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The Natural History of a Neapolitan Miracle: The Secret of San Gennaro’s Blood (Routledge Studies in Cultural History)
by Francesco de CegliaThis book examines Naples’s patron saint, Gennaro, the history of his blood relic, and the mystery of its periodical liquefaction.Three times a year, Neapolitans gather to witness the recurring phenomenon of the liquefaction of San Gennaro’s blood. From the seventeenth century to the present, crowds have prayed to the city’s patron for protection from fires, earthquakes, plagues, droughts, and the fury of Mt. Vesuvius. In the “miraculous” moment of transposition from solid to liquid, the faithful seek respite from the ills of the world in the saintly blood, a visual reminder of the blood of Christ spilled for their salvation. In Naples, the periodical liquefaction of San Gennaro’s blood is not officially recognized as miraculous by the Catholic Church, which now more cautiously refers to it as a prodigy. Nevertheless, for centuries, this phenomenon has been called “a miracle” in liturgical texts approved by the ecclesiastical authority and in the words of bishops, cardinals, popes, and saints. However, not everyone agreed. This volume follows the efforts of theologians, alchemists, charlatans, and scientists who, through the centuries, have tried to answer questions such as: Is the liquefaction of San Gennaro’s blood really a miracle? If not, how is it possible to explain a phenomenon that occurs only on dates liturgically relevant to the saint?The Natural History of a Neapolitan Miracle will be of great value to those interested in Religious Studies, Italian Studies, Medieval and Early Modern Studies, as well as the History of Science, Anthropology, and Ethnography.
The Natural History of the Rich: A Field Guide
by Richard ConniffA tantalizing, droll study of the idiosyncratic existence of the very rich, through the unexpected lens of the naturalist. Journalist Richard Conniff probes the age-old question "Are the rich different from you and me?" and finds that they are indeed a completely different animal. He observes with great humor and finesse this socially unique species, revealing their strategies for ensuring dominance and submission, their flourishes of display behavior, the intricate dynamics of their pecking order, as well as their unorthodox mating practices. Through comparisons to other equally exotic animals, Conniff uncovers surprising commonalities. * How did Bill Gates achieve his single greatest act of social dominance by being nice? * How does the flattery of the rich resemble the grooming behavior of baboons? * What made the British aristocracy the single most successful animal dominance hierarchy in the history of the planet? * How does Old Money's disdain for the nouveaux riches resemble the pig-grunting of mountain gorillas? This marvelously entertaining field guide captures in vivid detail the behaviors and habitats of the world's most captivating yet elusive animal.
The Natural Philosophy of Margaret Cavendish: Reason and Fancy during the Scientific Revolution (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science #128)
by Lisa T. SarasohnHonorable Mention, Typographic Covers, Large Nonprofit Publishers, 2010 Washington Book Publishers ShowMargaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, led a remarkable—and controversial—life, writing poetry and prose and philosophizing on the natural world at a time when women were denied any means of a formal education. Lisa T. Sarasohn acutely examines the brilliant work of this untrained mind and explores the unorthodox development of her natural philosophy. Cavendish wrote copiously on such wide-ranging topics as gender, power, manners, scientific method, and animal rationality. The first woman to publish her own natural philosophy, Cavendish was not afraid to challenge the new science and even ridiculed the mission of the Royal Society. Her philosophy reflected popular culture and engaged with the most radical philosophies of her age. To understand Cavendish’s scientific thought, Sarasohn explains, is to understand the reception of new knowledge through both insider and outsider perspectives in early modern England. In close readings of Cavendish’s writings—poetry, treatises, stories, plays, romances, and letters—Sarasohn explores the fantastic and gendered elements of her natural philosophy. Cavendish saw knowledge as a continuum between reason and fancy, and her work integrated imaginative speculation and physical science. Because she was denied the university education available to her male counterparts, she embraced an epistemology that favored contemplation and intuition over logic and empiricism. The Natural Philosophy of Margaret Cavendish serves as a guide to the unusual and complex philosophy of one of the seventeenth century’s most intriguing minds. It not only celebrates Cavendish as a true figure of the scientific age but also contributes to a broader understanding of the contested nature of the scientific revolution.
