- Table View
- List View
A Durkheimian Quest
by William Watts MillerDurkheim, in his very role as a 'founding father' of a new social science, sociology, has become like a figure in an old religious painting, enshrouded in myth and encrusted in layers of thick, impenetrable varnish. This book undertakes detailed, up-to-date investigations of Durkheim's work in an effort to restore its freshness and reveal it as originally created. These investigations explore his particular ideas, within an overall narrative of his initial problematic search for solidarity, how it became a quest for the sacred and how, at the end of his life, he embarked on a project for a new great work on ethics. A theme running through this is his concern with a modern world in crisis and his hope in social and moral reform. Accordingly, the book concludes with a set of essays on modern times and on a crisis that Durkheim thought would pass but which now seems here to stay.
A Duty of Care: Britain Before and After Covid
by Peter HennessyOne of our most celebrated historians shows how we can use the lessons of the past to build a new post-covid society in BritainThe 'duty of care' which the state owes to its citizens is a phrase much used, but what has it actually meant in Britain historically? And what should it mean in the future, once the immediate Covid crisis has passed?In A Duty of Care, Peter Hennessy divides post-war British history into BC (before covid) and AC (after covid). He looks back to Sir William Beveridge's classic identification of the 'five giants' against which society had to battle - want, disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness - and laid the foundations for the modern welfare state in his wartime report. He examines the steady assault on the giants by successive post-war governments and asks what the comparable giants are now. He lays out the 'road to 2045' with 'a new Beveridge' to build a consensus for post-covid Britain with the ambition and on the scale that was achieved by the first.
A Dynamic Theory of Hylomorphism: Form as Activity (Routledge Studies in Metaphysics)
by Jeremy W. SkrzypekThis book introduces a novel hylomorphic theory of material objects, according to which material objects are understood as comprised or composed of both matter and activity, where activity plays the role of form. This theory, “hyloenergeism,” captures the dynamic nature of many of the objects of our experience, such as living organisms, better than other leading varieties of contemporary hylomorphism.Hylomorphism is the theory according to which material objects are understood as comprised or composed of two fundamental parts, components, aspects, or principles: matter and form. Many contemporary hylomorphists endorse a version according to which the form of a material object is understood as a certain kind of complex relation or structure realized in its material parts. Others endorse a version according to which the form of a material object is understood as a certain kind of power or disposition continuously activated in the object or in its material parts. This book argues against structural and dispositional varieties of hylomorphism in favor of a third approach: hyloenergeism. Drawing on various aspects of traditional Aristotelian hylomorphism and other contemporary occurrence-based theories of material objects, it argues that hyloenergeism has the resources to successfully avoid or resolve several major concerns for other competing hylomorphic views.A Dynamic Theory of Hylomorphism will appeal to researchers and graduate students working in metaphysics, ancient philosophy, and medieval philosophy.
A Empresa Regenerativa
by Patrícia Pinto Ethan Roland Gregory LanduaAs 8 Formas de Capital: Um novo modelo financeiro em prol de uma abundância otimizada Num mundo de sistemas ecológicos e sociais danificados, com uma economia global fragilizada e com as constantes alterações climáticas, o negócio tal como o conhecemos, poderá desenvolver-se, mas também pode correr o risco de não conseguir sobreviver. Nada é mais aceitável do que alcançar os lucros financeiros, extrair proveitos abundantes e proporcionar uma boa prosperidade que é fundamental aos nossos terrenos e fontes de água. As empresas precisam de um novo modelo com o qual possam abordar, de uma forma mais abrangente, o mundo e dar importância à necessidade da introdução de um processo novo no sistema enquanto se elucidam as pessoas nas tomadas de decisão mais relevantes. As 8 Formas de Capital é o modelo a seguir. Ao articularmos estas formas múltiplas de capital nas transações diárias, estamos a abrir portas a uma realidade mais abrangente sobre os lucros e sobre a economia. A Empresa Regenerativa define a diferença existente entre os sistemas degenerativos, os sustentáveis e os regenerativos. Também articula os quatro fatores da empresa regenerativa e os princípios para a concepção de empresa ecológica regenerativa. O Instituto "Regenerative Enterprise Institute", ou o seu representante em Portugal, também oferece serviços de formação e consultoria às empresas e corporações que querem adaptar-se e aderir à resolução dos sistemas regenerativos.
