Social and political philosophy Books

Book SynopsisThe real political mission of Malcolm X, and why it needs resurrecting now 100 years after his birth Malcolm X is a titanic figure in political history, but he is also one of the most misunderstood. So much of what we know about his life and politics is from books, films and documentaries that are all guilty of peddling the Malcolm myth for their own nefarious interests. Forever known as the violent Yang to Martin Luther King's Yin, in the years since his death he has been co-opted into the American project, punished by his enemies for his radicalism, and marginalised by decades of governments, academics and activists. But here, for the first time, Malcolm is rediscovered. On the centenary of his birthday, in a world shaken by decades of injustice and racism, Malcolm's political mission is more urgent than ever. In Nobody Can Give You Freedom, Kehinde Andrews reveals his real revolutionary programme. Malcolm's activism was his philosophy, and paying attention to it reveals the true cultural icon who, if he were alive today, would tell us to pick up the mantle, and overturn this wicked system for good.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAchille Mbembe theorizes the genealogy of the contemporary world—one plagued by inequality, militarization, enmity, and a resurgence of racist, fascist, and nationalist forces—and calls for a radical revision of humanism a the means to create a more just society.Trade Review"The appearance of Achille Mbembe's Necropolitics will change the terms of debate within the English-speaking world. Trenchant in his critique of racism and its relation to the precepts of liberal democracy, Mbembe continues where Foucault left off, tracking the lethal afterlife of sovereign power as it subjects whole populations to what Fanon called ‘the zone of non-being.’ Mbembe not only engages with biopolitics, the politics of enmity, and the state of exception; he also opens up the possibility of a global ethic, one that relies less on sovereign power than on the transnational resistance to the spread of the death-world." -- Judith Butler“This book establishes Achille Mbembe as the leading humanistic voice in the study of sovereignty, democracy, migration, and war in the contemporary world. Mbembe accomplishes the nearly impossible task of finding a radical path through the darkness of our times and seizes hope from the jaws of what he calls ‘the deadlocks of humanism.’ It is not a comforting book to read, but it is an impossible book to put down.” -- Arjun Appadurai“Mbembe refreshes the debate in a Europe consumed by the ‘desire of apartheid.’ This is a man who is not afraid to throw national history, identities, and borders out the window. French universalism? ‘Conceited,’ asserts Mbembe. . . . In the style of Edouard Glissant . . . he doesn’t limit his geography to the level of the nation but expands it to the ‘Whole-World.’ He dreams of writing a common history of humanity that would deflate all the flashy national heroism and redraw new relations between the self and the other. In a France and a Europe which are even afraid of their own shadows, one can clearly see the subversive potential of Mbembe’s thought. His latest book Necropolitics, draws the unpleasant portrait of a continent eaten up by the desire of ‘apartheid,’ moved by the obsessive search for an enemy, and with war as its favorite game.” -- Cécile Daumas, * Libération *“[Mbembe’s] new book . . . is a precious tool to understand what occurs in the North as well as in the South. The analyses of this faithful reader of Franz Fanon are irrevocable: war has become not an exception but a permanent state, ‘the sacrament of our era’. . . . One of the biggest challenges we have to face, Mbembe warns us, is to defend our democracies while including this ‘other’ whom we don’t want if we are to build our common future.” -- Séverine Kodjo-Grandvaux and Michael Pauron * Jeune Afrique *"[Mbembe's] latest and eminently readable offering . . . speaks to the spirit of our times with such clarity and profundity that it bears all the hallmarks of an instant classic of anti-racist literature." -- Ashish Ghadiali * Red Pepper *"[Necropolitics] is a book that is in places rather complex to read but it is definitely worth persevering with, since it is filled with interesting insights into such issues as racism, the role of borders and separation, terrorism and its political expression and the mundane and everyday forms of enmity and hatred that shape the contemporary world around us." -- John Solomos * Ethnic and Racial Studies *“Hardly a single longform essay, Necropolitics is a portal of intricate thoughts on the state of the planet. … Mbembe’s latest work is a significant contribution to political and critical theory. Necropolitics is the book of this stifling hour, Mbembe its chronicler.” -- Eric Otieno * Postcolonial Studies *“Necropolitics pursues the themes of race and sovereign power as they relate to borders, prisons, war, and policing in the wake of decolonization and the aftermath of the U.S. civil rights struggle…. Mbembe’s commitment to articulating a common humanity as praxis, or as a humanity in creation, when institutions of life-making, care, and social reproduction are subjugated to the overwhelming power of death-making institutions, is what sets Necropolitics apart from other literatures that take up these questions.” -- Anuja Bose * Contemporary Political Theory *"Necropolitics would be a relevant supplementary text for graduate courses in theory political sociology and international relations.… The book provides the reader with fundamental perspectives on race, that align with common critiques of democracy and Foucault's concept of bioppower while drawing on Fanon's work." -- Kendall L. Gilliam * International Social Science Review *"Before Covid-19, Mbembe’s picture of a world enchanted by its own practice of mass murder-suicide in the name of democracy and liberal values seemed accurate enough. After, or during, or whenever we are, Mbembe’s prescience is horrifying, comforting, and absolutely necessary." -- Aria Dean * Artforum *"Some of Mbembe’s most penetrating and sustained meditations on democracy, race, colonialism, and his continued theorization of biopolitics. . . . Corcoran’s translation of Mbembe’s dense philosophical rhetoric manages to communicate its poetic character and vital pulse." -- Patrick Lyons * French Studies *"Mbembe’s work on necropolitics demonstrates how contemporary societies have exited democracy, renewing the camp and other colonial practices to create death worlds and a society of separation. Necropolitics makes an important contribution through outlining the conditions of hatred and separation that constitute contemporary death worlds." -- Patrick Dwyer * Canadian Review of Law and Society *"Necropolitics enriches African Studies while staying away from conventional tropes and stereotypes of identity politics. . . . In relation to African studies, the contribution of Mbembe’s Necropolitics lies in repositioning Africans as a divergent ‘minor’ process committed to actualizing futurity as a site of production of novel ethics, an ethics of connecting with the African past not as something dead and gone, but as emblematic of ‘a living labor’ that might produce the new Earth." -- Saswat Samay Das, Dibyendu Sahana * Africa Spectrum *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction. The Ordeal of the World 1 1. Exit from Democracy 9 2. The Society of Enmity 42 3. Necropolitics 66 4. Viscerality 93 5. Fanon's Pharmacy 117 6. This Stifling Noonday 156 Conclusion. Ethics of the Passerby 184 Notes 191 Index 211

Read more less

Book SynopsisLao Tzu's Tao Te Ching is the source of Zen Buddhism, and is probably the most broadly influential spiritual text in human history.Complete & Unabridged. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, cloth-bound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is translated and introduced by David Hinton. Fluent in ancient Chinese and an acclaimed poet, he skilfully reveals how remarkably current and even innovative this text is after 2500 years.According to legend, Lao Tzu left China at the age of eighty, saddened that men would not follow the path to natural goodness. At the border with Tibet, a guard asked him to record his teachings and the Tao Te Ching is what he wrote down before leaving. Lao Tzu's spirituality describes the Cosmos as a harmonious and generative organism, and it shows how the human is an integral part of that cosmos.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn her most impassioned and personal book to date, Judith Butler responds in this profound appraisal of post-9/11 America to the current US policies to wage perpetual war, and calls for a deeper understanding of how mourning and violence might instead inspire solidarity and a quest for global justice.Trade ReviewIt's clear that its author is still interested in stirring up trouble-academic, political and otherwise. * Bookforum *A book that shines with the splendor of engaged thought. * Brooklyn Rail *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. BhabhaJudith Butler is quite simply one of the most probing, challenging, and influential thinkers of our time. -- J.M. Bernstein

