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Wellbeing (The Art of Living)
by Mark VernonThe politics of wellbeing and the new science of happiness have shot up the agenda since Martin Seligman coined the phrase "positive psychology". After all, who does not want to live the good life? So ten years on, why is it that much of this otherwise welcome debate sounds like as much apple-pie - "work less", "earn enough", "keep fit", "find meaning", "enjoy freedoms"? The reason is not, ultimately, cynicism. Rather, it is because a central, tricky question is being glossed over: just what is wellbeing? Mark Vernon argues that positive psychology has overlooked and sidelined the ancient wisdom on wellbeing, notably from the Greek philosophers. Now is the time to pay it proper attention.Vernon shows, surprisingly, that wellbeing is not found in a focus on pleasure, or even the pursuit of happiness itself. Rather, it is a question of meaning and responding to the great challenge of our day: the search for transcendence. For at root, the life that is going well cultivates a way of life based upon love: it is that which draws you out of yourself - in friends, hopes and ultimately the contemplation of mystery - and orientates a life towards that which is good.
Wellbeing for Infants and Toddlers in Education and Care: International Perspectives (Policy and Pedagogy with Under-three Year Olds: Cross-disciplinary Insights and Innovations #6)
by Gloria Quinones Andrea DelauneThis collection explores key issues related to infant and toddler wellbeing, offering diverse international perspectives on how wellbeing is culturally understood. Scholars from Drawing from Australia, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Brazil, Greece, Norway, Portugal and the UK present local conceptualizations that contribute to a broader, global understanding of wellbeing. The international contributors examine wellbeing as a crucial construct, emphasising the importance of relationships, health, emotions, imagination, and professional practice in infant-toddler education. Their research covers various topics, including transitions, peer relationships, love, interactions with objects and environments, conceptualisations of time, pedagogical weaving, Indigenous knowledge, and intra-connectedness. This book highlights the significance of relationships—between people, places, objects, and time—in shaping wellbeing. It challenges readers to reconsider wellbeing as both central to pedagogy and deeply interconnected with humans, non-humans, and vibrant environments. Drawing on diverse theoretical frameworks and research projects, the collection offers rich, multifaceted insights into wellbeing across varied contexts.
Wellbeing in Islamic Schools: Nurturing the Mind, Body and Soul
by Mohamad Abdalla Dylan Chown Nadeem MemonIslamic schools are growing exponentially in the West to meet the demands of Muslim learners and their parents. Today, there are hundreds of Islamic schools that are constantly expanding. A key focus of the philosophy of Islamic schools and education is the nurturing of the mind, body and soul. Yet, to date, there is no book that addresses the issue of well-being in Islamic schools. This book provides a comprehensive approach to well-being and highlights both academic and practitioners’ findings, thoughts and experiences as well as school/classroom-based examples related to well-being in Islamic schooling.
Wellbeing, Resilience and Sustainability: The New Trinity of Governance (Building a Sustainable Political Economy: SPERI Research & Policy)
by Jonathan Joseph J. Allister McGregorWellbeing, resilience and sustainability are three of the most popular ideas in current usage and are said to represent a much-needed paradigm shift in political and policy thinking. This book is unique in bringing the three concepts together as representing a new trinity of governance. Here we introduce some of the commonalities between the ideas, particularly their concern with distinctive human capacities that shape who we are and that imply a particular relationship to our wider social and natural environments. The book explains what is distinctive about the three ideas and why they are currently popular. In particular, we are concerned with how these ideas contribute to governance ‘after the crisis’, and how questions of social, political and economic uncertainty influence the ways in which these main arguments are developed. The book will appeal to those studying these ideas, how they apply to politics, political economy and governance, and to the wider public and policy-makers in these fields.
Wem folgen?: Über Sinn, Wandel und Aktualität von Vorbildern (Kindheit – Bildung – Erziehung. Philosophische Perspektiven)
by Jürgen Nielsen-Sikora André SchütteKein Zweifel: Die Vorbilder sind zurück. Kinder, Jugendliche und auch Erwachsene bekennen sich heute wieder freimütig und manchmal sogar stolz zu ihrer Bewunderung. Die Grundüberzeugung lautet: Vorbilder geben dem Leben Orientierung, Sinn und Bedeutung. Doch wem folgen? Diese Frage lässt sich kaum eindeutig beantworten. Denn Vorbilder sind ambivalent. Mit ihnen verbinden sich pädagogische und kulturelle, politische und ökonomische Interessen. Vorbilder individualisieren und sozialisieren. Sie machen einen Unterschied und schaffen Gemeinsamkeiten. Die Beiträge des Sammelbandes sollen zur kritischen Analyse der mit Vorbildern verbundenen pädagogischen und gesellschaftspolitischen sowie ästhetischen und ethischen Diskurse und Praktiken beisteuern.