The Natural Step for Communities
by Sarah James Torbjörn LahtiSustainability may seem like one more buzzword and cities and towns like the last places to change, but The Natural Step for Communities provides inspiring examples of communities that have made dramatic changes toward sustainability and explains how others can emulate their success.Chronicled in the book are towns like Övertorneå, whose government operations recently became 100 percent fossil fuel-free, demonstrating that unsustainable municipal practices really can be overhauled. Arguing that the process of introducing change--whether converting to renewable energy or designing compact development--is critical to success, the authors outline why well-intentioned proposals often fail to win community approval and why an integrated approach--not "single-issue" initiatives--can surmount challenges of conflicting priorities, scarce resources and turf battles.The book first clarifies the concept of sustainability, offering guiding principles--the Natural Step framework--that help identify sustainable action in any area. It then introduces the 60+ eco-municipalities of Sweden that have adopted changes to sustainable practices throughout municipal policies and operations. The third section explains how they did it and outlines how other communities in North America and elsewhere can do the same. Key to success is a democratic, "bottom-up" change process and clear guiding sustainability principles, such as the Natural Step framework.The book will appeal to both general readers wishing to understand better what sustainability means and practitioners interested in introducing or expanding sustainable development in their communities.Sarah James is the principal of a community planning consulting firm. She co-authored the American Planning Association's Planning for Sustainability Policy Guide and has published articles throughout the U.S. on this subject.Torbjörn Lahti was the planner for Sweden's first eco-municipality and is directing a five-year sustainable community demonstration project. He was instrumental in forming the Swedish National Association of Eco-municipalities.
The Natural Theology of Evolution (Routledge Library Editions: Evolution #12)
by J. N. ShearmanOriginally published in 1915, The Natural Theology of Evolution looks at the concept of natural theology, examining the argument for the existence of God based on reason and ordinary experiences of nature. The book looks at natural theology in light of Darwin’s theory of evolution, and how this important discovery affected belief in intelligent design. The book argues that the discovery of evolution, far from diminishing the existence of God, provides stronger proof for an intelligently designed earth and therefore the existence of God. This book provides a unique and interesting take on the debates surrounding evolution in the late 19th and early 20th century. It will be of interest to philosophers, historians of religion and natural historians alike.
The Natural Way of Things: From the Booker Prize-shortlisted author of Stone Yard Devotional
by Charlotte WoodFrom the author of the Booker Prize-shortlisted novel Stone Yard Devotional'Savage: think Atwood in the outback'PAULA HAWKINS'An unforgettable reading experience'LIANE MORIARTY'Ferocious . . . recalls the early Elena Ferrante'NPR'A masterpiece'GUARDIAN'Devastating' ECONOMISTShe hears her own thick voice deep inside her ears when she says, 'I need to know where I am.'The man stands there, tall and narrow, hand still on the doorknob, surprised.He says, almost in sympathy, 'Oh, sweetie. You need to know what you are.'"Two women awaken from a drugged sleep to find themselves imprisoned in a broken-down property in the middle of a desert.Strangers to each other, they have no idea where they are or how they came to be there with eight other girls, their heads shaved, guarded by two inept yet vicious jailers.Doing hard labour under a sweltering sun, the prisoners soon learn what links them: in each girl's past is a sexual scandal with a powerful man.They pray for rescue but as the hours turn into days and the days into weeks and months, it becomes clear only the girls can rescue themselves.Praise for Charlotte Wood's Stone Yard DevotionalShortlisted for the Booker Prize 2024 'A beautiful, mature work that does not flinch from life'SUNDAY TIMES'A transfixing novel'FINANCIAL TIMES'A book about what it means to be good: simply and with great humility, it asks the big questions, leaving the reader feeling kinder, more brave, enlarged'ANNE ENRIGHT'I have rarely been so absorbed by a novel . . . A powerful, generous book'GUARDIAN
The Naturalist on the River Amazons Vol II: Scientific Travellers VI
by Henry Walter BatesThe Naturalist on the River Amazons is a record of adventures, habits of animals, sketches of Brazilian and Indian life and aspect of nature under the Equator, during the author's eleven years of travel, in two volumes this is the second.
The Naturalist on the River Amazons Volume I: Scientific Travellers 1790-1877 Volume V
by Henry Walter BatesThe Naturalist on the River Amazons is a record of adventures, habits of animals, sketches of Brazilian and Indian life and aspect of nature under the Equator, during the author's eleven years of travel, in two volumes, this is the first.