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe essential account of geopolitics - including an afterword on President Donald Trump ''For anyone wanting to find out more about the world we live in . . . there is one simple answer: read Noam Chomsky'' New StatesmanNoam Chomsky: philosopher, political writer, fearless activist. No one has done more to question the hidden actors who govern our lives, calling the powers that be to account. Here he presents Who Rules the World?, his definitive account of those powers, how they work, and why we should be questioning them.From the dark history of the US and Cuba to China''s global rise, from torture memos to sanctions on Iran, this book investigates the defining issues of our times and exposes the hypocrisy at the heart of America''s policies and actions. The world''s political and financial elite are now operating almost totally unconstrained by the so-called democratic structure. With climate change and nuclear proliferation threatening our very survival, dissenting voices have never been more necessary.Fiercely outspoken and rigorously argued, Who Rules the World? is an indispensable guide to how things really are.''Chomsky is a giant: not just for his intellect, but for his huge influence on millions of people who want an alternative to injustice'' Owen JonesTrade ReviewPublisher's description. Noam Chomsky is the world's most influential political commentator, bar none. Here he presents a comprehensive examination of contemporary America, its behaviour at home and abroad, its single-minded pursuit and exercise of power. * Penguin *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERAs Heard on NPR's This American Life'The delights he extols here (music, laughter, generosity, poetry, lots of nature) are bulwarks against casual cruelties . . . contagious in their joy' New York TimesThe winner of the NBCC Award for Poetry offers up a spirited collection of short lyric essays, written daily over a tumultuous year, reminding us of the purpose and pleasure of praising, extolling, and celebrating ordinary wonders.Among Gay's funny, poetic, philosophical delights: a friend's unabashed use of air quotes, cradling a tomato seedling aboard an aeroplane, the silent nod of acknowledgement between the only two black people in a room. But Gay never dismisses the complexities, even the terrors, of living in America as a black man or the ecological and psychic violence of our consumer culture or the loss of those he loves. More than anything other subject, though, Gay celebrates the beauty of the natural world - his garden, the flowers peeking out of the sidewalk, the hypnotic movements of a praying mantis.The Book of Delights is about our shared bonds, and the rewards that come from a life closely observed. These remarkable pieces serve as a powerful and necessary reminder that we can, and should, stake out a space in our lives for delight.***'These charming, digressive "essayettes" surprise and challenge more than a reader might expect . . . experiences of "delight," recorded daily for a year, vary widely but yield revealing patterns through insights about everything from nature and the body to race and masculinity.' New Yorker'Pure balm for your soul. Savor one at a time every morning, this summer, or wolf them all down en masse on a gorgeous sunny day.' Celeste Ng'A reminder of what the personal essay is best at: finding the profound in the mundane . . . His delight is infectious. It's hard to read Gay and not to be won over.' Seattle TimesTrade ReviewThe delights he extols here (music, laughter, generosity, poetry, lots of nature) are bulwarks against casual cruelties. As such they feel purposeful and imperative as well as contagious in their joy * The New York Times Book Review *These charming, digressive 'essayettes,' in the manner of Montaigne, surprise and challenge . . . Gay, an award-winning poet, knows the value of formal constraint: his experiences of 'delight,' recorded daily for a year, vary widely but yield revealing patterns through insights about everything from nature and the body to race and masculinity. The fruits of this experiment-for which gardens and gardening provide a frequent, apt metaphor-attest to an imagination cultivated in hostile conditions. Gay's optimism is as easy as it is improbable, his 'heart cooing like a pigeon nestled on a windowsill where the spikes rusted off. * New Yorker *Ross Gay's poems are little celebrations of joy, and this book of mini-essays - each centering around a particular 'delight,' from sleeping in your clothes to planting tomato seedlings to the nod of greeting between the only two black people in a room - is a pure balm for your soul. Savor one at a time every morning, this summer, or wolf them all down en masse on a gorgeous sunny day. -- Celeste NgEveryone could use a bit more delight in their days . . . Gay, who is the winner of the NBCC Award for Poetry, is here to provide just that, with essays celebrating everything from air quotes to candy wrappers to pickup basketball games * New York Post *The Book of Delights is both practice and perfection in an unassuming package . . . These pieces reflect and examine the natural world, masculinity, racism, and other topics with vibrancy. Most essays are a few paragraphs, a page or two at maximum, but it's not the width or length of the pieces that ultimately grabbed my attention. It was the heart and intelligence found within his daily introspections * The Rumpus *A reminder of what the personal essay is best at: finding the profound in the mundane . . . his delight is infectious. It's hard to read Gay and not to be won over. * Seattle Times *The shock of Gay's writing . . . is his seamless shift from breezy, affable observation to sober (and admittedly still affable) profundity . . . I want to say that Gay's writing is magical because that's the way it feels when I read it. But . . . calling it magic undercuts Gay's craft, the effort that goes into producing literature that feels as fluent and familiar as a chat with a close friend. His voice has integrity, in both senses of the word: a completeness or consistency, true to itself; and an honesty and compassion so frankly subjective that it produces an incorruptible vision. Gay's loose-limbed sentences diagram his delight, partaking in numerous asides - some as paragraph-long parentheticals - and equally numerous asides within asides, as well as nested subordinate clauses that are the purview of intimate conversation, not written prose. They are clauses and asides in which, as Gay writes them, you feel his hand on your arm, you feel him lean in toward you, conspiratorially or simply to emphasize his meaning * The New York Review of Books *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWith simple prose and straightforward logic, this book offers lessons for managers and business leaders. It is suitable reading for anyone in the realm of business or politics.Table of ContentsDedication 5 I Of the Various Kinds of Princedom, and of the Ways in Which They are Acquired 9 II Of Hereditary Princedoms 11 III Of Mixed Princedoms 15 IV Why the Kingdom of Darius, Conquered by Alexander, Did Not, on Alexander’s Death, Rebel Against His Successors 31 V How Cities or Provinces Which Before Their Acquisition Have Lived Under Their Own Laws are to Be Governed 37 VI Of New Princedoms Which a Prince Acquires With His Own Arms and by Merit 41 VII Of New Princedoms Acquired By the Aid of Others and By Good Fortune 49 VIII Of Those Who By Their Crimes Come to Be Princes 63 IX Of the Civil Princedom 71 X How the Strength of All Princedoms Should Be Measured 79 XI Of Ecclesiastical Princedoms 83 XII How Many Different Kinds of Soldiers There are, and of Mercenaries 89 XIII Of Auxiliary, Mixed, and National Arms 99 XIV Of the Duty of a Prince In Respect of Military Affairs 107 XV Of the Qualities In Respect of Which Men, and Most of all Princes, are Praised or Blamed 113 XVI Of Liberality and Miserliness 117 XVII Of Cruelty and Clemency, and Whether It is Better to Be Loved or Feared 123 XVIII How Princes Should Keep Faith 129 XIX That a Prince Should Seek to Escape Contempt and Hatred 135 XX Whether Fortresses, and Certain Other Expedients to Which Princes Often Have Recourse, are Profitable or Hurtful 153 XXI How a Prince Should Bear Himself So As to Acquire Reputation 161 XXII Of the Secretaries of Princes 169 XXIII That Flatterers Should Be Shunned 173 XXIV Why the Princes of Italy Have Lost Their States 179 XXV What Fortune Can Effect in Human Affairs, and How She May Be Withstood 183 XXVI An Exhortation to Liberate Italy from the Barbarians 191

