Social and political philosophy Books

Book SynopsisAn Instant Sunday Times Bestseller''A profoundly urgent intervention'' Naomi KleinShouldn''t we know what we''re arguing about?From one of the most influential thinkers of our time, an enlightening, essential account of how a fear of gender is fuelling reactionary politics around the world Judith Butler, the ground-breaking philosopher whose work has redefined how we think about gender and sexuality, confronts the attacks on gender that have become central to right-wing movements today. Global networks have formed anti-gender ideology movements' dedicated to circulating a fantasy that gender is a dangerous threat to families, local cultures, civilization and even man' himself. Inflamed by the rhetoric of public figures, this movement has sought to abolish reproductive justice, undermine protections against violence, and strip trans and queer people of their rights.But what, exactly, is so disturbing about gender? In this vital, courageous book, Butler carefully examines how gender' has become a phantasm for emerging authoritarian regimes, fascist formations and transexclusionary feminists, and the concrete ways in which this phantasm works. Operating in tandem with deceptive accounts of critical race theory and xenophobic panics about migration, the anti-gender movement demonizes struggles for equality and leaves millions of people vulnerable to subjugation.An essential intervention into one of the most fraught issues of our moment, Who''s Afraid of Gender? is a galvanizing call to make a broad coalition with all those who struggle for equality and fight injustice. Imagining new possibilities for freedom and solidarity, Butler offers us an essentially hopeful work that is both timely and timeless.

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Book SynopsisCo-authored by two leading voices in the struggle to liberate Palestine, an indispensable book for understanding the situation in Gaza right nowWhat is the future of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement directed at Israel? Which is more viable, the binational or one state solution? Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappé discuss the road ahead for Palestinians and how the international community can pressure Israel to end its human rights abuses against the people of Palestine in this urgent and timely book, a sequel to their acclaimed Gaza in Crisis.''Chomsky is a global phenomenon . . . he may be the most widely read American voice on foreign policy on the planet'' The New York Times Book Review''Ilan Pappé is Israel''s bravest, most principled, most incisive historian'' John Pilger''This sober and unflinching analysis should be read and reckoned with by anyone concerned with practicable change in the long-suffering region'' Publishers Weekly (on Gaza in Crisis)Trade ReviewSeminal . . . an erudite and nuanced account of Palestine's history . . . An essential guide to understanding the shifting situation * Harper's Bazaar *Chomsky is of course one of the most venerated political critics in the world, and Pappé is regarded as one of Israel’s greatest historians * The Spinoff *

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.

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Book Synopsis''The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains.''Marx and Engels''s revolutionary summons to the working classes - one of the most important and influential political theories ever formulated.Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin''s 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions.Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Friedrich Engels (1820-1895). Marx''s works available in Penguin Classics are Capital, Dispatches for the New York Tribune, Early Writings, Grundrisse, The Portable Karl Marx and Revolution and War.

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Book SynopsisVintage Feminism: classic feminist texts in short formWITH AN INTRODUCTION BY NATALIE HAYNESWhen this book was first published in 1949 it was to outrage and scandal. Never before had the case for female liberty been so forcefully and successfully argued. De Beauvoir’s belief that ‘One is not born, but rather becomes, woman’ switched on light bulbs in the heads of a generation of women and began a fight for greater equality and economic independence. These pages contain the key passages of the book that changed perceptions of women forever.TRANSLATED BY CONSTANCE BORDE AND SHEILA MALOVANY-CHEVALLIERANNOTATED AND INTRODUCED BY MARTINE REIDTrade ReviewA masterpiece * Vogue *Discovering The Second Sex was like an explosion in my skull, shattering illusions bred in a conventional fifties childhood...Re-reading the book now I realise how much of it is still entirely relevant, and that (despite advances) women are as much in need of liberation as ever -- Bel MooneyDe Beauvoir was not just a genius as a theorist. She dared to live it. Challenging conventional marriage and sexual practice, she used her own experience to explore the emotional costs of jealousy, attachment, monogamy, bohemianism, sexuality, of love -- Susie OrbachA fine piece of work, a lucid translation * Independent *A fresh, much expanded, more intelligible book which repays re-reading by adherents of the old version, and cries out for attention from young women who have not been exposed to this most powerful of feminist thinkers * Irish Times *

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Book Synopsis**The instant Sunday Times bestseller**What if you tried to stop doing everything, so you could finally get round to what counts?Rejecting the futile modern obsession with 'getting everything done,' Four Thousand Weeks introduces readers to tools for constructing a meaningful life by embracing rather than denying their limitations.Drawing on the insights of both ancient and contemporary philosophers, psychologists, and spiritual teachers, Oliver Burkeman sets out to realign our relationship with time - and in doing so, to liberate us from its tyranny.Embrace your limits. Change your life. Discover how to make your four thousand weeks count in 2024.'Life is finite. You don't have to fit everything in... Read this book and wake up to a new way of thinking and living' Emma Gannon'Every sentence is riven with gold' Chris Evans'Comforting, fascinating, engaging, inspiring and useful' Marian KeyesTrade ReviewThis book is wonderful. Instead of offering new tips on how to cram more into your day, it questions why we feel the need to ... My favourite kind of book is this one ... it examines the human struggle with intelligence, wisdom, humour and humility. -- Marianne Power * The Times *Perfectly pitched somewhere between practical self-help book and philosophical quest ... as with all the best quests, its many pleasures don't require a fast-forward button, but happen along the way -- Tim Adams * Observer *Life is finite. You don't have to fit everything in. Enjoy your life. Breathe out. Read this book and wake up to a new way of thinking and living * Emma Gannon, author of The Multi-Hyphen Method *A wonderfully honest book, Four Thousand Weeks is a much-needed reality check on our culture's crazy assumptions around work, productivity and living a meaningful life -- Mark Manson, bestselling author of Everything is F*cked and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ckHis book will challenge and amuse you. And it may even spur you on to change your life. At the very least reading it would be a good use of one of your four thousand weeks -- Robbie Smith * Evening Standard *

