Catalog Search Results
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 399
Language
English
Formats
Description
In this very short introduction to the gene, Jonathan Slack explores the discovery, nature, and role of genes in evolution and development. Looking at how genes are understood as a concept, the nature of genetic variation, and how their mutation can lead to disease, this is an ideal guide for anyone curious about what genes are and how they work.
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 161
Language
English
Formats
Description
"From subtle discrimination in everyday life, to horrors like lynching in the Old South, cultural imperialism, and "ethnic cleansing", racism exists in many different forms, in almost every facet of society. Despite civil rights movements and other attempts at progress, racial prejudices and stereotypes remain deeply embedded in Western culture. Racism takes a frank and objective look at why these notions exist. It explores how racism has come to...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 263
Language
English
Formats
Description
Critical theory emerged in the 1920s from the work of the Frankfurt School, the circle of German-Jewish academics who sought to diagnose-and, if at all possible, cure-the ills of society, particularly fascism and capitalism. In this book, Stephen Eric Bronner provides sketches of leading representatives of the critical tradition (such as George Lukacs and Ernst Bloch, Theodor Adorno and Walter Benjamin, Herbert Marcuse and Jurgen Habermas) as well...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 80
Language
English
Formats
Description
Our self-image as moral, well-behaved creatures is dogged by skepticism, relativism, hypocrisy, and nihilism, and by the fear that in a Godless world science has unmasked us as creatures fated by our genes to be selfish and tribalistic, or competitive and aggressive. Here, Simon Blackburn tackles the major moral questions surrounding birth, death, happiness, desire, and freedom, showing us how we should think about the meaning of life, and why we...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 354
Language
English
Formats
Description
The marine environment is the largest, most important, and yet most mysterious habitat on our planet. It contains more than 99% of the world's living space, produces half of its oxygen, plays a critical role in regulating its climate, and supports a remarkably diverse and exquisitely adapted array of life forms, from microscopic viruses, bacteria, and plankton to the largest existing animals. In this unique Very Short Introduction, biologist Philip...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 11
Language
English
Description
Normon Solomon's succinct book is an ideal introduction to Judaism as a religion and way of life. Demonstrating the diverse nature and ethnic origin of Jewish people, Solomon explores how the religion has developed in the 2,000 years since the days of the Bible.
This Very Short Introduction starts by outlining the basics of practical Judaism, including festivals, prayers, customs, and various sects - and goes on to consider how Judaism has responded...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 27
Language
English
Formats
Description
Socrates has a unique position in the history of philosophy; it is no exaggeration to say that had it not been for his influence on Plato, the whole development of Western philosophy might have been unimaginably different. Yet Socrates wrote nothing himself, and our knowledge of him is derived primarily from the engaging and infuriating figure who appears in Plato's dialogues.
In this Very Short Introduction, Christopher Taylor explores the life...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 364
Language
English
Formats
Description
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the writers of the Beat Generation revolutionized American literature with their iconoclastic approach to language and their angry assault on the conformity and conservatism of postwar society. They and their followers took aim at the hypocrisy and taboos of their time-particularly those involving sex, race, and class-in such provocative works as Jack Kerouac's On the Road (1957), Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" (1956),...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 30
Language
English
Formats
Description
Descartes is perhaps best known for his statement, "Cogito, ergo sum," the cornerstone of his metaphysics. But he did not intend the metaphysics to stand apart from his scientific work, which included important investigations into physics, mathematics, and optics. In this book, Sorell shows that Descarates was, above all, an advocate and practitioner of the new mathematical approach to physics, and that he developed his philosophies to support his...