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Everyone should read Down Girl. It should be distributed in schools and every board room, athletic department and legislative space'' - Soraya ChemalyA transformative book on how misogyny works from a hugely influential thinkerMisogyny is a hot topic, yet it''s often misunderstood. What is misogyny exactly? Who deserves to be called a misogynist? How does misogyny contrast with sexism, and why is it prone to persist - or increase - even when sexist gender roles are waning? In Down Girl moral philosopher Kate Manne argues that misogyny should not be understood primarily in terms of the hatred or hostility some men feel toward all or most women. Rather, it is primarily about controlling, policing, punishing and exiling the bad women who challenge male dominance. And it is compatible with rewarding the good ones and singling out other women to serve as warnings to those who are out of order.An incredibly forensic analysis of the logic of misogyny from a brilliant thinker, Down Girl is essential reading for the #MeToo era.Trade ReviewAn important and compelling analysis of a phenomenon that's everywhere. Out of Manne's thoughtful analysis, of not just much-debated high-profile events but also everyday experiences, emerge insight after insight into the what, why, when, and how of misogyny -- Cordelia Fine * Big Issue *Fiercely argued and timely -- Paul Bloom * New Yorker *Manne's book is a forensic and clever analysis which provides the cogs and wheels of how the system of patriarchal policing works, in our minds, as well as in our world. . . Down Girl offers a sharply cut prism through which to view our everyday experience -- Afua Hirsch * Times Literary Supplement *Everyone should read Down Girl. It should be distributed in schools and every board room, athletic department and legislative space -- Soraya Chemaly, author of Rage Becomes HerThe moment is ripe for a reckoning, and Manne offers the language and theory I've found myself grasping for. . . She combines the hyper-articulateness of a philosopher and the energy and humor of a down-to-earth millennial, which is electrifying -- Regan Penaluna * Guernica Magazine *A must-read. . . should be in every feminist's library. . . Down Girl is destined to become a feminist literary classic alongside the likes of The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf or Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique -- Jennifer Taylor Skinner * The Electorette *Really excellent. . . timely and intellectually rigorous -- Nigel WarburtonKate Manne does a jaw-droppingly brilliant job of explaining gender and power dynamics which have always been purposefully muddied, but which shape how and to whom sympathy and presumptions of full humanity accrue. . . Perceptive, bold, stylishly written and bracingly clear eyed, Down Girl is one of the best books I have ever read on gender and power; I will never stop learning from it -- Rebecca Traister, author of Good and MadAn exciting next-generation feminist philosopher -- Elizabeth AndersonDown Girl is excruciatingly well-timed, providing a theoretical framework for a phenomenon baring itself before us, perverse and pervasive. . . It reminds us that while revealing individual misogynists is hard, uprooting misogyny is much harder -- Carlos Lozada * Washington Post *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is a collection of essays, reflections and poems by Nora Bateson, the noted research designer, film-maker, writer and lecturer. She is the daughter of Gregory Bateson and president of the International Bateson Institute (IBI). Building on Gregory Bateson's famous book Towards an Ecology of Mind and her own film on the subject, Nora Bateson here updates our thinking on systems and ecosystems, applying her own insights and those of her team at IBI to education, organisations, complexity, academia, and the way that society organizes itself. She also introduces the term symmathesy to describe the contextual mutual learning through interaction that takes place in living entities at larger or smaller scales. While she retains her father's rigorous attention to definition, observation and academic precision, she also moves well beyond that frame of reference to incorporate more embodied ways of knowing and understanding. These are reflected in her essays and poems on food, Christmas, love, honesty, environmentalism and leadership. [Subject: Systems thinking, education, social anthropology, environmentalism, Bateson, symmathesy]Trade Review"The way we see affects what we do," writes Nora Bateson near the start of this exploratory, far- ranging foray into "unauthorized knowledge." In a series of premise-investigations undertaken by way of essays, conference talks, autobiographical story, quotes and poems, ranging through linguistics, biology, semantics, cognitive theory, justice awareness and embrace of paradox, Bateson invites and advocates suppleness of perception, rigor of mind, and depth of feeling. In this book that moves above all by its questions, Bateson embodies that rarity, a truly free thinker also fully engaged with the fates of all." Jane Hirshfield, Chancellor of The Academy of American Poets

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA LANDMARK WORK OF POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY. A GLOBAL BESTSELLER. STILL AS RELEVANT TODAY. With the fall of Berlin Wall in 1989 the threat of the Cold War which had dominated the second half of the twentieth century vanished. And with it the West looked to the future with optimism but renewed uncertainty. The End of History and the Last Man was the first book to offer a picture of what the new century would look like. Boldly outlining the challenges and problems to face modern liberal democracies, Francis Fukuyama examined what had just happened and predicted what was coming next. Now updated with a new afterword, Fukuyama shows how the central issue today remains the same. Have any political and economic models arisen that could challenge liberal democracy as the best way of organizing human societies? He remains unconvinced. Tackling religious fundamentalism, politics, scientific progress, ethical codes and war, The End of History anTrade ReviewAwesome . . . a landmark . . . profoundly realistic and important . . . supremely timely and cogent * Washington Post *Clearly written, immensely ambitious * New York Times *Clever, important, teeming with original ideas * Mail on Sunday *We are indebted to Fukuyama for such an ambitious work of political philosophy * Foreign Affairs *

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis deluxe clothbound edition presents Machiavelli''s classic work on the philosophy of power. Published posthumously in 1532, Machiavelli''s treatise on the manipulation and exercise of power advocated a ruthless realpolitik, sparking a debate about the morality of statesmanship that is still very much alive today. His shrewd text presents strategies that some of history''s greatest - and most infamous - rulers have borrowed to achieve their goals. The Prince continues to show enduring popularity among anyone interested in the theory of leadership and power. This compact clothbound edition features silver embossing on the cover, gold-gilded page edges and illustrations inside, making a wonderful gift.ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Ornate Classics are beautifully bound editions of iconic literary works across history. These compact, foil-embossed hardbacks are printed using deluxe ivory paper and make the perfect gift.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTimothy Snyder has been called the leading interpreter of our dark times'. As a historian, he has given us startling reinterpretations of political collapse and mass killing. As a public intellectual, he has turned that knowledge towards counsel and prediction, working against authoritarians and populists.He teaches history and global affairs at Yale University and his books, which have been published in over forty languages, include Bloodlands, Black Earth, On Tyranny, Road to Unfreedom and Our Malady. His work has inspired poster campaigns and exhibitions, sculptures, a punk rock song, a rap song, a play and an opera, and he has appeared in over fifty films and documentaries.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe rich archive of twentieth-century debates on fascism can steer a path through an increasingly authoritarian present. Developing anti-fascist theory is an urgent and vital task. From the 'Great Replacement' to campaigns against critical race theory and 'gender ideology', today's global far right is launching lethal panics about the threats to traditional political, sexual and racial hierarchies.Drawing especially on Black radical and anti-colonial theories of fascism, Toscano makes clear the limits of associating fascism primarily with the kind of political violence experienced by past European regimes. Rather than looking for analogies from history, we should see fascism as a mutable process, one anchored in racial and colonial capitalism, which both predates and survives its crystallization in Mussolini's Italy and Hitler's Germany. It is a threat that continues to evolve in the present day.Trade ReviewThere are no unearned claims here. Rather, one feels that Toscano has thought through the political stakes of every single sentence in this crucial book. Late Fascism is painstaking in accounting for, differentiating, and connecting the many historical contexts and iterations of fascism - from the onset of colonial modernity, through the mid-twentieth century, to the present day. -- Jordy Rosenberg, author of Confessions of the FoxAlberto Toscano's Late Fascism brilliantly elucidates what Adorno once called 'the meaning of working through the past' to grasp fascism's capacious aptitude for untimely reappearances to resolve crises, real or not, to save capitalism from itself and restore the necessary political order such rescue operations require. Rather than drawing upon fascism's past in his approach, Toscano 's account persuasively lays to rest an interpretative scheme that explains such unscheduled repetitions by appealing to analogical comparisons of past and present as if they were the same. His own strategy positions history and memory against the present to disturb one another, unveiling uneven historical differences and incommensurables removed from an everyday dominated by exchange. Toscano's lasting achievement is the program of watchfulness he so carefully constructs to uncover the contemporaneity of late fascism in our midst, but never too late to recognize its ever-present morbidities. -- Harry Harootunian, Emeritus Professor of History, University of ChicagoIn this bold book, Alberto Toscano argues that the old checklist for identifying and understanding contemporary fascism won't work. To apprehend its present-day manifestations, we must consult writers from the Black radical tradition and critical ethnic studies. With his characteristic erudition, Toscano combines innovative readings of Western Marxism with insightful interpretations of the genealogies of anti-racism. This is an indispensable book for a distressing time. -- Roderick A. Ferguson, Yale UniversityAlberto Toscano is one of the most significant and original political theorists of our contemporary moment. In this work on the nature and aetiology of late fascism, he moves us beyond the European interwar examples as fascism's "ideal-type," and deconstructs the alleged opposition of fascism and liberal democracy. He instead emphasizes multiple origins, locations, and temporalities of fascisms; the imbrication of fascisms within colonialism, slavery, capitalism and counter-revolution; and is precise about fascisms' libidinal claims and the weaponizing of atavistic social energies turned against racial, religious, sexual and gendered others. Toscano engages an illuminating range of anti-fascist thought: from Ernst Bloch, Georges Bataille, and Leo Löwenthal, to Angela Davis and George Jackson; from Stuart Hall and Ruth Wilson Gilmore to Jairus Banaji and Furio Jesi - with dazzling results. -- Lisa Lowe, author of The Intimacies of Four ContinentsCan we speak of fascism before fascism? Alberto Toscano believes we can. In his learned excavation of debates across the twentieth century, he revives still unanswered questions about the location of the prison, the market, and the bedroom in theories of fascism. He also reminds us to ask what late fascism is afraid of. What is it trying to prevent? In this way, a study of fascism becomes a roundabout recovery of repressed and forgotten utopias-a flashlight in the dead of night. -- Quinn Slobodian, author of The GlobalistsLate Fascism is brilliant, incisive, and right on time. We are living through a moment when the "F" word is no longer taboo and the threat of fascism lurks everywhere. And yet, so mired in debates over definitions, typologies, and analogies that our understanding of fascism remains elusive. Alberto Toscano avoids this trap by turning to anti-fascist thinkers, whose groundings in anticolonial, antiracist, and anticapitalist struggles remind us that liberalism is no enemy of fascism, and fascists flower in the hot house of capitalism. -- Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical ImaginationToscano's wide-ranging, erudite study is both theoretically satisfying and politically inspiring - an essential reference for rethinking fascism and antifascist politics today. -- Michael Hardt, author of The Subversive SeventiesIn this book, Toscano provides us with the language and analysis necessary to theorize our current moment, one in which the danger of fascism is as real as ever. -- Jake Romm * Protean *Toscano's high-octane new book on heterodox theories of fascism ... traces the myriad ways it has been deployed over the past 100 years, mining each of them for parallels with the present. -- Oliver Eagleton * The New Statesman *Concise and intellectually ambitious. -- Andrew O'Hehir * Salon *Table of Contents1. Out of Time2. Racial Fascism3. Fascist Freedom4. A Phantom with Limbs of Steel5. Rushing Forward into the Past6. Ideas without Words7. Cathedrals of Erotic Misery

