Language Society

Noam Chomsky is widely known and deeply admired for being the founder of modern linguistics, one of the founders of the field of cognitive science, and perhaps the most avidly read political theorist and commentator of our time. In these lectures, he presents a lifetime of philosophical reflection on all three of these areas of research to which he has contributed for over half a century.

One of our greatest philosophers and scientists of the mind asks where the self comes from - and how our selves can exist in the minds of others. I Am a Strange Loop argues that the key to understanding selves and consciousness is the "strange loop" - a special kind of abstract feedback loop inhabiting our brains. The most central and complex symbol in your brain is the one called "I". The "I" is the nexus in our brain, one of many symbols seeming to have free will and to have gained the paradoxical ability to push particles around, rather than the reverse.

At once a beautifully poetic memoir and an exploration of the various ways we live in the world, A Language Older Than Words explains violence as a pathology that touches every aspect of our lives and indeed affects all aspects of life on Earth. This chronicle of a young man's drive to transcend domestic abuse offers a challenging look at our worldwide sense of community and how we can make things better.

Whenever we worry about what to eat, how to love, or simply how to be happy, we are worrying about how to lead a good life. No goal is more elusive. In How to Be a Stoic, philosopher Massimo Pigliucci offers Stoicism, the ancient philosophy that inspired the great emperor Marcus Aurelius, as the best way to attain it. Stoicism is a pragmatic philosophy that teaches us to act depending on what is within our control and separate things worth getting upset about from those that are not.

In this accessible, up-to-date, and authoritative examination of the world’s most radical technology, neuroscientist and AI researcher Christopher Summerfield explores what it really takes to build a brain from scratch. We have entered a world in which disarmingly human-like chatbots, such as ChatGPT, Claude and Bard, appear to be able to talk and reason like us—and are beginning to transform everything we do. But can AI ‘think’, 'know' and ‘understand’? What are its values? Whose biases is it perpetuating? Can it lie and if so, could we tell? Does their arrival threaten our very existence?

Euphemism is everywhere. From the language of politics to the chatter of everyday life, we constantly encounter softened phrases and indirect expressions. But euphemism is more than a linguistic curiosity, it is a window into our values, fears, and social dynamics. This book will delve into euphemism’s rich history, psychological underpinnings, cultural variations, and its pervasive role in modern discourse. It will challenge readers to consider how and why we use language to avoid discomfort and shape perception. This is not just a study of words, but a study of human behavior wrapped in...

This is the strange story of how our society is questioning its own identity. We live in liquid times in which everything flows and nothing stays the same: not philosophy, not politics, not diet, not sex, not even death. It is literally “the end of everything”, but at the same time the beginning of a new era. How did we come to this? The book is full of real-life examples showing the diversity and complexity of a society straddling modernity and postmodernity. Through its pages we will encounter: adulterous presidents, jilted lovers, homophobes turned transsexuals, artists smearing ...

You may think you speak only one language. In fact, your mind is interpreting multiple codes of communication. Some people speak Spanish, some Mandarin. Some speak poetry, some are fluent in maths. Humans are built for multilingualism. Drawing on cutting-edge research and theory, delivered with wit and lucid insight, psycholinguist Viorica Marian explores the ways in which the mind uses multiple languages and how, in doing so, we can open the doors to unique forms of creativity, brain health and cognitive control.

Managers want to know how to lead virtually, how to keep their teams motivated, and how to keep employees productive. Providing compelling, evidence-based answers to these issues, Remote Work Revolution is essential for navigating the enduring challenges teams and managers face. Filled with specific actionable steps and interactive tools, this timely book will help team members deliver results previously out of reach. Employees will be able to break through routine norms to successfully use remote work to benefit themselves, their groups, and ultimately their organizations.

In closely reported stories from the streets of New York to the seats of intellectual power, MacDonald shows how bad ideas get started and then acquire a life of their own. Her reports trace the transformation of influential opinion-makers and large philanthropic foundations from confident advocates of individual responsibility, opportunity, and learning into apologists for the welfare state.

