Kamis, 22 Desember 2011

Globalization And Human Rights (The New Global Society)

Globalization And Human Rights (The New Global Society)
By Alma Kadragic
 


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Between Equal Rights: A Marxist Theory Of International Law

“China Mieville’s brilliantly original book is an indispensable guide for anyone concerned with international law. It is the most comprehensive scholarly account available of the central theoretical debates about the foundations of international law. It offers a guide for the lay reader into the central texts in the field.”—Peter Gowan, Professor, International Relations, London Metropolitan University. Mieville critically examines existing theories of international law and offers a compelling alternative Marxist view. China Mieville, PhD, International Relations, London School of Economics, is an independent researcher and an award-winning novelist. His novel Perdido Street Station won the Arthur C. Clarke Award.

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Kamis, 15 Desember 2011

Cyclopedia of Philosophy

Cyclopedia of issues in modern philosophy: The philosophy of science and religion, the cognitive sciences, cultural studies, aesthetics, art and literature, the philosophy of economics, the philosophy of psychology, and ethics. 

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Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology 3ed Molecular Biology

"This third edition of this definitive source of information in the physical sciences includes nearly 800 articles that provide overviews of 16 general subject areas. All of the articles contain an outline of their contents, a glossary of terms, and references. In addition to the usual subject index, this edition has both a Relational Index and a Thematic Index."
-JOURNAL AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
"The third edition of this encyclopedia has been expanded, adding nearly 300 new articles... Each article provides a comprehensive overview of the topic, including definitions of key terms, diagrams and illustrations, see also references, and a bibliography. The index provides three useful entry points. ...articles are well written, and there is no other encyclopedia of physical sciences that reaches the depth of this one. It will meet most of the needs of students and general readers. For academic and larger public libraries."
-CHOICE
"The EPST is a splendid tool for new approaches, taking account of advances in topics which are generally considered being far away from each other, but which can be of mutual support."


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Rabu, 14 Desember 2011

Nineteenth-Century Britain: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

The nineteenth century was a time of massive growth for Britain. In 1800 it was overwhelmingly rural, agrarian, multilingual, and almost half-Celtic. A century later it was largely urban and English. The effects of the Industrial Revolution caused cities to swell enormously. London, for
example, grew from about 1 million people to over 6 million. Abroad, the British Empire was reaching its apex, while at home the world came to marvel at the Great Exhibition of 1851 with its crowning achievement--the Crystal Palace. Historians Christopher Harvie and Colin Matthew present a
comprehensive and authoritative guide to the social, economic, and political events that marked the era on which many believed the sun would never set.

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The Philosophy of Space and Time

A clear, penetrating exposition of developments in physical science and mathematics brought about by non-Euclidean geometries, including in-depth coverage of the foundations of geometry, theory of time, other topics.
A brilliantly clear and penetrating exposition of developments in physical science and mathematics brought about by the advent of non-Euclidean geometries, including in-depth coverage of the foundations of geometry, the theory of time, Einstein's theory of relativity and its consequences, other key topics.
 

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Jumat, 02 Desember 2011

Webs of Reality

Science and religion are often thought to be advancing irreconcilable goals and thus to be mutually antagonistic. Yet in the often acrimonious debates between the scientific and religions communities, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that both science and religion are systems of thought and knowledge that aim to understand the world and our place in it.
Webs of Reality is a rare examination of the interrelationship between religion and science from a social science perspective, offering a broader view of the relationship, and posing practical questions regarding technology and ethics. Emphasizing how science and religion are practiced instead of highlighting the differences between them, the authors look for the subtle connections, tacit understandings, common history, symbols, and implicit myths that tie them together. How can the practice of science be understood from a religious point of view? What contributions can science make to religious understanding of the world? What contributions can the social sciences make to understanding both knowledge systems? Looking at religion and science as fields of inquiry and habits of mind, the authors discover not only similarities between them but also a wide number of ways in which they complement each other.

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Kamis, 01 Desember 2011

Bioscience Ethics

Bioscience ethics facilitates free and accurate information transfer from applied science to applied bioethics. Its major elements are: increased understanding of biological systems, responsible use of technology, and attuning ethnocentric debates to new scientific insights. Pioneered by Irina Pollard in 1994, bioscience ethics has become an internationally recognized discipline, interfacing science and bioethics within professional perspectives such as medical, legal, bio-engineering, and economics. Written for students and professionals alike, the fundamental feature of this book is its breadth, important because bioscience ethics interweaves many diverse subjects in the process of gathering specialist scientific knowledge for bioethical review. It contains chapters which embrace topics affecting human reproduction, end-of-life care and euthanasia, challenge human-dominated ecosystems, and review population growth, economic activity and warfare. A background section describes the evolution of ethical consciousness, explores the future, and proposes that the reworking of ethical boundaries can enhance mature decision-making in harmony with changing technology.


