ARGUMENTS FOR A BETTER WORLD (essays in honor of amartya sen)

Amartya Sen has made deep and lasting contributions to the academic disciplines of economics, philosophy, and the social sciences more broadly. He has engaged in policy dialogue and public debate, advancing the cause of a human development focused policy agenda, and a tolerant and democratic polity. This argumentative Indian has made the case for the poorest of the poor, and for plurality in cultural perspective. It is not surprising that he has won the highest awards, ranging from the Nobel Prize in Economics to the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. This public recognition has gone hand in hand with the affection and admiration that Amartya's friends and students hold for him.

This volume of essays, written in honor of his 75th birthday by his students and peers, covers the range of contributions that Sen has made to knowledge. They are written by some of the world's leading economists, philosophers and social scientists, and address topics such as ethics, welfare economics, poverty, gender, human development, society and politics.

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An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations

 "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith lays the foundations of modern economics without the formalization which would come later. Adam Smith starts by exploring the need for specialization of labor once societies advance beyond the hunter gatherer phase, making the natural assumption that each individual pursues their best interests. Smith then foreshadows the concepts of marginal utility and scarcity in determining the shapes of demand curves for commodities. Similarly, he describes the three factors determining supply prices for commodities (rent of land, wages and capital costs ) and the various factors which influence them (the equivalent of modern supply/demand curves for each factor ). Smith then puts these together under ideal circumstances to show how supply and demand meet to clear markets (equilibrium in modern language). Adam Smith's "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" also covers macroeconomics, laying the foundations for GDP and showing how capital can be distributed to unproductive and productive labor. "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" also explores the consequences of various distribution of each from both the micro and macroeconomic perspective. Adam Smith concludes by emphasizing the importance of government in providing international and domestic security as well as providing public works and institutions especially education. Naturally this requires state revenue and he devotes almost one entire "book" to taxes. Smith also delves briefly into political economy especially mercantilism and its detrimental effects to society at large. "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" is a great introduction to modern economics which explains the motivation for many modern economic concepts which are too often lost today.

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Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages

Within each volume, organization is by culture ("Ancient Rome," "African Cultures") or by period ("The Sixteenth Century," "1946-1960"). Following a brief introduction that provides background and context, each chapter is divided into sections covering "Clothing," "Headwear," "Body Decoration," and "Footwear," and within each of these categories are an overview and between one and 20 alphabetically ordered entries on specific items or styles. For example, the chapter on Europe in the seventeenth century has entries for breeches, bustles, stomachers, and waistcoats, among other articles of clothing. The chapter on Africa describes beadwork, body painting, and lip plugs, among other types of decoration. There are 430 entries in all, ranging from a paragraph or two to a page, and each concludes with citations to a few references, including Web sites, for additional information. Sidebars highlight related topics, such as hygiene and sumptuary laws.
Each volume contains the same glossary, time line, and general bibliography. Also repeated in each volume are several access aids, including a set table of contents, an alphabetical list of entries, a list of entries by category (clothing, headwear, etc.), and an index.
Although profusely and colorfully illustrated with photographs and reproductions of paintings, the set could use some drawings as well. It's hard to picture what a farthingale, a fontange, or a haori actually look like based on descriptions in the text. This aside, the work is notable for its organization, breadth of coverage, and attractive design. Strongly recommended for school and public libraries, it will likely appeal to an audience beyond its targeted readers.
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vol 1 : http://www.4shared.com/account/document/Bnj2EtSX/Encyclopedia_of_Fashion_Costum.html
vol 2 :  http://www.4shared.com/account/document/y2OMPAyK/Encyclopedia_of_Fashion_Costum.html
vol 3 : http://www.4shared.com/account/document/XQJYknJm/Encyclopedia_of_Fashion_Costum.html
vol 4 : http://www.4shared.com/account/document/LHJ20meh/Encyclopedia_of_Fashion_Costum.html
vol 5 : http://www.4shared.com/account/document/LHJ20meh/Encyclopedia_of_Fashion_Costum.html

Cosmology and Architecture in Premodern Islam

Samer Akkach's "Cosmology and Architecture in Pre-Modern Islam: An Architectural Reading of Mystical Ideas" is a work that anyone interested in the interplay between Islamic cosmology and traditional Islamic architecture should pick up. Insofar as the spiritual economy of Islam is concerned the Absolute is postured as pure `Object', and so cosmology is an integral part of its metaphysical dialectic. The inner cosmology, or the world of the psyche, is an aspect of Sufi metaphysical discourse--how could it not be--but it is the cosmological that is given the emphasis. Understanding how the cosmos was envisaged by the luminaries of the Islamic tradition is a most important step in "breathing" the air of that dispensation of sacred names and forms commonly known as Islamic.
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