History of ideas Books

Book SynopsisAnticlerical legacies is the first comprehensive study of the reception of Thomas Hobbes’s ideas by the English deists and freethinkers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.One of the most important English philosophers of all time, Hobbes’s theories have had an enduring impact on modern political and religious thought. This book offers a new perspective on the afterlife of Hobbes’s philosophy, focusing on the readers who were most sympathetic to his critical and radical ideas in the decades following his death. It investigates how Hobbes’s ideas shaped the English anticlerical campaign that peaked in the early eighteenth century and that was essential for the emergence of the early Enlightenment.The book shows that a large number of writers – Charles Blount, John Toland, Anthony Collins, Matthew Tindal, Thomas Morgan, and many others – were more Hobbesian than has ever been appreciated. Not only did they engage consistently with Hobbes’s ideas, they even invoked his authority at a time when doing so was highly unpopular. Most fundamentally, they carried on Hobbes’s war against the kingdom of darkness and used various Hobbesian weapons for their own war against priestcraft.Analysing the ways in which the deists and freethinkers developed their nuanced theories and conducted their heated dialogues with the orthodoxy, they emerge from this study as sophisticated and valuable theorists in their own right. The case of Hobbes and his successors demonstrates that anticlericalism was a key component of a much larger programme whose primary aim was to secure civil harmony, peace, and stability.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 The early days of English deism (c. 1670–1695)2 The deist controversy (1696–1710)3 The age of freethinking (1711–1723)4 The last battle (1724–1740)Conclusion

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Book SynopsisIntroduction by Neal AschersonIn our globalised but increasingly polarised age, Kapuscinski shows how the Other remains one of the most compelling ideas of our times.In this reflection on a lifetime of travel, the renown travel writer takes a fresh look at the Western idea of the Other: the non-European or non-American. Looking at this concept through the lens of his own encounters in Africa, Asia and Latin America, Kapuscinski traces how the West has understood the Other from classical times to colonialism, from the Age of Enlightenment to the postmodern global village.Trade Review' He has given the truest, least partial, most comprehensive and vivid account of what life is like on our planet . . .A great imaginative writer, he goes way beyond the material he is processing. -- Geoff Dyer * Guardian *Kapuscinski trascends the limitations of journalism and writes with the narrative power of a Conrad or Kipling or Orwell -- Blake MorrisonThe 20th century's most telling spokesman for the millions of ordinary people who are trapped in the vagaries of authoritarian regimes * Independent *The true master of journalism -- Gabriel Garcia MarquezKapuscinski saw more, and more clearly, if not always perfectly, than nearly any writer one can think to name. Few have written more beautifully of unspeakable things. Few have had his courage, almost none his talent. His books changed the way many of us think about nonfiction -- Tom Bissel * New York Times Book Review *In this short, simple, extraordinarily intelligent book, Kapuscinksi explores what it is to be European, to be non-European, to be colonised, to be the coloniser, to have or to impose an identity. -- Jason Burke * Observer *Intelligently written. * Guardian *A powerful, quasi-religious, meditation on the power of humbling oneself in the face of the unknown. * Independent *

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Book Synopsis Recent devaluations of a liberal arts education call the formative concept of Bildung, a defining model of self-cultivation rooted in 18th and 19th century German philosophy and culture, into question and force us to reconsider what it once meant and now means to be an “educated” individual. This volume uses an arc of interdisciplinary scholarship to map both the epistemological origins and cultural expressions of the pivotal notion of Bildung at the heart of pursuit in the humanities. From its intriguing original historical manifestations to its continuing resonance in current ongoing debates surrounding the humanities, the editors urge us to ask and discover how the classical concept of Bildung, so central to humanistic inquiry, was historically imagined and applied in its original German context.Table of Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction Jennifer Ham, Ulrich Kinzel, and David Tse-chien Pan Chapter 1. Self-cultivation and the Police State: The Political Context of Wilhelm von Humboldt’s Concept of Bildung Ulrich Kinzel Chapter 2. Fichte’s Conception of Bildung and German National Identity David Tse-chien Pan Chapter 3. Becoming Solid: Bildung and Storage Media in Moritz’s and Goethe’s Italian Travels Sean Franzel Chapter 4. Schinkel’s Altes Museum as “Bildungsmuseum”: The Aesthetic Education of a National Community and the Makings of the Modern Museum Andrea Meyertholen Chapter 5. From Bildungsmaschine to Willenserziehung: Nietzsche’s Project of “Heroic Minds” Jennifer Ham Chapter 6. The Self-Formation of Poetic Expression: Wilhelm Dilthey’s Geistesgeschichte Anna Guillemin Chapter 7. Bildung as Dialectical and Theological Hermeneutics in the Service of the Humanities John Smith Conclusion Index

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Book SynopsisThis edited collection offers a reassessment of the complicated legacy of Emer de Vattel’s Droit des gens, first published in 1758. One of the most influential books in the history of international law and a major reference point in the fields of international relations theory and political thought, this book played a role in the transformation of diplomatic practice in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. But how did Vattel’s legacy take shape? The volume argues that the enduring relevance of Vattel’s Droit des gens cannot be explained in terms of doctrines and academic disciplines that formed in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Instead, the chapters show how the complex reception of this book took shape historically and why it had such a wide geographical and disciplinary appeal until well into the twentieth century. The volume charts its reception through translations, intellectual, ideological and political appropriations as well as new practical usages, and explores Vattel’s discursive and conceptual innovations. Drawing on a wide range of sources, such as archive memoranda and diplomatic correspondences, this volume offers new perspectives on the book’s historical contexts and cultures of reception, moving past the usual approach of focusing primarily on the text. In doing so, this edited collection forms a major contribution to this new direction of study in intellectual history in general and Vattel’s Droit des gens in particular.Table of ContentsKoen Stapelbroek and Antonio Trampus – The legacy of Vattel’s Droit des gens: contexts, concepts, reception, translation and diffusion.- PART I: Vattel’s ideas and his context.- Radoslaw Szymanski – Vattel as an intermediary between the economic society of Berne and Poland.- Frederic Iéva – “A poor imitation of Grotius and Pufendorf?” Biographical uncertainties and the laborious genesis of Vattel’s Droit des gens.- Alberto Carrera – The citizen’s right to leave his country: The concept of exile in Vattel’s Droit des Gens.- Koen Stapelbroek – The foundations of Vattel’s ‘system’ of politics and the Seven Years’ War: moral philosophy, luxury and the constitutional commercial state.- Antonella Alimento – Publication strategies and reform politics: the French circulation of Vattel’s Droit des gens.- PART II: The reception of Vattel in Italy and elsewhere.- Antonio Trampus – Good government and the sovereignty of small states: the Eighteenth and Nineteenth century reception of the Droit des gens.- Danilo Pedemonte – Vattel in the Republic of Genua: theory and practice.- Alberto Clerici – Vattel in the Papal State. Anti-Prussian propaganda and the Law of nations in Italy during the Seven Years’ War.- Gert-Fredrik Malt – Vattel's system for subjects in international law and the establishment of Norway as a Nation in 1814.- Elisabetta Fiocchi Malaspina – The legacy of Vattel’s Droit des gens in the long nineteenth century.-

