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River of Dark Dreams: Slavery and Empire in the Cotton Kingdom
by Walter JohnsonRiver of Dark Dreams places the Cotton Kingdom at the center of worldwide webs of exchange and exploitation that extended across oceans and drove an insatiable hunger for new lands. This bold reaccounting dramatically alters our understanding of American slavery and its role in U. S. expansionism, global capitalism, and the upcoming Civil War.
Riverine Border Practices: People's Everyday Lives on the Thai-Lao Mekong Border
by Thanachate WisaijornThis book focuses on the ways in which unofficial modes of border crossings are practised by the Thai Ban, along the Mekong Thai-Lao border. In doing so, the book assesses how these border crossings can be theorised as a contribution to existing literature on borderland studies. With that, the book discusses the importance of the notion of the Third Space and its effects on the pluralities of border-crossings in the borderland by weaving together spatial negotiations, temporal negotiations, and negotiations of political subjectivity.To illustrate the importance and complexity of the notion of the Third Space, the borderland of Khong Chiam-Sanasomboun, an area composed of quasi-state checkpoints as well as mobile checkpoints, is used as a case study. The author employs an ethnographic approach using the four methods of participant observations, interviews, interpreting visual presentations, and essay readings to examine the everyday practices of the Thai Ban people in crossing the border between the riverine villages in the two nation-states of Thailand and Lao PDR. With this, the findings in the fieldwork reveal that people engaged in everyday border-crossings in the riverine area do not simply embrace or reject the existence of Thai-Lao territory. Most of the time, the stance of Thai Ban people is the mixture of subversion, rejection, and acceptance of the boundary resulting in the sedentary assumption in the form of Thai-Lao territory co-existing with people’s everyday mobility.
Rivers, Cities and People: Social Challenges of Urban Waterfront Development in Asia
by Banashree Banerjee Maartje Van EerdThis book looks at recent initiatives for river restoration and riverfront development intended to contribute to making Asian cities resilient, inclusive and less polluted. It uses an interdisciplinary perspective to assert that insufficient consideration of social issues in the planning and management of urban riverscapes leads to social exclusion. Utilising diverse entry points and theoretical orientations, every chapter of the volume contributes to the exploration of the way urban river restoration is entwined with questions around urban citizenship, violation of international housing rights, poverty and vulnerability, livelihoods and the use of common property resources. It explores the social aspects of well-known cases and examples of river restoration projects from Asian megacities such as Lahore, Dhaka, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bangkok, Manila and secondary cities in India. While touching on the technical, ecological and recreational aspects of urban river restoration and riverfront development, the book focuses on social issues related to displacement, contestations around land and water, the right to adequate housing and the interconnected rights to livelihoods, health and food security. Enriched with empirical evidence and theoretical underpinnings, this book will be useful for students, teachers and researchers of urban studies, urban geography, urban planning, urban ecology, sociology, community development and policy and governance. It will also provide valuable case material for practitioners in those disciplines.