Read more less

Book SynopsisA TLS, GUARDIAN AND NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020The new bestseller from the acclaimed author of Justice and one of the world''s most popular philosophersAstute, insightful, and empathetic...A crucial book for this moment Tara Westover, author of EducatedThese are dangerous times for democracy. We live in an age of winners and losers, where the odds are stacked in favour of the already fortunate. Stalled social mobility and entrenched inequality give the lie to the promise that you can make it if you try. And the consequence is a brew of anger and frustration that has fuelled populist protest, with the triumph of Brexit and election of Donald Trump.Michael J. Sandel argues that to overcome the polarized politics of our time, we must rethink the attitudes toward success and failure that have accompanied globalisation and rising inequality. Sandel highlights the hubris a meritocracy generates among the winners and the harsh judgement it imposes on those left behind. He offers an alternative way of thinking about success - more attentive to the role of luck in human affairs, more conducive to an ethic of humility, and more hospitable to a politics of the common good.Trade ReviewSandel is the most important and influential living philosopher. -- Paul Collier * Times Literary Supplement *The Tyranny of Merit is original, lively and no mere critique: unlike many others who have written on the "sorting" of society into winners and losers, Sandel produces a persuasive argument about the kind of community we should seek ... The Tyranny of Merit is an important work, and makes a profound point that our leaders would do well to understand. -- Nick Timothy * Daily Telegraph *Engaging and timely... an insightful critique of where our societies went wrong... that will help us to heal our divided societies -- Matthew Goodwin * Sunday Times *He is good at dismantling the cheap language of recent politics... compelling, too, in diagnosing the growing use of discriminatory language -- Julian Glover * Evening Standard *Credentialism is the last acceptable prejudice... blends fact, analysis and opinion in eminently readable non-fiction -- Rana Foroohar * Financial Times *well-argued, clear, and nicely timed to appeal to the growing disillusionment with meritocracy. -- Simon Kuper * New Statesman *"rich in moral exhortation - the kind that does your soul good" -- Polly Toynbee

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisRobert M. Pirsig was born in 1928 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He holds degrees in chemistry, philosophy, and journalism and also studied Oriental philosophy at Benares Hindu University in India. He is the author of this book's sequel, entitled Lila.Trade ReviewMr Pirsig has written a work of great, perhaps urgent, importance. Read this book * Observer *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 *The book is inspired, original...the narrative tact, the perfect economy of effect defy criticism.The analogies with Moby-Dick are patent * New Yorker *Profoundly important-full of insights into our most perplexing contemporary dilemmas * New York Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn one of the most influential philosophical works ever writen, John Stuart Mill explores the risks and responsibilities of liberty. Examining the tyranny that can come both from government and from the herd-like opinion of the majority, Mill proposes a freedom to think, unite, and pursue our pleasures as the most important freedoms, as long as we cause no harm to others. GREAT IDEAS. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe definitive translation of Plato''s Republic, the most influential text in the history of Western philosophy Long regarded as the most accurate rendering of Plato''s Republic that has yet been published, this widely acclaimed translation by Allan Bloom was the first to take a strictly literal approach. In addition to the annotated text, there is also a rich and valuable essay -- as well as indices -- which will enable readers to better understand the heart of Plato''s intention. This edition includes an introduction by renowned critic Adam Kirsch, setting the work in its intellectual context for a new generation of students and readers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe perfect gift for the smart thinker in your life.For several years Ian Olasov has set up 'Ask-a-Philosopher' booths around New York City, answering questions from passersby. Now in this book he offers answers to the real-life questions on people's minds.From the philosophical to the frivolous, questions include:- Are people innately good or bad?- Is it okay to have a pet fish?- Is it okay to have kids?- Is colour subjective?- If humans colonise Mars, who will own the land?- Is ketchup a smoothie?- Is there life after death?- Should I give money to homeless people?Every question is approached from a philosophical standpoint, but the answer is made fun and accessible for everyone. One of the many joys of this book is that you see how philosophy can be both perfectly continuous with everyday life and also utterly transporting.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe newest deluxe edition in the bestselling Capstone Classics Series This ancient classic has had a make-over. In recent years these Capstone Classic deluxe editions have caught the book buying public's imagination.Table of ContentsAn Introduction by Tom Butler-Bowdon vii About Tom Butler-Bowdon xxiii The Republic 1

Read more less

Book SynopsisWe often think identity is personal. But the identities that shape the world, our struggles, and our hopes, are social ones, shared with countless others. Our sense of self is shaped by our family, but also by affiliations that spread out from there, like our nationality, culture, class, race and religion. Taking these broad categories as a starting point, Professor Appiah challenges our assumptions about how identity works. In eloquent and lively chapters, he weaves personal anecdote with historical, cultural and literary example to explore the entanglements within the stories we tell ourselves. We all know there are conflicts among identities; but Professor Appiah explores how identities are created by conflict. Identities are then crafted from confusions - confusions this book aims to help us sort through. Religion, Appiah shows us, isn't primarily about beliefs. The idea of national self-determination is incoherent. Our everyday racial thinking is an artefact of discarded science. Class is not a matter of upper and lower. And the very idea of Western culture is a misleading myth. We will see our situation more clearly if we start to question these mistaken identities. This is radical new thinking from a master in the subject and will change forever the way we think about ourselves and our communities.Trade ReviewAppiah believes we're in wars of identity because we keep making the same mistake: exaggerating our differences with others and our similarities with our own kind... [his] writing is often fresh, even beautiful... We need more thinkers as wise as Appiah. -- Anand Giridharadas * New York Times Book Review *There is barely a word in his book I don't agree with -- Afua HirschThis book will help a lot of people think with far more clarity about some of the thorniest issues of our times. An inspiring and essential read. -- Zadie SmithAppiah's essays are exquisitely and painstakingly argued. * Washington Post Book World *Erudite, personal, timely and deeply humane, this is a book for our time. -- Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of Strangers in Their Own Land[Appiah is] one of the most brilliant philosophers in the English-speaking world. He is an intellectual hero of mine... a brilliant and beautiful thinker. He writes with élan and clarity, erudition and wit. -- Chris Hayes, 'Why Is This Happening?' podcastNot only does that elegant writer and transcendent thinker, Anthony Appiah, clarify the historical gaslighting around color and racial stereotype, he also forges radical new theories of identity as they apply to almost every conceivable aspect of self. The Lies That Bind forces you to rethink what tribe you actually belong to with regard to race and religion, geography and gender, class and sexuality. Sheer genius and a joy to read. -- Mary Karr, author of The Art of MemoirAppiah makes the controversial and difficult subject of identity lucid, edifying, and even fun. When it comes to the humane values that allow us to live with one another, he may be our most penetrating?and entertaining?major philosopher. -- Atul Gawande, author of Being MortalThis wonderful book unravels a tapestry of suppositions about identity. Understanding what draws us together and what tears us apart lies at the core of democracy. This is a vital book, an antidote to violent nativism, and a key to success in the human experiment. -- Louise Erdrich, author of LaRoseThe terrible power of bad ideas is best resisted, as The Lies That Bind shows, by subjecting them to serious critical scrutiny. Identities central to contemporary cultures can be both historically grounded and utterly misconceived. There is so much to learn from Anthony Appiah's splendid book. -- Amartya Sen, winner of the Nobel Prize in EconomicsThe Lies That Bind ranges even more widely in time and space than [Francis Fukuyama's] Identity... The point of this entertaining, meandering journey is that identities are less solid than is frequently thought. * Economist *The Lies That Bind is a wise and erudite introduction to this most vexed of subjects. -- Houman Barekat * Irish Times *Excellent... Appiah hopes to inspire a rethinking of our restrictive and therefore divisive notions of who we are. But if that seems an impossible task, should the massive obstacles stop us from trying? [Appiah] brings to the task a number of insights and the mind of a realist... if the solution to the fracturing of our world remains elusive, this book at least helps us think clearly about the problem. -- Clifford Thompson * The Washington Post *If you are going to read only one book on identity this year, Appiah's is the one * The Guardian *A topical study, particularly given today's societal divisions in the US and UK. * The Tablet *The Lies that Bind is a small volume of mighty power. In his lucid prose, Appiah elegantly dismantles the humbug, dogma, pseudo-science and propaganda that have long dogged our attempts to discuss 'identity,' and offers in their place a practical and philosophical tool-kit, as subtly radical in its aims as it is humane in application. From the illusions of 19th century ideas of biological destiny, to the late-capitalist logic of our contemporary 'cultural appropriation' debates, this book will help a lot of people think with far more clarity about some of the thorniest issues of our times. An inspiring and essential read. -- Zadie SmithThrough this meditative journey, Appiah calls on us to buckle down to the difficult task of living with complexity -that is, the task of being modern. Erudite, personal, timely and deeply humane, this is a book for our time. -- Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of Strangers in Their Own LandKwame Anthony Appiah again demonstrates that he is one of our foremost writers on identity, culture, and difference. With his trademark clarity, elegance, and rigor, he is a most useful guide to thinking through some of the complicated problems of who we are and what we can be. -- Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The SympathizerA provocative and brilliant intervention into the current discussion of the role identity plays in our society. We're doing it all wrong, as Appiah demonstrates with characteristic erudition, clear thinking, and elegant prose. -- Annette Gordon-Reed, co-author of the bestselling 'Most Blessed of the Patriarchs'