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Book Synopsis“No single book is as relevant to the present moment.”—Claudia Rankine, author of Citizen“One of the defining books of the decade.”—Elizabeth Hinton, author of From the War on Poverty to the War on CrimeNEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • With a new preface • Fascist politics are running rampant in America today—and spreading around the world. A Yale philosopher identifies the ten pillars of fascist politics, and charts their horrifying rise and deep history.  As the child of refugees of World War II Europe and a renowned philosopher and scholar of propaganda, Jason Stanley has a deep understanding of how democratic societies can be vulnerable to fascism: Nations don’t have to be fascist to suffer from fascist politics. In fact, fascism’s roots have been present in the United States for more than a century. Alarmed by the pervasive rise of fascist tactics both at home and around the globe, Stanley focuses here on the structures that unite them, laying out and analyzing the ten pillars of fascist politics—the language and beliefs that separate people into an “us” and a “them.” He knits together reflections on history, philosophy, sociology, and critical race theory with stories from contemporary Hungary, Poland, India, Myanmar, and the United States, among other nations. He makes clear the immense danger of underestimating the cumulative power of these tactics, which include exploiting a mythic version of a nation’s past; propaganda that twists the language of democratic ideals against themselves; anti-intellectualism directed against universities and experts; law and order politics predicated on the assumption that members of minority groups are criminals; and fierce attacks on labor groups and welfare. These mechanisms all build on one another, creating and reinforcing divisions and shaping a society vulnerable to the appeals of authoritarian leadership. By uncovering disturbing patterns that are as prevalent today as ever, Stanley reveals that the stuff of politics—charged by rhetoric and myth—can quickly become policy and reality. Only by recognizing fascists politics, he argues, may we resist its most harmful effects and return to democratic ideals.“With unsettling insight and disturbing clarity, How Fascism Works is an essential guidebook to our current national dilemma of democracy vs. authoritarianism.”—William Jelani Cobb, author of The Substance of Hope

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. Henry David Thoreau, WaldenTrade Review‘Thoreau was a great writer, philosopher, poet, and withal a most practical man, that is, he taught nothing he was not prepared to practise in himself. … He went to gaol for the sake of his principles and suffering humanity. His essay has, therefore, been sanctified by suffering. Moreover, it is written for all time. Its incisive logic is unanswerable.’ Mohandas Gandhi ‘I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. No other person has been more eloquent and passionate in getting this idea across than Henry David Thoreau. As a result of his writings and personal witness, we are the heirs of a legacy of creative protest.’ Martin Luther King, Jr

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Book Synopsis"Life in this society being, at best, an utter bore and no aspect of society being at all relevant to women, there remains to civic-minded, responsible, thrill-seeking females only to overthrow the government, eliminate the money system, institute complete automation and destroy the male sex."Outrageous and violent, SCUM Manifesto was widely lambasted when it first appeared in 1968. Valerie Solanas, the woman who shot Andy Warhol, self-published the book just before she became a notorious household name and was confined to a mental institution. But for all its vitriol, it is impossible to dismiss as the mere rantings of a lesbian lunatic. In fact, the work has proved prescient, not only as a radical feminist analysis light years ahead of its time-predicting artificial insemination, ATMs, a feminist uprising against underrepresentation in the arts-but also as a stunning testament to the rage of an abused and destitute woman.In this edition, philosopher Avital Ronell's introduction reconsiders the evocative exuberance of this infamous text.Trade ReviewThe SCUM Manifesto is a document of profound vulnerability, written in a voice of profound empowerment. It's a brutal call to arms, written by a woman in a world of hurt. This tension between powerlessness and power makes it an enduring piece of writing. Never have the personal and the political been so mercilessly zipped together, like little steel teeth. -- Claire Dederer * Nation *Solanas is as relevant today as she was in the 1960s, because nothing much has changed for women. -- Julie Bindel * Spectator *You either happen to think this is a work of unadulterated genius, or you dismiss it as the ravings of a loony psycho-bitch, not understanding that this is exactly what makes it so compelling and so charged with insight. -- Suzanne Moore * New Statesman *Valerie Solanas wrote a very angry and very precise portrait of what she considered the male to be: something between a human and an ape; an unresponsive blob only concerned with physical sensation and without the capacity for empathy or self-knowledge or intimacy, and at the same time full of hatred and jealously and shame and guilt. Her description is beautiful and on some level, I think, entirely accurate. -- Nick CaveIts nihilism is a form of utopia for Solanas, a pre-punk aesthete who fearlessly tossed out ideas that people are just now beginning to raise . As a mixture of social philosophy and fine shtick, her work has the rare virtue of seeming at the same time totally insane and totally right. * Los Angeles Times *As Solanas reminds us, revolutionary ideas don't emerge quietly from the elite stratum of a society; they often bloom from its scum. * Dissent *Articulate, angry and funny. * Guardian *Gleefully incoherent, crackling with energy. * Bookslut *

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Book SynopsisFrom Hannah Arendt, the author of The Origins of Totalitarianism, her influential essay examining the relationship between violence, power, war and politics''Violence can destroy power; it is utterly incapable of creating it''Why has violence played such a significant role in human history? Written in 1970, with the Holocaust and Hiroshima still fresh in recent memory, war in Vietnam raging and the streets of Europe and America exploding into student protest, Hannah Arendt''s seminal work dissects violence in the twentieth century: its nature and causes, its relationship with politics and war, its role in the modern age. Arendt warns against the glamorization of violence by revolutionary causes, and argues that true, lasting power can never grow ''out of the barrel of a gun''.''Incisive, deeply probing, written with clarity and grace, it provides an ideal framework for understanding the turbulence of our times'' The NationWTrade ReviewIncisive, deeply probing, written with clarity and grace, it provides an ideal framework for understanding the turbulence of our times * The Nation *

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Book SynopsisThe inspirational sequel to 12 RULES FOR LIFE, which has sold over 10 million copies around the world - now in paperbackIn 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 long-awaited 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 and suffering, Peterson 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 SynopsisTrade ReviewDiscipline and Punish is clearly a tour de force ... that rare kind of book whose methods and conclusions must be reckoned with by humanists, social scientists and political activists * The New York Times Book Review *Foucault's genius is called forth into eloquent clarity of his passions ... his best book * Washington Post *'The main line of the thesis is enormously appealing and the range of historical sources and, even more, the analytical skill with which they are made to yield up their secrets, is quite dazzling' -- Harvie Ferguson * International Journal of Criminology and Penology *

