In Defense of Things

In Defense of Things

Author: Bjørnar Olsen

Publisher: Rowman Altamira

Published: 2010-07-16

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 0759119325

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In much recent thinking, social and cultural realms are thought of as existing prior to—or detached from—things, materiality, and landscape. It is often assumed, for example, that things are entirely 'constructed' by social or cultural perceptions and have no existence in and of themselves. Bjornar Olsen takes a different position. Drawing on a range of theories, especially phenomenology and actor-network-theory, Olsen claims that human life is fully mixed up with things and that humanity and human history emerge from such relationships. Things, moreover, possess unique qualities that are inherent in our cohabitation with them—qualities that help to facilitate existential security and memory of the past. This important work of archaeological theory challenges us to reconsider our ideas about the nature of things, past and present, demonstrating that objects themselves possess a dynamic presence that we must take into account if we are to understand the world we and they inhabit.


Book Synopsis In Defense of Things by : Bjørnar Olsen

Download or read book In Defense of Things written by Bjørnar Olsen and published by Rowman Altamira. This book was released on 2010-07-16 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In much recent thinking, social and cultural realms are thought of as existing prior to—or detached from—things, materiality, and landscape. It is often assumed, for example, that things are entirely 'constructed' by social or cultural perceptions and have no existence in and of themselves. Bjornar Olsen takes a different position. Drawing on a range of theories, especially phenomenology and actor-network-theory, Olsen claims that human life is fully mixed up with things and that humanity and human history emerge from such relationships. Things, moreover, possess unique qualities that are inherent in our cohabitation with them—qualities that help to facilitate existential security and memory of the past. This important work of archaeological theory challenges us to reconsider our ideas about the nature of things, past and present, demonstrating that objects themselves possess a dynamic presence that we must take into account if we are to understand the world we and they inhabit.


The End of All Things

The End of All Things

Author: C. Jonathin Seraiah

Publisher: Canon Press & Book Service

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 9781885767530

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The easiest way to deal with false doctrine is to affirm its absolute opposite. Unfortunately, this opposite affirmation is often no less erroneous than the false doctrine against which it reacts -- sometimes, it is worse. Most conservative Christians in the twentieth century have been obsessed with "the last days." An absolute opposite answer has recently emerged in the form of what C. Jonathin Seraiah terms "pantelism," the view that all final events had taken place by the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D.70. With one feel swoop, this viewpoint eviscerates dispensationalism. Unfortunately, it also undermines orthodox Christianity. In the present work, C. Jonathin Seraiah ferrets out the leading flaws of pantelism (the so called "consistent preterism") and reinforces the accuracy of the orthodox understanding of eschatology-the future physical Second Advent of Christ, physical resurrection of just and unjust, and final judgment. The author shows that the leading biblical texts that pantelists employ to buttress their position do not in fact support it and that other texts flatly refute it. He observes, moreover, that pantelism is not a marginally falwed interpretation; rather, it subverts and restructures the Faith itself. This book is essential reading for those interested in a biblically grounded and historically informed eschatology.


Book Synopsis The End of All Things by : C. Jonathin Seraiah

Download or read book The End of All Things written by C. Jonathin Seraiah and published by Canon Press & Book Service. This book was released on 1999 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The easiest way to deal with false doctrine is to affirm its absolute opposite. Unfortunately, this opposite affirmation is often no less erroneous than the false doctrine against which it reacts -- sometimes, it is worse. Most conservative Christians in the twentieth century have been obsessed with "the last days." An absolute opposite answer has recently emerged in the form of what C. Jonathin Seraiah terms "pantelism," the view that all final events had taken place by the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D.70. With one feel swoop, this viewpoint eviscerates dispensationalism. Unfortunately, it also undermines orthodox Christianity. In the present work, C. Jonathin Seraiah ferrets out the leading flaws of pantelism (the so called "consistent preterism") and reinforces the accuracy of the orthodox understanding of eschatology-the future physical Second Advent of Christ, physical resurrection of just and unjust, and final judgment. The author shows that the leading biblical texts that pantelists employ to buttress their position do not in fact support it and that other texts flatly refute it. He observes, moreover, that pantelism is not a marginally falwed interpretation; rather, it subverts and restructures the Faith itself. This book is essential reading for those interested in a biblically grounded and historically informed eschatology.