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a new interpretation of William Morris’s utopianism as a strategic extension of his political writing. Morris’s utopian writing, alongside his journalism and public lectures, constituted part of a sustained counter-hegemonic project that intervened both into the life-world of the fin de siècle socialist movement, as well as the dominant literary cultures of his day. Owen Holland demonstrates this by placing Morris in conversation with writers of first-wave feminism, nineteenth-century pastoralists, as well as the romance revivalists and imperialists of the 1880s. In doing so, he revises E.P. Thompson’s and Miguel Abensour’s argument that Morris’s utopian writing should be conceived as anti-political and heuristic, concerned with the pedagogic education of desire, rather than with the more mundane work of propaganda. He shows how Morris’s utopianism emerged against the grain of the now-here, embroiled in instrumental, propagandistic polemic, complicating Thompson’s and Abensour’s view of its anti-political character.Table of ContentsPART I.- ONE: Introduction: No-where and now-here.- TWO: Twentieth-century critical readings of Morris’s utopianism.- PART II.- THREE: At the cross-roads of socialism and first-wave feminism.- FOUR: The pastoral structure of feeling in Morris’s utopianism.- FIVE: Imperialism, colonialism and internationalism.- SIX: Organic and mechanical.- BIBLIOGRAPHY.- Index

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Book SynopsisEarthbound – In Dialogue with Nature gathers forward-thinking works proposing alternative ways of shaping the complex relationship between human activities and the ecosystem—visionary approaches that emphasize the need for dialogue through new forms of interaction and that consciously, by challenging political and geographical boundaries, intervene in the current debate to initiate change. Created in collaboration HEK, Haus der elektronischen Künste, a young institution from Basel, dedicated to digital culture and its new art forms, and curated by Sabine Himmelsbach, Director HEK, and Boris Magrini, Head of Program HEK, this exhibition demonstrates that precisely where other strategies fail, art can open up new perspectives.

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Book SynopsisRobert Boyle, one of the most important intellectuals of the seventeenth century, was a gifted experimenter, an exceptionally able philosopher, and a dedicated Christian. In Boyle’s two Excellencies, The Excellency of Theology Compared with Natural Philosophy and About The Excellency and Grounds of the Mechanical Hypothesis, he explains and justifies his new philosophy of science while reconciling it with Christian theology. These pioneering works of early science and theology are now available in a modernized and accessible new edition.This Broadview edition brings spelling and punctuation into line with current conventions and includes notes and references to set the works in their historical and philosophical context. The appendices include works by Boyle’s predecessors in the philosophy of science, other philosophical writings by Boyle, and an appendix of the other figures mentioned in the texts.Trade Review“To the Excellencies of Boyle published here we can add a third—the excellence of J.J. MacIntosh’s more-than-welcome edition that will make these important works accessible to an unprecedented degree. The edition animates the texts in the way that Boyle’s contemporary Richard Baxter thought that ‘his philosophy was the life of his theology (and conversely).’ The introduction, annotations, and appendices alone will be of great value to all those interested not only in Boyle, but also in any of the intellectual figures of the period.” — Thomas Lennon, University of Western Ontario“In his edition, J.J. MacIntosh offers a modernized text of Boyle’s Excellencies, together with a lengthy introduction comprising a discursive biographical account of Boyle, a synopsis of his argument, and an account of the thinkers who influenced him. MacIntosh provides helpful extra headings indicating the content of the different components of the main treatise, and elucidatory footnotes that sometimes give analogous passages from other writings by Boyle and others. At the end appear a series of appendices, notably one giving biographical notes on people mentioned in the text. In all, this edition should do much to make Boyle accessible to a wider audience.” — Michael Hunter, Birkbeck, University of LondonTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Robert Boyle: A Brief Chronology A Note on the Text: Conventions, Terminology, TranscriptionsThe Excellency of Theology, Compared with Natural Philosophy The Publisher’s Advertisement to the Reader The Author’s Preface The Introduction The First Part: The Positive Reasons for Studying Theology The First Section: The Nobility of Theology’s Object The Second Section: Our Obligation to Study Theology The Third Section: The Advantages Accruing from a Study of Theology The Second Part: A Comparison of the Advantages of Natural Philosophy and Theology The First Section: The Delights and Drawbacks of Natural Philosophy The Second Section: The Practical Goods Resulting from Natural Philosophy and from Theology The Third Section: The Supposed Certainty and Clearness of Physics as Opposed to the Darkness and Uncertainty of Theological Matters The Fourth Section: The Natural Philosopher’s Unjustified Pride of Achievement The Fifth Section: The Value of the Fame that Scientific Attainments Bring The Conclusion About The Excellency and Grounds of the Mechanical HypothesisThe Publisher’s AdvertisementAppendix A: People Mentioned in the Text Appendix B: Boyle’s “Corpuscularianism”Appendix C: Aristotle’s Arguments against the Void Appendix D: The Requisites of a Good Hypothesis Appendix E: Boyle on Fame Appendix F: Future Contingents Appendix G: Moral Demonstrations: Boyle, Smith, and “A Person of Honour”Appendix H: Jonathan Swift’s “Broomstick” and Boyle’s Occasional ReflectionsAppendix I: Coke, Boyle, and Edwards on Testimony Appendix J: A Review of the Excellency and Grounds of the Mechanical Hypothesis (May 1674) Appendix K: John Evelyn to Boyle (20 June 1774)Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisVisiting Italy in the months preceding the Scottish referendum of 2014, Ali Ansari was struck by the admiration of Italian colleagues for the liberalism of a state that would allow, and even encourage, one of its constituent parts to resolve the question of their own independence. Such a development, they noted, would be inconceivable in Europe. In this fascinating contribution to the Haus Curiosities series, Ansari considers the idea of Britain as a political entity. Invented to integrate conflicting nationalisms in an `ever more perfect union' it has succumbed to particular resurgent nationalisms in a curious reversal of fortune. The idea of Britain sits awkwardly in the margins of this discussion, which considers some nationalists suppressed minorities, in need of attention, and others to be bigoted throwbacks to a more divisive age. Arguing the case for `Great Britain' from the perspective of the political mythology of the British state - with an emphasis on culture, ideas and narrative constructions - Ansari makes the claim that Britain's strength lies in its ability of shape the popular imagination, both at home and abroad, and that an `excess of enthusiasm' may yet do untold damage to the fabric of a state and society that has been carefully constructed and will not be easily repaired.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Morris D. Forkosch Book Prize, Journal for the History of Ideas""For those curious to know the role of ridicule in eighteenth-century Britain, Ross Carroll’s Uncivil Mirth is the place to start. In it, readers will find a reliable survey of the main lines of argument about ridicule’s function in enlightened public debate."---Mark G. Spencer, LSE Review of Books"Witty and insightful. . . . this study could hardly be more timely."---Jan Machielsen, Times Literary Supplement ​​​​​​​"A most valuable study, which must be engaged with in all future studies of the Enlightenment."---Dr. Cliff Cunningham, Sun News Austin

