Politics, Philosophy & Society Books

Book SynopsisFrom the aggressive US rhetoric against China, to the escalating trade war with tit for tat responses, and China's 2025 initiative that threatens the US global leadership in advanced technologies, tensions between the US and China (the two dominant forces of today's world) have never been higher. This book provides a timely analysis of the US-China relationship. Each model is deeply rooted in their respective histories and cultures, with both models highly successful in achieving their main goals and highly resilient over time. It explores the core misconceptions on governance, economic, social and military issues, and the root causes of these misconceptions. If China and US could close the gap by each understanding those differences and their implications, the author argues, they could work together to overcome global issues to the benefit of all. This updated paperback edition includes a new introduction covering recent events in US-China relations.

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Book SynopsisThis book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com.Water is the element that, more than any other, ties human beings in to the world around them from the oceans that surround us to the water that makes up most of our bodies. Exploring the cultural and philosophical implications of this fact, Bodies of Water develops an innovative new mode of posthuman feminist phenomenology that understands our bodies as being fundamentally part of the natural world and not separate from or privileged to it. Building on the works by Luce Irigaray, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Gilles Deleuze, Astrida Neimanis's book is a landmark study that brings a new feminist perspective to bear on ideas of embodiment and ecological ethics in the posthuman critical moment.Trade ReviewFor the last couple of decades, feminist theory has been immersed in a new materialist wave that has produced among the most innovative and capacious ways to think and to respond critically--ontologically, ethically, and politically--within the depths of the ongoing ecological crises. If hardly any field of philosophy, cultural studies, or science studies has been as well-equipped to think the posthuman turn as feminist approaches have, Astrida Neimanis's Bodies of Water brilliantly synthesizes, illustrates, and continues this feminist ebullition. * Hypatia *To read Astrida Neimanis’s Bodies of Water is to immerse oneself in a fluid poetics, contemplating the teeming, virtual infinity of lifeforms for which water, in its myriad incarnations, supplies the medium of connection and dispersal; of gestation and differentiation through space-time. Through its feminist posthuman phenomenological lens, this work recasts the intertextual net eloquently and generously, re-inflecting a polyphony of feminist, philosophical, poetic, and scientific voices to address our planetary emergency in the wake of ecocidal extractionist and consumerist practices. -- Marion May Campbell, Deakin University * Swamphen Journal *[Neimanis] does however, offer some important and somewhat revolutionary concepts to environmental educators and researchers in both her analysis of what she terms watery embodiment and in her intentional melding of posthu-man feminist theory with phenomenology. Neimanis is immediately frank about the reasons why embracing both of these concepts is crucial in these times, citing increasing Anthropocenic global water crises as an obvious instigator of the need to reconsider how we understand, and act on, the impact of our human bodies on our surrounding ecology. -- Lisa Siegel * Australian Journal of Environmental Education *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION: Figuring Bodies of Water Bodies of Water (A Genealogy of a Figuration) Posthuman Feminism for the Anthropocene Living with the Problem Water is What We Make It The Possibility of Posthuman Phenomenology CHAPTER ONE: Embodying Water: Feminist Phenomenology for Posthuman Worlds A Posthuman Politics of Location Milky Ways: Tracing Posthuman Feminisms How to Think (About) a Body of Water: Posthuman Phenomenology Between Merleau-Ponty and Deleuze How to Think (As) a Body of Water: Access, Amplify, Describe! Posthuman Ties in a Too-Human World CHAPTER TWO: Posthuman Gestationality: Luce Irigaray and Water's Queer Repetitions Hydrological Cycles Elemental Bodies: Irigaray as Posthuman Phenomenologist? Love Letters to Watery Others: Marine Lover of Friedrich Nietzsche Gestationality as (Sexuate) Difference and Repetition The Onto-Logic of Amniotics (Queering Water’s Repetitions) Bodies of Water Beyond Humanism CHAPTER THREE: Fishy Beginnings Other Evolutions Dissolving Origin Stories Carrier Bags and Hypersea Wet Sex Waters Remembered (Moving Below the Surface) Unknowability as Planetarity (Or, Becoming the Water that We Cannot Become) Aspiration, That Oceanic Feeling CHAPTER FOUR: Imagining Water in the Anthropocene Prologue / Kwe Swimming into the Anthropocene Learning from Anti-Colonial Waters Water is Life? Commodity, Charity and Other Repetitions Material Imaginaries and Other Aqueous Questions REFERENCES NOTES INDEX