Read more less

Book SynopsisUsing a unique dataset spanning fifty years of policy-making in Britain, this book traces how topics like the economy, international affairs, and crime have shifted in importance. It takes a new approach to agenda setting called focused adaptation, and sheds new light on key points of change in British politics, such as Thatcherism and New Labour.Trade ReviewPolicy Agendas in British Politics presents a novel overview of British politics and policy making across the past two generations. The authors carefully assess different depictions of the policy process, including incrementalism, partisan control theories, policy network theory, punctuated equilibrium, and the impact of particular leaders, and confront these theoretical approaches with a comprehensive and novel database constructed with painstaking work over the past many years. The result is a new understanding of the dynamics of British politics, one that tests rather than assumes the impact of such things as changes in Prime Ministerial leadership, external shocks, or institutional design. Further, the work allows the dynamics of British policy development to be put into a broad comparative perspective. The result of this impressive theoretical and empirical work is a new understanding of how the British government has evolved from 1945 to 2010. The impressive empirical work, combined with careful theorizing and attention to previous works of many types will guarantee a wide and well deserved audience in Britain and beyond. Frank R. Baumgartner, Department of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA A new and innovative lens through which to analyse and understand policy prioritisation in the UK since 1945: new in its heuristic of 'focused adaptation', new in its dataset, new in its use of change point analysis, and new in its challenges to existing academic orthodoxies about policy stability and change. New is good. David Judge, Department of Government, University of Strathclyde, UK. This book is a very innovative and carefully executed piece of scholarship: a careful analysis of the Queen's Speech as a means of exploring policy agendas has not been undertaken before. The model of focused adaptation provides an interesting and potentially very useful addition to existing theoretical frameworks. It represents a valuable addition to the public policy literature. Wyn Grant, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick, UK.Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements 1. The Policy Agenda and British Politics 2. Policy-Making and British Politics 3. Measuring the Policy Agenda: Policy, Public and Media in Britain 4. Change and Stability in Executive and Legislative Agendas 5. Policy Punctuations 6. Structural Shifts in British Political Attention 7. Public Opinion and the Policy Agenda 8. The Media 9. Budgets and Policy Implementation 10. Conclusion References List of Tables and Figures

Read more less

Book SynopsisA NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF 2024''ACCESSIBLE AND CONVINCING'' - SALLY ROONEYCapitalism by its very nature puts us at odds with the environment. Therefore, argues award-winning Japanese philosopher Kohei Saito, the future must belong to a new form of communism, the only fair and humane existence the limits of nature can support.Drawing on a revelatory new reading of Karl Marx''s enigmatic final writings, Saito shows us how nothing but a transformation of our economic life can save us from climate collapse. There is no alternative: the endless acceleration of capital has run out of road. If we can''t slow down, we will crash.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWe hear all the time that we''re moments from doomsday. Around us, crises interlock and escalate, threatening our collective survival: Russia''s invasion of Ukraine, with its rising risk of nuclear warfare, is taking place against a backdrop of global warming, ecological breakdown, and widespread social and economic unrest. Protestors and politicians repeatedly call for action, but still we continue to drift towards disaster. We need to do something. But what if the only way for us to prevent catastrophe is to assume that it has already happened-to accept that we''re already five minutes past zero hour?Too Late to Awaken sees Slavoj Žižek forge a vital new space for a radical emancipatory politics that could avert our course to self-destruction. He illuminates why the liberal Left has so far failed to offer this alternative, and exposes the insidious propagandism of the fascist Right, which has appropriated and manipulated once-progressive ideas. Pithy, urgent, guttin

Read more less

Book Synopsis*A Waterstones, Financial Times and New Statesman Book of the Year*''A tremendous book, timely, wise, authoritative and clear'' Stephen Fry''The most excellent book substantive and beautifully expressed suggestions for improving almost everything' James O''Brien ''Clear, brave, compelling'' David Miliband''Inspiring ... impassioned ... full of hope'' Zadie Smith''This is a fantastic book'' Thomas PikettyImagine: you are designing a society, but you don''t know who you''ll be within it - rich or poor, man or woman, gay or straight. What would you want that society to look like?This is the revolutionary thought experiment proposed by the twentieth century''s greatest political philosopher, John Rawls. As economist and philosopher Daniel Chandler argues in this hugely ambitious and exhilarating intervention, it is by rediscovering Rawls that we can find a way out of the escalating crises that are devastating our world today.Taking Rawls''s humane and egalitarian liberalism as his starting point, Chandler builds a careful and ultimately irresistible case for a progressive agenda that would fundamentally reshape our societies for the better. He shows how we can protect free speech and transcend the culture wars; get money out of politics; and create an economy where everyone has the chance to fulfil their potential, where prosperity is widely shared, and which operates within the limits of our finite planet.This is a book brimming with hope and possibility - a galvanising alternative to the cynicism that pervades our politics. Free and Equal has the potential not only to transform contemporary debate, but to offer a touchstone for a modern, egalitarian liberalism for many years to come, cementing Rawls''s place in political discourse, and firmly establishing Chandler as a vital new voice for our time.

Read more less

Book SynopsisLévi-Strauss held that "the real, the symbolic and the imaginary" are three separate orders. Maurice Godelier demonstrates the contrary: the real is not separate from the symbolic and the imaginary. Godelier's book goes to the strategic heart of the social sciences, for to examine the nature and role of the imaginary and the symbolic is also to attempt to account for the basic components of all societies and ultimately of human existence. And these aspects in turn shape our social and personal identity.Trade ReviewAfter 'Marx,' 'Durkheim' and 'Weber,' after the first fifty years of ethnographic and historical exploration, after Lévi-Strauss and the next fifty years of ethnographic and historical research, what might the 'Frazer' of our times write? Maurice Godelier's gripping essay gives us an idea. Verging on a Jeremiad, drawing from predecessors near and far for a synthesis "in the grand style," The Imagined, the Imaginary and the Symbolic probes our current state of learning. In so doing it sets the conditions for posing new questions for the next generations struggling not only to know the others and the pasts but to create societies for the future. The grand synthesizer, Godelier has given us another gift for the times. -- Frederick H. Damon, Professor of Anthropology, University of Virginia

Read more less

Book SynopsisA major investigation of the possibility of a new type of revolution in our epoch by the leader of the French radical left