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the TSA/CUP Book Prize, Transatlantic Studies Association and Cambridge University Press""Shortlisted for the BISA Susan Strange Best Book Prize, British International Studies Association""One of Foreign Affairs' Best Books""Largely forgotten today, however, is that era of history when there occurred not only a 'Great Rapprochement' between the two nations but also debates about the possibility of reuniting the 'Republic and the Empire' on the basis of a shared Anglo-Saxon racial destiny. . . . Duncan Bell’s remarkable book Dreamworlds of Race brings that history to light with both scholarly rigor and narrative flair."---Bassam Sidiki, Los Angeles Review of Books"In the United Kingdom and the United States in the late nineteenth century, a multitude of thinkers advanced new and often startling visions of the future of the global order. In this masterly book, Bell explores the ideas of some of the most intriguing figures of this era, illuminating their dreams of a world-dominating Anglo-American political community united by race and empire. This is intellectual history at its best."---G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs"Dreamworlds of Race is a powerful and profound statement that provides a definitive intellectual history of imperial era thought and deftly demonstrates its inseparability from liberalism and racial and cultural hierarchy. For students of history, politics, international relations, and even literature, its interdisciplinary appeal should make it essential reading. Ranging in widely in scope, and written with elegance and aplomb, the work is a distinguished and indispensable contribution to our understanding of how geo-political fear and ambition rested on highly racialized conceptions of nation and empire."---Robert Singh, Ethnic & Racial Studies"Dreamworlds of Race deserves to be read by a wide audience. It is an excellent work drawing together numerous strands of Anglo-American imaginations and revealing the tensions and hopes pinned on utopian racial thinking."---James Watts, Journal of Victorian Culture"A hugely impressive, and topic defining, achievement. . . . The larger portrait Bell paints is not only fascinating and important, it provides an illuminating context for Wells’s thought and art."---Adam Roberts, The Wellsian"An engaging read . . . . Bell is admirably well-read and manages to guide the reader through a myriad of different theories, thinkers and writings."---Christian K. Melby, Nations and Nationalism"Dreamworlds is a highly-topical window into these complex, often (self) contradictory visions of Anglo-America that build on race, power, and propaganda. . . . Bell’s opus is as much a necessary read for those seeking to better comprehend the world order reimaginings in the period . . . as British PM Boris Johnson’s contemporary ‘Global Britain’."---Stephanie Prévost, European Review of International Studies"It would be a fool’s errand to try to convey the book’s richness and detail.—Inder S. Marwah, Review of Politics"

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Book SynopsisA panoramic history of American individualism from its nineteenth-century origins to today's bitterly divided politicsIndividualism is a defining feature of American public life. Its influence is pervasive today, with liberals and conservatives alike promising to expand personal freedom and defend individual rights against unwanted intrusion, be it from big government, big corporations, or intolerant majorities. The Roots of American Individualism traces the origins of individualist ideas to the turbulent political controversies of the Jacksonian era (18201850) and explores their enduring influence on American politics and culture. Alex Zakaras plunges readers into the spirited and rancorous political debates of Andrew Jackson's America, drawing on the stump speeches, newspaper editorials, magazine articles, and sermons that captivated mass audiences and shaped partisan identities. He shows how these debates popularized three powerful myths that celebrated the young nation as an exceTrade Review"Winner of the Best Book Award, American Political Thought Section of the American Political Science Association""A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year"

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Morris D. Forkosch Book Prize, Journal for the History of Ideas""For those curious to know the role of ridicule in eighteenth-century Britain, Ross Carroll’s Uncivil Mirth is the place to start. In it, readers will find a reliable survey of the main lines of argument about ridicule’s function in enlightened public debate."---Mark G. Spencer, LSE Review of Books"Witty and insightful. . . . this study could hardly be more timely."---Jan Machielsen, Times Literary Supplement ​​​​​​​"A most valuable study, which must be engaged with in all future studies of the Enlightenment."---Dr. Cliff Cunningham, Sun News Austin

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Book SynopsisAn exploration of the ways that Black intellectuals arrived at a critique of Western knowledgeTrade Review'Magnificent... the best recent treatment we have of the great Black Radical Tradition! Joshua Myers's powerful and profound examination of his towering figures lays bare the silences and evasions of contemporary Black academic studies. His vision of an alternative world grounded in the practices of Black everyday people is a clarion call for Black intellectual creativity and courage' -- Cornel West'A blueprint that helps to elevate the Black imagination so that a new architecture can create a better world. Myers’ reference to the work of Sylvia Wynter, June Jordan and Toni Cade Bambara gives visibility to Black women as thinkers and not individuals standing in the shadows of men. This is long overdue' -- Ethelbert Miller, writer and literary activist'Indispensable. In a sustained flash of deep, critical devotion, Joshua Myers has become one of our most important intellectual historians and the preeminent theorist of black study’ -- Fred Moten, cultural theorist, poet and scholar at New York University‘For those who are, or wish to become, engaged in this work of radical re-thinkings, Myers’ Of Black Study is a necessary consideration.’ -- Lucius T. Outlaw (Jr.), Professor, Vanderbilt University‘Myers has blown the abeng. Through a beautifully woven, ethically attuned communion with Du Bois, Wynter, Carruthers, Robinson, Jordan, and Bambara, he charts a habit of thought that for more than a century has produced a body of knowledge robust enough to elaborate the fullness of black life. Let us answer the call Of Black Study’ -- Minkah Makalani, Director, Center for Africana StudiesTable of ContentsIntroduction: Living (June Jordan) 1. Of Hesitance (W. E. B. Du Bois) 2. Of Human (Sylvia Wynter) 3. Of Speech (Jacob H. Carruthers, Jr.) 4. Of Order (Cedric J. Robinson) Conclusion: Dreams (Toni Cade Bambara)

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This book offers a rich and exciting new way of thinking about the Italian Renaissance. Guido Ruggiero's work is based on archival research and new insights of social and cultural history and literary criticism, with a special emphasis on everyday culture, gender, violence and sexuality.

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Book SynopsisThis translation of The Science of Logic (also known as 'Greater Logic') includes the revised Book I (1832), Book II (1813) and Book III (1816). Recent research has given us a detailed picture of the process that led Hegel to his final conception of the System and of the place of the Logic within it. We now understand how and why Hegel distanced himself from Schelling, how radical this break with his early mentor was, and to what extent it entailed a return (but with a difference) to Fichte and Kant. In the introduction to the volume, George Di Giovanni presents in synoptic form the results of recent scholarship on the subject, and, while recognizing the fault lines in Hegel's System that allow opposite interpretations, argues that the Logic marks the end of classical metaphysics. The translation is accompanied by a full apparatus of historical and explanatory notes.Trade Review"...The Science of Logic is a very provocative and interesting book, inspiring thinking in directions not thought before." --George Lăzăroiu, PhD, Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, New York, Analysis and MetaphysicsTable of ContentsAcknowledgments; List of abbreviations; Introduction; Notes on the translation; The Science of Logic: Preface to the first edition; Preface to the second edition; Introduction; Book I. The doctrine of being; Book II. Essence; Book III. The doctrine of the concept; Appendix. Hegel's logic in its revised and unrevised parts; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of Waterstones' Books of the Year 2020: Popular Science""Shortlisted for the Royal Society Insight Investment Prize for Science Books""One of the Financial Times' Summer Books of 2020: Science""One of the Financial Times' Best Books of 2020: Science""One of Symmetry Magazine's Top Physics Books of 2020""Many distinguished physicists have set out to explain their weird and wonderful world to lay readers but few have done so with the simple elegance of Al-Khalili, a physics professor at the University of Surrey best known for his radio and television programmes about science. He calls this book 'an ode to physics'; it is also an ode to joy in science."---Clive Cookson, Financial Times"Jim Al-Khalili's The World According to Physics is a thrilling ride . . . [it] makes cutting-edge physics easily understandable and makes it clear why he fell in love with the subject as a teenager."---Richard Webb, New Scientist"Broadcaster and quantum physicist Jim Al-Khalili is a superb guide to the fundamental principles of quantum theory, relativity and thermodynamics." * Mail on Sunday *"Al-Khalili shows how physics can enrich our understanding not just of the world around us, but of ourselves, too."---Hannah Shaddock, Radio Times"A deeply insightful exploration into reality itself."---Jonathan Wells, Gentleman's Journal"A fantastic book . . . [it] helped me to remember what I first loved about the subject."---Daniel Bennett, BBC Science Focus Podcast"A quantum physicist and BBC host introduces modern physics by explaining its fundamental concepts of space, time, energy, and matter, then describing the field’s three pillars—quantum theory, relativity, and thermodynamics." * Publishers Weekly *"This book is a refreshing, equations-free, occasionally philosophical take on what physics is all about that should appeal to physicists and the public alike." * Nature Astronomy *"Ever wanted to get into quantum physics, but been afraid to try? This book might be the answer. Bestselling author and BBC host Jim Al-Kahlili invites us to understand reality and the universe better as he explains modern physics to us."---Claire Handscombe, Book Riot"People should enjoy physics, says Al-Khalili, and you can’t help thinking as you are propelled along through the historical and familiar principles, as well as more recent and emerging ideas, that he is entirely correct. . . . The beauty of [Al-Khalili's] approach is that it keeps open the sense of wonder, discovery and possibility that is so attractive to the non-specialist reader."---Nick Smith, Engineering & Technology"Teachers will be able to mine Al-Khalili’s text for wonderful facts and examples that are scattered throughout the book. . . . Al-Khalili has melded his expertise in physics and as a science communicator to very good effect indeed."---Rick Marshall, Physics Education"Al-Khalili travels from the quantum to the cosmological in exploring the science of matter, energy, space and time that underlie all our everyday experiences and technologies."---Mike Perricone, Symmetry Magazine"This very insightful book illustrates why physics matters to everyone and calls on anyone and everyone to engage in the profound adventure of pursuing truth in the world around us."---Ali Kaya, Abakcus

