- Table View
- List View
Lifescapes: A Biographer’s Search for the Soul
by Ann WroeThe acclaimed biographer and obituarist for The Economist reflects on a career spent pursuing life and capturing it on the page.It is soul that I go looking for. Or, to put it another way, real life.'She's a genius, I believe' HILARY MANTEL'A masterful celebration' JOHN BANVILLE'A rare and beautiful book' KAPKA KASSABOVA'What is life?' asked the poet Shelley, and could not come up with an answer. Scientists, too, for all their understanding of how life manifests, thrives and evolves, have still not plumbed that fundamental question. Yet biographers and obituarists continue to corral lives in a few columns, or a few hundred pages, aware all the time how fleeting and elusive their subject is.In this dazzlingly original blend of memoir, biography, observation and poetry, Ann Wroe reflects on the art and impossibility of capturing life on the page. Through her experiences and those of others, through people she has known, studied or merely glimpsed in windows, she movingly explores what makes a life and how that life lingers after.Animated by Wroe's rare imagination, eye for the telling detail, and the wit, beauty and clarity of her writing, Lifescapes is a luminous, deeply personal answer to Shelley's question.
East Timor, René Girard and Neocolonial Violence: Scapegoating as Australian Policy (Violence, Desire, and the Sacred)
by Susan ConnellyIn a new historical interpretation of the relationship between Australia and East Timor, Susan Connelly draws on the mimetic theory of René Girard to show how the East Timorese people were scapegoated by Australian foreign policy during the 20th century.Charting key developments in East Timor's history and applying three aspects of Girard's framework – the scapegoat, texts of persecution and conversion – Connelly reveals Australia's mimetic dependence on Indonesia and other nations for security. She argues that Australia's complicity in the Indonesian invasion and occupation of East Timor perpetuated the sacrifice of the Timorese people as victims, thus calling into question the traditional Australian values of egalitarianism and fairness. Connelly also examines the embryonic conversion process apparent in levels of recognition of the innocent victim and of the Australian role in East Timor's suffering, as well as the consequent effects on Australian self-perception.Emphasising Girardian considerations of fear, suffering, forgiveness and conversion, this book offers a fresh perspective on Australian and Timorese relations that in turn sheds light on the origins and operations of human violence.
Sound Tracks: Uncovering Our Musical Past
by Graeme LawsonA transporting voyage of archaeological discovery: Sound Tracks unearths instruments from around the world and across time, releasing the past's musical secrets for the first time. ‘A thrilling journey into the sonic richness of human experience’ PHILIP BALL, author of The Music Instinct‘A magical book’ FRANCIS PRYOR, author of Britain BCFrom the present day back to the dawn of time, from dark caves and murky swamps to open deserts and ocean depths, here is the history of humankind's relationship with music in fifty detective stories.We see a child’s delight in Peru in AD 700, playing with a water-filled pot that chirps like a bird; we shiver with a lonely soldier sending trumpet signals to the next watchtower on Hadrian's Wall; we sway to the stately rhythms of the 64 bells buried in a tomb in China in the 5th century BC. And on this grand tour, we learn that music is part of what makes us human – a way of commemorating our pasts, communicating with others and shaping our lives.Brimming with astonishing insights, Sound Tracks provides an enthralling alternative history of humanity in which the silences of the past are filled with a glorious treasure hoard of vanished sounds and voices.‘Piles revelation upon revelation to shed a completely new perspective on the tools we use for making music’ NORMAN LEBRECHT, author of Why Beethoven‘Lawson has brilliantly conjured up the sounds of 30,000 years of human history’ DAVID ABULAFIA, Professor Emeritus of Mediterranean History
Media Ethics, Free Speech, and the Requirements of Democracy (Routledge Research in Applied Ethics)
by Carl Fox Joe SaundersHow we understand, protect, and discharge our rights and responsibilities as citizens in a democratic society committed to the principle of political equality is intimately connected to the standards and behaviour of our media in general, and our news media in particular. However, the media does not just stand between the citizenry and their leaders, or indeed between citizens and each other. The media is often the site where individuals attempt to realise some of the most fundamental democratic liberties, including the right to free speech. Media Ethics, Free Speech, and the Requirements of Democracy explores the conflict between the rights that people exercise in, and through, the modern media and the responsibilities that accrue on account of its awesome and increasing power. The individual chapters—written by leading scholars from the US, UK, and Australia—address several recent events and controversial developments in the media, including Brexit, the rise of Trump, Lynton Crosby, Charlie Hebdo, dog-whistle politics, fake news, and political correctness. This much-needed philosophical treatment is a welcome addition to the recent literature in media ethics. It will be of interest to scholars across political and social philosophy, applied ethics, media and communication studies, and political science who are interested in the important issues surrounding the media and free speech and democracy.