Selasa, 29 November 2011

Humanism and Early Modern Philosophy (London Studies in the History of Philosophy)

Humanism and Early Modern Philosophy is an original and timely volume that examines the distinctive and important role played by humanism in the development of early modern philosophy. Focusing on individual authors as well as intellectual trends, this collection of essays aims to portray the humanist movement as an essential part of the philosophy of the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

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Kamis, 24 November 2011

Ancient Epistemology (Key Themes in Ancient Philosophy)

Postmodern Media Culture examines the relationships between theories of the postmodern and contemporary media institutions, products, and consumers. It analyzes the function of media examples in the work of a number of key theorists -including Adorno, Baudrillard, Benjamin, Habermas, Jameson, Lyotard, and McLuhan -and discusses contemporary media production, products, and audiences, to test and reorient theoretical models of the postmodern. The book deals with film, television, information technology, consumer products, and popular literature and assesses challenges to conceptions of the postmodern based on gender, race, and region. The book also addresses the confusion of terms in this subject area (such as "modernity," "postmodernity," "postmodernism," the "postmodern") and integrates a wide-ranging analysis of contemporary media culture with theories of the postmodern. Topics discussed include mass culture, technologies of media production and consumption, simulation and spectacle, apocalypse and the end of history, the politics of consumption, media aesthetics and politics, heterogeneity and difference, and contemporary culture as a global village or a postmodern condition.

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Gilles Deleuze: Cinema and Philosophy (Parallax: Re-visions of Culture and Society)

In recent years, the recognition of Gilles Deleuze as one of the major philosophers of the twentieth century has heightened attention to his brilliant and complex writings on film. What is the place of Cinema 1 and Cinema 2 in the corpus of his philosophy? How and why does Deleuze consider cinema as a singular object of philosophical attention, a specific mode of thought? How does his philosophy of film combine and further his approaches to time, movement, and perception, and how does it produce an escape from subjectivity and a plunge into the immanence of images? How does it recode and utilize Henri Bergson's thought and André Bazin's film theory? What does it tell us about perceiving a world in images -- indeed about our relation to the world?
These are the central questions addressed in Paola Marrati's powerful and clear elucidation of Deleuze's philosophy of film. Humanities, film studies, and social science scholars will find this book a valuable contribution to the philosophical literature on cinema and its pertinence in contemporary life.

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The History and Philosophy of Social Science

The History and Philosophy of Social Science proves that it is possible to meet the most exacting scholarly standards while also managing to make the history of the social sciences enjoyable to read. Scott Gordon provides a comprehensive review of the historical development of the social sciences from their beginnings in Renaissance Italy to the present day. He examines the problems that the great thinkers have confronted in their attempts to construct systematic theories of social phenomena. At the same time, he presents an authoritative survey of the major writers in the fields of economics, sociology, and political science.
Separate chapters are devoted to particular topics of special significance such as the nature of sociality, the idea of harmonious order, the conflict between progress and perfection, the methodology of history, and the relation between biology and the social sciences. In conclusion, Gordon examines the main lines of thought that have developed in the philosophy of science since the breakdown of logical empiricism. He shows how the scientific investigation of social phenomena differs from the methodologies of the physical and biological sciences. This bold new synthesis of the different traditions in the social sciences is at once a major contribution and a superb overview.

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The Philosophers (Introducing Great Western Thinkers)

What better introduction to the world of philosophy than through the lives of its most prominent citizens. In The Philosophers, we are introduced to twenty-eight of the greatest thinkers in Western civilization, ranging from Aristotle and Plato to Wittgenstein, Heidegger, and Sartre. An illustrious team of scholars takes us on a concise and illuminating tour of some of the most brilliant minds and enduring ideas in history. Here is Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics, Plato's cave of shadows, Schopenhauer's vision of reality as blind, striving Will, Hegel's idea of the World Spirit, Bentham's principle of the Greatest Happiness, Mill's contributions to our understanding of liberty, William James's theory of the stream of consciousness, Husserl's phenomenology, and much more. Readers will find thoughtful discussions of everything from Kant's categorical imperative, to the Christian philosophies of Augustine, Aquinas, and Kierkegaard, to the materialism of Hobbes or Marx, to the modern--and quite different--philosophical systems of Bertrand Russell, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. Each article is illustrated with a portrait of the philosopher, the contributors provide lists for further reading, and the volume includes a chronological table that gives valuable historical context. Here then is an authoritative and engaging guide to the ideas of the most notable philosophers, ranging from antiquity to the present day. The Philosophers shows how these great thinkers wrestled with the central problems of the human condition--with important questions of free will, morality, and the limits of logic and reason--as it illuminates their legacy for our time.

