An astounding and inspiring look at the science behind tribalism, and how we can learn to harness it to improve the world around us. What do you think of when you hear the word “tribalism?” For many, it conjures images of bigotry, xenophobia, and sectarian violence. Others may envision their own tribe: family, friends, and the bonds of loyalty that keep them together. Tribalism is one of the most complex and ancient evolutionary forces; it gave us the capacity for cooperation and competition, and allowed us to navigate increasingly complex social landscapes. It is so powerful that it can predict our behavior even better than race, class, gender, or religion. But in our vast modern world, has this blessing become a curse? Our Tribal Future explores a central paradox of our species: how altruism, community, kindness, and genocide are all driven by the same core adaptation. Evolutionary anthropologist David R. Samson engages with cutting-edge science and philosophy, as well as his own field research with small-scale societies and wild chimpanzees, to explain the science, ethics, and history of tribalism in compelling and accessible terms. This bold and brilliant book reveals provocative truths about our nature. Readers will discover that tribalism cannot, and should not, be eliminated entirely—to do so would be to destroy what makes us human. But is it possible to channel the best of this instinct to enrich our lives while containing the worst of its dangers?
A consideration of one of the Bible’s most powerful stories from a leading Israeli writer In this fascinating reexamination of the story of Samson, David Grossman goes beyond the surface of the familiar tale to look into what the life of this extraordinary man must have been like. What it felt like to have been “chosen” to release his people from the yoke of the Philistines, and yet alienated from them by his very otherness; what moved him to his acts of wild vandalism and his self-destructive passions; why he chose to keep some things secret, but not the most significant secret of all. We are left with the troubling knowledge that Samson bore too heavy a burden even for a man of his supernatural strength to bear alone. “There are few other Bible stories with so much drama and action, narrative fireworks and raw emotion, as we find in the tale of Samson: the battle with the lion; the three hundred burning foxes; the women he bedded and the one woman that he loved; his betrayal by all the women in his life, from his mother to Delilah; and, in the end, his murderous suicide, when he brought the house down on himself and three thousand Philistines. Yet beyond the wild impulsiveness, the chaos, the din, we can make out a life story that is, at bottom, the tortured journey of a single, lonely and turbulent soul who never found, anywhere, a true home in the world, whose very body was a harsh place of exile. For me, this discovery, this recognition, is the point at which the myth – for all its grand images, its larger-than-life adventures – slips silently into the day-to-day existence of each of us, into our most private moments, our buried secrets.” –from David Grossman’s introduction to Lion’s Honey
An astounding and inspiring look at the science behind tribalism - and how we can learn to harness this powerful instinct to improve the world around us What do you think of when you hear the word tribalism? For many, it conjures images of bigotry, xenophobia and sectarian violence. Others may envision their own tribe: family, friends and the bonds of loyalty that keep them together. Tribalism is one of the most complex and ancient evolutionary forces; it gave us the capacity for co-operation and competition, and allowed us to navigate increasingly complex social landscapes. It is so powerful that it is a better predictor of our behaviour than race, class, gender or religion. But in our vast modern world, has this blessing become a curse? Our Tribal Future explores a central paradox of our species: how altruism, community, kindness and genocide are all driven by the same core adaptation. Evolutionary anthropologist David R. Samson engages with cutting-edge science and philosophy, as well as his own field research with small-scale societies and wild chimpanzees, to explain the science, ethics and history of tribalism in compelling and accessible terms. This bold and brilliant book reveals provocative truths about our nature. Readers will discover that tribalism cannot, and should not, be eliminated entirely - to do so would be to destroy what makes us human. But is it possible to channel the best of this instinct to enrich our lives while containing the worst of its dangers?
