Anthropology Books - Page 15

Knowledge & Decisions

Thomas Sowell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

With a new preface by the author, this reissue of Thomas Sowell’s classic study of decision making updates his seminal work in the context of The Vision of the Annointed, Sowell, one of America’s most celebrated public intellectuals, describes in concrete detail how knowledge is shared and disseminated throughout modern society. He warns that society suffers from an ever-widening gap between firsthand knowledge and decision making—a gap that threatens not only our economic and political efficiency, but our very freedom because actual knowledge gets replaced by assumptions based on an abstract and elitist social vision f what ought to be.Knowledge and Decisions, a winner of the 1980 Law and Economics Center Prize, was heralded as a ”landmark work” and selected for this prize ”because of its cogent contribution to our understanding of the differences between the market process and the process of government.” In announcing the award, the center acclaimed Sowell, whose ”contribution to our understanding of the process of regulation alone would make the book important, but in reemphasizing the diversity and efficiency that the market makes possible, [his] work goes deeper and becomes even more significant.”

Foxfire 8 (Foxfire)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

The Eighth Book in This Extraordinary Series on "The Old Days" 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

The Foxfire series is the creation of English teacher Elliott Wiggington (Wig) who made it a point to have students participating in his program interview older folks to find out how they did things in everyday life. And even though this is the work of high school students, the writing is clear, concise, informative, and very readable. Good writing is good writing.

Each volume is like a time capsule, capturing the wisdom and know-how from individuals born around the turn of the 20th century. And while the focus is based around the inhabitants in and around Rabun County, Georgia, this information shows life as it was in America circa the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.

In this eighth volume, the focus is on folk pottery -- how its made, the different styles, and interviews with the artists. Most interesting is the firing process and the history of the kiln. You'll also find information on mule swapping and chicken fighting.

After reading several of these volumes, I think what appealed to me most of all was the fact that these older folks in the 80s and 90s weren't viewed as forgotten relics of a bygone era. They were treated with respect and dignity, and their memories treated as the treasures that they indeed are. It's a shame nowadays that we don't have more publications like Foxfire that highlight the knowledge gained from our older population. So many folks in the 70s, 80s, and 90s sit alone at home, or nursing homes forgotten and alone. They are untapped resources of great stories and wisdom. Fortunately for us, the people at Foxfire realized the value of these individuals and preserved some of those stories for future generations to cherish and enjoy.

If you have an interest in 19th century knowlege and an appreciation or an interest in how things used to be, you cannot do without this series.

Editorial Review:

Southern folk pottery from pug mills, ash glazes, and groundhog kilns to face jugs, churns and roosters; mule swapping, chicken fighting, and more are included in this eighth volume.

City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi

William Dalrymple

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A great book for insight on multi-layered cultures of Delhi 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I was born and brought up in Delhi, and lived there for 21 years of my life, after which I emigrated to the United States. This book made me feel that how oblivious many of us 'locals' are, of the many riches and insights that my home city has to offer.

William Dalrymple peels the multilayered culture of the historical city of Delhi - seven times the capital of empires - ruined and rebuilt again. He spans from the Punjabi immigrants that've filled the newer parts of economically booming Delhi sice the partition of India in 1947; to the more historic but now decrepit old Delhi - where the legendary age old 'Persian' customs such as the 'Kabootar' (Pegion) fights, the 'Chor' (Thief) Bazaars and the mysterious 'Hakims' (Doctors practicing an old school of medicine) are unquestioned parts of the daily lives of many. Dalrymple also describes the curious and unique collision of history leading to the current day fate of the Indian Hijras (Eunuchs), who ring the door bells of apartments of Delhi's denizens, in the old city and the new, on any kind of festivity. He describes the fascinating history and architecture of the tomb of Himayun and Hazrat Nizam-ud-din, the charming old 'Quawaalis' (musical forums) still alive there, and many other monuments that I visited umpteen times as a kid, the 'Sadhus', an ancient culture intact with flavors... the list is endless. Somehow, I missed making the connections, and could see the beauty of the entire kaliedoscope when I read this book. I find my visits to Delhi so much more fascinating. One thing that the readers must be made aware though is the overt focus on history of Mughal (Persian) Delhi - which is for a reason - that all the pre-Mughal monuments were destroyed. The Delhi that exists is newer than the spirit of the city really is.

