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Book SynopsisAn examination of the meaning of meaninglessness: why it matters that nothing matters.When someone is labeled a nihilist, it's not usually meant as a compliment. Most of us associate nihilism with destructiveness and violence. Nihilism means, literally, “an ideology of nothing. “ Is nihilism, then, believing in nothing? Or is it the belief that life is nothing? Or the belief that the beliefs we have amount to nothing? If we can learn to recognize the many varieties of nihilism, Nolen Gertz writes, then we can learn to distinguish what is meaningful from what is meaningless. In this addition to the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, Gertz traces the history of nihilism in Western philosophy from Socrates through Hannah Arendt and Jean-Paul Sartre.Although the term “nihilism” was first used by Friedrich Jacobi to criticize the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, Gertz shows that the concept can illuminate the thinking of Socrates, Descartes, and other

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Book SynopsisA philosopher considers entertainment, in all its totalizing variety—infotainment, edutainment, servotainment—and traces the notion through Kant, Zen Buddhism, Heidegger, Kafka, and Rauschenberg.In Good Entertainment, Byung-Chul Han examines the notion of entertainment—its contemporary ubiquity, and its philosophical genealogy. Entertainment today, in all its totalizing variety, has an apparently infinite capacity for incorporation: infotainment, edutainment, servotainment, confrontainment. Entertainment is held up as a new paradigm, even a new credo for being—and yet, in the West, it has had inescapably negative connotations. Han traces Western ideas of entertainment, considering, among other things, the scandal that arose from the first performance of Bach's Saint Matthew's Passion (deemed too beautiful, not serious enough); Kant's idea of morality as duty and the entertainment value of moralistic literature; Heidegger's idea of the thi

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Book Synopsis20 unique prints encapsulating the most important lessons The School of Life has to teach. Art is never merely decoration. From cave paintings to modern sculpture, our species has always used pictures and images to express our most important ideas: encapsulating the messages we deem necessary to remember in order to live better lives. Far from simply being objects of beauty, art is a reminder of what truly matters. Bold Truths is a collection of wise statements immortalised as art: 20 philosophical prints encapsulating the most important lessons The School of Life has to teach. Brought to life by leading artists and designers, they’re ready-made prints that can be lifted out and displayed in your home or place of work as a permanent reminder of how to live well. They’re a perfect marriage of beauty and utility: exquisite illustrations of essential ideas.

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Book SynopsisThis book shows how self-improvement culture became so toxic—and why we need both a new concept of the self and a mission of social change in order to escape it. Mark Coeckelbergh delves into the history of the ideas that shaped this culture, critically analyzes the role of technology, and explores surprising paths out of the self-improvement trap.Trade ReviewThis scintillating “anti–self-help guide” is bold and convincing. * Publishers Weekly *In Self-Improvement, Mark Coeckelbergh explains why technology cannot cure what ails our soul. Artificial intelligence will not make us better human beings. An oppressive social environment is at the root of the rage for self-improvement. We need to work not on ourselves but on our society. Technology can help us improve it if we join together to make sensible changes. Self-Improvement is the guide we need to escape from the technologized self. -- Andrew Feenberg, author of Technosystem: The Social Life of ReasonCoeckelbergh's diagnoses of the extensive historical and contemporary sources of a toxic culture of 'improving ourselves to death,' specifically as relentlessly driven by contemporary AI and surveillance capitalism, ground his prescriptions for alternative understandings of ourselves and of possible good lives as interwoven both with our technologies and the larger environment. The upshot is a book of exceptional insight and urgently needed wisdom. -- Charles Ess, author of Digital Media EthicsSelf-Improvement connects the dots between innovations in print technology, the development of the literary genre of the 'confession,' and the way these practices are being currently amplified by social media platforms. Coeckelbergh's ability to identify what is truly interesting and to draw out the important connections between these different (and often times seemingly incompatible) materials is in full force here. Engaging, easy to follow, and full of the kinds of insights that make reading a text like this so satisfying. -- David J. Gunkel, author of Gaming the System: Deconstructing Video Games, Games Studies, and Virtual WorldsTable of Contents1. The Phenomenon: The Self-Improvement Imperative2. The History: Ancient Philosophers, Priests, and Humanists in Search of Self-Knowledge and Perfection3. The Society: Modern Self-Obsession from Rousseau to Hipster Existentialism4. The Political Economy: Self-Taming and Exploitation Under Wellness Capitalism5. The Technology: Categorized, Measured, Quantified, and Enhanced, or Why AI Knows Us Better Than Ourselves6. The Solution (Part I): Relational Self and Social Change7. The Solution (Part II): Technologies That Tell Different Stories About UsNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisWhat is law, and why does it matter? Scott Hershovitz says that law is a moral practice—a tool for adjusting our moral relations. This claim is simple on its face, but it has stark implications for the rule of law. At once erudite and entertaining, Hershovitz’s argument engages with the most important legal and political controversies of our time.Trade ReviewMasterful. With clarity, humor, and insight, Scott Hershovitz declutters jurisprudence. Condemning the philosophical ‘original sin’ of reducing law to rules and the ‘obsession’ with separating law from morals, he shows that the embattled ideal of the rule of law is itself a part of a shared moral outlook. Law Is a Moral Practice resets a field and pries it open, making it newly accessible to non-specialists and ordinary people. -- Samuel Moyn, Yale Law SchoolScott Hershovitz has written an important defense of the view that law both reflects and informs what we owe each other morally. Eschewing the labels that have long encrusted discourse about law and morality, he offers a welcoming introduction for novices and a sophisticated argument for those already steeped in positivist-antipositivist debates. -- Leslie Kendrick, University of Virginia School of LawA major original contribution to jurisprudence and a delight to read. Scott Hershovitz explains abstruse claims and develops nuanced philosophical arguments in lucid prose that is eminently accessible to non-specialists, yet the discussion remains rigorous at all times. -- Nicos Stavropoulos, University of OxfordSo much philosophical writing bludgeons the reader with arguments, objections, replies, and counter-arguments, ad nauseam. Law Is a Moral Practice takes another approach, persuading the reader with the elegance and power of its philosophical picture. It succeeds masterfully. -- Scott Shapiro, Yale UniversityAn outstanding contribution to its field. Hershovitz’s position is essential, and his argument for it is philosophically deep and often much funnier than it has any right to be. Best of all, he brings out the direct connections between philosophical jurisprudence and legal practice, giving his readers important insights into an essential human activity. -- Christopher Essert, University of Toronto

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Soames's book is an excellent introduction to the relevance of philosophy in the contemporary world. . . . Highly recommended." * Choice *"An erudite riposte to the accusation that philosophy has little practical relevance." * Paradigm Explorer *"Soames demonstrates how philosophy shaped our world while at the same time developing a spectacular one-volume history of Western philosophy in the analytic tradition. On those grounds alone, that makes this work a profound achievement."---Brendan Patrick Purdy, Law & Liberty

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Book SynopsisMost of us long to be a little calmer: too many of our days are lost to agitation and worry, stress and discord. Yet we know that we are at our best when we can manage not to panic and take challenges in our stride. Fortunately, a calm state of mind is not a divine gift. Even those of us starting from a more agitated position can systematically understand and lay claim to it. Too many books on this subject simply explain what it would be like to be calm. This is a workbook that takes us through the practical steps required to actually become calm. It is filled with exercises and prompts that deliver the self-understanding and self-compassion on which true serenity depends. Furthermore, the book invites us to build calming routines into our daily lives so that what we learn can stick with us and change us for the long term. Based on years of The School of Life’s work in the area of anxiety and calm, this is a landmark workbook guaranteed to bring about the calmer state of mind we long for and deserve.