Road to Flourishing: Eight Keys to Boost Employee Engagement and Well-Being
by Al LopusWhat makes for a flourishing workplace?Many organizations find themselves spinning their wheels in work cultures filled with toxicity, dysfunction, conflict, and fear. Unengaged employees drag down productivity, and ineffective management undermines morale. How can we create workplaces where people don't just struggle to get through the day but instead thrive and love what they do and where they work?Al Lopus, cofounder and CEO of Best Christian Workplaces Institute, has studied hundreds of organizations to discover eight key drivers in companies with healthy culture and engaged employees. He gathers best practices from across a range of companies and ministries to demonstrate how people at all levels can work together to accomplish work that matters. Principles and real-life examples provide concrete ways that organizations can flourish by building fantastic teams, cultivating life-giving work, attracting and retaining outstanding talent, and much more.Road to Flourishing
Road to Nowhere: What Silicon Valley Gets Wrong about the Future of Transportation
by Paris MarxHow to Build a Transportation System to Provide Mobility for AllRoad to Nowhere exposes the flaws in Silicon Valley&’s vision of the future: ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft to take us anywhere; electric cars to make them &‘green&’; and automation to ensure transport is cheap and ubiquitous. Such promises are implausible and potentially dangerous. As Paris Marx shows, such technological visions are a threat to our ideas of what a society should be. Electric cars are not a silver bullet for sustainability, and autonomous vehicles won&’t guarantee road safety. There will not be underground tunnels to eliminate traffic congestion, and micro-mobility services will not replace car travel any sooner than we will see the arrival of the long-awaited flying car. In response, Marx offers a vision for a more collective way of organizing transportation systems that considers the needs of poor, marginalized, and vulnerable people. The book argues that rethinking mobility can be the first step in a broader reimagining of how we design and live in our future cities. We must create streets that allow for social interaction and conviviality. We need reasons to get out of our cars and to use public means of transit determined by community needs rather than algorithmic control. Such decisions should be guided by the search for quality of life rather than for profit.
Roadmap for Global Sustainability — Rise of the Green Communities: Rise Of The Green Communities (Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation)
by Salah El-Haggar Aliaa SamahaProgressive increases in consumer demands along with aggressive industrial consumption led the world to proximate resource depletion, weather changes, soil and air degradation and water quality deterioration. We now know that the paradigm of production at the expense of human condition is not sustainable. This book briefly explains how we reached this situation and offers suggestions as to what can be done to overcome it. It invites the best entrepreneurial talent and scientific and technological know-how to develop a sustainable economy around sustainable communities, services, and sectors. A major obstacle previously identified by involved parties was the ability of accommodating for the emerging economic growth without causing harm to the environment, especially with resource depletion. This book provides the solution by creating a need to bring on a new revolution that preserves the rights of next generations to live in a healthy environment This Sustainability Revolution requires the integration of economic, environmental, and social factor as well as the practical aspects of implementing sustainability through green activities, which are discussed throughout the book. In this book, a globalization is proposed that encourages creativity and innovation towards sustainability. With this global sustainability approach (real globalization) both rich and poor will benefit from the global sustainability approach. This will close the gap between rich and poor. Developing countries could reap the benefit of current technology without undergoing many of the growing pains associated with development of these technologies. Governments are able to better work together towards common goals now that there is an advantage in cooperation, an improved ability to interact and coordinate, and a global awareness of issues. The book presents a sustainability roadmap to bring together various concepts, that have been dealt with independently by previous authors, and link them to establish the fundamental practical steps. The flow path and the direction for successful implementation of a sustainability roadmap are also discussed in detail in the book. For the first time, the authors use sustainable communities to create a better quality of life for residents while minimizing the use of the resources to meet current needs and ensure adequate resources for future generations. These green communities create new industries for the local economy and improve public health, which offers more hope for their citizens. Sustainable transportation, renewable energy, recycling, clean water, and urban forests help to make a more livable community and help to control the global climate change. They involve all citizens and incorporate local values into decision-making.
Roadmap for Humanities and Social Sciences in STEM Higher Education
by Sayantan MandalThis edited book focuses on the interconnections of STEM and Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) in higher education and offers novel approaches to reintegrating them. It paradoxically informs readers of how HSS got relegated to the periphery in the capitalist-driven higher education market and the pressing need to re-organise higher education to meet the demands of competencies in the same education industry. The contributors, including eminent scholars from academia and industry, decision-makers, and researchers, bring nuanced perspectives on integrating HSS into STEM through the global north and south lens. The book is divided into seven parts providing a comprehensive understanding of the critical position of STEM, its interaction with HSS, some exemplars to elucidate holistic education, the importance of HSS in industry, and the roadmap facilitating the organic integration across disciplines. It provides an in-depth analysis of the difficulties HSS faces in science and technical higher education and offers creative solutions to these difficulties, a plausible roadmap for teachers and educational planners wishing to incorporate HSS into STEM higher education. The book stresses the importance of integrating the social sciences and humanities to foster innovation and success in STEM education. It is a must-read for those dedicated to integrating and advancing HSS in STEM higher education, such as educational policymakers, institutional leaders, higher education managers, and educational policy and management researchers.