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Book Synopsis“It has the power to wrench familiar aspects of history into new and surprising shapes.”—Laura Miller, SalonTrade Review"An impressively cohesive story that is full of delightful characters and fascinating details." -- Austin Chronicle"An inspiring read." -- New Scientist"A sprightly, stimulating and surprising study." -- The Scotsman"A magnificent overview of the history of knowledge production in the West." -- Times Higher Education

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Book SynopsisNew York Times Readers Pick: Top 100 Books of the 21st CenturyOfficial U.S. edition with full color illustrations throughout.New York Times BestsellerA Summer Reading Pick for President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanitys creation and evolutiona #1 international bestsellerthat explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be human.One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only onehomo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly or

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Book SynopsisHirschman maps the diffuse and treacherous world of reactionary rhetoric in which conservative public figures, thinkers, and polemicists have been arguing against progressive agendas and reforms for 200 years. Ultimately, he shows that progressives are apt to employ related rhetorical postures, which are as biased as their reactionary counterparts.Trade ReviewThe Rhetoric of Reaction is a study of the reactionary’s tool kit, identifying the standard objections to any and all proposals for reform… Hirschman’s work changes how you see the world. It illuminates yesterday, today, and tomorrow… There can be no question about his most characteristic [book]: The Rhetoric of Reaction. The sustained attack on intransigence, the bias in favor of hope, the delight in paradox, the insistence on the creative power of doubt—all these prove a lot of people wrong. -- Cass R. Sunstein * New York Review of Books *Albert Hirschman’s gift to intellectual history is his capacity to subsume complex ideas under simple—indeed smaller than bumper-sticker-size—labels. Mention the word exit at any gathering of social scientists, and everyone will free-associate with the idea that complex organizations and processes renew themselves because people will leave for opportunities elsewhere instead of remaining and fighting for change. Likewise not only with voice and loyalty but also with passions and interests. There is no contemporary social scientist anywhere in the world who has said more (profound) things in fewer (elegant) words than Albert Hirschman. New candidates for inclusion in the Hirschmanian lexicon are perversity, futility, and jeopardy… Hirschman is a master of our art. -- Alan Wolfe * Contemporary Sociology *Events, and the example of a thinker like Hirschman, make it possible at least to hope that the finer side of the Enlightenment—that is, a skeptical but optimistic engagement with the world as it is, as distinct from blindingly overexcited visions of how it might be, if only progressives would stop interfering with it—could soon have its day. -- Geoffrey Hawthorn * New Republic *Propelled by an ecumenical motive—to explain the ‘massive, stubborn, and exasperating otherness of others’, in this case conservative thinkers—and guided, as he himself muses, by ‘an inbred urge toward symmetry’, Albert Hirschman has written an enjoyable and profound book. He argues that a triplet of ‘rhetorical’ criticisms—perversity, futility, and jeopardy—‘has been unfailingly leveled’ by ‘reactionaries’ at each major progressive reform of the past 300 years—those T. H. Marshall identified with the advancement of civil, political and social rights of citizenship… Charmingly written, this book can benefit a diverse readership. -- Diego Gambetta * Times Higher Education Supplement *It is a marvelously intelligent and original and provocative volume, marked by Hirschman’s usual qualities of intellectual playfulness and deep commitment to liberal values… The reader has a sense of being in the presence of a brilliant mind and of a writer at the top of his form. -- Stanley Hoffmann, Harvard UniversityA brilliant and beautifully written book. It is breathtakingly simple, yet deep with implications… Hirschman provides a kind of Reader’s Guide to Reactionary Culture. -- Stephen Holmes, University of ChicagoTable of Contents* Preface *1. Two Hundred Years of Reactionary Rhetoric * Three Reactions and Three Reactionary Theses * A Note on the Term "Reaction" *2. The Perversity Thesis * The French Revolution and Proclamation of the Perverse Effect * Universal Suffrage and Its Alleged Perverse Effects * The Poor Laws and the Welfare State * Reflections on the Perversity Thesis *3. The Futility Thesis * Questioning the Extent of Change Wrought by the French Revolution: Tocqueville * Questioning the Extent of Change Likely to Follow from Universal Suffrage: Mosca and Pareto * Questioning the Extent to Which the Welfare State Delivers the Goods to the Poor * Reflections on the Futility Thesis *4. The Jeopardy Thesis * Democracy as a Threat to Liberty * The Welfare State as a Threat to Liberty and Democracy * Reflections on the Jeopardy Thesis *5. The Three Theses Compared and Combined * A Synoptic Table * The Comparative Influence of the Theses * Some Simple Interactions * A More Complex Interaction *6. From Reactionary to Progressive Rhetoric * The Synergy Illusion and the Imminent-Danger Thesis *"Having History on One's Side" * Counterparts of the Perversity Thesis *7. Beyond Intransigence * A Turnabout in Argument? * How Not to Argue in a Democracy * Notes * Acknowledgments * Index

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Book SynopsisOriginally published almost 150 years ago, five parts of "The Idea of a University" - "University Teaching" and four selections from "University Subjects" - are reproduced here, along with five essays by contemporary scholars exploring the present day relevance of Newman's themes.

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Book SynopsisThomas Berry is one of the most eminent cultural historians of our time. Here he presents the culmination of his ideas and urges us to move from being a disrupting force on the Earth to a benign presence. This transition is the Great Work -- the most necessary and most ennobling work we will ever undertake. Berry's message is not one of doom but of hope. He reminds society of its function, particularly the universities and other educational institutions whose role is to guide students into an appreciation rather than an exploitation of the world around them. Berry is the leading spokesperson for the Earth, and his profound ecological insight illuminates the path we need to take in the realms of ethics, politics, economics, and education if both we and the planet are to survive.

