Download or read book Obscurantism in power written by Brice Perrier and published by Max Milo. This book was released on 2024-08-28 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the last ten years or so, it has become commonplace to hear talk of an obscurantist threat linked to a rise in irrationality, manifested mainly by a mistrust of vaccination and conventional medicine. But obscurantism can also be found where we pride ourselves on fighting it. In this case, it is no longer the work of marginal or anti-establishment groups, but of a dominant way of thinking that presents itself as that of science and rationality. The aim of this book is to lift the veil on this obscurantism in power. Through numerous examples, from impeded research into unexplained phenomena such as near-death experiences, to the vast field of medicine where the pharmaceutical industry has cornered the market on proving the usefulness of a treatment, Brice Perrier reveals how reason is transformed into dogmatism and hinders the advancement of knowledge. The aim of the book is not to say what is true or false, nor to settle scientific controversies, but to understand why these debates, which have always been legitimate and even necessary in science, may simply no longer be allowed.
Download or read book American Obscurantism written by Peter Lurie and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-05-01 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: American Obscurantism argues for a salutary indirection in U.S. culture. From its earliest canonical literary works through late twentieth and early twenty-first century film, the most compelling manifestations of America's troubled history have articulated this content through a unique formal and tonal obscurity. Envisioning the formidable darkness attending racial history at nearly every stage of the republic's founding and ongoing development, writers such as William Faulkner and Hart Crane or directors like the Coen brothers and Stanley Kubrick present a powerful critique of American conquest, southern plantation culture, and western frontier ideology. The book traces this arc from one of visual history's notoriously troubled texts: D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915). American Obscurantism engages the basis of these explorations in Poe and Melville, each of whom present notable occlusions in characters' racial understanding, an obtuseness or naïveté that is expressed by a corresponding formal opacity. Such oblique historicity as the book describes allows a method at odds with - and implicitly critical of - the historicizing trend that marked literary studies in the wake of the theoretical turn. Citing critiques such as those of Tim Dean and others of efforts to politicize literary and cultural studies, this book restores an emphasis on aesthetic and medium-specific features to argue for a formalist historicity. Working through challenges to an implicitly white-,bourgeois, heteronormative polity, American Obscurantism posits an insistent, vital racial otherness at the heart of American literature and cinema. It examines this pattern across a canon that shows more self-doubt than assuredness, arguing for the value of openness and questioning in place of epistemological or critical certainty. Following the insistence on a lamenting historical look back in the cases of Faulkner, Kubrick, and the Coens, the book ends by linking Crane's famous optimism in The Bridge, one rooted in an ecstatic celebrating of the body and an optimism attending "America" as both concept and nation-state, to the contemporary digital turn and the hope for a more inclusive visual culture as well as racial vision.
Download or read book American Obscurantism written by Peter Lurie and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: American Obscurantism argues for a salutary indirection in US culture. Critiquing the impulse to see history in seminal works like Griffith's Birth of a Nation and the residual positivism of New Historicist methodology, the book challenges this shared visual epistemology . It traces meaningful exceptions to this pattern across canonical figures from US literature and film.
Download or read book The Survivor s Guide to Theology written by M. James Sawyer and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2016-04-11 with total page 637 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Men and women embarking on the study of systematic theology quickly find themselves awash in a sea of unfamiliar theological terms, historical names, and philosophical "-isms." The Survivor's Guide to Theology is both a life preserver to help stay afloat and a compass to help navigate these often unfamiliar waters. While many books on systematic theology provide introductory material, still the reader is often forced to dive right into actual theology without adequate framework for understanding. Resources for building this framework are available but scattered. This unique book brings them together in one place. The Survivor's Guide to Theology is ideal for both introduction and review/reference. - The first part deals with the question, "What is Theology?" It addresses issues, categories, theory of knowledge, and more. - The second part surveys nine major theological systems. For each, the author provides history and background, overview of content and theological distinctive, and a critique. - The final part provides the reader with biographical sketches of significant theologians, a brief dictionary of common theological terms, and an annotated bibliography of major theological works.
