We find risk everywhere--from genetically modified crops, medical malpractice, and stem-cell therapy to heartbreak, online predators, identity theft, inflation, and robbery. They arise from our own acts and they are imposed on us. In this Very Short Introduction, Baruch Fischhoff and John Kadvany draw on both the sciences and humanities to illuminate both the similarities and differences of var…
The Koran has constituted a remarkably resilient core of identity and continuity for a religious tradition that is now in its fifteenth century. In this Very Short Introduction, Michael Cook provides a lucid and direct account of the significance of the Koran both in the modern world and in that of traditional Islam. He gives vivid accounts of its role in Muslim civilization, illustrates the di…
Eminent biblical scholar Michael D. Coogan offers here a wide-ranging and stimulating exploration of the Old Testament, illuminating its importance as history, literature, and sacred text. Coogan explains the differences between the Bible of Jewish tradition (the "Hebrew Bible") and the Old Testament of Christianity, and also examines the different contents of the Bibles used by Roman Cathol…
International humanitarian law (IHL), now synonymous for many withjus inbello, is the branch of international law that governs the conduct of war. Eventhough the main instruments of IHL have been universally ratified, however,and IHL is perhaps the most effective means so far developed to limit theeffects of war, it is notoriously difficult to implement and enforce (Sassòli2007, 46–47; Bartl…
The Brain: A Very Short Introduction provides a non-technical introduction to the main issues and findings in current brain research and gives a sense of how neuroscience addresses questions about the relationship between the brain and the mind. Short, clear discussions on the mechanical workings of the brain are offered and the details of brain science are covered in an accessible style. Expla…
A comprehensive, easy-to-follow guide to understanding and managing your diabetes. Silver Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Awards (Health & Fitness) by the Independent Book Publishers Association; Winner of the Best Book Award (Health: Medical Reference) by the American Book Fest; Silver Winner of Book Award (Education) by the National Health Information Awards Diabetes Head to Toe is an inval…
The Details of Thomas Becket’s life and of the first fifty years or so of his cult are so well-known that they hardly bear retelling.1 For the fifteenthcentury monks who acted as custodians of his shrine there was a handy mnemonic for the most significant events of his path to sainthood—the Seven Wonderful Tuesdays—which they duly copied into the instructions written fo…
Ecocide is at hand in the next century unless great powers like China, the United States and Europe learn to work together on better global and national regulatory institutions and green markets for a global Green New Deal (Tienhaara 2018; Drahos 2021; Braithwaite 2021d). Unfortunately, green markets are as prone to corruption as any other. As we have seen with the …
Near-death experiences offer a glimpse not only into the nature of death but also into the meaning of life. They are not only useful tools to aid in the human quest to understand death but are also deeply meaningful, transformative experiences for the people who have them. In a unique contribution to the growing and popular literature on the subject, philosophers John Martin Fischer and Benj…
he town of Taym?? amid the deserts of North Arabia is famous for having been the residence of the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Nabonidus (556–539 BCE), for approximately ten years from 553 to 543 BCE.1 Despite its important position as a trading centre, situated within the network of caravan roads running from South Arabia to the north into the Levant and to the east into Babylonia…