Pain: A Very Short Introduction by Rob Boddice

$16.95 AUD

Category: Introducing & Short History Series | Series: Very Short Introductions

What is pain? Has the experience of pain always been the same? How is pain related to the emotions, to culture, and to pleasure? What happens to us when we feel pain? How does pain work in the body and in the brain? In this Very Short Introduction, Rob Boddice explores the history, culture, and medical science of pain. Charting the shifting meanings of pain across time and place, he focusses on how the experience and treatment of pain have changed. He describes historical hierarchies of pain experience that related pain to social class and race, and the privileging of human states of pain over that of other animals. From the pain concepts of classical antiquity to expressions of pain in contemporary art, and modern medical approaches to the understanding, treatment, and management of pain, Boddice weaves a multifaceted account of this central human experience. Ranging from neuroscientific innovations in experimental medicine to the constructionist arguments of social scientists, pain is shown to resist a timeless definition. Pain is physical and emotional, of body and mind, and is always experienced subjectively and contextually. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. ...Show more

Introducing Quantum Theory (A Graphic Guide to Science's Most Puzzling Discovery) by J.P. McEvoy

$12.99 AUD

Category: Introducing & Short History Series | Series: Introducing... Ser.

Quantum theory confronts us with bizarre paradoxes which contradict the logic of classical physics. At the subatomic level, one particle seems to know what the others are doing, and according to Heisenberg's "uncertainty principle", there is a limit on how accurately nature can be observed. And yet the theory is amazingly accurate and widely applied, explaining all of chemistry and most of physics. "Introducing Quantum Theory" takes us on a step-by-step tour with the key figures, including Planck, Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg and Schrodinger. Each contributed at least one crucial concept to the theory. The puzzle of the wave-particle duality is here, along with descriptions of the two questions raised against Bohr's "Copenhagen Interpretation" - the famous "dead and alive cat" and the EPR paradox. Both remain unresolved. ...Show more

Tides: A Very Short Introduction by Bowers, David George (Emeritus Professor of Physical Oceanography, Bangor University), Roberts, Emyr Martyn (Researcher, University of Bergen)

$16.95 AUD

Category: Introducing & Short History Series

French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction by Doyle, William (Emeritus Professor of History and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol)

$17.95 AUD

Category: Introducing & Short History Series

Physics: A Very Short Introduction by Perkowitz, Sidney (Charles Howard Candler Professor Emeritus of Physics, Emory University)

$16.95 AUD

Category: Introducing & Short History Series

Geopolitics by Klaus Dodds

$16.95 AUD

Category: Introducing & Short History Series | Series: Very Short Introductions Ser.

In places such as Iraq, Lebanon, and Israel, moving a few feet in a territorial boundary can be a matter of life or death, dramatically highlighting the connections between place and politics. Even far away from these "danger zones"- in Europe or the US for example - geopolitics remains an important par t of everyday life. A country's location and size as well as its sovereignty and resources all affect how the people that live there understand and interact with the wider world. In this new edition, Klaus Dodds takes into account several world developments that have occured since original publication, including the Arab Spring, the worldwide economic crisis, and the developing role of China in international politics. Using wide-ranging examples, from historical maps to James Bond films and the rhetoric of political leaders both past and present, this Very Short Introduction shows why- for a full understanding of contemporary global politics- it necessary to be geopolitical. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. ...Show more

Matter: A Very Short Introduction by Cottrell, Geoff (Academic Visitor, Oxford University Dept. of Physics)

$16.95 AUD

Category: Introducing & Short History Series

Homer: A Very Short Introduction by Graziosi, Barbara (Professor of Classics, Durham University)

$16.95 AUD

Category: Introducing & Short History Series

Heidegger: a Very Short Introduction by Michael Inwood

$16.95 AUD

Category: Introducing & Short History Series | Series: Very Short Introductions Ser.

Martin Heidegger, considered by some to be the greatest charlatan ever to claim the title of "philosopher", by some as an apologist for Nazism, and by others as an acknowledged leader in continental philosophy, is probably the most divisive thinker of the twentieth century. In the second edition of this Very Short Introduction, Michael Inwood focuses on Heidegger's most important work, Being and Time, to explore its major themes of existence in the world, inauthenticity, guilt, destiny, truth, and the nature of time. These themes are then reassessed in the light ofHeidegger's multifaceted later thought, and how, despite its diversity, it hangs together as a single, coherent project. Finally, Inwood turns to Heidegger's Nazism and anti-semitism, to reveal its deep connection with his personality and overall view of philosophy. This is an invaluable guide tothe complex and voluminous thought of one of the twentieth century's greatest yet most enigmatic philosophers. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, andenthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. ...Show more

Napoleon A Very Short Introduction by Bell, David A (Department of History Princeton University)

$17.95 AUD

Category: Introducing & Short History Series

Holy Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction by Whaley, Joachim (Professor of German History and Thought, University of Cambridge)

$16.95 AUD

Category: Introducing & Short History Series

Environmental Ethics: A Very Short Introduction by Robin Attfield

$17.95 AUD

Category: Introducing & Short History Series | Series: Very Short Introductions

Environmental ethics is a relatively new branch of philosophy, which studies the values and principles involved in combatting environmental problems such as pollution, loss of species and habitats, and climate change. As our environment faces evermore threats from human activities these core issues are becoming increasingly important. In this Very Short Introduction Robin Attfield traces the origins of environmental ethics as a discipline, and considers how it defends the independent value of living creatures, and the need to make decisions informed by the needs and interests of future generations. Exploring the diverse approaches to ethical decisions and judgements, he highlights the importance of making processes of production and consumption sustainable and of addressing human population levels, together with policies for preserving species, sub-species, and their habitats. Along the way Attfield discusses different movements such as Deep Ecology, Social Ecology, the Environmental Justice movement and the Green movement, and also considers the attitudes to the environment of the world's religions, including the approach from the major religions and the contributions of the indigenous religions of Asia, Africa and North America. Analyzing the current threat of climate change, and proposals for climate engineering, he demonstrates how responsibility for the environment ultimately lies with us all, from states and corporations to individuals, and emphasizes how concerted action is required to manage our environment ethically and sustainably. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. ...Show more