The Naturalness of Religious Ideas: A Cognitive Theory of Religion
by Pascal BoyerWhy do people have religious ideas? And why thosereligious ideas? The main theme of Pascal Boyer's work is that important aspects of religious representations are constrained by universal properties of the human mind-brain. Experimental results from developmental psychology, he says, can explain why certain religious representations are more likely to be acquired, stored, and transmitted by human minds. Considering these universal constraints, Boyer proposes an exciting new answer to the question of why similar religious representations are found in so many different cultures. His work will be widely discussed by cultural anthropologists, psychologists, and students of religion, history, and philosophy.
The Nature and Development of Mathematics: Cross Disciplinary Perspectives on Cognition, Learning and Culture
by John Adams Alex Mesoudi Patrick BarmbyFrom an infant’s first grasp of quantity to Einstein’s theory of relativity, the human experience of number has intrigued researchers for centuries. Numeracy and mathematics have played fundamental roles in the development of societies and civilisations, and yet there is an essential mystery to these concepts, evidenced by the fear many people still feel when confronted by apparently simple sums. Including perspectives from anthropology, education and psychology, The Nature and Development of Mathematics addresses three core questions: Is maths natural? What is the impact of our culture and environment on mathematical thinking? And how can we improve our mathematical ability? Examining the cognitive processes that we use, the origins of these skills and their cultural context, and how learning and teaching can be supported in the classroom, the book contextualises each issue within the wider field, arguing that only by taking a cross-disciplinary perspective can we fully understand what it means to be numerate, as well as how we become numerate in our modern world. This is a unique collection including contributions from a range of renowned international researchers. It will be of interest to students and researchers across cognitive psychology, cultural anthropology and educational research.
The Nature and Origins of Japanese Imperialism: A Re-interpretation of the 1873 Crisis
by Donald CalmanThis important book, which many will regard as controversial, argues convincingly that the Japanese imperialism of the first half of the Twentieth Century was not a temporary aberration.The author looks at the detail of the great crisis of 1873 and shows that the prospect of economic gain through overseas expansion was the central issue of that year's political struggles. He goes on to show that Japan had a long, earlier history of aiming for economic expansion overseas; and that Japan's Twentieth Century imperialism grew out of this.In addition, he argues convincingly that much of the writing about Japan has played down the true extent and nature of Japanese imperialism.
The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion
by John R. ZallerIn this 1992 book John Zaller develops a comprehensive theory to explain how people acquire political information from elites and the mass media and convert it into political preferences. Using numerous specific examples, Zaller applies this theory to the dynamics of public opinion on a broad range of subjects, including domestic and foreign policy, trust in government, racial equality, and presidential approval, as well as voting behaviour in U. S. House, Senate, and presidential elections. The thoery is constructed from four basic premises. The first is that individuals differ substantially in their attention to politics and therefore in their exposure to elite sources of political information. The second is that people react critically to political communication only to the extent that they are knowledgeable about political affairs. The third is that people rarely have fixed attitudes on specific issues; rather, they construct 'preference statements' on the fly as they confront each issue raised. The fourth is that, in constructing these statements, people make the greatest use of ideas that are, for various reasons, the most immediately salient to them. Zaller emphasizes the role of political elites in establishing the terms of political discourse in the mass media and the powerful effect of this framing of issues on the dynamics of mass opinion on any given issue over time.
The Nature and Pace of Change in American Indian Cultures: Pennsylvania, 4000 to 3000 BP (Recent Research in Pennsylvania Archaeology #4)
by R. Michael Stewart Kurt W. Carr Paul A. RaberThree thousand to four thousand years ago, the Native Americans of the mid-Atlantic region experienced a groundswell of cultural innovation. This remarkable era, known as the Transitional period, saw the advent of broad-bladed bifaces, cache blades, ceramics, steatite bowls, and sustained trade, among other ingenious and novel objects and behaviors. In The Nature and Pace of Change in American Indian Cultures, eight expert contributors examine the Transitional period in Pennsylvania and posit potential explanations of the significant changes in social and cultural life at that time.Building upon sixty years of accumulated data, corrected radiocarbon dating, and fresh research, scholars are reimagining the ancient environment in which native people lived. The Nature and Pace of Change in American Indian Cultures will give readers new insights into a singular moment in the prehistory of the mid-Atlantic region and the daily lives of the people who lived there.The contributors are Joseph R. Blondino, Kurt W. Carr, Patricia E. Miller, Roger Moeller, Paul A. Raber, R. Michael Stewart, Frank J. Vento, Robert D. Wall, and Heather A. Wholey.