Every day many people will try to change your mind, but they won't reason with you. Instead you'll be nudged, anchored, incentivised and manipulated in barely noticeable ways. It's a profound shift in the way we interact with one another. Philosopher James Garvey explores the hidden story of persuasion and the men and women in the business of changing our minds.

I Found My Voice: Book of Poems, by author Reneé Drummond-Brown, is an ode to me. Yes! Finally! An ode to me! And-why-not? Drummond-Brown’s emotional poems are creatively written in varied and/or unruled meter. The librettos are meant to be to be read from the depths of one’s soul, sAng-ed from a broken heart, singing sad songs sung with passion through another’s mouth, hummed with heartfelt pleas and poignantly moaned from within like nobody’s B.I. business. Drummond-Brown’s voice is loud, proud and clear addressing subject matters relating to closed topics. You best not tell ...

An ancient ring. A forbidden language. A power that commands demons. When Thalia “Phoe” Phoenix is called to Prague by a panicked historian, she learns of a rediscovered relic tied to King Solomon himself—a legendary seal said to give its bearer dominion over spirits. But with power like that, someone is always willing to kill for it. As Phoe races to decipher forgotten texts and navigate the dark corners of occult history, she finds herself in a deadly battle against a secret society determined to control the seal’s infernal power. The clues lead from crumbling libraries to hidden ...

What the World Needs Now is Poems Sweet Poems Anthology, by author Reneé Drummond-Brown and mutually respected writers from across the globe who pen philosophical writings saturated in worldviews relating to: culture, subculture, principles, language, struggle, freedom, equality, inequality and war and peace. It has been said that poetry imitates life, therefore this Anthology gives the reader something of old, something new, something borrowed and ‘sum sho-nuff poetic blues.

This comprehensive exploration of idioms examines how these colorful expressions reflect cultural values across different societies. Consider the Vietnamese saying "The monkey knows which tree to climb," reflecting how wisdom involves knowing whom to approach for help, or the Turkish adage "A dog with money is called Mr. Dog," highlighting how wealth can change social dynamics. The text delves into several key categories including life wisdom, relationships, work, emotions, travel, and cultural identity. Take the Ethiopian proverb "Destiny hides in the roots, not in the branches," ...

Sixteen historians, all members of the Society of Independent Southern Historians, have come together to write this truthful history of America specifically for home-schooled students. Herein is a history that is truthful, concise, yet comprehensive, written especially for students of middle school and high school age and for the parents who provide guidance through the home school educational approach. The 40 student lessons in this book present 278 years of our history.

It’s Our Poems and We’re Stickin’ to It Anthology, by Author Reneé Drummond-Brown and masterful poets from across the globe who weigh in collectively by joining poetic forces: body to body, soul to soul and spirit to spirit, to pen profound works that nourish the reader’s mind. Some say “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Truth be told, philosophical poesies are, especially when penned by the gifted, honorable, brilliant-minded, and skilled writers in this compendium. This compilation of poetic writes are “a mind over matter” that hemorrhages on the white pages our ...

We the Poets, By the Poets, For the Poets Anthology, by Author Reneé Drummond-Brown and masterful poets from across the globe weigh in collectively with free verse poetry, giving the reader a taste of faith, hope and love through the writer’s minds-eye without hindrance or restraint. Because love is a universal action, extending the olive branch makes a necessary plea of reconciliation that we are in-fact our brother’s keeper in time of need. Power of the pens are seen throughout the vein of this book depicting freedom for our brothers and sisters from all walks of life from sea to ...

Seventeen-year-old Shae has lived her entire life in awe of the Bards - and afraid of the Blot, a deadly disease spread by ink, which took the life of her younger brother five years ago. Ever since, Shae fears she's cursed. But when tragedy strikes again, and her mother is found murdered with a golden dagger - a weapon used only by the Bards - Shae is forced to act.

Christie Watson was a nurse for 20 years. Taking us from birth to death and from A&E to the mortuary, The Language of Kindness is an astonishing account of a profession defined by acts of care, compassion and kindness. We watch Christie as she nurses a premature baby who has miraculously made it through the night, we stand by her side during her patient's agonising heart-lung transplant and we hold our breath as she washes the hair of a child fatally injured in a fire, attempting to remove the toxic smell of smoke before the grieving family arrive.