Author
Series
Language
English
Formats
Description
"China today is never out of the news, with stories about international finance, population, and human rights controversies. From the contrast between its ancient heritage and emerging identity to the Chinese 'economic miracle', this Very Short Introduction addresses the themes, developments, and contraditions that have shaped Modern China. In this new edition Rana Mitter provides a contemporary view of the world's most populous nation, considering...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 339
Language
English
Formats
Description
"Over the last generation, historians have broadened our understanding of colonial America by examining the interplay of Europe, Africa, and the Americans through the flow of goods, people, plants, animals, capital, and ideas. Alan Taylor presents an engaging overview of this new scholarship, showing that American colonization derived from a global expansion of European exploration and commerce that began in the fifteenth century. The English had...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 50
Language
English
Formats
Description
Kant is arguably the most influential modern philosopher, but also one of the most difficult. Roger Scruton tackles his exceptionally complex subject with a strong hand, exploring the background to Kant's work and showing why the Critique of Pure Reason has proved so enduring.
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 559
Language
English
Formats
Description
Genomics has transformed the biological sciences. From epidemiology and medicine to evolution and forensics, the ability to determine an organism's complete genetic makeup has changed the way science is done and the questions that can be asked of it. Its most celebrated achievement was the Human Genome Project, a technologically challenging endeavor that took thousands of scientists around the world 13 years and over 3 billion US dollars to complete....
Author
Series
Language
English
Formats
Description
Hinduism is practiced by nearly eighty percent of India's population, and by some seventy million people outside India. In this Very Short Introduction, Kim Knott offers a succinct and authoritative overview of this major religion, and analyzes the challenges facing it in the twenty-first century. She discusses key preoccupations of Hinduism such as the centrality of the Veda as religious texts, the role of Brahmins, gurus, and storytellers in the...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 566
Language
English
Formats
Description
"Though the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788, its impact on our lives is as recent as today's news. Claims and counterclaims about the constitutionality of governmental actions are a habit of American politics. This document, which its framers designed to limit power, often has made political conflict inevitable. It also has accommodated and legitimized the political and social changes of a vibrant, powerful democratic nation. A product of history's...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 175
Language
English
Formats
Description
In this guide, Patricia Aufderheide takes readers along the diverse paths of documentary film history and charts the lively, often fierce debates among filmmakers and scholars about the best ways to represent reality and to tell the truths worth telling." "Beginning with an overview of the central issues of documentary filmmaking, Aufderheide focuses on several of its key subgenres, including public affairs films, government propaganda (particularly...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 62
Language
English
Formats
Description
Schopenhauer is considered to be the most readable of German philosophers. This book gives a succinct explanation of his metaphysical system, concentrating on the original aspects of his thought, which inspired many artists and thinkers including Nietzsche, Wagner, Freud, and Wittgenstein. Schopenhauer's central notion is that of the will-a blind, irrational force that he uses to interpret both the human mind and the whole of nature. Seeing human...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 381
Language
English
Formats
Description
"This volume places recent events in Iraq and Afghanistan to Tunisia and Egypt in historical context. It provides a history of revolutions and insurgencies, an introduction to the way social scientists think about the causes and outcomes of revolutions, and an explanation of their significance in historical and political change. Jack A. Goldstone begins with a brief history of revolutions and insurgencies, from the revolutions that brought democracy...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 725
Language
English
Formats
Description
"The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), or Vatican II, is arguably the most significant event in the life of the Catholic Church since the Reformation. The Council initiated, intentionally or not, profound changes not simply within Catholic theology, but in the religious, social, and moral lives of the world's billion Catholics. It also reconfigured, intellectually and practically, the Church's engagements with those outside of it - most obviously...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 372
Language
English
Formats
Description
There has been an explosion of interest in entrepreneurs in the popular media, as well as in business, policy, and education. But what do entrepreneurs do? What is entrepreneurship and why is it important? What is distinctive about entrepreneurs? And where do they come from? This book weaves a pathway through the debates about entrepreneurship, providing a guide to the entrepreneurial process. It looks at how the actions of entrepreneurs are shaped...
Interlibrary Loan
Didn't find what you need? Items not owned by Main Library Alliance members might be available in other libraries across New Jersey. You can search JerseyCat and place a request for the item to be sent to your library.
If your library doesn't permit JerseyCat requests or the item can't be found, you can also contact your library for assistance.Didn't find it?
Can't find what you are looking for? Try our Materials Request Service. Submit Request