Media Ethics, Free Speech, and the Requirements of Democracy (Routledge Research in Applied Ethics)
by Carl Fox Joe SaundersHow we understand, protect, and discharge our rights and responsibilities as citizens in a democratic society committed to the principle of political equality is intimately connected to the standards and behaviour of our media in general, and our news media in particular. However, the media does not just stand between the citizenry and their leaders, or indeed between citizens and each other. The media is often the site where individuals attempt to realise some of the most fundamental democratic liberties, including the right to free speech. Media Ethics, Free Speech, and the Requirements of Democracy explores the conflict between the rights that people exercise in, and through, the modern media and the responsibilities that accrue on account of its awesome and increasing power. The individual chapters—written by leading scholars from the US, UK, and Australia—address several recent events and controversial developments in the media, including Brexit, the rise of Trump, Lynton Crosby, Charlie Hebdo, dog-whistle politics, fake news, and political correctness. This much-needed philosophical treatment is a welcome addition to the recent literature in media ethics. It will be of interest to scholars across political and social philosophy, applied ethics, media and communication studies, and political science who are interested in the important issues surrounding the media and free speech and democracy.
Khilafat in History and Indian Politics
by Zaheer AliThis book is a brief historical account of Khilafat, an Islamic political institution mired in controversies from its inception. It is an attempt to present an objective critique of the Islamic polity that, in a way, was primarily responsible for crafting schisms in Islam with its commencement. By the time the last Khilafat of the Ottomans came to an end in the aftershock of the Second World War, the Muslim political elite in India launched a movement for the restoration and continuation of the Ottoman Khilafat. The most paradoxical dimension of the issue was that in the Arab peninsula, the epicenter of Islam, the people were struggling to cast away the yoke of the Ottoman Khilafat, then why were the Indian Muslims emotionally involved in a movement that was vehemently condemned and assailed by a majority of Muslims outside the Indian subcontinent? This title is co-published with Aakar Books. Print editions not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)
Khilafat in History and Indian Politics
by Zaheer AliThis book is a brief historical account of Khilafat, an Islamic political institution mired in controversies from its inception. It is an attempt to present an objective critique of the Islamic polity that, in a way, was primarily responsible for crafting schisms in Islam with its commencement. By the time the last Khilafat of the Ottomans came to an end in the aftershock of the Second World War, the Muslim political elite in India launched a movement for the restoration and continuation of the Ottoman Khilafat. The most paradoxical dimension of the issue was that in the Arab peninsula, the epicenter of Islam, the people were struggling to cast away the yoke of the Ottoman Khilafat, then why were the Indian Muslims emotionally involved in a movement that was vehemently condemned and assailed by a majority of Muslims outside the Indian subcontinent? This title is co-published with Aakar Books. Print editions not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)
The Little Book of Inner Peace (The Little Book Series)
by Ashley Davis BushA calm mind comes from knowing how you handle your emotions.At its fullest expression, deep inner peace is a response to life - a compassionate, rooted awareness - that is independent of external circumstances. Like the ocean depths, inner peace is expansive and stable. With practice, you can learn to quickly leave the choppy, wild waves at the surface and dive into the calm deep. You can learn to fill your days with the unflappable experience of peace.With beautiful illustrations, and easy exercises, this pocket-sized guide is the perfect book to help you quiet your mind and foster awareness. Inner peace can help you:- Reduce your experience of anxiety, anger, and resentment.- Experience deeper degrees of contentment and calm- Have an awareness that peace is available in the present moment- Experience life with more flow and less resistance- Express more spontaneous gratitude
The Euclidean Programme (Elements in the Philosophy of Mathematics)