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Jumat, 18 November 2011

Logic The Basics

Logic: The Basics is a hands-on introduction to the philosophically alive field of logical inquiry. Covering both classical and non-classical theories, it presents some of the core notions of logic such as validity, basic connectives, identity, ‘free logic’ and more. This book: introduces some basic ideas of logic from a semantic and philosophical perspective, uses logical consequence as the focal concept throughout, considers some of the, controversies and rival logics that make for such a lively field.

This accessible guide includes chapter summaries and suggestions for further reading as well as exercises and sample answers throughout. It is an ideal introduction for those new to the study of logic as well as those seeking to gain the competence and skills needed to move to more advanced work in logic.

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Philosophy: The Basics

Now in its fourth edition, Nigel Warburton's best-selling book gently eases the reader into the world of philosophy. Each chapter considers a key area of philosophy, explaining and exploring the basic ideas and themes including: what is philosophy? Can you prove God exists? Is there an afterlife? How do we know right from wrong? Should you ever break the law? Is the world really the way you think it is? How should we define Freedom of Speech? Do you know how science works? Is your mind different from your body? Can you define art? For the fourth edition, Warburton has added new sections to several chapters, revised others and brought the further reading sections up to date. If you've ever asked 'what is philosophy?', or wondered whether the world is really the way you think it is, this is the book for you.

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Senin, 14 November 2011

The Cambridge Companion to Wittgenstein (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy)

Ludwig Wittgenstein is one of the most important and influential philosophers of the twentieth century, but he is also one of the least accessible. This volume provides a comprehensible guide to his work by a wide range of experts who are actively engaged in new work on Wittgenstein. The essays, which are both expository and original, address central themes in his philosophy of mind, language, logic, and mathematics and clarify the connections among the different stages in the development of his work.
  
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The Cambridge Companion to Rousseau

Rousseau, the great political theorist and philosopher of education, was an important forerunner of the French Revolution, though his thought was too nuanced and subtle ever to serve as mere ideology. This is the only volume that systematically surveys the full range of Rousseau's activities in politics and education, psychology, anthropology, religion, music, and theater. New readers will find this the most convenient and accessible guide to Rousseau currently available, while advanced students and specialists will find a conspectus of recent developments in the interpretation of Rousseau.

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The Cambridge Companion to Rousseau

Rousseau, the great political theorist and philosopher of education, was an important forerunner of the French Revolution, though his thought was too nuanced and subtle ever to serve as mere ideology. This is the only volume that systematically surveys the full range of Rousseau's activities in politics and education, psychology, anthropology, religion, music, and theater. New readers will find this the most convenient and accessible guide to Rousseau currently available, while advanced students and specialists will find a conspectus of recent developments in the interpretation of Rousseau.

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The Cambridge Companion to Rawls

Each volume of this series of companions to major philosophers contains specially commissioned essays by an international team of scholars and will serve as a reference work for students and nonspecialists. John Rawls is the most significant and influential philosopher and moral philosopher of the twentieth century. His work has profoundly shaped contemporary discussions of social, political and economic justice in philosophy, law, political science, economics and other social disciplines. In this exciting collection of new essays, many of the world's leading political and moral theorists discuss the full range of Rawls's contribution to the concepts of political and economic justice, democracy, liberalism, constitutionalism, and international justice. There are also assessments of Rawls's controversial relationships with feminism, utilitarianism and communitarianism. New readers will find this the most accessible guide to Rawls currently available. Advanced students and specialists will find a conspectus of recent developments in the interpretation of Rawls.

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Selasa, 01 November 2011

China's Buddhist Culture

This book elaborates and elucidates the concepts and characteristics of China's Buddhist culture with special emphasis on two aspects: (1) the historical evolution of Chinese Buddhism as well as related ancient books, records, basic doctrines, systems and protocols, and famous historical and cultural sites; and (2) the influence of Buddhism on such aspects of Chinese culture as politics, ethics, philosophy, literature and art, and folk customs, as well as the differences and similarities between Buddhism and both Confucianism and Taoism. This book further summarizes the structure, core beliefs, internal and external relations, root of evolution, and peculiarity of China's Buddhist culture system. This book aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the historical status of Buddhism and its important role in the evolution of Chinese culture.
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Rabu, 26 Oktober 2011

Religion, Gender, and Culture in the Pre-Modern World (Religion Culture Critique)

This book compares shifting formulations of gender, interfaith, and ethnic relations in the Near East, Europe, the Americas, and Africa from antiquity to the nineteenth century. Contributors address three areas in pre-modern gender, religious, and cultural encounters: depictions of homosexual and transgendered behaviors, conceptualizations of femininity and masculinity, and the marriageability of ethnic and religious minorities.

