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What Makes Us Human?: 130 answers to the big question
by Jeremy Vine Phil JonesA dazzling insight into what gives meaning to our life and to us as a species.What makes us human? From Carlo Rovelli on the particles of dust that make us, to Caitlin Moran on the joy of Friday nights, and A C Grayling on how we express ourselves through culture: this illuminating book shares 130 mind-expanding answers to that question.We all want to understand our place in the universe and find a sense of purpose in the life. This book will help the reader navigate that journey with the help of leading names from the worlds of literature, history, philosophy, politics, sport, comedy and popular culture. Originally broadcast as a popular feature on the Jeremy Vine Show, What Makes Us Human? includes short essays from: Andrew Marr, Carlo Rovelli, Marian Keyes, Alain de Botton, Robert Webb, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Fry, and many more.
What Makes Us Human?: 130 answers to the big question
by Jeremy Vine Phil JonesA dazzling insight into what gives meaning to our life and to us as a species.What makes us human? From Carlo Rovelli on the particles of dust that make us, to Caitlin Moran on the joy of Friday nights, and A C Grayling on how we express ourselves through culture: this illuminating book shares 130 mind-expanding answers to that question.We all want to understand our place in the universe and find a sense of purpose in the life. This book will help the reader navigate that journey with the help of leading names from the worlds of literature, history, philosophy, politics, sport, comedy and popular culture. Originally broadcast as a popular feature on the Jeremy Vine Show, What Makes Us Human? includes short essays from: Andrew Marr, Carlo Rovelli, Marian Keyes, Alain de Botton, Robert Webb, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Fry, and many more.
What Makes Us Human: How Minds Develop through Social Interactions
by Charlie Lewis Jeremy Carpendale"How do you go from a bunch of cells to something that can think?" This question, asked by the 9-year-old son of one of the authors, speaks to a puzzle that lies at the heart of this book. How are we as humans able to explore such questions about our own origins, the workings of our mind, and more? In this fascinating volume, developmental psychologists Jeremy Carpendale and Charlie Lewis delve into how such human capacities for reflection and self-awareness pinpoint a crucial facet of human intelligence that sets us apart from closely related species and artificial intelligence. Richly illustrated with examples, including questions and anecdotes from their own children, they bring theories and research on children’s development alive. The accessible prose shepherds readers through scientific and philosophical debates, translating complex theories and concepts for psychologists and non-psychologists alike. What Makes Us Human is a compelling introduction to current debates about the processes through which minds are constructed within relationships. Challenging claims that aspects of thinking are inborn, Jeremy Carpendale and Charlie Lewis provide a relationally grounded way of understanding human development by showing how the uniquely human capacities of language, thinking, and morality develop in children through social processes. They explain the emergence of communication within the rich network of relationships in which babies develop. Language is an extension of this earlier communication, gradually also becoming a tool for thinking that can be applied to understanding others and morality. Learning more about the development of what is right in front of us, such as babies’ actions developing into communicative gestures, leads to both greater appreciation of the children in our lives and a grasp of what makes us human. This book will be of interest to anyone curious about the nature of language, thinking, and morality, including students, parents, teachers, and professionals working with children.
What Makes Us Moral? On the capacities and conditions for being moral
by Bert Musschenga Anton Van HarskampThis book addresses the question of what it means to be moral and which capacities one needs to be moral. It questions whether empathy is a cognitive or an affective capacity, or perhaps both. As most moral beings behave immorally from time to time, the authors ask which factors cause or motivate people to translate their moral beliefs into action? Specially addressed is the question of what is the role of internal factors such as willpower, commitment, character, and what is the role of external, situational and structural factors? The questions are considered from various (disciplinary) perspectives.
