Author: Ulises Ali Mejias File Type: pdf The digital world profoundly shapes how we work and consume and also how we play, socialize, create identities, and engage in politics and civic life. Indeed, we are so enmeshed in digital networksfrom social media to cell phonesthat it is hard to conceive of them from the outside or to imagine an alternative, let alone defy their seemingly inescapable power and logic. Yes, it is (sort of) possible to quit Facebook. But is it possible to disconnect from the digital networkand why might we want to?Off the Network is a fresh and authoritative examination of how the hidden logic of the Internet, social media, and the digital network is changing users understanding of the worldand why that should worry us. Ulises Ali Mejias also suggests how we might begin to rethink the logic of the network and question its ascendancy. Touted as consensual, inclusive, and pleasurable, the digital network is also, Mejias says, monopolizing and threatening in its capacity to determine, commodify, and commercialize so many aspects of our lives. He shows how the network broadens participation yet also exacerbates disparityand how it excludes more of society than it includes.Uniquely, Mejias makes the case that it is not only necessary to challenge the privatized and commercialized modes of social and civic life offered by corporate-controlled spaces such as Facebook and Twitter, but that such confrontations can be mounted from both within and outside the network. The result is an uncompromising, sophisticated, and accessible critique of the digital world that increasingly dominates our lives. **

Author: Ernst Kantorowicz File Type: epub Known as the stupor mundi the wonder of the world Holy Roman Emperor Frederick the Second led one of those extraordinary lives that was full of unimaginable drama and achievement. Born in 1194, Frederick was the son of emperor Henry II and Constance, Queen of Sicily, who, at the age of forty, allegedly gave birth to him in a public square so no one could doubt he was her son. He was crowned King of Sicily at the age of four Pope Innocent III was his guardian the future Pope Honorious III was his tutor. Once he came of age, the charismatic and ambitious Frederick fought for control over the lands he considered his birth right to become King of the Germans, King of Jerusalem and Holy Roman Emperor his vast empire straddling Christendom and the Holy Land. Hailed as a Messiah and a tyrant in equal measure, Frederick led crusades but was excommunicated four times. He was as much a patron of the arts as a warrior he spoke six languages and, unusually, welcomed Christian, Jewish and Muslim scholars to his court. Dante saluted his contribution to Sicilian literature and language, yet still consigned him to hell in his Inferno. First published in 1927, Ernst Kantorwiczs biography of this dynamic man was a bestseller in its time and one of the first examples of popular narrative history writing. This edition, with a new introduction by bestselling author Dan Jones, brings that life to a new audience.

Author: Leon Bramson File Type: pdf The author traces 19th-century origins of sociology in post-Revolutionary Europe, and contrasts European and American approaches to sociological data. Using the concepts of mass behavior and mass society as case studies, he suggests the continuing influence of social and political philosophies in sociology to the present day.Originally published in 1961.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Author: Michael S. Gazzaniga File Type: epub The father of cognitive neuroscience illuminates the past, present, and future of the mind-brain problemHow do neurons turn into minds? How does physical stuffatoms, molecules, chemicals, and cellscreate the vivid and various worlds inside our heads? The problem of consciousness has gnawed at us for millennia. In the last century there have been massive breakthroughs that have rewritten the science of the brain, and yet the puzzles faced by the ancient Greeks are still present. In The Consciousness Instinct, the neuroscience pioneer Michael S. Gazzaniga puts the latest research in conversation with the history of human thinking about the mind, giving a big-picture view of what science has revealed about consciousness.The idea of the brain as a machine, first proposed centuries ago, has led to assumptions about the relationship between mind and brain that dog scientists and philosophers to this day. Gazzaniga asserts that this model has it backwardbrains make machines, but they cannot be reduced to one. New research suggests the brain is actually a confederation of independent modules working together. Understanding how consciousness could emanate from such an organization will help define the future of brain science and artificial intelligence, and close the gap between brain and mind.Captivating and accessible, with insights drawn from a lifetime at the forefront of the field, The Consciousness Instinct sets the course for the neuroscience of tomorrow.