Uses insights of deconstructive philosophy (Derrida) to look closely at issues of technologically mediated life and death.

The proceedings of a colloquium at Brunel, the University of West London, at which British, American, Canadian, and Australian scholars and practitioners of specialized fields reflect on how developments at the frontiers of medicine are challenging conventional ideas about when life begins and ends, and about the possibilities between. The 16 papers go beyond the ethical dilemmas for individuals to consider how high technology medicine is changing our understanding of the nature of kinship, social life, and cultural identity through such practices as the new genetics and organ transplants. Distributed by St. Martin's. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Issues of Life and Death such as abortion, assisted suicide, capital punishment and others are among the most contentious in many societies. Whose rights are protected? How do these rights and protections change over time and who makes those decisions? Based on the author’s award-winning and hugely popular undergraduate course at the University of Texas, this book explores these questions and the fundamentally sociological processes which underlie the quest for morality and justice in human societies. The Author’s goal is not to advocate any particular moral "high ground" but to shed light on the social movements and social processes which are at the root of these seemingly personal moral questions. Under 200 printed pages, this slim paperback is priced and sized to be easily assigned in a variety of undergraduate courses that touch on the social bases underlying these contested and contentious issues.

This volume focuses on the intersection of religion and media in China, bringing interdisciplinary approaches to bear on the role of religion in the lives of individuals and greater shifts within Chinese society in an increasingly media-saturated environment. With case studies focusing on Mainland China (including Tibet), Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as diasporic Chinese communities outside Asia, contributors consider topics including the historical and ideological roots of media representations of religion, expressions of religious faith online and in social media, state intervention (through both censorship and propaganda), religious institutions’ and communities’ use of various forms of media, and the role of the media in relations between online/offline and local/diaspora communities. Chapters engage with the major religious traditions practiced in contemporary China, namely Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam, and new religious movements. Religion and the Media in China serves as a critical survey of case studies and suggests theoretical and methodological tools for a thorough and systematic study of religion in modern China. Contributors to the volume include historians of religion, sinologists, sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists, and media and communication scholars. The critical theories that contributors develop around key concepts in religion—such as authority, community, church, ethics, pilgrimage, ritual, text, and practice—contribute to advancing the emerging field of religion and media studies.

The day will come when the Sun rises but you do not: your last breath will have been made. This is a stark fact. Do you think the day will never come? Do you conduct your life on the presumption that it will not come? But it will come; it is part of the script of life. It may even come today. How does an atheist answer the perennial existential question 'What is the meaning of life?' In this sobering but ultimately compassionate and optimistic book, the author offers a helping hand. Combining elements of ancient Stoic philosophy, academic argumentation, contemplative practices, practical advice and, at times, dark humour, the author weaves a coherent and sympathetic guide to the art of living in the face of mortal angst.

In 1829, recent arrivals from Ireland began moving to a patch of wilderness near the Brazos River in Mexican Texas. They came seeking freedom and fortune. What they found was malaria, war, the constant threat of gruesome Indian massacres, wolves, panthers - and an abiding happiness that has kept many descendants there to this day. At Staggers Point, near modern-day Bryan, Texas, they collided and coexisted with four other cultures: Americans, American Indians, Mexicans, and enslaved African Americans. These families bore witness to the greatest political upheavals of nineteenth century America, and their lives spanned the full range of human experience - from scratching out a living on a primitive frontier; to fleeing and fighting bands of Comanches and other American Indians, the Mexican army, and common criminals; to the joys and sorrows of raising children beyond the reach of civilization. Though they were common pioneers, to us their experiences, their feats, and their very survival are staggering.

Are you alive? Most people believe this question has a clear answer - that some law defines our status as living (or not) for all purposes. In this pioneering study, Elizabeth Price Foley examines the many, and surprisingly ambiguous, legal definitions of what counts as human life and death.

This is a comprehensive work of reference which covers all aspects of medical history and reflects the complementary approaches to the discipline. 72 essays are written by internationally respected scholars from many different areas of expertise.

Following his brother’s funeral, Chisoni, a thirty-three-year-old Malawian, embarks on a long-haul flight to England, where he lives. His neighbour on the plane is a loquacious Irishman who speaks openly about many things, including the loss of his own father. Over the course of their thirteen-hour flight, the two form a genuine connection, sharing their thoughts, fears and ideas about life and death. A man with high anxiety, Chisoni analyses his childhood, his family, and the events that led to his brother’s untimely death. He is consumed with guilt for his role in his brother’s decline. In his jacket pocket is a note, addressed to their father, handwritten by his brother shortly before his death. In a drunken hand, it begins: Dad, I’ve been trying to meet you but all efforts are proving futile … Chisoni cannot bring himself to look at the note, let alone deliver it. Is it his duty to fulfil his brother’s request, or will doing so only break their father’s heart? Thought-provoking and at times humorous, this honest account of grief embraces the themes of addiction, brotherhood, and the relationship of fathers and sons.