Roads Not Taken: Progressive Populism in Historical Perspective
by Michael KimmelUsing a range of in-depth historical case studies, this timely work excavates the oft-forgotten tradition of progressive populism and highlights the relevance of such movements to our own tumultuous times.Populism in its 21st-century guise is often centered around exclusionary notions of nationality and the exultation of an authoritarian leader. Yet, as this book demonstrates, this has not always been the case. As demonstrated by the Levellers in the English Civil War and the Sans-Culottes in the French Revolution, the ideas of progressive populism have often surfaced in the midst of revolution where they have sought to ensure that revolutions do not deviate from their lofty ideals. Progressive populism has also emerged during periods of crisis and social dislocation, reasserting conceptions of the “moral economy” and a romanticized view of the past in support of their goals. By looking at the trajectories of past iterations of these ideas, Michael Kimmel retrieves a different populism, based not upon the illusory entity of “the people,” but something more concrete: the capacity of real people, living their lives with a sense of both autonomy and community.This book will be of interest to students and scholars in disciplines including sociology, history, and political science.
Roads to Decolonisation: An Introduction to Thought from the Global South
by Amy DuvenageRoads to Decolonisation: An Introduction to Thought from the Global South is an accessible new textbook that provides undergraduate students with a vital introduction to theory from the Global South and key issues of social justice, arming them with the tools to theorise and explain the social world away from dominant Global North perspectives. Arranged in four parts, it examines key thinkers, activists and theory-work from the Global South; theoretical concepts and socio-historical conditions associated with 'race' and racism, gender and sexuality, identity and (un)belonging in a globalised world and decolonisation and education; challenges to dominant Euro-American perspectives on key social justice issues, linking decolonial discourses to contemporary case studies. Each chapter offers an overview of key thinkers and activists whose work engages with social justice issues, many of whom are under-represented or left out of undergraduate humanities and social sciences textbooks in the North. This is essential reading for students of the humanities and social sciences worldwide, as well as scholars keen to embed Southern thought in their curricula and pedagogical practice.
Roads to Maturity/Vers La Maturité: Proceedings of the Second Canadian Conference on Children/Déliberations de la second Conférence Canadienne de l'Enfance Montréal, October 31-November 4, 1965
by Margery KingThis volume contains the proceedings of the second Canadian Conference on Children which was held in Montreal in the autumn of 1965. It includes four papers given by Dr. Alva Myrdal, Dr. Alan Ross, Dr. M.S. Rabinovitch and Dr. C.E. Hendry, all well known for their attention to the problems of children growing up in the present world and concerned here to draw attention to those they see in Canada and elsewhere. A running commentary is supplied by Dr. Alan Thomas on the less formal side of the conference—the discussions that took place in groups after the speeches. The four papers and the commentary are printed in both English and French. Reverend Roger Guindon O.M.I. of the University of Ottawa provides the closing address, presented in a style which can be seen as an interesting new approach to the Canadian problem of bilingualism.
Roads to Music Sociology (Musik Und Gesellschaft Ser.)
by Alfred SmuditsMusic sociology occupies a special position in the social and cultural sciences. The terminology alone – in German it is ‘Musiksoziologie’ and not ‘Soziologie der Musik’ – indicates many possible approaches: Is ‘music sociology’ a subdiscipline within sociology or musicology? Or is it a discipline on its own, espousing significant differences from sociology and musicology alike? On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the Department of Music Sociology at the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna – probably the only one in the world to bear the name as a separate department – decided to clarify the state of music sociology. Some of the world’s most prominent representatives of the discipline were invited to participate in this project and present their own viewpoints on the various approaches to music sociology. Their contributions address the particular research objects of music sociology (institutions of musical life; production, distribution and consumption of music; music-making; ‘works’, genres and repertoires; etc.) as well as the different methods of research (stock-taking, surveys, interviews, music analysis, biographical research, etc.).
