The Priority of Democracy: Political Consequences of Pragmatism
Author: Jack Knight Pragmatism and its consequences are central issues in American politics today, yet scholars rarely examine in detail the relationship between pragmatism and politics. In The Priority of Democracy, Jack Knight and James Johnson systematically explore the subject and make a strong case for adopting a pragmatist approach to democratic politics--and for giving priority to democracy in the process of selecting and reforming political institutions. What is the primary value of democracy? When should we make decisions democratically and when should we rely on markets? And when should we accept the decisions of unelected officials, such as judges or bureaucrats? Knight and Johnson explore how a commitment to pragmatism should affect our answers to such important questions. They conclude that democracy is a good way of determining how these kinds of decisions should be made--even if what the democratic process determines is that not all decisions should be made democratically. So, for example, the democratically elected U.S. Congress may legitimately remove monetary policy from democratic decision-making by putting it under the control of the Federal Reserve. Knight and Johnson argue that pragmatism offers an original and compelling justification of democracy in terms of the unique contributions democratic institutions can make to processes of institutional choice. This focus highlights the important role that democracy plays, not in achieving consensus or commonality, but rather in addressing conflicts. Indeed, Knight and Johnson suggest that democratic politics is perhaps best seen less as a way of reaching consensus or agreement than as a way of structuring the terms of persistent disagreement.
Author: Ann B. Tlusty
In Bacchus and Civic Order, Ann Tlusty examines the social and cultural functions served by drinking and tavern life in Germany between 1500 and 1700, and challenges existing theories about urban identity, sociability, and power. Through her reconstruction of the social history of Augsburg, from beggars to council members, Tlusty also sheds light on such diverse topics as social ritual, gender and household relations, medical practice, and the concerns of civic leaders with public health and poverty. Drunkenness, dueling, and other forms of tavern comportment that may appear disorderly to us today turn out to be the inevitable, even desirable result of a society functioning according to its own rules.
Mountain lions sometimes called pumas or cougars were once spread throughout the United States occupying all 48 of the contiguous states By the 1960s though they were almost extinct in central and eastern North America In Mountain Lions of the Black Hills Dr Jonathan A Jenks who along with his team of graduate students has tracked over 200 of these fascinating predators tells the complex story of the big cats lives in the northern Great Plains Jenks reports on mountain lion population dynamics diet nutrition diseases behavior and genetics He explores the impact of a changing prey base on population growth and decline movements within and away from the region and hunting on the species discusses interactions between the cats and livestock and examines local peoples evolving perceptions of mountain lions Throughout Jenks explores how we can balance conservation techniques with the needs of humans Providing a unique look into how a large secretive predator recolonized an isolated region of North America Mountain Lions of the Black Hills is required reading for wildlife professionals A captivating text for anyone struck by the wild majesty of these big cats this book provides invaluable data upon which to make sound management decisions in the Great Plains and beyond
Author: By Douglas M. Haynes
In 1866 Patrick Manson, a young Scottish doctor fresh from medical school, left London to launch his career in China as a port surgeon for the Imperial Chinese Customs Service. For the next two decades, he served in this outpost of British power in the Far East, and extended the frontiers of British medicine. In 1899, at the twilight of his career and as the British Empire approached its zenith, he founded the London School of Tropical Medicine. For these contributions Manson would later be called the father of British tropical medicine.In Imperial Medicine: Patrick Manson and the Conquest of Tropical Disease Douglas M. Haynes uses Manson's career to explore the role of British imperialism in the making of Victorian medicine and science. He challenges the categories of home and empire that have long informed accounts of British medicine and science, revealing a vastly more dynamic, dialectical relationship between the imperial metropole and periphery than has previously been recognized. Manson's decision to launch his career in China was no accident; the empire provided a critical source of career opportunities for a chronically overcrowded profession in Britain. And Manson used the London media's interest in the empire to advance his scientific agenda, including the discovery of the transmission of malaria in 1898, which he portrayed as British science.The empire not only created a demand for practitioners but also enhanced the presence of British medicine throughout the world. Haynes documents how the empire subsidized research science at the London School of Tropical Medicine and elsewhere in Britain in the early twentieth century. By illuminating the historical enmeshment of Victorian medicine and science in Britain's imperial project, Imperial Medicine identifies the present-day privileged distribution of specialist knowledge about disease with the lingering consequences of European imperialism.
Author: Lauren Coodley
Had Upton Sinclair not written a single book after The Jungle, he would still be famous. But Sinclair was a mere twenty-five years old when he wrote The Jungle, and over the next sixty-five years he wrote nearly eighty more books and won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction. He was also a filmmaker, labor activist, womens rights advocate, and health pioneer on a grand scale. This new biography of Sinclair underscores his place in the American story as a social, political, and cultural force, a man who more than any other disrupted and documented his era in the name of social justice.Upton Sinclair: California Socialist, Celebrity Intellectual shows us Sinclair engaged in one cause after another, some surprisingly relevant todaythe Sacco-Vanzetti trial, the depredations of the oil industry, the wrongful imprisonment of the Wobblies, and the perils of unchecked capitalism and concentrated media. Throughout, Lauren Coodley provides a new perspective for looking at Sinclairs prodigiously productive life. Coodleys book reveals a consistent streak of feminism, both in Sinclairs relationships with womenwives, friends, and activistsand in his interest in issues of housework and childcare, temperance and diet. This biography will forever alter our picture of this complicated, unconventional, often controversial man whose whole life was dedicated to helping people understand how society was run, by whom, and for whom.
Author: John Mahoney
This volume is composed of articles by former students of Professor Holmes and presented to him in his sixty-fifth year. Most of the essays deal with medieval subjects or subjects very closely associated with the Middle Ages.
Author: F. Ronald Young
Bubbles are everywherein water and in air, made from soap and from gas. They are referenced in literature and sung about in songs. They are even the subject of great works of art. From the youngest child blowing bubbles in the backyard to the adult studying the fascinating science behind them, bubbles capture our imagination. F. Ronald Youngs far-reaching survey of the humble bubble explores the complex behavior of these seemingly simple objects. If you stop to think about it, bubbles and droplets are the cornerstones of the world around us. They are the reason that dolphins cannot swim faster, that the sky is blue, and that coffee rings form. They are essential to knowing how atom smashers work, how detergents clean dishes, and how to pour a perfect pint. Beyond these basics, Young shows how humans have put bubbles to use throughout history. Whether in technologymaking fire-fighting foams and waterproof makeupor in medicinecleaning wounds and clarifying ultrasoundsbubbles are capable of more than most of us have imagined. With easy-to-understand explanations, detailed illustrations, and entertaining anecdotes, Young reveals the Fizzics behind these familiaryet surprisingobjects.
Author: Aurora Camacho de. Arthur; Schmidt Alberto; Schmidt Ulloa Bornemann
This is the first major, book-length memoir of a political prisoner from Mexico's dirty war of the 1970s. Written with the urgency of a first-person narrative, it is a unique work, providing an inside story of guerrilla activities and a gripping tale of imprisonment and torture at the hands of the Mexican government. Alberto Ulloa Bornemann was a young idealist when he dedicated himself to clandestine resistance and to assisting Lucio Cabanas, the guerrilla leader of the Party of the Poor. Here the author exposes readers to the day-to-day activities of revolutionary activists seeking to avoid discovery by government forces. After his capture, Ulloa Bornemann endured disappearance into a secret military jail and later abusive conditions in three civilian prisons. Although testimonios of former political prisoners from other Latin American nations have recently come into print, there are very few books about Mexico's political warsand none as vivid and disturbing as this.