Download or read book Obscurantism in Modern Science written by Edward Clodd and published by . This book was released on 1913 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Explaining Social Behavior written by Jon Elster and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2015-07-30 with total page 517 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A substantially revised edition of Jon Elster's critically acclaimed book exploring the nature of social behavior and the social sciences.
Download or read book Continental Philosophy A Very Short Introduction written by Simon Critchley and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2001-02-22 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Simon Critchley's Very Short Introduction shows that Continental philosophy encompasses a distinct set of philosophical traditions and practices, with a compelling range of problems all too often ignored by the analytic tradition. He discusses the ideas and approaches of philosophers such as Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Habermas, Foucault, and Derrida, and introduces key concepts such as existentialism, nihilism, and phenomenology by explaining their place in the Continental tradition. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Download or read book Northrop Frye the High Priest of Clerical Obscurantism written by Pauline Kogan and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Wittgenstein on Freud and Frazer written by Frank Cioffi and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1998-07-13 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is it that troubles and preoccupies us about the anxieties and anguishes of social and private life? Have advances in the disciplines of psychoanalysis, psychology or the social sciences in general ministered to our needs in these areas? In this forcefully argued collection of essays, Frank Cioffi examines Wittgenstein's reflections on the comparative claims of clarification and empirical enquiry. Though writing out of admiration and indebtedness, he expresses reservations as to the limits Wittgenstein places on the relevance and desirability of empirical knowledge. His discusssions extend from Wittgenstein's reflections on human sacrifice and other ritual practices dealt with by Frazer to Freud's account of the sources of anxiety, depression, dreams and laughter. He asks both whether it is empirical investigation or more lucid reflection that these phenomena demand, and what kind of question this itself is.
Download or read book Learn to Write Badly written by Michael Billig and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2013-06-20 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Modern academia is increasingly competitive yet the writing style of social scientists is routinely poor and continues to deteriorate. Are social science postgraduates being taught to write poorly? What conditions adversely affect the way they write? And which linguistic features contribute towards this bad writing? Michael Billig's witty and entertaining book analyses these questions in a quest to pinpoint exactly what is going wrong with the way social scientists write. Using examples from diverse fields such as linguistics, sociology and experimental social psychology, Billig shows how technical terminology is regularly less precise than simpler language. He demonstrates that there are linguistic problems with the noun-based terminology that social scientists habitually use - 'reification' or 'nominalization' rather than the corresponding verbs 'reify' or 'nominalize'. According to Billig, social scientists not only use their terminology to exaggerate and to conceal, but also to promote themselves and their work.
Download or read book Terrorism and Communication written by Jonathan Matusitz and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2013 with total page 521 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on the premise that terrorism is essentially a message, Terrorism and Communication: A Critical Introduction examines terrorism from a communication perspective—making it the first text to offer a complete picture of the role of communication in terrorist activity. Through the extensive examination of state-of-the-art research on terrorism as well as recent case studies and speech excerpts, communication and terrorism scholar Jonathan Matusitz explores the ways that terrorists communicate messages through actions and discourse. Using a multifaceted approach, he draws valuable insights from relevant disciplines, including mass communication, political communication, and visual communication, as he illustrates the key role that media outlets play in communicating terrorists' objectives and examines the role of global communication channels in both spreading and combating terrorism. This is an essential introduction to understanding what terrorism is, how it functions primarily through communication, how we talk about it, and how we prevent it.