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Book SynopsisNiccolò Machiavelli''s brutally uncompromising manual of statecraft, The Prince is translated and edited with an introduction by Tim Parks in Penguin Classics.As a diplomat in turbulent fifteenth-century Florence, Niccolò Machiavelli knew how quickly political fortunes could rise and fall. The Prince, his tough-minded, pragmatic handbook on how power really works, made his name notorious and has remained controversial ever since. How can a leader be strong and decisive, yet still inspire loyalty in his followers? When is it necessary to break the rules? Is it better to be feared than loved? Examining regimes and their rulers the world over and throughout history, from Roman Emperors to renaissance Popes, from Hannibal to Cesare di Borgia, Machievalli answers all these questions in a work of realpolitik that still has shrewd political lessons for today. Tim Parks''s acclaimed contemporary translation renders Machiavelli''s no-nonsense original as alarming and enlightening as when it was first written. His introduction discusses Machiavelli''s life and reputation, and explores the historical background to the work.Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) was born in Florence, and served the Florentine republic as a secretary and second chancellor, as ambassador and foreign policy-maker. When the Medici family returned to power in 1512 he was suspected of conspiracy, imprisoned and tortured and forced to retire from public life. His most famous work, The Prince, was written in an attempt to gain favour with the Medicis and return to politics.If you enjoyed The Prince, you might like Plato''s Republic, also available in Penguin Classics.''A gripping work, and a gripping translation''Nicholas Lezard, Guardian''Tim Parks''s swift and supple new translation brings out all its chilling modernity'' Boyd Tonkin, IndependentTrade Review“[Machiavelli] can still engage our attention with remarkable immediacy, and this cannot be explained solely by the appeal of his ironic observations on human behaviour. Perhaps the most important thing is the way he can compel us to reflect on our own priorities and the reasoning behind them; it is this intrusion into our own defenses that makes reading him an intriguing experience. As a scientific exponent of the political art Machiavelli may have had few followers; it is as a provocative rhetorician that he has had his real impact on history.” –from the Introduction by Dominic Baker-Smith

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Book SynopsisHow can a leader be strong and decisive, yet still inspire loyalty in his followers? When is it necessary to break the rules? Is it better to be feared than loved? In this book, the author answers all these questions in a work of realpolitik that still has shrewd political lessons.

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Book SynopsisWith an Introduction by Dr Richard Serjeantson, Trinity College, CambridgeSince its first publication in 1651, Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan has been recognised as one of the most compelling, and most controversial, works of political philosophy written in English. Forged in the crucible of the civil and religious warfare of the mid-seventeenth century, it proposes a political theory that combines an unequivocal commitment to natural human liberty with the conviction that the sovereign power of government must be exercised absolutely. Leviathan begins from some shockingly naturalistic starting-points: an analysis of human nature as being motivated by vain-glory and pride, and a vision of religion as simply the fear of invisible powers made up by the mind. Yet from these deliberately unpromising elements, Hobbes constructs with unparalleled forcefulness an elaborate, systematic, and comprehensive account of how political society ought to be: ordered, law-bound, peaceful. In Leviathan, Hobbes presents us with a portrait of politics which depicts how a state that is made up of the unified body of all its citizens will be powerful, fruitful, protective of each of its members, and — above all — free from internal violence.

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Book SynopsisThomas Paine was born in1737 at Thetford, Norfolk in England, as a son of a Quaker. He immigrated to America in 1774. There he published works criticising the slavery and supporting American independence. He became very popular but returned to England where he became involved in the French Revolution. After that he returned to America where he died in 1802.Isaac Kramnick is Professor of Government at Cornell University and has edited of The Federalist Papers and the Thomas Paine Reader.Table of ContentsBackground to the American Revolution, 1776 from staymaker to revolutionary - the life and career of Tom Paine; the argument of common sense; Bourgeois radicalism - the ideology of Tom Paine; Paine and the American bicentennial. Common sense: introduction; of the origin and design of government in general of monarchy and hereditary succession; thoughts on the present state of American affairs; of the present ability of America, with some miscellaneous reflexions. Appendix: to the representatives of the religious society of the people called Quakers.

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Book SynopsisToday The Prince is still seen as the Bible of realpolitik, read by strategists, businessmen and political animals everywhere as the ultimate guide to gaining and maintaining power in a dangerous world.

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Book SynopsisThe physiologist Benjamin Libet famously demonstrated that activity in the brain''s motor regions can be detected some 300 milliseconds before a person feels that he has decided to move. Another lab recently used fMRI data to show that some conscious decisions can be predicted up to 10 seconds before they enter awareness (long before the preparatory motor activity detected by Libet). Clearly, findings of this kind are difficult to reconcile with the sense that one is the conscious source of one''s actions. The question of free will is no mere curio of philosophy seminars. A belief in free will underwrites both the religious notion of sin and our enduring commitment to retributive justice. The Supreme Court has called free will a universal and persistent foundation for our system of law. Any scientific developments that threatened our notion of free will would seem to put the ethics of punishing people for their bad behaviour in question.In Free Will Harris debates these ideas aTrade Review"In this elegant and provocative book, Sam Harris demonstrates—with great intellectual ferocity and panache—that free will is an inherently flawed and incoherent concept, even in subjective terms. If he is right, the book will radically change the way we view ourselves as human beings." —V. S. Ramachandran, Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition, UCSD, and author of The Tell-Tale Brain"Brilliant and witty—and never less than incisive—Free Will shows that Sam Harris can say more in 13,000 words than most people do in 100,000." —Oliver Sacks"Free will is an illusion so convincing that people simply refuse to believe that we don’t have it. In Free Will, Sam Harris combines neuroscience and psychology to lay this illusion to rest at last. Like all of Harris’s books, this one will not only unsettle you but make you think deeply. Read it: you have no choice."—Jerry A. Coyne, Professor of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, and author of Why Evolution Is True"Many say that believing that there is no free will is impossible—or, if possible, will cause nihilism and despair. In this feisty and personal essay, Harris offers himself as an example of a heart made less self-absorbed, and more morally sensitive and creative, because this particular wicked witch is dead." —Owen Flanagan, Professor of Philosophy, Duke University, and author of The Really Hard Problem"If you believe in free will, or know someone who does, here is the perfect antidote. In this smart, engaging, and extremely readable little book, Sam Harris argues that free will doesn’t exist, that we’re better off knowing that it doesn’t exist, and that—once we think about it in the right way—we can appreciate from our own experience that it doesn’t exist. This is a delightful discussion by one of the sharpest scholars around.” —Paul Bloom, Professor of Psychology, Yale University, and author of How Pleasure Works

