The Social Instinct

Author: Nichola Raihani
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 125026281X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 183

Book Description
"Enriching" —Publisher's Weekly "Excellent and illuminating"—Wall Street Journal In the tradition of Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene, Nichola Raihani's The Social Instinct is a profound and engaging look at the hidden relationships underpinning human evolution, and why cooperation is key to our future survival. Cooperation is the means by which life arose in the first place. It’s how life progressed through scale and complexity, from free-floating strands of genetic material to nation states. But given what we know about evolution, cooperation is also something of a puzzle. How does cooperation begin, when on a Darwinian level, all the genes in the body care about is being passed on to the next generation? Why do meerkats care for one another’s offspring? Why do babbler birds in the Kalahari form colonies in which only a single pair breeds? And how come some reef-dwelling fish punish each other for harming fish from another species? A biologist by training, Raihani looks at where and how collaborative behavior emerges throughout the animal kingdom, and what problems it solves. She reveals that the species that exhibit cooperative behaviour most similar to our own tend not to be other apes; they are birds, insects, and fish, occupying far more distant branches of the evolutionary tree. By understanding the problems they face, and how they cooperate to solve them, we can glimpse how human cooperation first evolved. And we can also understand what it is about the way we cooperate that makes us so distinctive–and so successful.

The Science of Storytelling

Author: Will Storr
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 168335818X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 304

Book Description
The compelling, groundbreaking guide to creative writing that reveals how the brain responds to storytelling Stories shape who we are. They drive us to act out our dreams and ambitions and mold our beliefs. Storytelling is an essential part of what makes us human. So, how do master storytellers compel us? In The Science of Storytelling, award-winning writer and acclaimed teacher of creative writing Will Storr applies dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to our myths and archetypes to show how we can write better stories, revealing, among other things, how storytellers—and also our brains—create worlds by being attuned to moments of unexpected change. Will Storr’s superbly chosen examples range from Harry Potter to Jane Austen to Alice Walker, Greek drama to Russian novels to Native American folk tales, King Lear to Breaking Bad to children’s stories. With sections such as “The Dramatic Question,” “Creating a World,” and “Plot, Endings, and Meaning,” as well as a practical, step-by-step appendix dedicated to “The Sacred Flaw Approach,” The Science of Storytelling reveals just what makes stories work, placing it alongside such creative writing classics as John Yorke’s Into the Woods: A Five-Act Journey into Story and Lajos Egri’s The Art of Dramatic Writing. Enlightening and empowering, The Science of Storytelling is destined to become an invaluable resource for writers of all stripes, whether novelist, screenwriter, playwright, or writer of creative or traditional nonfiction.

How to Think Like an Activist

Author: Wendy Syfret
Publisher: Hardie Grant Publishing
ISBN: 174358749X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 206

Book Description
How to Think Like an Activistoffers a space for budding activists to learn from the past and look to the future. A lot of talk around changing the world gets stuck in theory, but this is about action. From small daily commitments to larger ongoing projects, this book offers tangible ways to start building the world you want to live in – now. Right now, we’re experiencing a new chapter in the history of activism. The social, environmental, and political stakes are larger than ever. But so is the impact that we can have as individuals and as communities. To have a voice in society once meant power, money and, status. But now, with the rise of social media and the internet we all have the ability to defend the causes that matter most to us and reshape the world. But during a time where everyone calls themselves an activist, what does the title actually mean? And how do you begin to make an impact on issues that feel so huge and overwhelming? Filled with inspirational quotes from past leaders, historical facts about important movements as well as daily protests, How to Think Like an Activist will help set you on the path to your new activist life. The Survive the Modern World series tackles big subjects in a fun and digestible way. The tone is frank and chatty, but the content is comprehensive. Upskill and expand your knowledge with these accessible pocket guides.

A Little History of Economics

Author: Niall Kishtainy
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300226314
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Book Description
A lively, inviting account of the history of economics, told through events from ancient to modern times and the ideas of great thinkers in the field What causes poverty? Are economic crises inevitable under capitalism? Is government intervention in an economy a helpful approach or a disastrous idea? The answers to such basic economic questions matter to everyone, yet the unfamiliar jargon and math of economics can seem daunting. This clear, accessible, and even humorous book is ideal for young readers new to economics and for all readers who seek a better understanding of the full sweep of economic history and ideas. Economic historian Niall Kishtainy organizes short, chronological chapters that center on big ideas and events. He recounts the contributions of key thinkers including Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, and others, while examining topics ranging from the invention of money and the rise of agrarianism to the Great Depression, entrepreneurship, environmental destruction, inequality, and behavioral economics. The result is a uniquely enjoyable volume that succeeds in illuminating the economic ideas and forces that shape our world.

Less Than Zero

Author: Bret Easton Ellis
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307756467
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 209

Book Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The timeless classic from the acclaimed author of American Psycho about the lost generation of 1980s Los Angeles who experienced sex, drugs, and disaffection at too early an age. • The basis for the cult-classic film "Possesses an unnerving air of documentary reality." —The New York Times They live in a world shaped by casual nihilism, passivity, and too much money in a place devoid of feeling or hope. When Clay comes home for Christmas vacation from his Eastern college, he re-enters a landscape of limitless privilege and absolute moral entropy, where everyone drives Porsches, dines at Spago, and snorts mountains of cocaine. He tries to renew feelings for his girlfriend, Blair, and for his best friend from high school, Julian, who is careering into hustling and heroin. Clay's holiday turns into a dizzying spiral of desperation that takes him through the relentless parties in glitzy mansions, seedy bars, and underground rock clubs and also into the seamy world of L.A. after dark. Look for Bret Easton Ellis’s new novel, The Shards!