Early Modern Jewry boldly offers a new history of the early modern Jewish experience. From Krakow and Venice to Amsterdam and Smyrna, David Ruderman examines the historical and cultural factors unique to Jewish communities throughout Europe, and how these distinctions played out amidst the rest of society. Looking at how Jewish settlements in the early modern period were linked to one another in fascinating ways, he shows how Jews were communicating with each other and were more aware of their economic, social, and religious connections than ever before. Ruderman explores five crucial and powerful characteristics uniting Jewish communities: a mobility leading to enhanced contacts between Jews of differing backgrounds, traditions, and languages, as well as between Jews and non-Jews; a heightened sense of communal cohesion throughout all Jewish settlements that revealed the rising power of lay oligarchies; a knowledge explosion brought about by the printing press, the growing interest in Jewish books by Christian readers, an expanded curriculum of Jewish learning, and the entrance of Jewish elites into universities; a crisis of rabbinic authority expressed through active messianism, mystical prophecy, radical enthusiasm, and heresy; and the blurring of religious identities, impacting such groups as conversos, Sabbateans, individual converts to Christianity, and Christian Hebraists. In describing an early modern Jewish culture, Early Modern Jewry reconstructs a distinct epoch in history and provides essential background for understanding the modern Jewish experience.
Judaism and Healing is a concise, incisive, but nontechnical study of major issues in medical bioethics. Rabbi Bleich examines each topic from the perspective of Jewish tradition. Truth-telling, professional secrecy, population policy, abortion, sex-change surgery, test tube babies, animal experimentation, euthanasia, autopsy, and sex preselection are among the more than thirty topics discussed as a guide to understanding the teachings of normative Judaism. This new and expanded edition adds chapters on AIDS, surrogate motherhood, pregnancy reduction, cloning, and palliation of pain. Rabbi Bleich presents in a clear and lucid manner principles and concerns which enter into the formulation of a Jewish response to each of these issues. Judaism and Healing is a treasure-trover of information with regard to the concerns of both bioethics and Jewish law.
This important study seeks to assemble the evidence, drawn from a variety of sources in Old English and Latin, to convey a picture of slaves and slavery in England, viewed against the background of English society as a whole. At last a major topic in early medieval English history has found its author, who deals with it comprehensively and systematically.ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW "A landmark teatment...immensely enriches the debate about early medieval working classes." SPECULUM Slaves were part of the fabric of English society throughout the Anglo-Saxon era and the twelfth century, but as the base of the social pyramid, they have left no known written records;there are, however, extensive references to them throughout the documents and writings of the period. This important study seeks to assemble the evidence, drawn from a variety of sources in Old English and Latin, to convey a picture of slaves and slavery in England, viewed against the background of English society as a whole. An extensive appendix on the vernacular terminology of slavery reveals the concepts of enslavement to be embedded in the religiousimagery of the period. DAVID PELTERET is Senior Research Fellow, Department of History, King's College London.
Memoirs of Sternbuch (née Eisenzweig), an Orthodox Jew from Warsaw. Pp. 63-138 describe her experiences in the Holocaust, including the Nazi occupation and life in the ghetto. Sternbuch and several other young women who had been students at the Bais Yaakov Seminary conducted secret classes in Jewish studies for girls in the ghetto. She also taught at Janusz Korczak's orphanage until July 1942, when she received Paraguayan passports from her future husband, Eli; she and her mother were then incarcerated in the Pawiak prison. In January 1943 they were transported to the Vittel internment camp in France, where Sternbuch also organized classes for Jewish girls. In December 1943 Paraguay rescinded recognition of the passports issued to the Jews, and most of the Jews in Vittel were deported. Sternbuch and her mother escaped and went into hiding until their liberation in September 1944. She married after the war and, with her husband, helped Jewish survivors in France and then in Switzerland. Pp. 175-243 contain two essays by Kranzler on Jewish life in Poland before the war.
Modern sensibilities have clouded historical views of slavery, perhaps more so than any other medieval social institution. Anachronistic economic rationales and notions about the progression of European civilisation have immeasurably distorted our view of slavery in the medieval context. As a result historians have focussed their efforts upon explaining the disappearance of this medieval institution rather than seeking to understand it. This book highlights the extreme cultural/social significance of slavery for the societies of medieval Britain and Ireland c. 800-1200. Concentrating upon the lifestyle, attitudes and motivations of the slave-holders and slave-raiders, it explores the violent activities and behavioural codes of Britain and Ireland s warrior-centred societies, illustrating the extreme significance of the institution of slavery for constructions of power, ethnic identity and gender.