A Europe made of money: the emergence of the European Monetary System
by Emmanuel Mourlon-DruolA Europe Made of Money is a new history of the making of the European Monetary System (EMS), based on extensive archive research. Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol highlights two long-term processes in the monetary and economic negotiations in the decade leading up to the founding of the EMS in 1979. The first is a transnational learning process involving a powerful, networked European monetary elite that shaped a habit of cooperation among technocrats. The second stresses the importance of the European Council, which held regular meetings between heads of government beginning in 1974, giving EEC legitimacy to monetary initiatives that had previously involved semisecret and bilateral negotiations. The interaction of these two features changed the EMS from a fairly trivial piece of administrative business to a tremendously important political agreement.The inception of the EMS was greeted as one of the landmark achievements of regional cooperation, a major leap forward in the creation of a unified Europe. Yet Mourlon-Druol's account stresses that the EMS is much more than a success story of financial cooperation. The technical suggestions made by its architects reveal how state elites conceptualized the larger project of integration. And their monetary policy became a marker for the conception of European identity. The unveiling of the EMS, Mourlon-Druol concludes, represented the convergence of material interests and symbolic, identity-based concerns.
A European Youth Revolt: European Perspectives on Youth Protest and Social Movements in the 1980s (Palgrave Studies in the History of Social Movements)
by Bart van der SteenDuring the early 1980s, large parts of Europe were swept with riots and youth revolts. Radicalised young people occupied buildings and clashed with the police in cities such as Zurich, Berlin and Amsterdam, while in Great Britain and France, 'migrant' youths protested fiercely against their underprivileged position and police brutality. Was there a link between the youth revolts in different European cities, and if so, how were they connected and how did they influence each other? These questions are central in this volume. This book covers case studies from countries in both Eastern and Western Europe and focuses not only on political movements such as squatting, but also on political subcultures such as punk, as well as the interaction between them. In doing so, it is the first historical collection with a transnational and interdisciplinary perspective on youth, youth revolts and social movements in the 1980s.
A Face Drawn in Sand: Humanistic Inquiry and Foucault in the Present
by Rey ChowLeadership, innovation, diversity, inclusiveness, sharing, accountability—such is the resounding administrative refrain we keep hearing in the contemporary Western university. What kinds of benefits does this refrain generate? For whom? What discursive incitements undergird such benefits? Although there are innumerable discussions of Michel Foucault in the English-speaking academy, seldom is his work used systematically to unravel the dead ends and potentialities of humanistic inquiry as embedded in these simple but dynamic questions.Rey Chow takes up this challenge by articulating the plight of the humanities in the age of global finance and neoliberal mores through a resharpened focus on Foucault’s concept “outside.” This general discussion is followed by a series of micro-arguments about several loosely linked topics: the biopolitics of literary study, visibilities and invisibilities, race and racism, sound/voice/listening, and confession and self-entrepreneurship. Against what she polemicizes as the moralistic-entrepreneurial norming of knowledge production, Chow foregrounds a nonutilitarian approach, stressing anew the intellectual and pedagogical objectives fundamental to humanistic inquiry: How to process, analyze, and evaluate different types of texts across languages and disciplines; how to form and sustain viable arguments; how to rethink familiar problems through less known as well as very well-known sources, figures, and methods. Above all, she asks in an abidingly humanistic spirit, how not to know all the answers before the questions have been posed.
