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From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. The charismatic and contentious Zizek (The Sublime Object of Ideology) turns his versatile intelligence and acute ear for irony to a critique of contemporary capitalism. Given the recent financial crisis, Zizek argues that it is now impossible to ignore the blatant irrationality of global capitalism. He sifts through recent history to reveal how capitalist ideology functions to defend the system against any serious critique, despite its manifest flaws. He draws a sharp line between liberalism and the radical left, showing how the socialization of the banks—and socialism itself—is actually aligned with the preservation of capitalism rather than inimical to it, and derides socially responsible ecocapitalism as another avatar of a bankrupt system. Zizek concludes with a new articulation of The Communist Hypothesis, setting socialism and communism as antagonists and presenting a utopian vision that relies on breaking out of the structures and strictures of statism and the markets. An earnest and timely challenge, Zizek's critique of capitalism and repositioning of communist thought is both insightful and well-reasoned, and guaranteed to rile readers across the political and theoretical spectrum. (Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. The most dangerous philosopher in the West. (New Republic ) Zizek leaves no social or cultural phenomenon untheorized, and is master of the counterintuitive observation. (The New Yorker ) Zizek is an influential thinker, and this short book offers an excellent entry into his thought. (David Gordon - Library Journal ) [A] great provocateur and an immensely suggestive and even dashing writer... Zizek writes with passion and an aphoristic energy that is spellbinding. (Richard Rayner - Los Angeles Times ) One of the most innovative and exciting contemporary thinkers of the left. (Times Literary Supplement ) The Elvis of cultural theory. (The Chronicle of Higher Education )

This outstanding textbook offers an original history of Christian thought, asking what it has meant over the centuries to participate in the religion of the "Word made flesh." The volume: traces Christian ideas, conversations, experiences and practices from the first century through to the dawn of modernity at the end of the eighteenth century presents an inclusive history, considering the critical roles of women and religious "others"– dissenting Christians, Jews, and Muslims – in shaping Christian thought demonstrates the importance of liturgical and devotional exercises to developing Christian practice treats words, images, music and architecture all as primary evidence in reconstructing past experiences of Christianity. The accompanying CD Rom contains over one hundred and fifty visuals to support the theories and examples discussed throughout the volume and detailed information concerning the musical selections is given at the appropriate locations to facilitate their classroom use. This superb resource will be essential for all those wanting an inclusive, accessible, and stimulating introduction to the history of Christianity.

This book is intended to provide a philosophically- and historically-based introduction to modal logic, offering to every reader, even those with little specific background, a conceptually clear path through the labyrinth of contemporary modal logic. This is done by emphasizing the notion of multimodality while delineating the formal side of the semantics and proof theory behind the topics in a smooth and gentle pace. The conceptual thread which ties the book together passes through topics like the development of modal logic from standard logic; the syntax and semantics of normal modal systems; the seminal ideas behind completeness, incompleteness, canonicity and finite models; the temporal logics, the logics of knowledge and belief; the generalized syntactical and semantical treatment of multimodalities and finally the pleasures and difficulties of quantified modal logic. Multimodality is the notion which stands behind the most fertile investigations in modal logic, such as temporal logics, epistemic logics, dynamic logics and so on. By focusing on multimodal logic this book provides common ground for philosophers, logicians, linguists, mathematicians and computer scientists.The book is also designed to provide a repertoire of ideas and techniques for students interested in progressive inquiry in modal and multimodal logic. Each chapter is relatively independent, complemented with exercises and followed by a short bibliographical commentary intended for historically-minded readers.

This book is intended to provide a philosophically- and historically-based introduction to modal logic, offering to every reader, even those with little specific background, a conceptually clear path through the labyrinth of contemporary modal logic. This is done by emphasizing the notion of multimodality while delineating the formal side of the semantics and proof theory behind the topics in a smooth and gentle pace. The conceptual thread which ties the book together passes through topics like the development of modal logic from standard logic; the syntax and semantics of normal modal systems; the seminal ideas behind completeness, incompleteness, canonicity and finite models; the temporal logics, the logics of knowledge and belief; the generalized syntactical and semantical treatment of multimodalities and finally the pleasures and difficulties of quantified modal logic. Multimodality is the notion which stands behind the most fertile investigations in modal logic, such as temporal logics, epistemic logics, dynamic logics and so on. By focusing on multimodal logic this book provides common ground for philosophers, logicians, linguists, mathematicians and computer scientists.The book is also designed to provide a repertoire of ideas and techniques for students interested in progressive inquiry in modal and multimodal logic. Each chapter is relatively independent, complemented with exercises and followed by a short bibliographical commentary intended for historically-minded readers.

“The collection of wild, often hilarious postcards from his trip to America contains some of the year’s most original and beautiful writing.”—New Statesman and Society In this, his most accessible and evocative book, France’s leading philosopher of postmodernism takes to the freeways in a collection of traveler’s tales from the land of hyperreality.

