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Series
Physical Desc
118 pages : illustrations ; 18 cm.
Language
English
Description
"What is a family? What makes someone a parent? What rights should children have? [This book] gives the reader insight not only into what the law is, but why it is the way it is. It examines how laws have had to respond to social changes in family life, from rapidly rising divorce rates to surrogate mothers, and gives insight into family courts, which are required to deal with the chaos of family life and often struggle to keep up-to-date with social...
Author
Series
Language
English
Formats
Description
Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects -- from Islam to Sociology, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume provides trenchant and provocative -- yet always balanced and complete -- discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the...
Author
Series
Language
English
Formats
Description
Drawing on studies of social class, crime and deviance, education, work in bureaucracies, and changes in religious and political organizations, this Very Short Introduction explores the tension between the individual's place in society and society's role in shaping the individual, and demonstrates the value of sociology for understanding the modern world.
In this new edition Steve Bruce discusses the continuing arguments for social egalitarianism,...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 32
Language
English
Formats
Description
The influence of Aristotle, the prince of philosophers, on the intellectual history of the West is second to none. In this book Jonathan Barnes examines Aristotle's scientific researches, his discoveries in logic and his metaphysical theories, his work in psychology and in ethics and politics, and his ideas about art and poetry, placing his teachings in their historical context.
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Series
Language
English
Formats
Description
It is sometimes said that the Bible is one of the most unread books in the world, yet it has been a major force in the development of Western culture and continues to exert an enormous influence over many people's lives. This Very Short Introduction looks at the importance accorded to the Bible by different communities and cultures and attempts to explain why it has generated such a rich variety of uses and interpretations. It explores how the Bible...
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...
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Language
English
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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 16
Language
English
Formats
Description
"Do historians reconstruct the truth or simply tell stories? This book suggests that they do both, and that the balance between 'truth' and 'story' is tremendously important to history. Taking us from the fabulous tales of ancient Greek historians to the varied approaches of modern professionals, History: A Very Short Introduction illuminates our relationship to the past by making us aware of how 'history' has changed as a subject. Concepts such as...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 29
Language
English
Formats
Description
Logic is often perceived as having little to do with the rest of philosophy, and even less to do with real life. In this lively and accessible introduction, Graham Priest shows how wrong this conception is. He explores the philosophical roots of the subject, explaining how modern formal logic deals with issues ranging from the existence of God and the reality of time to paradoxes of probability and decision theory. Along the way, the basics of formal...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 19
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2000
Physical Desc
177 p. : ill., maps ; 18 cm.
Language
English
Author
Series
Language
English
Formats
Description
What is music? How is it constructed? How is it consumed? Why do you enjoy it at all? In Music: A Very Short Introduction, Nicholas Cook invites us to really think about music and the role it plays in our lives and our ears. Drawing on a number of accessible examples, the author prompts us to call on our own musical experiences in order to think more critically about the roles of the performers and the listener, about music as a commodity and an experience,...
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 23
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2000
Physical Desc
171 p. : ill., maps, ports. ; 18 cm.
Language
English
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 51
Language
English
Formats
Description
Written in simple and accessible language, this non-technical introduction to cosmology, or the creation and development of the universe, explains the discipline, covers its history, details the latest developments, and explains what is known, what is believed, and what is purely speculative. In addition, the author discusses the development of the Big Bang theory, and more speculative modern issues like quantum cosmology, superstrings, and dark matter....
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 35
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2001
Physical Desc
125 p. : ill. ; 18 cm.
Language
English
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 45
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2001
Physical Desc
167 p. : ill. ; 18 cm.
Language
English
20) Galileo
Author
Series
Very short introductions volume 44
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Pub. Date
2001
Physical Desc
127 p. : ill. ; 18 cm.
Language
English
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