Social forecasting, future studies Books

Book SynopsisThe climate futurist presents a sobering analysis of America's future in the face of climate changeand how we can prepare to make the most of it. After decades of missed opportunities, the door to a sustainable future has closed, and the future we face now is one in which today''s industrial civilization unravels in the face of uncontrolled climate change and resource depletion. What is the world going to look like when all these changes have run their course?John Michael Greer seeks to answer this question, using a clear-eyed analysis of ecology, economics, and history to discern what the next 500 years or so might look like. As globalization ends, the United Statesand Western civilizationwill enter the stages of decline and fall.Though Dark Age America offers an uncompromising assessment of our collective future, it is by no means without hope. Knowing where we''re headed is a crucial step in responding to the challenges of the futureTrade ReviewGreer's Dark Age America is the essential education and impetus for boomers who choose legacy focus over longevity fixation. We've lived through peak oil, peak debt, peak comfort, peak me-ness, peak pettiness. Now, let us become ancestors our grandchildren will be proud of. --- Connie Barlow, science writer, creator of Torreya Guardians and TheGreatStory John Michael Greer is a modern-day prophet speaking on behalf of Reality. Dark Age America draws upon Greer's vast knowledge of the patterns and rhythms of history to yield insights grounded in our best evidential understandings of ecology, economics, systems science, and human nature. The result is a work of remarkable clarity and searing wisdom vital for these confusing times." --- Rev. Michael Dowd, author, Thank God for Evolution and host, "The Future Is Calling Us to Greatness" If the future trajectory of our civilization follows the same general patterns laid down by previous ones, then John Michael Greer's new book gives us perhaps the best view of the future currently available. His thoughts on the great unraveling ahead are rooted in a broad and deep knowledge of history: even if you disagree with him about the future, you will learn a great deal from his survey of the relevant human past. ---Richard Heinberg, author, The End of Growth Dark Age America argues cogently and compellingly the inevitable decline of industrial civilization and its ramifications within the next five centuries. Whereas the human psyche may hold out for a faux Great Turning or the fantasy that "this time it will be different," Greer demonstrates that ecologically, politically, economically, and technologically, the decline is not only inevitable but well underway. How the demise unfolds and whether any members of our species prevail may well be determined by the choices we make now. Business as usual is not an option. ---Carolyn Baker, Ph.D., author, Love In The Age Of Ecological Apocalypse and Collapsing Consciously Whether you only just figured it out or have known for a long time that globalized consumer culture is a sinking ship, it really helps when a polite steward comes to your cabin and offers to guide you to the lifeboat and then chats breezily, easing your fears, as he guides you down the metallic corridors with blinking fluorescent lights, describing all you may need to know to get your life back on track once the lifeboats reach safe harbor. Dark Age America is John Michael Greer's finest work. He does not cut any slack, even for his own predictions. Read it slowly, in a comfortable chair, with a cup of your favorite warm beverage. ---Albert Bates, author, The Post-Petroleum Survival Guide and Cookbook, The Biochar Solution, and The Paris Agreement Civilization isn't selling too well. The would-be masters of the universe want billions of consumers, productivity gains, growth and profits. In return they offer open borders, fancy widgets, gender equality for a rainbow of genders and space exploration pipe dreams. But there are no takers; what the people want is nine hours of sleep, summers in the country, family and friends around and somebody to buy their rutabagas. A dark age cometh, but don't worry. As Greer explains, this is perfectly normal--just takes some getting used to. A dark age is a great time to catch up on sleep. ---Dmitry Orlov, author, Reinventing Collapse and The Five Stages of Collapse Dark Age America is a courageous, thoughtful, timely and well-researched prognosis for the next five centuries of life on Earth. John brings to bear a thorough knowledge of how past civilizations have unraveled, an appreciation of how complex systems work (and when they don't), and an understanding of how humans behave in crises that are not sudden and transitory, but gradual, uneven, profound and enduring. No matter where on the political spectrum your sensibilities lie, this intelligently reasoned, thought-provoking and important work will challenge your ways of thinking and prod you to take useful preparatory actions. ---Dave Pollard, author, How to Save the WorldTable of Contents Chapter One: The Wake of Industrial Civilization Chapter Two: The Ecological Aftermath Chapter Three: The Demographic Consequences Chapter Four: The Political Unraveling Chapter Five: The Economic Collapse Chapter Six: The Suicide of Science Chapter Seven: The Twilight of Technology Chapter Eight: The Dissolution of Culture Chapter Nine: The Road to a Renaissance Bibliography Index About the Author A Note About the Publisher

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Book SynopsisSetting out big public policy ideas, enhanced by contributions from academic and campaigning experts, as well as those with lived experience, Raising the Nation shows why we must prioritise child-centred policies to ensure the future strength of our communities, environment and economy.Trade Review“The right book at the right time…. full of fresh ideas. It should be required reading for all policy-makers in national and local government.” Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester "Paul Lindley likes to think big... Part manifesto and part collection of essays from academics, charity bosses, politicians and parents, [his] web of ideas culminates in a final chapter that models how legislation, the built environment and public services can be constructed with children in mind." Financial Times"I love Paul’s entrepreneurial approach to re-imagining how to build a better future. He’s created an evidence-led, story-centred, whole system vision that’s packed with ideas and opportunities that policy makers, parents, young people entrepreneurs and anyone who care about our future should seriously embrace!" Ella Goldner, Co- Founder and General Manager, Zinc "Paul Lindley likes to think big... Part manifesto and part collection of essays from academics, charity bosses, politicians and parents, [his] web of ideas culminates in a final chapter that models how legislation, the built environment and public services can be constructed with children in mind." Financial Times"A powerful and inspiring account of why and how we can make this the best country for children to grow up in. A must-read for policy-makers of all political parties." Claire Ainsley, Director of the Center-Left Renewal project at the Progressive Policy Institute and former Labour Party Executive Director. of PolicyTable of ContentsForeword by Helle Thorning-Schmidt 1. Introduction 2. How did we get here? 3. The early years 4. Play 5. Local spaces 6. Education 7. Health 8. Digital 9. Children society fails most 10. Democracy 11. Voice 12. Variety 13. Well-being 14. A National Children’s Service

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Book SynopsisShould we welcome the end of humanity? In this blistering book about the history of an idea, one of our leading critics draws on his dazzling range and calls our attention to a seemingly inconceivable topic that is being seriously discussed: that the end of humanity’s reign on earth is imminent, and that we should welcome it. Kirsch journeys through literature, philosophy, science, and popular culture, to identify two strands of thinking: Anthropocene antihumanism says that our climate destruction has doomed humanity and we should welcome our extinction, while Transhumanism believes that genetic engineering and artificial intelligence will lead to new forms of life superior to humans. Kirsch’s introduction of thinkers and writers from Roger Hallam to Jane Bennett, David Benatar to Nick Bostrom, Patricia MacCormack to Ray Kurzweil, Ian McEwan to Richard Powers, will make you see the current moment in a new light. The revolt against humanity has already spread beyond the fringes of the intellectual world, and it can transform politics and society in profound ways—if it hasn’t already.Trade Review“A brisk and bracing new book.” —New York Review of Books “With admirable concision and clarity, this short book achieves its stated aims not only to introduce some very challenging and disturbing ideas, but also to understand their historical background and appeal, and to reflect on their ‘possible implications for the future.’” —Los Angeles Review of Books “In his brief but fascinating The Revolt Against Humanity, our own Adam Kirsch explains why predictions of humanity’s passing have been more than a passing fad in the last half-century, linking them to two broader ideologies that now dominate the way we think about the future: transhumanism and Anthropocene antihumanism.” —New Criterion “[A]n intense study of the various schools of thought on ‘the end of humanity’s reign on Earth.’ ... [T]he expert perspectives, paired with anecdotes from sci-fi films and literature, make for a fascinating look at the ‘profound civilizational changes’ that may come. The result is a nice lay of the post-human land.” —Publishers Weekly “Kirsch, a widely respected poet, critic, shows readers the bleeding edge of philosophic and literary speculation about what comes next for mankind. The picture he paints is not pretty.” —WORLD magazine “Six erudite, clear, and concise chapters explore the issues raised by the serious prospect of the end of human life, at least as we know it.” Philosophy Now “The Revolt Against Humanity is a profound, daring, and intellectually thrilling examination of the role of human beings on Earth: Would the world be better off without us? Beautifully written, the book will spark your thoughts, challenge your preconceptions, and leave you asking yourself wonderfully unanswerable questions.” —Ellen Ullman, author of Close to the Machine and Life in Code “We’re told that ideas can have momentous consequences. In that case, we owe it to ourselves to pay close attention to the chilling ideas Adam Kirsch highlights in this profound and disturbing book. On one side, some environmental activists welcome the idea that humanity may be on the brink of extinction; on the other, a group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs dreams of using their fortunes and technical knowhow to empower us to transcend our humanity altogether. Kirsch proves an illuminating guide to both trends. He’s also an uncommonly insightful critic, drawing on the wisdom of poets, novelists, and philosophers to make sense of our unsettling attraction to the idea of a world without us.” —Damon Linker, author of The Theocons and The Religious Test