Wen-tzu
by Lao TzuLao-tzu, the legendary sage of ancient China, is traditionally considered to be the author of the Tao Te Ching, one of the most popular classics of world literature. Now Lao-tzu's further teachings on the Tao, or Way, are presented here in the first English translation of the Chinese text known as the Wen-tzu. Although previously ignored by Western scholars, the Wen-tzu has long been revered by the Chinese as one of the great classics of ancient Taoism. In it, Lao-tzu shows that the cultivation of simplicity and spontaneity is essential to both the enlightened individual and the wise leader. This timeless work will appeal to a broad audience of contemporary readers who have come to consider Lao-tzu's Tao Te Ching a classic on the art of living.
Wendell Berry and Higher Education: Cultivating Virtues of Place (Culture of the Land)
by Jeffrey Bilbro Jack R. BakerWhy the university should focus on community: “An enlightening interpretation of Wendell Berry’s philosophy for the pursuit of a holistic higher education.” —Publishers WeeklyProminent author and cultural critic Wendell Berry is well known for his contributions to agrarianism and environmentalism, but his commentary on education has received comparatively little attention. Yet Berry has been eloquently unmasking America’s cultural obsession with restless mobility for decades, arguing that it causes damage to both the land and the character of our communities. The education system, he maintains, plays a central role in this obsession, inculcating in students’ minds the American dream of moving up and moving on.Drawing on Berry’s essays, fiction, and poetry, Jack R. Baker and Jeffrey Bilbro illuminate the influential thinker’s vision for higher education in this path-breaking study. Each chapter begins with an examination of one of Berry’s fictional narratives and then goes on to consider how the passage inspires new ways of thinking about the university’s mission. Throughout, Baker and Bilbro argue that instead of training students to live in their careers, universities should educate students to inhabit and serve their places. The authors also offer practical suggestions for how students, teachers, and administrators might begin implementing these ideas.Baker and Bilbro conclude that institutions guided by Berry’s vision might cultivate citizens who can begin the work of healing their communities—graduates who have been educated for responsible membership in a family, a community, or a polity.
Wer sind wir? Auf der Suche nach der Formel des Menschen
by Gerhard DanzerAnthropologie ist der Versuch des Menschen, nach seinem Wesen und seiner Natur zu fragen sowie seine Herkunft und Möglichkeiten zu ergründen. Während sich Philosophen schon immer mit diesem Thema beschäftigt haben, sind im 20. Jahrhundert viele Disziplinen hinzugekommen. Der Autor beschreibt anhand von 35 biografischen und werkanalytischen Erörterungen, wie sich Ärzte und Philosophen im 20. Jahrhundert auf die Suche nach der "Formel des Menschen" begeben haben. Dabei setzt er sich mit den verschiedenen Denkrichtungen kritisch auseinander.
Wert: Warum uns etwas lieb und teuer ist
by Jürgen Ritsert"Wert" ist ein Grundbegriff, der im Alltag sowie in einer ganzen Reihe von Fachwissenschaften meist mit aller Selbstverständlichkeit benutzt wird: in der Moralphilosophie, der Ökonomie, der Politologie, der Soziologie, der Ethnologie und der Kulturanthropologie. Doch er ist und bleibt - wie schon Max Weber festgestellt hat - ein "Schmerzenskind" der Kulturwissenschaften. Dieser Essay informiert über einige Kontroversen über den Wertbegriff sowie einige begehbare Pfade in der Sumpflandschaft des Wertdiskurses. Der Text steht in einem inneren Zusammenhang mit den beiden Essays des Verfassers über den Problembegriff und vier Grundbegriffe der politischen Philosophie (2012).