The Nature and Pace of Change in American Indian Cultures: Pennsylvania, 4000 to 3000 BP (Recent Research in Pennsylvania Archaeology)
by R. Michael Stewart Kurt W. Carr Paul A. RaberThree thousand to four thousand years ago, the Native Americans of the mid-Atlantic region experienced a groundswell of cultural innovation. This remarkable era, known as the Transitional period, saw the advent of broad-bladed bifaces, cache blades, ceramics, steatite bowls, and sustained trade, among other ingenious and novel objects and behaviors. In The Nature and Pace of Change in American Indian Cultures, eight expert contributors examine the Transitional period in Pennsylvania and posit potential explanations of the significant changes in social and cultural life at that time.Building upon sixty years of accumulated data, corrected radiocarbon dating, and fresh research, scholars are reimagining the ancient environment in which native people lived. The Nature and Pace of Change in American Indian Cultures will give readers new insights into a singular moment in the prehistory of the mid-Atlantic region and the daily lives of the people who lived there.The contributors are Joseph R. Blondino, Kurt W. Carr, Patricia E. Miller, Roger Moeller, Paul A. Raber, R. Michael Stewart, Frank J. Vento, Robert D. Wall, and Heather A. Wholey.
The Nature and Practice of Trust (Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy)
by Marc A. CohenAcross the social sciences and even in philosophy, trust is most often characterized in terms of expectations and probabilities. This book defends an alternative conception of trust as a moral phenomenon. When one person trusts another to do something, the first relies on the second’s commitment(s). So, trust reflects—and is a product of—agreement about the commitments and obligations that bind persons who live and work together. These commitments and obligations can be implicit, but building (or rebuilding) trust often requires making these commitments and obligations explicit, defining the terms of cooperation. Part 1 argues that this account of trust better captures our actual trust practices, and it draws out connections with both the philosophy and the social science literatures. It also describes the process of creating trust relationships with reference to trust invitations. Part 2 addresses practical applications of the account defended here, in the context of social relationships, economic systems, and within business organizations. These applications emphasize the material benefits of trust but, separate from those, Part 2 argues that trust is an intrinsic good—so we have moral reason to trust. The Nature and Practice of Trust will appeal to scholars and advanced students working in ethics, social and political philosophy, and the social sciences. Chapter 6 of this book is available for free in PDF format as Open Access from the individual product page at www.routledge.com. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.
The Nature and Value of Happiness
by Christine VitranoThe Nature and Value of Happiness provides a historic and contemporary overview of the philosophy of happiness, with critical evaluations to help students analyze the material and trace the evolution of a deeply nuanced concept. Addressing how the modern notion of happiness has changed from its ancient origins, Christine Vitrano attempts to clarify the precise value of happiness. This search leads Vitrano to examine topics such as the moral requirements of happiness and whether happiness can be considered the greatest good or simply one good among many. The philosophical theories are presented in a way that is accessible to anyone interested in learning about happiness, regardless of previous philosophical study. All technical terms and concepts are clearly explained, and illustrative examples tied into the text bring the material to life and help establish the relevance of the subject to readers. The ultimate goal is to reach a definition of the nature of happiness that best reflects the way we use the word today. This book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on happiness and is ideal for initiating provocative discussions in courses on happiness and ethics.
The Nature of Children's Well-Being
by Alexander Bagattini Colin MacleodThis book presents new findings that deal with different facets of the well-being of children and their relevance to the proper treatment of children. The well-being of children is considered against the background of a wide variety of legal, political, medical, educational and familial perspectives. The book addresses diverse issues from a range of disciplinary perspectives using a variety of methods. It has three major sections with the essays in each section loosely organized about a common general theme. The first section focuses on issues concerning the relation between children's well-being and autonomy or agency. The second section deals with child well-being insofar as the limits of parental authority are concerned. The third section has a more applied orientation and addresses a variety of public policy controversies involving the interpretation of children's well-being.
The Nature of Chinese Politics: From Mao to Jiang (Contemporary China Papers, Australian National University Ser.)
by Jonathan UngerThis book describes and analyzes how politics among the Chinese leadership has operated and evolved from the period of Mao's court up to the present day. Part I explores politics under Mao and Deng. For this section the five leading western analysts of elite Chinese politics -- Lowell Dittmer, Lucian Pye, Frederick Teiwes, Andrew Nathan, and Tsou Tang -- have contributed major papers that measure the empirical evidence against political science theory, recent Chinese history, and Chinese political culture. Part II explores and analyzes the ongoing changes in Chinese politics during Jiang's tenure, and includes analyzes by almost all the leading English-language scholars in the field.