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Book SynopsisHow can we live in such a way that we die only once? How can we organise a society that gives us a better chance to be fully alive? How can we reinvent religion so that it liberates us instead of consoling us?These questions stand at the centre of Roberto Mangabeira Unger's The Religion of the Future. Both a book about religion and a religious work in its own right, it proposes the content of a religion that can survive faith in a transcendent God and in life after death. According to this religion-the religion of the future-human beings can be more human by becoming more godlike, not just later, in another life or another time, but right now, on Earth and in their own lives.Unger begins by facing the irreparable flaws in the human condition: our mortality, groundlessness, and insatiability. He goes on to discuss the conflicting approaches to existence that have dominated the last 2,500 years of the history of religion. Turning next to the religious revolution that we now require, he explores the political ideal of this revolution, an idea of deep freedom. And he develops its moral vision, focused on a refusal to squander life.The Religion of the Future advances Unger's philosophical program: a philosophy for which history is open, the new can happen, and belittlement need not be our fate.Trade ReviewA philosophical mind out of the Third World turning tables, to become a synoptist and seer of the First. -- Perry AndersonA restless visionary. * New York Times *One of the few living philosophers whose thinking has the range of the great philosophers of the past. -- Lee Smolin * Times Higher Education Supplement *His ideas are wide-ranging but essentially amount to a passionate call to stop thinking about everything in terms of economics and finance, what he calls "the dictatorship of no alternatives". * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a critical account of the historical evolution of tourism through the identification and discussion of key turning points. Based on these considerations, future turning points are identified and evaluated. The volume provides a continuum between the past and future of tourism. Its central themes are the globalisation of tourism; the development of destinations; the importance of mobility and transport; the development of the modern hotel; the diversification of niche tourism and the conceptualisation of the past and future of tourism using the evolutionary paradigm in future studies. The core findings of the book provide the first perspective on how the history of tourism will shape its future.Trade ReviewAnother masterpiece from the formidable pair Yeoman and McMahon-Beattie tracing the histories of tourism through tipping points for us to learn lessons for the future. This is the book we’ve been waiting for in times of rapid change and uncertainties shedding much-needed light on possible trajectories and contemplating a more sustainable future. * Heike Schänzel, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand *This book is to tourism what science fiction is to science. It builds on tourism’s past and present to project future evolutionary scenarios. Not all will take place, but future readers will eventually be able to look back and appreciate the vision and foresight of its contributors. A must-read. * Leslie Vella, Malta Tourism Authority, Malta *The belief that the more we know about the past, the better equipped we will be for the future, resonates throughout this book. In a collection of well-crafted chapters, renowned futurist scholars capture and validate the significance of history. This innovative volume demonstrates how the current and potential future existence of our multifaceted tourism industry is persistently influenced, revolutionised and inspired by the past. * Daniel Wright, University of Central Lancashire, UK *[This book] is recommended for researchers to obtain inspiration in developing new research themes, as the chapters offer substantial turning points in the past and the future of the tourism industry. -- Brian Kee Mun Wong and Chin Hooi Ng, KDU University College, Malaysia * Journal of Tourism Futures, Vol 6, No 2, 2020 *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1. Ian Yeoman and Una McMahon-Beattie: Does the Past Shape the Future? Part 1: Globalisation Chapter 2. Bertus van der Tuuk: History of the Future of Tourism Chapter 3. Jim Butcher: The Development of Mass Tourism Part 2: The Development of Place Chapter 4. Marie-Louise Mangion: The Historical Future of Tourism: The Case of Malta’s Policies Chapter 5. Klaus Pfatschbacher: Jules Verne as a Key to Understanding Irish Tourism Chapter 6. Brian Hay: The Growth, Decline and Resurgence of the City-State Chapter 7. Benjamin Taunay: Geohistorical Analysis of Costal Tourism in China (1841-2017) Part 3: Mobility Chapter 8. Rafael Castro, Gui Lohmann, Bojana Spasojevic, Carla Fraga and Thiago Allis: The Future Past of Aircraft Technology and Their Impact on Stopover Destinations Chapter 9. Wendy London and Wallace Farias: Forever Young and New - Cruise Tourism Chapter 10. Jonathan Hui: From Muscles to Electrons: A Technological Look at the Futures of Energy, Transport, and Tourism Part 4: The Hotel Chapter 11. Kevin James: Hotel History Chapter 12. David Williamson: Historical Employment Relations in the New Zealand Tourism Hotel Sector: From a Collective Past to an Individual Future Part 5: Diversification into Niche Tourism Chapter 13. Peter Bolan and Mihaela Ghisoiu: Film Tourism through the Ages: From Lumiére to Virtual Reality Chapter 14. Sabrina Seeler: The Evolution of the Grand Tour in the Digital Society Chapter 15. Gianna Moscardo, Laurie Murphy, Karen Hughes, Pierre Benckendorff: Shopping on the Edge: Identifying Factors Contributing to Tourist Retail Development in Heritage Villages Chapter 16. Richard Butler and Wantanee Suntikul: Tourism and Religion: Pilgrims, Tourists and Travellers - Past, Present and Future Chapter 17. Ghazali Musa and Md Moniruzzaman Sarker: History and Future of Mountaineering Tourism Chapter 18. Alastair Durie, Ian Yeoman and Una McMahon-Beattie: Sustainability, Ecotourism and Scotland: Concerns, Complaints Conflicts and Conservation Part 6: Evolution Chapter 19. Ian Yeoman and Una McMahon-Beattie: Does the Past Shape the Future of Tourism? A Cognitive Map(s) Perspective

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the lifestyles, expectations and plans of Millennials and Generation Z and how they are redefining tourism. It demonstrates that if the tourism industry is to enjoy future growth, it must understand and meet the particular needs of these two generations. The volume explores the present and future challenges faced by the tourism industry as a result of the generational turnover, and seeks to answer the following questions: What contribution can the new generations make to the future of tourism? How are technological advancements and social networks shaping future travel trends? Can a generational perspective be useful to help the tourism industry recover from the COVID-19 crisis? The book will be of interest to researchers and students of sociology and tourism studies, as well as tourism professionals.Trade ReviewThis volume places the youngest travellers at the core of scientific reflection. Applying a generational approach to the study of tourism and elaborating on technologies, the sharing economy and gender issues in tourism, it is a timely and useful resource capturing some significant peculiarities that will shape the future of tourism. * Marina Novelli, University of Brighton, UK *This book employs sociological thought to provide a novel approach to understanding the connection between the intersectionality of past, present, and future trends in tourism. The authors present an insightful ‘snapshot’ of our current times and highlight how several external trends such as technological advances, security challenges, economic issues, and pandemic disasters are fundamentally transforming tourism beyond the tourist gaze to ultimately shape and reshape the tourism experience and the future of travel for Millennials and Gen Zers. * DeMond Miller, Rowan University, USA *[The authors] provide a timely text on research surrounding the younger generations and how they choose to engage with tourism [...] One of the most attractive aspects of this book is the potential for future research on generational impacts for tourism, especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors do a marvelous job suggesting key avenues of research inquiry. Libraries with tourism collections centered on intergenerational studies, international tourism, and social tourism should acquire this book. * K.M. Woosnam, University of Georgia, USA, CHOICE Vol. 60 No. 6 *Table of ContentsFabio Corbisiero, Salvatore Monaco and Elisabetta Ruspini: Introduction: Tourism at the Crossroads: Between Past, Present and Future Part 1: On the Go with the New Generations Chapter 1. Elisabetta Ruspini: Generations, Events, Experiences, Tourism Chapter 2. Salvatore Monaco: Capturing the Future Traveller Part 2: Technologies and the Sharing Economy in Tourism Chapter 3. Fabio Corbisiero: NetGen and Tourism Chapter 4. Salvatore Monaco: Towards a Sharing Generation Part 3: Generations, Gender and LGBT Issues in Tourism Chapter 5. Elisabetta Ruspini: Gender, Generations, Tourism Chapter 6. Fabio Corbisiero: LGBTQ+ and Next-Gen Tourism Fabio Corbisiero, Salvatore Monaco and Elisabetta Ruspini: Conclusion: Understanding the Present to Prepare for the Future (of Tourism) References