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Book SynopsisA magnificent and timely examination of an age of fear, subversion, suppression and espionage, Adam Zamoyski explores the attempts of the governments of Europe to police the world in a struggle against obscure forces, seemingly dedicated to the overthrow of civilisation.The advent of the French Revolution confirmed the worst fears of the rulers of Europe. They saw their states as storm-tossed vessels battered by terrible waves coming from every quarter and threatened by horrific monsters from the deep. Rulers'' nerves were further unsettled by the voices of the Enlightenment, envisaging improvement only through a radical transformation of existing structures, with undeniable implications for the future role of the monarchy and the Church.Napoleon''s arrival on the European stage intensified these fears, and the changes he wrought across Europe fully justified them. Yet he also brought some comfort to those rulers who managed to survive: he had tamed the revolution in France and the hegTrade Review‘Vivid, terrifying and often quite funny … an interesting take on 1848 … this superbly drawn story is full of painful allegories’ The Times ‘Splendidly provocative … perceptive and often amusing … full of arresting details and sharp asides … Adam Zamoyski writes like a dancer at a court ball: gracious, patrician, masterful, sure-footed … Phantom Terror is a thumping great pleasure to read … history at its best’ Spectator ‘Scintillating and original’ Economist ‘We know the Napoleonic era well, but the Decades after Napoleon’s fall are often neglected. Adam Zamoyski covers those years, showing how fear of revolution caused the autocrats of Europe to repress freedom on an unprecedented scale’ Simon Sebag Montefiore, Mail on Sunday

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of FiveBooks' Best Philosophy Books of 2019""Aphorisms come at us in so many forms and from so many periods that one might think an academic study of aphorisms would aim to give them a family tree . . . . But Andrew Hui’s new study, A Theory of the Aphorism: From Confucius to Twitter, does something oddly and interestingly different . . . . Once the reader accepts [his] more expansive and sombre definition of the aphorism, much of interest follows."---Adam Gopnik, New Yorker"In A Theory of the Aphorism: From Confucius to Twitter, Andrew Hui makes a lot out of a little . . . . If you have a hankering for infinity, eternity, or inexhaustibility, this is a book for you."---Willis Goth Regier, World Literature Today"Lovers of aphorisms will derive huge pleasure from this elegant and informative book." * Paradigm Explorer *"This ambitious book explores some 2500 years of literature in under 250 pages to establish a theory of the aphorism. . . . Just as aphorisms rest on authority, not argument, so too Hui sidelines the systematic in favor of more aphoristic pursuits: to observe, pronounce, and artfully describe."---Stephen Kidd, Bryn Mawr Classical Review"In my view, this book is groundbreaking. There’s an assumption in the way philosophy is often taught—in the West at least—that aphorisms are a quirky, awkward bit of philosophy that we’ll admit is there but we won’t focus on. I think it’s time other philosophers started thinking seriously about how aphorisms work. . . . It’s a really interesting and entertaining book."---Nigel Warburton, Five Books"For anyone concerned with the humanities and their future within and without the academy [A Theory of the Aphorism] should prove compelling."---Lachlan Mackinnon, Times Literary Supplement"In my view, this book is groundbreaking. There should be a lot of other books about aphorisms because it’s such a rich area."---Nigel Warburton, FiveBooks"Like aphorism itself, Hui’s book is not bogged down with systematic argumentation, but rather proceeds in short sections that often end aphoristically. . . . Just as aphorisms rest on authority, not argument, so too Hui sidelines the systematic in favor of more aphoristic pursuits: to observe, pronounce, and artfully describe."---Stephen Kidd, Bryn Mawr Classical Review"This book offers an engaging look at the aphorism, the shortest and perhaps most dismissed of literary forms. . . . A splendid, thought-provoking book." * Choice *"A book through which Hui proposes a new reading of the aphorism and its history up to the present time, including social media platforms such as Twitter."---Petru Moldovan, Gnosis: Journal of Gnostic Studies

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Book SynopsisQueen Boudica, leader of the Iceni, revolted against the Romans in AD60 only to have her efforts avenged by a humiliated Roman army. This lively and fascinating book examines in detail the evidence and theories which surround these events.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Chapter 1 Sources; Chapter 2 The Opposing Forces and the State of Britain 54 BC; Chapter 3 Britain between the Invasions 54 BC—AD 43; Chapter 4 The Conquest of AD 43; Chapter 5 The Storm Breaks AD 60; Chapter 6 The Evidence from the Ground; Chapter 7 The Trail of Destruction;

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Book SynopsisIs the earth, which is a fit environment for man and other organic life, a purposefully made creation? Have its climates, its relief, the configuration of its continents influenced the moral and social nature of individuals, and have they had an influence in molding the character and nature of human culture? This title explores this questions.Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Abbreviations PART ONE: THE ANCIENT WORLD 1. Order and Purpose in the Cosmos and on the Earth 2. Airs, Waters, Places 3. Creating a Second Nature 4. God, Man, and Nature in Judeo-Christian Theology PART TWO: THE CHRISTIAN MIDDLE AGES 5. The Earth as a Planned Abode for Man 6. Environmental Influences within a Divinely Created World 7. Interpreting Piety and Activity, and their Effects on Nature PART THREE: EARLY MODERN TIMES 8. Physico-Theology: Deeper Understandings of the Earth as a Habitable Planet 9. Environmental Theories of Early Modern Times 10. Growing Consciousness of the Control of Nature PART FOUR: CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 11. Final Strengths and Weaknesses of Physico-Theology 12. Climate, the Moeurs, Religion, and Government 13. Environment, Population, and the Perfectibility of Man 14. The Epoch of Man in the History of Nature Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisExploring the cross-cultural history of the idea of freedom, from its origins in ancient Greece to the present day, this title argues that our attempts to imagine freedom should occupy the space of not only what is but also what if.Trade Review"In this new and incredibly ambitious account of the anatomy of freedom, Svetlana Boym works through the specifics of historical, aesthetic, and cultural narratives, moving effortlessly from large movements to human relationships and back again. Another Freedom is an engaging and imaginative philosophical experiment, at once intellectually gripping and moving, intensely relevant to the contemporary condition, and a major work of dazzling scholarship." (Isobel Armstrong, Birkbeck, University of London)"

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Book SynopsisIn this work, John Rennie Short reveals how the spatial discourses of the 16th century formed a remarkable revolution that changed the way the world was represented. In addition, he highlights the role of the occult practices in the new spatial sciences.

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Book SynopsisA meditation on the mysteries of color and the fascination they provoke. It uses color to explore further dimensions of what the author calls 'the bodily unconscious' in an age of global warming. Drawing on classic ethnography as well as the work of Benjamin, Burroughs, and Proust, it takes up the notion that color invites the viewer into images.Trade Review"If Hunter S. Thompson had been trained by Boas in anthropology, Engels in economics, and Arendt in philosophy, he might write something like Taussig." - Publishers Weekly "Blending fact and fiction, ethnographic observation, archival history, literary theory and memoir, his books read more like beatnik novels than somber analyses of other cultures." - New York Times"

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Book SynopsisA concise, comprehensive overview of the “M Theory” and its application in today’s world, by a renowned American philosopher Ken Wilber has long been hailed as one of the most important thinkers of our time, but his work has seemed inaccessible to readers who lack a background in consciousness studies or evolutionary theory—until now. In A Theory of Everything, Wilber uses clear, non-technical language to present complex, cutting-edge theories that integrate the realms of body, mind, soul, and spirit. He then demonstrates how these theories and models can be applied to real world problems and incorporated into readers’ everyday lives. Wilber begins his study by presenting models like “spiral dynamics”—a leading model of human evolution—and his groundbreaking “all-level, all-quadrant” model for integrating science and religion, showing how they are being applied to politics, medicine, business, education, and the environment. He also covers broader models, explaining how they can integrate the various worldviews that have been developed around the world throughout the ages. Finally, Wilber proposes that readers take up an integral transformative practice—such as meditation—to help them apply and develop this integral vision in their personal, daily lives. A fascinating and easy-to-follow exploration of the “M Theory,” this book is another tour-de-force from one of America’s most inventive minds.

