Sonnert (physics, Harvard U.) investigates how German culture of the 19th and early 20th centuries surrounded the scientist in his formative years, and during most of his life shaped his physics and h
Nielsen (philosophy, U. of Calgary) presents a defense of naturalism as the most reasonable way to view humans place in the world. His naturalism is an atheistic and humanistic philosophy, but it is n
If there is any one concept that stirs the passions and actions of men as a gender, power is the most likely candidate. Seldom is powerlessness a preferred or admired quality in a man. Yet power can b
More on the enduring controversy. The author is in the psychology department at York U., Toronto, Canada. No index. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
After twenty-five years of investigating, analyzing, and interviewing serial killers, their family members, neighbors, and even surviving victims, Jack Levin has become one of the world's most respec
Gardner, the creator of Scientific American's "Mathematical Games" column and author of numerous works of fiction and nonfiction, collects some of his published essays (and a few unpublished) on false
This history of atomism, from Democritus to the recent discovery of the Higgs boson, chronicles one of the most successful scientific hypotheses ever devised, making the case that in the final analysi
In this, his latest book, noted cultural critic and activist Parenti warns against the dangers of religion's dark side, whether the evils committed in the name of God or the hypocrisies of religious f
This witty and learned exploration of critical views on the nature and existence of God, as expressed by major philosophers of the Western world from the medieval period to the present day, is the las
Soble (philosophy, U. of New Orleans) lights into feminists who argue that pornography objectifies and degrades women, a stance he regards as "meddling interference with the motives and choices and li
With special reference to theories of just war and jihad, technical terms that arise in connection with the theology of early medieval Christianity and early Islam respectively, American scholars of r
The recent killings in Dallas, Baton Rouge, Ferguson, and elsewhere are just the latest examples of the longstanding rift between law enforcement and people of color. In this revealing journey to the
Writing for a general audience, Morris (a clinical and forensic psychologist in private practice) draws on his own professional experience, the professional literature, the public record of highly pub
Archaeological consultant Whitley (geographical sciences, Arizona State U.) explores the first visible evidence of religious beliefs and the oldest known creations of art. The oldest examples so far h
In this biography, Stolfi (the US Naval Postgraduate School) stresses the more personal sides of the dictator: the artistic teenager, the scholar, the loyal soldier decorated for valor in WWI. Casting
President Abraham Lincoln viewed the US Declaration of Independence as an American manifesto, as did its author, Thomas Jefferson, argues this work. It further contends that Lincoln and Jefferson view
This history of medieval inventions, focusing on the eleventh to the fourteenth centuries, vividly portrays a thriving era of human ingenuity--and the results are still being felt to this day. From th
Deakin (mathematics, Monash U.) examines the few primary documents available and from them interprets Hypatia's historical situation, but primarily focuses on her work, which was the motivation for he
Susan Haack's anthology presents a broad and diverse selection of pragmatist writings, classical and contemporary, reformist and revolutionary, ranging from logic, metaphysics, theory of inquiry, phi
In a series of highly publicized articles in 1952, Jean-Paul Sartre engaged Albert Camus in a bitter public confrontation over the ideas Camus articulated in his renowned work, The Rebel . This volum
Marat, a central character in one of history's most significant social transformations, has been alternately hailed as a heroic leader in the French Revolution and condemned as a bloodthirsty fanatic.
Aimed at specialists as well as graduate and select undergraduate students, this study centers on Hegel's important, but neglected, theory of knowledge. Professor Rockmore interprets Hegel as reacting
In this wide-ranging collection of articles, essays, and speeches, George H. Smith analyzes atheism and its relevance to society today.The featured essay in this volume provides a full analysis of Ayn
Basta (medicine, U. of South Florida and a cardiologist) draws on his professional expertise and his own experiences surviving cancer to provide a criticism of our culture's denial of death and obsess
The great Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), best known for such masterpieces as "Ode to the West Wind" and "Prometheus Unbound," also expressed his ideas on religious oppression in works