by null A. C. Paseau null Wesley WrigleyThe Euclidean Programme embodies a traditional sort of epistemological foundationalism, according to which knowledge – especially mathematical knowledge – is obtained by deduction from self-evident axioms or first principles. Epistemologists have examined foundationalism extensively, but neglected its historically dominant Euclidean form. By contrast, this book offers a detailed examination of Euclidean foundationalism, which, following Lakatos, the authors call the Euclidean Programme. The book rationally reconstructs the programme's key principles, showing it to be an epistemological interpretation of the axiomatic method. It then compares the reconstructed programme with select historical sources: Euclid's Elements, Aristotle's Posterior Analytics, Descartes's Discourse on Method, Pascal's On the Geometric Mind and a twentieth-century account of axiomatisation. The second half of the book philosophically assesses the programme, exploring whether various areas of contemporary mathematics conform to it. The book concludes by outlining a replacement for the Euclidean Programme.
Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, Vol. 1
by Angela Y. DavisFrom trailblazing political activist Angela Y. Davis, a major new collection of essays and interviews that argue for a radical rethinking of our prison systemsAn icon of revolutionary politics, Angela Y. Davis has been at the forefront of collective movements for prison abolition for over fifty years. Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, the first of two important new volumes, brings together an essential collection of Davis’s essays, conversations, and interviews over the years, showing how her thinking has sharpened and evolved even as she has remained uncompromising in her commitment to collective liberation.Davis traces a genealogy of the penal system, from slavery to the prison industrial complex, offering a trenchant analysis of the relationship between the prison system and capitalism, both in the US and on a global scale. Combining decades of analytical brilliance and lessons from organising both inside and beyond prison walls, Davis addresses the history of abolitionist practice, details the unique contributions of women to abolitionist struggles, and offers the radical tools we need for revolutionary change.Powerful and rewarding, filled with insight and provocation, Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, is essential reading for anyone seeking to imagine a world without prisons.‘A woman of undeniable courage. She should be heard’ New York Times‘She has eyes in the back of our head. With her we can survive and resist’ John Berger‘Behold the heart and mind of Angela Davis: open, relentless, and on time! She is as radiant, she is as true, as that invincible sunrise’ June Jordan
About Haecceity: An Essay in Ontology (Routledge Studies in Metaphysics)
by Matthew DavidsonThis book offers an in-depth and updated examination of the nature of haecceity—that primitive entity which explains why something is distinct from other things.The book begins by exploring different conceptions of haecceity throughout history. The discussion of various figures across history is important for getting clear on the nature of haecceity and its role in individuation. The next part of the book examines different views about the nature of haecceity. The author defends a view on which haecceities have objects that instantiate them as constituents. Following that, the book considers arguments for and against the existence of haecceities, the epistemology of haecceity, and the distinction between qualitative and non-qualitative properties.About Haecceity will appeal to scholars and advanced students working in metaphysics, philosophy of language, epistemology, logic, and history of philosophy.
About Haecceity: An Essay in Ontology (Routledge Studies in Metaphysics)
by Matthew DavidsonThis book offers an in-depth and updated examination of the nature of haecceity—that primitive entity which explains why something is distinct from other things.The book begins by exploring different conceptions of haecceity throughout history. The discussion of various figures across history is important for getting clear on the nature of haecceity and its role in individuation. The next part of the book examines different views about the nature of haecceity. The author defends a view on which haecceities have objects that instantiate them as constituents. Following that, the book considers arguments for and against the existence of haecceities, the epistemology of haecceity, and the distinction between qualitative and non-qualitative properties.About Haecceity will appeal to scholars and advanced students working in metaphysics, philosophy of language, epistemology, logic, and history of philosophy.