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Book Synopsis'I was blown away by Layli Long Soldier's WHEREAS.' Maggie Nelson, author of The ArgonautsWHEREAS confronts the coercive language of the United States government in its responses, treaties, and apologies to Native American peoples and tribes, and reflects that language in its officiousness and duplicity back on its perpetrators. Through a virtuosic array of short lyrics, prose poems, longer narrative sequences, resolutions, and disclaimers, Layli Long Soldier has created a brilliantly innovative text to examine histories, landscapes, her own writing, and her predicament inside national affiliations.A POETRY BOOK SOCIETY SPECIAL COMMENDATION.'In what is clearly a golden age for American poetry, Layli Long Soldier has to be out in front – one of the best collections of the century.' Andrew McMillanTrade ReviewIn what is clearly a golden age for American poetry, Layli Long Soldier has to be out in front – one of the best collections of the century. -- Andrew McMillan[WHEREAS] reminded me what careful language can do. It made me recommit to writing . . . and made me believe again in the power of writing and the truths that it can reveal for people and what that remembering and honoring the truth can do for the individual, but also for the group, for all of us. -- Jesmyn Ward, The New York Times I was blown away by Layli Long Soldier's WHEREAS--inspired by its trenchant, beautiful thinking about the relationship between political speech and literature's capacity to write back. And write back Long Soldier does, with a sensibility so sure of itself that I find myself simply standing back in admiration. -- Maggie Nelson, author of The ArgonautsLong Soldier reminds readers of their physical and linguistic bodies as they are returned to language through their mouths and eyes and tongues across the fields of her poems. * The New York Times Book Review *Using elliptical prose, blank spaces, crossed-out text, and Lakota words, Long Soldier articulates both her identity and her literary undertaking. * The New Yorker *Long Soldier’s movement between collective and personal makes this book intimate and urgent. She has charted new ways to write in what’s left out—and not merely in the margins either. WHEREAS offers a powerful reckoning. * National Book Critics Circle Award judges’ citation *Steeped in Native American history and current politics, Long Soldier's poetry is a melodious battle cry, an argument and a prayer for our nation's future. -- Morgan ParkerIf there's any justice in this world, Layli Long Soldier's WHEREAS will galvanize readers in the same way that Claudia Rankine did with Citizen. -- Stephen SparksLong Soldier's movement between collective and personal makes this book intimate and urgent. She has charted new ways to write in what's left out--and not merely in the margins either. WHEREAS offers a powerful reckoning. -- National Book Critics Circle Award judges' citationWHEREAS is a new offering of the deepest precedent. This gift of where as else, which no one could possibly ask for or deserve, bears and is borne by terrible and absolute testimony. Look at how we have laid waste, and how nothing in this book settles. With Long Soldier, in the interminable momentousness of her song, poetry itself is somewhere else. Maybe we can get there from there. -- Fred MotenIn Whereas, we are given a substantive act of intelligent, crafted resistance. * Harvard Review *Elegant, innovative, and necessary. * Buzzfeed *I would argue this debut is as close to a masterpiece as we can get. Released now in the UK, if you only ever read one collection of poems, may it be this. -- Anthony Anaxagoro

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Book SynopsisIn The Beekeeper of Sinjar, the acclaimed poet and journalist Dunya Mikhail tells the harrowing stories of women from across Iraq who have managed to escape the clutches of ISIS. Since 2014, ISIS has been persecuting the Yazidi people, killing or enslaving those who won't convert to Islam. These women have lost their families and loved ones, along with everything they've ever known. Dunya Mikhail weaves together the women's tales of endurance and near-impossible escape with the story of her own exile and her dreams for the future of Iraq. In the midst of ISIS's reign of terror and hatred, an unlikely hero has emerged: the Beekeeper. Once a trader selling his mountain honey across the region, when ISIS came to Sinjar he turned his knowledge of the local terrain to another, more dangerous use. Along with a secret network of transporters, helpers, and former bootleggers, Abdullah Shrem smuggles brutalised Yazidi women to safety through the war-torn landscapes of Iraq, Syria, and Eastern Turkey. This powerful work of literary nonfiction offers a counterpoint to ISIS's genocidal extremism: hope, as ordinary people risk torture and death to save the lives of others.Trade ReviewIt is not for the faint-hearted, but they should read it anyway. We should all read it. -- Peter Stanford * Observer *Remarkable ... With this short book, the tragedies and the heroism of this time of horror will survive intact. -- Louise Callaghan * Sunday Times *Rare and powerful ... Mikhail has created a searing portrait of courage, humanity and savagery, told in a mosaic of voices. ... [her] gifts as a poet infuse these narratives with unexpected beauty * The New York Times *Mikhail bears witness to women in war-torn Iraq, women who have scarcely known peace throughout their lives. That she is a poet is clear on each page. * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book SynopsisMarsilio Ficino, the Florentine scholar-philosopher-magus, was largely responsible for the Renaissance revival of Plato. His commentaries remained the standard guide to the philosopher's works for centuries. Vanhaelen's new translation of Parmenides makes this monument of metaphysics accessible to the modern student.Trade ReviewFicino’s focus was on the writings of Plato, which were the subject of his study, his translation, and his extensive commentary. One of the most extensive of those commentaries—on Plato’s Parmenides—is now one of the most recent additions to Harvard’s superb ongoing I Tatti Renaissance Library. In a two-volume accomplishment all the more astounding for being conducted so unassumingly, Maude Vanhaelen has taken Ficino’s 1496 edition of the commentary on Parmenides, regularized its usages, combed out its typos, modernized its spellings, and thereby produced the single finest scholarly version of this long and problematic work yet made… Thanks to Maude Vanhaelen and the I Tatti Library, we can now study Ficino’s epic Parmenides commentary as it should be studied: with a clear, nailed-down text, a fine English translation, and some wide-ranging, hard-working notes. Renaissance scholars—that tiny, hard-drinking enclave—will rightly rejoice. -- Steve Donoghue * Open Letters Monthly *

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Book SynopsisSuccinct, accessible, and authoritative, Thomas Piketty’s The Economics of Inequality is the ideal place to start for those who want to understand the fundamental issues at the heart of one the most pressing concerns in contemporary economics and politics. This work now appears in English for the first time.Trade ReviewIn a work that is aligned with but antecedent to his grand synthesis, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, French economist Piketty examines the structural causes of inequality… A discussion worth having and a book worth reading. * Kirkus Reviews *Piketty’s The Economics of Inequality is an excellent book and a great companion to Capital. This book is a remarkable mix of extensive data, attention to theory, and concern for policy. -- Axel Gosseries, Fund for Scientific Research (FRS-FNRS) and University of Louvain (UCL)If Piketty is right, inequality is increasing and cannot be cured by the free market; we must understand the problem to understand how to address it. This should be required reading for every concerned citizen. * Publishers Weekly *Even a brief guide to basic concepts in Piketty’s field of study can remind you, at every turn, that something profound is going on within the global economic system. The data, especially the data from recent decades, does not conceal the tale…Avarice and plunder play no part in the language of economics, but they too are causes and consequences of the phenomena Piketty describes. In some respects, his work is an assault on the kind of cult thinking that these days passes for economic and political analysis. -- Ian Bell * Glasgow Herald *Piketty’s The Economics of Inequality, which acts as a primer, provides a useful starting point for a wide audience. -- Tom Healy * Irish Times *Translated into English for the first time, it offers an exceptionally clear, cogent, and coherent discussion of economic inequality. -- Richard N. Cooper * Foreign Affairs *