Language Notes Text: English, Italian (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal Filling a hole in reference collections on the history of science, this tome brings together a great collection of articles on the progress of scientific discovery in the 16th and 17th centuries. The text, which considers the social and philosophical climate of the period as well as the science itself, is equally good at covering the concrete (such as institutions, people, and instrumentation) and the abstract (such as theories, schools of thought, and controversies). The 437 entries vary in length from just half a page to five pages, and each has a short bibliography directing the reader to recent articles and monographs as well as primary sources. Access to the entries is aided by a 60-page index, a detailed chronology, a topical/taxonomic outline of entries, and cross references. Just under 40 percent of the articles cite a work by the contributor, demonstrating that Applebaum (emeritus, history of science, Illinois Univ. of Technology) was skilled at selecting accomplished scholars from around the globe (though primarily from Europe and North America). Written at a level accessible to the educated lay reader, this work will find a welcome home in academic libraries and public libraries with larger science collections.DWade M. Lee, Univ. of Toledo, OH Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Imagine a spherical, finite, geocentric, and matter-filled universe where the teachings of Aristotle and the church are supreme. Now, imagine a universe that is infinite, heliocentric, and that possesses large and small vacuous spaces and where "experiment, precise observation, and mathematics were employed to challenge ancient, long-held scientific principles and to create new ones." What would cause such a change in worldviews? This new resource chronicles the extraordinary changes in "natural philosophy" from the beginning of the sixteenth century to the end of the seventeenth century, the phenomenon known as the scientific revolution. Coverage is broader than in a traditional science encyclopedia, encompassing the political, religious, social, and technological factors bearing on developments in science. Scholarly without being obtuse, the 441 entries by a broad representation of international experts are signed and include short bibliographies. The choice of topics reflects recent studies in the history of science. Examples include both the positive and negative impact of the Jesuits on the scientific revolution, biographical pieces on individuals such as Jakob Bernoulli and Isaac Newton, and discussions on topics like Agriculture and Aristotelianism . A broad topical outline, chronology, and index are included. Some of the information contained in this source would be available in Gale's World of Scientific Discovery (1994) or Scribner's Dictionary of Scientific Biography (1990) and Encyclopedia of the Renaissance [RBB Ja 1 & 15 00]. Encyclopedia of the Scientific Revolution is specific to one time period and may provide an insight into the developments and discoveries that form the basis for modern science. Recommended for larger public and academic science reference collections. RBBCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Publishers Weekly Using language himself in a lively and engaging way, Deutscher, an expert in Semitic languages at the University of Leiden in Holland, identifies two principles—the desire to create order out of chaotic reality, and the urge to vary the sounds of words and their meanings—providing the direction by which language developed and continues to develop. Rather than search for the prehistoric moment when speech originated, Deutscher says we can most profitably understand the phenomenon by taking the present as the key to the past. Using a wide array of examples, he delves into the back-formation of words (making a noun into a verb), the evolution of relative clauses from simple pointing words (that, this) and the turning of objects into nouns. On the question of whether language is innate, Deutscher takes a middle path, asserting that our brains are wired for basic language, but that linguistic complexity is brought about by cultural evolution. Deutscher's entertaining writing and his knack for telling a good tale about how words develop offer a delightful and charming story of language. (June 1) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From The linguistic chain that connects the boasts of an ancient Sumerian monarch to the jests of Groucho Marx is long and convoluted, but Deutscher retraces it, fascinating link by fascinating link, identifying the dynamic processes that have continuously transformed and renewed the world's diverse languages. Even when delving deeply into ancient manuscripts and temple engravings, Deutscher interprets every linguistic mutation as the consequence of evolutionary forces still observable in today's living languages. Readers see in linguistic fossils from Mesopotamia traces of the same conversion of living metaphor into conceptual lattice still taking place in modern English, German, and Indonesian. What Deutscher demonstrates most clearly is how linguistic structures that look like the product of deliberate artifice can emerge from entirely natural processes. Predictably, when he probes the linguistic developments before the advent of writing, the author must frequently substitute his own speculations for solid evidence. Entailing just enough technical detail to tempt readers into professional sources (listed at the book's conclusion), this introduction to fundamental linguistic principles opens to nonspecialists a rich theoretical vista. Bryce ChristensenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"This book has a number of signal virtues. First of all, it is extremely well written with an admirable sense for the telling detail. Second, it covers a wide range of topics and authors, many of them not well known today. Third, it is idea-driven history, a discussion shaped so as to make a free-standing philosophical point rather than a mere narrative." - Raymond Geuss, Cambridge University, author of Public Goods, Private Goods --This text refers to the edition. White's picture of pragmatism is distinctive, original, and highly relevant in contemporary philosophy. The new book will be of interest both for systematic philosophers working on philosophy of language, philosophy of science, philosophy of law, or ethics, and for historians of philosophy studying American pragmatism and its influence in twentieth-century thought. (S. Pihlstrom, "Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society" ) --This text refers to the edition.

A masterwork of impeccable scholarship--brilliant, profound, extraordinarily wide-ranging, and altogether engrossing. Bound to be the definitive book on its complex subject for a long, long time. --Robert K. Merton A magnificent achievement in the history of ideas, combining sharp historical analysis with vivid intellectual portraits and elegance of style. --Max Lerner A masterwork of impeccable scholarship--brilliant, profound, extraordinarily wide-ranging, and altogether engrossing. Bound to be the definitive book on its complex subject for a long, long time. (Robert K. Merton ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.