In Defence of Food

In Defence of Food

Author: Michael Pollan

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2008-01-31

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 0141908513

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'A must-read ... satisfying, rich ... loaded with flavour' Sunday Telegraph This book is a celebration of food. By food, Michael Pollan means real, proper, simple food - not the kind that comes in a packet, or has lists of unpronounceable ingredients, or that makes nutritional claims about how healthy it is. More like the kind of food your great-grandmother would recognize. In Defence of Food is a simple invitation to junk the science, ditch the diet and instead rediscover the joys of eating well. By following a few pieces of advice (Eat at a table - a desk doesn't count. Don't buy food where you'd buy your petrol!), you will enrich your life and your palate, and enlarge your sense of what it means to be healthy and happy. It's time to fall in love with food again. For the past twenty years, Michael Pollan has been writing about the places where the human and natural worlds intersect: food, agriculture, gardens, drugs, and architecture. His most recent book, about the ethics and ecology of eating, is The Omnivore's Dilemma, named one of the ten best books of 2006 by the New York Times and the Washington Post. He is also the author of The Botany of Desire, A Place of My Own and Second Nature.


Book Synopsis In Defence of Food by : Michael Pollan

Download or read book In Defence of Food written by Michael Pollan and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2008-01-31 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A must-read ... satisfying, rich ... loaded with flavour' Sunday Telegraph This book is a celebration of food. By food, Michael Pollan means real, proper, simple food - not the kind that comes in a packet, or has lists of unpronounceable ingredients, or that makes nutritional claims about how healthy it is. More like the kind of food your great-grandmother would recognize. In Defence of Food is a simple invitation to junk the science, ditch the diet and instead rediscover the joys of eating well. By following a few pieces of advice (Eat at a table - a desk doesn't count. Don't buy food where you'd buy your petrol!), you will enrich your life and your palate, and enlarge your sense of what it means to be healthy and happy. It's time to fall in love with food again. For the past twenty years, Michael Pollan has been writing about the places where the human and natural worlds intersect: food, agriculture, gardens, drugs, and architecture. His most recent book, about the ethics and ecology of eating, is The Omnivore's Dilemma, named one of the ten best books of 2006 by the New York Times and the Washington Post. He is also the author of The Botany of Desire, A Place of My Own and Second Nature.


In Defense of Flogging

In Defense of Flogging

Author: Peter Moskos

Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)

Published: 2011-05-31

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 0465021484

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Presents philosophical and practical arguments in favor of the administration of judicial corporal punishment as a way of addressing problems in the American criminal justice system.


Book Synopsis In Defense of Flogging by : Peter Moskos

Download or read book In Defense of Flogging written by Peter Moskos and published by Basic Books (AZ). This book was released on 2011-05-31 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents philosophical and practical arguments in favor of the administration of judicial corporal punishment as a way of addressing problems in the American criminal justice system.


