WHY DO WE DO THE THINGS WE DO? WHY DO WE THINK THE WAY WE DO? Why do we think we are special? Why do we think we are rational? Why do we think we are the culmination of evolution? WHY DO WE BEHAVE THE WAY WE DO? Why do we have war? Why do we have dictators? Why do we have cults Why do we have criminals? wHY DO WE BELIEVE THE THINGS WE DO? Why do we believe in astrology? Why do we believe in religion? WHY ARE WE THE WAY WE ARE? Why are we bipedal? Why are we hairless Why are we intelligent? There are answers to all these whys. That is what this book is all about.
An engineer looks at evolution and its impact on the human animal. The author, a retired engineer, with a strong interest in anthropology, analyses us. The definitive question being why. Why did we come to be the way we are? Why do we behave as we do? Why do we believe as we do? Why do we think as we do? This book is an attempt to answer these and many other questions about us. The author adopts an objective, unbiased and dispassionate attitude in his quest for answers. In the process he fi nds that many of us are biased in favor of the human animal. We tend to excuse much of what we see that is problematical about our behavior. We attempt to find rationale in war. We look for reason in murder. We want desperately for us to be nice, kind, and altruistic. This attitude presents us with a biased view of the human animal. When viewed as an animal, and as part of the animal kingdom, some surprising conclusions are reached when the question is asked "Why do we do the things we do?"
In order to accurately describe and diagnose psychiatric illness, practitioners require in-depth knowledge of the signs and symptoms of behavioral disorders. Descriptive Psychopathology provides a broad review of the psychopathology of psychiatric illness, beyond the limitations of the DSM and ICD criteria. Beginning with a discussion of the background to psychiatric classification, the authors explore the problems and limitations of current diagnostic systems. The following chapters then present the principles of psychiatric examination and diagnosis, described with accompanying patient vignettes and summary tables, and related to different diagnostic concerns. A thought-provoking conclusion proposes a restructuring of psychiatric classification based on the psychopathology literature and its validating data. Written for psychiatry and neurology residents, as well as clinical psychologists, it is invaluable to anyone who accepts the responsibility for the care of patients with behavioral syndromes.
Schizophrenia has been investigated predominantly from psychological, psychiatric and neurobiological perspectives. This text examines it from a philosophical point of view.
Poverty is not accident, but design. We are not all equal before the law. And the central message of contemporary ethics is that only some people matter.
The care of stroke patients has changed dramatically. As well as improvements in the emergency care of the condition, there have been marked advances in our understanding, management and rehabilitation of residual deficits. This book is about the care of stroke patients, focusing on behavioural and cognitive problems. It provides a comprehensive review of the field covering the diagnostic value of these conditions, in the acute and later phases, their requirements in terms of treatment and management and the likelihood and significance of long-term disability. This book will appeal to all clinicians involved in the care of stroke patients, as well as to neuropsychologists, other rehabilitation therapists and research scientists investigating the underlying neuroscience.
The End-of-the-World Delusion is a well-written, thoroughly researched, and very readable book. Deering's lively narrative makes complex and complicated topics accessible to the average reader. He certainly pulled me into his book despite my cynical view of the topic. Deering offers the reader riveting histories of end-of-the world beliefs and covers an extraordinary array of ground in this well-researched book, discussing everything from the Mayan end-of-times predictions, Christian rapture beliefs, pandemics, economic doomsday scenarios, and other apocalyptic predictions. Robert Watson, PhD, author/editor of thirty-four books, including The Presidents' Wives and America's War on Terror People from many different corners of civilization seem to be saying the same thing: the end is near. In The End-of-the-World Delusion, author Justin Deering explores such scenarios, discussing why they are not likely to occur or have any visible impact on this planet within our lifetime. Providing a thorough analysis, Deering chronicles the numerous instances of such predictions throughout history, examines frequent religious and cultural sources of these end-of-world claims, analyzes the sociological and psychological dynamics and dangers, and outlines other forms of end-times beliefs, ranging from religious to pop culture in nature. The End-of-the-World Delusion provides concrete information that helps evaluate these dubious assertions, relates how such beliefs have harmed individuals and society, and talks about why people are inclined to nurture such beliefs in the first place. Setting the record straight by detailing the history of failed doomsdays, Deering shows that nothing can be gained by worrying about the end of time, and that we must learn a lesson from the past, live in the present, and plan for the future.
In this hard-hitting critique, Carl Boggs argues that the United States is dominated by a new militarism, one that has become more potent and menacing since 9/11. He skillfully explores the origins and development of this new militarism and show its devastating effects on American society.