Read more less

Book SynopsisThey Call It Love investigates the work that makes a haven in a heartless world, examining who performs this labour, how it is organised, and how it might change. Drawing on the thought of the feminist movement Wages for Housework, Gotby demonstrates that emotion is a key element in the reproduction of society and its norms. Addressing the problem of love's labour requires nothing less than a radical restructuring of society.Trade ReviewIntellectually nourished my thinking and language on gender. -- Raymond Antrobus, Best Books of 2023 * Granta *A fascinating and exhaustive explanation as to why emotions are a political issue. -- Brit Dawson * AnOther Magazine *They Call It Love shines a light on the invisible labour involved in love, examining who is responsible for performing it, how it can blossom, and why we do it. -- Adele Walton * Dazed *Gotby makes clear our emotional lives are inherently political. Her analysis of the politics of reproductive labour is a cogent criticism of the bourgeois capitalist logics of feeling, of the free labour of intimacy and of normative femininity. -- Adele Cassigneul * Mai *Gotby's narrative masterfully outlines how emotions, feelings and their manifestations tend to be portrayed, and understood, as a feminine domain of expertise ... Gotby brilliantly dismantles the silences and abuses surrounding this invisible work by naming it and showing its societal (and capital) worth -- Patrycja Sosnowska-Buxton * Sociological Review *They Call It Love is a very fine book - one that balances polemical force with careful and rigorous research. In advancing its account of emotional reproduction, it brings together existing bodies of work on unwaged social reproduction and remunerated emotional labour to great effect, shining a light upon a too often overlooked (and heavily gendered) form of work. It is sharp, thoughtful, and well-written, and represents a substantial scholarly achievement. Alva Gotby is a writer and thinker to watch out for. -- Helen Hester, author of Xenofeminism, co-author of After WorkThis thorough book sheds new light on the critics of the political economy on emotional life. It is a welcome addition to the studies on the social meaning of the immaterial production that takes place in the domestic sphere. The Call It Love is a fascinating insider's account of the hidden, economic dimension of our emotional lives whose subject matter will make for passionate arguments and conversations among feminists and scholars in general. -- Leopoldina Fortunati, author of The Arcane of ReproductionGotby's book importantly attempts to underscore and theorise the role of emotions within social reproduction theory. Her concept of 'emotional reproduction' is a reminder that fife-making work is not devoid of affect. -- Sara Farris, author of In the Name of Women's RightsThey Call It Love is a call to attention: Alva Gotby astutely maps the work of emotional support and care that is done day in and day out and across everyday life. Gotby not only insists that more value be attributed to emotional reproduction, but makes a sophisticated and compelling case for a radical repurposing of emotions, needs, and desires in the struggle for change - a struggle that is necessarily also a struggle for new ways of being together. -- Emma Dowling, author of The Care CrisisTable of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1: Emotional ReproductionChapter 2: The Political Economy of LoveChapter 3: Gendering WorkChapter 4: Feminist EmotionsChapter 5: A Different FeelingNotes

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 'Combining', Nora Bateson invites us into an ecology of communication where nothing stands alone, and every action sets off a chain of incalculable consequences. She challenges conventional fixes for our problems, highlighting the need to tackle issues at multiple levels, understand interdependence, and embrace ambiguity. Insisting on our collective responsibility to confront the looming threats to humanity's survival, she advocates change through interconnectedness and challenges us to rethink our perspectives on relationships, community, and the very essence of being human. A blend of intellectual inquiry, essays, emotional engagement, storytelling, poetry and graphic art, Combining is an invitation to nurture genuine connections and navigate a world brimming with "Warm Data" - the interrelationships that integrate elements of every complex system. The book calls on us to shed our linear thinking and embrace "Aphanipoiesis" - the unseen ways in which life comes together to foster vitality and propel evolution. In 'Combining', love, humor, curiosity, and vulnerability entwine amidst the trials of a world in flux. As we face the Polycrisis, Nora Bateson urges us to swerve from the traditional paths and to dismantle the illusions of fitting in. She beckons us to step into a world where learning, uncutness, and readiness converge, promising both revelation and revolution.Trade Review"Nora Bateson writes like no other - her 'ecology of communication' is poetry, observation, wisdom and rage blended into a coherent narrative that sinks down deep and swirls. ... Nora takes risks to behave differently, in how she gives us pieces of herself; in how she speaks with clarity about the messiness of being on the edge of destruction, whilst embodying the prayers of our ancestors. In how she brings together that which systems of harm repetitively sever - logic and heart, ecology and psychology, trauma and oppression, science and art. Prepare to go to the places we are not supposed to go, in order to be in the spaces we are truly meant to be."; Taiwo Afuape, Clinical Psychologist and Systemic Psychotherapist, Author of Power, Resisitance and Liberation in Therapy with Survivors of Trauma; "Nora Bateson is doing with words what language has no capacity for. I fell in love with it right from the start."; Bayo Akomolafe, Author of These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity's Search for Home, Global Senior Fellow of The Othering & Belonging Institute; "A masterwork. Please avail yourself of this heartfelt, brilliant, yet entirely accessible guide to the lived experience of complexity. Bateson shows how to engage with our personal and collective challenges less as problems to be solved than as systems calling for understanding, compassion, and harmonious engagement. Continuing the inquiries of Donna Haraway, Bruno Latour, and a couple of Batesons before her, Nora has defined a new and vital landscape in a book that will take its place alongside their best remembered works. There is still a way for us to flourish; here's how."; Douglas Rushkoff, Author of Team Human and Survival of the Richest; " ... The imagery in Nora's writing is an exquisite depiction of Living Systems. We all can grow from this brilliant work of art, poetry, stories and more woven together, magically."; Carol Sanford, Author and Podcaster, Executive Producer of The Regenerative Business Summit; "This compilation is full of delicious insights that call us to witness the awe-inspiring breadth of possibilities that emerge from our entanglement. When we loosen our grip, and dive into the web of relationships we will begin to understand the abundance of potential pathways we have before us..."; Vicki Saunders, Founder, Coralus (formerly SheEO); "Nora Bateson reminds us in this book - and in how she thinks, speaks, and inhabits this world - that our hope lives not in our cleverness, but in our vulnerability, in our wildness, in our feral creativity, and most of all among our relationships, in our animate communications with each other and all living beings. This book is an exercise in living ecologically." Rex Weyler, Co-Founder, Greenpeace InternationalTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Where Prose Stumbles To Live in Another Way The Moths Do Something Eggs Are Time Possibility Meet Not Match Hallway of Hallways Moving Edges Mama Now Juicy The Caramels of Autumn Un-Pick-Apart-Able Communing Uncut A Pineapple & Tarantulas Where Is the Edge of Me? One Thing Without Shields (The Voice of Change Is Changing) Finding a WayTone Traveling on a Paved Road Somehow Stretching Edges Self Portrait Every Hole Is a Story I Love You Without Going Blank Now What I Learned It's Fantastic Simultaneously Implicating Life Is Art Seasons Change Everything While Breaking Nothing Symmathesy Reunion I Fear A Fear Of Fear Contents Cracks and Fissures Just Sing Frost Tacit Wild What Is Submerging? Affection for Life Urgent Mud Untamed Aphanipoiesis It's a Gap Listening to the Listeners Noticing Kinky The Meadow-Verse Creature I Am a Crayon Time in Winter Is Underground Unsilent Marrow New Blank Document Yes Divided We Fall Together For You How Do You Pack? Sacred Communication An Ecology of Assholes The Cringe Rejection Two Bad Questions Something New Swerving A Letter To My Imagination Liminal Leadership Words to Be Careful With Ideas Are Their Stories Theory Is Beautiful The Reasons Salt and Iron The Zombie Caterpillar Bacteria Nocturnal Building an Arc Freak Out and Freak In The Rubric Lurking Monster What Is Sanity? Common Sense Is Sense-Making in the Commons (There Is No Script) Minutiae of the Day In the Fire Tearing and Mending Unbreakable Who-New? What Am I Not Able to Receive? Surreal Decontextualized Family Is Where We Live Meeting Double Binds in the Polycrisis Slow Truth I Want You to Want Me to Want You Silences Predatory Skills Harvest Integrity Ecology of Communication To Live It Something Has To Matter Home Cupped Hands References