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Book SynopsisExamines the body of work on the intellectual, social and cultural origins of early modern science. Cohen surveys a wide range of scholarship since the 19th century, offering new perspectives on how the Scientific Revolution changed the way we understand the natural world and our place in it.Table of ContentsPart 1 Defining the Nature of the Scientific Revolution: The Great Tradition - Concepts and approaches in studying the Scientific Revolution; The New Science in a Wider Setting - The cultural, social and historical context of the new science. Part 2 The Search for Causes of the Scientific Revolution: The Emergence of Early Modern Science from Previous Western Thought on Nature - Why the Scientific Revolution did not take place in Ancient Greece and how early modern science emerged from Renaissance thought; The Emergence of Early Modern Science from Events in the History of Western Europe; the Nonemergence of Early Modern Science Outside Western Europe. Part 3 Summary and Conclusions: the Scientific Revolution - 50 Years in the Life of a Concept; the Structure of the Scientific Revolution.

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Book SynopsisAs the first comprehensive treatment of Classical economics from a modern Austrian perspective, this important history of nineteenth century economic thought discusses the key members of each school and reassesses their work. Professor Rothbard's approach offers new perspectives on both Ricardo and Say and their followers. The author suggests that Ricardianism declined after 1820 and was only revived with the work of John Stuart Mill. The book also resurrects the important Anglo-Irish school of thought at Trinity College, Dublin under Archbishop Richard Whately. Later chapters focus on the roots of Karl Marx and the nature of his doctrines, and laissez-faire thought in France including the work of Frederic Bastiat. Also included is a comprehensive treatment of the bullionist versus anti-bullionist and the Currency versus banking School controversies in the first half of the nineteenth century, and their influence outside Great Britain.Tracing economic thought from Smith to Marx, this book is notable for its inclusion of all the important figures in each school of thought and for assessing their theories in religious, political, philosophical and historical context. Economic Thought before Adam Smith, the first volume of Professor Rothbard's history of economic thought from an Austrian perspective, is also available.Trade Review'Rothbard's two-volume history of economic thought will inspire much fruitful discussion . . . Works that combine so much scholarship, clarity, freshness, and courage have become rare in economics.' -- Paul Heyne, The Independent Review'. . . the magnitude of Rothbard's achievement was such that his legacy is assured; his contribution to the cause of liberty in America will not only endure but continue to grow in stature. As an economist, he succeeded in firmly establishing the Austrian school of economics in America, expanding and refining the legacy of his own mentor, the great Ludwig von Mises.' -- Justin Raimondo, Chronicles'. . . an extraordinarily lively and provocative book. The world would be a poorer place without this stimulating and combative book. . .' -- D. P. O'Brien, The Manchester School'. . . it provides an extremely wide-ranging treatment of the periods and topics it covers. . . . this is a controversial book, written from a clear-cut standpoint. . . . an extremely exciting, even brilliant book.' -- Roger E. Backhouse, History of Economic Thought'To say that Murray Rothbard wrote with a polemical flair is an understatement of astonishing proportions. . . . The volumes are beautifully produced by Edward Elgar and anyone interested in Rothbard's thought, the history of economic liberalism, and the history of economic thought in general, will want these volumes in their personal collection. An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought is vintage Rothbard, which means that the volumes are very readable, always unique in interpretation. . . . In short Rothbard's An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought is a major contribution to the history of economic thought in general, and to Austrian economics in particular, and it deserves a wide circulation. It ranks with the contributions to intellectual history - not as a textbook of the wrong opinions of dead men, but as an original theoretical work whose intellectual story, if listened to, would surely overturn the received wisdom of our day and lead to a major recasting of the disciplines of economics and of political economy.' -- Peter J. Boettke, Economic Affairs'Murray Rothbard's two volumes are a monument of twentieth century scholarship.' -- David Gordon, The Mises Review'Rothbard's treatise makes a good case for the study of economic thought and provides a good introduction to Austrian economics by showing its links with earlier thinkers. . . friend and foe alike will benefit from Rothbard's atypical approach. His discussions of every thinker are enriched with insights on philosophy, history, religion, political movements, and the philosophy of science. The two volumes are jam-packed with information and research ideas.' -- Mark Thornton, Southern Economic JournalTable of ContentsContents: 1. J.B. Say: The French Tradition in Smithian Clothing 2. Jeremy Bentham: The Utilitarian as Big Brother 3. James Mill, Ricardo and the Ricardian System 4. The Decline of the Ricardian System, 1820–48 5. Monetary and Banking Thought, I: The Early Bullionist Controversy 6. Monetary and Banking Thought, II: The Bullion Report and the Return to Gold 7. Monetary and Banking Thought, III: The Struggle Over the Currency School 8. John Stuart Mill and the Reimposition of Ricardian Economics 9. Roots of Marxism: Messianic Communism 10. Marx’s Vision of Communism 11. Alienation, Unity and Dialectic 12. The Marxian System, I: Historical Materialism and the Class Struggle 13. The Marxian System, II: The Economics of Capitalism and its Inevitable Demise 14. After Mill: Bastiat and the French Laissez-Faire Tradition Bibliographical Essay

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Book SynopsisTo Be Human presents Krishnamurti''s radical vision of life in a new way. At the heart of this extraordinary collection are passages from the great teacher''s talks that amplify and clarify the nature of truth and those obstacles that often prevent us from seeing it. Most of these core teachings have not been available in print until now. Besides presenting the core of Krishnamurti''s message, the book alerts the reader to his innovative use of language, the ways in which he would use 'old words with new interpretations,' then gives practical examples, showing that we can clarify our understanding of life itself—and act on this new understanding. The splendid introduction by David Skitt discusses Krishnamurti''s philosophy as a guide to knowledge and experience, the roles knowledge and experience should play in our lives, and the times when it is best to cast them aside and 'look and act anew.' The book''s source notes will aid the inquisitive reader who wishes a deeper understanding of this great teacher''s message.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Gaukroger displays a remarkably broad range: his sweep of knowledge is truly impressive. . . . Many of his local observations are startling, in a good way; he asks those of us who study the figures he discusses to step back and reflect on their ultimate objectives, their successes, and, yes, their failures."---Christopher Shields, MIND"Gaukroger’s narrative is creative and convincing, extremely dense and elegant at the same time, based on a jaw-dropping breadth and depth of scholarship. . . . All this is a rather convoluted way of saying that to my mind, our losses are not as great as they may seem: the fact that we have Stephen Gaukroger’s brilliant studies to read makes up in no small part for the failures of philosophy."---Jeroen Bouterse, 3 Quarks Daily