Since I read this book I always try to find such books on the cities I've visited. A strong recommend for anyone visiting Delhi -- you can choose to be put off by the seeming boorishness of the existing 'New' Delhi, or scratch beneath the surface and discover magic!

Editorial Review:

Sparkling with irrepressible wit, City of Djinns peels back the layers of Delhi's centuries-old history, revealing an extraordinary array of characters along the way-from eunuchs to descendants of great Moguls. With refreshingly open-minded curiosity, William Dalrymple explores the seven "dead" cities of Delhi as well as the eighth city-today's Delhi. Underlying his quest is the legend of the djinns, fire-formed spirits that are said to assure the city's Phoenix-like regeneration no matter how many times it is destroyed. Entertaining, fascinating, and informative, City of Djinns is an irresistible blend of research and adventure.

Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution

Terence Mckenna

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 51 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Interesting Perspective 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I can't give 5 stars to this book because I know the history of Terence McKenna and his drug use. That said the book does pose interesting answers to age old questions.

"What was the fruit in the garden of Eden?"

"Why did our brains grow larger in ratio to our body weight than any animals in a relatively short amount of time?"

"Why is caffeine an acceptable drug to use daily? Should it be?"

I think people who read this should know it's an opinion given with historical facts to make his opinion seem like scientific and historical fact.

For instance he references what drugs were in use in certain cultures at what times then equates their overall temperament in historical events to the widespread use of those drugs. His claims may or may not have merit, we'll never know but it is an opinion none the less.

That said it is a very interesting read that is hard to put down. Attention keeping, he has one of a kind theories on lesser known early civilizations that could use a second look.

I was sorry to hear his library and personal notes burned up in a fire in early 2007, adding just more mystery to this one of a kind author.

Editorial Review:

For the first time in trade paperback, the critically acclaimed counterculture manifesto by the wildly popular McKenna. "Deserves to be a modern classic on mind-altering drugs and hallucinogens."--The Washington Post. Photos and illustrations.

Finding Darwin's God: A Scientist's Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution (P.S.)

Kenneth R. Miller

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 125 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Two books in one 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book could be divided rather neatly in half.

In the first half, chapters 1-5, Miller does an excellent job of making the case for the scientific theory of evolution, and discrediting Creationism, including Intelligent Design Creationism. He writes clearly and gives specific, relevant examples. You'd think the man has some experience writing about biology. He even includes a very good section on isotope dating, which is not something you could take for granted from a biologist. He presents examples of transitional fossils. He describes irreducible complexity, and why this does not present an obstacle for evolution; once again with clear examples presented.

Then the book abruptly turns a corner. In chapter 6, Miller relates correctly that there are two camps who claim that religion is not compatible with science: Fundamentalists Creationists and some atheist scientists. Miller states that if this incompatibility were true (which he does not believe), the Fundamentalists would be justified in turning their back on science. This is a shocking revelation coming from a scientist. I, for one, could not possibly consider joining him in hiding my head in the sand. Reality must be acknowledged, no matter how much it may conflict with our wishes.

Miller offers a lengthy description of quantum indeterminacy, which he portrays as a barrier to a completely deterministic scientific explanation of everything, and therefore a gap in which he may hide his God. But a couple chapters later he acknowledges his belief that those seemingly random quantum events are actually random, or at least most of the time. This undercuts his earlier presentation. Miller also presents quantum indeterminacy as a gap in which to shelter free will. But a God who is indistinguishable from random chance is not a God that anyone is concerned with defending, and random chance is not what people mean when they defend free will. Miller also offers the usual apologetics about evil being necessary so that God could offer us free will, but he has nothing new to offer to that rather unconvincing argument.

Later, Miller admits that he believes in miracles. That would be macro-miracles, not the random quantum fluctuations he discussed earlier, but he never defends his belief in miracles, or discusses the incompatibility of this view with his acceptance of science. At one point he acknowledges that he runs experiments in his lab on the presumption that miraculous intervention will not skew the results.

Miller discusses cosmological fine-tuning, which is out of his field, and does nothing for the sort of personal Christian God Miller believes in. The God of fine-tuning is a vague Deistic entity.

Miller agrees with Stephen Jay Gould that Homo sapiens was not inevitable, and that if the tape of history were replayed, some very different creatures may have achieved consciousness first, and that God would have focused his attention on them. I suspect this tack will lose him the support of many other theists.