Diagnostic Immunohistochemistry presents the latest information and most reliable guidance on immunohistological diagnoses in surgical pathology. David J. Dabbs, MD and other leading experts bring you state-of-the-art coverage on genomic and theranostic applications, molecular anatomic pathology, immunocytology, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and more. Additional features such as tables discussing antibody specifications, differential diagnosis boxes, ancillary anatomic molecular diagnostics, and full-color histological images ensure user-friendly coverage that makes key information easy to find and apply. This concise and complete resource is today’s indispensable guide to the effective use of immunohistochemical diagnosis. Discusses diagnostic pitfalls through immunohistologic differential diagnosis wherever appropriate so you can provide the most accurate diagnoses. Presents chapters arranged by organ system for comprehensive coverage of all relevant information in a convenient and intuitive organization. Provides quick reference graphs for antibodies throughout the text that illustrate the frequency of immunostaining for a variety of antibodies in tumors. Includes Key Diagnostic Points boxes in every chapter for a quick summary of text areas that are of particular importance. Features an expert author for each chapter to ensure coverage of the current state of the art. Provides guidance on the role of genomics in identifying genetic and molecular aspects of disease that may affect patient care and therapeutic approaches. Covers theranostic applications to enable you to evaluate therapeutic choices based on immunohistochemical results. Reflects the latest developments in the field through new chapters on molecular anatomic pathology and immunocytology, as well as updated chapters on immunohistology of the prostate, bladder, testis, and kidney and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Discusses antibody specifications with tables that convey information on uses, clones, vendors, sources, antibody titers, and types of antigen retrieval. Presents key differential diagnoses boxes that provide tabular summaries of DDx and algorithms. Features discussions of ancillary anatomic molecular diagnostics as an adjunct to immunohistochemistry for a more well-rounded diagnostic approach.
Isaac’s Fear is a wide-ranging study of a Hebrew encyclopedia of Judaism by Isaac Lampronti, a rabbi and physician from eighteenth-century Ferrara, in Italy; this is the first encyclopedia of Judaism, with entries on thought and praxis. The book’s eight chapters are previously published studies. Isaac’s Fear represents the attempt to synthesize modern science and religious tradition, a fundamental issue then and in our own day. Encyclopedia entries illuminate the society and culture of early modern Italy, its Jewish community and the intellectual life of the author and his contemporaries.
This book examines the contribution of archaeology to the study of the social, economic, religious, and other developments in England from the end of the Roman period at the start of the fifth century to the beginnings of the Renaissance at the end of the fifteenth century. The first edition of the book was published in 1990, and remains the only synthesis of the whole spectrum of medieval archaeology. This new edition is completely rewritten and extended, but uses the same chronological approach to investigate how society and economy evolved. It draws on a wide range of new data, derived from excavation, investigation of buildings, metal-detection, and scientific techniques. It examines the social customs, economic pressures, and environmental constraints within which people functioned; the technology available to them; and how they expressed themselves, for example in their houses, their burial customs, their costume, and their material possessions such as pottery. Their adaptation to new circumstances, whether caused by human factors such as the re-emergence of towns or changing taxation requirements, or by external ones such as volcanic activity or the Black Death, is explored throughout each chapter. The new edition of Archaeology, Economy, and Society will be essential reading for students and researchers of the archaeology of Medieval England.
Warfare in Medieval Europe, now in its second edition, offers considerably more attention to the transition from the later Roman Empire to the early Middle Ages, the composition of the armies of the opponents of the West, and the experience of commanders and individual combatants on the battlefield. This second revised and expanded edition provides a more in-depth thematic discussion of the nature and conduct of war, with an emphasis on its overall impact on society, from the late Roman Empire to the end of the Hundred Years’ War. The authors explore the origins of the institutions, physical infrastructure, and intellectual underpinnings of warfare, with chapters on military topography, military technology, logistics, combat, and strategy. Bernard and David Bachrach have also added a new chapter, which provides two detailed campaign narratives that highlight the themes treated throughout the text. The geographical scope of the volume encompasses Latin Europe, the Slavic World, Scandinavia, and the eastern Mediterranean, with a particular focus on the conflict between Western Christianity and the Islamic Near East. Written in an accessible and engaging way, Warfare in Medieval Europe is the ideal resource for all students of the history of medieval warfare.