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a practical guide for scenario planning to make sense of the future of tourism for practitioners, researchers and students. It provides an overview of the theoretical development of scenario planning, describes the scenario planning method and puts it into the context of strategic foresight. A variety of scenario planning and futures case studies are presented which demonstrate how scenario planning is used and deployed. Each case study is drawn from the European Tourism Futures Institute's 12 years of practice, emphasising the different stages of the scenario planning method, and includes learning points and discussion questions to help readers understand key concepts, theories and applications.

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the future of food tourism in 2075 and beyond. It uses the principles of multiple futures to demonstrate, analyse and examine different paths that food tourism may take using scenario planning. It is timely given the issues of global food supply, climate change and the rise of food tourism as the core of the experience economy.

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Book SynopsisCheat death-or at least delay it-with this accessible look into the quest for immortality, and what it means for human civilisation.

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Book SynopsisEveryday life as we knew it is increasingly challenged in a world of climate, social, health and political crisis. Emerging technologies, data analytics and automation open up new possibilities which have implications for energy generation, storage and energy demand. To support these changes we urgently need to rethink how energy will be sourced, shared and used. Yet existing approaches to this problem, driven by engineering, data analytics and capital, are dangerously conservative and entrenched. Energy Futures critically evaluates this context, and the energy infrastructures, stakeholders, and politics that participate in it, to propose plausible, responsible and ethical modes of encountering possible energy futures. Imagining anthropocene challenges, emerging technologies and everyday life otherwise through empirically grounded studies, opens up possible energy futures. Energy Futures proposes and demonstrates a new critical and interventional futures-oriented energy anthropology. Combining the theories and methods of futures anthropology with the critical expertise and perspectives of energy anthropology creates a powerful mode of engagement, which this book argues is needed to disrupt the dominant narratives about our energy futures. Its contributors collectively reveal and evidence through innovative ethnographic practice how new knowledge about imagined and possible energy futures can be mobilised in engagements with emerging technologies, anthropocene challenges and everyday realities. In doing so it brings together authors, analytical expertise and ethnographic evidence from the global south, north and places in between, generated through innovative methodologies including remote video and comic strip methods and documentary video practice as well as long term fieldwork.

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Book Synopsis"The future" plays a dominant role in everybody's lives. But for many, it is a blur and mystery, a wall of fog in which we struggle to see beyond what is immediately in front of us. By leading futurist Magnus Lindkvist, this book provides the means and tools to plan for and navigate a path into the long term to your advantage. Anyone who wants to have a better, more inspiring life in the future has to plan for it - to future-proof it. In this powerful little book, Lindkvist presents a set of practical and easy-to-apply tools that will help you to create a mindset and path for tomorrow.

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Book SynopsisLong-term thinking and planning is such an ingrained part of everyday life that we tend either not to see it or merely take it for granted. From pensions, retirement, holiday planning, marriage (or divorce) to corporate strategy and choosing the right school for our kids - the assumptions we make about tomorrow tend to be sketchy at best! Why do we so often underplay such important future plans in our lives? One of the main reasons is that we have never been given the right tools with which to think and plan ahead. Futurology - the art of thinking ahead - has often been relegated to science fiction writers and witch doctors. In fact, it's a tool that can actually help us understand and plan for a better future for ourselves. This book, by a leading futurologist, presents the practical tools of long-term thinking and planning to the everyday situations that we all face.Table of Contents1.Seduced by the future 2.A future-thinking world 3.The fine art and questionable science of predicting the future 4.Futurological fallacies and predictive pitfalls 5.Creating and changing the future 6.Future friends and future foes 7.The eternal promise

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Book SynopsisAs you read this, thousands of remote computers are refining secret models of who you are, using the information to make huge fortunes for a few people. Does the future have to be this way? How can we change it? In this visionary book Jaron Lanier imagines an alternative, where economic power is given back to creators. Drawing on sources ranging from ancient philosophy to the latest technology, he proposes a radical system that truly rewards endeavour - whether it''s in the media or manufacturing - and ultimately preserves human dignity.Trade ReviewDaringly original ... sharp, accessible ... terrifically exciting * The New York Times *

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Book SynopsisWe live in times of great change. Or so we are told. Headlines blast messages about clashes between tribes, civilisations, political factions, East and West. We are told that unless we abstain from eating meat, flying or enjoying other modern amenities, the planet is doomed. We live in times of trouble. Of crossroads. Of signs of decline. We live in special times. In turn, future thinking is often reduced to people having opinions about other people's opinions. As opposed to manifesto, in manifesto many small ideas are created to inspire one person, your- self. By sharing the vision of the future, we can avoid telling stories and instead strive to surround ourselves with as many strange, conflicting ideas that we can in order to immerse ourselves in future possibilities and possible futures. Incorporating recognisable examples, Minifesto will illustrate how the world changes when a single individual does something new.

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Book Synopsis“Full of intelligence and insights, as the author gleefully turns ideas upside down to better understand them. . . Replete with lots of nifty, whimsical footnotes, this clever, speculative book challenges our beliefs with jocularity and perspicacity.” —Kirkus (starred review)“Klosterman’s trademark humor and unique curiosity propel the reader through the book. He remains one of the most insightful critics of pop culture writing today and this is his most thought-provoking and memorable book yet.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)The tremendously well-received New York Times bestseller by cultural critic Chuck Klosterman, exploring the possibility that our currently held beliefs and assumptions about the world will eventually be proven wrong—now in paperback. But What If We're Wrong? is a book of original, reported, interconnected pieces, which speculat