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Book SynopsisA reassuring guide on how to overcome failure, teaching us that we can learn to fail well This is a hopeful, consoling, gentle book about failure. Our societies talk a lot about success, but the reality is that no one gets through life without failing – in small and usually also in large ways. Sometimes our failures are very obvious, at other times, we feel we have to conceal them out of shame. This book encourages us to accept the role that failure plays for all of us and to feel compassion for ourselves for the messes we can’t help but make as we go through our lives. Our societies talk a lot about how to succeed: we’d end up so much wiser and calmer if we learnt how to cope better with the more likely scenario of failure. This is a book packed with dignified, sensible, kindly suggestions about how to approach failure: how to deal with friends, how to cope with enemies, how to endure regret, how to pick oneself up, how to accept oneself despite one’s flaws, and how to endure and thrive in new, less than ideal circumstances. It’s a perfect volume for anyone who has ever had a relationship breakdown, suffered a career reversal, made enemies, bungled a project or wasted their time – in other words, for all of us. When we fail, it can sometimes seem as if we are alone in this however, in truth, there is nothing more human than to fail – and nothing wiser and more necessary than to learn to fail well.

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Book SynopsisOne of the things we all deeply crave, and all richly deserve, is a more exciting life. We know well enough that many things have to be routine, hard and a little bit boring. But we also rightly sense that, if only we can find a way, our lives could be rendered intermittently more joyful, intense, thrilling and beautiful. This is a guide to the more exciting life we know could be ours. It isn’t about the outward things we might do: travel, parachute out of airplanes or learn a foreign language. This is a book of psychology and about how we can nurture a sense of inner liberation, accept our desires and aspirations and then have the courage to set ourselves free. Perhaps for too long we have resigned ourselves to things that aren’t fair or necessary, we have felt too constricted (and perhaps unloved) to communicate well with others and the proper expansion of our characters has been sacrificed for the sake of compliance. Now is a chance to recover some of our spirit, and to become open to the full intensity, beauty and mystery of life and to the richness of our own possibilities. Here is a guide to that more exciting life we know should – and can – be ours.

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Book Synopsis''A fun, fascinating, and original book that will challenge you to become a better version of yourself''Daniel H. Pink, author of DriveWhat does it take to be truly happy? Should we pursue fame and fortune or the respect of our friends and family? How can we make the world a better place? Two hundred and fifty years ago, Adam Smith addressed these fundamental questions in his life-long project, The Theory of Modern Sentiments.Dwarfed by the success of Smith''s masterpiece The Wealth of Nations, The Theory of Modern Sentiments has been virtually forgotten. But when Russ Roberts finally picked up the epic tome, he realized he''d stumbled upon the greatest self-help book that almost no one has read.In How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life, Roberts reinvigorates the neglected classic to unearth a treasure trove of timeless, practical wisdom that cuts to the core of what it means to be human. It will challenge you to think about the way you treat others, the decisions you make in pursuit of happiness, and your place in the world.Trade ReviewRoberts whisks the reader through Smith's "hidden gem" and skilfully blends modern examples with Smith's original, leaving you wanting to tackle his masterpiece * Financial Times *[Adam Smith's] moral values are rather neglected ... Happily, Russ Roberts has digested, condensed and commented upon Smith's theories of the good life ... the pursuit of happiness is not the pursuit of money * The Times *A great book. Makes you feel better about life, humanity, and yourself. Like having a conversation and a scotch with Adam Smith, or even better, Russ Roberts -- Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan'Can economists teach us how to live a good life? When the economists in question are Adam Smith and Russ Roberts, the answer is a definitive yes. Roberts shines a fresh light on Smith's ideas about morality and human nature and finds they hold up remarkably well in the 21st century. A fun, fascinating, and original book that will challenge you to become a better version of yourself' -- Daniel H. Pink, author of DriveAdam Smith was not just an economist; he had penetrating insights into human nature that informed his rich, subtle, and rev­olutionary approach to moral philosophy. Russ Roberts combines a deep understanding of what Smith was on about with a fluent writing style to bring out the surprisingly modern implications of Smith's thinking -- Matt Ridley, author of The Rational Optimist'Russ Roberts has taken a brilliant but difficult classic - Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments - and written an engaging and inspiring meditation on virtue, friendship, and happiness. The result is a won­derful guide to living a good life' -- Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind

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Book SynopsisMany books have sought to introduce the writings of the infamous and influential philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, but Get Over Yourself puts matters the other way round. Rather than simply explaining his thought, it instead asks: what would Nietzsche make of us? What would he think of our 21st-century, digital age? In our time of identity politics, therapy culture, ''safe spaces'', religious fundamentalism, virtue-signalling, Twitterstorms, public emoting, dumbing-down', digital addiction and the politics of envy, the book introduces Nietzsche by putting the man in our shoes. Get Over Yourself both uses Nietzsche's philosophy to understand our society, and takes our society to explain his philosophy.

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Book Synopsis'This erudite and heartfelt survey reminds us that the need for consolation is timeless, as are the inspiring words and examples of those who walked this path before us.' - Toronto StarAs read on BBC Radio 4's 'Book of the Week', a timely, moving and profound exploration of how writers, composers and artists have searched for solace while facing loss, tragedy and crisis, from the historian and Booker Prize-shortlisted novelist Michael Ignatieff.When we lose someone we love, when we suffer loss or defeat, when catastrophe strikes – war, famine, pandemic – we go in search of consolation. Once the province of priests and philosophers, the language of consolation has largely vanished from our modern vocabulary, and the places where it was offered, houses of religion, are often empty. Rejecting the solace of ancient religious texts, humanity since the sixteenth century has increasingly placed its faith in science, ideology, and the therapeutic.How do we console each other and ourselves in an age of unbelief? In a series of portraits of writers, artists, and musicians searching for consolation – from the books of Job and Psalms to Albert Camus, Anna Akhmatova, and Primo Levi – writer and historian Michael Ignatieff shows how men and women in extremity have looked to each other across time to recover hope and resilience. Recreating the moments when great figures found the courage to confront their fate and the determination to continue unafraid, On Consolation takes those stories into the present, movingly contending that we can revive these traditions of consolation to meet the anguish and uncertainties of the twenty-first century.Trade ReviewIlluminating and moving, these wide-ranging portraits of men and women seeking answers in dark times - from the Book of Job to Montaigne, from Cicero to Akhmatova, and on to today's palliative care - appeal to us all, as a universal quest and an intimate personal testament. -- Jenny Uglow, author of Mr. Lear: A Life of Art and NonsenseAn extraordinary meditation on loss and mortality - drawing on all of Michael Ignatieff’s powers as a philosopher, a historian, a politician and a man. His portraits of figures such as Hume and Montaigne are sharp and dignified, troubling and consoling, thoughtful and deeply humane. -- Rory Stewart, author of The Places in BetweenReading this book is like taking a walk along a winding path with a dear friend and sharing life’s travails. But the friend keeps metamorphosing - into Montaigne or Marx or Mahler, Anna Akhmatova or Albert Camus. At the end, you feel enlivened, fortified, and somehow just a little wiser. This is a bold, brilliant, and yes, moving book. -- Lisa Appignanesi, author of Everyday Madness: On Grief, Anger, Loss and LoveIn an age when we are so much in need of solace, Michael Ignatieff went looking for it in texts and times whose assumptions are profoundly different from our own. The result is a secular reinterpretation of a landscape that has often seemed visible only through a religious lens: it is elegant, humane and intensely rewarding. -- Kwame Anthony Appiah, author of The Lies that Bind: Rethinking IdentityIt is at once illuminating, moving and consoling, to follow Michael Ignatieff as he searches for moments of consolation across the centuries. With resolute honesty Ignatieff follows the search into his own inner life, grappling, as we all must do, with failure, loss, and death. -- Stephen Greenblatt, author of The Swerve: How the World Became ModernThis is an extraordinarily moving book. The idea of solidarity in time is itelf consoling, amidst so much loss: in Ignatieff’s words, “we are not alone, and we never have been”. -- Emma Rothschild, author of The Inner Life of EmpiresA wonderful balance of literary survey and personal reflection, this book is wide-ranging, moving, and stylishly written. It makes the perfect introduction to a genre that never goes out of fashion. -- Sarah Bakewell, author of How to Live and At the Existentialist CaféA passionate, thought-provoking, unpredictable book. -- Carlo Ginzburg, author of Threads and TracesOn Consolation is splendidly immune to the panics of our age. Written with eloquence in an affecting spirit of humility by a man of uncommon intelligence, for many of its readers this book will be—is there any higher praise for a study of this subject?—useful. -- Leon Wieseltier, author of KaddishHuman problems are like crystals: they have so many faces that they must be turned over and around many times in order to see every side. Michael Ignatieff’s ruminative On Consolation does that artfully. Reading his memorable portraits of historical figures who needed, sought, lost, or found consolation leaves the reader with a deeper appreciation of the profound challenges and possibilities that life lays before every one of us. -- Mark Lilla, author of The Reckless MindAn inspiration for those in need of words to carry on with life. * Kirkus *

