How much faith should we place in what scientists tell us? Is it possible for scientific knowledge to be fully 'objective'? What, really, can be defined as science? In the second edition of this Very Short Introduction, Samir Okasha explores the main themes and theories of contemporary philosophy of science, and investigates fascinating, challenging questions such as these. Starting at the very beginning, with a concise overview of the history of science, Okasha examines the nature of fundame...

On October 1, 2009, the People's Republic of China (PRC) celebrated the 60th anniversary of its founding. And what an eventful and tumultuous six decades it had been. During that time, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), China was transformed from one of the world's poorest countries into the world's fastest growing major economy, and from a weak state barely able to govern or protect its own territory to a rising power that is challenging the United States for global i...

Did possessing and killing amount to the same thing deep within the dark recesses of the human beast? La Bete humaine (1890), is one of Zola's most violent and explicit works. On one level a tale of murder, passion and possession, it is also a compassionate study of individuals derailed by atavistic forces beyond their control. Zola considered this his `most finely worked' novel, and in it he powerfully evokes life at the end of the Second Empire in France, where society seemed to be hurtling...

Frederick Douglass's Narrative recounts his life as a slave in Maryland and escape to freedom in 1838. An important slave autobiography, it is significant both for what it tells us about slave life and about its author. It is here reprinted with contexualizing source material and other writings by Douglass, as well as an introduction discussing its literary and historical significance.

This acknowledged masterpiece has been abridged to make it more accessible to students. In her introduction, Eva Gillies presents the case for the relevance of the book to modern anthropologists.

The most comprehensive resource for students on EU competition law; extracts from key cases, academic works, and legislation are paired with incisive critique and commentary from an expert author team.

The exceptional quality of previous editions has been built upon to make the twelfth edition of Atkins' Physical Chemistry even more closely suited to the needs of both lecturers and students. The writing style has been refreshed in collaboration with current students of physical chemistry in order to retain the clarity for which the book is recognised while mirroring the way you read and engage with information. The new edition is now available as an enhanced e-book, which offers you a riche...

This highly-practical and engaging textbook balances cutting-edge research with insights from today's marketing professionals making it the ideal guide for anyone studying consumer behaviour. Industry-leading consumer experts offer a glimpse of what it's like to be a marketer, and how integral consumer behaviour theory is to their everyday roles - for example, explaining how WWF is using behavioural science to help humanity's fight against climate change, and how social media algorithms are p...

This short guide to modern error analysis is primarily intended to be used in undergraduate laboratories in the physical sciences. No prior knowledge of statistics is assumed. The necessary concepts are introduced where needed and illustrated graphically. The book emphasises the use of computers for error calculations and data fitting.

The late 20th century saw a remarkable flourishing of philosophy in France. The work of French philosophers is wide ranging, historically informed, often reaching out beyond the boundaries of philosophy; they are public intellectuals, taken seriously as contributors to debates outside the academy. Gary Gutting tells the story of the development of a distinctively French philosophy in the last four decades of the 20th century.

His aim is to arrive at an account ofwhat it was to 'do philosophy'...