Werte der Hoffnung: Erkenntnisse aus dem Hoffnungsbarometer
by Andreas M. KrafftTäglich werden wir über die Medien mit negativen Nachrichten aus aller Welt konfrontiert. Kein Wunder, dass sich viele Menschen Sorgen machen, Ängste entwickeln und pessimistisch in die Zukunft schauen. Dieses Sachbuch berichtet in anschaulicher und überzeugender Weise über die Entstehung und Bedeutung von Weltanschauungen und universellen Werten als eine wichtige Quelle von Hoffnung. Seine Wirkungskraft gewinnt dieses Werk aus der Integration von Theorie und Praxis. Der Leser erfährt über die empirischen Ergebnisse aus dem Hoffnungsbarometer, einer jährlichen, wissenschaftlich breit angelegten Umfrage über die Hoffnungen der Menschen, die in einem philosophischen und psychologischen Gesamtzusammenhang prägnant dargestellt werden. Dadurch findet der Leser Antworten auf zentrale Fragen, die zu einer zukunftsorientierten und durch Zuversicht gekennzeichneten Lebensgestaltung verhelfen können: Welche Hoffnungen, Einstellungen und Werte sind für ein erfülltes und harmonisches Leben förderlich und welche halten den Menschen in einem selbst gebauten Gefängnis fest?Was kann der Einzelne tun, um in einer bedrohlich erscheinenden Welt zu einem Leuchtturm der Hoffnung für sich und andere zu werden? Wie kann die Menschheit aus der Sackgasse von Egoismus, Angst und Konfrontation herausfinden und auf einen Weg des gegenseitigen Verständnisses, der Zuversicht und des Friedens gelangen? Zielgruppen: Alle an Hoffnung interessierten Menschen und alle, die ermutigt in die Zukunft blicken möchten. Zum Autor: Dr. Andreas M. Krafft ist Associate Researcher am Institut für Systemisches Management und Public Governance an der Universität St. Gallen. Als Co-Präsident von swissfuture, der Schweizerischen Vereinigung für Zukunftsforschung, leitet er das internationale Netzwerk des Hoffnungsbarometers. Er ist Vorstandsmitglied des International Hope Institute in den USA.
Weshalb auf die Wissenschaft hören?: Antworten aus Philosophie und wissenschaftlicher Praxis
by Dennis Lehmkuhl Andreas BartelsPandemie und Klimakrise rufen die herausragende Rolle der Wissenschaft und des wissenschaftlichen Wissens für Informierung und Orientierung der Gesellschaft sowie für die Beratung der Politik bei der Ausrichtung praktischer Maßnahmen ins Bewusstsein. In diesem Zusammenhang wird die Frage virulent, weshalb der Wissenschaft diese herausgehobene Rolle zukommt. Dass diese Frage trotz der vielbeschworenen Autorität der Wissenschaft alles andere als trivial ist, zeigt sich daran, dass Wissenschaftsskepsis und Relativierung wissenschaftlicher Resultate bis hin zur Wissenschaftsleugnung Einfluss gewinnen, sobald es um konkrete Fragen der Ausrichtung gesellschaftlichen Handelns an der Wissenschaft geht. Wodurch ist also Vertrauen in die durch die Wissenschaft ermittelten Fakten, die in ihren Modellen entworfenen Szenarien und ihre Ratschläge an Gesellschaft und Politik gerechtfertigt? Weshalb soll man der Wissenschaft in besonderem Maße vertrauen und auf ihren Ratschlag hören?Insgesamt sollen die Beiträge des Buches Aufschluss darüber geben, wodurch die Vertrauenswürdigkeit der Wissenschaft in ihrer modernen Form gerechtfertigt ist und an welche Bedingungen ihre besondere Rolle in der Gesellschaft geknüpft ist. Was kann Wissenschaft für die Gesellschaft leisten und wo liegen die Grenzen ihrer orientierenden Rolle? Was heißt es „auf die Wissenschaft zu hören“ und was sind die Bedingungen dafür, dass Menschen in einer demokratischen Gesellschaft sich wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse aneignen und sie als Richtschnur für ihr Handeln verwenden?
West Germany Today (Routledge Library Editions: German Politics)
by Karl KochThis authoritative study, written by experts in their fields and originally published in 1989, provides a comprehensive introduction to aspects of West German society, politics and economics. Individual chapters investigate West German politics, education, industrial relations, the media and the relations between the two German states.
West Germany and Israel: Foreign Relations, Domestic Politics, and the Cold War, 1965–1974
by Carole FinkBy the late 1960s, West Germany and Israel were moving in almost opposite diplomatic directions in a political environment dominated by the Cold War. The Federal Republic launched ambitious policies to reconcile with its Iron Curtain neighbors, expand its influence in the Arab world, and promote West European interests vis-à-vis the United States. By contrast, Israel, unable to obtain peace with the Arabs after its 1967 military victory and threatened by Palestinian terrorism, became increasingly dependent upon the United States, estranged from the USSR and Western Europe, and isolated from the Third World. Nonetheless, the two countries remained connected by shared security concerns, personal bonds, and recurrent evocations of the German-Jewish past. Drawing upon newly-available sources covering the first decade of the countries' formal diplomatic ties, Carole Fink reveals the underlying issues that shaped these two countries' fraught relationship and sets their foreign and domestic policies in a global context.