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhy do we love to swear so much? Why do we get so offended when others do it? With wit and insight, philosopher Rebecca Roache seeks answers to these and other puzzling questions about bad language. When someone swears at you, it can sting. Likewise, sometimes there is no better way to make the point you''re making--emphasize, insult, or just plain offend--than to use a swear. What explains the magical power of swearwords? Why are they so good at offending people? To understand swearwords'' power, we need to look beyond the words themselves--beyond the way they sound and what they refer to--and consider more generally what we do when we swear.In this lively and amusing exploration of the various puzzles that surround swearing, philosopher Rebecca Roache argues that what makes swearing offensive is not really the words at all: the offensiveness lies in what we don''t say. The unspoken--and usually unconscious--inferences that speakers and listeners make about each other are key to explaTrade ReviewSwearing is indeed shocking, rude, and fun. It's also puzzling, fascinating, and thought-provoking, as is this marvellous book. * Roger Crisp, Professor of Moral Philosophy, University of Oxford *With brilliant wit and remarkable skill, Rebecca Roache takes up the linguistic, social, moral, and legal dimensions of swearing. The result is a philosophically sophisticated and highly readable discussion with lots of practical guidance about whether and when we need to watch our mouths. Roache's wise, funny, and thought-provoking book belongs on everyone's shelf. * Karen Stohr, Ryan Family Professor of Metaphysics and Moral Philosophy, Georgetown University *Finally a book that rips the fuck out of the arseholes who claim that swearing is 'the sign of a poor vocabulary' or 'unnecessary.' Bollocks to them. This book puts those dim wankers right in as serious, intelligent, knowledgeable and hilarious a fashion as the subject deserves. * Stephen Fry *This is a wonderfully well-written exploration of all aspects of swearing-cultural, linguistic, ethical and political. It's both insightful and an absolute page-turner, which made me laugh out loud several times-not a very common experience with philosophy books! In short, it's an excellent fucking book. * Jennifer Saul, Waterloo Chair in Social and Political Philosophy of Language, University of Waterloo *Roache skillfully probes the complexities of profanity use and its relevance to decorum, identity, and power. This will intrigue linguists and potty-mouthed laypeople alike. * Publishers Weekly *A lively examination of swearing in all its forms, and although it is often humorous, Roache also has serious points to make...With dry wit and a storyteller's eye, Roache romps through the history and social meaning of colorful language. * Kirkus Reviews *[B]oth academic and hilarious. Readers lured in by the title (and its sanitizing asterisk), especially those interested in the farreaching effects of language, and those who love to swear, will find much to ponder. * Laurie Unger Skinner, The Booklist *A really refreshing and insightful book. * The Debut Digest *Highly readable and amusing. * Cathleen Mair, Idler *Highly original ... It reveals all kinds of things about how we relate to people and the different ways in which we can communicate, threaten, or tease. I love this book. * Nigel Warburton, Five Books *Table of ContentsIntroduction Why give a shit about swearing? Chapter 1 What is swearing? Chapter 2 Swearing's secret offensive ingredient Chapter 3 There is no secret ingredient Chapter 4 Different kinds of wrong Chapter 5 Taboo, aggression, and harsh sweary sounds Chapter 6 How to be a really offensive swearer Chapter 7 You talkin' to me? Chapter 8 A regulatory fucking mess Chapter 9 How to do things with swearing Chapter 10 Fairer swearers Chapter 11 Swears versus slurs Chapter 12 Cunt and cocksucker Chapter 13 Cunt and 'cunt' Chapter 14 How the f*** do asterisks work? Chapter 15 Swearing as a force for good Chapter 16 The value of offensiveness Conclusion You're all fucking superheroes Acknowledgements References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisKant is arguably the most influential modern philosopher, but also one of the most difficult. Roger Scruton tackles his exceptionally complex subject with a strong hand, exploring the background to Kant''s work and showing why the Critique of Pure Reason has proved so enduring.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 ReviewReview from previous edition Roger Scruton faced perhaps the most intractable task of all in giving an elementary account of Kant's philosophy ... but he does it extremely elegantly and neatly. * Listener *Table of Contents1. Life, works and character ; 2. The background of Kant's thougt ; 3. The transcendental deduction ; 4. The logic of illusion ; 5. The categorical imperative ; 6. Beauty and design ; 7. Transcendental philosophy ; Further reading, Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisPolitical psychology applies what is known about human psychology to the study of politics. It examines how people reach political decisions on topics such as voting, party identification, and political attitudes as well as how leaders mediate political conflicts and make foreign policy decisions. In this updated third edition of The Oxford Handbook of Political Psychology, Leonie Huddy, David O. Sears, Jack S. Levy, and Jennifer Jerit have gathered together an international group of distinguished scholars to provide an up-to-date account of key topics and areas of research in the field. Chapter authors draw on theory and research on biopsychology, neuroscience, personality, psychopathology, evolutionary psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, and intergroup relations. Some chapters address the political psychology of political elites, while other chapters deal with the dynamics of mass political behavior. Focusing first on political psychology atTable of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction: Theoretical Foundations of Political Psychology Leonie Huddy, David O. Sears, Jack S. Levy, and Jennifer Jerit PART I: THEORETICAL APPROACHES Chapter 2: Personality Approaches to Political Behavior Bert N. Bakker Chapter 3: Childhood and Adult Political Development David O. Sears and Christia Brown Chapter 4: Rational Choice as an Empirical and Normative Model of Political Behavior Dennis Chong Chapter 5: Political Decision-Making Richard R. Lau and David P. Redlawsk Chapter 6: Emotion and Political Psychology Ted Brader and Shana Gadarian Chapter 7: The Evolutionarily Approach to Political Psychology Michael Bang Petersen Chapter 8: Biology and Politics Jaime Settle and Laurel Detert Chapter 9: Political Language Nick Hopkins PART II: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Chapter 10: Foreign Policy Decision-Making: The Psychological Dimension Jack S. Levy Chapter 11: Perceiving Threat: Cognition, Emotion, and Judgment Janice Gross Stein Chapter 12: Signaling, Resolve, and Reputation in International Politics Don Casler and Keren Yarhi-Milo Chapter 13: Public Opinion about Foreign Policy Joshua D. Kertzer Chapter 14: The Political Psychology of Terrorism Keren L.G. Snider, Ryan Shandler, Sharon Matzkin, and Daphna Canetti PART III: MASS POLITICAL BEHAVIOR Chapter 15: Information Processing Jennifer Jerit and Cindy D. Kam Chapter 16: Political Communication Dannagal G. Young and Joanne M. Miller Chapter 17: The Psychological and Social Foundations of Ideological Belief Systems Christopher M. Federico and Ariel Malka Chapter 18: Morality as the Enduring Basis of Public Opinion Pazit Ben-Nun Bloom Chapter 19: The Political Psychology of Gender Monica C. Schneider and Angela L. Bos Chapter 20: Authoritarianism and Political Conflict Stanley Feldman and Christopher Weber Chapter 21: National Identity, Patriotism, and Nationalism Leonie Huddy Chapter 22: The Social Identity Approach to Leadership Frank Mols, A. Alexander Haslam, Michael J. Platow, Stephen D. Reicher, and Niklas K. Steffens PART IV: INTERGROUP RELATIONS Chapter 23: Group-Based Hierarchies of Power and Status Maureen A. Craig and L. Taylor Phillips Chapter 24: Political Identities Lilliana Mason Chapter 25: The Gaze From Below: Toward a Political Psychology of Minority Status Efrén O. Pérez and Bianca V. Vicuña Chapter 26: Social Movements and the Dynamics of Collective Action Jacquelien van Stekelenburg and Teodora Gaidyte Chapter 27: Prejudice and Politics Donald R. Kinder Chapter 28: Migration and Multiculturalism Eva G. T. Green and Christian Staerklé Chapter 29: Prejudice Reduction and Social Change: Dual Goals to be Pursued in Tandem Linda R. Tropp and Trisha A. Dehrone Chapter 30: Emotional Processes in Intractable Conflicts Smadar Cohen-Chen and Eran Halperin Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Why Liberalism Failed offers cogent insights into the loss of meaning and community that many in the West feel, issues that liberal democracies ignore at their own peril."—President Barack Obama"Deneen's book is valuable because it focuses on today's central issue. The important debates now are not about policy. They are about the basic values and structures of our social order."—David Brooks, New York Times"Bracing. . . . Deneen comes as a Jeremiah to announce that Tocqueville's fear that liberalism would eventually dissolve all [its] inheritances . . . may now be fully upon us."—Ross Douthat, New York Times"Mr. Deneen has written a serious book offering a radical critique of modernity, and he has taken the trouble to do so both concisely and engagingly. His insights as well as his crotchets in pursuit of his argument are often arresting. He writes compellingly on the growth of government in tandem with the spread of liberal market principles, for example, noting that a supposed preference for 'limited government' has been no match for the demand for expanding government enforcement of individual rights."—Tod Lindberg, Wall Street Journal“One of the most talked-about books of the moment.”—Scott Reyburn, The New York Times"[Deneen's] exhortations to embrace the local over the global and the cultural over the political are sound and well expressed."—Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal, Books on Politics: Best of 2018"Few books challenge the core assumptions of modern liberalism as unapologetically as the suggestively titled Why Liberalism Failed by Patrick Deneen."—Shadi Hamid, TheAtlantic.com“Deneen makes an excellent case for the flaws of liberal theory and practice… [He] also presents an excellent place to begin in understanding (but also critiquing) the new National Populism.” —Joshua Penduck, Church of England NewspaperFinalist for the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s 2018 Conservative Book of the Year prize, the Paolucci Book Award.“Liberalism is clearly in everybody’s sights, and Why Liberalism Failed will be an important contributor to the conversation, suggesting that we cannot work within the existing paradigm anymore. The philosophers will not solve our problems; working with our neighbors will.”—Joshua Mitchell, Professor of Political Theory, Georgetown University"Deneen writes with clarity, candor and superior scholarship to create one of the most absorbing political philosophy books of the past decade. No one who reads it, no one who considers its substance, will be able to think about the dynamics and the consequences of the American democratic experiment in quite the same way."—Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, author of Author of Strangers in a Strange Land"This courageous and timely book is a major contribution to understanding the rude awakening in the Trump moment. It shows that we must transcend the death grip of the two oscillating poles of classical liberalism (of Republican and Democratic parties) and examine the deep assumptions that hold us captive. It also reveals that if we remain tied to liberalism's failure, more inequality, repression, and spiritual emptiness await us."—Cornel West, Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy, Harvard"Patrick Deneen is a probing and gifted cultural critic, afire with controlled moral passion. Why Liberalism Failed provides a bracing antidote to the pieties of left and right by showing how an impoverished, bipartisan conception of liberty has imprisoned the public life it claims to have set free. One could not ask for a timelier or more necessary enrichment of our depleted political discourse."—Jackson Lears, Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of History, Rutgers University“A path-breaking book, boldly argued and expressed in terms that might justifiably be called prophetic in character.”—Wilfred M. McClay, G.T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty, University of Oklahoma