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Book SynopsisThis book examines Diderot’s and d’Holbach’s views on determinism to illuminate some of the most important debates taking place in eighteenth-century Europe. Insisting on aspects of Diderot’s and d’Holbach’s thought that, to date, have been given scant, if any, scholarly attention, it proposes to restore both thinkers to their rightful position in the history of philosophy. The book problematises Diderot’s and d’Holbach’s atheism by showing their philosophy to be deeply rooted in the Christian tradition and offers a more nuanced and historicised interpretation of the so-called “Radical Enlightenment”, challenging the notions that this movement can be taken to be a perfectly coherent set of ideas and that it represents a complete break with “the old”. By examining Diderot’s and d’Holbach’s works in tandem and without post-romantic assumptions about originality and single authorship, it argues that the two philosophers’ texts should be taken as the product of a fascinating collaborative form of philosophical enquiry that perfectly reflects the sociable nature of intellectual production during the Enlightenment. The book further proposes a fresh interpretation of such crucial texts as the Système de la nature and Jacques le fataliste et son maître and unveils a key web of concepts that will help researchers to better understand Enlightenment philosophy and literature as a whole.Table of ContentsList of AbbreviationsList of figuresAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1: One question, two thinkers1.1: Determinism1.2: Diderot1.3: D’Holbach2: Linking everything together2.1: Diderot and d’Holbach2.2: D’Holbach and determinism2.3: Diderot and determinism3: Synopsis3.1: Building blocks3.2: Of Individuals and Societies3.3: Determinism, complexity, and atheism4: Further aims of this book5: N.B.5.1: Determinism vs fatalism5.2: Corpora and chronologyChapter I: Three Fundamental Principles1: Background1.1: The Causal Principle1.2: The Causal Principle under attack1.3: The Principle of Sufficient Reason1.4: Causal Principle, Principle of Sufficient Reason, and Cosmological Argument1.5: Hume’s criticisms of the Cosmological Argument1.6: The Nihil ex Nihilo Principle2: Diderot and d’Holbach2.1: Diderot, d’Holbach, and the Nihil ex Nihilo Principle2.2: Diderot, d’Holbach, and the Causal Principle2.3: For the sake of determinism and science2.4: Diderot, d’Holbach, and the Principle of Sufficient Reason2.5: Causa sive ratio2.6: Cause and reason in Diderot’s and d’Holbach’s writings2.7: Why do Diderot and d’Holbach endorse the Principle of Sufficient Reason?3: ConclusionChapter II: Causal Necessitation1: Background1.1: Causal Necessitation1.2: Causal and Logical Necessitation1.3: The argument from essence1.4: The argument from total cause1.5: No Necessary Connection Arguments2: Diderot and d’Holbach on Causal Necessitation2.1: Suites et effets nécessaires2.2: Additional evidence2.3: Causal Necessitation in the moral world2.4: Diderot and d’Holbach on the equivalence of Causal and Logical Necessitation2.5: D’Holbach and the argument from essence2.6: Diderot: the argument from essence and the argument from ‘cause une’3: Causal Necessitation and theology3.1: The reasons behind it all4: ConclusionChapter III: Laws of Nature1: Background1.1: Laws of nature in eighteenth-century France1.2: The Top-Down View1.3: The Bottom-Up View1.4: Spinoza2: D’Holbach and the laws of nature2.1: D’Holbach and the Bottom-Up View2.2: D’Holbach and the Top-Down View2.3: D’Holbach’s compromise3: Diderot and the laws of nature3.1: Two arguments against Diderot’s belief in the laws of nature3.2: A glance at the texts3.3: Diderot and mathematics3.4: Diderot and the Bottom-Up View4: ConclusionChapter IV: Moral Freedom1: Background1.1: ‘Liberté naturelle’, ‘liberté civile’, and ‘liberté politique’1.2: Moral freedom1.3: The Alternative Possibilities Model1.4: The Source Model1.5: Moral Freedom and determinism2: Diderot and d’Holbach on Moral Freedom2.1: Diderot and d’Holbach on the Source Model2.2: Internal and external causes2.3: External causes2.4: Internal causes2.5: Internal and external causes reconsidered2.6: Diderot and d’Holbach on the Alternative Possibilities Model2.7: Outright rejection of Moral Freedom2.8: Moral responsibility3: ConclusionChapter V: Individuals and Society1: A deterministic theory of human life1.1: Machines de chair1.2: Pensées décousues1.2: Dreaming1.3: Madness1.4: Scientific discoveries1.5: Artistic production1.6: Aesthetic experience2: No man is an island2.1: Love2.2: Machines d’hommes2.3: Causal Necessitation and Laws of Nature2.4: Of climate and rulers2.5: Social change in a deterministic worldConclusionChapter VI: Paradoxes of Determinism1: Determinism and complexity1.1: Diderot and complexity1.2: D’Holbach and complexity1.3: Against the Argument from Design1.4: Determinism vs complexity1.5: A complex theory of determinism2: Of Predictability, chance, (dis)order, and atheism2.1: Determinism and predictability2.2: Determinism and chance2.3: Determinism or (dis)order2.4: Diderot and d’Holbach’s atheism reconsidered3. Jacques le fataliste et son maître3.1: Les chainons, le grand rouleau, et le dieu de Malebranche3.2: The mirage of freedom and the Leibnizian God3.3: Jacques, Hume, and superstitionConclusionConclusionBibliographyPre-1850 sourcesPost-1850 sources

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Book SynopsisIn their trenchant panoramic overview ranging from antiquity to the present-day John and Anna Rist write with authority and ennui about nothing less than the loss of the foundational culture of the West. The authors characterize this culture as the ''original tradition'', viewing its erosion as one which has led to anxiety about the entire value of Western thought. The causes of the disintegration are discussed with an intensity rare in academe. Critics of modernity ordinarily concentrate on the Enlightenment and the book certainly offers deep analysis of Enlightenment thought. But it goes further. Thus the cruelty of modern totalitarianism is now depicted as in the spirit of the French Revolution and its implacable hostility to a vanished primordial heritage, while scientism, bureaucracy and consumerism appear as the only rivals to a threatening nihilism. The book argues that Western thought has created a set of conflicting moral and spiritual customs: to the detriment of coherence,Table of Contents1. Confusion introduced; 2. Athens, Rome, Jerusalem; 3. From Constantine to Henry VIII; 4. Man enlightened: Montaigne to Kant; 5. Totalitarian man: theory and practice; 6. Scientistic humanism; 7. World War, bureaucracy, consumerism; 8. Sexual liberation and the subversion of the person; 9. Personalism, virtue ethics and the original tradition; 10. Culture, what culture? 2021.

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Book SynopsisThis volume contains the three works which together make up Jonathan Swift''s early satiric and intellectual masterpiece, A Tale of a Tub: the Tale itself, The Battel of the Books, and The Mechanical Operation of the Spirit. Incorporating much new knowledge, this 2010 edition provides the first full scholarly treatment of this important work for fifty years. The introduction discusses publication, composition, and authorship; sources, analogues and generic models; reception; and religious, scientific and literary contexts (including the ancients and moderns controversy). Detailed explanatory notes address many previously unexplained issues in this famously rich and difficult work. Texts have been fully collated and edited according to modern principles and are accompanied with a textual introduction and full textual apparatus. Illustrations include title pages, the eight engravings from the fifth edition, and original designs for these engravings. Extensive associated contemporary mateTrade Review'Some of the most important publishing events take place quietly … one of the landmark publications for me was the appearance of … A Tale of a Tub and Other Works … It's heartening to know, not just that one of our greatest writers is finally being given the editorial treatment he deserves, but that such a quixotically ambitious publishing series can still be contemplated in the digital age.' Jonathan Coe, The GuardianTable of ContentsGeneral editors' preface; Acknowledgements; Chronology; Introduction; A Tale of a Tub; The Battel of the Books; A Discourse Concerning the Mechanical Operation of the Spirit; Swift's editorial matter for Temple's posthumous publications: Letters written by Sir W. Temple (1700); Miscellanea. The Third Part (1701); Letters to the King (1703); Memoirs. Part III. (1709); Appendices: A. Letters between Swift and Benjamin Tooke, 29 June and 10 July 1710; B. William Wotton, 'Observations upon the Tale of a Tub'; C. Edmund Curll's Complete Key to the Tale of a Tub; D. Materials from Miscellaneous Works (1720); E. Swift's Moor Park reading list; Textual introduction and apparatus; Explanatory notes; Bibliography; Index.