The Nature of College
by James J. FarrellStately oaks, ivy-covered walls, the opposite sex - these are the things that likely come to mind for most Americans when they think about the "nature" of college. But the real nature of college is hidden in plain sight: it's flowing out of the keg, it's woven into the mascots on our T-shirts. Engaging in a deep and richly entertaining study of "campus ecology," The Nature of College explores one day in the life of the average student, questioning what "natural" is and what "common sense" is really good for and weighing the collective impacts of the everyday. In the end, this fascinating, highly original book rediscovers and repurposes the great and timeless opportunity presented by college: to study the American way of life, and to develop a more sustainable, better way to live.
The Nature of Cultural Heritage, and the Culture of Natural Heritage
by Kenneth R. Olwig and David LowenthalThe idea that the heritage of nature is fundamentally cultural is provocative to many, but it is becoming increasingly accepted in the context of heritage preservation. It is argued here that a person’s perspective on natural vs. cultural heritage as a contested patrimony is, to some extent, governed by one’s intellectual and geographical position. In discourses influenced by the natural sciences culture is a heritage of nature, whereas in those deriving from the humanities and social sciences, nature is defined socio-culturally. There is also, however, a geographical dimension to how one looks at the nature culture relation. From at least the time of Aristotle, the North has been identified with a cultural heritage thought to derive from the northern natural environment. It was no longer culture, as represented by the architectural monuments of the South, but the natural landscape that provided the measure for both natural and cultural heritage, as the natural landscape and its ecosystems were put in focus. This essay provides a contemporary picture of the long-standing contestation between natural and cultural heritage that provided the basis for the northern perspective taken in these essays.This book was previously published as a special issue of The International Journal of Heritage Studies.
The Nature of Difference: Science, Society and Human Biology (PBK) (Society for the Study of Human Biology)
by Alan H. Goodman George T. H. EllisonUnprecedented advances in genetics and biotechnology have brought profound new insights into human biological variation. These present challenges and opportunities for understanding the origins of human nature, the nature of difference, and the social practices these sustain. This provides an opportunity for cooperation between the biological and s
The Nature of Disease (Routledge Library Editions: Health, Disease and Society #21)
by Lawrie ReznekOriginally published in 1987, this book is about the classification of bodily conditions into diseases. It provides a full account of the concept of disease, examining the issue of whether disease status is something we discover or invent and the issue of whether disease attributions involve implicit value judgements. It investigates whether bodily conditions fall into natural kinds and whether these debates can be settled by discovering whether there are any natural boundaries dividing conditions into diseases and non-diseases. It considers whether the notion of disease is an evaluative notion or whether judgements about disease status are purely descriptive. The issue of whether other cultures with different values are justified in making different disease judgements is also discussed.
The Nature of Explanation in Social Sciences
by Rajesh Ranjan TiwariThis book provides a comprehensive overview of the nature of explanations as given in both natural and social sciences. It discusses models of explanation adopted in natural and social sciences. The author also elaborates upon naturalistic and anti-naturalistic views and other types of explanations such as functional, purposive, etc in social science. The volume elaborates upon themes like bridge principle; functional explanation; purposive explanation; teleological explanation; prediction; methodological individualism; methodological collectivism; illocutionary redescription; principle of action; and dispositional explanations, to understand whether the explanations given in the realm of social sciences are the same or different from the explanations that are given in the field of natural sciences. This introductory book is a must read for students and scholars of philosophy of science, logic, science and technology studies, social sciences, and philosophy in general.
The Nature of Heritage
by Lynn MeskellThe Nature of Heritage: The New South Africa is unique in revealing the conflicts inherent in preserving both natural and cultural heritage, by examining the archaeological, ethnographic and economic evidence of a nation's attempts to master its past and its future. Provides a classic example of how nations attempt to overcome a negative heritage through past mastering of their historiesEvaluates the continuing dominance of nature and conservation over concerns for cultural heritageEmploys ethnographic and archaeological methodologies to reveal how the past is processed into a new national heritageIdentifies heritage as therapy, exemplified in the strategy for repairing legacies of racial and ethnic difference in post-apartheid South AfricaHighlights the role of archaeological heritage sites, national parks and protected areas in economic development and social empowermentExplores how nature trumps culture and the global implications of the new configurations of heritage