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Book SynopsisDeliberate ignorance has been known as the ‘Ostrich Instruction’ in law courts since the 1860s. It illustrates a recurring pattern in history in which figureheads for major companies, political leaders and industry bigwigs plead ignorance to avoid culpability. So why do so many figures at the top still get away with it when disasters on their watch damage so many people’s lives? Does the idea that knowledge is power still apply in today’s post-truth world? A bold, wide-ranging exploration of the relationship between ignorance and power in the modern age, from debates over colonial power and economic rent-seeking in the 18th and 19th centuries to the legal defences of today, The Unknowers shows that strategic ignorance has not only long been an inherent part of modern power and big business, but also that true power lies in the ability to convince others of where the boundary between ignorance and knowledge lies.Trade ReviewOurs is an era where truth-telling, leadership and authority have an increasingly feeble relationship. Linsey McGoey picks apart how strategic ignorance is a dastardly ploy that enables society’s elites to avoid responsibility for their rampant pursuit of self-interest. Essential if we are to resist what is one of the most dangerous tendencies of the new normal in global politics. * Carl Rhodes, co-author of CEO Society: The Corporate Takeover of Everyday Life *i>'The Unknowers is a landmark study of the myriad ways in which ignorance infuses our social, political and economic lives. Linsey McGoey deftly weaves social thought and empirical analysis to rethink how the power to draw the boundaries between knowledge and ignorance can radically transform society and democracy. * Claudia Aradau, King’s College London *What is most compelling about this book are the ways in which McGoey builds bridges between knowledge and ignorance practices, on the one hand, and processes of political and economic domination, on the other. * Clémence Pinel, Critical Policy Studies *i>‘The Unknowers is a fascinating exploration of the many ways in which our societies are built on strategic lack of knowledge. * Joshua Newman, Counterfire *In this timely book, McGoey tells us how deliberate and willful ignorance are used in politics, law, media, health and especially economics, to get and keep power. And she tells us what we might do about it. * Lynne Pettinger, University of Warwick *The definitive book for our times on what makes strategic ignorance so 'strategic' in the hands of the powerful. If the truth can set us free, then it is only once we have taken back ignorance. * Steve Fuller, author of Post-Truth: Knowledge as a Power Game *This is McGoey at her absolute best. And what a tour de force The Unknowers is. Each chapter weaves its way backward and forward between events and evidence, past and future making, to offer original insights into how strategic ignorance and deliberate uncertainty keep those at the top in power. * Susan L. Robertson, University of Cambridge *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Power to Ignore 1. Narrow History 2. Seeing Ignorance Differently 3. Elite Agnotologists 4. The Murdoch Strategy 5. Suspicious Attention 6. Know-it-all Epistocrats 7. Conflict Blindness 8. Masters of Industry, Masters of ignorance 9. The Ostrich Instruction 10. Good Experts 11. The Pretense of Ignorance Conclusion: The Great Enlargement

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Book SynopsisThe election of an unabashedly patriarchal man as US President was a shock for many—despite decades of activism on gender inequalities and equal rights, how could it come to this? What is it about patriarchy that seems to make it so resilient and resistant to change? Undoubtedly it endures in part because some people benefit from the unequal advantages it confers. But is that enough to explain its stubborn persistence? In this highly original and persuasively argued book, Carol Gilligan and Naomi Snider put forward a different view: they argue that patriarchy persists because it serves a psychological function. By requiring us to sacrifice love for the sake of hierarchy, patriarchy protects us from the vulnerability of loving and becomes a defense against loss. Uncovering the powerful psychological mechanisms that underpin patriarchy, the authors show how forces beyond our awareness may be driving a politics that otherwise seems inexplicable.Trade Review“Taking on the long brewing battle between true democracy and the pervasive ‘ghost’ of patriarchy, this compact book exists in a category of its own. The voices of its authors are accessible, incisive and engaging—the perfect book to launch almost any conversation about our current messy psycho-political times.”Jill Gentile, author, Feminine Law: Freud, Free Speech, and the Voice of Desire “An original and powerful analysis of patriarchy; there is a freshness and vitality to the authors’ approach. Why Does Patriarchy Persist? should be compulsory reading in every discipline from law to literature, for it offers a framework in which numerous dilemmas, both practical and psychological, might be resolved.”Terri Apter, Newnham College, Cambridge"There are books that do what they set out to do: they make their points clearly, they argue something new, they uncover something for us. Carol Gilligan and Naomi Snider’s new book, Why Does Patriarchy Persist?, does more than that. It is a spark. It is something like a book-length speech act, both illocutionary and perlocutionary: in speaking, the authors bring their thesis into being, and with it a host of possibilities come alive within us. As we read, we believe intimately that what they say is so. We feel it and see it in our own lives; it cannot but leap up within us."The Public Seminar "Dr. Gilligan’s writing may frustrate because of its swirl of literary, personal and clinical anecdotes. There can be tangles and snarls of language. You might get lost in its allusions and references, particularly if you’re not up-to-date on your Sophocles, Old Testament tales or Woolf. But her voice on the page is as it is in real life: warm and inviting. Democracy, she said, is like love. It only works if everyone has a voice. Dr. Gilligan’s new book continues to try and universalize the intimate." New York TimesTable of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction 1 Part 1 17 The Puzzle 17 The First Clue: An Association to Loss 25 Resistance 32 Loss 45 The Three Discoveries 72 A Summary 89 Part 2 91 Knowing This, Then What? 91 Finding Resonance, Repairing Ruptures 119 Leaving Patriarchy 121 Where Then Do We Stand? 134 Notes 146 Index 160

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Book SynopsisAn Introduction to Film Analysis is designed to introduce students to filmmaking techniques while also providing an invaluable guide to film interpretation. It takes readers step by step through:-the basic technical terms-shot-by-shot analyses of film sequences-set design, composition, editing, camera work, post-production, art direction and more-each chapter provides clear examples and full colour images from classic as well as contemporary filmsRyan and Lenos''s updated edition introduces students to the different kinds of lenses and their effects, the multiple possibilities of lighting, and the way post-production modifies images through such processes as saturation and desaturation. Students will learn to ask why the camera is placed where it is, why an edit occurs where it does, or why the set is designed in a certain way.The second section of the book focuses on critical analysis, introducing students to the various approaches to film, from psychology to history, wiTrade ReviewAn exceptionally clear and thorough account of the explicit and implicit ways that narrative cinema makes meaning for viewers. Filled with lucid writing and a profitably wide variety of examples, An Introduction to Film Analysis empowers students to analyze film technique from a range of diverse perspectives. * Kevin L. Ferguson, Associate Professor, Queens College, CUNY, USA *This step-by-step guide to film analysis by Ryan and Lenos is full of beautiful and instructive photography to make the art of moving images come alive on the page. It will entice students into a passion for film through its sophisticated and thorough discussions of a wide range of films, including historical classics, contemporary movies, independent films, and global cinema. This is a textbook that teaches by doing, modeling different approaches to film analysis through thorough and insightful case studies of a unique set of films, including The Silence of the Lambs, Mildred Pierce, Run, Lola, Run, and others. Worthy of special note, Ryan and Lenos provide accessible and productive tools for teachers, including student assignment instructions for specific clips from different films that invite students to develop and demonstrate their analytical skills. Through their many examples, the authors empower students to articulate not only how they react to a movie but also why, drawing clear lines between the cinematic vocabulary they are building with the work of meaning making. * Karen Petruska, Assistant Professor in Communication Studies, Gonzaga University, USA *Table of ContentsIntroduction Meaning in Movies Shot-by-Shot Analysis Writing About Film: The Art of Active Viewing Part 1: Technique and Meaning 1. Composition 2. Camera Work 3. Editing 4. Set Design 5. Lighting 6. Sound 7. Color 8. Narration 9. Structure, Character, Motif 10. Film Style: Realism and Expressionism Part 2: Critical Analysis 11. Historical Criticism 12. Structuralist Criticism 13. Psychological Criticism 14. Ideological Criticism 15. Gender Criticism 16. Ethnic Criticism 17. Post-Colonial / Transnational Criticism 18. Post-Structuralist Criticism 19. Political Criticism 20. Evolutionary Theory 21. Affect & Emotion Part 3: Sample Analyses 22. The Birds 23. The Shining 24. Vagabond 25. In the Mood for Love 26. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Student Assignments Further Reading Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis A guide to our anxious minds; offering a route to calm, self-compassion and mental well-being. Far more than we tend to realise, we’re all – in private – deeply anxious. There is so much that worries us across our days and nights: whether our hopes will come true, whether others will like us, whether the people we care about will be OK, whether we can escape humiliation and grief... Anxiety is deeply normal and, like so much else that troubles our minds, it can be understood and brought under our control. We all deserve to wake up every day without a sense of foreboding. This is a guide to anxiety: why we feel it, how we experience it when it strikes and what we can do when we come under its influence. Across a series of essays that look at the subject from a number of angles, the tone is helpful, compassionate and in the best sense practical. We have suffered for too long under the rule of anxiety. Here – at last – is a pathway to a calmer, more compassionate and more light-hearted future.