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Book SynopsisA philosopher, essayist, novelist, pornographer and fervent Catholic who came to regard the brothels of Paris as his true ''churches'', Georges Bataille ranks among the boldest and most disturbing of twentieth-century thinkers. In this influential study he links the underlying sexual basis of religion to death, offering a dazzling array of insights into incest, prostitution, marriage, murder, sadism, sacrifice and violence, as well as including comments on Freud, Sade and Saint Theresa. Everywhere, Eroticism argues, sex is surrounded by taboos, which we must continually transgress in order to overcome the sense of isolation that faces us all.Trade ReviewBataille speaks about man's condition, not his nature ... In him reality is conflict -- Jean-Paul Sartre

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Book SynopsisWritten between 1944 and 1947, Minima Moralia is a collection of rich, lucid aphorisms and essays about life in modern capitalist society. Adorno casts his penetrating eye across society in mid-century America and finds a life deformed by capitalism. This is Adorno's theoretical and literary masterpiece and a classic of twentieth-century thought.Trade ReviewA volume of Adorno is equivalent to a whole shelf of books on literature. -- Susan SontagThe best thoughts of a noble and invigorating mind. * Observer *Theodor Adorno's masterpiece of aphorisms and short prose meditations * Time Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisAcclaimed as one of the most exciting books in the history of American letters, this modern epic became an instant bestseller upon publication in 1974, transforming a generation and continuing to inspire millions. A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, the book becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions of how to live. Resonant with the confusions of existence, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a touching and transcendent book of life.Trade ReviewProfoundly important...full of insights into our most perplexing contemporary dilemmas * New York Times *Mr Pirsig has written a work of great, perhaps urgent, importance... Read this book * Observer *The book is inspired, original...the narrative tact, the perfect economy of effect defy criticism. The analogies with Moby Dick are patent * New Yorker *Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is an unforgettable trip * Time *Disturbing, deeply moving, full of insights...this is a wonderful book * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewIn this surprising, accessible and often counterintuitive book Bregman explores some brilliant but simple ideas for making a better world -- Brian EnoThis is a Read Now book. Nothing dystopian about this one: a practical set of ideas for how the next generation can do better -- Jeanette WintersonIf you're bored with hackneyed debates, decades-old right-wing and left-wing clichés, you may enjoy the bold thinking, fresh ideas, lively prose, and evidence-based arguments in Utopia for Realists -- Steven Pinker, author of 'The Language Instinct'This is a book stuffed full of ideas, presented persuasively and pithily, but it is also just a part of the new zeitgeist – which is why it is one for today’s dreamers and tomorrow’s realists -- Danny Dorling * Times Higher Educational Supplement *Rutger Bregman is the most exciting radical thinker of my generation. If you read him and you aren’t thrilled, mentally expanded, and infused with hope, call for the undertaker - I suspect you’ve died. Oh - and did I mention he is a beautiful writer too? -- Johann Hari, Sunday Times bestselling-author of 'Lost Connections'Listen out for Rutger Bregman. He has a big future shaping the future -- Andrew Anthony * Observer *The Dutch wunderkind of new ideas * Guardian *An excellent read and full of well-told stories and details I didn’t know -- Tim Harford, author of The Undercover EconomistIf you’re fed up with moaning, you owe it to yourself to read this book * Evening Standard *If energy, enthusiasm and aphorism could make the world better, then Rutger Bregman’s book would do it ... The writing is powerful and fluent ... A boisterously good read * Independent *It’s a wonderful, well-written book, easily the crispest and least dry explanation of the research and history behind basic income as an idea I’ve seen in print. The sixth chapter, on the bizarre history of Richard Nixon’s 1970 plan for a negative income tax, is worth the price of admission alone * Vox *I was moved and convinced by Bregman saying we might not achieve Utopia but could find solace in working towards a fairer world ... This book is energetic, passionate and rigorously intelligent. His commonsensical ideas deserve to be gratefully welcomed -- Jake Kerridge * Sunday Express *You may not dream the same dreams as Bregman – but he invites you to take dreaming seriously. For that alone, this book is worth a read -- Will Hutton * Observer *Brilliant, comprehensive, truly enlightening, and eminently readable Obligatory reading for everyone worried about the wrongs of present-day society and wishing to contribute to their cure -- Zygmunt Bauman, Professor Emeritus of Leeds University and one of the world's most eminent social theoristsA wonderfully readable breath of fresh air, a window thrown open to a better future ... Bregman combines deep research with wit, challenging us to think anew about how we want to live and who we want to be. Required reading -- Philipp Blomm, author of 'The Vertigo Years'Superbly written, upbeat, insightful -- Philippe van Parijs, Harvard University professor and co-founder of the Basic Income Earth NetworkIf you'd like to see a fairer world but don't know how to get there, this book is for you. Bregman brilliantly shows how ideas commonly dismissed as utopian are eminently possible, indeed have almost happened -- Ben Rawlence, Ben Rawlence, author of 'City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World's Largest Refugee Camp'Bregman shows us we’ve been looking at the world inside out. Turned right way out we suddenly see fundamentally new ways forward. If we can get enough people to read this book, the world will start to become a better place -- Richard Wilkinson, co-author of The Spirit LevelA boisterously good read -- John Rentoul * Independent *Rutger Bregman makes a compelling case for Universal Basic Income with a wealth of data and rooted in a keen understanding of the political and intellectual history of capitalism. He shows the many ways in which human progress has turned a Utopia into a Eutopia – a positive future that we can achieve with the right policies -- Albert Wenger, entrepreneur and partner at Union Square Ventures, early backers of Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare, Etsy and KickstarterThe impact of this book in the Netherlands has been huge. Not only did Rutger Bregman launch a highly successful and long-running debate in the media, he also inspired a movement across the country that is putting his ideas into practice. Now it’s time for the rest of the world -- Joris Luyendijk, author of Swimming with SharksI loved it … Bregman takes an idea you think sounds daft and does a brilliant job of persuading you it isn’t daft at all -- James Rebanks, author of 'The Shepherd’s Life'A wonderful call to utopian thinking around incomes and the workweek, and a welcome antidote to the pessimism surrounding robots taking our jobs -- Charles Kenny, senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and author of The Upside of DownA bold call for utopian thinking … Highly recommended! -- Nick Srnicek, co-author of Inventing the FutureA short, sharp big ideas book set to make waves * Sunday Express *Superbly written, upbeat, insightful -- Philippe van Parijs, Harvard University professor and co-founder of the Basic Income Earth NetworkUtopia for Realists is tipped to be a bestseller in English as it was in its original Dutch -- Bryan Appleyard * Sunday Times *Bregman writes with energy, verve and panache … Utopia for Realists will probably be a terrific hit -- Ian Martin * The Times *Bregman has many tightly-spun arguments, case studies, and statistics … He treats his topic with an accessible style and touch of humour * Western Mail *Bregman’s book is breezy, wide-ranging and littered with interesting examples and research. It has something of the flavour of Freakonomics * Sunday Times *Energetic, passionate and rigorously intelligent. His commonsensical ideas deserve to be gratefully welcomed * Sunday Express *A brilliantly written page-turner. It goes into serious depth, without ever feeling dense, as it weaves its way through the challenges we face and onto proposals for doing things differently -- Caroline Lucas * Independent *Fantastic… Bregman will help you raise your spirits and banish your Brexit blues * The National *The questions that Bregman poses must be addressed, and urgently * The New Scientist *