Download or read book Wittgenstein Connections and Controversies written by P. M. S Hacker and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2001-11-22 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wittgenstein: Connections and Controversies consists of thirteen thematically linked essays on different aspects of the philosophy of Wittgenstein, by one of the leading commentators on his work. After an opening overview of Wittgenstein's philosophy the following essays fall into two classes: those that investigate connections between the philosophy of Wittgenstein and other philosophers and philosophical trends, and those which enter into some of the controversies that, over the last two decades, have raged over the interpretation of one aspect or another of Wittgenstein's writings. The connections that are explored include the relationship between Wittgenstein's philosophy and the humanistic and hermeneutic traditions in European philosophy, Wittgenstein's response to Frazer's Golden Bough and the interpretation of ritual actions, his attitude towards and criticisms of Frege (both in the Tractatus and in the later philosophy), the relationship between his ideas and those of members of the Vienna Circle on the matter of ostensive definition, and a comparison of Carnap's conception of the elimination of metaphysics and of Strawson's rehabilitation of metaphysics with Wittgenstein's later criticisms of metaphysics. The controversies into which Hacker enters include the Diamond-Conant interpretation of the Tractatus (which is shown to be inconsistent with the text of the Tractatus and with Wittgenstein's explanations of and comments on his book), Winch's interpretation of the Tractatus conception of names, Kripke's interpretation of Wittgenstein's discussion of following a rule (which is demonstrated to be remote from Wittgenstein's intentions), and Malcolm's defence of the idea that Wittgenstein claimed that mastery of a language logically requires that the language be shared with other speakers. These far-ranging essays, several of them previously unpublished or difficult to find, shed much light upon different aspects of Wittgenstein's thought, and upon the controversies which it has stimulated.
Download or read book SURVEY OF RESEARCHES IN EDUCATION Volume II written by Prof. Sunil Kumar Singh and published by Faculty of Education, Banaras Hindu University. This book was released on 2020-05-26 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: PREFACE It gives me immense pleasure to share a few sentences as preface of the ‘Survey of Research Abstract of Faculty of Education (K)’, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. As we are aware that educational research aimed at developing curriculum, syllabus, textbooks, instructional materials, assessment modules, pedagogical innovations and qualitative practices and reforms. Information and communication technology, e-resources, e-contents, on-line mode of curricular transactions are becoming more prominent and effective in certain domains worldwide. Researches at doctoral and post-doctoral level are to be addressed the issues related to community, it needs and aspirations, curriculum (advances to be incorporate) and teaching-learning processes in order to make education updated, fulfilling the developmental needs, updated education refines the sensitivities of the learners to be constructive and productive in their approaches to bring desired development for themselves and for the society at large. Fast changing scenario on expected to lines and also on unexpected lines, both demand multifaceted preparedness to meet the challenges of life, likely to emerge. The present covid-19 situation has forced people globally to be locked down to fight against fatal corona virus. Under the situation researches and education processes one unique features such as: online mode of teaching- learning, development of e-content & e-resources, digital pedagogy, curricular flexibility, alternate system of evaluation and examinations, teachers knowledge base and preparedness and students achievement etc. all these have put forwards new areas of study. The comprehensive volume II of the Research Abstract includes eighty Ph.D. thesis and two hundred P.G. dissertations, covered various areas, including educational psychology, philosophy, sociology, technology, curricular studies, examination, evaluation, discipline-based pedagogies etc. Volume provides a rich knowledge base to readers to find knowledge gap in a particular areas for further research design in a way researcher finds a direction to proceed with a new problem with a sound research plan. I on behalf of the Faculty of Education and on my own behalf convey my sincere congratulations to the entire team of the publication and to Prof. S. K. Singh, the chief editor of the volume. I am sure readers will be immensely benefited from this great volume. Date: 26th May, 2020 (R. P. Shukla)
Download or read book Appropriating Heidegger written by James E. Faulconer and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2000-08-28 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is unique in bringing together representatives of many different approaches to Heidegger's philosophy.