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Book SynopsisBrought to you by Penguin.The long-awaited sequel to 12 RULES FOR LIFE, which has sold over 5 million copies around the worldIn 12 Rules for Life, acclaimed public thinker and clinical psychologist Jordan B. Peterson offered an antidote to the chaos in our lives: eternal truths applied to modern anxieties. His insights have helped millions of readers and resonated powerfully around the world.Now in this much-anticipated sequel, Peterson goes further, showing that part of life''s meaning comes from reaching out into the domain beyond what we know, and adapting to an ever-transforming world. While an excess of chaos threatens us with uncertainty, an excess of order leads to a lack of curiosity and creative vitality. Beyond Order therefore calls on us to balance the two fundamental principles of reality - order and chaos - and reveals the profound meaning that can be found on the path that divides them.In times of instability Trade ReviewThe advice in Beyond Order reflects some new and painful awareness of mortality. But it was always Peterson's intimate, self-revealing style that made his life advice so powerful, so energising, and so hard to reduce to politics * Telegraph *A sui generis kind of personal trainer for the soul.... It's a good thing that there's space on the self-help shelves for a book as bracingly pessimistic as this one... Peterson offers an invaluable reminder that we're finite and inherently imperfect -- Oliver Burkeman * Guardian (Book of the Week) *Life-changingly inspirational * The Times *Full of sensible, humane advice, and shows he is still very much on top... The book is a validation of his own role; as he observes, being able to articulate what many people instinctively feel but can't articulate is a valuable role for a public intellectual -- Melanie McDonagh * Evening Standard *In telling us that life is suffering (as all major religions do) and that the goal is to find meaning rather than happiness, he does have something to say. ... wisdom combined with good advice. Peterson is at his best when telling stories of his clinical practice - he comes across as an empathetic non-judgmental listener -- Suzanne Moore * Telegraph *More trenchant life advice from the bestselling author of 12 Rules for Life... bound to be a bestseller * The Times *Reliably thought-provoking, often engrossing ... Peterson has a sharp eye for the vagaries of human nature, and he can be a compelling storyteller, especially when narrating his own experiences and those he has observed from life. There is a fair amount of wisdom in Beyond Order, of the kind that used to be called common sense -- Jenny McCartney * UnHerd *Part quest, part adventure, part lecture and part polemic... There's masses of passion, masses of wisdom and a deep, deep yearning for us all to seek the beauty, truth and meaning Peterson has sometimes glimpsed and is desperate for us to find. He has had tens of thousands of letters from people who say he has helped them to find it. How many writers can say they have done that? -- Christina Patterson * Sunday Times *[Peterson is] enlightening as a clinical psychologist... Peterson's rules are an attempt to locate people within society, to acknowledge the systems and structures that have long existed and, instead of seeking to tear them down, encourage his readers to find their most functional position within them -- Andrew Anthony * Observer *Beyond Order showcases Peterson's extraordinary gift for storytelling, as well as for extrapolating complex psychological themes and deriving lessons and meaning from them in ways lay readers can understand... A delight to read... Peterson is a world class communicator... Beyond Order is a compelling and ultimately life-affirming read for anyone willing to challenge their own ideas and face up to the untapped potential in their lives -- Greg Jameson * Entertainment Focus *Gratitude, he says, is "something in which you can discover part of the antidote to the abyss and the darkness". As I read this last line, I found myself saying "amen". And I realised what Jordan Peterson really is. He has suffered more than most of us. He has seen the abyss. And he has emerged from it not a top public intellectual but a highly driven, intelligent, complex and deservedly successful preacher -- Lucy Kellaway * Financial Times *[Beyond Order] has psychological value and if you want homespun common sense that is mixed with the wisdom of the ages then this is the book for you. The 12 new rules are clearly laid out with a mix of literature, mythology, philosophy, religion and psychology used to support the significance of each... It's worth reading to equip you to live a more purposeful and a more meaningful life -- Stella O’Malley * Irish Independent *'With Beyond Order, Jordan Peterson has given us an astonishingly illuminating look at the human condition. Rule by rule, he digs into the cornerstones of our psyche and culture as he seeks to explain why we behave the way we do' -- Hannah Gal * Quillette *Peterson is a deep thinker with tremendous powers of articulation and a captivating sense of wonder. A master storyteller, he draws on a multitude of sources, including his personal life, clinical practice and long marriage to enlighten readers about the fundamentals of human behavior and our civilization. Beyond Order is a call for action and self-improvement. It is a mind-blowing journey where the lessons learnt are lessons for life * The Jerusalem Post *

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Book SynopsisIdentity has become one of the most widely used terms today, appearing in many different contexts. Anything and everything has an identity, and identity crises have become almost equally pervasive. Yet ''identity'' is extremely versatile, meaning different things to different people and in different scientific disciplines. To many its meaning seems self-evident, since its various uses share common features, so often the term is used without a definition of what, exactly, is meant by it. This provokes the core question: What exactly is identity? In this Very Short Introduction Florian Coulmas provides a survey of the many faces of the concept of identity, and discusses its significance and varied meanings in the fields of philosophy, sociology, and psychology, as well as politics and law. Tracing our concern with identity to its deep roots in Europe''s intellectual history, individualism, and the felt need to draw borderlines, Coulmas identifies the most important features used to mark off individual and collective identities, and demonstrates why they are deemed important. He concludes with a glimpse at the many ways in which literature has engaged with problems of identity throughout history.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Trade ReviewBy setting the concept of identity in its correct historical, philosophical, cultural, political, and sociological context, Florian Coulmas brilliantly rescues one of the most overused and abused words of recent decades and demonstrates why it has such relevance for contemporary debates * Professor Roger Goodman *Coulmas' masterful coverage of a diverse range of literature, from philosophy, law and psychology to linguistics, anthropology, and politics, makes this short introduction a treasure trove for anyone who wishes to understand or research issues of identity in history as well in the contemporary world. An invaluable guide to a fascinating field. * Li Wei, Chair of Applied Linguistics, University College London, UK *Table of ContentsIntroduction: an identity wave 1: "Who am I?" Identity in philosophy 2: Identity in logic and the classical law of thought 3: Given or constructed? Identity in cultural anthropology 4: Adam and Eve, Hijra, LGBTQs and the shake-up of gender identities 5: Identity politics: promises and dangers 6: "Your station in life." Social identities in our time 7: Citizenship, legal status, and proof of identity - identity as a legal concept 8: Selfhood, character, and personality - the psychology of identity 9: "They don't speak our language." Identity in linguistics 10: Who is behind the mask? Identity in literature and literary criticism Conclusions Further reading Index