What Makes Us Smart: The Computational Logic of Human Cognition
by Samuel GershmanHow a computational framework can account for the successes and failures of human cognitionAt the heart of human intelligence rests a fundamental puzzle: How are we incredibly smart and stupid at the same time? No existing machine can match the power and flexibility of human perception, language, and reasoning. Yet, we routinely commit errors that reveal the failures of our thought processes. What Makes Us Smart makes sense of this paradox by arguing that our cognitive errors are not haphazard. Rather, they are the inevitable consequences of a brain optimized for efficient inference and decision making within the constraints of time, energy, and memory—in other words, data and resource limitations. Framing human intelligence in terms of these constraints, Samuel Gershman shows how a deeper computational logic underpins the “stupid” errors of human cognition.Embarking on a journey across psychology, neuroscience, computer science, linguistics, and economics, Gershman presents unifying principles that govern human intelligence. First, inductive bias: any system that makes inferences based on limited data must constrain its hypotheses in some way before observing data. Second, approximation bias: any system that makes inferences and decisions with limited resources must make approximations. Applying these principles to a range of computational errors made by humans, Gershman demonstrates that intelligent systems designed to meet these constraints yield characteristically human errors.Examining how humans make intelligent and maladaptive decisions, What Makes Us Smart delves into the successes and failures of cognition.
What Makes Us Social? (Jean Nicod Lectures)
by Chris Frith Uta FrithA deep dive into the social mind-brain, examining the processes we share with other social animals and illuminating those that are uniquely human.What Makes Us Social? is a scholarly but accessible exploration of the underlying processes that make humans the most social species on the planet. Chris and Uta Frith, pioneers in the field of cognitive neuroscience, review the many forms of social behavior that we humans share with other animals and examine the special form that only humans possess, including its dark side. These uniquely human abilities allow us to reflect on our behavior and share these reflections with other people, which in turn enables us to reason why we do things and to exert some control over our automatic behaviors. As a result, we can learn cooperatively with others and create and value cultural artifacts that survive through the generations. Going beyond how we come to know ourselves and understand the mind of others, Frith and Frith investigate how we adapt mutually to make social interactions work. This book stands out in its application of a computational framework—one that lies at the intersection of psychology and artificial intelligence—to key concepts of social cognition, such as empathy, trust, group identity, and reputation management. Ultimately, What Makes Us Social? is a profound examination of the ways we communicate, cooperate, share, and compete with other humans and how these capabilities define us as a species.
What Makes Us Stay Together?: Attachment and the Outcomes of Couple Relationships (The Library of Couple and Family Psychoanalysis)
by Rosetta Castellano Patrizia Velotti Giulio Cesare ZavattiniIn recent years commentators have speculated on the "collapse" of the couple and the family, highlighting the increasing fragility of couple relationships making them vulnerable to crises and break ups. Now, more than ever, and prompted by changes that have shaken our assumptions about socio/cultural context, the reasons that make couple relationships unstable are sought in the negotiations and redefinitions required by the changes themselves. New types of families are emerging and consequently new issues are being raised about the dynamics of family relationships. This book underlines the role of attachment as a central motivational system in couple relationships, and focuses on the relationship between past and present experiences in determining choices, perceptions, and feelings in couple relationships. It considers what other motivational systems interact with attachment in constituting a couple's dynamics, and looks at aspects more directly experienced by couples: in particular, how they feel about their relationship, especially in terms of the degree of intimacy between them (something that attachment theorists might look at in evaluating how "good" a relationship is).
What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite: Updated and Revised
by David DisalvoThis book reveals a remarkable paradox: what your brain wants is frequently not what your brain needs. In fact, much of what makes our brains "happy" leads to errors, biases, and distortions, which cloud our judgment and muddle our decision making. Science writer David DiSalvo presents evidence from evolutionary and social psychology, cognitive science, neurology, and even marketing and economics. And he interviews many of the top thinkers in psychology and neuroscience today. From this research-based platform, DiSalvo draws out insights that we can use to identify our brains' foibles and turn our awareness into edifying action. Ultimately, he argues, the research does not serve up ready-made answers, but provides us with actionable clues for overcoming the plight of our advanced brains and, consequently, living more fulfilled lives. Newly revised to include the latest research on the workings of the brain, What Makes Your Brain Happy is an essential tool for understanding yourself.