Roads to Post-Fordism: Labour Markets and Social Structures in Europe
by Max KochIn this book Max Koch develops a theoretical model to understand the restructuring of labour markets and social structures of advanced capitalist countries on the basis of the 'regulation approach'. This approach is then applied to comparative analysis of the national trajectories of the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. Against the background of the classical sociological theories of Marx and Weber, he examines whether there are general links between inclusion, exclusion and capitalism. This is followed by an outline of key concepts of the regulation approach and a discussion of the transition from Fordism to Post-Fordism which leads to empirically verifiable hypotheses about long-term trends in labour markets and social structures in Western Europe. These hypotheses serve as the theoretical basis for the subsequent country studies that are founded on an evaluation of international labour statistics.
Roads: Driving America's Great Highways
by Larry McMurtryAs he crisscrosses America—driving in search of the present, the past, and himself—Larry McMurtry shares his fascination with this nation's great trails and the culture that has developed around them.Ever since he was a boy growing up in Texas only a mile from Highway 281, Larry McMurtry has felt the pull of the road. His town was thoroughly landlocked, making the highway his "river, its hidden reaches a mystery and an enticement. I began my life beside it and I want to drift down the entire length of it before I end this book." In Roads, McMurtry embarks on a cross-country trip where his route is also his destination. As he drives, McMurtry reminisces about the places he's seen, the people he's met, and the books he's read, including more than 3,000 books about travel. He explains why watching episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show might be the best way to find joie de vivre in Minnesota; the scenic differences between Route 35 and I-801; which vigilantes lived in Montana and which hailed from Idaho; and the histories of Lewis and Clark, Sitting Bull, and Custer that still haunt Route 2 today. As it makes its way from South Florida to North Dakota, from eastern Long Island to Oregon, Roads is travel writing at its best.
Roar: A Celebration of Great Sporting Women
by Sam QuekRoar is a celebration of the bold and fearless - the women empowering future generations to follow in their footsteps - but it is also an inspiring look at how sport can change lives and challenge society. From the tennis court to the boxing ring, the visibility of women in sports has been gathering pace. Women's competitions are increasingly popular.In Roar Sam takes a deep dive into the experiences of some of sport's most high-profile female athletes - some have overcome heartbreaking adversity to reach the top of their game; others have succeeded in the face of prejudice. Like Sam, all have been propelled by sheer grit and determination to succeed. Many now campaign for women's equality and acceptance in sport, knowing the confidence it can bring young girls and the message that they can achieve anything. Featuring a series of candid interviews from some of sport's most successful women, Sam lifts the lid on what it takes to reach those heights: from coping with puberty to foregoing teenage fun to pursue a dream; from the punishing physical training schedule to the mental power needed to win or bounce back from defeat; from the pressure of the media spotlight to the challenge of competing as a new mother. And, what it feels like in that magical moment when you step up to the podium knowing every sacrifice has been worth it. Contributors include Gabby Logan, Paula Radcliffe MBE (long-distance runner), Amy Williams MBE (skeleton racer), Dame Katherine Grainger (rower and current chair of UK Sport), Dame Sarah Storey (Paralympian cyclist), Fatima Whitbread MBE (javelin thrower), Sky Brown (skateboarder), Shaunagh Brown (rugby union player), Sheila Parker MBE (footballer and first England captain), Kate Richardson-Walsh OBE (hockey player and former England women's captain), Rebecca Adlington OBE (middle-distance swimmer), Christine Ohuruogu MBE (400 metres sprinter), and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE (wheelchair racer and cross-bench peer).
