“This book bridges contemporary self-help, activist political critique and the ancient art of storytelling. In passing down the wisdom he has gathered from fourteen meaningful conversations, David Weitzner provides suggestions for an ethical compass that guides his readers to reflect on their own choices, patterns and beliefs. A worthwhile and entertaining read.” — Jesse Hanson, Ph.D., registered psychotherapist as seen on Intervention Canada

“There is much practical wisdom in this book. We desperately need to have better conversations and Weitzner gives us a way forward.” — R. Edward Freeman, Olsson professor of business administration and academic director of the Institute for Business in Society at the Darden School of Business

“David Weitzner’s innovative path to wisdom challenges you to put down your phone, crawl out of your echo chamber, gather at a table, actively look a stranger in the eye and keep the conversation going. It’s not often that a book on philosophy can make you cry. Fifteen Paths is a work of straight-up punk rock philosophy.” — Heidi Noble, owner and executive winemaker of Joiefarm Winery

Our social conversation has gone awry. We have allowed the wrong people to claim substantial amounts of social, political and economic power, leaving many of us to feel left out, left behind or left alone. We need to rethink what it means to listen, to think, to create and to be democratically engaged citizens. But how?

Documenting a year of searching, Fifteen Paths is the work of a disillusioned business professor who gave up on old arguments and set out to learn about the power of imagination with iconoclastic visionaries, including Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), Nels Cline (Wilco), Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band), Angelo Moore (Fishbone) and Mike Mignola (Hellboy). Fifteen Paths concludes that there are no passive observers: this is an indispensable guide on how we can improve civic participation, expand inclusiveness in the world of economics, express our hopes and fears in the spiritual realm and build a shared culture of wisdom.

“There is much practical wisdom in this book. We desperately need to have better conversations and Weitzner gives us a way forward.” — R. Edward Freeman, Olsson Professor of Business Administration and Academic Director of the Institute for Business in Society at the Darden School of Business

“This book bridges contemporary self-help, activist political critique and the ancient art of storytelling. In passing down the wisdom he has gathered from fourteen meaningful conversations, David Weitzner provides suggestions for an ethical compass that guides his readers to reflect on their own choices, patterns and beliefs. His ability to extract wisdom from conversation is akin to the morals that rise forth from Aesop’s fables. A worthwhile and entertaining read.” — Jesse Hanson, Ph.D., Registered Psychotherapist as seen on Intervention Canada

“David Weitzner’s innovative path to wisdom challenges you to put down your phone, crawl out of your echo chamber, gather at a table, actively look a stranger in the eye and keep the conversation going. It is not often that a book of philosophy can make you cry, not once, but twice, with images so beautiful and profoundly resonant you can’t help but wonder if we’ve kicked ourselves out of our own state of cultural Eden. The result is messy, uncomfortable, even violent, requiring a collective act of creative destruction to push forward into a state of “safe” dissonance — showing up to a brave new artistic world breathed full of integrated love, vulnerability, curiosity. Fifteen Paths is a work of straight-up punk rock philosophy.” — Heidi Noble, owner and executive winemaker of JoieFarm Winery

“Fifteen Paths truly is a conversation, and it’s an enlightening one. This book is an important read for business people, and for anyone who wants to be provoked and challenged to think differently about the world.” — All About Work blog