Download or read book Devotional Language written by Johannes Sloek and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2015-07-24 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Altruistic Gene Revisited written by S.T. Evensen and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2018-12-14 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book replaces a fiction (2005) in the Altruistic Gene trilogy and covers what really happened to an industrial family in 2005–2018. It signals faith in the power of collaboration to attain social impact by effective altruism, a. o. setting new standards benefiting others. The book offers perspectives on business, institutional, as well as societal development. It also relates historic values of peripheral isles and coastal areas in Northern Europe, namely, gender parity and the right to resist by freedom of speech in a direct democracy protected by common law. Telling about the actuality of these values, that is the purpose and rationale of the book. Part 1 of the book follows the elders of the family from 2005 until 2011. The elders foresaw structural changes, as well as crises of trust caused by elite circulation/collusion and fragmentation of decision-making benefiting special interests. They chose to carry through a transition of power to their children whom had become stepparents of two nephews—victims of their biological parents’ high and deadly profiles. A primary objective of the transition was to protect the family and reduce its profile in the media and markets by divesting holdings in traditional industries. The elders wanted the stepparents to prepare the next generation for an early transition of power, and they involved the family’s confidants as mentors. They also financed a task force for security and intelligence with a hidden agenda. Part 2 and 3 of the book follow the endeavors of the next generation during 2012–2018. The family’s values made the next generation take on responsibilities with a strong sense of duty. The two adopted sons sought innovation and experiences in both the south and north of Europe, where they were faced with the causes and later repercussions of economic crises in 2007–2009. The collusion resulted in crises of trust and debt. Their findings on deliberative, transparent pluralism: Good governance requires agility, enterprise, and ethics, as well as collaboration, fair play, and predictability. They pursued ideas benefiting the atomist (the individual without influence alone) by impartiality, coresponsibility, empowerment, and collaboration. They saw the need to reinvent activities of trustees/fiduciaries and facilitate effective basic infrastructure, benefiting also small- and midsized enterprises (SMEs) without names in the markets and media. Therefore, they decided to promote and participate in a social enterprise for impact investing, organized as an innovative collaborative value network (CVN). A CVN can reach into the real economies of maritime regions where needs of owners/enterprisers and investors are similar everywhere. The book draws a circle with an unexpected end: one of the adopted sons encounters a young woman with a surprise connection to the death of his biological parents. An early transition starts, and a CVN approach for impact investing is set in motion. New ways are commenced, e.g., efforts to stop favoring of special interests, as well as to draft a pact on altruism* against obscurantism. Telling about these endeavors ends the author’s book series** on pluralism, ethics, and enterprise. *The draft pact on altruism is not important, but the idea of such a draft is, when spread in growing circles. **This book and Nordic Model Analyses (2016) invite readers to participate in an anthology for building alternative visions of Nordic and similar societal models by combining pluralism, ethics, enterprise, and welfare, as well as gender parity, secularity, diversity, and ecumenism. Cf. www.bankier.co
Download or read book In All Fairness written by Richard A. Epstein and published by Independent Institute. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Growing concern about inequality has led to proposals to remake American society according to ill-conceived and coercive "egalitarian" values that are fundamentally unfair. This unique book reveals the modern romance with equality as a destructive flirtation. The elites who advocate such notions claim they champion the poor—but more often than not the nostrums of this managerial class undermine, rather than advance, mass prosperity and human well-being. The authors of In All Fairness challenge all of the prevailing egalitarian ideas, including the claim that the country is riven by inequality in the first place. After all, our economy thrives with a division of labor that allows individuals who are unequal in interests and talents to pursue their own unique goals. Looked at in this way, equality is far more widespread than overheated rhetoric might lead one to expect—as factual data show. But it is an equality of a particularly valuable type—one arrived at, not by top-down attempts to impose economic uniformity, but by our respecting inviolable rules of fair play and the dignity of each person, a dignity that requires everyone to respect the voluntary transactions of others. This approach holds equity, liberty, diversity, and prosperity together. Would we want it any other way in America and anywhere around the world? The authors draw on economics, philosophy, religion, law, political science, and history to provide answers to a perennial question that especially agitates the American public today: Can the coercive powers of the state be used to achieve a kind of arithmetic equality? The authors, each in their own way, make a strong case that they should not be used in this fashion. Love inequality or loathe it, In All Fairness is full of key insights about the connections among fairness, liberty, equality and the quest for human dignity. You won't think about wealth and poverty, equality and inequality, in the same way ever again.