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Book SynopsisRenowned philosopher Roger Scruton draws on his own experience as a counter-culture presence in public life to explain conservatism in a skeptical age.With soft left-liberalism as the dominant force in Western politics, what can conservatives now contribute to public debate that will not be dismissed as pure nostalgia? In this highly personal and witty book, renowned philosopher Roger Scruton explains how to live as a conservative in spite of the pressures to exist otherwise. Drawing on his own experience as a counter-cultural presence in public life, Scruton argues that while humanity might survive in the absence of the conservative outlook, it certainly won''t flourish. How to be a Conservative is not only a blueprint for modern conservatism. It is a heartfelt appeal on behalf of old fashioned decencies and values, which are the bedrock of our weakened, but still enduring civilization.Trade ReviewRoger Scruton is that rarest of things: a first-rate philosopher who actually has a philosophy … one of the few intellectually authoritative voices in modern British conservatism. -- Jesse Norman * Spectator *Roger Scruton is one of our great men of speculation. -- David Willetts * Standpoint *A persuasive and poignant little book. -- Ferdinand Mount * The Oldie *Elegantly written and thought-provoking ... I loved this book, especially the way it seems to be aimed as much at the heart as the mind. On both it has a cleansing effect , the equivalent of eating a tart lemon sorbet. * Country Life *Table of ContentsPreface 1 My Journey 2 Starting from Home 3 The Truth in Nationalism 4 The Truth in Socialism 5 The Truth in Capitalism 6 The Truth in Liberalism 7 The Truth in Multiculturalism 8 The Truth in Environmentalism 9 The Truth in Internationalism 10 The Truth in Conservatism 11 Realms of Value 12 Practical Matters 13 A Valediction Forbidding Mourning but Admitting Loss Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA masterpiece … Today it retains an eerie prescience. Looking to the past, Weil spoke to future generations who would feel, as she did, that history is a trap we only half understand … luminous -- Madoc Cairns * TLS *One of the most important writings of a unique, flawed and controversial genius, this book warns that modern societies will only be able to resist fascism by a wholesale spring-cleaning of our political imagination in the light of spiritual practice. An excellent, lucid and readable new translation -- Rowan WilliamsThis is one of those books which ought to be studied by the young before their leisure has been lost and their capacity for thought destroyed; books the effect of which, we can only hope, will become apparent in the attitude of mind of another generation -- T. S. EliotThe patron saint of all outsiders -- André GideThe only great spirit of our time -- Albert Camus

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Book SynopsisAs politics slides toward impulsivity, and outrage bests rationality, how can philosophy help us critically engage with the world? How to Think Like A Philosopher is a revelatory exploration of the methods, tenets and attitudes of thought that guide philosophy, and how they can be applied to our own lives. Drawing on decades of enquiry and a huge range of interviews, Julian Baggini identifies twelve key principles that promote incisive thinking. Pay attention; question everything; seek clarity, not certainty: these are just a few of philosophy's guiding maxims which can be applied to everything from understanding the impact of climate change to correctly appraising our own temperaments. Both a fresh introduction to philosophy covering canonical and contemporary philosophers, and an essential, practical guide to good thinking, How to Think Like a Philosopher shows us the way to a more humane, balanced and rational approach to thinking, to politics, and to life.Trade ReviewIn lively and engaging prose, the book distills some of history's most important philosophical ideas... An important book * Herald *A complete treat: a big breath of fresh air and a bracing detox for our beleaguered, battered brains -- Derren Brown[An] excellent and often witty primer on the art, or aspiration, of thinking clearly and logically and ethically * Irish Times *If more philosophers wrote with the power and elegance Julian Baggini achieves in this book, more of us would learn to think like them. Well, now we can! -- Richard HollowayBaggini is an engaging writer and his arguments are ornamented with references to popular culture and current affairs, scraps of intellectual history and a range of relatable personal experiences * TLS *A welcome balm. Julian Baggini writes with clarity and humour. And most importantly, he doesn't get bogged down in theory but offers practical instructions on how to think and question, more constructively -- Ritula ShahA guide to slowing down, living better and thinking * Idler *An urgently needed guide to clear thinking, brought to life by a cast of our finest philosophers and illuminated by his gentle, humane, and accessible writing. Essential reading, both for making sense of a confusing world, and for living your everyday life. I'll be returning to this brilliant book again and again -- Anil SethAnother brilliant, engaging and highly readable account by Julian Baggini aimed at that most difficult of tasks - helping us all to think, and encouraging us to find the right answers by asking the right questions. Simply superb -- Gavin Esler

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.Published in 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel's pamphlet The Communist Manifesto is a landmark text in socialist and Marxist history a rallying cry for the revolutionary overthrow of capitalist society by the working classes.

