Civilizations can be perceived as living human beings that are born, mature, age, and ultimately die and disappear, passing their legacy to the future generations. These transitions may be projected to the different stages of cognitive development of children. The Western Civilization, which embodies our current state of cultural advancement from the Classic Greek to the modern period, can be paralleled by the gradual transitions of human beings toward adulthood. From this perspective, the ancient Greek era resembles the toddler years of humanity at which the first “why”-type questions are being asked. The theocratic period that followed until the Renaissance can be seen as our childhood, when people lived their lives under the tight boundaries set by religious authorities. The period spanning from the Enlightenment until almost the end of the 20th century can be considered as our teenage years when people rediscover their past, are liberated from superstition, and set the path forward based on reason by a manner at which the distinction between plausible and feasible is vague. Within this scheme, postmodernism also finds its place in our teenhood. The last few decades, from this perspective, signify our entrance to adulthood at which major questions are considered answered, or at least settled, and the only path forward perceived as feasible is the one that is followed already, a state that is bringing us closer to our intellectual aging and its inevitable death. Some signs of aging-related pathologies are already manifested in today’s technology-intensive society. By identifying our intellectual age and by appreciating our health status, we may be able to proactively delay or even avert our intellectual aging and death.

A broad discussion about how history and religion contribute to identity politics in contemporary Europe, this book provides case studies exemplifying how public intellectuals and academics have taken an active part in the construction of recent and traditional pasts. Instead of repeating the simplistic explanation as a return of religion, this volume focuses on public platforms and agents and their use of religion as a political and cultural argument. Filled with previously unpublished data gathered from texts, interviews, field observations, artifacts, and material culture, this record challenges stereotypical images of East and Southeast Europe.

An innovative investigation into how zombie narratives over the past ten years have been specifically leading up to a unique intersection with the world as it exists in the 2020s, this book posits the undead as a vehicle to communicate humanity's pathway into, and out of, the ideological, health and environmental pandemics of our time. Exploring depictions of zombies across literature, poetry, comics, television, film and video games, Simon Bacon brings together this timely intervention into how zombies enable speculation about future modes of being in a changing world and represent the fluid notion of 'old' and 'new' normals. With each chapter moving beyond traditional readings of the undead, Zombie Futures situates the zombie as an evolving cultural imaginary at the centre of discourses around how human cognition and embodiment are effected by global realities such as consumerism, new technologies, climate change and planetary degeneration. Structured around contagious partisan ideologies, ecological sickness, mental health crisis and the very literal COVID-19 virus, this book establishes how the zombie figure might manifest post-human and post-normative futures. Works featured include graphic novels and comics like The West + Zombies, Crossed and Endzeit, the South Korean series and films Kingdom, Train to Busan and Peninsula, The Last of Us and the Resident Evil game franchises, Bollywood horror anthology Ghost Stories, Joss Whedon's Serenity, Cargo and literature such as The Girl with All the Gifts, the fiction of Stephen Graham Jones and Ryan Mecum's Zombie Haiku. In a time when popular culture and scholarship has been overrun with the undead, this original study offers a refreshing look at the zombie and what it can tell us about about our world going into and emerging from global catastrophe.

The West in the World relates the story of how the west has transformed - and been transformed by - the rest of the world. The authors examine the West’s contributions to the world and how the west has changed and embraced new ideas through contact with the people outside its center. Using a political / cultural framework the text weaves a strong thread of social history into the narrative by showing how civilizations grow and are shaped through the decisions and actions of real people. The authors bring history to life by using art and maps as a central feature of learning. They build discussions of art into the narrative to help students interpret artwork, and provide analytical map guides that reveal the connections between geography, politics, and other developments. This strong, rich narrative is short enough to allow instructors the flexibility of introducing other sources and books as supplement, while giving students a solid understanding of Western Civilization without overwhelming them.

This book explores the possibility of grounding the idea of human excellence, which has traditionally been associated with hierarchical systems, on an ecological structuring of the psyche. Riker bases his concept on recent work in psychoanalytic theory, emotion theory, sociobiology, ethnogenic social psychology, and feminism, as well as on the insights of such philosophers as Aristotle, Nietzsche, Whitehead, Heidegger, and Wittgenstein.

"The West in the World," Fifth Edition, prompts students to take an active, analytical approach to understanding history and historical change. Readers will come to appreciate that history does not happen in isolation but rather is the consequence of a complex set of intersecting events, forces, and human actions among which there are cause-and-effect links that extend into the present day. As it compellingly tells the story of Western civilization, "The West in the World" encourages a critical examination and analysis of major events and themes. The fifth edition retains the medium length of previous editions, long enough to present a comprehensive, rich narrative but concise enough to give instructors the flexibility to supplement reading with other sources and books. The fifth edition of "The West in the World" includes the exciting addition of LearnSmart and SmartBook, McGraw-Hill's online adaptive learning and reading systems. LearnSmart and SmartBook are the only adaptive learning programs proven to improve performance. LearnSmart and SmartBook help students study more efficiently and retain more knowledge, allowing instructors to focus valuable class time on higher-level concepts.

Case studies from the University of New Hampshire explore all the dimensions of sustainability in campus life, combining frugality and creativity

This stimulating, clearly written and well-structured text is a comprehensive introduction to the principles of management and organisational behaviour, as well as a corrective to the eurocentric bias of most management texts. It develops a trans-cultural perspective which draws on insights from across the world to examine different management styles, cultures and stages of business development. Contents include: * Orientation * Primal Management - Western including America * Rational Management - Northern including Scandinavia * Developmental Management - Eastern including Japan * Metaphysical Management - Southern including South Africa * Developing yourself as a manager Each section examines core management theory and literature, cultural orientation and related prominent theories. The numerous case studies use appropriate examples from a wide range of international organisations. The uniquely wide-ranging perspective make this a valuable text for all those interested in general management, international business, organisational behaviour and corporate strategy.