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Book SynopsisA Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Daniel Pink and Adam Grant NEXT BIG IDEA book club read about how to avoid the pitfalls of too little, and too much, complexity.''Essential insights into the character of human choice and decision-making.'' ROBERT CIALDINI, bestselling author of Influence________In this groundbreaking exploration of how our brains work, psychologist Professor Kevin Dutton explains that by understanding the nature of our hardwired black and white thinking we are better equipped to negotiate life''s grey zones and make subtler and smarter decisions.Our brains are hardwired to sort, categorize and draw lines. It''s how we navigate the kaleidoscope of everyday information. Yet imagine failing an exam by a mere 1 per cent. Or being caught speeding at just 1 mph over the speed limit. We have to draw the line somewhere, we say. But lines can be unhelpful or even dangerous when drawn where they aren''t wanted, or in Trade ReviewDutton provides simplifying, clarifying and essential insights into the character of human choice and decision-making. You'll not think about thinking the same way afterwards. * Robert Cialdini, author of INFLUENCE and PRE-SUASION *Kevin Dutton has the great gift of being able to see patterns in human behaviour… He talks about his discoveries, and about their implications for all of us, with the flair and clarity of a practised storyteller. Fascinating, important, and entirely convincing. * Philip Pullman *Kevin Dutton is a Special Forces style psychologist. Daring. Original. All-action. No nonsense. * Sir Ranulph Fiennes *

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Book SynopsisMany Americans assume that the country was founded by skeptics of “big government,” who saw minimal state power as freedom’s prerequisite. Annelien de Dijn takes on this myth. In fact, this was the view not of the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century revolutionaries who created modern democracies, but of their critics and opponents.Trade ReviewAmbitious and impressive…Explores an alternate history of the concept from the ancient world to the Age of Revolution to the Cold War, charting those moments when new notions of freedom—such as freedom from government supervision or repression—deviated from its more classical and longstanding definition as self-government… At a time when the very survival of both freedom and democracy seems uncertain, books like this are more important than ever, as our societies contemplate both the heritage of the past and the prospects for the future. -- Tyler Stovall * The Nation *Ambitious and bold, this book will have an enormous impact on how we think about the place of freedom in the Western tradition. -- Samuel Moyn, author of Not Enough: Human Rights in an Unequal WorldAt once magisterial and finely grained, this is history on the grand scale. De Dijn succeeds in bringing, with clarity and a lightness of touch, the weight of the past to bear on freedom and its fragilities in our own time. -- Darrin M. McMahon, author of Divine Fury: A History of GeniusWith remarkable sweep and erudition, de Dijn recounts the whole history of thinking about freedom in the West. In the process, she also profoundly upends the standard liberal narrative, convincing us that what we understand by freedom today—namely, the opportunity to be left alone to do our own thing—is a recent invention. This is an important book for historians, political theorists, and all readers who like big ideas. -- Sophia Rosenfeld, author of Democracy and Truth: A Short HistoryDe Dijn has written a marvelous book on the history and various meanings of freedom. Its scope is enormous, its writing elegant, its insights strikingly original. We will all be reading this book for many years to come. -- Michael P. Zuckert, author of Launching LiberalismA sweeping history of the idea of freedom in the West, from Ancient Greece, to our time…Shows how the notion of democratic freedom has developed and deepened…Importantly, de Dijn traces how the Old Oligarchy—which was overthrown by Athenian democracy—feared the redistributive power of political democracy. From the time of Ancient Athens until today, this fear has been a constant in reactionary thought. -- Paul Sutton * Jacobin *For two millennia liberty was conceived as popular self-government. But nineteenth-century liberals and conservatives redefined freedom as the guarantee of individual rights against state power, and democratic equality as a threat to liberty. This timely book presents urgent and persuasive arguments to rethink liberty and democracy in an era of fast-increasing inequality. -- Siep Stuurman, author of The Invention of Humanity: Equality and Cultural Difference in World HistoryThis book brings remarkable clarity to a big and messy subject, the definition of freedom in the Western tradition. New insights and hard-hitting conclusions about the resistance to democracy make this essential reading for anyone interested in the roots of our current dilemmas. -- Lynn Hunt, author of History: Why It MattersA wonderful book—extremely well written, engaging, and compelling. De Dijn offers a sweeping history of the notion of freedom across 2,000 years, arguing that identifying liberty with limited government, the way we do today, is a very modern idea. -- Helena Rosenblatt, author of The Lost History of LiberalismThought-provoking…Helps explain how partisans on both the right and the left can claim to be protectors of liberty, yet hold radically different understandings of its meaning…This deeply informed history of an idea has the potential to combat political polarization. * Publishers Weekly *Works through the intellectual history of the idea of freedom from antiquity to the present and puts those ideas in their political and historical context to show how the idea of freedom was used…Challenge[s] us to look at our history to better understand our present and to fight for our future. -- Michael Mirer * Public Books *Annelien De Dijn delivers a compelling and accessible analysis of a highly relevant subject…In a post-pandemic world that has exposed the fragile tension between individual rights, collective interests and democratic legitimacy, De Dijn’s plea for a re-evaluation of our understanding of liberty deserves to be listened to. -- Christophe Maes * Legal History Review *Beautifully written…De Dijn’s work is singularly ambitious and iconoclastic, seeking to restructure a field thick with entrenched interpretation while sending a message about the necessary reform of the politics of the present. -- Richard Whatmore * Journal of Modern History *

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Book SynopsisIntroductory collection of writings by a creative and subversive thinker, ranging from the origins of “non-philosophy” to its evolution into what Laruelle now calls “non-standard philosophy.”The question “What is non-philosophy?” must be replaced by the question about what it can and cannot do. To ask what it can do is already to acknowledge that its capacities are not unlimited. This question is partly Spinozist: no-one knows what a body can do. It is partly Kantian: circumscribe philosophy's illusory power, the power of reason or the faculties, and do not extend its sufficiency in the shape of by way of another philosophy. It is also partly Marxist: how much of philosophy can be transformed through practice, how much of it can be withdrawn from its “ideological” use? And finally, it is also partly Wittgensteinian: how can one limit philosophical language through its proper use?This introductory collection of writings by

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Book SynopsisWhy is sport so important among participants and spectators when its goals seem so pointless? Stephen Mumford''s book introduces the reader to a host of philosophical topics found in sport, and argues that sports activities reflect diverse human experiences - including important values that we continue to contest. The author explores physicality, competition, how sport is best defined, ethics in sport, and issues of inclusion such as disability sports, the gender divide, and transgender athletes. His book is written for anyone who is thoughtful, a sports enthusiast, or both, and will deepen our understanding of sport and its place in our lives. This new series offers short and personal perspectives by expert thinkers on topics that we all encounter in our everyday lives--Trade Review'…thoughtful and intelligently written.' Houman Barekat, TLS'Mumford has written an interesting book. It is well written and well-argued and has good examples and cases to illustrate key points. It is furthermore a non-technical and relatively short book. This is a good place to start for people interested in deeper aspects of sports than one finds in the media and in superficial literature.' Gunnar Breivik, idrottsforum.orgTable of Contents1. Physicality; 2. Competition; 3. Definition; 4. Spectacle; 5. Ethics; 6. Inclusion.

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Book SynopsisWe know, more intimately than anything else, what it's like to undergo a rich world of experiences: agonizing pains, dizzying pleasures, heady rage and existential doubts. But, despite the incredible advances of physical science, it seems that we're no closer to an explanation of how this inner world of experiences comes about. No matter how detailed our description of the physical brain, perhaps we'll always be left with this same question: how and why does the brain produce consciousness? This book is a short, accessible and engaging guide to the mystery of consciousness. Featuring remastered interviews and original essays from the world's leading thinkers, Philosophers on Consciousness sheds new light on the most promising theories in philosophy and science. Beyond understanding the mind, this is a journey into personal identity, the origin of meaning, the nature of morality and the fundamental structure of reality.Contributors include: Miri Albahari, Susan Blackmore, David CTrade ReviewThis book is for everyone who is in the least philosopho-curious. Amateurs like me, thrashing about in the shallows, usually have to read every sentence in a book on philosophy, however apparently simple, at least four times before understanding it (and then forgetting it all the moment we have turned the page). Not so with Philosophers on Consciousness. Here are some of the world's most notable and respected thinkers, each adding their thoughts on the field known as ‘philosophy of mind’, most especially on the famous ‘hard problem’ of consciousness, and all communicating with remarkable clarity and approachable ease. Jack Symes guides us charmingly and authoritatively through, introducing and summing up the contributions, filling the role of interlocutor and interviewer, distributing delightful inline ‘info-boxes’ offering explanations of concepts, characters and context as you read. He does so with a wit and freshness that enlivens without trivializing. It cannot be common to find Toblerones, Paul Rudd and Adam Sandler sharing pages with the most distinguished philosophers alive. This is a book that everyone interested in the human mind will fall on like… like a hungry student on a Toblerone. * Stephen Fry *Symes’ book is an eminently enjoyable introduction to some of the explanatory options on hand, with a great selection of additional resources for further exploration ... you won’t go wrong in reading it. * Marmite and Metaphysics, Naturalism.org *Table of ContentsContributors Illustration Acknowledgements Preface 1. Why Consciousness Matters, Gregory Miller 2. The Grand Illusion, Susan Blackmore 3. The Hard Problem, David Chalmers 4. A Change of Heart, Frank Jackson 5. The Given, Michelle Montague 6. A Biologist’s Perspective, Massimo Pigliucci 7. The Hornswoggle Problem, Patricia Churchland 8. Illusionism, Keith Frankish 9. Closing the Theatre, Daniel Dennett 10. The Denial, Galen Strawson 11. Galileo’s Error, Philip Goff 12. The World as Consciousness, Miri Albahari & Jack Symes Notes & Sources Index