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Book SynopsisRosa Luxemburg was a revolutionary socialist who fought and died for her beliefs. In January 1919, after being arrested for her involvement in a workers'' uprising in Berlin, she was brutally murdered by a group of right-wing soldiers. Her body was recovered days later from a canal. Six years earlier she had published what was undoubtedly her finest achievement, The Accumulation of Capital - a book which remains one of the masterpieces of socialist literature. Taking Marx as her starting point, she offers an independent and fiercely critical explanation of the economic and political consequences of capitalism in the context of the turbulent times in which she lived, reinterpreting events in the United States, Europe, China, Russia and the British Empire. Many today believe there is no alternative to global capitalism. This book is a timely and forceful statement of an opposing view.Trade Review'Rosa Luxemburg is one of the really big figures in the history of the international socialist movement and The Accumulation of Capital is unquestionably her magnum opus.' - New Statesman'This book, out of print for decades, is well worth reading ... one of her finest works.' - Labour ResearchTable of ContentsIntroduction to the Routledge Classics Edition, Translator’s Note, A Note on Rosa Luxemburg, Introduction, SECTION I: The Problem of Reproduction, 1. The Object of our Investigation, 2. Quesnay’s and Adam Smith’s Analyses of the Process of Reproduction, 3. A Criticism of Smith’s Analysis, 4. Marx’s Scheme of Simple Reproduction, 5. The Circulation of Money, 6. Enlarged Reproduction, 7. Analysis of Marx’s Diagram of Enlarged Reproduction, 8. Marx’s Attempt to Resolve the Difficulty, 9. The Difficulty Viewed from the Angle of the Process of Circulation, SECTION II: Historical Exposition of the Problem, 10. Sismondi’s Theory of Reproduction, 11. MacCulloch v. Sismondi, 12. Ricardo v. Sismondi, 13. Say v. Sismondi, 14. Malthus, 15. v. Kirchmann’s Theory of Reproduction, 16. Rodbertus’ Criticism of the Classical School, 17. Rodbertus’ Analysis of Reproduction, 18. A New Version of the Problem, 19. Vorontsov and his ‘Surplus’, 20. Nikolayon, 21. Struve’s ‘Third Persons’ and ‘Three World Empires’, 22. Bulgakov and his Completion of Marx’s Analysis, 23. Tugan Baranovski and his ‘Lack of Proportion’, 24. The End of Russian ‘Legalist’ Marxism, SECTION III: The Historical Conditions of Accumulation, 25. Contradictions within the Diagram of Enlarged Reproduction, 26. The Reproduction of Capital and its Social Setting, 27. The Struggle against Natural Economy, 28. The Introduction of Commodity Economy, 29. The Struggle against Peasant Economy, 30. International Loans, 31. Protective Tariffs and Accumulation, 32. Militarism as a Province of Accumulation, Index

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Book SynopsisThe Most Human Human by Brian Christian is a mind-blowing piece of reportage that will appeal to readers of Jon Ronson''s The Psychopath Test, and an inspiring riposte to John Gray''s classic Straw Dogs - a book that will change your whole understanding of what being human actually means...AI is on the brink of a new dawn. And so are we. . .Telling the difference between humans and computers used to be easy. But artificial intelligence is now so advanced that it is capable of behaving, and even thinking, in ways that have long been considered exclusive to humankind. The time has come to rethink what being human actually means...In The Most Human Human Brian Christian meets the world''s leading artificial intelligences, finds out what they''re capable of - and what makes us unique. The result is a funny, shocking, inspiring, deeply humane and intelligent book that reaches into every aspect of our lives.''Tremendously entertaining'' ****Metro''Excellent ... a fascinating explanation of what it means to be human''Financial Times''Remarkable. A philosophical joyride. The day that a machine creates work of such wit and originality, we should all be very worried''The Times''An epic tour of philosophical, linguistic and scientific discovery. We stop off in places as far-flung as existential anxiety, predictive text and Gary Kasparov''s defeat by Deep Blue'' ****Time Out''Lively, thought-stirring, entertaining, invaluable ... compelling insights''John Gray, New StatesmanAt the age of twenty-six, Brian Christian has lectured at the LSE, Royal Academy, Bristol Festival of Ideas, Microsoft and Google, been interviewed on The Daily Show, BBC and in the Paris Review, profiled in the Guardian, featured in The New York Times, the New Yorker and on the front cover of Atlantic, and has made numerous appearances at universities and in online videos speaking on his subject. He holds a dual degree from Brown University in computer science and philosophy, and an MFA in poetry.Trade ReviewTremendously entertaining **** * Metro *Excellent ... a fascinating explanation of what it means to be human * Financial Times *Remarkable. A philosophical joyride. The day that a machine creates work of such wit and originality, we should all be very worried * The Times *An epic tour of philosophical, linguistic and scientific discovery. We stop off in places as far-flung as existential anxiety, predictive text and Gary Kasparov's defeat by Deep Blue. A lively, personable read and an overpowering affirmation of our species **** * Time Out *Lively, thought-stirring, entertaining, invaluable ... compelling insights -- John Gray * New Statesman *Dense with ideas, terrific. One of the rare successful literary offspring of Gödel, Escher, Bach, where art and science meet an engaged mind and the friction produces real fire * New Yorker *Fast-paced, witty, and thoroughly winning ... investigates the nature of human interactions, the meaning of language, and the essence of what sets us apart from machines ... fabulous * Publishers Weekly *An irreverent picaresque ... What Christian learns along the way is that if machines win the imitation game as often as they do, it's not because they're getting better at acting human; it's because we're getting worse ... An authentic son of Frost, he learns by going where he has to go, and in doing so proves that both he and his book deserve their title * The New York Times *Immensely ambitious and bold, intellectually provocative, while at the same time entertaining and witty - a delightful book about how to live a meaningful, thriving life -- Alan Lightman, author of Einstein's DreamsSuch an important book ... Brian Christian takes on this very weighty task, and somehow makes it fun -- Brian Shenk, author of The Genius in all of UsAn eye-opening inquest into human imagination, thought, conversation, love and deception * David Eagleman, author of Sum *Absorbing ... Christian cleverly suggests that the Turing Test not only tells us how smart computers are but also teaches us about ourselves. ... covers a great deal of ground with admirable clarity but with a lightness of touch ... has a real knack for summing up key ideas by applying them to real-life situations -- Julian Baggini * Wall Street Journal *Strange, fertile and sometimes beautiful ... takes both the deep limitations and halting progress of artificial intelligence as an occasion for thinking about the most human activity -- Matthew Crawford, author of The Case for Working with Your HandsEntertaining and informative * Economist *