Optimistic Nihilism

Author: David Landers (Psychologist)
Publisher: Im Print Publishing
ISBN: 9780692440780
Category : Atheism
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Book Description
Through surprisingly good storytelling, David "Don't Call Me Doctor" Landers takes us on a captivating spiritual adventure as he walks us through his personal evolution from dedicated Christian to devout atheist. But much more than autobiography, his story is woven with provocative psychological and philosophical commentary, including input from the likes of Lucretius, Freud, and the metal band Napalm Death. A rare style of intellectual but conversational and poignant but humorous makes for a highly accessible and enjoyable read. As the spiritual account winds down, the book transitions into a more rational exploration of the problems associated with religion-and even with spirituality in general. Everyone from outspoken atheists to moderate believers will be engaged, as David is able to critically evaluate spirituality without the hostility so common among modern atheist writers. At the book's climax, David develops the popular atheist conversation a little deeper by courageously exploring the implications of nihilism: If our deepest fears about the nature of reality were to be true, could we go on? By the end of Optimistic Nihilism, we begin to suspect that we could-and even wonder if a relatively nihilistic perspective paradoxically makes life more precious than any other scheme. A critical must-read for all students of spirituality, psychology, and humanity.

LifePass

Author: Payal Kadakia
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 1797206958
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 236

Book Description
A signature goal-setting method to unlock the life you want, from the founder of ClassPass. Grant yourself permission to plan and prioritize your life in connection to your calling. When Payal Kadakia let go of the pressure to achieve a traditional kind of success, she tuned into her calling and built ClassPass into a billion-dollar business. In LifePass, she shares her signature goal-setting method that not only changed her approach to her career, but her entire life. You will learn to push through limits, fuel your life with purpose, and become an expert at achieving your goals—both professionally and personally. It's time to live by your own rules. LifePass shows you how.

Simply Philosophy

Author: DK
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0744042941
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Book Description
A clear, simple, graphic-led introduction to philosophy. Are you short of time but hungry for knowledge? This philosophy book proves that sometimes less is more. Bold graphics and easy-to-understand explanations make it the most accessible guide to philosophy on the market. Organized by major philosophical themes, each pared-back, single-page entry demystifies the groundbreaking theories of famous philosophers. The essential ideas of the major philosophical schools and traditions, such as empiricism, rationalism, dualism, and materialism, can be grasped in seconds. Understanding Philosophy Has Never Been Easier This smart but powerful guide cuts through the jargon and gives you the facts in a clear, visual way. Unlock the mysteries of more than 90 key philosophical ideas, from “I think, therefore I am” and Jean-Paul Sartre’s existential angst to Nietzsche’s Übermensch and Plato’s ideal forms. Whether you’re a philosophy student or just a deep thinker with questions about the world, this indispensable guide is packed with everything you need to quickly and easily understand the basics. Complete the Series: Part of DK Book's exciting, brand-new reference series for those who are time-poor but keen to learn more. Discover the strange and fascinating world of physics in Simply Quantum Physics.

Nihilism, Modernism, and Value

Author: John Fraser
Publisher: eBookIt.com
ISBN: 1456612913
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 125

Book Description
Nihilism, Modernism, and Value consists of three jargon-free lectures addressed to the general reader. It explores a variety of ways in which writers responded to the phenomenon of nihilism in the 19th and early 20th centuries, By "nihilism" here is meant a sense, at times paralyzing, of the instability and perhaps groundlessness of all values. The book goes into some of the factors— psychological, sociological, philosophical—involved in that destabilizing. But its principal focus is on reintegration, and it draws freely on real-world experiences to illuminate concepts and strategies. Among the writers whose names figure in it are Conrad, Nietzsche, Beckett, Woolf, Heidegger, Rhys, Pushkin, Baudelaire, Hemingway, Lessing, Stevens, Valéry, and James (William), with particular attention at one point to Kafka and Borges. But no prior knowledge of them is required for following the argument, with its numerous lively quotations. The author himself is advancing heuristically, not just performing an academic exercise. The problems confronted are as relevant still as they were generations ago. A reviewer of John Fraser's first book spoke of "an extremely agile and incessantly active mind which illuminates almost every subject it touches." A reviewer of the second one, both of them published by Cambridge University Press, called it "a brilliant and utterly absorbing work," and said that "There are not many learned books which have the unputdownable quality of a thriller; this is one of them."

The Boob Book

Author:
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 1452181896
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 114

Book Description
Featuring 30 types of breasts, The Boob Book is an illustrated celebration of womanhood and the boobs that come with it. Scattered throughout are boob miscellany: a boob personality flow chart, boob facts, boob self-care tips, a roundup of bras, types of nipples, a boob doodle, and illustrated ways we show off the goods. This joyful book features breasts of all colors and sizes—from "The Handful" to "The Mom-To-Be" to "The Small but Mighty"—showing women that every boob type is weird, beautiful, and natural. • An illustrated love letter to a girl's breast friend • Filled with fun and interactive boob-related miscellany, like a boob personality test (are you a "Chillaxer" or a "Handful"?), boob facts, and breast self-care tips • Light, celebratory, and a little cheeky—but ultimately sincere Let's hear it for our bosom buddies. Our mammary mamas. Our breasts-in-arms. From small and mighty to large and in charge to long, short, hairy, bumpy, or any boobs in between, this book uplifts them all. • A perfect book for women of all generations—from friends to mothers and daughters—or anyone who wants to send some extra support and love to their ladies • Ideal for anyone who needs a boob-size boost • Great for those who enjoyed Feminist Activity Book by Gemma Correll, Celebrating You: (And the Beautiful Person You Are) by M. H. Clark, and Gross Anatomy: Dispatches from the Front (and Back) by Mara Altman