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Book SynopsisMany people deploy photo media tools to document everyday events and rituals. For generations we have stored memories in albums, diaries, and shoeboxes to retrieve at a later moment in life. Autobiographical memory, its tools, and its objects are pressing concerns in most people's everyday lives, and recent digital transformation cause many to reflect on the value and meaning of their own mediated memories. Digital photo cameras, camcorders, and multimedia computers are rapidly replacing analogue equipment, inevitably changing our everyday routines and conventional forms of recollection. How will digital photographs, lifelogs, photoblogs, webcams, or playlists change our personal remembrance of things past? And how will they affect our cultural memory? The main focus of this study is the ways in which (old and new) media technologies shape acts of memory and individual remembrances. This book spotlights familiar objects but addresses the larger issues of how technology penetrates ouTrade Review"The book is accessible to undergraduates and provides an excellent framework for postgraduates both in terms of its clarity in developing the conceptual tool of 'mediated memory' and in addressing some aspects of the digital in relation to this. One of its strengths concerns the way in which van Dijck unpacks the conceptual flaws conventionally associated with collective memory and the problematic assumptions that underlie much of the discussion of the relationship of media to this... The book is beautifully written, telling an engaging story, as well as tackling with academic erudition the study of mediated memories in the digital age." -- Memory Studies"Van Dijck shares many fascinating insights." -- CHOICE"Mediated Memories in the Digital Age is an engaging and important book that challenges scholarly understanding of the relation between memory, memory artifacts, and memory practices and elucidates how these relationships are changing in the digital age. José van Dijck brings a theoretically sophisticated yet pragmatic approach to bear on her survey of today's most widespread digital practices of mediating memories. Her persuasive and timely thesis is solidly grounded in cultural and media studies, and her work is well informed by recent research in cognitive science, neuroscience, psychology, and visualization technologies." -- Richard Grusin * ayne State University *"The medium is the experience. A personal memory box full of private media objects was the inspiration for José van Dijck's newest and most innovative contribution to the zone between media studies and science studies where she has been such an important voice internationally. Detailing the ways that media and memory are not separate experiences through readings of the digital diaries and lifelogs of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease, Dutch recorded popular music, and still and moving images from a range of contexts, van Dijck presents an exciting new way of thinking about cultural memory and a cultural sense of self." -- Lisa Cartwright, University of California * San Diego *"José van Dijck performs a sophisticated analysis that blends neurological research on memory, media technologies, and the "personal cultural" construction of memories into a coherent, far-reaching theory of the function, role, and significance of memory as we move from analogue to digital representations. Filled with deep insights and surprising observations, this book should be required reading for anyone interested in memory, digital technologies, and their co-evolution." -- N. Katherine Hayles, University of California * Los Angeles *Table of ContentsContents Preface Acknowledgements 1 Mediated Memories as a Conceptual Tool 2 Memory Matters in the Digital Age 3 Composing the Self 4 Record and Hold 5 Pictures of Life, Live Pictures 6 Projecting the Family's Future Past 7 From Shoebox to Digital Memory Machine 8 Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisBy the time of his untimely death in 1983, Herman Kahn was recognized by both friends and intellectual adversaries as ''one of the world''s most creative and best minds.'' The current growing resurgence of interest in Kahn''s ideas and intellectual legacy demonstrates the enduring relevance of his work. Yet, in spite of the constant influence of his arguments, there is a shortage of books summarizing Kahn''s essential contributions, and thus his work is not as well known as it should be. The Essential Herman Kahn is an attempt to cope with this predicament and offer the public for the first time an anthology consisting of the essence of Kahn''s work, organized thematically. The two decades that have passed since his death allow us today to approach his work undisturbed by the ''sound and fury'' of the many public debates and controversies he participated in and to focus on some of the deepest and most enduring dimensions of his intellectual contributions. The anthology will try to brTrade ReviewHerman Kahn’s seminal thinking, extracted in this smart volume, is timeless. From thinking about nuclear war to anticipating the complaints about capitalism and forecasting the future, Kahn offers relevant ideas for today’s challenges of terrorism, financial meltdown, and global warming. An indispensible read or re-read! -- Henry R. Nau, The George Washington UniversityBroken into four parts, The Essential Herman Kahn reflects his wide range of interests: from nuclear strategy to prospects for economic growth, from the state of Western culture to methodologies for forecasting. Kahn, as one might suggest, would be no easy man to condense; but Aligica and Weinstein have done a remarkably good job of it. * The Weekly Standard, September 7, 2009 *An excellent selection of the works of one of the most original and influential thinkers of our time. -- Mark Blitz, Claremont McKenna CollegeTable of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Part 2 Section 1. Thinking About the Unthinkable: Scenarios, Grand Strategy, and Thermonuclear War Chapter 3 In Defense of Thinking Chapter 4 Twelve Nonissues and Twelve Almost Nonissues Chapter 5 The Revolution in Warfare: Continuities and Discontinuities Chapter 6 On Escalation Chapter 7 Seizing the Moral, Political, and Strategic High Ground Part 8 Section 2. A World Turning Point: Economic Growth, Cultural Change, and the Long View Chapter 9 The Big Picture—And Some Details: Watersheds of History Chapter 10 Viewing Growth in Context Chapter 11 Four Characteristic Views of Two Basic Images of the Earth-Centered Perspective Chapter 12 Some Current Cultural Contradictions of Economic Growth: The New Emphases Chapter 13 Economic Development: Economic and Cultural Parameters Chapter 14 The Alienated-Affluent Society Part 15 Section 3. The Challenge of the Future: Futurology, Methodology, and Policy Research Chapter 16 The Objectives of Future-Oriented Policy Research Chapter 17 The Agnostic Use of Information and Concepts Chapter 18 Forecasting the Future. History Happens in Straight Lines and Curves Chapter 19 A Methodological Framework: The Alternative World Futures Approach Chapter 20 The Method of Classes of Variables Chapter 21 Ways to Go Wrong Chapter 22 Technological Innovation: Mistakes of Omission and Commission Part 23 Section 4. The Task Ahead: Observations, Recommendations, and Parting Polemics Chapter 24 The Normative Perspective and the Ideology of Tomorrow Chapter 25 Transitional Problems Chapter 26 The Expert and Educated Incapacity Chapter 27 Current Western Cultural Trends Chapter 28 Futurology and the Future of Economic Development Chapter 29 The Task Ahead 30 Herman Kahn. A Bio-Bibliographical Note

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Book SynopsisFrom a renowned pioneer of the localization movement, an anthology of essays challenging the narrative that technological progress and an increasingly globalized economy will lead us to a better world This collection of essays has been selected from 30 years of published articles, book chapters and blog posts by the staff of Local Futures, internationally known as pioneers of the emerging localization movement. Some of these writings involve a fundamental rethinking of our most basic assumptions—about progress, poverty, and happiness—while others seek the root causes of our multiple crises, from climate change and income inequality to the erosion of democracy and the rise of authoritarianism. All of them point towards the most strategic steps we can take to confront these problems and bring a healthier, happier world into being. Several of these prescient essays were written decades ago, but they have become even more relevant today as our crises deepen, and the need for systemic change becomes more apparent.

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Book SynopsisIn the future, how many identities will you have? How many do you want? Digital technology is causing us to think differently about who we are and who we could become, but with the right knowledge we can turn this incredible capacity to our advantage. 'Who am I?' is one of the most fundamental questions of all. But it is becoming increasingly difficult to answer as technology enables us to negotiate and create many different versions of ourselves. In our digital, data-driven world, Facebook gets a say in verifying who we are, science can alter our biology, and advances in AI are revolutionizing not only how we interact online but with the physical world around us. Understanding and defining ourselves is becoming confusing but, as this fascinating book argues, it is possible to embrace this new era of transformation while preserving our autonomy. In The Future of You, Professional futurist Tracey Follows shows how our personal freedoms and potential will be transformed over the coming decades. From health passports, bio-hacking and relationships with machines to mind clones, digital voting and virtual legacies beyond the grave, we need to understand these vital issues today so that we might design the future of our identity tomorrow. 'This fascinating book explores the way that emerging technologies such as AI might affect the nature of personal identity and personhood. It paints an intriguing, thought-provoking, and occasionally disturbing picture.' Michael Wooldridge, author of The Road to ConsciousTrade Review 'This fascinating book explores the way that emerging technologies such as AI might affect the nature of personal identity and personhood. It paints an intriguing, thought-provoking, and occasionally disturbing picture.' Michael Wooldridge, author of The Road to Conscious

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Zeihan integrates a wealth of information and data into lucid analyses written in accessible, boisterous prose… The result is a stimulating look into the geopolitical crystal ball.” — Publishers Weekly “Peter Zeihan has written a smart, well-crafted page-turner that lays out the compelling reasons why America’s role in the world has changed--and why that’s good news for Americans and sobering for everyone else. His vivid account of the impact of America’s good fortune for the rest of the world makes this an original and invaluable read.” — Ian Bremmer, Eurasia Group, on The Absent Superpower “If President Trump has but one book to read as he assumes command, it should be this one.” — Honorable Dave McCurdy, former Member of U.S. House of Representatives; President and CEO of the American Gas Association, on The Absent Superpower “The Absent Superpower is a must-read to understand the forces that will shapegeopolitics and potentially ignite decades of global disorder. By dissectingthe technological and geographic realities of energy and demography, Zeihan forecasts theconflicts and economic realignments that will follow America’s withdrawal fromactive global leadership.” — Mitt Romney on The Absent Superpower “Many believe that the American economy has some inherent advantages over its major competitors—a more flexible structure, stronger entrepreneurial traditions and a more demographically vibrant society. Along comes a fascinating new book that says you ain’t seen nothing yet.” — Fareed Zakaria, CNN, on The Accidental Superpower "Another masterful, often counterintuitive, relentlessly entertaining geopolitical thrill ride." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