A Faith Worth Believing: Finding New Life Beyond the Rules of Religion
by Tom StellaHow can we have an authentic faith when we no longer have well-defined, codified beliefs? Where do we turn to better understand our relationship with God when the messages of the Church seem simplistic? This book is for all those who are asking the tough questions and are not satisfied with the answers they are receiving.
A Farewell to Truth
by William Mccuaig Gianni Vattimo Robert T. ValgentiThe provocative philosopher welcomes an era of a more open, democratic notion of truth.
A Farewell to Truth
by Gianni VattimoWith Western cultures becoming more pluralistic, the question of "truth" in politics has become a game of interpretations. Today, we face the demise of the very idea of truth as an objective description of facts, though many have yet to acknowledge that this is changing.Gianni Vattimo explicitly engages with the important consequences for democracy of our changing conception of politics and truth, such as a growing reluctance to ground politics in science, economics, and technology. Yet in Vattimo's conception, a farewell to truth can benefit democracy, exposing the unspoken issues that underlie all objective claims. The end of absolute truth challenges the legitimacy of policies based on perceived objective necessities-protecting the free market, for example, even if it devastates certain groups or classes. Vattimo calls for a truth that is constructed with consensus and a respect for the liberty of all. By taking into account the cultural paradigms of others, a more "truthful" society-freer and more democratic-becomes possible. In this book, Vattimo continues his reinterpretation of Christianity as a religion of charity and hope, freeing society from authoritarian, metaphysical dogmatism. He also extends Nietzsche's "death of God" to the death of an authoritarian God, ushering in a new, postreligious Christianity. He connects the thought of Martin Heidegger, Karl Marx, and Karl Popper with surprising results and accommodates modern science more than in his previous work, reconciling its validity with an insistence that knowledge is interpretive. Vattimo's philosophy justifies Western nihilism in its capacity to dispense with absolute truths. Ranging over politics, ethics, religion, and the history of philosophy, his reflections contribute deeply to a modern reconception of God, metaphysics, and the purpose of reality.
A Feminist Perspective on Virtue Ethics
by Sandrine BergesA Feminist Perspective on Virtue Ethics provides of historical survey of feminist virtue ethics, and shows how the ethical theorizing of women in the past can be brought to bear on that of women in the present.
A Feminist Theory of Refusal
by Bonnie HonigAn acclaimed political theorist offers a fresh, interdisciplinary analysis of the politics of refusal, highlighting the promise of a feminist politics that does not simply withdraw from the status quo but also transforms it. The Bacchae, Euripides’s fifth-century tragedy, famously depicts the wine god Dionysus and the women who follow him as indolent, drunken, mad. But Bonnie Honig sees the women differently. They reject work, not out of laziness, but because they have had enough of women’s routine obedience. Later they escape prison, leave the city of Thebes, explore alternative lifestyles, kill the king, and then return to claim the city. Their “arc of refusal,” Honig argues, can inspire a new feminist politics of refusal. Refusal, the withdrawal from unjust political and economic systems, is a key theme in political philosophy. Its best-known literary avatar is Herman Melville’s Bartleby, whose response to every request is, “I prefer not to.” A feminist politics of refusal, by contrast, cannot simply decline to participate in the machinations of power. Honig argues that a feminist refusal aims at transformation and, ultimately, self-governance. Withdrawal is a first step, not the end game. Rethinking the concepts of refusal in the work of Giorgio Agamben, Adriana Cavarero, and Saidiya Hartman, Honig places collective efforts toward self-governance at refusal’s core and, in doing so, invigorates discourse on civil and uncivil disobedience. She seeks new protagonists in film, art, and in historical and fictional figures including Sophocles’s Antigone, Ovid’s Procne, Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp, Leonardo da Vinci’s Madonna, and Muhammad Ali. Rather than decline the corruptions of politics, these agents of refusal join the women of Thebes first in saying no and then in risking to undertake transformative action.