The Abstract and the Concrete: Further Essays in Ontology
by Prof Peter van InwagenThe Abstract and the Concrete presents nine essays in ontology by Peter van Inwagen. Three of the essays concern topics in meta-ontology: the idea of multiple modes of being; Carnap's idea that the questions of "ontology," insofar as they are meaningful at all, are questions about which linguistic frameworks it is expedient to employ; the concept of one object's being metaphysically more fundamental that another. Three of the essays concern various topics that pertain to the author's "lower-case" or "lightweight" platonism. (According to lightweight platonism, there are attributes-necessarily existent universals. These attributes are not constituents of substances, they cannot enter into causal relations, and it is false that an F object is F in virtue of instantiating the attribute of being F.) The remaining three essays examine proposed answers to particular ontological questions: the question of the validity of mathematical fictionalism; the question whether it is analytic that at any place at which some xs are arranged chairwise, there is there a chair; the question of what it means to say that colour is an illusion, and whether (in the sense determined) colour is an illusion.
Abstract Objects (Elements in Metaphysics)
by null David LigginsPhilosophers often debate the existence of such things as numbers and propositions, and say that if these objects exist, they are abstract. But what does it mean to call something 'abstract'? And do we have good reason to believe in the existence of abstract objects? This Element addresses those questions, putting newcomers to these debates in a position to understand what they concern and what are the most influential considerations at work in this area of metaphysics. It also provides advice on which lines of discussion promise to be the most fruitful.
An Actor Survives: Remarks on Stanislavsky (Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies)
by Tomasz KubikowskiThis book focuses on the analysis and interpretation of the first volume of the book An Actor’s Work by Konstantin Stanislavsky. This volume is the only part of his planned major work on theatre art that he was able to finish and authorise before his death. Its highly edited variant has long been known as ‘An Actor Prepares’ in the English-speaking world. Tomasz Kubikowski explores Stanislavsky’s material not only as a handbook of acting but also as a philosophical testament of Stanislavsky, in which he attempts to contain his most essential experiences and reflections. This book explores the underlying theme of ‘survival’ in its various meanings, from professional to existential; and the mechanisms and actions we attempt to survive. This study will be of great interest to students and scholars in theatre and performance studies.
An Actor Survives: Remarks on Stanislavsky (Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies)
by Tomasz KubikowskiThis book focuses on the analysis and interpretation of the first volume of the book An Actor’s Work by Konstantin Stanislavsky. This volume is the only part of his planned major work on theatre art that he was able to finish and authorise before his death. Its highly edited variant has long been known as ‘An Actor Prepares’ in the English-speaking world. Tomasz Kubikowski explores Stanislavsky’s material not only as a handbook of acting but also as a philosophical testament of Stanislavsky, in which he attempts to contain his most essential experiences and reflections. This book explores the underlying theme of ‘survival’ in its various meanings, from professional to existential; and the mechanisms and actions we attempt to survive. This study will be of great interest to students and scholars in theatre and performance studies.
Adam Smith on the Ancients and the Moderns (Routledge Studies in the History of Economics)
by Gloria VivenzaThe classics heavily influenced many aspects of European modern culture, yet it is not easy to trace their intellectual power on any author. In this volume, Gloria Vivenza takes on the impressive task of examining how philosophy, history, literature, politics, and ethics all played a part in shaping Adam Smith’s thought as a scholar, philosopher, and economist.This book will be of interest to advanced students and researchers in the history of economic thought, the history of philosophy, moral philosophy, political theory, and the Enlightenment.
Adam Smith on the Ancients and the Moderns (Routledge Studies in the History of Economics)
by Gloria VivenzaThe classics heavily influenced many aspects of European modern culture, yet it is not easy to trace their intellectual power on any author. In this volume, Gloria Vivenza takes on the impressive task of examining how philosophy, history, literature, politics, and ethics all played a part in shaping Adam Smith’s thought as a scholar, philosopher, and economist.This book will be of interest to advanced students and researchers in the history of economic thought, the history of philosophy, moral philosophy, political theory, and the Enlightenment.