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Book SynopsisThe first English-language collection to establish curiosity studies as a unique field From science and technology to business and education, curiosity is often taken for granted as an unquestioned good. And yet, few people can define curiosity. Curiosity Studies marshals scholars from more than a dozen fields not only to define curiosity but also to grapple with its ethics as well as its role in technological advancement and global citizenship. While intriguing research on curiosity has occurred in numerous disciplines for decades, no rigorously cross-disciplinary study has existed—until now. Curiosity Studies stages an interdisciplinary conversation about what curiosity is and what resources it holds for human and ecological flourishing. These engaging essays are integrated into four clusters: scientific inquiry, educational practice, social relations, and transformative power. By exploring curiosity through the practice of scientific inquiry, the contours of human learning, the stakes of social difference, and the potential of radical imagination, these clusters focus and reinvigorate the study of this universal but slippery phenomenon: the desire to know. Against the assumption that curiosity is neutral, this volume insists that curiosity has a history and a political import and requires precision to define and operationalize. As various fields deepen its analysis, a new ecosystem for knowledge production can flourish, driven by real-world problems and a commitment to solve them in collaboration. By paying particular attention to pedagogy throughout, Curiosity Studies equips us to live critically and creatively in what might be called our new Age of Curiosity.Contributors: Danielle S. Bassett, U of Pennsylvania; Barbara M. Benedict, Trinity College; Susan Engel, Williams College; Ellen K. Feder, American U; Kristina T. Johnson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Narendra Keval; Christina León, Princeton U; Tyson Lewis, U of North Texas; Amy Marvin, U of Oregon; Hilary M. Schor, U of Southern California; Seeta Sistla, Hampshire College; Heather Anne Swanson, Aarhus U.Table of ContentsContentsForewordPamela Grossman and John L. Jackson Jr.Introduction: What Is Curiosity Studies?Perry Zurn and Arjun Shankar Part I. Interrogating the Scientific Enterprise1. Exploring the Costs of Curiosity: An Environmental Scientist’s DilemmaSeeta Sistla2. Curious Ecologies of Knowledge: More-than-Human AnthropologyHeather Anne Swanson3. Curiosity, Ethics, and the Medical Management of Intersex AnatomiesEllen K. FederPart II. Relearning How We Learn4. A Network Science of the Practice of CuriosityDanielle S. Bassett5. Why Should This Be So? The Waxing and Waning of Children’s CuriositySusan Engel6. The Dude Abides, or, Why Curiosity Is Important for Education TodayTyson Lewis7. “The Campus is Sick”: Capitalist Curiosity and Student Mental HealthArjun ShankarPart III. Reimagining How We Relate8. Autism, Neurodiversity, and CuriosityKristina T. Johnson9. Obstacles to Curiosity and Concern: Exploring the Racist ImaginationNarendra Keval10. Curious Entanglements: Opacity and Ethical Relation in Latina/o AestheticsChristina León11. Transsexuality, the Curio, and the Transgender Tipping PointAmy MarvinPart IV. Deconstructing the Status Quo12. Peeping and Transgression: Curiosity and Collecting in English LiteratureBarbara M. Benedict13. Curiosity and Political ResistancePerry Zurn14. Curiosity at the End of the World: Women, Fiction, ElectricityHilary M. SchorConclusion: On Teaching CuriosityArjun Shankar and Perry Zurn AfterwordHelga NowotnyAcknowledgmentsContributorsIndex

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Book SynopsisA Nobel Laureate explains quantum entanglement and teleportation and why Einstein was wrong about the nature of realityWhat is the true nature of reality? To find out, Nobel Laureate Anton Zeilinger takes us (along with his fictional students Alice and Bob) on a voyage through a quantum wonderland, explaining entanglement, teleportation, time-travel paradoxes and why our view of the world must change.Originally published in America in 2012, a new Afterword in the light of the author's 2022 Nobel Prize means the book brings readers up-to-date with the most recent developments in quantum teleportation. This describes the author's collaboration to perform the first intercontinental video call encrypted using quantum cryptography, and how Chinese scientists teleported entangled quantum states to an orbiting satellite. Readers also learn how both volunteer humans and astronomical objects billions of light years away have been part of experiments to conclusively prove that quantum states cannot provide a full description of reality at a local level.Einstein had always refused to accept aspects of quantum theory, deriding the notion of instantaneous communication between faraway 'entangled' particles as 'spooky action at a distance'. However, this playful yet deep book takes readers through a series of ingenious experiments conducted in various locations that demonstrate entanglement is indeed real, and speculates that information is an essential part of reality.From a dank sewage tunnel under the River Danube to the balmy air between a pair of mountain peaks in the Canary Islands, with various time-travel paradoxes explained along the way, the author and his fictional physics students Alice and Bob demonstrate the true nature of quantum entanglement and teleportation using photons, or light quanta, created by laser beams. The ideas described have laid the foundations for a new era of quantum technology, including the development of quantum computers and much more.Trade ReviewUsing refined tools and long series of experiments, Anton Zeilinger ... has demonstrated a phenomenon called quantum teleportation, which makes it possible to move a quantum state from one particle to one at a distance ... A new kind of quantum technology is emerging -- The Nobel Prize JudgesDance of the Photons is a delight. The explanations of some of the most subtle and unexpected effects of quantum physics are provided in terms of beautifully simple and charming everyday settings. The true flavour of quantum mechanics is here made accessible, without pain but with considerable good humour -- Sir Roger Penrose, winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in PhysicsAnton Zeilinger has done more than anyone to unfold the quantum world by fashioning amazing experiments that have allowed nature to speak to us in her own native quantum language. In this clearly and elegantly written book he takes the reader on the journey he and his colleagues have travelled in their interrogations of the quantum world. Along the way he introduces us to the new concept of quantum information and explains its promise to revolutionize how we communicate and compute -- Lee Smolin, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical PhysicsFrom the sewers under Vienna to a whirlwind tour of the great physicists of the twentieth century and their wild ideas, this is a marvellous introduction to the world of quantum physics by one of the most accomplished experimenters working in the field today. Zeilinger takes the reader on a very personal journey while providing a remarkably clear and cogent discussion of the mind-bending world of quantum mechanics and its potential to change the future of technology -- Lawrence M. Krauss, author of "Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science"Those seeking an accessible popular account of this fascinating field will find their search over . . . Taking some of the most complex ideas from cutting-edge science, Zeilinger provides simple and clear explanations that in no way compromise the fundamental concepts -- Jeremy L. O'Brian * Science *For more than eighty years the bizarre features of the description of nature at the atomic level given by quantum mechanics have puzzled and fascinated the physics community, but it is only in recent years that many of these features have been verified by experiment. This delightful little book, by one of the world's leading practitioners in this area, explains these recent advances in a way that should be accessible even to readers with no physics background -- Anthony J. Leggett, winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in PhysicsAn exciting new perspective. He is one of the leading investigators into the foundations and consequences of quantum theory. His long history of intense involvement in the concrete details of making quantum effects visible and measurable in fundamental experiments is reflected in the book, setting it apart from many other popularizations ... Zeilinger writes with wit and clarity, combining humorous dialogue with an admirably serious and thorough treatment of some of the most challenging and fundamental concepts in modern quantum physics. Dance of the Photons is a wonderful resource for general readers who want to delve more deeply into contemporary quantum experiments and their ramifications ... a tour de force of exposition -- Peter Pesic * American Scientist *Anton Zeilinger's exposition of this puzzling subject is clear and vivid, and backed by a voice of authority that could come only from his being a leading experimenter in the field. -- A. Zee, author of "Fearful Symmetry", "Einstein's Universe", and "Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell"Light is the research focus of Zeilinger, a physicist in Austria who studies photons' ghostly quantum behaviour ... The faster-than-light talent of quantum particles bothered Einstein but excites Zeilinger, who describes the technologies that entanglement could in principle permit, such as quantum computers or quantum teleportation. An innovative presenter of a complicated topic, Zeilinger will appeal to the futurists of the science set -- Gilbert Taylor * Booklist *A rewarding exploration of the weird world of quantum physics ... the author introduces two college freshmen, Bob and Alice, eager for a taste of quantum physics ... Zeilinger uses simple diagrams and cheerful dialogues between Bob and Alice to make a difficult concept somewhat less difficult ... readers who pay close attention will grasp a strange but fascinating scientific principle * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book SynopsisWinner of the First Prize in the Joyce Rothschild Book AwardsPlatform cooperatives reimagine a world where domestic workers can double their income by establishing their own platform-an internet where platforms such as Twitch, Twitter, and Roblox were owned by their streamers, users, and creators. What if small fishing communities in Mexico or farmers in Kerala had the power to determine what data they collected about their work and how they utilized that data?Platform cooperatives are not a figment of the utopian imagination, but rather a reality that is transforming industries today. Collectives that leverage technology offer an urgent and practical solution to shift how businesses are owned and controlled, allowing workers to make decisions together. In this book, researcher and activist Trebor Scholz explores how these new forms of business, powered by peer principles, are paving the way for a more equitable economy that benefits everyone.Own This! sets out a program that could change the ways we live, work, and organize.Trade ReviewTrebor Scholz has tirelessly promoted worker empowerment around the world via platform cooperatives. Going beyond unionization, these co-ops give their employee-owners control over the businesses they run, ranging from banks to taxi companies to recycling firms. Scholz is by turns passionate and analytical, utopian and pragmatic. An excellent read on a critically important topic, Own This! should have global reach and impact. -- Frank Pasquale, author of The Black Box SocietyPlatform cooperatives are the most exciting and hopeful business model for our collective future. Own This! is the essential, brilliant, accessible guide to this rapidly growing movement. If you are interested in work, technology, climate or the future of humanity-read this book. -- Juliet Schor, author of After the GigScholz is a passionate intellectual activist who devoted himself to looking for alternatives for decades to enhance worker solidarity on a global scale. This is a timely guidebook, a manifesto that provides us hope and light for future generations -- Pun Ngai, author of Made in ChinaFor over a decade, Trebor Scholz has been an intellectual-activist leader of efforts to bring the cooperative movement into the digital economy. In Own This!, he skillfully combines inspiration and analysis while weaving stories spanning South Korea to New York and South Africa to Maine, confronting challenges through federated scaling, cooperative-union alliances, and state-backed pro-cooperative policies, providing impetus to the endeavor of establishing a pluralist digital commonwealth as a haven against the rising waters of capitalism. -- Yochai Benkler, author of The Wealth of NetworksScholz artfully explores a comprehensive panorama of scalable alternatives to the VC-fueled startup model. This book is a wave that, like the gentle yet unwavering force of the ocean, serves as a catalyst for change, redefining our understanding of cooperation in the 21st century -- Ines Lopez, PescadataSituates these co-ops both in the now vast (and often terrible) platform business sector as well as in the worker ownership and labor movements, outlines how they work, addresses their advantages and challenges, presents provocative cases and lays out possibilities for the road ahead. -- Fred Freundlich, Professor of Cooperative Enterprise, Mondragon UniversityWhile the "sharing economy" has proved to be a disaster for workers and a benefit only for venture capitalists, there is a better way, and Trebor Scholz charts the path for a new economy that's genuinely good for workers, customer and society as a whole. Reaching back through the history of worker-owned cooperatives to the front lines of this new economy unfolding around the world, Own This! is a glimpse of a future worth fighting for from a pioneer in building this new workers movement. -- Ethan Zuckerman, author of Mistrust: How Losing Faith in Institutions Provides the Tools to Transform ThemA call to action for those interested in constructing an alternative digital future. -- Lola Brittain * LSE Review of Books *Table of Contents1. Alternative Paths2. Worker Ownership for the Digital Economy3. Solidarity at Scale4. Redefining Value5. Roots of Resilience: Unions and Platform Cooperatives6. The Coming Data Democracy7. Letter from 2035: A Social Vision RealizedEpilogue: How to Start a Platform Co-op