A Field Guide for the Hero's Journey
by Jeff Sandefer Rev Robert A. SiricoDo you feel like something big is missing from your life? Do you feel trapped, bored, stuck in a meaningless routine? It may be you think you’re too ordinary to ever do something special. Perhaps you’re afraid that if you try, you’ll fail. <p><p>The startling truth is this: Just about anyone can do great things, can live a life that’s remarkable, purposeful, excellent, and yes, even heroic. If you want to be a hero, you can be. How?That’s what this book is all about. <p><p>Will you choose to do it? Will you decide to journey heroically, instead of spending your life merely marking time? If so, this is the book for you. Welcome to your heroic journey.
A Field Guide to Lies: Critical Thinking in the Information Age
by Daniel J. LevitinWinner of the Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-FictionWinner of the 2017 National Business Book AwardShortlisted for the 2016/2017 Donner PrizeFrom the bestselling author of The Organized Mind, the must-have book about how to analyze who and what to trust in the age of information overload. It's becoming harder to separate the wheat from the digital chaff. How do we distinguish misinformation, pseudo-facts, distortions and outright lies from reliable information? In A Field Guide to Lies, neuroscientist Daniel Levitin outlines the many pitfalls of the information age and provides the means to spot and avoid them. Levitin groups his field guide into two categories--statistical infomation and faulty arguments--ultimately showing how science is the bedrock of critical thinking. It is easy to lie with stats and graphs as few people "take the time to look under the hood and see how they work." And, just because there's a number on something, doesn't mean that the number was arrived at properly. Logic can help to evaluate whether or not a chain of reasoning is valid. And "infoliteracy" teaches us that not all sources of information are equal, and that biases can distort data. Faced with a world too eager to flood us with information, the best response is to be prepared. A Field Guide to Lies helps us avoid learning a lot of things that aren't true.
A Field Guide to a Happy Life: 53 Brief Lessons for Living
by Massimo PigliucciA brilliant philosopher reimagines Stoicism for our modern age in this thought-provoking guide to a better life.For more than two thousand years, Stoicism has offered a message of resilience in the face of hardship. Little wonder, then, that it is having such a revival in our own troubled times. But there is no denying how weird it can be: Is it really the case that we shouldn't care about our work, our loved ones, or our own lives? According to the old Stoics, yes.In A Field Guide to a Happy Life, philosopher Massimo Pigliucci offers a renewed Stoicism that reflects modern science and sensibilities. Pigliucci embraces the joyful bonds of affection, the satisfactions of a job well done, and the grief that attends loss. In his hands, Stoicism isn't about feats of indifference, but about enduring pain without being overwhelmed, while enjoying pleasures without losing our heads. In short, he makes Stoicism into a philosophy all of us -- whether committed Stoics or simply seekers -- can use to live better.
A Film-Philosophy of Ecology and Enlightenment (Routledge Research in Aesthetics)
by Rupert ReadInspired by the philosophy of Wittgenstein and his idea that the purpose of real philosophical thinking is not to discover something new, but to show in a strikingly different light what is already there, this book provides philosophical readings of a number of ‘arthouse’ and Hollywood films. Each chapter contains a discussion of two films—one explored in greater detail and the other analyzed as a minor key which reveals the possibility for the book's ideas to be applied across different films, registers, and genres. The readings are not only interpretive, but they offer a way of thinking and feeling about, with, and through films which is genuinely transformative. Rupert Read’s main contention is that certain films can bring about a change in how we see the world. He advocates an ecological approach to film-philosophy analysis, arguing that film can re-shape the viewer’s relationship to the environment and other living beings. The transformative 'wake-up call' of these films is enlightenment in its true sense. The result is a book that ambitiously aims to change, though film, how we think of ourselves and our place in the world, at a time when such change is more needed than ever before.