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Rabu, 07 September 2011

Capitalism, Culture, and Decline In Britain 1750–1990

Capitalism, Culture and Decline in Britain is an original and controversial analysis of the thesis, made familiar in recent years by Martin J. Wiener, Anthony Sampson, Correlli Barnett, and others, which states that Britain's alleged economic decline since 1870 was the result of deep-seated anti-industrial factors in Britain's culture. Rubinstein argues, from a novel perspective, that Britain was never an industrial, but always a commercial/financial economy whose comparative advantage lay within that area.

Rubinstein illustrates that the much-criticized features of Britain's class system, such as the public schools, were actually efficient instruments to enhance this competitive advantage. He closely examines Britain's cultural values and elite structures to demonstrate that these were both rational and modern, arguing that Britain's standard of living has been virtually identical to all countries whose economies have been considered more "successful." Emphasizing the central importance of London-based finance and addressing socialism, Keynesianism, and Thatcherism, Capitalism, Culture, and Decline in Britain presents an original and challenging contribution to this debate.

Selasa, 06 September 2011

The Grand Design

THE FIRST MAJOR WORK IN NEARLY A DECADE BY ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREAT THINKERS—A MARVELOUSLY CONCISE BOOK WITH NEW ANSWERS TO THE ULTIMATE QUESTIONS OF LIFE

When and how did the universe begin? Why are we here? Why is there something rather than nothing? What is the nature of reality? Why are the laws of nature so finely tuned as to allow for the existence of beings like ourselves? And, finally, is the apparent “grand design” of our universe evidence of a benevolent creator who set things in motion—or does science offer another explanation?

The most fundamental questions about the origins of the universe and of life itself, once the province of philosophy, now occupy the territory where scientists, philosophers, and theologians meet—if only to disagree. In their new book, Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow present the most recent scientific thinking about the mysteries of the universe, in nontechnical language marked by both brilliance and simplicity.

In The Grand Design they explain that according to quantum theory, the cosmos does not have just a single existence or history, but rather that every possible history of the universe exists simultaneously. When applied to the universe as a whole, this idea calls into question the very notion of cause and effect. But the “top-down” approach to cosmology that Hawking and

Mlodinow describe would say that the fact that the past takes no definite form means that we create history by observing it, rather than that history creates us. The authors further explain that we ourselves are the product of quantum fluctuations in the very early universe, and show how quantum theory predicts the “multiverse”—the idea that ours is just one of many universes that appeared spontaneously out of nothing, each with different laws of nature.

Along the way Hawking and Mlodinow question the conventional concept of reality, posing a “model-dependent” theory of reality as the best we can hope to find. And they conclude with a riveting assessment of M-theory, an explanation of the laws governing us and our universe that is currently the only viable candidate for a complete “theory of everything.” If confirmed, they write, it will be the unified theory that Einstein was looking for, and the ultimate triumph of human reason.

A succinct, startling, and lavishly illustrated guide to discoveries that are altering our understanding and threatening some of our most cherished belief systems, The Grand Design is a book that will inform—and provoke—like no other.

Philosophy and Conceptual Art

The fourteen prominent analytic philosophers writing here engage with the cluster of philosophical questions raised by conceptual art. They address four broad questions: What kind of art is conceptual art? What follows from the fact that conceptual art does not aim to have aesthetic value? What knowledge or understanding can we gain from conceptual art? How ought we to appreciate conceptual art?Conceptual art, broadly understood by the contributors as beginning with Marcel Duchamp's ready-mades and as continuing beyond the 1970s to include some of today's contemporary art, is grounded in the notion that the artist's 'idea' is central to art, and, contrary to tradition, that the material work is by no means essential to the art as such. To use the words of the conceptual artist Sol LeWitt, \"In conceptual art the idea of the concept is the most important aspect of the work...and the execution is a perfunctory affair\". Given this so-called \"dematerialization\" of the art object, the emphasis on cognitive value, and the frequent appeal to philosophy by many conceptual artists, there are many questions that are raised by conceptual art that should be of interest to analytic philosophers. Why, then, has so little work been done in this area? This volume is most probably the first collection of papers by analytic Anglo-American philosophers tackling these concerns head-on.Contributors:Margaret Boden, Diarmuid Costello, Gregory Currie, David Davies, Peter Goldie, Robert Hopkins, Matthew Kieran, Peter Lamarque, Dominic McIver Lopes, Derek Matravers, Elisabeth Schellekens, Kathleen Stock, Carolyn Wilde, and the \"Art & Language\" group.

Kamis, 25 Agustus 2011

Kant on God (Ashgate Studies in the History of Philosophical Theology)

Peter Byrne presents a detailed study of the role of the concept of God in Kant's "Critical Philosophy". After a preliminary survey of the major interpretative disputes over the understanding of Kant on God, Byrne explores his critique of philosophical proofs of God's existence. Examining Kant's account of religious language, Byrne highlights both the realist and anti-realist elements contained within it. The notion of the highest good is then explored, with its constituent elements - happiness and virtue, in pursuit of an assessment of how far Kant establishes that we must posit God. The precise role God plays in ethics according to Kant is then examined, along with the definition of religion as the recognition of duties as divine commands. Byrne also plots Kant's Critical re-working of the concept of grace. The book closes with a survey of the relation between the "Critical Philosophy" and Christianity, on the one hand, and deism, on the other.