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Book SynopsisIn his 1980 essay, The World of Tomorrow and the Person of Tomorrow, the psychologist Carl Rogers contemplated the future. He described those who would usher in this new era as people with the capacity to understand, bring about and absorb a paradigm shift. He added: "I have an uneasy feeling about this chapter... It is a beginning, an outline, a suggestion... I believe that what I am saying here will some day be fleshed out much more fully, either by me or someone else." Maureen O'Hara and Graham Leicester are uniquely qualified to flesh out Carl Rogers's vision (Maureen worked closely with Rogers for many years). Here they explore the competencies - the ways of being, doing, knowing and organising - that can help us navigate in complex and powerful times. They argue that these competencies are innate and within reach of all of us - given the right setting, plenty of practice and some gentle guidance. But they are seldom seen because they are routinely undervalued in today's culture. That must change, the authors insist, and this book is intended to begin that change. The book is based on the authors' extensive research and their practical experience observing the qualities demonstrated by some of today's most successful cultural, political and business leaders. They write of `persons of tomorrow' that they have witnessed: "We find that people who are thriving in the contemporary world, who give us the sense of having it all together and being able to act effectively and with good spirit in challenging circumstances, have some identifiable characteristics in common... They are the people already among us who inhabit the complex and messy problems of the 21st century in a more expansive way than their colleagues. They do not reduce such problems to the scale of the tools available to them, or hide behind those tools when they know they are partial and inadequate. They are less concerned with `doing the right thing' according to standard procedure than they are with really doing the right thing in the moment, in specific cases, with the individuals involved at the time. In a disciplined yet engaging way they are always pushing boundaries, including their own. They dance at the edge." Theodore Hesburgh, President Emeritus of Notre Dame University, once said that leadership demands certainty: "You cannot blow an uncertain trumpet." On the contrary, argue Leicester and O'Hara, we must all learn to play the uncertain trumpet like virtuosos. It is an image that conveys the subtle discipline required of the `person of tomorrow' - an artistry that, they argue, is essential to restore hope in the future.

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Book SynopsisA vision of the future of education in which the classroom experience is distributed across space and time without compromising learning.What if there were a model for learning in which the classroom experience was distributed across space and time--and students could still have the benefits of the traditional classroom, even if they can't be present physically or learn synchronously? In this book, two experts in online learning envision a future in which education from kindergarten through graduate school need not be tethered to a single physical classroom. The distributed classroom would neither sacrifice students' social learning experience nor require massive development resources. It goes beyond hybrid learning, so ubiquitous during the COVID-19 pandemic, and MOOCs, so trendy a few years ago, to reimagine the classroom itself.David Joyner and Charles Isbell, both of Georgia Tech, explain how recent developments, including distance learning and learning manag

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Book SynopsisAn electrifying collection of thought-provoking interviews from recent broadcasts of CBC Radio''s Ideas. In these remarkable dialogues -- most of them in the company of Ideas host Paul Kennedy -- some of the great intellectuals of our time reflect, interject, and project on the course of human civilization, addressing topics such as social engineering and human rights, the directions of science and technology, the influence of art, music, and literature, and the quest for truth. Compiled and edited by Bernie Lucht, this volume explores the ideas of nineteen inspiring international and Canadian thinkers, including Louise Arbour, David Schindler, Jerome Kagan, John Gray, Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, Leonore Tieffer, Nat Hentoff, Theodore Dalrymple, Mark Lilla, and many others.