Miller seems to credit evolution for his belief in God:

"The irony is that only those who embrace the scientific reality of evolution are adequately prepared to give God the credit and the power He truly deserves. By recognizing the continuing force of evolution, a religious person acknowledged that God is every bit as creative in the present as He was in the past. That - and not a rejection of any core ideas of evolution - is why I am a believer."

This needs clarification. This may be how Miller manages to retain his belief while accepting evolution, but it certainly did not cause him to become a believer; he was already a believer before he entered science.

Miller repeatedly dismisses the arguments of other scientists on matters of religion as "opinions" and criticizes them for over-extending science into matters of philosophy and theology. Miller's attack on cognitive science theories such as Steven Pinker's notions of "mental modules" is obscurantist and atrocious. Miller never engages or even acknowledges the evidence behind these theories, instead dismissing them in a manner that is similar to the Creationist "only a theory" canard against which he argues earlier in the book.

Editorial Review:

From a leading authority on the evolution debates comes this critically acclaimed investigation into one of the most controversial topics of our times

Ugly American

William J. Lederer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

I can't believe every American hasn't read this! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

The term "ugly American" gets thrown around a lot, but most people have never read the book. What surprises me is that, with our problems in Iraq and the rest of the world, every military and civilian leader is not quoting the book extensively. It is a blueprint for what went wrong in Vietnam (written before Vietnam) and now Iraq. Won't we learn?

Not great literature, but a great read. This is not a dull analysis, but a good story that moves and makes one think.

If you think THE Ugly American is bad, you'd be surprised... read the book! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I first encountered this book as part of an undergraduate political science class on American politics. Among other long and dry reading assignments, I found myself thoroughly engaged in the book and looking forward to spending time reading Lederer and Burdick's work. In fact, I'd have to say that it has been my favorite book since that political science class almost 25 years ago.

I have read it at least 20 times in those 25 years (often as a source for a paper I was writing, but also for pleasure). While this is not a typical "beach read" I have re-read it while traveling and at the beach on several occasions. This past week I was on a business trip and sleeping in a hotel room. This combination of factors is usually good for a bout of insomnia on my part, and this trip was no different. Lederer and Burdick came to my rescue yet again and provided a thoroughly enjoyable way to pass through several hours of insomnia.

The story(ies) centers on a fictional country in Southeast Asia named Sarkhan. The book's chapters compare and contrast the competence and incompetence on the part of the diplomats, politicos, military officers and ex-pats in Sarkham. Heroes include Ambassador Gilbert McWhite, John Colvin, and Homer Atkins (THE ugly American) --- all men who took the time to learn the culture in which they were being planted.

It is easy (now, with 20/20 hindsight) to see this book as a parable stemming from the Vietnam War. However, the book was written well before American stepped up its involvement in Vietnam (in 1958) and was purportedly read by President Eisenhower and responsible for many of the reforms that he introduced into America's foreign aid programs. The general thesis of the authors was that US diplomats (and other foreign station workers/advisors) who failed to study and adapt to the cultures they were entering, were doomed to failure (or worse). Worse still, the American bureaucracy wasn't interested in the opinions of the Foreign Service staff that did study and understand the cultures into which they were placed.

Given that this book was written at the tail end of the McCarthy era, the insights of Lederer and Burdick are quite exceptional (if fact, some government agencies sought to ban the book in Asia and in many ways that (failed) effort can be seen as one of the last "scenes" of the McCarthy era). Burdick and Lederer are at once, tongue in cheek, cynical and satirical in their views of American foreign policy

Every time that I read this book, I can't put it down. Despite its age, it is still a fine read and certainly has additional significance in today's world as the U.S. fights wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although some parts of the book are antiquated (in particular the parochial way the authors treat the few female characters (in particular the Marie MacIntosh character). However that small niggle can be forgiven to a book that retains its readability and relevance 50 years after it was first published.

Editorial Review:

If This Were Not A Free Country, This Book Would Be Banned.

Authentic, infuriating, and explosively candid, this is the daring, classic bestseller that unmasked the blundering hypocrisy of some of our top-level diplomats. It exposes the opportunism, incompetence, and cynical deceit that have become imbedded in the fabric of our public relations, not only in Asia but all over the world.

