Mass ideology is unique to modern society and rooted in early modern philosophy. Traditionally, knowledge had been viewed as resting on metaphysics. Rejecting metaphysical truth evoked questions about the source of -truth.- For nineteenth-century ideologists, -truth- comes either from dominating classes in a progressively determined history or from a post-Copernican freedom of the superior man to create it. In From Physics to Politics Robert C. Trundle, Jr. uncovers the relation of modern philosophy to political ideology. And in rooting truth in human nature and Nature by modal reasoning, he resolves the problem of politicized truth. Our concepts of scientific truth, logic, and necessity are essentially connected. Modern philosophy restricts our understanding of necessity to the political dreams and aspirations of Enlightenment intellectuals. As a result, these intellectuals refuse to acknowledge as factual or meaningful whatever is not intelligible within the practical goals of establishing science as a system of enlightened ideas. The effect of these ideas is that in our time metaphysical principles, speculative truths, our understanding of science, and the nature of logic have become subordinated to ideological dreams. Fascism, Nazism, Marxism, political correctness, and moral relativism are not historical aberrations but essential consequences. Trundle's work is groundbreaking and daring, and his underlying thesis demonstrates why scientific truth demands a modal defense. The defense not only integrates science, ethics, and politics, but shows how -truth- may be ascribed to moral and scientific principles in contrast to a modern philosophical tradition. Since this tradition is the origin of political ideology, it has led to an irrational politicization of truth. The book will appeal particularly to those interested in political history, histories of philosophy, the philosophy of sciences, and ethics.

This book is not only an autobiography of the respected physicist and director of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, but a discussion and analysis of issues critical to the relationship between independent academic inquiry and imposed government orthodoxy. The book describes each phase of Dr. Panofsky's career in a way that clarifies the nature of the issues surrounding his work, and explains his chosen course of action.

*The Subject of Politics* provides a new study of Slavoj Zizek's political philosophy. Focusing on the combination of psychoanalytic theory and philosophy, the book offers an overview of Zizek's analysis of contemporary society. In five chapters, the reader is introduced to Zizek's method, his view of the political impasse in the postmodern world, and his suggestion for a way ahead to renewed action and political invention. Rich in examples, the book gives an engaging and entertaining tour around the landscape of Zizek's political endeavour, while at the same time insisting on a more systematic and piecemeal approach than the Slovenian tends to offer himself.

In the most original interpretation of Aristotle's Politics in years, Michael Davis delivers many memorable and provocative formulations of Aristotle's messages concerning the constitutive tensions of political life. He traces the uncanny parallel between politics and philosophy in Aristotle, arguing that their connection is much deeper than it is ordinarily understood to be and that, for Aristotle, understanding either requires understanding the other. Davis presents his interpretation with a striking clarity and accessibility that makes the book a pleasure to read.

Identity and Schooling among the Naxi examines the identity construction of Naxi students in Lijiang No.1 Senior Secondary School in China, focusing on the changing roles of school, community, and family in the identity construction of the students. Through participant observation, interviews, and student essays, Yu finds that Naxi students of the school retain a strong Naxi identity while also managing to fit into mainstream culture through a process she characterizes as "harmonious creative identity engagement". Three main forces affecting the identity construction of the Naxi students are highlighted: the state and the school, Naxi intellectuals, and socialization in the family and community. As an institution of the state, the school conveys national ideology and instills a sense of ethnic unity and an understanding of the culture of the Chinese nation. However, the school also takes an active role in ethnic identity construction of the Naxi students. At the same time, Naxi intellectuals, through their research publications and responses to state policies, preserve and revitalize Naxi culture. Socialization within the community and family allows the Naxi students to learn about their heritage. These factors result in both an asserted and assigned identity of the Naxi.

People so often focus on the negative aspects of politics, like greed and corruption, but without politics we would be lost. It frames everything we do, and it has the power to bring about real and positive change. Politics, Andrew Gamble reminds us, defeated slavery and secured equal rights for women and minorities. Without savvy and principled politicians and citizens willing to engage in political action, there would still be civil war in Ireland and apartheid in South Africa. Closer to home, local politicians stand up for communities and endeavour to advance the prosperity and wellbeing of their constituents. But it hasn’t always been like this, and without good politicians we could throw it all away. Right now humanity is in a race against itself, adjusting to new technologies that are destabilizing democracy and creating massive inequalities. By thinking and acting politically, Gamble argues, we can harness the imagination and enthusiasm of people everywhere to tackle these challenges and shape a better world.

Taking as their departure point the political-philosophical analyses of German scholar Tilo Schabert, the philosophical and empirical essays in this volume invite the reader to move beyond the sterile dichotomy of political activity as either pure will or as folded into a more manageable activity.

This follow-up volume to MMOs from the Inside Out is a further collection of bold ideas, information, and instruction from one of the true pioneers of Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games. Whereas its predecessor looked at how MMOs can change the world, MMOs from the Outside In: How Psychology, Law, Culture and Real Life see Massively-Multiplayer Role-playing Games looks at how the world can change MMOs – and not always for the better. The aim of this book is to inform an up-coming generation of designers, to alert and educate players and designers-to-be, and to caution those already working in the field who might be growing complacent about society’s acceptance of their chosen career. Playing and creating MMOs does not happen in a bubble. MMOs are so packed with potential that those who don’t understand them can be afraid, and those who do understand them can neglect their wider impact. Today's examples are little more than small, pioneering colonies on the shore of a vast, uncharted continent. What monsters lurk beyond the horizon? What horrors will explorers bring back to torment us? MMOs from the Outside In is for people with a spark of curiosity: it pours gasoline on that spark. It:• Explains how MMOs are perceived, how they could – and perhaps should – be perceived, and how the can contribute to wider society.• Delves into what researchers think about why players play.• Encourages, enthuses, enrages, engages, enlightens, envisions, and enchants.• Doesn't tell you what to think, it tells you to think. What You Will Learn:• The myriad challenges facing MMOs – and to decide for yourself how to address these challenges.• What MMOs bring to the world that it didn’t have before.• How MMOs are regarded, and what this means for how they will be regarded in future.• That playing and designing MMOs has implications for those who don’t play or design them. Whom This Book is For:MMOs from the Outside In is a book for those who wish to know more about the wider influence of game design in general and MMO design in particular. It's for people who play MMOs, for people who design MMOs, and for people who study MMOs. It's for people with a yearning to see beyond the worlds of their imagination and to change the world around them.