Author: Alison Assiter File Type: pdf There has been a recent revival of interest in reading Kierkegaard as an ontologist, as a thinker who engages with questions about the kinds of entity or process that constitute ultimate reality. This new way of reading Kierkegaard stands alongside a revival of interest in ontology and metaphysics more generally. This highly original book concentrates on the claim that Kierkegaard focuses in part on ontological questions and on issues pertaining to the nature of being as a whole. Alison Assiter asserts that Being, for Kierkegaard, following Schelling, can be read in terms of conceptions of birthingthe capacity to give birth as well as the notion of a birthing body. She goes on to argue that the story offered by Kierkegaard in The Concept of Anxiety about the origin of freedom connects with a birthing body, and that Kierkegaard offers a speculative hypothesis, in terms of metaphors of birthing, about the nature of Being. **Review In a brilliant, richly contextualized speculative naturalist (re-)reading of Kierkegaard, Alison Assiter makes out a powerful case that as Indigenous peoples have known from time immemorial and most other moderns have all but forgotten nature is our mother, and evil is most fundamentally losing sight of this. Kierkegaard, Eve and Metaphors of Birth is philosophy at its best, addressing the really big issues of our time. (Mervyn Hartwig, Journal of Critical Realism) Kierkegaard, Eve and Metaphors of Birth is a passionately written and challenging text which engages with an important & neglected topic in the history of philosophy, namely natality and its links with an ontology of becoming. Focusing on biological reproduction as well as the treatment of women in Kierkegaards texts, it develops further and deepens the arguments of Assiters Kierkegaard, Metaphysics and Political Theory (2009). (Christine Battersby, Reader Emerita in Philosophy, Univeristy of Warwick) A startling and original book. Assiters profound engagement with Kierkegaards ontology results in a compelling ecological and feminist reinterpretation of his work. This is required reading for those wishing to move beyond the cliches of Kierkegaards heroic individualism. (Steven Shakespeare, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, Liverpool Hope University.) The best of this book comes when the philosophy spills over into other areas the tangle between ecology, ontology and feminism the bold repurposing of 21st-century realisms the ethical rejection of a metaphysics of chaos the whiff of a link between the fiercely religious Kierkegaard and a new vision of the political. Although these sections are all too short, it is here that Assiters book is fearless and arresting. Here, she offers a challenge to philosophys tendency to recycle old readings and preoccupations, and a timely reminder that philosophy may once again have something to say about the world. (Times Higher Education) Alison Assiters fine monograph is one of several recent attempts in the philosophical literature to challenge contemporary orthodoxy and to revive a picture of nature according to which purposive behaviour belongs to things themselves Assiter is to be applauded for daring to talk seriously about Being-with-a-capital-B. She poses a challenge to those whose (scientistic) faith forbids such a move, and exposes the shortcomings of arguments which purport to show that reality is, at its deepest core, contingent or chaotic [She] leaves the reader with a wealth of fascinating questions. (Philosophy) [A] book that itself marks a rupture with the orthodoxy of existing Kierkegaard studies, drawing out its resonances for contemporary feminisms and new materialisms, and giving birth to the possibility of a new Kierkegaard, born from a contemporary yearning. (Radical Philosophy) About the Author Alison Assiter is professor of feminist theory at the University of the West of England. She is the author of a number of books and articles. Her most recent book is Kierkegaard, Metaphysics and Political Theory (2009).