Computer aided process engineering (CAPE) plays a key design and operations role in the process industries. This conference features presentations by CAPE specialists and addresses strategic planning, supply chain issues and the increasingly important area of sustainability audits. Experts collectively highlight the need for CAPE practitioners to embrace the three components of sustainable development: environmental, social and economic progress and the role of systematic and sophisticated CAPE tools in delivering these goals. Contributions from the international community of researchers and engineers using computing-based methods in process engineering Review of the latest developments in process systems engineering Emphasis on a systems approach in tackling industrial and societal grand challenges
This classic study of the idea of Noahide law traces the concept’s historical development and shows how it is relevant to practical discussions of the halakhah pertaining to non-Jews and to relations between Jews and non-Jews. Individual analyses of each of the seven Noahide laws, drawing primarily on classical rabbinic texts by traditional commentators, are followed by a discussion of the underlying theory.
This volume of essays presents a compelling and comprehensive analysis of the intriguing issue of the gift of the land of Israel and the fate of the Canaanites as presented in diverse biblical sources. Jewish thought has long grappled with the moral and theological implications and challenges of this issue. Innovative interpretive strategies and philosophical reflections were offered, modified, and sometimes rejected over the centuries. Leading contemporary scholars follow these threads of interpretation offered by Jewish thinkersfrom antiquity to modern times.
Charlemagne's conquest of the Saxons was the hardest fought and most protracted of his wars; it involved 18 campaigns spread across 33 years, a great deal of lower-level fighting and the harshest final peace settlement that Charlemagne ever imposed upon a defeated foe. Rapidly taking on the character of a religious conquest from its outset, it also became the most important of all Charlemagne's wars for the future direction and character of European history and began the long process of uniting the German-speaking peoples. With extensive photographs, full colour artworks, maps and bird's-eye-views, this volume unravels the initial stages of a convoluted sequence of events that led to the conquest of the Saxons and ultimately Charlemagne's consolidation of Saxony into the greater Carolingian Empire.
A collection of essays as testament to a teacher’s many-sided engagement with the world. Every page is filled with wisdom and awe for the things we take for granted.
Daniels’ Orchestral Music is the gold standard for all orchestral professionals—from conductors, librarians, programmers, students, administrators, and publishers, to even instructors—seeking to research and plan an orchestral program, whether for a single concert or a full season. This sixth edition, celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the original edition, has the largest increase in entries for a new edition of Orchestral Music: 65% more works (roughly 14,050 total) and 85% more composers (2,202 total) compared to the fifth edition. Composition details are gleaned from personal inspection of scores by orchestral conductors, making it a reliable one-stop resource for repertoire. Users will find all the familiar and useful features of the fifth edition as well as significant updates and corrections. Works are organized alphabetically by composer and title, containing information on duration, instrumentation, date of composition, publication, movements, and special accommodations if any. Individual appendices make it easy to browse works with chorus, solo voices, or solo instruments. Other appendices list orchestral works by instrumentation and duration, as well as works intended for youth concerts. Also included are significant anniversaries of composers, composer groups for thematic programming, a title index, an introduction to Nieweg charts, essential bibliography, internet sources, institutions and organizations, and a directory of publishers necessary for the orchestra professional. This trusted work used around the globe is a must-have for orchestral professionals, whether conductors or orchestra librarians, administrators involved in artistic planning, music students considering orchestral conducting, authors of program notes, publishers and music dealers, and instructors of conducting.
The modern world was not created by the civilization of Renaissance Italy, the advent of the printing press, or the marriage restrictions imposed by the medieval church. Rather, it was widespread reading that brought about most of the cognitive, psychological, and social changes that we recognize as peculiarly modern. David Williams combines book and communications history with readings of major works by Petrarch, Bruni, Valla, Reuchlin, Erasmus, Foxe, and Milton to argue that expanding literacy in the Renaissance was the impetus for modern civilization, turning a culture of arid logic and religious ceremonialism into a world of individual readers who discovered a new form of communion in the act of reading. It was not the theologians Luther and Calvin who first taught readers to become what they read, but the biblical philologist Erasmus, who encountered the divine presence on every page of the gospels. From this sacramental form of reading came other modes of humanist reading, particularly in law, history, and classics, leading to the birth of the nation-state. As literacy rates rose, readers of all backgrounds gained and embodied the distinctly modern values of liberty, free speech, toleration, individualism, self-determination, and democratic institutions. Communion and community were linked, performed in novel ways through revolutionary forms of reading. In this conclusion to a quartet of books on media change, Williams makes a compelling case for readers and acts of reading as the true drivers of social, political, and cultural modernity – and for digital media as its looming nemesis.
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