Addiction Becomes Normal: On the Late-Modern American Subject
by Jaeyoon ParkAddiction is now seen as an ordinary feature of human nature, an idea that introduces new doubts about the meaning of our desires. Over the last forty years, a variety of developments in American science, politics, and culture have reimagined addiction in their own ways, but they share an important understanding: increasingly, addiction is described as normal, the natural result of a body that has been exposed to potent stimuli. This shift in thinking suggests that addiction is a condition latent in all of us, a common response to a society rich in thrills. In Addiction Becomes Normal, Jaeyoon Park provides a history and critical analysis of the normalization of addiction in late-modern American society. By exploring addiction science, diagnostic manuals, judicial reform, and public health policy, he shows how seeing addiction as normal has flourished in recent decades and is supported throughout cultural life in the United States by the language of wellness, psychotherapy, and more. Building on Michel Foucault’s depiction of the human figure, Park argues that this shift reflects the emergence of a new American subject, one formed by the accretion of experiences. This view of the human subject challenges the idea that our compulsions reflect our characters, wills, or spirits. For if addiction is an extreme but ordinary attachment, and if compulsive consumption resembles healthy behavior, then desire is no longer an expression of the soul so much as the pursuit of a past reward. A perceptive work of recent history and political theory, Addiction Becomes Normal raises new questions about what it means to be human in America today.
Addiction Becomes Normal: On the Late-Modern American Subject
by Jaeyoon ParkAddiction is now seen as an ordinary feature of human nature, an idea that introduces new doubts about the meaning of our desires. Over the last forty years, a variety of developments in American science, politics, and culture have reimagined addiction in their own ways, but they share an important understanding: increasingly, addiction is described as normal, the natural result of a body that has been exposed to potent stimuli. This shift in thinking suggests that addiction is a condition latent in all of us, a common response to a society rich in thrills. In Addiction Becomes Normal, Jaeyoon Park provides a history and critical analysis of the normalization of addiction in late-modern American society. By exploring addiction science, diagnostic manuals, judicial reform, and public health policy, he shows how seeing addiction as normal has flourished in recent decades and is supported throughout cultural life in the United States by the language of wellness, psychotherapy, and more. Building on Michel Foucault’s depiction of the human figure, Park argues that this shift reflects the emergence of a new American subject, one formed by the accretion of experiences. This view of the human subject challenges the idea that our compulsions reflect our characters, wills, or spirits. For if addiction is an extreme but ordinary attachment, and if compulsive consumption resembles healthy behavior, then desire is no longer an expression of the soul so much as the pursuit of a past reward. A perceptive work of recent history and political theory, Addiction Becomes Normal raises new questions about what it means to be human in America today.
Administrative Ethics: A Conceptual Framework
by Amitabh RajanThis insightful book explores the use and application of ethics in contemporary governance and suggests necessary reforms. Following an interdisciplinary approach involving the fields of political science, law, economics, sociology, management, and philosophy, this book analyses their applicability and usefulness in everyday practices in governance, covering its five cardinal virtues—prudence, transparency, discourse, justice, and accountability. Highlighting ethical challenges in aspects of status recognition, oppression, empowerment, social care, public financing, environment protection and others in today’s interconnected world, it delves into the dynamics of administrative power in democracies and showcases how the misuse of power can be controlled through a discourse of ethics in law and governance. The book will be useful to the students, researchers and teachers of public administration, philosophy, political Science, corporate ethics, and governance other related social sciences disciplines. The book will also be an indispensable companion to social activists, advocacy groups, journalists and civil society institutions and public service training institutions.