Temples, tombs, and hieroglyphs: The story of Egyptology

Barbara Mertz

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Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

An eye-opening, edifying, and endlessly entertaining tour through an astonishing bygone world—the acclaimed classic history of ancient Egypt, now newly revised and updated

Writing as Elizabeth Peters, world-renowned Egyptologist Barbara Mertz is the author of the phenomenally popular New York Times bestselling mystery series featuring archaeologist Amelia Peabody. In Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs, Dr. Mertz explores the breathtaking reality behind her fiction by casting a dazzling light on a remarkable civilization that, even after thousands of years, still stirs the human imagination and inspires awe with its marvelous mysteries and amazing accomplishments.

A fascinating chronicle of an extraordinary epoch—from the first Stone Age settlements through the reign of Cleopatra and the Roman invasions—Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs brings ancient Egypt to life as never before. Lavishly illustrated with pictures, maps, photographs, and charts, it offers tantalizing glimpses into Egyptian society and everyday life; amazing stories of the pharaohs and the rise and fall of great dynasties; religion and culture; folklore and fairy tales; stories of the explorers, scientists, and unmitigated scoundrels who sought to unravel or exploit the ageless mysteries; and breathtaking insights into the magnificent architectural wonders that rose up from the desert sands.

Revised and updated to include the results of the most recent historical research and archaeological finds, Dr. Mertz's book is unhampered by stuffy prose and dry academic formality. Instead, it is a vibrant, colorful, and fun excursion for anyone who's ever fantasized about exploring the Valley of the Kings, viewing up close the treasures of the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, or sailing down the Nile on Cleopatra's royal barge.

The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future

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Total reviews: 59 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Creative inspiration for moving the future of humankind toward a new era of partnership -- Presents this classic visionary synthesis in a new, abridged, accessible form Combining original theory with the work of other noted scholars, Riane Eisler creates an expansive look into prehistoric times, when Goddess religions flourished. She powerfully reconstructs the Goddess culture and the global shift to patriarchy, drawing evidence from literature, art, sociology, archeology, politics, and economics. The result is a startling synthesis of prehistory, history, present, and future -- a radical and convincing view of the human condition. In selections made and read by the author herself, The Chalice and the Blade presents new scripts for living -- based on a more socially, economically, ecologically, personally, and spiritually balanced society rather than on the tension and violence typical of what Eisler calls the dominator model. Her vision is the partnership model, which today is struggling to reemerge. These tapes are an important contribution to that struggle. "Some books are like revelations, they open the spirit to unimaginable possibilities. The Chalice and the Blade is one of these magnificent key books that can transform us". -- Isabel Allende "The most important book since Darwin's Origin of Species". -- Ashley Montagu "Eisler's...synthesis...is an important contribution to social history". -- Publishers Weekly

The Human Condition

Hannah Arendt

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Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A work of striking originality bursting with unexpected insights, The Human Condition is in many respects more relevant now than when it first appeared in 1958. In her study of the state of modern humanity, Hannah Arendt considers humankind from the perspective of the actions of which it is capable. The problems Arendt identified then—diminishing human agency and political freedom, the paradox that as human powers increase through technological and humanistic inquiry, we are less equipped to control the consequences of our actions—continue to confront us today. This new edition, published to coincide with the fortieth anniversary of its original publication, contains an improved and expanded index and a new introduction by noted Arendt scholar Margaret Canovan which incisively analyzes the book's argument and examines its present relevance. A classic in political and social theory, The Human Condition is a work that has proved both timeless and perpetually timely.

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) was one of the leading social theorists in the United States. Her Lectures on Kant's Political Philosophy and Love and Saint Augustine are also published by the University of Chicago Press.

Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach with SuperSite (5th Edition)

James M. Henslin

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Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A True Learning Experience 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We used this book in one of my college Sociology classes and it is by far, the Best textbook I've encountered thus far in my college career! You will be amazed at how much this book will teach you about People, Society and Life! It is easy to follow - Kudos to the author for his outstanding writing style! When you sit down to read a chapter in this book, you're done before you know it because it's all just too interesting to put down! I even found myself reading through the chapters that were not assigned! Even if you're not a sociology student, you will LOVE this book! I want my whole family to read it!

Editorial Review:

This best selling comprehensive text shares the excitement of sociology with the acclaimed "down-to-earth" approach that highlights the sociology of everyday life.

 

The 8th Edition of this highly regarded text retains all the features that have made previous editions so successful. The author has a unique ability to engage students without sacrificing content or talking down to them. With wit, personal reflection, and illuminating examples, Henslin shares his passion for sociology with his readers like no other author of an introductory text can.