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万本电子书0元读

Balancing Act
Balancing Act
Ichijo, Atsuko
¥63.67
This is a careful examination of the historical formation of Britain and of key moments in its relations with the European powers. The author looks at the governing discourses of politicians, the mass media, and the British people. The rhetoric of sovereignty among political elites and the population at large is found to conceive of Britain's engagement with Europe as a zero-sum game. A second theme is the power of geographical images - island Britain - in feeding the idea of the British nation as by nature separate and autonomous. It follows that the EU is seen as 'other' and involvement in European decision-making tends to be viewed in terms of threat. This is naive, as nation- states are not autonomous, economically, militarily or politically. Only pooling sovereignty can maximize their national interests. Atsuko Ichijo is Senior Researcher in European Studies at Kingston University.
Henry VIII and his Court
Henry VIII and his Court
Muhlbach, Luise
¥44.05
This novel is based on the true life of Henry VIII, one of England's most famous - or infamous kings. Marriages, divorces, beheadings, death and glory - all contained within the pages of this fantastic ebook. It was originally written by Luise Muhlbach in German and translated into English by Henry Niles Pierce. Sample Extract :"e;It was in the year 1543. King Henry the Eighth of England that day once more pronounced himself the happiest and most enviable man in his kingdom, for to-day he was once more a bridegroom, and Catharine Parr, the youthful widow of Baron Latimer, had the perilous happiness of being selected as the king's sixth consort. Merrily chimed the bells of all the steeples of London, announcing to the people the commencement of that holy ceremony which sacredly bound Catharine Parr to the king as his sixth wife. The people, ever fond of novelty and show, crowded through the streets toward the royal palace to catch a sight of Catharine, when she appeared at her husband's side upon the balcony, to show herself to the English people as their queen, and to receive their homage in return.
Your Brain's Politics
Your Brain's Politics
Lakoff, George
¥73.48
At first glance, issues like economic inequality, healthcare, climate change, and abortion seem unrelated. However, when thinking and talking about them, people reliably fall into two camps: conservative and liberal. What explains this divide? Why do conservatives and liberals hold the positions they do? And what is the conceptual nature of those who decide elections, commonly called the "e;political middle"e;?The answers are profound. They have to do with how our minds and brains work. Political attitudes are the product of what cognitive scientists call Embodied Cognition - the grounding of abstract thought in everyday world experience. Clashing beliefs about how to run nations largely arise from conflicting beliefs about family life: conservatives endorse a strict father and liberals a nurturant parent model. So-called "e;middle"e; voters are not in the middle at all. They are morally biconceptual, divided between both models, and as a result highly susceptible to moral political persuasion.In this brief introduction, Lakoff and Wehling reveal how cognitive science research has advanced our understanding of political thought and language, forcing us to revise common folk theories about the rational voter.
Seeking Meaning and Making Sense
Seeking Meaning and Making Sense
Haldane, John
¥63.67
Collection of short essays that range across philosophy, politics, general culture, morality, science, religion and art, focusing on questions of meaning, value and understanding.
Trial and Execution of George VI
Trial and Execution of George VI
Grigor, Iain Fraser
¥19.52
This novel is the first in a projected five-part series called The Second British Protectorate - a series of high-concept, story-driven commercial fictions from the viewpoint of alternate history, supposing a sovietised post-war Britain formally modelled on Cromwell's 17th century Protectorate. The themes are both historical and modern. For instance - what shape would a popular rising against such a state have taken? Who would have collaborated with the regime - who might have resisted - and who might have loafed on the leathered benches of least resistance? What would the state's religious policy have been? Might that policy have forced the merger of the churches of Scotland and England? Might the religious and messianic mania of the 17th century have returned? Might it have been believed that Jesus had come (back) to England? Might George VI have gone to the scaffold as Charles I had - dead by winter axe in London's Whitehall? What role would the great lawyers of the land and their sacred notions of constitutionality and amour-propre (not to mention the school-fees) have had in all of this? What about civil liberties, and clear and present dangers to the state? What about the asymmetric distribution of lethal capacities for oppression and resistance? What about the nature of religious identity as the ideology of that resistance? What role might cocaine have played in a ruined command-economy with a worthless currency? Might the Americans have smuggled it into Britain in huge quantities as a way of funding democratic terrorism? The Trial and Execution of George VI - as a popular rising is savagely crushed and the Messiah comes (back?) to Britain, a shipment of best American cocaine is swapped in the ruins of Perth for the lives of the King, his Queen and their kids. But what happened next - to the coke?