Administrative Ethics: A Conceptual Framework
by Amitabh RajanThis insightful book explores the use and application of ethics in contemporary governance and suggests necessary reforms. Following an interdisciplinary approach involving the fields of political science, law, economics, sociology, management, and philosophy, this book analyses their applicability and usefulness in everyday practices in governance, covering its five cardinal virtues—prudence, transparency, discourse, justice, and accountability. Highlighting ethical challenges in aspects of status recognition, oppression, empowerment, social care, public financing, environment protection and others in today’s interconnected world, it delves into the dynamics of administrative power in democracies and showcases how the misuse of power can be controlled through a discourse of ethics in law and governance. The book will be useful to the students, researchers and teachers of public administration, philosophy, political Science, corporate ethics, and governance other related social sciences disciplines. The book will also be an indispensable companion to social activists, advocacy groups, journalists and civil society institutions and public service training institutions.
Advances in Techno-Humanities: Case Studies from Culture, Philosophy and the Arts (Routledge Studies in Translation Technology and Techno-Humanities)
by Mak Kin-WahThis book is a pioneering attempt to explore the relationships between technology and the humanities through case studies and specific contexts in the areas of language, theatre, literature, translation, philosophy, music, home designations, learning environment, and artificial intelligence. Written by scholars and specialists across various fields, the chapters explore the emerging field of techno-humanities. This book examines the development of language and society by means of Big Data, how technology is integrated into the theatres of Hong Kong and the ensuing results of such integration. The authors also highlight how technology is able to analyse, understand, and visualise literary works and to bring drastic changes to translation in the past seven decades. Long-standing philosophical issues are re-examined, linkages between technology and theoretical concepts are illuminated, and the emotional aspects of computational applications are investigated. This book also delves into insightful case studies such as providing suggestions to train novice translators through corpus-assisted translation teaching, analysing patterns of housing names, and discovering a new online method to acknowledge acquisition through authentic learning experiences. Overall, this book serves as a point of departure for us to go deeper into the role of technology in transforming the humanities in this digital age. This is a useful read for students and scholars interested in learning more about the cross section between humanities and technology.
Advances in Techno-Humanities: Case Studies from Culture, Philosophy and the Arts (Routledge Studies in Translation Technology and Techno-Humanities)
This book is a pioneering attempt to explore the relationships between technology and the humanities through case studies and specific contexts in the areas of language, theatre, literature, translation, philosophy, music, home designations, learning environment, and artificial intelligence. Written by scholars and specialists across various fields, the chapters explore the emerging field of techno-humanities. This book examines the development of language and society by means of Big Data, how technology is integrated into the theatres of Hong Kong and the ensuing results of such integration. The authors also highlight how technology is able to analyse, understand, and visualise literary works and to bring drastic changes to translation in the past seven decades. Long-standing philosophical issues are re-examined, linkages between technology and theoretical concepts are illuminated, and the emotional aspects of computational applications are investigated. This book also delves into insightful case studies such as providing suggestions to train novice translators through corpus-assisted translation teaching, analysing patterns of housing names, and discovering a new online method to acknowledge acquisition through authentic learning experiences. Overall, this book serves as a point of departure for us to go deeper into the role of technology in transforming the humanities in this digital age. This is a useful read for students and scholars interested in learning more about the cross section between humanities and technology.
Adventures in Democracy: The Turbulent World of People Power
by Erica Benner'A sparkling page-turner full of wit, original insight and unassuming erudition.' Katja Hoyer, the GuardianDemocracy is a living, breathing thing and Erica Benner has spent a lifetime thinking about the role ordinary citizens play in keeping it alive: from her childhood in post-war Japan, where democracy was imposed on a defeated country, to working in post-communist Poland, with its sudden gaps of wealth and security. This book draws on her experiences and the deep history of self-ruling peoples – going back to ancient Greece, the French revolution and Renaissance Florence – to rethink some of the toughest questions that we face today.What do democratic ideals of equality mean in a world obsessed with competition, wealth, and greatness? How can we hold the powerful to account? Can we find enough common ground to keep sharing democratic power in the future? Challenging well-worn myths of heroic triumph over tyranny, Benner reveals the inescapable vulnerabilities of people power, inviting us to consider why democracy is worth fighting for and the role each of us must play.