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Book SynopsisThe first history of sisters Isabella and Catherine de Valois, who both married English kings amid the brutal Hundred Years War

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Book SynopsisA pioneering and revolutionary book that lays the foundation for a radical new psychology, based on an expanded cartography of the human unconsciousness. Famous for his lifelong research into psychedelic drugs, Dr. Grof constructs a comprehensive and helpful framework out of the broad range of experiences triggered by LSD in patients and research subjects. Current research into the brain and ways of expanding consciousness give this seminal book, first published in 1979, new importance for the light it throws on many fundamental, but hitherto mysterious, human potentialities. Grof's theory of the human psyche transcends the personal and opens ways to a greater understanding of our inner selves.Trade ReviewI know of no work other than Grof's that so well incorporates the findings of Freud and Jung, adding fresh insights, which the methods of those psychotherapists could never have achieved. -- Joseph CampbellGrof's work is the most important contribution to personality theory in several decades. -- Abraham MaslowGrof's case histories contain an incredibly rich fund of mythological, literary and mystical reference points. * Kirkus Reviews *To call this book impressive is to underrate its impact. It has been a privilege to review this book. It is not an easy work to digest and plunges the reader into undreamt of areas of the Human Psyche, but to all those who would have the courage to look at life squarely in the face, I would urge you to read it * Revelation *Probably the most comprehensive and far-reaching study of the drug LSD to date... nobody who is interested in healing can afford to ignore these results... Well worth reading * Atlantean *

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Book SynopsisThis compelling book provides psychotherapists with evidence-based strategies for harnessing the power of language to free clients from life-constricting patterns and promote psychological flourishing. Grounded in relational frame theory (RFT), the volume shares innovative ways to enhance assessment and intervention using specific kinds of clinical conversations. Techniques are demonstrated for activating and shaping behavior change, building a flexible sense of self, fostering meaning and motivation, creating powerful experiential metaphors, and strengthening the therapeutic relationship. User-friendly features include more than 80 clinical vignettes with commentary by the authors, plus a Quick Guide to Using RFT in Psychotherapy filled with sample phrases and questions to ask. See also two works by Paul L. Wachtel--Therapeutic Communication, Second Edition, which provides another vital perspective on language in psychotherapy, and Making Room for the DisavTrade Review"Beautifully written, this book imparts a deep understanding of language's relationship to psychopathology and its effective use in psychotherapy. The theoretical presentation is exceptionally rich and the many examples of clinical application are particularly informative. Chapters address the fundamental tasks of therapy, from conducting functional assessments to building the client's sense of self, fostering meaning and motivation, and enriching the therapeutic relationship. A 'must read' for psychotherapists and students."--Michelle G. Craske, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles "A fascinating, very accessible account of RFT and its application to psychotherapy practice. The book offers a gorgeous balance of conceptual thinking and practical applications. It is a mind-expanding resource for psychotherapists of all orientations and levels of experience."--Jacqueline B. Persons, PhD, Director, Oakland Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center "Inspiring. Important. This book challenges every psychotherapist to pause and look again at the most basic tool of our trade--language--and the enterprise of meaning making. Its broad scope offers the promise of connection across models and perspectives as well as better ways to lead our clients into transforming moments in therapy."--Susan M. Johnson, EdD, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada "In this remarkable book, Villatte, Villatte, and Hayes bring to life the ways in which language and the use of symbols structure our experience. They explore how language shapes the therapeutic relationship and process, as well as clients' suffering, and how it can be a vehicle for igniting change. A cornerstone of this approach is RFT, beautifully articulated and described here. Clever, illuminating vignettes are sprinkled throughout. This book is a treasure trove of clinical wisdom with regard to the role of questioning, dialoguing, reflecting, and challenging in the therapy context. It is a gift to all psychotherapists."--Paul Gilbert, PhD, FBPsS, OBE, Centre for Compassion Research and Training, University of Derby, United Kingdom -A work of breathtaking scope and ambition….It is well written, the language used flows well, and the therapy dialogues are convincing, authentic, and warm--and resonate with my experience of therapy….At every turn I found myself immersed in the topic, trying to unpick many of the clinical interventions and training practices that I have come to know through tested experience and to rebuild them from a bottom-up understanding of why they are effective in influencing the listener….Some highlights of the book are its richness, depth, complexity, and inclusivity….Mastering the Clinical Conversation represents both a waypoint on a scientific and clinical journey and a compass heading for future progress.--PsycCRITIQUES, 9/26/2016Table of Contents1. The Power of Language 2. Language and Psychopathology 3. Symbolic Tools of Change 4. Psychological Assessment 5. Activating and Shaping Behavior Change 6. Building a Flexible Sense of Self 7. Fostering Meaning and Motivation 8. Building and Delivering Experiential Metaphors 9. Training Experiential Skills through Formal Practice 10. Empowering the Therapeutic Relationship Epilogue Quick Guide to Using RFT in Psychotherapy Practical Definitions of Terms Used in This Book References Index

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Book SynopsisConventional Deterrence is a book about the origins of war. Why do nations faced with the prospect of large-scale conventional war opt for or against an offensive strategy? John J. Mearsheimer examines a number of crises that led to major conventional wars to explain why deterrence failed.Trade ReviewAn intelligent, well-researched, and organized study. * Foreign Affairs *John Mearsheimer has got his timing just right. There is much current talk about the need to this and do that to bolster NATO's conventional forces, but there is no conceptual framework for assessing all these proposals. This is a carefully argued and well-written study that should immediately raise the quality of the debate. Most importantly, it draws effectively on history to illuminate contemporary problems. -- Lawrence Freedman * New Republic *Mearsheimer offers a fine example of how defense policy analysis should be conducted. He demonstrates an excellent grasp of proportion and priority in concentrating on some of the most important yet understudied questions of deterrence and modern warfare. Why, he asks, are offensive strategies accepted or avoided by states facing the prospect of large-scale conventional war? In answering this question, Mearsheimer confronts other questions of politics and perceptions that the strategic nuclear deadlock has only accentuated. The historic and technical details are handled masterfully while lessons are drawn for assessing the pivotal military balance in central Europe. This is a sophisticated yet thoroughly lucid book worthy of careful attention by any student of U.S. national security policy. * Journal of Policy Analysis and Management *

