A groundbreaking investigation into the propaganda justifying the fossil-fuel economy, The Language of Climate Politics offers readers powerful new ways to talk about the climate crisis that will help create transformative change. "If you want to understand the climate crisis and you only have time to read one book, this should be it." - Kieran Setiya, author of Life is Hard "A revelatory study...It's a breath of fresh air." Publishers' Weekly Starred Review In an illuminating analysis, Dr. Genevieve Guenther shows that the climate debate is not, in fact, neatly polarized, with Republicans obstructing climate action and Democrats advancing climate solutions. Partisans on the right and the left often repeat the same fossil-fuel talking points, and this repetition produces a centrist consensus upholding the status quo, even as global heating accelerates. Weaving this analysis through fascinating critical histories of the terms that dominate the language of climate politics—the words we, alarmist, cost, growth, "India and China," innovation, and resilience—Dr. Guenther shows how this consensus is established. Fossil-fuel interests weaponize the discourses of science, economics, and activism, co-opting and twisting climate language to help greenwash their plans for ongoing extraction. But all too often climate scientists, economists, and even advocates will unwittingly echo the false and dangerous assumptions of their supposed political opponents. This apparent agreement between foes, filtered through the news media, not only influences our common-sense yet mistaken views about the climate crisis but also enables powerful decisionmakers to justify the corporate and policy actions that threaten us all. Revealing this dynamic, Guenther shows how to transform it. Ultimately, The Language of Climate Politics is an inspiring call to arms, a book that equips readers with powerful new terms that will enable them to fight more effectively for a livable future.
The epic is an ancient, diverse, and global art form. This Very Short Introduction aims to showcase the scope and variety of epic storytelling around the world. Welch takes a global approach that traces key resemblances between the European classics and traditional heroic poetry from Africa, Central Asia, and the Near East.
We constantly hear about the threat of authoritarianism, whether in the form of communist China or at the hands of people like Donald Trump in the United States. But what is it exactly? This Very Short Introduction highlights classic forms of authoritarianism and considers the curious fact that many authoritarian regimes today carry out elections.
When we think of philosophy that can guide us in our everyday lives, we are more likely to think of Ancient Greece or Rome than we are 20th-century Mexico. But Mexican philosophy, which came into focus in the last century, following the Mexican Revolution, is a rich and wide-ranging tradition with much to offer readers today. Emerging in defiance of the Western philosophy bound up with colonial power--first brought to Mexico with the Augustinians in the 16th century, and, like so much else, imposed on Mexicans for centuries after that--it boasts a range of powerful ideas and advice for modern-day life. A tradition deeply tied to Mexico's history of colonization, revolution, resistance, and persistence through hardship, this philosophy has much to teach us. Mexican philosophers had to grapple with questions particular to Mexico that have implications that anyone can and should learn from. Given the way we all must contend with life's unexpected twists and turns, how can we preserve a sense of ourselves, and a coherent way of thinking about the world? If history is really a sequence of accidents, each affecting the next, how can we think about what we should be doing in our lives? How can we understand who we are, if we are the product of such accidents of history? How can we deal with emotions that conflict with one another? How can we keep our spirits up when we feel like we are always on our way to a far-off goal? Mexican philosophy offers a specific, historically- and culturally-rooted way to think about these universal questions. We can appreciate the way its ideas followed from the accidents of history that created modern-day Mexico, while also appreciating that they are as universally profound as those passed down in the Western tradition. Mexican philosophy also offers an array of fascinating concepts and directives, from recommending cultivating a rival as a source of motivation to teaching how to deal with trouble-makers and reminding us to respect other people on their own terms. Mexican philosophy is a varied, dynamic, and deeply modern resource for meaningful, distinctive wisdom to guide us through our lives. Incorporating stories from his family's and his ancestors' Mexican and Mexican-American experiences, Carlos Alberto Sánchez provides an intriguing guide for readers of all backgrounds, including those who will be learning about philosophy (or Mexico) for the first time.