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Book SynopsisSUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLERThe most important book of the year' Daily MailThe brilliant and provocative new book from one of the world's foremost political writersThe anti-Western revisionists have been out in force in recent years. It is high time that we revise them in turn'In The War on the West, international bestselling author Douglas Murray asks: if the history of humankind is one of slavery, conquest, prejudice, genocide and exploitation, why are only Western nations taking the blame for it? It's become perfectly acceptable to celebrate the contributions of non-Western cultures, but discussing their flaws and crimes is called hate speech. What's more it has become acceptable to discuss the flaws and crimes of Western culture, but celebrating their contributions is also called hate speech. Some of this is a much-needed reckoning; however, some is part of a larger international attack on reason, democracy, science, progress and the citizens of the West by dishonest scholarsTrade Review‘Murray shows not just how every aspect of western society has come under the iconoclasts’ gaze – from mathematics to music, Kew Gardens to Jane Austen – but how flimsy their case often is.’ – The Sunday Times ‘Murray writes with wonderful lucidity about the many fronts on which the West is waging war against itself. And he writes with a sense of urgency.’ – Real Clear Politics ‘Well executed… a spirited defence against the Left's assault on the Western tradition.’ – The Daily Telegraph ‘The War on the West is a monumental book leading to several pivotal realisations.’ – Lotus Eaters ‘Meticulous, measured… The War on the West is Douglas Murray’s latest blast against loony left wokery.’ – The Spectator Praise for Douglas Murray and The Madness of Crowds ‘Whether one agrees with him or not, Douglas Murray is one of the most important public intellectuals today.’ – Bernard-Henry Levy ‘This is an author who specialises in expressing what everyone sort of knows already and is afraid to say…Well argued, well supported, and well observed.’ – Lionel Shriver ‘Simply brilliant. Reading it to the end, I felt as though I’d just drawn my first full breath in years. At a moment of collective madness, there is nothing more refreshing – or indeed, provocative – than sanity.’ – Sam Harris ‘His latest book is beyond brilliant and should be read, must be read, by everyone. He mercilessly exposes the hypocrisy and embarrassingly blatant contradictions that run rife through the current ‘woke’ vouge.’ – Richard Dawkins ‘Douglas Murray fights the good fight for freedom of speech… A truthful look at today’s most divisive issues.’ – Jordan B. Peterson ‘Extraordinary. Magnificent. Searing. Necessary. I salute il miglior fabbro. ‘And whether they listen or fail to listen… they will know that the prophet has been among them’ (Ezekiel 2:5)’ – Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

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Book Synopsis A landmark book that overturns everything we think we know about humankind’s greatest idea.

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.We have declared before that it is not only expedient but necessary for a prince to take care his foundations be good, otherwise his fabric will be sure to fail.'Considered one of the first works of modern philosophy, Machiavelli's The Prince is an intense study on the nature of power and the course it should take when ruling a country and expresses the author's strong and unyielding ideals and beliefs on using force rather than law to achieve your aims.Responsible for the widely-used phrase Machiavellian', with all of its negative connotations, his extreme treatise remains a classic text to this day.

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Book Synopsis'The Web of Meaning is both a profound personal meditation on human existence and a tour-de-force weaving together of historic and contemporary world-wide secular and spiritual thought on the deepest question of all: why are we here?' Gabor Maté M.D., author, In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction 'We need, now more than ever, to figure out how to make all kinds of connections. This book can help--and therefore it can help with a lot of the urgent tasks we face.' Bill McKibben, author, Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? As our civilization careens towards a precipice of climate breakdown, ecological destruction and gaping inequality, people are losing their existential moorings. Our dominant worldview of disconnection, which tells us we are split between mind and body, separate from each other, and at odds with the natural world, has passed its expiration date. Yet another world is possible. Award-winning author, Jeremy Lent, investigates humanity's age-old questions - who am I? why am I? how should I live? - from a fresh perspective, weaving together findings from modern systems thinking, evolutionary biology and cognitive neuroscience with insights from Buddhism, Taoism and indigenous wisdom. The result is a breathtaking accomplishment: a rich, coherent worldview based on a deep recognition of connectedness within ourselves, between each other, and with the entire natural world.Trade ReviewThe Web of Meaning is both a profound personal meditation on human existence and, as its title implies, a tour-de-force weaving together of historic and contemporary world-wide secular and spiritual thought on the deepest question of all: why are we here? -- Gabor Maté M.D., author of * In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction *We need, now more than ever, to figure out how to make all kinds of connections. This book can help--and therefore it can help with a lot of the urgent tasks we face. -- Bill McKibben, author of * Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? *There are so many ways to understand the world, and so many levels to be integrated, that everyone can use the guidance of Jeremy Lent. Moving from the ancient Tao to modern neuroscience and everything in between, he boldly weaves deep insights together to envision a better world. -- Frans de Waal, author of * Mama’s Last Hug - Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves *A book of radial and profound wisdom ... a magnificent manifesto for a regenerative culture and for an ecological civilisation ... the book beautifully address some of the most complex questions of life -- Satish Kumar,Editor Emeritus, Resurgence & Ecologist and Founder of Schumacher College.Praise for The Patterning Instinct: 'The most profound and far-reaching book I have ever read -- George MonbiotSuch an important, necessary, and wise book -- John HiggsCultures shape values, and those values shape history. By the same token, our values will shape our future. One way to equip yourself for this heroic task will be to read this enormous, learned, yet garrulous and helpful book. * New Scientist *One of the most brilliant and insightful minds of our age, Jeremy Lent has written one of the most essential and compelling books of our time. The Web of Meaning invites us to rethink at the deepest level who we are as a species and what we might become. -- David Korten author of * When Corporations Rule the World, The Great Turning *A widely ranging, deeply penetrating, and healingly prescriptive consideration of how to reposition humanity within the world. Lent's ideas, drawn from all around the globe from antiquity to the present, provide a vision for a better shot at survival and a life that is worthwhile for our time-and for the rest of time -- Carl Safina author of * Beyond Words and Becoming Wild *It is hard to build new regenerative narratives that honor the old without being in extractive relation to non-western lands and peoples, but this book is a damn good start. This book is a good place to sit for anybody interested in binding the wounds of thoughtless progress and allowing the emergence of new patterns of being. -- Tyson Yunkaporta, author of * Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World *