Read more less

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Drawing on his extensive experience as a scholar and teacher of classical rhetoric, May (classics, St. Olaf College) brings together excerpts from Cicero's extensive contribution to rhetorical theory and practice to examine the theme 'how to win an argument.' One cannot find a better guide than Cicero... A delightful and accessible foray into an enduring, relevant art."--ChoiceTable of ContentsPreface vii Cicero's Life: A Brief Sketch xiii How to Win an Argument 1 The Origins of Eloquent and Persuasive Speech 1 Nature, Art, Practice 1 Rhetoric and Truth 8 The Parts of Rhetoric, or Activities of the Orator 12 Invention: Identifying and Classifying the Question at Issue According to the Stance of Argument, and Discovering the Sources of Proof 13 Arrangement 40 Style 69 Memory 103 Delivery 110 The Value of Imitating Good Models of Speaking 118 The Value of Writing to Prepare for Effective Speaking 122 The Requirements and Education of the Ideal Speaker 126 A Ciceronian Cheat Sheet for Effective Speaking 135 Latin Texts 141 Glossary 223 Further Reading 243 Text Credits 247

Read more less

Book Synopsis''Far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, the command to love one''s enemy is an absolute necessity for our survival''Advocating love as strength and non-violence as the most powerful weapon there is, these sermons and writings from the heart of the civil rights movement show Martin Luther King''s rhetorical power at its most fiery and uplifting.One of twenty new books in the bestselling Penguin Great Ideas series. This new selection showcases a diverse list of thinkers who have helped shape our world today, from anarchists to stoics, feminists to prophets, satirists to Zen Buddhists.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBringing his cosmic perspective to civilization on Earth, Neil deGrasse Tyson, bestselling author ofAstrophysics for People in a Hurry,shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our timewar, politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, race, and tribalismin a way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity for us all.In a time when our political and cultural perspectives feel more divisive than ever, Tyson provides a much-needed antidote to so much of what divides us, while making a passionate case for the twin engines of enlightenmenta cosmic perspective and the rationality of science.After thinking deeply about how a scientist views the world and about what Earth looks like from space, Tyson has found that terrestrial thoughts change as our brain resets and recalibrates life''s priorities, along with the actions we might take in response. As a result, no outlook on culture, society, or civilisation remains untouched.InStarry Messenger, Tyson reveals just how human the enterprise of science is. Far from a cold, unfeeling undertaking, scientific methods, tools, and discoveries have shaped modern civilisation and created the landscape we''ve built for ourselves on which to live, work, and play. Tyson shows how an infusion of science and rational thinking renders worldviews deeper and more informed than ever beforeand exposes unfounded perspectives and unjustified emotions.With crystalline prose and an abundance of evidence,Starry Messengerwalks us through the scientific palette that sees and paints the world differently. From lessons on resolving global conflict to reminders of how precious it is to be alive, Tyson reveals, with warmth and eloquence, ten surprising, brilliant, and beautiful truths of human society, informed and enlightened by knowledge of our place in the universe.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThroughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization, and helped make us who we are.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAlthough Plato's celebrated work of philosophy describes a society which to some seems the ideal human community and to others like a totalitarian nightmare, it also raises enduring questions about politics, art, education and the general conduct of life.

Read more less

Book SynopsisSlavoj Žižek is a Hegelian philosopher, a Lacanian psychoanalyst, and a Communist. He is International Director at the Birkbeck Institute for Humanities, University of London, UK, Visiting Professor at the New York University, USA, and Senior Researcher at the Department of Philosophy, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Read more less

Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringKatharine Jenkins offers an introduction to feminist philosophy, giving the reader an idea of what it is, why it is important, and how to think about it. She explores key topics such as gender oppression, beauty, objectification, and sexuality. Moreover, she considers questions about the relation between the personal and the political, what it is to be a woman, whether there is a distinctive kind of women''s knowledge, and what feminist philosophy can bring to our understanding of such aspects of our world as justice, work, and the environment. This Very Short Introduction takes a richly intersectional approach, recognizing the combined impact of such factors as race and class as well as gender.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.

Read more less

Book Synopsis''These sixteen pieces brim over with vitality . . . every one of them opening up fresh lines of thought'' John Gray, New StatesmanAt the Same Time contains sixteen illuminating essays by Susan Sontag with a preface by David Rieff.The sixteen essays represent the last pieces written by Susan Sontag in the years before her death in 2004. Reflecting on literature, photography and art, post 9/11 America and political activism, these essays encompass the themes that dominated Sontag''s life and work, revealing why she remains one of the twentieth century''s preeminent writers and thinkers.''One of America''s greatest public intellectuals'' Observer''Excellent and essential'' Financial Times''Reads like a greatest-hits album - a little politics, something on photography, some lit. crit. - of Sontag''s passions'' Daily Telegraph''Sontag''s clear thinking . . . shines like a spotlight in dark places'' Trade ReviewAt the time [Sontag] died, she was America’s best-known public intellectual. To my mind, she was also the most exemplary. Intellectually and imaginatively gifted to an extraordinary degree, she used her fearless intelligence to illuminate some of the deepest contradictions of contemporary life -- John Gray * New Statesman *Intense and insightful . . . some excellent and essential essays * Financial Times *Sontag’s clear thinking . . . shines like a spotlight in dark places * The Times *A formidable mind . . . America’s foremost intellectual . . . [Sontag’s] willingness to shoulder the responsibility and complicity for acts that most Americans are only too eager to condemn is the sign of a spirit open to examining any idea except compromise * Metro *[A] powerful collection . . . Sontag's brilliance as a literary critic, her keen analytical skill and her genius for the searingly apt phrase are all fiercely displayed here * Publishers Weekly *

Read more less

Book SynopsisArgues that liberalism's basis in individual rights cannot provide a reasonable justification for sacrificing one-self for the state. This edition highlights the author's intellectual journey through the turbulent period of German history leading to the Hitlerian one-party state.Trade Review"The best introduction to Schmitt's thought." - Mark Lilla, New York Review of Books"

Read more less

Book SynopsisNo other country and no other period has produced a tradition of major aesthetic debate to compare with that which unfolded in German culture from the 1930s to the 1950s. In Aesthetics and Politics the key texts of the great Marxist controversies over literature and art during these years are assembled in a single volume. They do not form a disparate collection but a continuous, interlinked debate between thinkers who have become giants of twentieth-century intellectual history.Trade ReviewThese are key texts in the study of modernism, of expressionist drama and of realism, and of many closesly related general questions. ... It is genuinely an indispensable volume. -- Raymond WilliamsThis is vital reading for anyone concerned with the relationship between art and socialism. -- John FowlesUnlike conventional anthologies of Marxist writings on art, Aestheticand Politics has the form of an intellectual epic, presented as a series of mutual confronations between its protagonists. * Telos *

Read more less

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

Read more less