Roaring Camp: The Social World of the California Gold Rush
by Susan E. JohnsonIn this thoroughly researched volume, drawing upon a wealth of primary sources, Johnson examines the world of the California Gold Rush with emphasis on race, ethnicity, and gender issues. She contrasts the conventional images of Gold Rush participants - Anglo males from the eastern U.S. heading west to sek their fortunes - with the reality. In fact, the Gold Rush brought together people from highly diverse backgrounds and forced them to interact with one another. Native Americans, Latinos from several nations, Anglos from the eastern U.S., European immigrants, and African Americans (both free and enslaved) all played key roles. Women of all backgrounds were also present in small but significant numbers, finding opportunities to work and live with unprecedented independence. Initially Gold Rush society was outside the bounds of accepted U.S. mores, forcing participants to relate to one another in new ways. As more Anglo women moved to California to join male relatives, middle-class standards were brought to bear on the "lawless" Gold Rush country.
Robbing Drug Dealers: Violence beyond the Law
by Bruce A. JacobsThis volume fills a research gap of striking proportions by exploring the contingencies that mediate the crimes perpetrated on those who are themselves perpetrators. The notion that violence is something that happens only to law-abiding citizens is both widely held and inaccurate. The disproportionate share of victims of crime are, in reality, themselves involved in crime. Yet existing scholarship has failed to explore the contingencies that mediate offenses like drug robbery - from the forces that inspire it, to the methods used to select targets, to the means employed to generate compliance, down to the tactics used to thwart retaliatory attempts after the crime has ended.Given that predatory behavior between and among offenders ultimately spreads to society at large (the ""contagion effect""), a research gap of striking proportions has emerged. The imprudence of robbing other criminals is widely assumed. Yet criminologists paradoxically observe that a major benefit of robbing fellow criminals is that they cannot report the offense to the authorities. Why, then, should offenders elect to reduce their odds of getting arrested at the cost of enhancing their chances of getting killed?Drawing on candid interviews with the perpetrators, Jacobs attempts to answer such questions and fill this gap in the research agenda of criminology. The result is a narrative that explores the world of street-corner drugs from the vantage point of those who actually commit these high-risk crimes. It also introduces serious ethical issues that criminology and law enforcement tend to gloss over or ignore entirely. This work is innovative and troubling at the same time. It takes a theme that Hollywood films have explored in greater depth than social science, and restores it as a crucial part of the ethnography of crime.
Robert Burns and Religion
by Walter McGintyThis title was first published in 2003. This text examines the role of religion in the life of the poet Robert Burns. Incorporating previously unexplored sources, and taking into consideration contemporary work on Burns, and on Scottish literature and history, author J. Walter McGinty presents an account of Burns's personal religion and the factors that helped to form it. McGinty begins by discussing the recurring themes in Burns's religious writings: a belief in a benevolent God; a hankering after, if not a hope, that there might be a life after death; and a sense of his own accountability. He then presents for comparison the religious poetry of two of Burns's contemporaries, William Cowper and Christopher Smart, usefully extending the discussion of Burns beyond the purely Scottish context. Finally, McGinty provides portraits of some of the ministers of "The Church of Scotland's Garland-A New Song", followed by an analysis of Burns's religious poetry.
Robert De Niro at Work: From Screenplay to Screen Performance (Palgrave Studies in Screenwriting)
by Steven Price Adam GanzRobert De Niro and the Working Screenplay is the first critical study to examine how Robert de Niro, perhaps the finest screen actor of his generation, works with screenplays to imagine, prepare and denote his performance. In categorising the various ways in which De Niro works with a screenplay, this book will re-examine the relationship between actor and text. This book considers the screenplay as above all a working document and a material object, present at every stage of the filmmaking process. The working screenplay goes through various iterations in development and exists in many versions on set, each adapted and personalised for the specific use of the individual and their role. As the archive reveals, nobody works more closely with the script than the actor, and no actor works more on a script than De Niro.
