Today's religious violence challenges our understanding of religion. Do we need special notions such as 'cult' and 'fundamentalism' to come to terms with it? Does monotheism, with its claim to exclusivity, necessarily generate intolerance? Kippenberg rejects the idea that violence and religion are inherently connected and instead considers the actions, motives, and self-perceptions of real people. He shows that the violent outcomes of the American tragedies of Jonestown and Waco were not inev...

Mark Twain once observed, A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on. His observation rings true: Urban legends, conspiracy theories, and bogus public-health scares circulate effortlessly. Meanwhile, people with important ideas–business people, teachers, politicians, journalists, and others–struggle to make their ideas stick. Why do some ideas thrive while others die? And how do we improve the chances of worthy ideas? In Made to Stick, accomplished e...

Thoroughly updated, Introduction to Polymers, Third Edition presents the science underpinning the synthesis, characterization and properties of polymers. The material has been completely reorganized and expanded to include important new topics and provide a coherent platform for teaching and learning the fundamental aspects of contemporary polymer science. New to the Third EditionPart IThis first part covers newer developments in polymer synthesis, including living radical polymerization, cat...

The study of human origins is one of the most fascinating branches of anthropology, yet it has rarely been considered by social anthropologists. This powerful study aims to bridge this gap, addressing the fundamental questions surrounding human evolution from the perspective of social anthropology.

This accessible introduction fills a gap for a textbook that can be used across all applications of Transactional Analysis - from counselling & psychotherapy to coaching. The expert authors make difficult TA concepts understandable for undergraduates and postgraduates alike.

A book on how children learn to read.

An accessible and practical text providing essential coverage of inclusive practice for pre-service and in-service trainee teachers in the Lifelong Learning Sector.

An introduction to population, sociological and psychological influences on health and delivery of healthcare in the UK for medical students.

This thought-provoking work presents Confucianism as a living ethical tradition with contemporary relevance. While acknowledged as one of the world's most influential philosophies, Confucianism's significance is too often consigned to a historical or solely East Asian context. Discussing both the strengths and weaknesses of Confucian ethics, the volume's contributors reflect on what this tradition offers that we cannot readily learn from other systems of ethics. Developing Confucian ethical i...

Marine renewable energy is a significant resource for generating electricity, and if some conversion technologies have already reached a certain level of maturity, others are emerging. The originality of this multidisciplinary book is to offer a broad spectrum of knowledge from academic and industry experts of various origins. It deals with general aspects such as the specificities and constraints of the marine environment, the concepts of hydrodynamics and ocean engineering, as well as the i...