Title Author Print Pub Year Online Pub Year

Globalization (4th ed.) Manfred B. Steger 2017 2017

Literary Theory (2nd ed.) Jonathan Culler 2011 2013

Buddhism (2nd ed.) Damien Keown 2013 2013

Philosophy of Science (2nd ed.) Samir Okasha 2016 2016

Climate Change (3rd ed.) Mark Maslin 2014 2014

Artificial Intelligence Margaret A. Boden 2018 2018

Mary Beard & John

Classics 2000 2013
Henderson

Brian and Deborah

Evolution (1st ed.) 2003 2013
Charlesworth

Free Speech Nigel Warburton 2009 2013

 Quote

"Having succinctly identified the core qualities of globalization, let us now

compress them into a single sentence that yields the following short
definition of globalization: Globalization refers to the expansion and
intensification of social relations and consciousness across world-time and
world-space. Given the subtitle of our book, however, we ought to do even
better. So here is the very short definition of globalization: Globalization is
about growing worldwide interconnectivity." (pg. 17)

"‘Theory’, we are told, has radically changed the nature of literary studies,
but people who say this do not mean literary theory, the systematic account
of the nature of literature and of the methods for analysing it. When people
complain that there is too much theory in literary studies these days, they
don’t mean too much systematic reflection on the nature of literature or
debate about the distinctive qualities of literary language, for example. Far
from it. They have something else in view." (pg. 1)

"The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to put an end to suffering and rebirth. The
Buddha stated, ‘Both in the past and now, I set forth only this: suffering and
the end of suffering.’ Although this formulation is negative, the goal also has
a positive side, because the way one puts an end to suffering is by fulfilling
the human potential for goodness and happiness. Someone who achieves
this complete state of self-realization is said to have attained nirvana. Nirvana
is the summum bonum of Buddhism—the final and highest good. It is both a
concept and an experience. As a concept it offers a particular vision of human
fulfilment and gives contour and shape to the ideal life. As an experience it
becomes incarnate over the course of time in the person who seeks it." (pg.
48)

"What is science? This question may seem easy to answer: everybody knows
that subjects such as physics, chemistry, and biology constitute science, while
subjects such as art, music, and theology do not. But when as philosophers
we ask what science is, that is not the sort of answer we want. We are not
asking for a mere list of the activities that are usually called ‘science’. Rather
we are asking what common feature all the things on that list share, i.e. what
it is that makes something a science. Understood this way, our question is
not so trivial." (pg. 1)
"Climate change is one of the few scientific theories that makes us examine
the whole basis of modern society. It is a challenge that has politicians
arguing, sets nations against each other, queries individual lifestyle choices,
and ultimately asks questions about humanity’s relationship with the rest of
the planet [...] Climate change, therefore, challenges the very way we
organize our society. Not only does it challenge the concept of the nation-
state versus global responsibility, but the short-term vision of our political
leaders."

"Artificial intelligence (AI) seeks to make computers do the sorts of things

that minds can do. Some of these (e.g. reasoning) are normally described as
‘intelligent’. Others (e.g. vision) aren’t. But all involve psychological skills—
such as perception, association, prediction, planning, motor control—that
enable humans and animals to attain their goals. Intelligence isn’t a single
dimension, but a richly structured space of diverse information-processing
capacities. Accordingly, AI uses many different techniques, addressing many
different tasks. And it’s everywhere." (pg. 1)

"Classics is a subject that exists in that gap between us and the world of the
Greeks and Romans. The questions raised by Classics are the questions raised
by our distance from ‘their’ world, and at the same time by our closeness to
it, and by its familiarity to us. In our museums, in our literature, languages,
culture, and ways of thinking. The aim of Classics is not only to discover or
uncover the ancient world. Its aim is also to define and debate our
relationship to that world." (pg. 6-7)

"The study of evolution has revealed our intimate connections with the other
species that inhabit the Earth; if global catastrophe is to be avoided, these
connections must be respected. The purpose of this book is to introduce the
general reader to some of the most important basic findings, concepts, and
procedures of evolutionary biology, as it has developed since the first
publications of Darwin and Wallace on the subject, over 140 years ago.
Evolution provides a set of unifying principles for the whole of biology; it also
illuminates the relation of human beings to the universe and to each other."
(pg. 3)

"‘I despise what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.’
This declaration, attributed to Voltaire, encapsulates the idea at the core of
this book: freedom of speech is worth defending vigorously even when you
hate what is being spoken. Commitment to free speech involves protecting
the speech that you don’t want to hear as well as the speech that you do.
This principle is at the heart of democracy, a basic human right, and its
protection is a mark of a civilized and tolerant society." (pg. 1) OR
Throughout this book I will use ‘free speech’ in a broad way to cover not just
the spoken word (the strict meaning of ‘speech’) but a wide range of
expression, including the written word, plays, films, videos, photographs,
cartoons, paintings, and so on. In most controversial cases of ideas expressed
in speech or writing the context of the expression determines its meaning.
The act of expressing the idea in a particular place at a particular time has a
foreseeable impact, and listeners and readers understand an expression as
having been deliberately delivered in that context with an anticipated
interpretation. Similarly the context of presentation of a film, video,
photograph, drawing, or painting will directly affect how it is received." (pg.5)