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Book SynopsisAccording to Peter van Inwagen, visible inanimate objects do not, strictly speaking, exist. In defending this controversial thesis, he offers fresh insights on such topics as personal identity, commonsense belief, existence over time, the phenomenon...Trade Review"A fascinating, densely argued, and highly original book on the metaphysics of material objects. The objections van Inwagen raises to the standard views on material parthood are not easily answered. Moreover, his examination of the topic of personal identity is a significant contribution to the philosophy of the mind."—Philosophical Review"Commonplace things such as hawks and handsaws pose philosophical problems at least as imposing as those presented by abstract objects such as numbers and divine beings. Van Inwagen argues vigorously for the view that our world contains . . . only living organisms, the activity of whose various parts constitute a life and against psychological accounts of personal identity. This gives only a rough idea of the contents of this rich and rewarding book."—Review of Metaphysics"There is much to bee learned from this book. . . . Material Beings is a refreshing example of straight-on, full-speed metaphysics. Van Inwagen goes where his arguments lead him—and they lead him to some remarkable places indeed."—Philosophy and Phenomenological Research

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Book SynopsisWinner, 2021 Ray and Pat Browne Edited Collection Award, given by the Popular Culture AssociationHow popular culture is engaged by activists to effect emancipatory political change One cannot change the world unless one can imagine what a better world might look like. Civic imagination is the capacity to conceptualize alternatives to current cultural, social, political, or economic conditions; it also requires the ability to see oneself as a civic agent capable of making change, as a participant in a larger democratic culture. Popular Culture and the Civic Imagination represents a call for greater clarity about what we're fighting fornot just what we're fighting against. Across more than thirty examples from social movements around the world, this casebook proposes civic imagination as a framework that can help us identify, support, and practice new kinds of communal participation. As the contributors demonstrate, young people, in particular, aTrade ReviewAn exceptionally well-conceived and thoughtfully assembled collection that resuscitates a cultural studies oriented toward the popular, in service of politically urgent questions about agency and resources for imagining otherwise. Across a wide array of case studies that span genres, media, and geopolitical contexts, the entries in this volume build on each other in a rich and versatile way. -- Eva Cherniavsky, author of Neocitizenship: Political Culture after DemocracyRaises timely, critical questions and provides creative answers to this current moment in US history ... The essays thus function as a handbook for how individuals and groups can find creative collaborative approaches to crystallize their aspirations for a better society. This collection is a useful resource for scholars and advanced students in media studies, critical cultural studies, social movements, and sociology. * CHOICE *

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Book SynopsisFareed Zakaria argues for a renewed commitment to the world's most valuable educational tradition.Trade Review"In Defense of a Liberal Education brilliantly and provocatively argues that the university is much more than a vocational school. The flight from the liberal arts is leaving us impoverished. Zakaria’s book couldn’t have come at a more valuable ti" -- Malcolm Gladwell

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Book Synopsis''A wonderful page-turner about a fascinating idea that should affect the way every thinking person thinks about the world around him'' Michael LewisIn this brilliant and original book, Malcolm Gladwell explains and analyses the ''tipping point'', that magic moment when ideas, trends and social behaviour cross a threshold, tip and spread like wildfire. Taking a look behind the surface of many familiar occurrences in our everyday world, Gladwell explains the fascinating social dynamics that cause rapid change.''Hip and hopeful, THE TIPPING POINT is like the idea it describes: concise, elegant but packed with social power. A book for anyone who cares about how society works and how we can make it better'' George StephanopoulosTrade ReviewA wonderful page-turner about a fascinating idea that should affect the way every thinking person thinks about the world around himGenuinely fascinating and frequently startling . . . The kind of book from which you'll be regaling your friends with intriguing snippets for weeks to come * Scotland on Sunday *A wonderfully offbeat study of that little-understood phenomenon, the social epidemic * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisIn Search of Respect, Philippe Bourgois's now-classic, ethnographic study of social marginalization in inner-city America, won critical acclaim after it was first published in 1995 and in 1997 was awarded the Margaret Mead Award. For the first time, an anthropologist had managed to gain the trust and long-term friendship of street-level drug dealers in one of the roughest ghetto neighborhoods in the United States - East Harlem. This edition adds a prologue describing the major dynamics in America that have altered life on the streets of East Harlem in the six years since the first edition. Bourgois, in a new epilogue, brings up to date the stories of the people - Primo, Caesar, Luis, Tony, Candy - who readers come to know in this remarkable window onto the world of the inner-city drug trade.Trade Review'… rich interview and observational data is used to tell the stories of the residents … It is clear that Bourgois is a very skilled ethnographer and the book is testimony to that.' Sociology'… an impressive book. The beautifully written and well organised ethnography gives an insight into the drug scene culture with its harsh and shocking details of violence. … a masterpiece of ethnographic description …' Medische AnthropologieTable of ContentsPreface to the 2001 second edition; Introduction; 1. Violating apartheid in the United States; 2. A street history of El Barrio; 3. Crackhouse management: addiction, discipline, and dignity; 4. 'Goin' legit': disrespect and resistance at work; 5. School days: learning to be a better criminal; 6. Redrawing the gender line on the street; 7. Families and children in pain; 8. Vulnerable fathers; 9. Conclusion; Epilogue 2001.