A First Course In Chaotic Dynamical Systems: Theory And Experiment
by Robert L. DevaneyA First Course in Chaotic Dynamical Systems: Theory and Experiment, Second Edition The long-anticipated revision of this well-liked textbook offers many new additions. In the twenty-five years since the original version of this book was published, much has happened in dynamical systems. Mandelbrot and Julia sets were barely ten years old when the first edition appeared, and most of the research involving these objects then centered around iterations of quadratic functions. This research has expanded to include all sorts of different types of functions, including higher-degree polynomials, rational maps, exponential and trigonometric functions, and many others. Several new sections in this edition are devoted to these topics. The area of dynamical systems covered in A First Course in Chaotic Dynamical Systems: Theory and Experiment, Second Edition is quite accessible to students and also offers a wide variety of interesting open questions for students at the undergraduate level to pursue. The only prerequisite for students is a one-year calculus course (no differential equations required); students will easily be exposed to many interesting areas of current research. This course can also serve as a bridge between the low-level, often non-rigorous calculus courses, and the more demanding higher-level mathematics courses. Features More extensive coverage of fractals, including objects like the Sierpinski carpet and othersthat appear as Julia sets in the later sections on complex dynamics, as well as an actualchaos "game." More detailed coverage of complex dynamical systems like the quadratic familyand the exponential maps. New sections on other complex dynamical systems like rational maps. A number of new and expanded computer experiments for students to perform. About the Author Robert L. Devaney is currently professor of mathematics at Boston University. He received his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley under the direction of Stephen Smale. He taught at Northwestern University and Tufts University before coming to Boston University in 1980. His main area of research is dynamical systems, primarily complex analytic dynamics, but also including more general ideas about chaotic dynamical systems. Lately, he has become intrigued with the incredibly rich topological aspects of dynamics, including such things as indecomposable continua, Sierpinski curves, and Cantor bouquets.
A First Course in Fuzzy Logic, Fuzzy Dynamical Systems, and Biomathematics: Theory and Applications (Studies in Fuzziness and Soft Computing #347)
by Laécio Carvalho de Barros Rodney Carlos Bassanezi Weldon Alexander LodwickThis book provides an essential introduction to the field of dynamical models. Starting from classical theories such as set theory and probability, it allows readers to draw near to the fuzzy case. On one hand, the book equips readers with a fundamental understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of fuzzy sets and fuzzy dynamical systems. On the other, it demonstrates how these theories are used to solve modeling problems in biomathematics, and presents existing derivatives and integrals applied to the context of fuzzy functions. Each of the major topics is accompanied by examples, worked-out exercises, and exercises to be completed. Moreover, many applications to real problems are presented. The book has been developed on the basis of the authors' lectures to university students and is accordingly primarily intended as a textbook for both upper-level undergraduates and graduates in applied mathematics, statistics, and engineering. It also offers a valuable resource for practitioners such as mathematical consultants and modelers, and for researchers alike, as it may provide both groups with new ideas and inspirations for projects in the fields of fuzzy logic and biomathematics.
A First Course in Mathematical Logic and Set Theory
by Michael L. O'LearyA mathematical introduction to the theory and applications of logic and set theory with an emphasis on writing proofs Highlighting the applications and notations of basic mathematical concepts within the framework of logic and set theory, A First Course in Mathematical Logic and Set Theory introduces how logic is used to prepare and structure proofs and solve more complex problems. The book begins with propositional logic, including two-column proofs and truth table applications, followed by first-order logic, which provides the structure for writing mathematical proofs. Set theory is then introduced and serves as the basis for defining relations, functions, numbers, mathematical induction, ordinals, and cardinals. The book concludes with a primer on basic model theory with applications to abstract algebra. A First Course in Mathematical Logic and Set Theory also includes: Section exercises designed to show the interactions between topics and reinforce the presented ideas and concepts Numerous examples that illustrate theorems and employ basic concepts such as Euclid's lemma, the Fibonacci sequence, and unique factorization Coverage of important theorems including the well-ordering theorem, completeness theorem, compactness theorem, as well as the theorems of Löwenheim-Skolem, Burali-Forti, Hartogs, Cantor-Schröder-Bernstein, and König An excellent textbook for students studying the foundations of mathematics and mathematical proofs, A First Course in Mathematical Logic and Set Theory is also appropriate for readers preparing for careers in mathematics education or computer science. In addition, the book is ideal for introductory courses on mathematical logic and/or set theory and appropriate for upper-undergraduate transition courses with rigorous mathematical reasoning involving algebra, number theory, or analysis.