**ReviewUnquestionably one of the top experts in his field . . . This is a book for readers of all ages who are intrigued by consciousness and how it works. As he has done in previous books, Gazzaniga easily draws readers into one of the most fascinating conversations taking place in modern science. Kirkus (starred review)[Michael S. Gazzaniga] adopts a philosophical approach in this insightful book . . . He also refreshingly grounds the work in real experimental data, revealing himself to be an intelligent mental explorer and master syncretist. Gazzanigas accessible, well-organized arguments are bound to provoke deep metathoughts, and readers should find his treatise delightful. Publishers Weekly (starred review)Can the part of us that knows things actually know itself? What is consciousness? can be a dizzying question, but Michael Gazzaniga offers an answer thats exciting and stimulating. One of the great pleasures of this book is watching Gazzanigas own brain at work. His writing takes us to unexpected places. If theres such a thing as a stream of consciousness, he takes us to the headwaters. Alan AldaAn invigorating and mind-expanding narrative on the science and philosophy of consciousness. With good-natured humor, clear and unpretentious prose, and an eye for deep ideas and fascinating phenomena (many of them discovered in his own research), Michael S. Gazzaniga enlightens us about some of the deepest questions the mind is capable of asking. Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of How the Mind Works and The Stuff of ThoughtThe Consciousness Instinct is a fun and informative read about a topic that is often written about in ways that are either boring or incomprehensible. Gazzaniga was one of the first scientists in modern times to dare talk about consciousness. Hes been at it for five decades, and keeps coming up with new and interesting ideas. Your consciousness will be raised. Joseph E. LeDoux, Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science at New York University and Director of the Emotional Brain Institute Like the magician pulling a white rabbit out of a black top hat, Michael Gazzaniga pulls sheer consciousness out of the jungle of 87 billion neurons in the brain. In his quest to understand consciousness, that great mystery of the mindbrain, he offers refreshingly novel and provocative ideas, which he shares with the reader in his own inimitable and engaging style. Endel Tulving, Professor Emeritus, University of TorontoFollowing in the pioneering footsteps of Herbert Simons Architecture of Complexity and Marvin Minskys Society of Mind, Michael S. Gazzaniga brings us a democracy of consciousness. This part-historical, part-autobiographical telling of ingenious experiments reveals the uncanny plurality of self-awareness. Inspired by the Darwinian insight that populations of organisms struggle to assert their supremacy over of the worlds in which they live, Gazzaniga describes how single neurons and neural networks compete to signal their understanding of the cognitive micro-worlds in which they function, and how every module is a voice that in combination produces that enigmatic chorus we describe as consciousness. David Krakauer, President and William H. Miller Professor of Complex Systems, Santa Fe InstituteUnderstanding the mind-brain relationship has intrigued humans for millennia, but progress has fallen short of the mark, particularly regarding consciousness. The genius of The Consciousness Instinct is that it brings to the mind-brain discussion new perspectives ranging from evolutionary biology (i.e. how life emerged in a lifeless world) and engineering to the mental gymnastics necessary to understand quantum mechanics, all leavened by advances being made in the brain and cognitive sciences. It is a clarion call for a much broader view of the road ahead. For me, reading a book more than once is a rare occurrence, but this book was the exception and I felt amply rewarded for doing so. Marcus E. Raichle, M.D., Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor in Medicine, Washington University We should all be grateful that Michael Gazzaniga has not quit his effort to get us to think about hard problems. In The Consciousness Instinct he deals with the history of efforts to understand what it means to be conscious and also unconscious or not conscious. To understand how the meaning of being alive and also how the wave and quantum accounts of light illuminate consciousness, you will have to read this volume. For all who care about psychology, the trip is worth it. Michael Posner, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of OregonAbout the Author Michael S. Gazzaniga is the director of the SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the president of the Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, the founding director of the MacArthur Foundations Law and Neuroscience Project, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of many popular science books, including Tales from Both Sides of the Brain. He lives in California.