Katharine Jenkins offers an introduction to feminist philosophy, giving the reader an idea of what it is, why it is important, and how to think about it. She explores key topics such as gender oppression, what it is to be a woman, intersectionality, beauty and objectification, sexuality, women and work, and women's knowledge.
An introduction to the thought and background of the Greek historian Thucydides, this book examines his account of the great war between Athens and Sparta in the context both of the international situation in the classical Greek world and of the intellectual traditions of the fifth century BCE.
Most citizens know how elections work in their own country, but not all elections are created equally. Elections occur in all democracies and many non-democratic regimes as well. They determine who will hold public office and who will have the power to govern. They connect citizens to those whom they choose to make decisions on their behalf and who regulate their behavior. This book looks comparatively at the key aspects of elections. In addition to describing types of electoral systems, it discusses the implications of the various systems for the administration of elections, voter participation, representation, government stability, and other factors. Where appropriate, it examines efforts to reform a nation's (or a sub-national entity's) system, exploring the impetus for reform and the effects of those reforms when implemented. Elections: A Very Short Introduction asks readers to view election systems critically and comparatively, to understand that all democracies do not function in the same way, to think about the reasons their system functions as it does-for good or ill-and to consider alternatives with which they might not previously have been familiar. L. Sandy Maisel and Jennifer A. Yoder lay out the variety of electoral systems in the broadest terms- single-member district plurality systems; proportional systems; and mixed systems. They discuss voting and the various electoral institutions used to implement the ways in which voting occurs and how votes are tabulated across electoral systems. They analyze the consequences of each system, first for the functioning of the democracy, and second for the electoral strategies politicians employ, closing with a discussion of reforms under consideration in a number of countries.
Social Science: A Very Short Introduction offers an accessible overview of how social scientists understand and explain human behaviour. Based on real-world examples, it shows how social science can change the world in areas from climate change to pandemics.
Dutch politics have long been described as consensual, engineering compromise to work well as a 'decentralized unitary' state. This Handbook examines how the key institutions and actors of the Dutch polity have evolved, and offers a comprehensive assessment of whether it is still the country of pragmatic consensus-seeking.
Within You Without You: Listening to George Harrison is a highly personal exploration of George Harrison's essential contributions to the Beatles and his solo work. Interviews with contemporary rock musicians, Beatles experts, musicologists, and filmmaker Michael Lindsay-Hogg will enhance readers' appreciation for Harrison's musical accomplishments and monumental influence as a cultural figure.
A Super Happy Magic Forest colour chapter book based on the award-wining picture book series. In Super Happy Magic Forest and the Deep Trouble, the heroes must save the underwater city of Fishopolis from an evil sea witch!
This stunning Oxford Children's Classic edition is the perfect introduction to Frankenstein-the groundbreaking gothic horror novel. Features an introduction by Kiran Millwood Hargrave and other bonus material including insights for readers, facts, activities and more . . .
The only single volume history in English, this acclaimed book tells the rich and fascinating story of Gdańsk, a unique city in both German and Polish history
Perpetual Children is a narrative history of debates over the definition and appropriate treatment of autism in France since 1950, noting the French divergence from psychological norms in the rest of the world. Examining the works of psychoanalysts, the activities of parents' associations, and the efforts of autistic self-advocates, the book argues that the consistent framing of autism as a form of childhood psychosis marginalized autists and emphasized the voices of parents and professionals. This framing also justified the continued use of psychoanalysis as an intervention due to the placement of autism within the family dynamic. Even as research in the United States pointed to biological and neurological conceptions of autism, the French continued to support a psychogenic origin for the disorder, impacting state policy and medical norms for decades. This position energized conflict between professionals and parents concerning expertise, leading to political and legal changes at the end of the twentieth century. By the twenty-first century, French autists entered the debate to transform its parameters and assert their own position as experts on autism, reconceiving the disorder outside of childhood to a limited degree. Perpetual Children reveals the international dimension of the story of autism and how the French context provides a different perspective on its history.
Justifying Strict Liability explores in a comparative perspective the most significant arguments that are put forward to justify the imposition of strict liability in four legal systems, two common law, England and the United States, and two civil law, France and Italy.