A Flock of Fools: Ancient Buddhist Tales of Wisdom and Laughter from the One Hundred Parable Sutra (Books That Changed the World)
by Peter Levitt Kazuaki Tanahashi&“These teachings from the heart of Buddhism ring true . . . a sumptuous meal of wild and comic dharma. Enjoy!&” (Enkyō O&’Hara, Soto priest and teacher). One hundred illuminating tales of the foibles and follies of everyday fools, this elegant, humorous, and masterful little book of wisdom is a welcome addition to the Buddhist canon. &“The One Hundred Parable Sutra&” is known as the most humorous sutra in all of Buddhist literature. Here, Kazuaki Tanahashi, the celebrated translator, calligrapher, and Dōgen scholar, and Peter Levitt, an award-winning poet, storyteller, and Zen practitioner, have translated and retold these jewel-like parables with storytelling panache for students, teachers, and seekers everywhere. With appropriate commentary, each tale becomes a simple lesson for everyday living. From the potter who seeks fame to the woman who possesses great lust, these tales are told with a gentle clarity that magnifies our appetites and delusions. In doing so, they become an accurate mirror of the human condition. Illustrated with seventeen original brushwork drawings by Tanahashi, A Flock of Fools is a perfect little book of wisdom, laughter, and compassion. &“Translator Kaz Tanahashi and storyteller Peter Levitt have given these stories a subtle American-Zen flavor, and although this collection has a 1500-year pedigree . . . its messages ring clear and true today.&” —Shambala Sun &“Funny, strange, wise, informing, this marvelous book celebrates the wild heart of Buddhism.&” —Roshi Joan Halifax, Zen Buddhist teacher &“Nothing breaks apart dualism and sanctimoniousness like a good laugh! . . . lively reminders of the power of humor to enrich our understanding, and to help us let go of our attachments.&” — Enkyō O&’Hara, Soto priest and teacher
A Foray into the Worlds of Animals and Humans: with A Theory of Meaning (Posthumanities #12)
by Jakob von Uexküll&“Is the tick a machine or a machine operator? Is it a mere object or a subject?&” With these questions, the pioneering biophilosopher Jakob von Uexküll embarks on a remarkable exploration of the unique social and physical environments that individual animal species, as well as individuals within species, build and inhabit. This concept of the umwelt has become enormously important within posthumanist philosophy, influencing such figures as Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Deleuze and Guattari, and, most recently, Giorgio Agamben, who has called Uexküll &“a high point of modern antihumanism.&” A key document in the genealogy of posthumanist thought, A Foray into the Worlds of Animals and Humans advances Uexküll&’s revolutionary belief that nonhuman perceptions must be accounted for in any biology worth its name; it also contains his arguments against natural selection as an adequate explanation for the present orientation of a species&’ morphology and behavior. A Theory of Meaning extends his thinking on the umwelt, while also identifying an overarching and perceptible unity in nature. Those coming to Uexküll&’s work for the first time will find that his concept of the umwelt holds new possibilities for the terms of animality, life, and the framework of biopolitics.