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Book SynopsisThis textbook provides an introduction to the scientific study of sociology and other social sciences. It offers the basic tools necessary for readers to become both critical consumers and beginning producers of scientific research on society. The authors present an integrated approach to research design and empirical analyses in which researchers can develop and test causal theories. They use examples from social science research that students will find engaging and inspiring and that will help them to understand key concepts. The book makes technical materials accessible to students who might otherwise be intimidated by mathematical examples. This new text, with the addition of sociologist Steven A. Tuch to the author team, follows the successful format, approach, and pedagogical features in Paul M. Kellstedt and Guy D. Whitten''s bestselling text, The Fundamentals of Political Science Research, now in its third edition. Workbooks in Stata, SPSS, and R, three of the most popular statTrade Review'Kellstedt, Whitten, and Tuch provide an accessible, sophisticated text. With well-chosen examples, they show why a full understanding of research design, theory construction, and causal inference is essential for effective use of our modern toolkit of data analysis techniques.' Stephen L. Morgan, Johns Hopkins University'A comprehensive and well-written introduction to the techniques and logic of social research. The logic and application of a wide range of methodological techniques are explained eloquently and clearly, and the examples used cut across social science disciplines. This book should be widely used in methods courses across the social sciences.' George Wilson, University of Miami'This valuable textbook is unique for two reasons: first, it seamlessly integrates theory, research design, and data analysis, providing students with the foundation required to develop empirically grounded research projects that can make theoretical progress in social science. Second, it is accessible and engaging, drawing students in and showing them how stimulating and exciting social research can be.' Michael Hughes, Virginia TechTable of ContentsList of Figures; List of Tables; Preface; Acknowledgments; 1. The Scientific Study of Society; 2. The Art of Theory Building; 3. Evaluating Causal Relationships; 4. Research Design; 5. Survey Research; 6. Measuring Concepts of Interest; 7. Getting to Know Your Data; 8. Probability and Statistical Inference; 9. Bivariate Hypothesis Testing; 10. Two-Variable Regression Models; 11. Multiple Regression; 12. Putting it all Together to Produce Effective Research; Appendix A. Critical Values of Chi-square; Appendix B. Critical Values of t; Appendix C. The Λ Link Function for Binomial Logit Models; Appendix D. The Φ Link Function for Binomial Probit Models; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisWhether it’s an unforeseen financial crash, a shock election result or a washout summer that threatens to ruin a holiday in the sun, forecasts are part and parcel of our everyday lives. We rely wholeheartedly on them, and become outraged when things don’t go exactly to plan. But should we really put so much trust in predictions? Perhaps gut instincts can trump years of methodically compiled expert knowledge? And when exactly is a forecast not a forecast? Forewarned will answer all of these intriguing questions, and many more. Packed with fun anecdotes and startling facts, Forewarned is a myth-busting guide to prediction, based on the very latest scientific research. It lays out the many ways forecasting can help us make better decisions in an unpredictable modern world, and reveals when forecasts can be a reliable guide to the uncertainties of the future – and when they are best ignored.

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Book SynopsisGlobal risks, mobilities and interdependencies transnationalize local life and working worlds. These processes lead to an inner globalization of societies in which worldwide constellations of "reflexive" (Ulrich Beck), "multiple" (Shmuel N. Eisenstadt), "entangled" (Shalini Randeria) and "global" (Arjun Appadurai) modernities simultaneously and immediately clash in social action: a process of cosmopolitanization in which "the global" is localized and "the local" is globalized in radical new ways. In this book, an international selection of prominent critical thinkers address this premise and provide their interpretations of imminent challenges, concomitant social dynamics and political implications.With contributions by Arjun Appadurai, Zygmunt Bauman, Ulrich Beck, Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim, Edgar Grande, Maarten Hajer, Ronald Hitzler, Wolf Lepenies, Anna Tsing, Angela McRobbie, Bruno Latour, Ted Nordhaus & Michael Shellenberger, Hans-Georg Soeffner, Natan Sznaider, Anja Weiß and Yunxiang Yan.

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Book SynopsisHow did American cities change throughout the 20th and early 21st century? This timely publication integrates research from American Literary and Cultural Studies, Urban Studies and History. The essays range from negotiations of the "ethnic city" in US literature and media, to studies of recent urban phenomena and their representations: gentrification, re-appropriation and conversion of urban spaces in the USA. These interdisciplinary and intercultural perspectives on American cities provide unique points of access for studying the complex narratives of urban transformation.Trade Review"The volume features different case studies and combines essays that both thematically and methodologically make for a very valuable and readable contribution to the field of urban studies." Nico Völker, KULT_online, 48 (2016)

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Book SynopsisJeanne Féaux de la Croix maps three iconic places as part of Central Asians' 'moral geographies' and examines their role in navigating socialist, neo-liberal and neo-Islamic life models.Dams provide most of Kyrgyzstan's electricity, but are also at the heart of regional water disputes that threaten an already shrinking Aral Sea. Mountain pastures cover much of Central Asia's heartland and offer a livelihood and refuge, even to urban citizens. Pilgrimage sites have recovered from official Soviet oblivion and act as cherished scenes of decision-making. Examining how iconic places, work and well-being can mesh together, this book moves debates about post-Soviet memory, space and property onto fresh terrain.

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Book Synopsis"There's nothing really fun about the park in winter!" - Christina Ergler is the first one to explore why "play" resonates differently across urban localities and seasons. She draws on Bourdieu's theory of practice and Gibson's affordance theory to show that determinants of seasonal outdoor play transcend modifiable barriers such as traffic and unsuitable play spaces as well as the inevitable issue of inclement weather. In contrast, seasonal play determinants are grounded in locally constituted beliefs about what is seasonally "appropriate" children's activity. To foster a healthier and more sustainable life for children, outdoor play needs to become convenient all-year-round in all locations.Table of ContentsPrologue; 'Playing around' with children's outdoor play; 'Obesogenic landscapes' in children's geographies: mapping key debates and perspectives; A conceptual framework for understanding children's seasonal outdoor play: Bourdieu and affordances; 'Methodological principles': a Bourdieusian approach to unpack outdoor play; The research practice: procedural principles; Locating Auckland Central and Beach Haven; The social history of play: Auckland a city of managed childhood?; The inhabitation of Auckland Central and Beach Haven: a parental pursuit; 'Profits of localisation' for outdoor play in Auckland Central and Beach Haven; Spaces of points of view: the logics of outdoor play in summer and winter; Struggles in the 'field of play': five insights into understanding and explaining 'obesogenic landscapes'; Closing, refurbishing and re-opening the 'playgrounds' of 'obesogenic landscapes'; References.

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Book SynopsisAs the need for economic growth takes a salient role in the political discourse of society's welfare and progress, the middle class, as a social grouping existing within socioeconomic structures, has a multiplier effect - politically and culturally. The middle class serves a vital role in supporting a country's growth through stimulating economic development and promoting a politically engaged society. By examining Vietnam and Serbia as ideologically attuned countries which differ in economic development, the author draws on functionalist, dimensional paradigms to underline how critical the rise of middle class is in understanding the political stability of modern societies before concluding that society's sub-social challenges and cultural determinants do affect the course of development and growth. This comprehensive study will appeal to social scientists with interests in political stability, ideological states and development narratives.

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Book SynopsisIn this major new work by one of the leading writers on Utopian Studies, Ruth Levitas argues that a prospective future of ecological and economic crises poses a challenge to the utopian imaginary, to conceive a better world and alternative future. Utopia as Method does not construe utopia as goal or blueprint, but as a holistic, reflexive method for developing what those possible futures might be. It begins by treating utopia as the quest for grace, through a hermeneutics that recovers the utopian meaning in our culture, explored through colour and music. Moving from the existential to the social, it draws on H. G. Wells''s claim that the creation of utopias is the distinctive and proper method of sociology, and on the tentative reappearance of utopia in contemporary social theory. It proposes a constructive method, the Imaginary Reconstitution of Society. This fusion of explicitly normative social theory and analytic critique rehabilitates utopia Trade Review'Levitas's Utopia as Method is a crucial and necessary book. In the face of global ecological and economic crises, she offers utopianism as a robust and realistic method that encompasses both a critique of the existing world and alternatives for a better one that can be mobilized in the process of transforming, indeed redeeming, the dark times in which we live.' - Tom Moylan, Professor Emeritus and Co-Director of the Ralahine Centre for Utopian Studies at the University of Limerick, Ireland 'Author of the path-breaking The Concept of Utopia Ruth Levitas has produced a new powerful reflection on the protean nature of the utopian. It is a very fine work, theoretically innovative, truly interdisciplinary, and combining scholarly integrity with a distinctive political voice. The meditations of a lifetime.' - Vincent Geoghegan, Professor of Political Theory, Queen's University Belfast, UK 'Ruth Levitas' Utopia as Method is a profound and deeply original exploration of the connection between utopian thinking and social theory, and an urgent call for sociologists to place the imaginary reconstruction of society at the centre of their work. It is a wonderful, inspiring book.' - Erik Olin Wright, Vilas Distinguished Professor, University of Wisconsin, USA 'This book is an indispensable support for deep change in trivial times, a testimonial to the transformative power of imagination, and a celebration of life as a journey that can find an echo across all cultures in our changing world.' - Jenneth Parker, Research Director, Schumacher Institute, UK 'In Utopia as Method, Levitas offers an urgent and convincing application of utopian theories to IROS (the Imaginary Reconstitution of Society). She builds on her magisterial earlier work The Concept of Utopia to persuade readers that the current era (late capitalism in its death throes) has made utopian thinking mandatory not self-indulgent or irrelevant. Levitas is to be congratulated for the depth of her argument, the clarity of its expression, and the honesty that lies at its heart.' - Toby Widdicombe, University of Alaska Anchorage, USATable of ContentsIntroduction PART I 1. From Terror to Grace 2. Riff on Blue 3. Echoes of Elsewhere PART II 4. Between Sociology and Utopia 5. Utopia Denied 6. Utopia Revised 7. The Return of the Repressed PART III 8. Utopia as Archaeology 9. Utopia as Ontology 10. Utopia as Architecture