Robert K. Merton and Contemporary Sociology
by Carlo MongardiniThis volume offers scholars of sociology and allied areas the fruits of an international conference on the contributions of the eminent Robert K. Merton. The assessment, as good in content as well as in participants, took place in Amalfi, Italy, with the participation of Merton himself and under the auspices of the Italian Sociology Association. Carlo Mongardini aptly summarizes the unique impact of Merton on the social theory of our century. "His strength as a classic writer lies in his balance, unveiling complexity, and in his humanism which looks beyond the apparent simplicity and coherence of social reality."A special treat is the final chapter by Merton reviewing "Unanticipated Conse-quences and Kindred Sociological Ideas." In it, he ranges from the historical an-tecedents of the concept to his own evolution in the use and expansion of the idea. Merton approaches the development of his thought as installments rather than sim-ple evolution, and in so doing gives us unique insight into how he built upon his originating notions in the context of social science as it existed in the United States. Tensions between integrating scholarship and reaching the general public provide a special insight into Merton that might prove new even to those who know his work well.Contributors to this original volume include: Volker Meja, Nico Stehr, Paolo Ammassari, Gianni Statera, Birgitta Nedelmann, Harriet Zuckerman, Piotr Sztompka, Peter Gerlich, Charles Crothers, Elena Besozzi, and Arnold Zongerle, among others. The chapters address the full range of Merlon's work, with special emphasis on such areas as anomie, structural analysis, the relationship of theory to research, patterns of latent and manifest influence, and even the application of Mertonian concepts to the analysis of Merton as a scholar. This unusual compendium, translated from the Italian, will interest social researchers across the academic spectrum.
Robert K. Merton: Sociology of Science and Sociology as Science (A Columbia / SSRC Book)
by Craig CalhounRobert K. Merton (1910-2003) was one of the most influential sociologists of the twentieth century, producing clear theories and innovative research that continue to shape multiple disciplines. Merton's reach can be felt in the study of social structure, social psychology, deviance, professions, organizations, culture, and science. Yet for all his fame, Merton is only partially understood. He is treated by scholars as a functional analyst, when in truth his contributions transcend paradigm.Gathering together twelve major sociologists, Craig Calhoun launches a thorough reconsideration of Merton's achievements and inspires a renewed engagement with sociological theory. Merton's work addressed the challenges of integrating research and theory. It connected different fields of empirical research and spoke to the importance of overcoming divisions between allegedly pure and applied sociology. Merton also sought to integrate sociology with the institutional analysis of science, each informing the other. By bringing together different aspects of his work in one volume, Calhoun illuminates the interdisciplinary-and unifying-dimensions of Merton's approach, while also advancing the intellectual agenda of an increasingly vital area of study. Contributors: Aaron L. Panofsky, University of California; Alan Sica, Pennsylvania State University; Alejandro Portes, Princeton University; Charles Camic, Northwestern University; Charles Tilly, Columbia University; Craig Calhoun, Social Science Research Council and New York University; Cynthia Fuchs Epstein, City University of New York; Harriet Zuckerman, Mellon Foundation; Peter Simonson, University of Colorado; Ragnvald Kalleberg, University of Oslo; Robert J. Sampson, Harvard University; Thomas F. Gieryn, Indiana University; Viviana A. Zelizer, Princeton University
Robert Michels, Political Sociology and the Future of Democracy
by Juan J. LinzThese essays by the brilliant historian of political science Juan Linz comprise a remarkable intellectual review of the life and work of Robert Michels, his major book Political Parties, and the dimensions of democracy as a functioning system.Linz elucidates the importance of Michels in a way that offers more than a mechanical view of political parties as some sort of precisely ordered system of authority and influence. Instead, Michels offers a view of politics that is bottom up and untidy, what he calls a "reciprocal deference structure." Michels is not simply the father of the iron law of oligarchy, but the idea of politics as a less than orderly network of responsiveness, responsibility, and accountability. Linz demonstrates, with magisterial power, why Michels must be ranked as a foremost thinker in classical political sociology. The remaining three segments of the volume cover areas with which Linz has also long been identified. Each in its own way illumines aspects of Michels as well. "Time and Regime Change" articulates differences between change within a regime and change of a regime--sometimes hard to identify because of the elongated time frames involved. The next essay explains why Spain is neither a traditional society nor a successful modern nation. The reliance upon central authority displaced the hoped for evolution of a society based on representative democratic institutions. The final section. "Freedom and Autonomy of Intellectuals and Artists" is a topic that gripped Michels and Linz alike. Freedom as a goal of the intelligentsia has been frustrated by those who provide ideological justification for repression of ideas and actions in the name of higher values. This segment provides a bridge between Michels and Weber--not to mention both of these major figures with Linz himself. The role of state power in mediating intellectual freedom is the leitmotif that blankets the twentieth century. The work is graced by a full-length bibliography o
Robert Nisbet: Communitarian Traditionalist
by Brad Lowell StoneThis is the only book-length intellectual biography of sociologist Robert Nisbet (1913-1996).