What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite
by David DisalvoWhy do we routinely choose options that don't meet our short-term needs and undermine our long-term goals? Why do we willingly expose ourselves to temptations that undercut our hard-fought progress to overcome addictions? Why are we prone to assigning meaning to statistically common coincidences? Why do we insist we're right even when evidence contradicts us? This book reveals a remarkable paradox: what your brain wants is frequently not what your brain needs. In fact, much of what makes our brains "happy" leads to errors, biases, and distortions, which make getting out of our own way extremely difficult. The author's search includes forays into evolutionary and social psychology, cognitive science, neurology, and even marketing and economics--as well as interviews with many of the top thinkers in psychology and neuroscience today. From this research-based platform, DiSalvo draws out insights that we can use to identify our brains' foibles and turn our awareness into edifying action. Ultimately, he argues, the research does not serve up ready-made answers, but provides us with actionable clues for overcoming the plight of our advanced brains and, consequently, living more fulfilled lives.
What Matters in America
by Gary J. GoshgarianCompact in both page count and trim size,What Matters in America's themes examine popular culture topics and provide a sufficient number of selections to make sure topics are given with adequate depth. Gary Goshgarian addresses topics of: Television Violence, Racial Profiling, Capital Punishment and Gay Marriage.
What Matters Most: Living a More Considered Life
by James HollisThe celebrated author of Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life delivers a unique look at happiness, sharing a Jungian approach to finding a fearless, authentic path.Why are we here? What is the meaning of existence? What truly matters the most in life? To even begin to answer these questions, we must start by exploring our own internal ideals, values, and beliefs. Presenting the unique perspective of respected analyst and author James Hollis, Ph.D., What Matters Most helps readers learn to appreciate (even be amazed by) events unfolding within, even as the external world creates constant struggles.Taking a fresh look at the concept of happiness, Hollis uses a warm, accessible tone to encourage readers to learn to tolerate ambiguity, embrace growth rather than security, respect the power of Eros, engage spiritual crises, and acknowledge the shadow of mortality. Providing inspiring wisdom and personal reflections to address our deepest worries, What Matters Most yields far more than mere self-help clichés. Instead, Hollis guides readers in uncovering the heart of the matter, discovering what it means to truly live life to its fullest, most meaningful state--as fully engaged citizens of the world.
What Matters Most
by James HollisThe celebrated author of Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Lifedelivers a unique look at happiness, sharing a Jungian approach to finding a fearless, authentic path. Why are we here? What is the meaning of existence? What truly matters the most in life? To even begin to answer these questions, we must start by exploring our own internal ideals, values, and beliefs. Presenting the unique perspective of respected analyst and author James Hollis, Ph. D. , What Matters Mosthelps readers learn to appreciate (even be amazed by) events unfolding within, even as the external world creates constant struggles. Taking a fresh look at the concept of happiness, Hollis uses a warm, accessible tone to encourage readers to learn to tolerate ambiguity, embrace growth rather than security, respect the power of Eros, engage spiritual crises, and acknowledge the shadow of mortality. Providing inspiring wisdom and personal reflections to address our deepest worries, What Matters Mostyields far more than mere self-help clichés. Instead, Hollis guides readers in uncovering the heart of the matter, discovering what it means to truly live life to its fullest, most meaningful state-as fully engaged citizens of the world.