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Book Synopsis What are some of the central connections between narrative, systemic and attachment therapies? How do early emotional experiences in families shape our narratives about ourselves and our families? In what ways do family attachments shape our narrative abilities, such as being able to reflect on and integrate our experiences? This book sets out a framework for practice â Attachment Narrative Therapy â that provides a new approach to working with families, couples and individuals. This is not offered as a prescriptive model but as an aid and guide to practice that draws aspects of narrative and attachment therapy into systemic work. The synthesis of these ideas offers clinicians a new integrative way to approach their practice â one in which the three approaches are used to create a greater whole than their constituent parts. The book includes: Clinical examples Personal reflections Frameworks for clinical practice TherapeTable of ContentsIntroduction Attachment stories Biology and stories: Attachment theory Interacting stories: Narrative systematic therapy Attachments in family contexts ANT – an integrative model Re-authoring lives: Clinical applications Discussion Index.

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Book SynopsisUnlock the lost and hidden meanings of the world''s ancient and modern signs and symbols with the latest in the hugely popular series of ''Element Encyclopedias''. This is the biggest A-Z reference book on symbolic objects you''ll ever find.The latest in the popular series of ''Element Encyclopedias'', this is the largest, most definitive guide to the secret and ancient knowledge of signs and symbols, some of which has been lost over thousands of years.Why is the eye believed to be a powerful symbol of protection by fishermen?Why do Masonic Temples have a black and white chequered floor covering?Why do Hindus use coloured rice powder to draw elaborate symbols in front of their homes, only to have these patterns destroyed every day by footprints?What are the hidden meanings behind the symbols on the American dollar?What is the most important symbol in the World?Divided into easy-to-follow A-Z themed sections, the book answers all these questions and more, from sections on Magic and Mystery, Deities and Rituals, the Animal and Plant Kingdom, Landscape and the Elements, to Food and Sacred Geometry.Find out about the secret Demonic alphabet and Script of the Magi, the Glastonbury Zodiac, the Masonic Compass, the Eye of Horus, Native American hunting symbols, the Caduceus and the Indian Diwali ritual.Element Encyclopedia of Secret Signs and Symbols is a fascinating compendium of the hidden meanings behind the most important visual symbols in the world.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This book is a must read for anyone interested in the Middle East’s present and who might be hopeful for the region’s future." * Middle East Journal *"Seeking to counter contemporary perceptions of the Middle East as a region riven by sectarian strife, Makdisi examines the ‘culture of coexistence’ which he believes prevailed in the Ottoman Empire and in the post-Ottoman Arab world, despite its religious diversity." * Survival: Global Politics and Strategy *"An outstanding study with insight about the agency of Arab intellectuals, thinkers and people at large who, despite twentieth-century local and global violence, persist in struggling for a better world. This is a must- read for all scholars and students of Middle East and cultural studies." * Arab Studies Quarterly *"A hugely important corrective to widespread stereotypes about relations between Muslims, Christians and Jews before Israel's creation." * Peter Beinart *"Beyond the excellent historical work in which Makdisi engages, his profound rewriting of narratives of sectarianism and coexistence will have a great impact on readers’ understanding of the modern Middle East. . . . Offers hope for an existence that does not distinguish between Muslim and non-Muslim or Jew and non-Jew but aims to humanize those who have been seen as inferior." * Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations *"One of the salient contributions of the Age of Coexistence is how Makdisi writes a history that the existing scholarship has either taken for granted or failed to critically examine. . . . Indispensable reading for graduate students entering the field of Middle Eastern history." * Bustan: The Middle East Book Review *"This is clearly an essential book. . . . There are many lessons to learn from this study with regard to how regions and their peoples, their ethno-religious identities, and their politics are approached, investigated, and narrated." * Journal of Historical Geography *"What Makdisi has accomplished here is truly impressive. . . .It is my hope that as it spreads in classrooms and in public discourse, The Age of Coexistence will serve the final blow to Western-based stereotypes of a Middle East rife with senseless violence, authoritarianism, and strict religious rule." * International Journal of Middle East Studies *"Offers a fresh look at the making of the modern Arab world. Given the plethora of studies that focus on contemporary wars and sectarian violence, this well-researched study employs Arabic and Western resources that challenge the prevailing perceptions about the region and its people. . . . An outstanding study with insight about the agency of Arab intellectuals, thinkers and people at large who, despite twentieth-century local and global violence, persist in struggling for a better world. This is a must-read for all scholars and students of Middle East and cultural studies." * Arab Studies Quarterly *"A major achievement. . . . This is historical analysis whose reframing of the past genuinely helps to offer possibilities for imagining future forms of coexistence." * World History Connected *Table of ContentsList of Maps Acknowledgments Note on Transliteration Introduction: The Ecumenical Frame Part I 1. Religious Difference in an Imperial Age 2. The Crucible of Sectarian Violence 3. Coexistence in an Age of Genocide Part II 4. Colonial Pluralism 5. Sectarianism and Antisectarianism in the Post-Ottoman Arab World 6. Breaking the Ecumenical Frame: Arab and Jew in Palestine Epilogue Notes Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisThe Innovative University illustrates how higher education can respond to the forces of disruptive innovation , and offers a nuanced and hopeful analysis of where the traditional university and its traditions have come from and how it needs to change for the future.Trade Review"Scholars will find this work a good point of departure for asking more pointed questions about how nest to meet the demands of an increasingly disparate population of students (and potential students) who have different needs and expectations from previous generations of college-going individuals." — Journal of College Student Retention Vol. 15 (3)Table of ContentsPreface vii Acknowledgments xv Introduction: Ripe for Disruption—and Innovation xix Part One: Reframing the Higher Education Crisis Chapter 1 The Educational Innovator’s Dilemma: Threat of Danger, Reasons for Hope 3 Part Two: The Great American University Chapter 2 Puritan College 33 Chapter 3 Charles Eliot, Father of American Higher Education 46 Chapter 4 Pioneer Academy 72 Chapter 5 Revitalizing Harvard College 80 Chapter 6 Struggling College 98 Chapter 7 The Drive for Excellence 110 Chapter 8 Four-Year Aspirations in Rexburg 139 Chapter 9 Harvard’s Growing Power and Profile 148 Chapter 10 Staying Rooted 157 Part Three: Ripe for Disruption Chapter 11 The Weight of the DNA 171 Chapter 12 Even at Harvard 185 Chapter 13 Vulnerable Institutions 192 Chapter 14 Disruptive Competition 206 Part Four: A New Kind of University Chapter 15 A Unique University Design 223 Chapter 16 Getting Started 238 Chapter 17 Raising Quality 249 Chapter 18 Lowering Cost 276 Chapter 19 Serving More Students 301 Part Five: Genetic Reengineering Chapter 20 New Models 325 Chapter 21 Students and Subjects 347 Chapter 22 Scholarship 358 Chapter 23 New DNA 379 Chapter 24 Change and the Indispensable University 396 Notes 403 The Authors 445 Innosight Institute 447 Index 449