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Book SynopsisThis highly-visual, full-colour guide is an essential overview of the history and ideas of philosophy, perfect for students and enthusiasts alike. From Enlightenment philosophy to metaphysics, and from Aristotle to Nietzsche, this hardback guide provides you with everything you need to know about the fundamentals of philosophy. Concepts are explained in accessible, jargon-free terms, with practical examples and useful diagrams. With mind maps for each chapter, definition boxes, easily digestible features on the history of philosophy and suggestions for further reading, learning philosophy has never been easier.By the time you finish reading this book, you will be able to answer questions like: • What is truth? • What can I really know? • How can I live a moral life? • Do I have free will?ABOUT THE SERIES: Knowledge 101 brings together highly visual, hardback introductions to many intrigu

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Book SynopsisWe constantly disagree with each other on issues of fundamental importance. Does God exist? Should the latest scientific findings be trusted? Are there innate psychological differences between men and women? In four lively chapters, Beebee and Rush explain philosophy’s role in addressing such questions. They consider what it means to be human, how we should engage in public debate, philosophy’s relationship with science and religion, and the nature of our moral choices. Far from being only an abstract endeavour, philosophy engages with issues on a practical level, and philosophers draw inspiration from real-life situations. At its core, philosophy is about how to live and how to make sense of the world we inhabit. It is a set of tools and techniques for clearly and systematically considering our arguments and uncovering our hidden assumptions, which helps us to make more informed choices about what to believe and how to act. Philosophy is everywhere, and open to everyone.Trade Review�Philosophy professors and students will find this wonderful little book to be a perfect gift for those who ask them what philosophy is or why philosophy matters.�Alfred Mele, Florida State University �Excellent, easy to follow, and informative. Beebee and Rush make a good case for the importance of philosophy in part by demonstrating the joys of engaging in philosophy.�Derek Matravers, The Open University �A great recommendation for students who think they may be interested in philosophy but aren�t quite sure what it is... the work is a delightful and welcoming invitation to a field that is too often perceived as dense and pretentious.�Rebecca G. Scott, Teaching PhilosophyTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction 1 Understanding Ourselves 2 Understanding Public Debate 3 Understanding the World 4 Understanding How to Behave Conclusion Further Reading

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Book SynopsisIn Pursuit of the Beautiful Soul by Justine Kolata offers a revolutionary solution to overcoming the soullessness of modern life. The book explores the untold relationship between the eighteenth-century philosophy of the Beautiful Soul and the salon culture in which it was enacted. This lost humanistic artform of self-cultivation inspires the pursuit of beauty, goodness, and truth in the act of creating a beautiful existence. Kolata weaves together the essential features of this practical philosophy with an historical exploration of the German-Jewish salonnières’ ground-breaking efforts to cultivate beautiful souls through the arts and conversation. She recounts vivid anecdotes from her own salons which revitalise this vibrant tradition. In Pursuit of the Beautiful Soul explores how this philosophy’s prescient insights into the human condition provide a framework for today’s disenchanted generations to restore the ideals intrinsic to individual happiness and social flourishing.

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Book SynopsisIn What Do We Really Know? Simon Blackburn addresses the twenty most-asked philosophical questions, including 'Can machines think?', 'What is the meaning of life?', 'Is death to be feared?', 'Why be good?', 'What am I?' and 'What do we really know?' Each 3000-word essay examines a question that has eternally perplexed enquiring minds, and provides answers from history's great thinkers.Table of ContentsPreface. Am I a Ghost in a Machine? - The search for consciousness. What is Human Nature? - The problem of interpretation. Am I Free? - Choices and responsibility. What Do We Know? - Virtual realities and valuable authorities. Are We Rational Animals? - Reason in theory and practice. How Can I Lie to Myself? - Self-deception, seduction and motivation. Is There Such a Thing as Society? - The individual and the group. Can We Understand Each Other? - Treating words carefully. Can Machines Think? - Artificial intelligence and cognitive powers. Why Be Good? - Annoying behaviour and annoying questions. Is It All Relative? - Problems of toleration, truth and confidence. Does Time Go By? - The strange river of time. Why Do Things Keep on Keeping on? - Problems of constancy and chaos. Why is There Something and Not Nothing? - The strange ways of being. What Fills Up Space? - The curious nature of things and their properties. What is Beauty? - The fatal attraction of things. Do We Need God? - Hope, consolation and judgement. What is it All For? - The pursuit of the meaning of life. What are My Rights? - Positive, negative and natural rights. Is Death to be Feared? - The awful abyss of extinction. Notes. Key Philosophers. Index.

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Book SynopsisHave you ever been in an accident and felt that time slowed down? Have you felt time stretch radically, or even apparentlydisappear, in a state of deep meditation?Psychologist Dr Steve Taylor calls these Time Expansion Experiences, and in this book he shares his years of research into this life-changing phenomenon.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive investigation of lying in everyday life. What exactly is a lie, and how does lying differ from related phenomena such as ‘bullshit’ or being truthful? Lars Svendsen also investigates the ethics of lying – why is lying almost always morally wrong, and why is lying to one’s friends especially bad? The book concludes by looking at lying in politics, from Plato’s theory of the ‘noble lie’ to Donald Trump. Svendsen’s conclusion is that, even though we all occasionally lie, we are for the most part trustworthy. Trusting others makes you vulnerable, and you will be duped from time to time, but that is – all things considered – preferable to living in a constant state of distrust.