What Matters Most: The Get Your Sh*t Together Guide to Wills, Money, Insurance, and Life's "What-ifs"
by Chanel ReynoldsPart-memoir, part-guidebook, this is a practical look at getting your affairs in order before the unthinkable (or inevitable) occurs.On July 17, 2009, Chanel Reynolds’s husband, José, was struck by a van, then died one week later. Just hours after the accident, Chanel realized that she was completely unprepared for what came next: What was the password to his phone? Were their wills legally binding? How much insurance did they have? Could she afford the house? And what the hell was probate anyway? Simply put, she didn’t have her shit together.The truth is, most of us don’t.Drawn rom firsthand experience, expert advice, and the unparalleled resources of her celebrated website, Get Your Shit Together, this honest, no-nonsense guide provides step-by-step practical advice to help you with:Checklists: What to do before, during, and after a crisisLegal documents: Create your will, living will, and power of attorneyCovering your ass: Get enough of the right life insuranceGet your money sorted: Emergency funds, savings, and budgetsMake a “what-if” list: Have a watertight emergency planDigital details: Track your online accounts and passwordsPraise for What Matters MostNamed One of the Top 10 Self-Help Books by The Seattle Times“Chanel’s wisdom is a gift. . . . What Matters Most offers you the chance to find, and consider, those critical answers.” —Rebecca Soffer, coauthor of Modern Loss: Candid Conversation About Grief. Beginners Welcome.“A rallying cry for us all to get our sh*t together before it’s too late.” —Caitlin Doughty, New York Times–bestselling author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes“Not only sound counseling but a straightforward plan for when the unthinkable occurs.” —Library Journal (Best Wellness Book)
What Men Say, What Women Hear
by Linda PapadopoulosAN INDISPENSABLE RELATIONSHIP GUIDE FOR EVERY WOMAN WHO HAS EVER TOLD HER PARTNER "REALLY, DON'T GO TO ANY TROUBLE FOR MY BIRTHDAY"...AND THEN BEEN DISAPPOINTED WHEN HE DIDN'T. He says: "That dress looks great! Let's buy it!" You hear: "He really loves being with me. I feel as though we've truly bonded." He means: "For the love of God, the last eight black dresses you tried on looked identical! Just buy one, so we can get home in time for the game!" In What Men Say, What Women Hear, Dr. Linda Papadopoulos tackles the saying, hearing, and listening gap between men and women that can complicate every step of a relationship, from first dates and first sex to meeting the parents and living happily ever after. An expert on Cognitive Behavior Therapy, which connects people's initial and often misguided perception of something to the emotional reaction that follows, Dr. Linda deconstructs the common thinking errors that can hinder communication -- such as personalizing everything ("He's in a bad mood. Clearly he's thinking of a way to dump me.") and jumping to conclusions ("He asked how much younger my sister is than me. I bet he thinks I look like an old bat compared to her."). By applying clinical techniques to fun -- and oh-so-familiar -- examples, Dr. Linda helps readers eliminate unnecessary relationship anxiety and reevaluate the way they think about themselves, their partners, and the world around them.
What Men with Asperger Syndrome Want to Know About Women, Dating and Relationships
by Maxine AstonPositive, practical and realistic, this book offers a wealth of information on women, dating and relationships for men with Asperger Syndrome (AS).Many AS men are totally confused and bewildered by women and relationships and find it hard to know what to do, what to say and how to get it right. For these men, understanding the emotional side to relationships and women's needs can be a complete mystery and they often get it disastrously wrong. This practical handbook provides the answers to Asperger men's most frequently asked questions about women, dating and relationships, helping them to understand the way relationships work and increasing their confidence and ability to have successful relationships.This comprehensive handbook is essential reading for men with Asperger Syndrome (and their partners). It will also be of immeasurable use to counsellors and other professionals working with such individuals.
What Men with Asperger Syndrome Want to Know About Women, Dating and Relationships
by Maxine Aston Tony AttwoodPositive, practical and realistic, this book offers a wealth of information on women, dating and relationships for men with Asperger Syndrome (AS). Many AS men are totally confused and bewildered by women and relationships and find it hard to know what to do, what to say and how to get it right. For these men, understanding the emotional side to relationships and women's needs can be a complete mystery and they often get it disastrously wrong. This practical handbook provides the answers to Asperger men's most frequently asked questions about women, dating and relationships, helping them to understand the way relationships work and increasing their confidence and ability to have successful relationships. This comprehensive handbook is essential reading for men with Asperger Syndrome (and their partners). It will also be of immeasurable use to counsellors and other professionals working with such individuals.