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Book SynopsisUtopia should be understood as a method rather than a goal. This book rehabilitates utopia as a repressed dimension of the sociological and in the process produces the Imaginary Reconstitution of Society, a provisional, reflexive and dialogic method for exploring alternative possible futures.Trade Review'Levitas's Utopia as Method is a crucial and necessary book. In the face of global ecological and economic crises, she offers utopianism as a robust and realistic method that encompasses both a critique of the existing world and alternatives for a better one that can be mobilized in the process of transforming, indeed redeeming, the dark times in which we live.' - Tom Moylan, Professor Emeritus and Co-Director of the Ralahine Centre for Utopian Studies at the University of Limerick, Ireland 'Author of the path-breaking The Concept of Utopia Ruth Levitas has produced a new powerful reflection on the protean nature of the utopian. It is a very fine work, theoretically innovative, truly interdisciplinary, and combining scholarly integrity with a distinctive political voice. The meditations of a lifetime.' - Vincent Geoghegan, Professor of Political Theory, Queen's University Belfast, UK 'Ruth Levitas' Utopia as Method is a profound and deeply original exploration of the connection between utopian thinking and social theory, and an urgent call for sociologists to place the imaginary reconstruction of society at the centre of their work. It is a wonderful, inspiring book.' - Erik Olin Wright, Vilas Distinguished Professor, University of Wisconsin, USA 'This book is an indispensable support for deep change in trivial times, a testimonial to the transformative power of imagination, and a celebration of life as a journey that can find an echo across all cultures in our changing world.' - Jenneth Parker, Research Director, Schumacher Institute, UK 'In Utopia as Method, Levitas offers an urgent and convincing application of utopian theories to IROS (the Imaginary Reconstitution of Society). She builds on her magisterial earlier work The Concept of Utopia to persuade readers that the current era (late capitalism in its death throes) has made utopian thinking mandatory not self-indulgent or irrelevant. Levitas is to be congratulated for the depth of her argument, the clarity of its expression, and the honesty that lies at its heart.' - Toby Widdicombe, University of Alaska Anchorage, USATable of ContentsIntroduction PART I 1. From Terror to Grace 2. Riff on Blue 3. Echoes of Elsewhere PART II 4. Between Sociology and Utopia 5. Utopia Denied 6. Utopia Revised 7. The Return of the Repressed PART III 8. Utopia as Archaeology 9. Utopia as Ontology 10. Utopia as Architecture

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPraise for Robert Skidelsky -- -A truly innovative and radical perspective … thought-stirring and extremely refreshing -- John Gray * Guardian *Arresting insights, written – despite its complex and heavyweight subject matter – with a captivating lightness of touch -- Dominic Lawson * The Sunday Times *Crisp and pungent … deeply provocative and intellectually suggestive -- Rowan Williams * Prospect *Skidelsky is a major figure in the revival of Keynesian thought -- Martin Wolf * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisHumanity is on the cusp of an exciting longevity revolution. The first person to live to 150 years has probably already been born. What will your life look like when you live to be over 100? Will the world become overpopulated? How will living longer affect your finances, your family life, and your views on religion and the afterlife? In 100 Plus , futurist Sonia Arrison brings together over a decade of experience researching and writing about cutting-edge advances in science and technology to paint a vivid picture of a future that only recently seemed like science fiction, but is now very real. The first book to give readers a comprehensive understanding of how life-extending discoveries will change our social and economic worlds, 100 Plus is an illuminating and indispensable text that will help us navigate the thrilling journey of life beyond 100 years.Trade ReviewNew Scientist "[B]rilliant... [T]he chapters devoted to advances in regenerative medicine and the search for interventions that slow ageing are exhilarating. Growing new limbs, copying internal organs like a Xerox machine, exponential increases in computing power, better eyes and ears--I could read stories like this endlessly. We need such vision to help carry the science forward, and some of the most exciting advances in the scientific study of ageing are forthcoming. Arrison paints a realistic picture of the science driving the next longevity revolution, and makes the case that, if we play our cards right, humanity will reap huge dividends for the effort. In that way, this book is the most comprehensive treatment of the socioeconomic consequences of life extension that I've seen... [T]he costs and benefits of life extension and, more importantly, health extension, are subjects in desperate need of open dialogue, and Arrison begins this process with elegance and style." Wall Street Journal "Ms. Arrison entertainingly chronicles efforts to conquer aging and death from antiquity to today. Food, sex, exercise and alchemy have all been employed to keep the grim reaper at bay. But technology offers the most plausible route, she says, noting that biology and computing are drawing ever closer together with the sequencing of the human genome... [Her] sunny outlook is infectious." Singularity Hub "Easy to read, and easy to understand, 100+ walks you through the incredible achievements in regenerative medicine we've already seen, projects them forward, and discusses the changes in environment, economy, family, and religion that will follow... Arrison states her case strongly enough to convince almost anyone, and in a style that will be as accessible to your techno-phobic Uncle Walter as it is to your computer loving self." Garry Kasparov "At a time when companies think only of quarterly results and politicians do not look beyond the next election, Sonia Arrison provides a fascinating look at the very long view. If mankind focuses its energy, there is no limit to our lives--or our lifespans." Aubrey de Grey, Ph.D.; chief science officer, SENS Foundation "Arrison has crafted an eminently readable and informative survey of the state of play in the crusade against humanity's oldest and greatest foe. By educating readers about both the science and the social context of the quest to postpone age-related ill-health, she has surely hastened the development of such therapies, and thereby saved many thousands of lives." Washington Independent Review of Books "The final chapter makes ... 100 Plus must reading for anyone who wants to have a voice." Singularity Weblog "The book is very well researched and deals with the most profound implications of life-extension and super-longevity... Despite its complex topic, advanced scientific matter and hefty goals, it manages to weave the narrative in a very accessible, easy to understand and deeply engaging way. At the same time, providing a number of illuminating, counter-intuitive conclusions that only a deep, unprejudiced and honest researcher can reach." Huffington Post "100 Plus lays out the lifespan conundrum in engaging detail... The book is chock full of stories featuring new medical and technological innovation." George Church, Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School "This much-needed book beautifully integrates the history and science (even genomics) of extending our healthy years. Arrison presents the latest of diverse data types in a very clear and engaging manner. I can hardly wait for a potential sequel--200 Plus, anyone?" Matt Ridley, author of The Rational Optimist "Sonia Arrison's brilliant account of how and why we will all soon get the chance to live much longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives is thoroughly researched, persuasively argued, elegantly written and rationally uplifting. This is an important and lively book." Peter H. Diamandis, MD, Chairman/CEO, X PRIZE Foundation and Chairman/Co-Founder, Singularity University "Exponentially growing technologies such as biotech, artificial intelligence, and nanosciences are rapidly deciphering the source code for human beings. I have every expectation that this biological information will yield effective longevity strategies and therapies within the next few decades. Such fountains of youth will impact all aspects of our lives and our society. Arrison's book is a must read for anyone thinking about the future."

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Book Synopsis

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