Robert Owen and the Owenites in Britain and America: The Quest for the New Moral World (Routledge Revivals)
by John HarrisonRobert Owen and the Owenites were associated with the rise of an early industrial society in Britain and with the development of an agricultural, frontier society in the United States during the first half of the nineteenth century. This book, originally published in 1969, was the first to use both British and American source material, and tells the story of Robert Owen and the movement associated with his name, from the standpoint of comparative social and intellectual history. The book directs new light on Owenism, and at the same time illuminates general problems of the history of social movements and social change in modern societies.
Robot Rules: Regulating Artificial Intelligence In The 21st Century
by Jacob TurnerThis book explains why AI is unique, what legal and ethical problems it could cause, and how we can address them. It argues that AI is unlike is any other previous technology, owing to its ability to take decisions independently and unpredictably. This gives rise to three issues: responsibility—who is liable if AI causes harm; rights—the disputed moral and pragmatic grounds for granting AI legal personality; and the ethics surrounding the decision-making of AI. The book suggests that in order to address these questions we need to develop new institutions and regulations on a cross-industry and international level. Incorporating clear explanations of complex topics, Robot Rules will appeal to a multi-disciplinary audience, from those with an interest in law, politics and philosophy, to computer programming, engineering and neuroscience.
Robot Sex: Social and Ethical Implications
by John Danaher Neil McArthurPerspectives from philosophy, psychology religious studies, economics, and law on the possible future of robot-human sexual relationships. Sexbots are coming. Given the pace of technological advances, it is inevitable that realistic robots specifically designed for people's sexual gratification will be developed in the not-too-distant future. Despite popular culture's fascination with the topic, and the emergence of the much-publicized Campaign Against Sex Robots, there has been little academic research on the social, philosophical, moral, and legal implications of robot sex. This book fills the gap, offering perspectives from philosophy, psychology, religious studies, economics, and law on the possible future of robot-human sexual relationships. Contributors discuss what a sex robot is, if they exist, why we should take the issue seriously, and what it means to “have sex” with a robot. They make the case for developing sex robots, arguing for their beneficial nature, and the case against it, on religious and moral grounds; they consider the subject from the robot's perspective, addressing such issues as consent and agency; and they ask whether it is possible for a human to form a mutually satisfying, loving relationship with a robot. Finally, they speculate about the future of human-robot sexual interaction, considering the social acceptability of sex robots and the possible effect on society. Contributors Marina Adshade, Thomas Arnold, Julie Carpenter, John Danaher, Brian Earp, Lily Eva Frank, Joshua Goldstein, Michael Hauskeller, Noreen Herzfeld, Neil McArthur, Mark Migotti, Sven Nyholm, Ezio di Nucci, Steve Petersen, Anders Sandberg, Matthias Scheutz, Litska Strikwerda, Nicole Wyatt