What Might Have Been: The Social Psychology of Counterfactual Thinking
by Neal J. Roese James M. OlsonWithin a few short years, research on counterfactual thinking has mushroomed, establishing itself as one of the signature domains within social psychology. Counterfactuals are thoughts of what might have been, of possible past outcomes that could have taken place. Counterfactuals and their implications for perceptions of time and causality have long fascinated philosophers, but only recently have social psychologists made them the focus of empirical inquiry. Following the publication of Kahneman and Tversky's seminal 1982 paper, a burgeoning literature has implicated counterfactual thinking in such diverse judgments as causation, blame, prediction, and suspicion; in such emotional experiences as regret, elation, disappointment and sympathy; and also in achievement, coping, and intergroup bias. But how do such thoughts come about? What are the mechanisms underlying their operation? How do their consequences benefit, or harm, the individual? When is their generation spontaneous and when is it strategic? This volume explores these and other numerous issues by assembling contributions from the most active researchers in this rapidly expanding subfield of social psychology. Each chapter provides an in-depth exploration of a particular conceptual facet of counterfactual thinking, reviewing previous work, describing ongoing, cutting-edge research, and offering novel theoretical analysis and synthesis. As the first edited volume to bring together the many threads of research and theory on counterfactual thinking, this book promises to be a source of insight and inspiration for years to come.
What Money Wants: An Economy of Desire
by Noam YuranOne thing all mainstream economists agree upon is that money has nothing whatsoever to do with desire. This strange blindness of the profession to what is otherwise considered to be a basic feature of economic life serves as the starting point for this provocative new theory of money. Through the works of Karl Marx, Thorstein Veblen, and Max Weber, What Money Wants argues that money is first and foremost an object of desire. In contrast to the common notion that money is but an ordinary object that people believe to be money, this book explores the theoretical consequences of the possibility that an ordinary object fulfills money's function insofar as it is desired as money. Rather than conceiving of the desire for money as pathological, Noam Yuran shows how it permeates economic reality, from finance to its spectacular double in our consumer economy of addictive shopping. Rich in colorful and accessible examples, from the work of Charles Dickens to Reality TV and commercials, this book convinces us that we must return to Marx and Veblen if we are to understand how brand names, broadcast television, and celebrity culture work. Analyzing both classical and contemporary economic theory, it reveals the philosophical dimensions of the controversy between orthodox and heterodox economics.
What Must Be Carried: Living a Beautiful Life Beyond Loss
by Whitney Lyn GadeckiA guide to start living again for those who have lost a loved one, written by a mother and widow What Must Be Carried: Living a Beautiful Life Beyond Loss is an empathetic guidebook that walks readers through the grieving process, giving them the tools they need to carry the pain of their loss and start truly living again. With relatable personal narratives from Whitney Lyn Allen Gadecki, mother of two boys, Jackson and Leo, certified grief educator and coach, and a widow whose life has been forever altered by the loss of her husband, as well as actionable advice for those grieving, this book is a perfect, steady companion for anyone impacted by a devastating loss. This book explores ideas including: The emotional range of processing grief, from numbness, to agony and rage, to cascading waterfalls of tears and beyond Patience, experimentation, time, curiosity, and practice as difficult but essential foundations of living with and healing from grief How to discover contentment, peace, love, and beauty anew, even when it often feels like life is all downhill from here Grief's hidden gifts of helping you live more authentically, ambitiously, purposefully, and fearlessly despite its heavy burden What Must Be Carried: Living a Beautiful Life Beyond Loss is an important, helpful, and cathartic read for widows and all those who have lost someone precious to them seeking to once again shine brightly in the face of darkness.
What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma
by Stephanie FooNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A searing memoir of reckoning and healing by acclaimed journalist Stephanie Foo, investigating the little-understood science behind complex PTSD and how it has shaped her life&“Achingly exquisite . . . providing real hope for those who long to heal.&”—Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to SomeoneONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, NPR, Mashable, She Reads, Publishers WeeklyBy age thirty, Stephanie Foo was successful on paper: She had her dream job as an award-winning radio producer at This American Life and a loving boyfriend. But behind her office door, she was having panic attacks and sobbing at her desk every morning. After years of questioning what was wrong with herself, she was diagnosed with complex PTSD—a condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously, over the course of years.Both of Foo&’s parents abandoned her when she was a teenager, after years of physical and verbal abuse and neglect. She thought she&’d moved on, but her new diagnosis illuminated the way her past continued to threaten her health, relationships, and career. She found limited resources to help her, so Foo set out to heal herself, and to map her experiences onto the scarce literature about C-PTSD.In this deeply personal and thoroughly researched account, Foo interviews scientists and psychologists and tries a variety of innovative therapies. She returns to her hometown of San Jose, California, to investigate the effects of immigrant trauma on the community, and she uncovers family secrets in the country of her birth, Malaysia, to learn how trauma can be inherited through generations. Ultimately, she discovers that you don&’t move on from trauma—but you can learn to move with it.Powerful, enlightening, and hopeful, What My Bones Know is a brave narrative that reckons with the hold of the past over the present, the mind over the body—and examines one woman&’s ability to reclaim agency from her trauma.