Author: Charles E. Ziegler
File Type: pdf
When first published, Charles Zieglers The History of Russia was acclaimed as a source of information not easily found elsewhere, and as clear, balanced, and insightful, by Rajan Menon of Lehigh University. Now Zieglers remarkable volume returns, fully updated to be the work of choice for readers looking for an introduction to the history of the worlds largest country.The History of Russia Second Edition moves from the 10th-century founding of Kievan Rus to the czars to the Communist Era to the present, with particular emphasis on the fall of the Soviet Union and the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, and Vladimir Putin. In addition to a new chapter on the tumultuous last decade, this edition features an updated introduction and an expanded chapter on the Yeltsin Era.**
Author: George Caffentzis
File Type: mobi
The cuts, lay-offs and tuition-fee hikes that are besetting higher and further education internationally are undoubtedly a direct response to financial crisis and its ricocheting bomb of personal, commercial and national debt. But they also have deeper roots. They should be understood as part of the more gradual process of what George Caffentzis, in his analysis of the international situation, calls the breakdown of the edu-deal the inability for capital, and therefore the state, to pay for the costs of producing a well educated workforce or to guarantee that investment in education will result in a more vigorous economy and increased living standards for those with qualifications. **
Author: Stephen E. Brown
File Type: pdf
This highly acclaimed criminology text presents an up-to-date review and analysis of criminological theories. It incorporates current examples of deterrence research regarding crimes such as domestic violence, drunk driving, and capital punishment, and features thought-provoking discussion of the relativity of crime. The authors explore the crime problem, its context, and the causes of crime. Extensive discussion of evolving laws is included, and while the prevalence of the scientific method in the field of criminology is highlighted, the impact of ideology on explanations of crime is the cornerstone of the book. This new edition includes extensive revision of Chapter 6, now titled Biosocial Theories of Crime, retaining much of the thoughtful historical discussion of earlier editions, but incorporating a substantial expansion of current biological research integrated with both social and biological variables. In addition, Chapter 10, Recent Developments in Criminological Theory, offers an expanded treatment of life-course criminology.**ReviewWhile the prevalence of the scientific method in the field of criminology is highlighted, the impact of ideology on explanations of crime is the cornerstone of the book. --Evidence Technology Magazine, July-August 2013 The text is updated with recent examples and contains new chapter objectives and discussion questions. The book is illustrated with color photos in a clean layout.-- Reference and Research Book News, December 2012 From the Back CoverThe most balanced and comprehensive review of theoretical perspectives in criminology available. This highly acclaimed criminology text presents an up-to-date review and analysis of criminological theories. The authors explore the crime problem, its context, and the causes of crime, and include thought-provoking discussion of the relativity of crime. While the prevalence of the scientific method in the field of criminology is highlighted, the impact of ideology on explanations of crime is the cornerstone of the book. Material has been updated throughout the text. Special additions includeul l An extensive revision of Chapter 6, now titled Biosocial Theories of Crime, retaining much of the thoughtful historical discussion of earlier editions, but incorporating a substantial expansion of current biological research integrated with both social and biological variables. l l An expanded treatment of the value and growing predominance of developmental and life-course criminology. l l New pedagogical enhancements, including learning objectives and discussion questions to help students understand the text, as well as online resources for both students and professors. l ulhrStephen E. Brown is a Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Department Head at Western Carolina University. His areas of research interest have been broad, covering topics such as family violence, deterrence, delinquency, and more.hrFinn-Aage Esbensen is the E. Desmond Lee Professor of Youth Crime and Violence in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and is currently serving as Department Chair. hr Gilbert Geis is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Criminology, Law, and Society at the University of California, Irvine. He is a former president of the American Society of Criminology and recipient of its Edwin H. Sutherland Award for outstanding research.
Author: Ron Rosenbaum
File Type: epub
[Ron Rosenbaum] is one of the most original journalists and writers of our time.David RemnickIn The Shakespeare Wars, Ron Rosenbaum gives readers an unforgettable way of rethinking the greatest works of the human imagination. As he did in his groundbreaking Explaining Hitler, he shakes up much that we thought we understood about a vital subject and renews our sense of excitement and urgency. He gives us a Shakespeare book like no other. Rather than raking over worn-out fragments of biography, Rosenbaum focuses on cutting-edge controversies about the true source of Shakespeares enchantment and illuminationthe astonishing language itself. How best to unlock the secrets of its spell? With quicksilver wit and provocative insight, Rosenbaum takes readers into the midst of fierce battles among the most brilliant Shakespearean scholars and directors over just how to delve deeper into the Shakespearean experiencedeeper into the mind of Shakespeare.Was Shakespeare the one-draft wonder of Shakespeare in Love? Or was he ratheras an embattled faction of textual scholars now arguesa different kind of writer entirely a conscientious reviser of his greatest plays? Must we then revise our way of reading, staging, and interpreting such works as Hamlet and King Lear? Rosenbaum pursues key partisans in these debates from the high tables of Oxford to a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop in a strip mall in the Deep South. He makes ostensibly arcane textual scholarship intensely seductiveand sometimes even explicitly sexual. At an academic Pleasure Seminar in Bermuda, for instance, he examines one scholars quest to find an orgasm in Romeo and Juliet. Rosenbaum shows us great directors as Shakespearean scholars in their own right We hear Peter Brookperhaps the most influential Shakespearean director of the past centurydisclose his quest for a secret play hidden within the Bards comedies and dramas. We listen to Sir Peter Hall, founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company, as he launches into an impassioned, table-pounding fury while discussing how the means of unleashing the full intensity of Shakespeares language has been lostand how to restore it. Rosenbaums hilarious inside account of the Great Shakespeare Funeral Elegy Fiasco, a man-versus-computer clash, illustrates the iconic struggle to define what is and isnt Shakespearean. And he demonstrates the way Shakespearean scholars such as Harold Bloom can become great Shakespearean characters in their own right. The Shakespeare Wars offers a thrilling opportunity to engage with Shakespeares work at its deepest levels. Like Explaining Hitler, this book is destined to revolutionize the way we think about one of the overwhelming obsessions of our time.From the Hardcover edition.