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Book SynopsisJudith Butler's new book shows how an ethic of nonviolence must be connected to a broader political struggle for social equality. Further, it argues that nonviolence is often misunderstood as a passive practice that emanates from a calm region of the soul, or as an individualist ethical relation to existing forms of power. But, in fact, nonviolence is an ethical position found in the midst of the political field. An aggressive form of nonviolence accepts that hostility is part of our psychic constitution, but values ambivalence as a way of checking the conversion of aggression into violence. One contemporary challenge to a politics of nonviolence points out that there is a difference of opinion on what counts as violence and nonviolence. The distinction between them can be mobilised in the service of ratifying the state's monopoly on violence.Considering nonviolence as an ethical problem within a political philosophy requires a critique of individualism as well as an understanding of the psychosocial dimensions of violence. Butler draws upon Foucault, Fanon, Freud, and Benjamin to consider how the interdiction against violence fails to include lives regarded as ungrievable. By considering how 'racial phantasms' inform justifications of state and administrative violence, Butler tracks how violence is often attributed to those who are most severely exposed to its lethal effects. The struggle for nonviolence is found in movements for social transformation that reframe the grievability of lives in light of social equality and whose ethical claims follow from an insight into the interdependency of life as the basis of social and political equality.Trade ReviewPraise for Frames of War:A trenchant and brilliant book. -- Mike Rowe * Utne Reader *Praise for Frames of War:It's clear that its author is still interested in stirring up trouble-academic, political and otherwise. * Bookforum *Praise for Frames of War:Judith Butler is quite simply one of the most probing, challenging, and influential thinkers of our time. -- J. M. BernsteinPraise for Frames of War:Judith Butler is the most creative and courageous social theorist writing today. Frames of War is an intellectual masterpiece that weds a new understanding of being, immersed in history, to a novel Left politics that focuses on State violence, war and resistance. -- Cornel WestPraise for Frames of War:An impressive and challenging book from one of the leading intellectuals of our time. * Diva *Praise for Precarious Life:A book that shines with the splendor of engaged thought. * Brooklyn Rail *Praise for Precarious Life:Here is a unique voice of courage and conceptual ambition that addresses public life from the perspective of psychic reality, encouraging us to acknowledge the solidarity and the suffering through which we emerge as subjects of freedom. -- Homi K. BhabhaButler's philosophical inquiry argues that it is in fact a shrewd and even aggressive collective political tactic. * New York Times *Perhaps the most influential and widely travelled feminist in the Western academy...[Butler] carefully, with assertive toughness, combats the hatred, fear and rage of those who respond violently to her continuous commitment to confronting normative patterns of coercion with calls for concerted actions of resistance. -- Lynne Segal * Times Higher Education *Judith Butler lucidly enumerates the obstacles nonviolence faces in a time when it is sorely needed. Drawing on works from Frantz Fanon, Michel Foucault, Walter Benjamin, and Sigmund Freud, she makes a fresh new case for what a destructive obstacle our pervasive individualism is to nonviolent action - and the change possible with it. -- John Freeman * The Boston Globe *Featured in The New Yorker * The New Yorker *A text with a vision for another kind of world, one that refuses to take refuge in the comfort of moral platitudes. * Australian Book Review *Presents a hopeful philosophical position for evolving architecture competent in responding to society's issues, all the while being intertwined within it. * Architectural Review *Invaluable -- Henrietta Cullinan * Peace News *Butler's argument both builds on and contributes to a wider feminist literature concerned with developing ways of social and political living that stem from a relational understanding of the self. -- Alister Wedderburn * Radical Philosophy *

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Book Synopsis''A great mind that is constantly exploring, searching, becoming . . . an impressive collection'' Elif Shafak, Observer''A phenomenal book'' Claire Kohda Hazelton, Guardian''We are fortunate to have Hustvedt voicing doubt so intelligently'' Lara Feigel, Financial TimesA TRAIL-BLAZING AND INSPIRING COLLECTION OF ESSAYS ON ART, FEMINISM, NEUROSCIENCE AND PSYCHOLOGY FEATURING THE DELUSIONS OF CERTAINTY, WINNER OF THE EUROPEAN ESSAY PRIZE 2019.Internationally acclaimed as a novelist, Siri Hustvedt is also highly regarded as a writer of non-fiction whose insights are drawn from her broad knowledge in the arts, humanities, and sciences. In this trilogy of works collected in a single volume, Hustvedt brings a feminist, interdisciplinary perspective to a range of subjects. Louise Bourgeois, Pablo Picasso, Susan Sontag and Knut Ove Knausgaard are among those who come under herTrade ReviewThis is a phenomenal book. Its soul is in the connections it draws between disparate subjects, through which Hustvedt manages to shrink the world into something comprehensible. -- Claire Kohda Hazelton * Guardian *A writer with an unusual blend of incisive intelligence, humour and imagination. There is a moving essay on the blurring of gender in Louise Bourgeois and a brilliantly comic analysis of Karl Ove Knausgaard . . . She is able to combine [a] personal perspective with erudite analysis and, as the personal perspective is at the forefront, she is always open to uncertainty, which she sees, rightly, as itself a political stance . . . as the complicated warnings of experts are decried and swaggering lies broadcast on the news, this kind of uncertainty matters more than ever . . . We are fortunate to have Hustvedt voicing doubt so intelligently. -- Lara Feigel * Financial Times *It is obvious that hers is a great mind that is constantly exploring, searching, "becoming" . . . An impressive collection by a novelist who clearly loves the humanities, the sciences and the ancient art of storytelling. But Hustvedt is not only a writer. She is also a passionate reader and therein lies the secret of this book . . . Here is a great book that invites reading . . . not only to 'look at a woman writer looking at men looking at women', but also to look within, deep inside the recesses of our minds, so as to recognise the fascinating complexity but also the heartbreaking fragility of human existence. -- Elif Shafak * Observer *[The Delusions of Certainty] reads like the work of a talented teacher who has the drive and the ability to organise and present - in an exceptionally clear, clean, even limpid voice - a monumental amount of abstract information. It's hard to overstate the pleasure and the comfort that such demystification provides the scientifically uninitiated; it does indeed make the world feel larger, more expansive, more alive to the touch * New York Times Book Review *Few writers eviscerate bias and flawed logic as elegantly and ruthlessly as Hustvedt . . . she expertly flays assertions about biological and psychological sex differences . . . Hustvedt does not resolve her many questions, but her exhilarating conclusion testifies to the virtues of doubt . . . Her work is cerebral but also warm, deeply felt. * Washington Post *[Hustvedt] impresses as a writer of blazing intelligence and curiosity . . . This is fertile and fascinating territory for scientists and humanists alike. * Prospect *

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