West Germany and the Global Sixties
by Timothy Scott BrownThe anti-authoritarian revolt of the 1960s and 1970s was a watershed in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. The rebellion of the so-called '68ers' - against cultural conformity and the ideological imperatives of the Cold War; against the American war in Vietnam; in favor of a more open accounting for the crimes of the Nazi era - helped to inspire a dialogue on democratization with profound effects on German society. Timothy Brown examines the unique synthesis of globalizing influences on West Germany to reveal how the presence of Third World students, imported pop culture from America and England and the influence of new political doctrines worldwide all helped to precipitate the revolt. The book explains how the events in West Germany grew out of a new interplay of radical politics and popular culture, even as they drew on principles of direct-democracy, self-organization and self-determination, all still highly relevant in the present day.
West Germany: Politics and Society (Routledge Library Editions: German Politics)
by Jeffrey Johnson David ChildsThis book, originally published in 1981, provides the student and general reader alike with a fascinating account of the dynamic re-emergence of Germany after the Second World War as one of the world’s leading and most powerful states. The book gives extensive coverage to all aspects of the former West Germany’s political, social and economic arrangements. As well as dealing with the Basic Law, political parties, Bundestag and government, it also discusses neglected subjects, such as education, the armed forces, welfare services, the role of women, the economy and industrial relations and the mass media.
West Papuan Decolonisation: Contesting Histories
by Eileen HanrahanIn alignment with Indigenous Politics, an emerging sub-field of Politics and IR, this book considers West Papuan Indigenous nationhood. Combining Settler Colonial Studies and Critical Indigenous Theory, the research opens up sovereignty as a political category of analysis to reveal an embedded nation within Indonesia.In June 2000 the Second Papuan People’s Congress in Jayapura rejected the basis on which West Papua had been incorporated into Indonesia and resolved that the “people of Papua have been sovereign as a nation and a state since 1 December 1962”. Indonesian president Wahid firmly opposed this resolution and state officials posted historical narratives on the Australian Embassy website that legitimated Indonesia’s incorporation of the once non-self-governing territory.A mapping and analysis of these narratives demonstrate a settler colonial present within Southeast Asia. It is argued that the US’s appeasement of Indonesia’s takeover in the 1960s was based on the Great Power’s concern to promote its strategic and economic status in the region.“This is a timely intervention that contributes to a growing debate on settler colonialism as a mode of domination that characterises the global present and involves locales not normally seen as settler colonial. West Papua fits the bill”. -Associate Professor Lorenzo Veracini, author of Settler Colonial Studies: A Theoretical overview.
West-Bloc Dissident: A Cold War Memoir
by William BlumA highly personal and candid memoir by a former U.S. State Department employee who became a radical dissident in the 1960s and remains active in opposing U.S. imperialism
Western Civilization and Its Problems: A Dialogue Between Weber, Elias and Habermas (Routledge Revivals)
by Kit-Man LiFirst published in 1999, this volume represents Kit-Man Li’s attempt to wrestle with the complicated issues and ideas drawn from Habermas’ theory of communicative action, Weber’s studies of western civilization and Elias’ insights on sociological theory. Li examines Weber, Habermas and Elias in turn in order to refine our understanding of modern Western civilization.
Western Civilization in the Near East (Routledge Revivals)
by Hans KohnFirst published in 1936, Western Civilization in the Near East traces the spread and growth of Western civilization in the countries of the Levant and their immediate hinterland. The author argues that modern civilization took birth in Western Europe and then slowly spread to the rest of Europe and to all other parts of the earth, leading to the Europeanization of mankind. While Europe’s modern civilization initially enabled it to dominate the world economically and political, it also provided non-European people with the resources to ultimately resist and reject Europe’s control. This universal acculturation and the ensuing birth of a coherent and closely-knit humanity, facing similar social, economic, and cultural problems determined the new trends of world history. This book only focuses on the European contact with the Muslim East and the consequences of the contact. The language used is a reflection of its era and no offence is meant by the Publishers to any reader by this republication. This book will be of interest to students of history, political science, international relations, and geography.
Western Intellectuals and the Soviet Union, 1920-40: From Red Square to the Left Bank (BASEES/Routledge Series on Russian and East European Studies #Vol. 31)
by Ludmila SternDespite the appalling record of the Soviet Union on human rights questions, many western intellectuals with otherwise impeccable liberal credentials were strong supporters the Soviet Union in the interwar period. This book explores how this seemingly impossible situation came about. Focusing in particular on the work of various official and semi-official bodies, including Comintern, the International Association of Revolutionary Writers, the All-Union Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, and the Foreign Commission of the Soviet Writers' Union, this book shows how cultural propaganda was always a high priority for the Soviet Union, and how successful this cultural propaganda was in seducing so many Western thinkers.