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Handbook of New Age (Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion)

The New Age Handbook is a comprehensive survey of alternative spiritualities: their history, their global impact, their cultural influence and how they are understood by scholars.
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The Ethics of Nationalism

Blending a philosophical discussion of the ethical merits and limits of nationalism, a detailed understanding of nationalist aspirations, and a variety of national conflict zones, this outstanding book discusses the controversial and contemporary issues of rights of secession. It also addresses the policies of the state in privileging a particular national group, the kinds of accommodations of minority nationals, and multi-cultural identity groups that are justifiable and appropriate. These insights are then applied to two central nationalist aspirations: nation-building and national self-determination projects.

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Ethics of the Real: Kant and Lacan

Kant, sober Enlightenment thinker and philosopher's philosopher, seems the very antithesis of Lacan, the "wild theorist" of psychoanalysis. But, drawing on a wide range of writers from Sophocles to de Sade, Alenka Zupancic here demonstrates that the two thinkers stake everything on a similar ethical enterprise. For both, ethics is a necessary impossibility-impossible because of the infinite and inhuman demands it makes on us. Moreover, both are thinkers of desire, of the ethics of desire and the desire for ethics. 

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Heidegger and Ethics

Heidegger and ethics is a contentious conjunction of terms. Martin Heidegger himself rejected the notion of ethics, while his endorsement of Nazism is widely seen as unethical. This major new study examines the complex and controversial issues involved in bringing them together.

By working backwards through his work, from his 1964 claim that philosophy has been completed to Being and Time, his first major work, Joanna Hodge questions Heidegger's denial that his enquires were concerned with ethics. She discovers a form of ethics in Heidegger's thinking which elucidates his important distinction between metaphysics and philosophy. Against many contemporary views, she proposes therefore that ethics can be retrieved and questions the relation between ethics and metaphysics that Heidegger had made so pervasive.

Economics, Ethics and the Market: Introduction and Applications (Routledge Frontiers of Political Economy)

The primary aim of the text is to introduce the reader to the relationship between economics and ethics and to the application of economic ethics in the evaluation of the market. The reader will gain insight into: The ethical and methodological strategy of economics and criticism of the core assumptions that underpin the economic defence of free market operation. The characteristics of different ethical theories (utilitarianism, duty and rights ethics, justice and virtue ethics) that can be used to evaluate the free market. How to apply economics in conjunction with ethical theories to evaluate economic trends and policies that promote the free operation of the market and are subject to public debate. These insights will help to develop the reasoning and analytical skills needed to criticize economic analysis as well as to apply ethical concepts to moral issues in economic policy.

Rabu, 24 Agustus 2011

A Dictionary of Philosophical Logic

This valuable reference introduces undergraduate and post-graduate students to the main problems and positions of philosophical logic. Elements include crucial figures, positions, terminology, and debates within philosophical logic as well as issues that pertain to related, overlapping disciplines, such as set theory and the philosophy of mathematics. Entries are extensively cross-referenced for identification within the context of wider debates.

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Cleopatra and Rome

With the full panorama of her life forever lost, Cleopatra touches us in a series of sensational images: floating through a perfumed mist down the Nile; dressed as Venus for a tryst at Tarsus; unfurled from a roll of linens before Caesar; couchant, the deadly asp clasped to her breast. Through such images, each immortalizing the Egyptian queen's encounters with legendary Romans--Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Octavian Augustus--we might also chart her rendezvous with the destiny of Rome. So Diana Kleiner shows us in this provocative book, which opens an entirely new perspective on one of the most intriguing women who ever lived. Cleopatra and Rome reveals how these iconic episodes, absorbed into a larger historical and political narrative, document a momentous cultural shift from the Hellenistic world to the Roman Empire. In this story, Cleopatra's death was not an end but a beginning--a starting point for a wide variety of appropriations by Augustus and his contemporaries that established a paradigm for cultural conversion.
In this beautifully illustrated book, we experience the synthesis of Cleopatra's and Rome's defining moments through surviving works of art and other remnants of what was once an opulent material culture: religious and official architecture, cult statuary, honorary portraiture, villa paintings, tombstones, and coinage, but also the theatrical display of clothing, perfume, and hair styled to perfection for such ephemeral occasions as triumphal processions or barge cruises. It is this visual culture that best chronicles Cleopatra's legend and suggests her subtle but indelible mark on the art of imperial Rome at the critical moment of its inception.