In Defense of Elitism

In Defense of Elitism

Author: Joel Stein

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Published: 2019-10-22

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 1455591467

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From Thurber finalist and former star Time columnist Joel Stein comes a "brilliant exploration" (Walter Isaacson) of America's political culture war and a hilarious call to arms for the elite. "I can think of no one more suited to defend elitism than Stein, a funny man with hands as delicate as a baby full of soft-boiled eggs." —Jimmy Kimmel, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! The night Donald Trump won the presidency, our author Joel Stein, Thurber Prize finalist and former staff writer for Time Magazine, instantly knew why. The main reason wasn't economic anxiety or racism. It was that he was anti-elitist. Hillary Clinton represented Wall Street, academics, policy papers, Davos, international treaties and the people who think they're better than you. People like Joel Stein. Trump represented something far more appealing, which was beating up people like Joel Stein. In a full-throated defense of academia, the mainstream press, medium-rare steak, and civility, Joel Stein fights against populism. He fears a new tribal elite is coming to replace him, one that will fend off expertise of all kinds and send the country hurtling backward to a time of wars, economic stagnation and the well-done steaks doused with ketchup that Trump eats. To find out how this shift happened and what can be done, Stein spends a week in Roberts County, Texas, which had the highest percentage of Trump voters in the country. He goes to the home of Trump-loving Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams; meets people who create fake news; and finds the new elitist organizations merging both right and left to fight the populists. All the while using the biggest words he knows.


Book Synopsis In Defense of Elitism by : Joel Stein

Download or read book In Defense of Elitism written by Joel Stein and published by Grand Central Publishing. This book was released on 2019-10-22 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Thurber finalist and former star Time columnist Joel Stein comes a "brilliant exploration" (Walter Isaacson) of America's political culture war and a hilarious call to arms for the elite. "I can think of no one more suited to defend elitism than Stein, a funny man with hands as delicate as a baby full of soft-boiled eggs." —Jimmy Kimmel, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! The night Donald Trump won the presidency, our author Joel Stein, Thurber Prize finalist and former staff writer for Time Magazine, instantly knew why. The main reason wasn't economic anxiety or racism. It was that he was anti-elitist. Hillary Clinton represented Wall Street, academics, policy papers, Davos, international treaties and the people who think they're better than you. People like Joel Stein. Trump represented something far more appealing, which was beating up people like Joel Stein. In a full-throated defense of academia, the mainstream press, medium-rare steak, and civility, Joel Stein fights against populism. He fears a new tribal elite is coming to replace him, one that will fend off expertise of all kinds and send the country hurtling backward to a time of wars, economic stagnation and the well-done steaks doused with ketchup that Trump eats. To find out how this shift happened and what can be done, Stein spends a week in Roberts County, Texas, which had the highest percentage of Trump voters in the country. He goes to the home of Trump-loving Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams; meets people who create fake news; and finds the new elitist organizations merging both right and left to fight the populists. All the while using the biggest words he knows.


In Defense of Elitism

In Defense of Elitism

Author: William A. Henry, III

Publisher: Anchor

Published: 2015-03-18

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1101912413

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From the Pulitzer Prize-winning culture critic for Time magazine comes the tremendously controversial, yet highly persuasive, argument that our devotion to the largely unexamined myth of egalitarianism lies at the heart of the ongoing "dumbing of America." Americans have always stubbornly clung to the myth of egalitarianism, of the supremacy of the individual average man. But here, at long last, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic William A. Henry III takes on, and debunks, some basic, fundamentally ingrained ideas: that everyone is pretty much alike (and should be); that self-fulfillment is more imortant thant objective achievement; that everyone has something significant to contribute; that all cultures offer something equally worthwhile; that a truly just society would automatically produce equal success results across lines of race, class, and gender; and that the common man is almost always right. Henry makes clear, in a book full of vivid examples and unflinching opinions, that while these notions are seductively democratic they are also hopelessly wrong.


Book Synopsis In Defense of Elitism by : William A. Henry, III

Download or read book In Defense of Elitism written by William A. Henry, III and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2015-03-18 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the Pulitzer Prize-winning culture critic for Time magazine comes the tremendously controversial, yet highly persuasive, argument that our devotion to the largely unexamined myth of egalitarianism lies at the heart of the ongoing "dumbing of America." Americans have always stubbornly clung to the myth of egalitarianism, of the supremacy of the individual average man. But here, at long last, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic William A. Henry III takes on, and debunks, some basic, fundamentally ingrained ideas: that everyone is pretty much alike (and should be); that self-fulfillment is more imortant thant objective achievement; that everyone has something significant to contribute; that all cultures offer something equally worthwhile; that a truly just society would automatically produce equal success results across lines of race, class, and gender; and that the common man is almost always right. Henry makes clear, in a book full of vivid examples and unflinching opinions, that while these notions are seductively democratic they are also hopelessly wrong.


