may seem steep for fifty pages of magazine, but after an article puts the intellectual values of your favorite foods in question, money will be the least of your worries.

The Progressive monthly, $3.95

review by matt mccoy

   The Progressive is an eclectic assortment of interviews, reviews, editorials and news features linked only by their leftist overtones. browsing through the magazine shows the reader the integrity of their editorial staff.  its traditional layout is given space by the frugal selection of advertisements.  the ads are almost as good as the articles they accompany, the organizations presented inform as well as advertise.

   inside, one finds reviews of books on social and political topics.  in addition to reviews, a list of newly-released books is included, making it easy to keep up with the newest additions to liberal thought. 

   the editorials offer insightful opinions on the most current of our nations polemics.  using quotes from our leaders and statistics from our government, the columnists attempt to demonstrate what america is doing right (or more often wrong) in terms of social policy.  last but not least is the cover story, usually a news feature with in-depth coverage of topics affecting the working man and woman in america.  these features will incense the reader, with a david and goliath feel, where david, middle and lower class citizens, is losing ground to goliath: big business, government and international organizations.

compiled by the bookpeople staff following one criterion: that the films will be good to watch on any summer afternoon or evening  

1. mademoiselle striptease

2. the princess bride

3. tampopo

4. battleship potemkin

5. the bandit queen

6. cradle will rock

7. ma vie en rose

8. caro diario

9. adventures of baron munchausen

10. wizards