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Book Synopsis'Exceptionally interesting' - Alain de BottonWhy are some relationships unstable, while others last a lifetime? Why do the rich keep getting richer, and can it ever be any other way? And why do we all make seemingly irrational decisions? People are messy. Science is methodical. Could ideas from physics allow us to solve our most urgent problems? ?This book is about the hidden, surprising, and sometimes beautiful ways in which physics could help you make sense of a chaotic and unpredictable world.Drawing on cutting-edge research and eye-opening insights from quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, chaos and complexity theory, materials science and more, The Art of Physics shows that science offers a rich vocabulary for tackling contradictions that seem to be the hallmarks of daily life. Not only does physics explain many aspects of our experience, it transforms our understanding of them.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of FiveBooks' Best Philosophy Books of 2019"

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Book SynopsisDavid and Mary Norton present the definitive scholarly edition of one of the greatest philosophical works ever written. This first volume contains the critical text of David Hume''s Treatise of Human Nature (1739/40), followed by the short Abstract (1740) in which Hume set out the key arguments of the larger work; the volume concludes with A Letter from a Gentleman to his Friend in Edinburgh (1745), Hume''s defence of the Treatise when it was under attack from ministers seeking to prevent Hume''s appointment as Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh.Table of ContentsA Note on the Texts ; Contents of A Treatise of Human Nature ; A TREATISE OF HUMAN NATURE ; An Abstract of ... A Treatise of Human Nature ; A Letter from a Gentleman to his Friend in Edinburgh

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Book Synopsis* Completely overhauled version of the combined classic texts The History of Manners and State Formation and Civilization. * Revised throughout, updated postscript and bibliography, and line corrections made from the original version. * Contents lists combined and restructured. .Trade Review"Without doubt the most important piece of historical sociology since Max Weber." Richard Sennett, London School of Economics. "A modern classic of the first order." Lewis Coser. "Elias has all the boldness and sureness of touch of the old masters, of whom he is perhaps the last. Reading his pages one again and again makes the mental note that this or that point is worthy of a Max Weber ... One realises from a book like this that serious sociology must remain dependent on the insightful interpretation of history of just the kind that Elias provides." Bryan Wilson. "The most remarkable recent attempt to contain the social and the individual within a unified scheme of sociological analysis." Philip Abrams "The Civilizing Process is remarkable: eclectic, insightful and constantly surprising." Times Higher Education SupplementTable of ContentsPreface. Acknowledgements to the English Translation. Editors' Note to the Revised Translation. Volume I: Changes in the Behaviour of The Secular Upper Classes in the West:. Part I: On the Sociogenesis of the Concepts of "Civilisation" and "Culture":. 1. Sociogenesis of the Antithesis Between Kultur and Zivilization in German Usage. 1. Introduction. 2. The Development of the Antithesis Between Kultur and Zivilization. 3. Examples of Courtly Attitudes in Germany. 4. The Middle Class and the Court Nobility in Germany. 5. Literary Examples of the Relationship of the German Middle-Class Intelligentsia to the Court. 6. The Recession of the Social and the Advance of the National Element in the Antithesis Between Kultur and Zivilization. 2. Sociogenesis of the Concept of Civilisation in France. 7. Introduction. 8. Sociogenesis of Physiocratism and the French Reform Movement. Part II: Civilization as a Specific Transformation of Human Behaviour:. 9. The History of the Concept of Civilite. 10. On Medieval Manners. 11. The Problem of Change in Behaviour during the Renaissance. 12. On Behaviour at Table. 13. Changes in Attitude Towards the Natural Functions. 14. On Blowing One's Nose. 15. On Spitting. 16. On Behaviour in the Bedroom. 17. Changes in Attitude Towards the Relations Between Men and Women. 18. On Changes in Aggressiveness. 19. Scenes From the Life of a Knight. Volume II: State Formation and Civilization:. Part III: Feudalization and State Formation:. Introduction. 20. Survey of Courtly Society. 21. A Prospective Glance at the Sociogenesis of Absolutism. 1. Dynamics of Feudalization. 22. Introduction. 23. Centralizing and Decentralizing Forces in the Medieval Power Figuration. 24. The Increase in Population after the Migration. 25. Some Observations on the Sociogenesis of the Crusades. 26. The Internal Expansion of Society: The Formation of New Social Organs and Instruments. Preface. Acknowledgements to the English Translation. Editors' Note to the Revised Translation. Volume I: Changes in the Behaviour of The Secular Upper Classes in the West:. Part I: On the Sociogenesis of the Concepts of "Civilisation" and "Culture":. 1. Sociogenesis of the Antithesis Between Kultur and Zivilization in German Usage. 1. Introduction. 2. The Development of the Antithesis Between Kultur and Zivilization. 3. Examples of Courtly Attitudes in Germany. 4. The Middle Class and the Court Nobility in Germany. 5. Literary Examples of the Relationship of the German Middle-Class Intelligentsia to the Court. 6. The Recession of the Social and the Advance of the National Element in the Antithesis Between Kultur and Zivilization. 2. Sociogenesis of the Concept of Civilisation in France. 7. Introduction. 8. Sociogenesis of Physiocratism and the French Reform Movement. Part II: Civilization as a Specific Transformation of Human Behaviour:. 9. The History of the Concept of Civilite. 10. On Medieval Manners. 11. The Problem of Change in Behaviour during the Renaissance. 12. On Behaviour at Table. 13. Changes in Attitude Towards the Natural Functions. 14. On Blowing One's Nose. 15. On Spitting. 16. On Behaviour in the Bedroom. 17. Changes in Attitude Towards the Relations Between Men and Women. 18. On Changes in Aggressiveness. 19. Scenes From the Life of a Knight. Volume II: State Formation and Civilization:. Part III: Feudalization and State Formation:. Introduction. 20. Survey of Courtly Society. 21. A Prospective Glance at the Sociogenesis of Absolutism. 1. Dynamics of Feudalization. 22. Introduction. 23. Centralizing and Decentralizing Forces in the Medieval Power Figuration. 24. The Increase in Population after the Migration. 25. Some Observations on the Sociogenesis of the Crusades. 26. The Internal Expansion of Society: The Formation of New Social Organs and Instruments. 27. Some New Elements in the Structure of Medieval Society as Compared with Antiquity. 28. On the Sociogenesis of Feudalism. 29. On the Sociogenesis of Minnesang and Courtly Forms of Conduct. 2. On the Sociogenesis of the State. 30. The First Stage of the Rising Monarchy: Competition and Monopolization within a Territorial Framework. 31. Excursus on Some Differences in the Paths of Development of England, France and Germany. 32. On the Monopoly Mechanism. 33. Early Struggles within the Framework of the Kingdom. 34. The Resurgence of Centrifugal Tendencies: The Figuration of the Competing Princes. 35. The Last Stages of the Free Competitive Struggle and Establishment of the Final Monopoly Position of the Victor. 36. The Power Balance within the Unit of Rule: Its Significance for the Central Authority - the Formation of the "Royal Mechanism". 37. On the Sociogenesis of the Monopoly of Taxation. Part IV: Synopsis: Towards a Theory of Civilizing Processes:. 38. The Social Constraint Towards Self-Constraint. 39. Spread of the Pressure for Foresight and Self-constraint. 40. Diminishing Contrasts, Increasing Varieties. 41. The Courtization of Warriors. 42. The Muting of Drives: Psychologization and Rationalization. 43. Shame and Repugnance. 44. Increasing Constraints on the Upper Class: Increasing Pressure from Below. 45. Conclusion. Postscript (1968). Appendices. 46. Foreign Language and Originals of the Exemplary Extracts and Verses. 47. Plates from Das Mittelalterliche Hausbuch. Notes. Index.

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Book SynopsisReconsiders the notion of organism as central for contemporary philosophy

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