In Defense of Philosophy

In Defense of Philosophy

Author: Josef Pieper

Publisher: Ignatius Press

Published: 2011-08-08

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 1681492555

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This book is an engagement between a great modern philosopher defending classical philosophy against an army of challengers to the very notion of philosophy as classically conceived. It is written very much in the spirit of the scholastic disputations in the medieval universities, which produced the great Summas: a mutual search for truth, a philosophical laboratory, a careful winnowing of each objection. Such objectivity is lamentably rare in contemporary philosophy. In order to combat modern misunderstandings of challenges to the classical concept of philosophy, Pieper shows us the unique and uniquely valuable thing philosophy is as conceived by his masters: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and above all, Aquinas. Along this path he scatters gems of insight, such as: art and religion as Philosophy's defenders; the relationship between philosophy and science; philosophy as "seeing and saying"; and philosophy as rooted in meditation and loving contemplation. Pieper emphasizes that philosophy is something all human beings do, and should be the better for doing.


Book Synopsis In Defense of Philosophy by : Josef Pieper

Download or read book In Defense of Philosophy written by Josef Pieper and published by Ignatius Press. This book was released on 2011-08-08 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an engagement between a great modern philosopher defending classical philosophy against an army of challengers to the very notion of philosophy as classically conceived. It is written very much in the spirit of the scholastic disputations in the medieval universities, which produced the great Summas: a mutual search for truth, a philosophical laboratory, a careful winnowing of each objection. Such objectivity is lamentably rare in contemporary philosophy. In order to combat modern misunderstandings of challenges to the classical concept of philosophy, Pieper shows us the unique and uniquely valuable thing philosophy is as conceived by his masters: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and above all, Aquinas. Along this path he scatters gems of insight, such as: art and religion as Philosophy's defenders; the relationship between philosophy and science; philosophy as "seeing and saying"; and philosophy as rooted in meditation and loving contemplation. Pieper emphasizes that philosophy is something all human beings do, and should be the better for doing.


In Defense of Looting

In Defense of Looting

Author: Vicky Osterweil

Publisher: Bold Type Books

Published: 2020-08-25

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 1645036677

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A fresh argument for rioting and looting as our most powerful tools for dismantling white supremacy. Looting -- a crowd of people publicly, openly, and directly seizing goods -- is one of the more extreme actions that can take place in the midst of social unrest. Even self-identified radicals distance themselves from looters, fearing that violent tactics reflect badly on the broader movement. But Vicky Osterweil argues that stealing goods and destroying property are direct, pragmatic strategies of wealth redistribution and improving life for the working class -- not to mention the brazen messages these methods send to the police and the state. All our beliefs about the innate righteousness of property and ownership, Osterweil explains, are built on the history of anti-Black, anti-Indigenous oppression. From slave revolts to labor strikes to the modern-day movements for climate change, Black lives, and police abolition, Osterweil makes a convincing case for rioting and looting as weapons that bludgeon the status quo while uplifting the poor and marginalized. In Defense of Looting is a history of violent protest sparking social change, a compelling reframing of revolutionary activism, and a practical vision for a dramatically restructured society.