Cleopatra and Egypt (Blackwell Ancient Lives)

This beautifully illustrated new biography of Cleopatra draws on literary, archaeological, and art historical evidence to paint an intimate and compelling portrait of the most famous Queen of Egypt.
  • Deconstructs the image of Cleopatra to uncover the complex historical figure behind the myth
  • Examines Greek, Roman, and Egyptian representations of Cleopatra
  • Considers how she was viewed by her contemporaries and how she presented herself
  • Incorporates the author’s recent field work at a temple of Cleopatra in Alexandria
  • Beautifully illustrated with over 40 images


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Western Civilization : A History of European Society - Second edition

This is Volume II: Since 1550 of WESTERN CIVILIZATION: A HISTORY OF EUROPEAN SOCIETY. Completely revised with your students' success in mind, WESTERN CIVILIZATION: A HISTORY OF EUROPEAN SOCIETY offers a concise overview of the social and political forces that have shaped the West. In fewer pages than other texts, Hause and Maltby's narrative presents a social history of Western civilization within the essential contexts of major military and political events. The text's strong reliance on primary sources--excerpts of original documents that flesh out the concepts covered in the narrative, tables and graphs that collect the raw social and economic data of history--brings the reader right into the pages of history, giving them a fascinating look at the events that have shaped the world in which they live. To help students truly grasp history and succeed in the course, extensive pedagogical support complements Hause and Maltby's WESTERN CIVILIZATION. Within the text, a colorful new design and prominent subheads create a "virtual outline" that lets students quickly locate, read, and review key information. Captivating pedagogy--an in-text pronunciation guide, critical thinking questions built right into the captions of the tables and graphs, and extensive end-of-chapter review materials--involves students in the story of the West by getting them to engage with it. WESTERN CIVILIZATION: A HISTORY OF EUROPEAN SOCIETY, Second Edition is available in the following volume splits: WESTERN CIVILIZATION: A HISTORY OF EUROPEAN SOCIETY.

Civilizations: Culture, Ambition, and the Transformation of Nature

 "Civilization" is a tricky term, one that means many things to many people. For some, it denotes great buildings, canals, codes of law; for others, it offers a contrast between one group and another, with the advantage always going to the more "civilized" bunch against the "barbaric," "savage," or "primitive." All such distinctions, writes Oxford University historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto, are arbitrary and laden with subjective value; they speak to unscientific notions of progress, to hidden agendas. What matters, he continues, is the extent to which a culture has developed means to separate itself from nature: "Civilization makes its own habitat. It is civilized in direct proportion to its distance, its difference from the unmodified natural environment." A culture such as the ancient Han Chinese, the medieval highland Maya, or the Renaissance Venetian, then, is highly civilized inasmuch as its members dammed and diverted rivers, drained lakes, stripped forests, and built monumental structures to celebrate their achievements; people content or resigned to "live off the product and inhabit the spaces nature gives them" are markedly less so by virtue of that accommodation. No culture, Fernández-Armesto writes, is inherently exempt from becoming civilized; nor, he adds, does "civilized" equate to "good." In exploring history as a branch of historical ecology, he sometimes abandons his thesis, intriguing and provocative as it is, to engage in a wide-ranging survey of the world past reminiscent of (but much better-written than) Toynbee and Durant, touching on the ancient Greeks here, the herding peoples of the African savanna and Central Asia there, the Moundbuilders of prehistoric North America and the hunting peoples of the Arctic there. Unlike many standard textbooks, his narrative manages to offer something new wherever he turns. Allusive and learned, his book repays close reading--and should inspire plenty of argument along the way. -- Gregory McNamee

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Selasa, 23 Agustus 2011

Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales

This series sets out to provide concise and stimulating introductions to literary subjects. It offers books on major authors (from Willia Shakespeare to James Joyce), as well as key periods and movements (from Anglo-Saxon literature to the contemporary). Coverage is also afforded to such specific topics as ‘Arthurian Romance’. While some of the volumes are classed as ‘short’ introductions (under 200 pages), others are slightly longer books (around 250 pages). All are written by outstanding scholars as texts to inspire newcomers and others:
non-specialists wishing to revisit a topic, or general readers. The prospective overall aim is to ground and prepare students and readers of whatever kind in their pursuit of wider reading.


Buddhism: A Short History (Short Religion)

In this authoritative guide, one of the world's most distinguished scholars of Buddhism provides a compact summary of the tradition's development, from the time of the Buddha to the 20th century exile of the Dalai Lama. Covering all the Buddhist schools from Mahayana to Zen, this comprehensive, concise study is widely acknowledged as the classic introduction to the history of the Buddhist tradition, perfect for students and interested readers alike.