Hospitable Universe
Hospitable Universe
Gambini, Rodolfo
¥147.05
This book argues that new developments in the sciences, in particular twentieth-century physics and twenty-first-century biology, suggest revising several pessimistic outlooks for the development of a scientific understanding of the relationship of humans with the universe - in particular, implications for the development of a natural religiousness. In the new vision a universe which is friendly to life and consciousness naturally emerges.
On Liberty and Peace - Part 1
On Liberty and Peace - Part 1
Edge, Matt
¥63.67
The author writes:In this project I set out to provide an answer to two fundamental questions of political philosophy. How can human beings (living, as we do now, in a globalised world) live together, in conditions of co-operation over time, enjoying what Immanuel Kant famously called 'perpetual peace'? And how much individual freedom can we expect to enjoy, and to what degree can we expect that individual freedom to be equal, whilst engaged in the enterprise described by the first question? These may be age-old questions, but I aim, in this project, to offer a new approach to answering them.In part one of this project, I aim to provide a groundwork upon which an answer to these questions can be built. I argue, contrary to much contemporary (and historical) political philosophy, that the answers to these questions should not be provided by our representatives, a monarch, the elite, or by a process of philosophical abstraction (or anything else) but, instead, by each of us. That is to say, by you, me and everyone else together. Part one argues not only why it should be each of us who are to be engaged in this enterprise, but it also argues on behalf of a number of changes which might support us in this ongoing, and doubtless difficult, human project. I begin by arguing that, if we are to attempt to provide a genuine (and free) answer to how much individual freedom we should each be alloted in human society over time, this means that we must begin with the concept of freedom itself which, in turn, means detaching it from the philosophical and epistemological baggage it tends to carry in everyday language.
Social Radicalism and Liberal Education
Social Radicalism and Liberal Education
Paterson, Lindsay
¥147.05
Liberal education used to command wide political support. Radicals disagreed with conservatives on whether the best culture could be appreciated by everyone, and they disagreed, too, on whether the barriers to understanding it were mainly social and economic, but there was no dispute that any worthwhile education ought to hand on the best that has been thought and said. That consensus has vanished since the 1960s. The book examines why social radicals supported liberal education, why they have moved away from it, and what the implications are for the future of an intellectually stimulating and culturally literate education.
On Liberty and Peace - Part 2
On Liberty and Peace - Part 2
Edge, Matt
¥63.67
The author writes:In this project I set out to provide an answer to two fundamental questions of political philosophy. How can human beings (living, as we do now, in a globalised world) live together, in conditions of co-operation over time, enjoying what Immanuel Kant famously called 'perpetual peace'? And how much individual freedom can we expect to enjoy, and to what degree can we expect that individual freedom to be equal, whilst engaged in the enterprise described by the first question? These may be age-old questions, but I aim, in this project, to offer a new approach to answering them.In part two of this project, I aim to actually provide my own answer to the two fundamental questions with which I began and according to the structure I outline in Liberty. Which is to say, this is the answer I provide to you (and everyone else) to judge regarding how successfully it answers those age old political questions. In short, I argue that these are the changes in actual, material, human conditions - the necessary set of 'alterable human practices' to borrow a phrase of Isaiah Berlin's - required to create an enduring, desirable and just 'perpetual peace' on earth. In other words, this is not, in Kant's phrase, a 'philosophical sketch' on how perpetual peace might be attained, but, by focusing on the everyday, material, relationships and conditions which create and foster conflict and injustice across the globe today, I hope to provide a 'material sketch' as to how human beings might live in successfully together in conditions of peaceful cooperation and freedom over time.
Appearances
Appearances
Sampson, Nicolas D
¥58.76
APPEARANCES is a collection of twelve short stories revealing how fragile and elusive reality is. It is full of playful and powerful images that exist all around us. Funhouse mirrors of life. Or maybe the other way round. Raw images of a reality normally photoshopped and made to look gorgeous in the beauty parlors of everyday society, now shown for what they are, revealing their true nature. The mirror theme helps reflect on this reality. Stories are mirrors of life, of people and circumstances. Images in those mirrors range from the exact to the distorted. They can be revealing, misleading, or indicative of something. They can be full of promises and lies, changing the world according to their whims, or brutally honest, revealing the world as it was never meant to be seen. Whatever the case, the images are real, and so are the mirrors, phenomena of the everyday world, reflecting back to us who we are, what we do and how we have set up the world around us. They indicate to us the various aspects of humanity and the human psyche, exposing our longings and fears. Victor and Xavier share these stories with us, offering their perspective on life through the prism of mirrors that are playful, powerful and present wherever one looks. Nothing can be taken for granted. Only one thing's for certain. Appearances are not what they seem.