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Book SynopsisThis is the story of D-Day, told through the voices of over 1,000 survivors. 6 June, 1944. 156,000 troops from 12 different countries, 11,000 aircraft, 7,000 naval vessels, 24 hours. D-Day - the beginning of the Allied invasion of Hitler's formidable 'Fortress Europe' - was the largest amphibious invasion in history. There has never been a battle like it, before or since. But beyond the statistics and over sixty years on, what is it about the events of D-Day that remain so compelling? The courage of the men who fought and died on the beaches of France? The sheer boldness of the invasion plan? Or the fact that this, Rommel's 'longest day', heralded the beginning of the end of World War II? One of the defining battles of the war, D-Day is scored into the imagination as the moment when the darkness of the Third Reich began to be swept away. This story is told through the voices of over 1,000 survivors - from high-ranking Allied and German officers, to the paratroopers who landed in Normandy before dawn, the infantry who struggled ashore and the German troops who defended the coast. Cornelius Ryan captures the horror and the glory of D-Day, relating in emotive and compelling detail the years of inspired tactical planning that led up to the invasion, its epic implementation and every stroke of luck and individual act of heroism that would later define the battle.Trade ReviewThe terrifying realism of what war really is. D-Day was the greatest and most necessary military undertaking in British or American history and Mr Ryan’s book is worthy of its theme. * Observer *Fifty years from now, the history of D-Day will, I’m sure, lean heavily on this book. * New York Times Book Review *If you have read all the accounts of D-Day or none of them, if you were in the fighting or on the sidelines, you will be spellbound, as I was, by this magnificent retelling of a glorious and tragic story. -- Lt. General James GavinRyan’s classic military study. * Publishers Weekly *Table of ContentsForeword: D Day, Tuesday, June 6, 1944 Part One: The Wait Part Two: The Night Part Three: The Day A Note on Casualties D-Day Veterans: What They Do Today Acknowledgements Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisPresents an account of the author's life in relation to political events of his time; the character and history of his writings and of the Politics in particular; his overall conception of political science; and his impact on subsequent political thought from antiquity to the present.Trade Review"This revised edition of Aristotle's 'Politics' easily establishes it as the best available in English. By offering a longer introductory essay that grapples with the substance of Aristotle's argument, a new index, revamped notes, and - most important - by revising and correcting the text, Carnes Lord has substantially improved what was already a fine rendering of Aristotle's classic account of political science. A great service to students and scholars alike." (Robert C. Bartlett, cotranslator of Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics") "Carnes Lord's translation is clearly the best available." (Claremont Review of Books)"

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[T]his book is a prerequisite for any researcher of political science/philosophy/theory and for any scholar of utopianism. . . . [T]he quality and significance of this book cannot be overestimated."---Marianna Papastephanou, European Legacy

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Book SynopsisWear just 33 items for 3 months and get back all the JOY you were missing while you were worrying what to wear.In Project 333, minimalist expert and author of Soulful Simplicity Courtney Carver takes a new approach to living simply--starting with your wardrobe. Project 333 promises that not only can you survive with just 33 items in your closet for 3 months, but you'll thrive just like the thousands of woman who have taken on the challenge and never looked back. Let the de-cluttering begin! Ever ask yourself how many of the items in your closet you actually wear? In search of a way to pare down on her expensive shopping habit, consistent lack of satisfaction with her purchases, and ever-growing closet, Carver created Project 333. In this book, she guides readers through their closets item-by-item, sifting through all the emotional baggage associated with those oh-so strappy high-heel sandals that cost a fortune but destroy your feet every time you

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Book Synopsis'A classic' - Simon Kuper, Financial Times'Brilliant' - James O'Brien, author of How to be RightThe five laws that confirm our worst fears: stupid people can and do rule the world.Since time immemorial, a powerful dark force has hindered the growth of human welfare and happiness.Trade ReviewA classic * Simon Kuper, Financial Times *Brilliant. * James O'Brien, author of How to be Right *A masterly book * Nassim Nicholas Taleb *This is a very funny book, but Carlo Cipolla's underlying insight really matters: there's a lot of stupidity about, including in society's highest circles – and the stupid wield a surprising amount of power, because the rest of us can never guess what idiotic thing they'll do next. We need to get wise to stupidity, and Cipolla's drily witty rules are a great place to start. * Oliver Burkeman *Cipolla’s subtle tongue-in-cheek humour made this book an underground classic in Italy. Today, under current worldwide political trends, it reads more like black humour. Keep in mind: reliable statistical data shows that 98% of the people seriously believe that they are far less stupid than the average. * Carlo Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics *

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Book SynopsisThe history of this famed vessel is presented through over 200 photographs and accompanying narrative.

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Book Synopsis For fans of Gudetama, this adorable talking figurine is the perfect addition to any desktop. Meet Gudetama -- everyone''s favorite lazy egg with the can''t-be-bothered attitude. This one-of-a-kind kit includes a 3 talking Gudetama figurine with a retractable bacon blanket to activate the sound and a mini sticker book. Sound clips include: Leave me alone Don''t care So lazy Meh Can you not? Please don''t Okay okay And please stop.