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Arthurian Romance: A Short Introduction (Blackwell Introductions to Literature)

This witty and accessible book traces the history of Arthurian romance from medieval to modern times, explaining its enduring appeal.
  • Traces the history of Arthurian romance from medieval to modern times.
  • Covers art and films as well as the great literary works of Arthurian romance.
  • Draws out the changing political, moral and emotional uses of the story.
  • Explains the enduring appeal of the Arthurian legend.
  • Written by an author with vast knowledge of medieval literature.
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Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation into Civilization's End

If there were a chance that opening this book could set off a chain of events that would lead to Apocalypse, to the end of Life as we know it, would you be tempted? Finger poised uncertainly above the flashing red button? How about if the Apocalypse promised to result in a new age of enlightenment, a Heaven on Earth like never before?

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The 2012 Story: The Myths, Fallacies, and Truth Behind the Most Intriguing Date in History

On December 21, 2012, the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, a 5,125- year cycle calendar system pioneered by the Maya, will come to an end. At the same time, the earth, the sun, and the center of the galaxy will come together in an extremely rare cosmic alignment. More and more people believe that the world as we know it will experience a transformation in 2012, but few are aware of the complete history or significance of the date. John Major Jenkins, among the most authoritative voices of the 2012 movement, has written a definitive explanation of one of the most thought-provoking phenomena of our time. Drawing from his own groundbreaking research (including his involvement in the modern reconstruction of Mayan 2012 cosmology) and more than two decades of extensive study of Mayan culture, Jenkins has created the crucial guide to understanding the story of 2012-an essential overview of the history, theory, cultures, and personalities that have brought this extraordinary idea into modern awareness. Jenkins provides illuminating answers to some of the most-asked questions about 2012, including:
- How did the early Maya devise the calendar that gives us the cycle ending in 2012, and how does it work?
- How did the calendar come to be rediscovered and reconstructed in our era?
- What controversies and intrigues surround the topic, and what do scholars and researchers have to say about them?
- How can we cut through all the noise about 2012 and gain true wisdom from the Mayan teachings about this moment?

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Senin, 22 Agustus 2011

Morality and Political Violence

Political violence in the form of wars, insurgencies, terrorism, and violent rebellion constitutes a major human challenge today as it has so often in the past. It is not only a challenge to life and limb, but also to morality itself. In this book, C. A. J. Coady brings a philosophical and ethical perspective to the subject. He places the problems of war and political violence in the frame of reflective ethics. In clear and accessible language, Coady reexamines a range of urgent problems pertinent to political violence against the background of a contemporary approach to just war thinking.

Human Development and Political Violence

Human Development and Political Violence presents an innovative approach to research and practice with young people growing up in the context of political violence. Based on developmental theory, this book explains and illustrates how children and youth interact with environments defined by war, armed conflict, and the aftermath involving displacement, poverty, political instability, and personal loss. The case study for this inquiry was a research workshop in four countries of the former Yugoslavia, where youth aged 12 to 27 participated in activities designed to promote their development. The theory-based Dynamic Story-Telling by Youth workshop engaged participants as social historians and critics sharing their experiences via narratives, evaluations of society, letters to public officials, debates, and collaborative inquiries. Analyses of these youth perspectives augment archival materials and researcher field notes to offer insights about developmental strategies for dealing with the threats and opportunities of war and major political change.

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Linked Histories: Postcolonial Studies In A Globalized World

Postcolonialism is the fastest growing area of study in English & the site of vigorous contention & vociferous debate. These essays explore the pressing issues & challenges that new theories of globalisation present for postcolonial studies, including the difficulties of rethinking how 'marginality' might be defined in a new globalised world & the problems of imagining social transformation within globalisation. The essays have been assembled with the intention to 'think through' the issues rather than provide definitive statements. This collection offers fresh, accessible scholarship as well as an informative & useful introduction for those new to the field. These wide-ranging articles bring together contributions from today's noted scholars as well as those who represent the next generation, taking up some of the most pressing issues of postcolonial debate. The contributors, from five countries, offer varied & diverse perspectives.
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Postcolonial Theory & Autobiography (Postcolonial Literatures)

Cultural theory has often been criticized for covert Eurocentric and universalist tendencies. Its concepts and ideas are implicitly applicable to everyone, ironing over any individuality or cultural difference. Postcolonial theory has challenged these limitations of cultural theory, and Postcolonial Theory and Autobiography addresses the central challenge posed by its autobiographical turn.
Despite the fact that autobiography is frequently dismissed for its Western, masculine bias, David Huddart argues for its continued relevance as a central explanatory category in understanding postcolonial theory and its relation to subjectivity. Focusing on the influence of post-structuralist theory on postcolonial theory and vice versa, this study suggests that autobiography constitutes a general philosophical resistance to universal concepts and theories.
Offering a fresh perspective on familiar critical figures like Edward W. Said and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, by putting them in the context of readings of the work of Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, and Alain Badiou, this book relates the theory of autobiography to expressions of new universalisms that, together with postcolonial theory, rethink and extend norms of experience, investigation, and knowledge.