God versus Particle Physics
God versus Particle Physics
Davies, John
¥107.81
The book presents the conclusions of a psychologist seeking to make sense of contemporary particle physics as described in a number of popular science texts and media articles, written by physicists, seeking to explain the workings of the sub-atomic world. The accounts, it is argued, are a) mutually exclusive and contradictory, and b) metaphysical or magical in essence.Themes of the book include: a discussion of the way we allow physicists to invent things that have no perceivable qualities, on the grounds that they 'must' be there because otherwise their preconceptions are wrong or their sums don't work; that, from a psychological perspective, contemporary theory in particle physics has the same properties as any other act of faith, and the same limitations as belief in God; and that physics has now reached a point at which increasingly physicists research their own psychological constructions rather than anything which is unambiguously 'there' or real.It encourages people to ask basic questions of the type we often use to question the existence of God; such as 'Where is he/it?', 'Show me?', 'Do it then', 'When did it happen?', 'How do you know it exists?', and so on, and suggests that people take a leaf out of Dawkins' text, The God Delusion, but apply it to high-end physics as much as to religious dogma: turning water into wine is a mere conjuring trick compared to producing an entire universe out of nothing.
Thomas Reid on Religion
Thomas Reid on Religion
Foster, James J.S.
¥107.81
Thomas Reid was one of the greatest thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment. In his own time he was seen as the most able opponent of the scepticism of David Hume and the architect of 'Common Sense' philosophy. His ideas were immensely influential both in his native Scotland and abroad, and the last forty years have seen a marked revival of interest in his work. Reid published very little about religion and his notes from the lectures on natural theology that he regularly gave have not survived. This volume - a companion to Thomas Reid: Selected Philosophical Writings (Imprint Academic, 2012) - makes available material from Reid's autograph manuscripts, housed in the University of Aberdeen Library, and student notes of Reid's lectures, edited from original manuscripts in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. It includes an introductory essay by Nicholas Wolterstorff, a leading philosopher of religion and interpreter of Reid.
Celtic Fairy Tales
Celtic Fairy Tales
Jacobs, Joseph
¥29.33
This collection of Celtic Fairy tales was put together by noted Celtic expert Joseph Jacobs in the late 19th and early 20th Century. Including famous legends such as 'Conal Hammerclaw' and 'The Sea Maiden', this book will excite and delight fans of the Celtic arts, those who appreciate classic literature, and story-lovers in general.
Singularity
Singularity
Awret, Uziel
¥220.63
This volume represents the combination of two special issues of the Journal of Consciousness Studies on the topic of the technological singularity. Could artificial intelligence really out-think us, and what would be the likely repercussions if it could? Leading authors contribute to the debate, which takes the form of a target chapter by philosopher David Chalmers, plus commentaries from the likes of Daniel Dennett, Nick Bostrom, Ray Kurzweil, Ben Goertzel, Frank Tipler, among many others. Chalmers then responds to the commentators to round off the discussion.
That's Racist!
That's Racist!
Hart, Adrian
¥73.48
Twenty-first century British kids are more comfortable with ethnic diversity than ever before. The 'mixed race' population is rising exponentially. In school playgrounds across Britain, kids are inventing a version of colour-blind, multi-ethnic interaction that should teach the adult world a thing or two - not least about the amazing, superdiverse generation that is to come.And yet, for over a decade, playgrounds and classrooms have endured unprecedented interference in the form of official racist-incident reporting, training on the importance of racial etiquette, and the reinforcement of racial identities. Such interference is viewed by modern day anti-racists as a necessary bulwark against the creeping influence of the far-right, 'Islamophobia', and more generally the supposed covert racism of the wider population. Many official policy documents written under the influence of this approach insist a failure to tackle racist behaviour at the earliest age will allow racism to incubate and grow. Here, 'racism' is something defined by the notion of what constitutes hate speech or wounding words. Often it can be detected from an entirely innocent phrase, so long as the phrase is perceived by the offence-taker or another party or policy as 'racist'.This mindset has, in recent years, permeated public discourse on the subject. Evidence of racism - such as a gaffe by a politician or celebrity, or a footballer's on-pitch insult - is always 'the tip of iceberg' (the moment that racist society breaks the surface and is revealed to all). The idea of a hidden mass of racists in our midst explains the advent of a racism-watch approach that turns up the attenuator and trawls the nooks and crannies of everyday life for tell-tale signs. Moreover, PC anti-racism synthesises many of today's worst cultural trends: the erosion of free speech and of adult moral authority; the elevation of victimhood and of identity politics (particularly the reinstatement of racial identity); the misanthropic view of rotten, vulnerable humanity (where the state becomes purifier); the cult of child protection and the emergence of a degraded and vulgar conception of child development.It is with some irony, then, that modern day anti-racism can be argued as having taken over from old-fashioned racism as the dominant racialising force in British society.