Author: Robin Maria Valeri
File Type: pdf
Skinheads go beyond the societal stereotype of hate mongers, bigots, and Neo-Nazis. The community of skins also includes traditional skins (those that adhere to the original philosophy of the British movement in 1969), Skinheads Against Racial prejudice (SHARPS), and gay skins, female skins and Neo-Nazi or RacistNationalist skins. Skinhead History, Identity, and Culture covers the history, identity, and culture of the skinhead movement in Europe and America, looking at the total culture of the skins through a cross-sectional analysis of skinheads in various countries. Authors Borgeson and Valeri provide original research data to cast new light into the skinhead community. Some of the data is ethnographic, drawing on face-to-face interviews with skins of all kinds, while other data is compiled from the Internet and social media about various skinhead groups within the United States, Europe, and Australia. The book covers the history of the subculture explores the unique cultures of female, gay, and Neo-Nazi skins and explores manifestations of the culture as represented on the Internet and in music. The work discusses how skinheads derive their values and morals and how they fit into the larger social structure.
Author: Laurence H. McFalls
File Type: pdf
The German sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920) is without question one of the founders of modern social science. In his methodological writings, notably his essay The Objectivity of Knowledge in Science and Policy (1904), Weber sought reflexively to establish a trans-culturally valid basis for the historical and cultural sciences. Over the past century, however, his work has given rise to divergent interpretations and practical applications within different disciplinary and cultural contexts. In Max Webers Objectivity Reconsidered, Laurence H. McFalls and a distinguished group of contributors explore the fragmented reception of Webers work and the legacies of his methodological writings for contemporary social science, offering their appraisals of Webers successes and failures in laying the groundwork for an objective social science. They develop a Weberian theory of his reception and evaluate the possibility of an objectively valid Weberian social science today. This essential volume not only contributes to the resurgence of interest in Webers oeuvre but goes beyond the exegetic and polemical debates of the burgeoning Weberological literature in offering a coherent theoretical explanation for the proliferation of interpretations that Webers writings continue to elicit. **
Author: Arthur Fine
File Type: pdf
In this new edition, Arthur Fine looks at Einsteins philosophy of science and develops his own views on realism. A new Afterword discusses the reaction to Fines own theory. What really led Einstein . . . to renounce the new quantum order? For those interested in this question, this book is compulsory reading.Harvey R. Brown, American Journal of Physics Fine has successfully combined a historical account of Einsteins philosophical views on quantum mechanics and a discussion of some of the philosophical problems associated with the interpretation of quantum theory with a discussion of some of the contemporary questions concerning realism and antirealism. . . . Clear, thoughtful, [and] well-written.Allan Franklin, Annals of Science Attempts, from Einsteins published works and unpublished correspondence, to piece together a coherent picture of Einstein realism. Especially illuminating are the letters between Einstein and fellow realist Schrodinger, as the latter was composing his famous Schrodinger-Cat paper.Nick Herbert, New Scientist Beautifully clear. . . . Fines analysis is penetrating, his own results original and important. . . . The book is a splendid combination of new ways to think about quantum mechanics, about realism, and about Einsteins views of both.Nancy Cartwright, Isis