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Book SynopsisUsing a variety of analytical methods and theoretical approaches, this book moves food studies firmly into the arena of Late Medieval and Renaissance history, providing an essential key to deciphering the material and metaphorical complexity of this period in European, and especially Italian, history.Trade ReviewA comprehensive and insightful contribution on the subject of food culture in the Renaissance. -- Marco Malvestio * Renaissance and Reformation *Grieco’s book, much awaited, maintains his promise of being a milestone in food history, regardless of the time period it covers…A deep inquiry into the mutual relationships between moral and political economies, as well as of knowledge production, and dissemination. For materially and visually-minded historians of science and knowledge this book is a treasure of suggestions, both about the systems of classifications of nature and about the daily life of people elaborating and disseminating knowledge about the edible side of the natural world. -- Paolo Savoia * Nuncius *Over the course of a long and distinguished career, Grieco has been a pioneering figure in Renaissance food history…This opulently illustrated collection brings together a number of Grieco’s most important pieces published over the past several decades…A fitting coda to the admirable career of a pioneer in food history. -- Eric Dursteler * Journal of Early Modern History *

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Book SynopsisDon’t just see the sights―get to know the people. The people of this land of white summer nights and pristine lakes are famous for their sisu, a form of enterprising stoicism. They are survivors: if you were stranded on a desert island, your ideal companion would be a Finn. Before you knew it, the sauna would be ready, fishhooks positioned, a fire burning, and any edible berries picked and prepared for eating. Shaped by the harsh physical beauty around them, the Finns can be melancholy, yet have a great sense of humor. Their music is often in the minor key, but they love to dance, sing, and perform. They cherish their traditions, from name days to near-pagan rituals, yet they are great innovators. Culture Smart! Finland describes the historical, geographical, and cultural influences that have shaped the Finnish psyche, and guides you through the working and social lives of the Finns today, offering you a deeper, more rewarding experience of this beautiful land. Have a more meaningful and successful time abroad through a better understanding of the local culture. Chapters on values, attitudes, customs, and daily life will help you make the most of your visit, while tips on etiquette and communication will help you navigate unfamiliar situations and avoid faux pas.Trade Review"Culture Smart! has come to the rescue of hapless travellers," - Sunday Times Travel; "...the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries," - Global Travel; "...full of fascinating, as well as common sense, tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas," – Observer; "...as useful as they are entertaining," - Easy Jet Magazine; "...offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world," - New York TimesTable of ContentsKey History – Politics – Economic Life – Values – Attitudes – Religion – Traditions – Taboos – Festivals & Holidays – Friendships & Family – Women in Society – Humour – Hospitality & Home life – Cultural Life – Cuisine & Dining Out – Socializing – Dos and Don’ts – Business Etiquette – Punctuality & Time Keeping – Meetings & Presentations – Negotiating – Bureaucracy – Communication & Language – Tips

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Book Synopsis'It made me rethink the roots of our deepest fears and insecurities, and why we often disappoint ourselves in how we manifest them' Bill Clinton, Guardian Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1974 and the culmination of a life's work, The Denial of Death is Ernest Becker's brilliant and impassioned answer to the 'why' of human existence. In bold contrast to the predominant Freudian school of thought, Becker tackles the problem of the vital lie - man's refusal to acknowledge his own mortality. The book argues that human civilisation is a defence against the knowledge that we are mortal beings. Becker states that humans live in both the physical world and a symbolic world of meaning, which is where our 'immortality project' resides. We create in order to become immortal - to become part of something we believe will last forever. In this way we hope to give our lives meaning. In The Denial of Death, Becker sheds new light on the nature of humanity and issues a call to life and its living that still resonates decades after it was written.Trade ReviewIt made me rethink the roots of our deepest fears and insecurities, and why we often disappoint ourselves in how we manifest them -- Bill Clinton * Guardian *A brave work of electrifying intelligence and passion, optimistic and revolutionary, destined to endure. * New York Times Book Review *An original, creative contribution to a synthesis of this generation's extensive explorations in psychology and theology. * Boston Herald *One of those rare masterpieces that will stimulate your thoughts, your intellectual curiosity, and last but not least, your soul. * Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, author, On Death and Dying *Concerns the 'universality of the fear of death'... Its approach is more philosophical than psychologically or medically empirical. -- TheologyMeditating on death and its influence on our culture... that the fear of death is the single motivating fact of human endeavour and that all art and philosophy come from trying to deal with obsolescence. -- The Catholic HeraldOne of the few great books of the 20th or any other century. -- Albuquerque Journal Book ReviewIt is hard to overestimate the importance of this book: Becker succeeds brilliantly in what he sets out to do, and the effort was necessary. -- The Chicago Sun-Times