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Book SynopsisRoger Scruton is one of the most widely respected philosophers of our time, whose often provocative views never fail to stimulate debate. In Modern Philosophy he turns his attention to the whole of the field, from the philosophy of logic to aesthetics, and in so doing provides us with an essential and comprehensive guide to modern thinking. Considered by many to be the best philosophical primer since Bertrand Russell's The Problems of Philosophy, this book is a must for both the student and the general reader.Trade ReviewModern Philosophy succeeds in inspiring readers to explore the topic further, because one senses Scruton the mark of the true thinker, a deep sincerity and conviction -- Alain de Botton * Daily Telegraph *Scruton is a masterly writer; his book is a paradigm of lucidity -- A.C. Grayling * Financial Times *A remarkably rich smorgasbord -- Oliver Letwin * The Times *Invaluable -- Frederic Raphael * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisThe fact that we will die, and that our death can come at any time, pervades the entirety of our living. There are many ways to think about and deal with death. Among those ways, however, a good number of them are attempts to escape its grip. In this book, Todd May seeks to confront death in its power. He considers the possibility that our mortal deaths are the end of us, and asks what this might mean for our living. What lessons can we draw from our mortality? And how might we live as creatures who die, and who know we are going to die?In answering these questions, May brings together two divergent perspectives on death. The first holds that death is not an evil, or at least that immortality would be far worse than dying. The second holds that death is indeed an evil, and that there is no escaping that fact. May shows that if we are to live with death, we need to hold these two perspectives together. Their convergence yields both a beauty and a tragedy to our living that are inextricably entwined.Drawing on the thoughts of many philosophers and writers - ancient and modern - as well as his own experience, May puts forward a particular view of how we might think about and, more importantly, live our lives in view of the inescapability of our dying. In the end, he argues, it is precisely the contingency of our lives that must be grasped and which must be folded into the hours or years that remain to each of us, so that we can live each moment as though it were at once a link to an uncertain future and yet perhaps the only link we have left.Trade Review"Excellent. A fine example of what popular philosophy can be: wide-ranging and thought-provoking, in little more than 100 pages. May grasps the real paradox of mortality: that the fact of death imbues our life with passion and urgency, but it is that very passion for life that makes death tragic." - Financial Times "May draws on insights ranging from the Stoics to Heidegger with incursions into famous arguments by Thomas Nagel and Bernard Williams on the way. Yet, May never loses his ability to write clearly and engagingly. Many books on death discuss a wider range of issues. Some discuss clinical definitions of death in order to resolve bioethical issues. Others discuss the morality of killing and whether abortion and euthanasia are cases of murder. This book does neither. It focuses only upon the existential significance of death and on the difference it should make to the way we live our lives. If it spends a lot of time on what may seem in the end to be simple and homely truths it does so because only be considering all the aspects of this issue and by exploring them in depth can the reader be taken on a journey that will truly be one of discovery and inspiration." - Metapsychology "Death is scholarly enough for the academic interested in a critical examination of theory and argument concerning death, while at the same time accessible enough for the reader interested in an introduction to philosophical thought on the topic, and to philosophical thought in general. All readers will appreciate this book's ability to encourage and compel its reader to reflect on life and death in a philosophical and personal way. It is a fine achievement to make philosophy personally meaningful, and Death succeeds in this regard." - Philosophy in ReviewTable of ContentsAcknowledgements 1. Our dealings with death 2. Death and immortality 3. Living with death Further reading Index

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Book Synopsis'TIMELY AND IMPORTANT' JIM AL-KHALILIIn Our Own Image by Dr George Zarkadakis explores one of humankind’s oldest love–hate relationships – our ties with Artificial Intelligence or AI. Zarkadakis traces AI’s origins in ancient myth, through literary classics such as Frankenstein, to today’s sci-fi blockbusters, arguing that a fascination with AI is hardwired into the human psyche. He explains AI’s history, technology and potential; its manifestations in intelligent machines; its connections to neurology and consciousness, as well as – perhaps most tellingly – what AI reveals about us as human beings. In Our Own Image argues that we are on the brink of a fourth industrial revolution – poised to enter the age of Artificial Intelligence as science fiction becomes science fact. Ultimately, Zarkadakis observes, the fate of AI has profound implications for the future of science and humanity itself…Trade ReviewZarkadakis is an exciting and original thinker in the field of Artificial Intelligence and has written a book that is timely and important. * Jim Al-Khalili PhD OBE, author of Paradox *A mindful and historical look at the hope, hype and reality of artificial consciousness -- Stuart Hameroff, co-author of Consciousness and the UniverseFascinating [and] rich...interweaves sci-fi visions with explorations of the philosophy, technology and deep history of artificial super-intelligence -- Steve Cave * Financial Times *Ingenious...A delightfully lucid combination of the history, philosophy, and science behind thinking machines. * Kirkus Reviews *fascinating...the most comprehensive history of AI for our digital age [and] highly accessible * Publisher’s Weekly *

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Book SynopsisA beautifully photographic therapeutic novel which teaches us about our own emotions through a young woman’s journey of self-discovery. This is a novel with a striking mission at its heart: not just to tell us a story but to show us – through the example of one life – how we might change our own. The novel introduces us to Anna, a kind, inspiring, thoughtful but modest and self-questioning person, in whom we might catch echoes of ourselves. Life has been hard of late for Anna: her job is putting her under extreme pressure, her relationship is lacking the support she craves, her parents have saddled her with a complicated emotional history. And yet she is determined to progress and liberate herself from her inhibitions. In a style that’s brief and poignant, accompanied by lyrical and thought-provoking images, we follow Anna as she slowly unpicks the roots of her self-suspicion and discovers something we all deserve but have so often been denied: a voice of our own.

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Book Synopsis'Talk does not cook rice'. That Asian aphorism, carried across centuries and continents, coyly offers wisdom, with a knowing smile, capped off with wink. 'Kick the World, Break Your Foot' offers hundreds of these timeless nuggets of advice, adorned with wit and brevity. They variously offer piercing admonishment, cautious, and encouragement, yet always with a nod to human nature's endearing quirks. Like this: Straightened too much / crooked as ever. The Buddha himself would hear the voice of his wise grandma saying, sonny, you make something worse by trying to fix it. The more prescient the advice, the harder it can be to accept. (Who wants to be told they've been doing something badly?) But the wisdom of these haiku-like aphorisms is passed along as gently and softly as the brushstrokes of a master Asian watercolorist. So, advice may never be more welcome than when you browse this collection of ageless gems.Table of ContentsPreface 3 Chapter 1: On Optimism, Hope, and False Hope 9 Chapter 2: On People and Human Nature 19 Chapter 3: On Negotiation and Cooperation 37 Chapter 4: On Stupidity 45 Chapter 5: On Creation of Artifacts and Things 49 Chapter 6: On Futility and Exasperation 59 Chapter 7: On Acceptance 79 Chapter 8: On Being Poor 85 Chapter 9: On the Value of Discipline 91 Chapter 10: On the False Promise of First Impressions 101 Chapter 11: On Wisdom 105 Chapter 12: On Competition 113 Chapter 13: On Trying to be Something You're Not 125 Chapter 14: On Caution, Omens, and Sympathy 131 Chapter 15: On Leaders & Leadership 137 Chapter 16: On Patience 143 Chapter 17: On Making the Best of a Bad Situation 147 Chapter 18: On Accepting Consequences 151 Chapter 19: On Burdens, Luck & Fate 157 Glossary 165 Gloss: On Optimism, Hope, and False Hope 167 Gloss: On People and Human Nature 173 Gloss: On Negotiation and Cooperation 185 Gloss: On Stupidity 191 Gloss: On Creation of Artifacts and Things 195 Gloss: On Futility and Exasperation 201 Gloss: On Acceptance 215 Gloss: On Being Poor 219 Gloss: On the Value of Discipline 223 Gloss: On the False Promise of First Impressions 229 Gloss: On Wisdom 231

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Book SynopsisSonal, formerly a sociology professor and firebrand activist, is battling memory loss and acute depression. Abhay, a once-celebrated genetic engineer, is a paranoid fugitive hiding from an establishment whose scientific paradigm he once challenged.To the world they both are insane, but the truth is deeper.Abhay shares his most closely guarded thoughts with Sonal, in the form of a book. It is a radical, paradigm-shifting perspective, and the two misfits discover that they are kindred souls, forced to doubt their own sanity by a deluded culture.