Unknown to History
Unknown to History
Yonge, Charlotte Mary
¥44.05
According to some accounts, Mary Queen of Scots bore a child to her last husband, the earl of Bothwell, while imprisoned at Loch Leven. In Unknown to History, C.M. Yonge weaves the story of this child, linking it with that of her mother. The Author tells us that In Miss Strickland's Life of Mary Queen of Scots (and in Burton's History of Scotland) a report may be found on which this tale is based. This is a fascinating and enthralling story of royalty, plot and intrigue, and was originally published in 1882.
Sherlock Holmes - The Sign of the Four
Sherlock Holmes - The Sign of the Four
Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur
¥29.33
This eBook edition of an intriguing Sherlock Holmes case has been specially formatted for today's e-readers. The Sign of the Four is a popular Sherlock Holmes book written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Set in the late 1880s, the case features a complex plot involving stolen treasure and a secret pact by four ex-convicts. The book is set in Colonial India, and is critically acclaimed for how well it humanizes the character of Sherlock Holmes (including his drug habit!). This eBook is highly recommended for all fans of the famous detective, and fiction lovers in general.
Place of Michael Oakeshott in Contemporary Western and Non-Western Thought
Place of Michael Oakeshott in Contemporary Western and Non-Western Thought
O'Sullivan, Noel
¥147.05
The continuing growth of worldwide interest in Michael Oakeshott's philosophy and political theory has recently (2016) been marked by the publication of two 'Companion to Oakeshott' volumes. This event provides a welcome opportunity to explore the reasons for his influence both within the West and beyond it.Essays by contributors from Britain, Canada, Hong Kong, India, and the USA provide a comprehensive critical assessment of the principal aspects of Oakeshott's thought that account for his contemporary relevance.The unusually multi-national background of the authors aims to give the volume a wide appeal, extending not only to those already familiar with Oakeshott's writings but also to those as yet unfamiliar with them, regardless of their cultural background.All the contributors have attempted to write in a way that makes Oakeshott as accessible as possible.
Chamberlain Legacy
Chamberlain Legacy
Nettlefold, Charles
¥93.10
The Chamberlains were the most powerful political dynasty in England between 1876 and 1940 when one or, more usually, two members of the family sat in the Commons, holding between them nearly all the great Offices of State. In recent times, they have sunk into relative obscurity but recent political developments have made their lives seem particularly relevant. Theresa May's listing of Joe Chamberlain in her apostolic succession of great conservatives has brought him back to the forefront of political debate; whilst Brexit has made his policy of Tariff Reform relevant once again to British economic policy. The concerns over President Putin's foreign policy, coupled with the weak state of Britain's defence forces, have mirrored the conditions that led to the humiliation of Neville Chamberlain, whilst the UK's current political turmoil reflects those of the 1920s, which led to Austen Chamberlain being mocked as a perpetual loser. In this book, the author has sought to re-examine the reputations of these three men by concentrating as much on their personal lives and the motives that drove them as on the mighty political events that dominated their times. His conclusions may surprise the reader and may help those who are trying to forge policies to deal with the current political and economic environments.
Renaissance
Renaissance
Pater, Walter
¥58.76
This fantastic classic text is Pater's graceful collection of essays discussing the achievements of Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and other artists. The book concludes with an uncompromising advocacy of hedonism, urging readers to experience life as fully as possible. His cry of "e;art for art's sake"e; became the manifesto of the Aesthetic Movement, and his assessments of Renaissance art have influenced generations of readers. This version has been specially formatted for today's e-readers by Andrews UK.
Educating Character Through Stories
Educating Character Through Stories
Carr, David
¥107.81
What could be the point of teaching such works of bygone cultural and literary inheritance as Cervantes' Don Quixote and Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice in schools today? This book argues that the narratives and stories of such works are of neglected significance and value for contemporary understanding of human moral association and character. However, in addition to offering detailed analysis of the moral educational potential of these and other texts, the present work reports on a pioneering project, recently pursued by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, concerned precisely with the use of these and other stories for moral and character education in schools. The success of the 'Knightly Virtues' project is an inspiring story in its own right and should therefore be of enormous interest to all schools, teachers and parents rightly concerned with this all-important aspect of their children's educational development.