What Nazism Did to Psychoanalysis (The International Psychoanalytical Association Psychoanalytic Ideas and Applications Series)
by Laurence KahnWhat Nazism Did to Psychoanalysis explores the impact Nazism had on the evolution of psychoanalysis and tackles the enigma of the transformation of individual hate into mass psychosis and of the autocratic creation of a neo-reality. Addressing the effects of the Holocaust on the psychoanalytic world, this book does not focus on the suffering of the survivors but the analysis of the concrete mechanisms of destruction that affected language and thought, their impact on the practice of psychoanalysis and the defences that psychoanalysts tried to find against the linguistic, legal and symbolic chaos that struck the foundations of reality. Laurence Kahn discusses the struggle against the appropriation, by the Nazi language, of key terms such as demonic nature, drives, ideals and, above all, the Selbsterhaltungstrieb (the self-preservation drive), which became, with Hitler, the axis of the living space policy, the "Lebensraum". Covering key topics such as trauma, transgenerational issues, silence and secrecy and the depredation of culture, this is an essential work for psychoanalysts and anyone wishing to understand how strongly the development of psychoanalysis was affected by Nazism.
What People Want: A Manager's Guide to Building Relationships That Work
by Terry R. BaconManaging a diverse work-force requires flexibility and respect for each person's needs and differences. This book lays out a set of best practices that focus on the needs that matter most to co-workers and direct reports: trust, challenge, self worth, competence, appreciation, excitement and an ability to develop and sustain an identity of merit.
What Predicts Divorce?: The Relationship Between Marital Processes and Marital Outcomes (Psychology Press & Routledge Classic Editions)
by John GottmanIn its original volume, first published in 1993, John Gottman details years of research involving questionnaires and observations of married couples in pursuit of the determinants of both marital happiness and divorce. Grounded in science and informed by clinical practice, it offers psychological professional insight and awareness of what healthy relationships need.With a new preface by the Gottman Institute Clinical Director, Dr Don Cole, and Research Director, Dr Carrie Cole, this Classic Edition of the landmark text, What Predicts Divorce?, reveals to a new generation, the original context of Gottman’s work, how he has further developed his research and thinking, and the ongoing relevance of this volume in the context of future challenges for the field.Providing a roadmap that gives shape to the science yet to be done, this Classic Edition of What Predicts Divorce? is essential reading for all family and clinical psychologists, as well as therapists working with couples in relationship counselling.
What Predicts Divorce?: The Relationship Between Marital Processes and Marital Outcomes (Psychology Press & Routledge Classic Editions)
by John M. GottmanIn its original volume, first published in 1993, John Gottman details years of research involving questionnaires and observations of married couples in pursuit of the determinants of both marital happiness and divorce. Grounded in science and informed by clinical practice, it offers psychological professional insight and awareness of what healthy relationships need. With a new preface by the Gottman Institute Clinical Director, Dr Don Cole, and Research Director, Dr Carrie Cole, this Classic Edition of the landmark text, What Predicts Divorce?, reveals to a new generation, the original context of Gottman’s work, how he has further developed his research and thinking, and the ongoing relevance of this volume in the context of future challenges for the field. Providing a roadmap that gives shape to the science yet to be done, this Classic Edition of What Predicts Divorce? is essential reading for all family and clinical psychologists, as well as therapists working with couples in relationship counselling.
What Predicts Divorce?: The Relationship Between Marital Processes and Marital Outcomes
by John Mordechai GottmanThis book details years of research involving questionnaires and observations of married couples in pursuit of the determinants of both marital happiness and divorce. It will be of interest to family and clinical psychologists and methodologists.