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Book SynopsisDuring his long career, Hilary Putnam repeatedly revised his philosophical positions. This unique volume is a window into his intellectual humility and breadth of interests, as his own thinking evolved in dialogue with contemporaries such as Sellars, Habermas, Rorty, Chomsky, McDowell, Nussbaum, W. V. Quine, Cora Diamond, and Cornel West.Trade ReviewPhilosophy as Dialogue conveys on every page the generous and deep intelligence with which Hilary Putnam responded to the thoughts of other philosophers. The value of the book lies not only in the wealth of ideas expressed in it but also in how it demonstrates the open-endedness and conversational character of philosophy. -- Cora Diamond, University of VirginiaThis volume enables the reader to see Hilary Putnam, one of the greatest philosophers of the last century, in his element: in dialogue with other philosophers, both alive and dead, and with himself. On a vast array of topics—from philosophy of language to metaphysics to ethics; from varieties of realism to theism, pragmatism, skepticism, and relativism—Putnam offers incisive objections and illuminating insights. Most of all, Putnam exemplifies the mind in action, constantly reconsidering its own commitments, never satisfied, yet always in love with the activity of thinking with others. -- Paul Franks, Yale UniversityThis volume displays Putnam’s mastery of the art of philosophy: a life of teaching and learning, absorbed in the specific joy of self-discovery through colloquy. -- Juliet Floyd, Boston UniversityThe striking variety of essays testify to Putnam’s wide-ranging intellect, and his penetrating responses to fellow philosophers exemplify his belief that one of the purposes of philosophy is to ‘encounter texts which anger, provoke, inspire, transform, repulse, or all of these at once.’ Scholars will appreciate this edifying addition to Putnam’s oeuvre. * Publishers Weekly *This volume has a larger metaphilosophical goal: to make philosophy (explicitly) dialogical again. Although the fact that Putnam ‘changed his mind’ several times during his career is often cited as a quirky idiosyncrasy, it should rather be seen as an example to follow: ‘philosophers should never assume that they have reached the final truth on a topic of philosophical interest and should always be open to alternative viewpoints’…Changing one’s mind in philosophy should be the rule, not the exception. -- Céline Henne * International Journal of Philosophical Studies *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"I have read many critiques of liberalism, but none so original as Why We Are Restless."---Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal"[Benjamin and Jenna Storey’s] book is an education in the irony and complexity of the modern quest for contentment, and in the pre-modern sources required for any understanding of how to actually achieve meaningful contentment. . . . I can’t recommend it enough."---Yuval Levin, National Review"[A] terrific book. Hard to understand modern secular culture if you don't know anything about Montaigne."---Timothy Keller, New York Times bestselling author"Throughout this excellent book, the Storeys provide a model for how the thought of the past can be made vital."---Diana Schaub, Claremont Review of Books"Unapologetically earnest . . . brave and countercultural."---Joe Moran, Times Higher Education"Written in an engaging and compact style, [Why We Are Restless] is essential reading for all observers of the persistent, often hidden, but increasingly visible unhappiness of contemporary life. Benjamin and Jenna Storey have done us the service of restoring some of the deepest arguments about human happiness that lie at the roots of modern politics."---Adam Thomas, Public Discourse""Why We Are Restless is a rich analysis of why we are unhappy and what we might begin to do about it.""---Nathaniel Peters, Law & Liberty"Beautifully written and carefully argued, it’s as searching as it is subtle. . . . [Why We Are Restless] does a magnificent job of summarizing four hugely important thinkers with impressive clarity, wit, and brevity and raises some profound questions about the modern quest for happiness in the process."---Andrew Wilson, Gospel Coalition"A powerful case that the invention of ‘immanent contentment’ in early modern France has everything to do with the infinite restlessness of the postmodern United States."---Delaney Thull, Fare Forward"A great read for pastors, theologians, and Christians who want to think deeply and critically about the culture."---Stephen Roberts, Modern Reformation"Culturally significant. . . . this study is a rich resource for reflection." * Paradigm Explorer *"Excellent. . . . Why We Are Restless stands out among other books like it by answering the question implied by its title with rigor and charity."---Matt Dinan, Hedgehog Review

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of New Statesman's Books of the Year 2019"

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Book SynopsisIn Consolations David Whyte unpacks aspects of being human that many of us spend our lives trying vainly to avoid - loss, heartbreak, vulnerability, fear - boldly reinterpreting them, fully embracing their complexity, never shying away from paradox in his relentless search for meaning.Beginning with 'Alone' and closing with 'Withdrawal', each piece in this life-affirming book is a meditation on meaning and context, an invitation to shift and broaden our perspectives on life: pain and joy, honesty and anger, confession and vulnerability, the experience of feeling overwhelmed and the desire to run away from it all. Through this lens, procrastination may be a necessary ripening; hiding an act of freedom; and shyness something that accompanies the first stage of revelation.Consolations invites readers into a poetic and thoughtful consideration of words whose meaning and interpretation influence the paths we choose and the way we traverse them throughout our lives.Trade ReviewKeep this book by your bedside forever. I know I will -- ELIZABETH GILBERT, author of EAT PRAY LOVEConsolations, it bears repeating, is an absolutely magnificent read - the kind that reorients your world and remains a compass for a lifetime -- MARIA POPOVAWe think we know what we are talking about, the meaning of things, the basic rules of language, until we read David Whyte's Consolations where we are forced to reassess everything and begin again. Such an essential and beautiful book' -- NICK CAVEA word can know you better than you know yourself and I did not fully understand this until I read Consolations. It is an immensely powerful book. It is an extraordinary book . . . You will want to keep it forever -- LEMN SISSAYSometimes a book you had never heard of resonates so profoundly that it leaves you wondering how you hadn't come across it. This is such a book, one that shakes you to the core and speaks to you in an intimate aside, a considered whisper that echoes through your days long after you turned the last page . . . Fully aware and observant * * The Lady * *

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Book SynopsisAs read on BBC Radio 4's 'Book of the Week', a timely, moving and profound exploration of how writers, composers and artists have searched for solace while facing loss, tragedy and crisis, from the historian and Booker Prize-shortlisted novelist Michael Ignatieff.'This erudite and heartfelt survey reminds us that the need for consolation is timeless, as are the inspiring words and examples of those who walked this path before us.' Toronto StarWhen we lose someone we love, when we suffer loss or defeat, when catastrophe strikes – war, famine, pandemic – we go in search of consolation. Once the province of priests and philosophers, the language of consolation has largely vanished from our modern vocabulary, and the places where it was offered, houses of religion, are often empty. Rejecting the solace of ancient religious texts, humanity since the sixteenth century has increasingly placed its faith in science, ideology, and the therapeutic.How do we console each other and ourselves in an age of unbelief? In a series of portraits of writers, artists, and musicians searching for consolation – from the books of Job and Psalms to Albert Camus, Anna Akhmatova, and Primo Levi – writer and historian Michael Ignatieff shows how men and women in extremity have looked to each other across time to recover hope and resilience. Recreating the moments when great figures found the courage to confront their fate and the determination to continue unafraid, On Consolation takes those stories into the present, movingly contending that we can revive these traditions of consolation to meet the anguish and uncertainties of the twenty-first century.Trade ReviewIlluminating and moving, these wide-ranging portraits of men and women seeking answers in dark times . . . appeal to us all, as a universal quest and an intimate personal testament. -- Jenny Uglow, author of Mr. Lear: A Life of Art and NonsenseAn extraordinary meditation on loss and mortality - drawing on all of Michael Ignatieff’s powers as a philosopher, a historian, a politician and a man. -- Rory Stewart, author of The Places in BetweenReading this book is like taking a walk along a winding path with a dear friend and sharing life’s travails . . . At the end, you feel enlivened, fortified, and somehow just a little wiser. This is a bold, brilliant, and yes, moving book. -- Lisa Appignanesi, author of Everyday Madness: On Grief, Anger, Loss and LoveIn an age when we are so much in need of solace, Michael Ignatieff went looking for it in textsand times whose assumptions are profoundly different from our own . . . elegant, humane and intensely rewarding. -- Kwame Anthony Appiah, author of The Lies that Bind: Rethinking IdentityIt is at once illuminating, moving and consoling, to follow Michael Ignatieff as he searches formoments of consolation across the centuries. With resolute honesty Ignatieff follows the searchinto his own inner life, grappling, as we all must do, with failure, loss, and death. -- Stephen Greenblatt, author of The Swerve: How the World Became ModernThis is an extraordinarily moving book. The idea of solidarity in time is itelf consoling, amidst so much loss: in Ignatieff’s words, “we are not alone, and we never have been”. -- Emma Rothschild, author of The Inner Life of EmpiresA wonderful balance of literary survey and personal reflection, this book is wide-ranging, moving, and stylishly written. It makes the perfect introduction to a genre that never goes out of fashion. -- Sarah Bakewell, author of How to Live and At the Existentialist CaféOn Consolation is splendidly immune to the panics of our age. Written with eloquence in anaffecting spirit of humility by a man of uncommon intelligence, for many of its readers thisbook will be—is there any higher praise for a study of this subject?—useful. -- Leon Wieseltier, author of KaddishA passionate, thought-provoking, unpredictable book. -- Carlo Ginzburg, author of Threads and TracesReading [Ignatieff's] memorable portraits of historical figures who needed, sought, lost, or found consolation leaves the reader with a deeper appreciation of the profound challenges and possibilities that life lays before every one of us. -- Mark Lilla, author of The Reckless MindAn inspiration for those in need of words to carry on with life. * Kirkus *

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