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Jumat, 19 Agustus 2011

Kierkegaard and Socrates: A Study in Philosophy and Faith

This volume is a study of the relationship between philosophy and faith in Søren Kierkegaard's Philosophical Fragments. It is also the first book to examine the role of Socrates in this body of writings and it illuminates the significance of Socrates for Kierkegaard's thought in general. Jacob Howland argues that in the Fragments, philosophy and faith are closely related passions. A careful examination of the role of Socrates in Fragments demonstrates that Socratic, philosophical eros opens up a path to faith. At the same time, the work of faith-- which holds the self together with that which transcends it, the finite with the infinite, and one's life in time with eternity-is essentially erotic in the Socratic sense of the term. Chapters on Kierkegaard's Johannes Climacus and on Plato's Apology and related dialogues shed light on the Socratic character of the pseudonymous author of the Fragments and the role of "the god" in Socrates' pursuit of wisdom. Howland also analyzes the Concluding Unscientific Postscript and Kierkegaard's reflections on Socrates and Christ in his unpublished papers.

Kierkegaard on Faith and the Self: Collected Essays (Provost)

Kierkegaard on Faith and the Self represents a rich collection of studies that allow S. Kierkegaard to speak directly to the questions of contemporary readers. Evans analyzes Kierkegaard as a philosopher, his perspectives on faith, reason, and epistemology, his ethics, and Kierkegaard's view of the self. Evans makes a strong case that Kierkegaard has something crucial to say to the Christian church as a philosopher and something equally crucial to say to the philosophical world as a Christian believer.

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The Psychology of Nationalism

While there are many political, economic, and historical factors that contribute to the development and expression of nationalism, the tenacity and viciousness of nationalist conflicts, and the dedication that they inspire in people, suggest that nationalism has a psychological dimension which is not yet well understood. Why do people cling to nationalism when it can ultimately be destructive to them, to their families, and to their nations? Why are nationalist conflicts so resistant to attempts at intervention? In The Psychology of Nationalism, the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, the war in Sri Lanka, and interactions between students in an American college classroom form the backdrop for an analysis of why we as human beings are so drawn to nationalism. The book argues that identity issues—our attempts to shore up our sometimes-fragile sense of self—underlie the attraction that nationalism exerts on us. It then offers suggestions for negotiations and other interventions to end nationalist conflicts.

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Freud, the Reluctant Philosopher

Freud began university intending to study both medicine and philosophy. But he was ambivalent about philosophy, regarding it as metaphysical, too limited to the conscious mind, and ignorant of empirical knowledge. Yet his private correspondence and his writings on culture and history reveal that he never forsook his original philosophical ambitions. Indeed, while Freud remained firmly committed to positivist ideals, his thought was permeated with other aspects of German philosophy. Placed in dialogue with his intellectual contemporaries, Freud appears as a reluctant philosopher who failed to recognize his own metaphysical commitments, thereby crippling the defense of his theory and misrepresenting his true achievement. Recasting Freud as an inspired humanist and reconceiving psychoanalysis as a form of moral inquiry, Alfred Tauber argues that Freudianism still offers a rich approach to self-inquiry, one that reaffirms the enduring task of philosophy and many of the abiding ethical values of Western civilization.

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Kamis, 18 Agustus 2011

Empire and Globalisation: Networks of People, Goods and Capital in the British World, c.1850-1914

Focusing on the great population movement of British emigrants before 1914, this book provides a new perspective on the relationship between empire and globalisation. It shows how distinct structures of economic opportunity developed around the people who settled across a wider British World through the co-ethnic networks they created. Yet these networks could also limit and distort economic growth. The powerful appeal of ethnic identification often made trade and investment with racial 'outsiders' less appealing, thereby skewing economic activities toward communities perceived to be 'British'. By highlighting the importance of these networks to migration, finance and trade, this book contributes to debates about globalisation in the past and present. It reveals how the networks upon which the era of modern globalisation was built quickly turned in on themselves after 1918, converting racial, ethnic and class tensions into protectionism, nationalism and xenophobia. Avoiding such an outcome is a challenge faced today.

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Ethics (Fundamentals of Philosophy)

This introduction to ethics judiciously combines moral theory with applied ethics to give an opportunity for students to develop acute thinking about ethical matters.;The author begins by motivating a concern for moral discourse by dispelling often met objections over relativism and subjectivity. By interweaving normative and meta-ethical considerations, a convincing modern account of moral thinking emerges.;Moral theories - consequentialism, Kantianism, contractualism - are explained and illustrated in a way that holds the reader's attention, and students of ethics will take away a perceptive and practical understanding of the nature of moral reasoning and an ability, on such matters, to think afresh for themselves.

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