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Book SynopsisLiberalism is under attack. From the rise of nationalism and populism to the decline of trust in institutions, liberals are facing unprecedented challenges. But what does it mean to be a liberal in the 21st Century? And how can we defend the values that we hold dear? In his new book, How to Be a Liberal, Ian Dunt provides a clear and concise guide to liberalism for the modern age. Drawing on his years of experience as a journalist and political commentator, Dunt argues that liberalism is not just a set of abstract principles, but a practical guide to living a good and meaningful life. In the book, Dunt covers a wide range of topics, including: What is liberalism and why is it important? The history of liberalism and its key thinkers The different types of liberalism and their strengths and weaknesses How to be a liberal in a world that is increasingly hostile to liberalism Dunt's writing is witty and engaging, and he makes complex ideas accessible to a general audience. He is also not afraid to tackle difficult topics, such as the challenges of multiculturalism and the rise of identity politics. But what makes How to Be a Liberal truly unique is Dunt's emphasis on the importance of humor and irony in the defense of liberalism. He argues that liberals need to learn to laugh at themselves and their opponents, and to avoid taking themselves too seriously. In one passage, Dunt writes: "Liberalism is not a religion. It is a set of ideas that are open to challenge and debate. Liberals should never be afraid to laugh at themselves or their own beliefs. In fact, I would argue that a sense of humor is essential for any liberal who wants to be effective in the world." Dunt's book is a timely and important contribution to the debate about liberalism in the 21st century. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand what it means to be a liberal today and how to defend the values that we hold dear.Trade Review‘A tour de force; a mighty trumpet blast for the forces of liberalism and enlightenment in the face of a global tide of ignorance and populism.’ – THE SECRET BARRISTER‘This is a history of ideas as it should be written – brilliant, vivid story-telling about the people who shaped liberalism, the challenges it has faced over the centuries, its commitment to the truth and why it’s now more important than ever to defend it.’ – CAROLINE LUCAS MP‘Dunt’s gift for making complicated issues comprehensible is second to none. Courageous.’ – JAMES O’BRIEN, LBC‘How To Be A Liberal is required reading for today’s political debates.’ – ANNE APPLEBAUM, TWILIGHT OF DEMOCRACY ‘Clear-eyed and hard-headed. His defence of liberalism is political writing at its most urgent and engaging.’ – NICK COHEN, OBSERVER COLUMNIST‘A phenomenal history from a truly big mind.’ – DAVID SCHNEIDER, THE DEATH OF STALIN'When in the course of human events it falls on us to resist, this makes a welcome guidebook.' – KIRKUS'He describes liberalism as “an enormous, boisterous, confounding bloody thing,” and writes passionately in its favour, as a counterweight to ignorance and populism. This book is required reading for anyone interested in politics and philosophy.' – PROSPECT'All of Ian Dunt’s How to be a Liberal is essential reading, but the chapter on Harriet Taylor and John Stuart Mill is blistering, eye-opening stuff.' – Shakespeare & Company bookstore, https://twitter.com/Shakespeare_Co/status/1332266783303151617 Table of ContentsTODAY. Reveals the six lies behind the rise of nationalism in the Republican Party in the USA, the Conservative Party in Great Britain, the Bharatiya Janata Party in India, Likud in Israel, the Alliance for Brazil in Brazil, PDP–Laban in the Philippines, Fidesz in Hungary and the Lega in Italy 1. BIRTH. The origin of independent thought in the mind of philosopher René Descartes, who realised Cogito, ergo sum: 'I think therefore I am'. Mentions Meditations on First Philosophy and Discourse on the Method, and Nicolaus Copernicus' On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres. 2. AWAKENING. In the English Civil War period, radicals started to outline three political thoughts that challenged the established order. They were freedom of religious conscience, the notion of the individual, and the notion of doubt. These three ideas would become central to liberalism 3. THE THREE REVOLUTIONS. Liberalism was moulded in the furnace of three revolutions in the 18th century: The Glorious Revolution in England, the American Revolution and the French Revolution THE GLORIOUS REVOLUTION THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 4. CONSTANT. The womanising dissolute 18th Century Swiss philosopher Benjamin Constant established the political rights of the individual and warned of the tyranny of an over-mighty government in Napoleonic France 5. HARRIET AND JOHN. Harriet Taylor and John Stuart Mill had a deep love affair and laid the groundwork for the development of modern liberalism, including championing a minority cause in 19th Century Victorian England: the right of women to vote. They wrote The Enfranchisement of Women and On Liberty 6. DEATH. The Dreyfuss Affair in France, the extermination of peasants in Ukraine's Holodomor, and the genocide against Jews in Nazi Germany showed what happened when nationalism when tyrants could channel the 'will of the people' over the rights of the individual protected by liberalism 7. NEW WORLD ORDER. After the catastrophe of the Second World War, liberal democracies in the West built a new post-war, rights-based liberal world order designed to guarantee peace and individual rights. Economically John Maynard Keynes triumphed over Friedrich Hayek 8. BELONGING. One flaw in liberalism was the lack of recognition of the identity felt by individuals, whether nationality or religion. The English writer George Orwell and philosopher Isaiah Berlin averred the importance of this sense of belonging in their writings and ultimately in liberalism 9. CRASH. The post-war liberal world order crashed with oil crisis stagflation in the 1970s when Hayek's small state philosophy took root in US governments, leading to bank deregulation on Wall Street (and likewise in the UK under Margaret Thatcher) - leading eventually to 2008 global financial crash 10. IDENTITY WAR. Liberalism had largely been devised by white men, and women and ethnic groups carved out a separate identity that put the group ahead of the individual. 'This was no longer the politics of how to change the world. It was the politics of who you were.' 11. ANTI-TRUTH. Just as liberalism faced multiple threats from the resurgence of nationalism, the rise of identity politics and the financial crash, people’s ability to use reason diminished with the rise of social media. Now everyone was the arbiter of their own truth. Facts became opinions. 12. THE NEW NATIONALISM. 1. Hungary, where Victor Urban used fear of foreigners to dismantle the free media and democratic institutions of Hungary. 2. The rise of Donald Trump who degraded the idea of independent facts. 3 Brexit Britain where nationalist propaganda trumped a nation's interests 13. THE OTHER. How nationalists in Italy, Britain, the US and elsewhere have seized on a supposed threat to their countries from other people to whip up dissent and to crack down on immigration and the rights of individuals, harming democracy and liberal values TOMORROW. The big problem with liberalism has been complacency that it would eventually triumph around the world. The answer is for liberals to fight for their democratic values. Joe Biden's election as US President offers hope for a kinder, better future SORRY & THANK YOU. Acknowledgements and apologies. Mentions Ronald Dworkin, TH Green, François Guizot, Leonard Hobhouse, Wilhelm von Humboldt, Immanuel Kant, Robert Nozick, Martha Nussbaum, Karl Popper, John Rawls, Friedrich Schiller and Alexis de Tocqueville. FURTHER READING. An extensive list of books that hold the keys to liberalism, including Liberalism: The Life of an Idea by Edmund Fawcett and Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Also recommended is Toby Buckle’s Political Philosophy podcast. 'You owe it to yourself to read On Liberty' INDEX. The As start: Act of Union, Acxiom, Adam, adaptive preference, advertising, African Americans, aggregate demand, agitators, Agreement of the People, Akhmatova, Aktion T-4 programme, algorithms, alternative facts...

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