Book Synopsis In Defense of Looting by : Vicky Osterweil

Download or read book In Defense of Looting written by Vicky Osterweil and published by Bold Type Books. This book was released on 2020-08-25 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fresh argument for rioting and looting as our most powerful tools for dismantling white supremacy. Looting -- a crowd of people publicly, openly, and directly seizing goods -- is one of the more extreme actions that can take place in the midst of social unrest. Even self-identified radicals distance themselves from looters, fearing that violent tactics reflect badly on the broader movement. But Vicky Osterweil argues that stealing goods and destroying property are direct, pragmatic strategies of wealth redistribution and improving life for the working class -- not to mention the brazen messages these methods send to the police and the state. All our beliefs about the innate righteousness of property and ownership, Osterweil explains, are built on the history of anti-Black, anti-Indigenous oppression. From slave revolts to labor strikes to the modern-day movements for climate change, Black lives, and police abolition, Osterweil makes a convincing case for rioting and looting as weapons that bludgeon the status quo while uplifting the poor and marginalized. In Defense of Looting is a history of violent protest sparking social change, a compelling reframing of revolutionary activism, and a practical vision for a dramatically restructured society.


Archaeology

Archaeology

Author: Bj¿rnar Olsen

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2012-11-19

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 0520274164

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“This book exhorts the reader to embrace the materiality of archaeology by recognizing how every step in the discipline’s scientific processes involves interaction with myriad physical artifacts, ranging from the camel-hair brush to profile drawings to virtual reality imaging. At the same time, the reader is taken on a phenomenological journey into various pasts, immersed in the lives of peoples from other times, compelled to engage their senses with the sights, smells, and noises of the publics and places whose remains they study. This is a refreshingly original and provocative look at the meaning of the material culture that lies at the foundation of the archaeological discipline.”—Michael Brian Schiffer, author of The Material Life of Human Beings “This volume is a radical call to fundamentally rethink the ontology, profession, and practice of archaeology. The authors present a closely reasoned, epistemologically sound argument for why archaeology should be considered the discipline of things, rather than its more commonplace definition as the study of the human past through material traces. All scholars and students of archaeology will need to read and contemplate this thought-provoking book.”—Wendy Ashmore, Professor of Anthropology, UC Riverside "A broad, illuminating, and well-researched overview of theoretical problems pertaining to archaeology. The authors make a calm defense of the role of objects against tedious claims of 'fetishism.'"—Graham Harman, author of The Quadruple Object


Book Synopsis Archaeology by : Bj¿rnar Olsen

Download or read book Archaeology written by Bj¿rnar Olsen and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2012-11-19 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “This book exhorts the reader to embrace the materiality of archaeology by recognizing how every step in the discipline’s scientific processes involves interaction with myriad physical artifacts, ranging from the camel-hair brush to profile drawings to virtual reality imaging. At the same time, the reader is taken on a phenomenological journey into various pasts, immersed in the lives of peoples from other times, compelled to engage their senses with the sights, smells, and noises of the publics and places whose remains they study. This is a refreshingly original and provocative look at the meaning of the material culture that lies at the foundation of the archaeological discipline.”—Michael Brian Schiffer, author of The Material Life of Human Beings “This volume is a radical call to fundamentally rethink the ontology, profession, and practice of archaeology. The authors present a closely reasoned, epistemologically sound argument for why archaeology should be considered the discipline of things, rather than its more commonplace definition as the study of the human past through material traces. All scholars and students of archaeology will need to read and contemplate this thought-provoking book.”—Wendy Ashmore, Professor of Anthropology, UC Riverside "A broad, illuminating, and well-researched overview of theoretical problems pertaining to archaeology. The authors make a calm defense of the role of objects against tedious claims of 'fetishism.'"—Graham Harman, author of The Quadruple Object


In Defense of Mumia

In Defense of Mumia

Author: Sam E. Anderson

Publisher: Writers & Readers Publishing

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 396

ISBN-13:

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A collection of prose, poetry, and art in support of award-winning journalist and former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted of killing a Philadephia police officer and sentenced to death after a questionable trial.


Book Synopsis In Defense of Mumia by : Sam E. Anderson

Download or read book In Defense of Mumia written by Sam E. Anderson and published by Writers & Readers Publishing. This book was released on 1996 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of prose, poetry, and art in support of award-winning journalist and former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted of killing a Philadephia police officer and sentenced to death after a questionable trial.