Western Mysticism: Augustine, Gregory, and Bernard on Contemplation and the Contemplative Life
by Dom Cuthbert ButlerA growing number of readers are seeking to incorporate the contemplative in their busy lives, and this volume offers them expert advice. Drawn from the works of Saint Augustine, Saint Gregory and Saint Bernard, the writings form a coordinated body of doctrine by three of Western culture's most revered teachers of mystical theology. In addition to accounts of the writers' own religious experiences and their related theories, the book discusses speculative contemplation, defines mysticism and characteristics of Western mysticism, and contrasts contemplative and active lives. Filled with valuable suggestions and insights into the spiritual condition, this volume is a must for all students of mysticism.
Western Philosophy: An Anthology (Blackwell Philosophy Anthologies)
by John CottinghamThe new edition of this celebrated anthology surveys the Western philosophical tradition from its origins in ancient Greece to the work of today’s leading philosophers Western Philosophy: An Anthology provides an authoritative guided tour through the great tradition of Western philosophical thought. The seminal writings of the great philosophers along with more recent readings of contemporary interest are explored in 144 substantial and carefully chosen extracts, each preceded by a lucid introduction, guiding readers through the history of a diverse range of key arguments, and explaining how important theories fit into the unfolding story of Western philosophical inquiry. Broad in scope, the anthology covers all the main branches of philosophy: theory of knowledge and metaphysics, logic and language, philosophy of mind, the self and freedom, religion and science, moral philosophy, political theory, aesthetics, and the meaning of life, all in self-contained parts which can be worked on by students and instructors independently. The third edition of the Anthology contains newly incorporated classic texts from thinkers such as Aquinas, Machiavelli, Descartes, William James, and Wittgenstein. Each of the 144 individual extracts is now followed by sample questions focusing on the key philosophical problems raised by the excerpt, and accompanied by detailed further reading suggestions that include up-to-date links to online resources. Also new to this edition is an introductory essay written by John Cottingham, which offers advice to students on how to read and write about a philosophical text. Part of the Blackwell Philosophy Anthologies series, Western Philosophy: An Anthology, Third Edition remains an indispensable collection of classic source materials and expert insights for both beginning and advanced university students in a wide range of philosophy courses.
Western Philosophy: An Anthology (Second Edition)
by John CottinghamThis book offers a guided tour through the main branches of philosophy, introducing the ideas in sequence, and uncovering the main outlines of the Western philosophical tradition.
Western Self-Contempt: Oikophobia in the Decline of Civilizations
by Benedict BeckeldWestern Self-Contempt travels through civilizations since antiquity, examining major political events and the literature of ancient Greece, Rome, France, Britain, and the United States, to study evidence of cultural self-hatred and its cyclical recurrence. Benedict Beckeld explores oikophobia, described by its coiner Sir Roger Scruton as "the felt need to denigrate the customs, culture and institutions that are identifiably 'ours,'" in its political and philosophical applications. Beckeld analyzes the theories behind oikophobia along with their historical sources, revealing why oikophobia is best described as a cultural malaise that befalls civilizations during their declining days. Beckeld gives a framework for why today's society is so fragmented and self-critical. He demonstrates that oikophobia is the antithesis of xenophobia. By this definition, the riots and civil unrest in the summer of 2020 were an expression of oikophobia. Excessive political correctness that attacks tradition and history is an expression of oikophobia. Beckeld argues that if we are to understand these behaviors and attitudes, we must understand oikophobia as a sociohistorical phenomenon.Western Self-Contempt is a systematic analysis of oikophobia, combining political philosophy and history to examine how Western civilizations and cultures evolve from naïve and self-promoting beginnings to states of self-loathing and decline. Concluding with a philosophical portrait of an increasingly interconnected Western civilization, Beckeld reveals how past events and ideologies, both in the US and in Europe, have led to a modern culture of self-questioning and self-rejection.
Western-Educated Elites in Kenya, 1900-1963: The African American Factor (African Studies)
by Jim C. HarperWestern-educated Elites in Kenya, proposes to conduct a critical examination of the emergence of the American-educated Kenyan elites (the Asomi) and their role in the nationalist movement and eventually their Africanization of the Civil and Private sectors in Kenya.