A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World
by Daniel GolemanThe Dalai Lama and the New York Times bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence present a revelatory and inspiring work that provides a singular vision for transforming the world in practical and positive ways.&“An optimistic and thoughtful primer with practical applications.&”—BooklistFor more than half a century, the Dalai Lama has guided us along the path to compassion and taught us how to improve our inner lives. A Force for Good combines his central concepts, empirical evidence that supports them, and true stories of people who are putting his ideas into action—showing how harnessing positive energies and directing them outward has lasting and meaningful effects. Daniel Goleman details the science of compassion and how this singular guiding motivation has the power to:• break such destructive social forces as corruption, collusion, and bias• heal the planet • reverse the tendency toward systemic inequity • replace violence with dialogue• counter us-and-them thinking • create new economic systems that work for everyone• design schooling that teaches empathy, self-mastery, and ethicsPoignant, motivating, and highly persuasive, A Force for Good shows how every compassion-driven human act—no matter how small—is integral for a more peaceful, harmonious world.
A Foreign Policy for the Left
by Michael WalzerSomething that has been needed for decades: a leftist foreign policy with a clear moral basis Foreign policy, for leftists, used to be relatively simple. They were for the breakdown of capitalism and its replacement with a centrally planned economy. They were for the workers against the moneyed interests and for colonized peoples against imperial (Western) powers. But these easy substitutes for thought are becoming increasingly difficult. Neo-liberal capitalism is triumphant, and the workers’ movement is in radical decline. National liberation movements have produced new oppressions. A reflexive anti-imperialist politics can turn leftists into apologists for morally abhorrent groups. In Michael Walzer’s view, the left can no longer (in fact, could never) take automatic positions but must proceed from clearly articulated moral principles. In this book, adapted from essays published in Dissent, Walzer asks how leftists should think about the international scene—about humanitarian intervention and world government, about global inequality and religious extremism—in light of a coherent set of underlying political values.
A Forgetful Nation: On Immigration and Cultural Identity in the United States
by Ali BehdadIn A Forgetful Nation, the renowned postcolonialism scholar Ali Behdad turns his attention to the United States. Offering a timely critique of immigration and nationalism, Behdad takes on an idea central to American national mythology: that the United States is "a nation of immigrants," welcoming and generous to foreigners. He argues that Americans' treatment of immigrants and foreigners has long fluctuated between hospitality and hostility, and that this deep-seated ambivalence is fundamental to the construction of national identity. Building on the insights of Freud, Nietzsche, Foucault, and Derrida, he develops a theory of the historical amnesia that enables the United States to disavow a past and present built on the exclusion of others. Behdad shows how political, cultural, and legal texts have articulated American anxiety about immigration from the Federalist period to the present day. He reads texts both well-known--J. Hector St. John de Crvecoeur's Letters from an American Farmer, Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America, and Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass--and lesser-known--such as the writings of nineteenth-century nativists and of public health officials at Ellis Island. In the process, he highlights what is obscured by narratives and texts celebrating the United States as an open-armed haven for everyone: the country's violent beginnings, including its conquest of Native Americans, brutal exploitation of enslaved Africans, and colonialist annexation of French and Mexican territories; a recurring and fierce strand of nativism; the need for a docile labor force; and the harsh discipline meted out to immigrant "aliens" today, particularly along the Mexican border.
A Formal Theory of Commonsense Psychology: How People Think People Think
by Andrew S. Gordon Jerry R. HobbsCommonsense psychology refers to the implicit theories that we all use to make sense of people's behavior in terms of their beliefs, goals, plans, and emotions. These are also the theories we employ when we anthropomorphize complex machines and computers as if they had humanlike mental lives. In order to successfully cooperate and communicate with people, these theories will need to be represented explicitly in future artificial intelligence systems. This book provides a large-scale logical formalization of commonsense psychology in support of humanlike artificial intelligence. It uses formal logic to encode the deep lexical semantics of the full breadth of psychological words and phrases, providing fourteen hundred axioms of first-order logic organized into twenty-nine commonsense psychology theories and sixteen background theories. This in-depth exploration of human commonsense reasoning for artificial intelligence researchers, linguists, and cognitive and social psychologists will serve as a foundation for the development of humanlike artificial intelligence.