Social Reality

Online disinformation stormed our political process in 2016 and has only worsened since. Yet as Samuel Woolley shows in this urgent book, it may pale in comparison to what's to come: humanlike automated voice systems, machine learning, "deepfake" AI-edited videos and images, interactive memes, virtual reality, and more. These technologies have the power not just to manipulate our politics, but to make us doubt our eyes and ears and even feelings. Deeply researched and compellingly written, The Reality Game describes the profound impact these technologies will have on our lives.

Diary of Psycho: My Faults Part 1 – Friendship and Love is a fictional autobiography that explores the emotional and moral turmoil of Deb, a teacher entangled in a controversial relationship with his former student, Piya. Blending themes of love, betrayal, and societal judgment, the novel follows Deb's descent into crisis after being falsely accused of misconduct. As he battles internal guilt, addiction to emotional intimacy, and the strain of family responsibilities, the story delves into the fragility of reputation and the struggle between personal desires and ethical boundaries. ...

Virtual reality is able to effectively blur the line between reality and illusion, pushing the limits of our imagination and granting us access to any experience imaginable. With well-crafted simulations, these experiences, which are so immersive that the brain believes they're real, are already widely available with a VR headset and will only become more accessible and commonplace. But how does this new medium affect its users, and does it have a future beyond fantasy and escapism? In Experience on Demand, Jeremy Bailenson draws on two decades spent researching the psychological effects of VR and other mass media to help listeners understand this powerful new tool.

If you took your hands off the steering wheel of your life (or at least relaxed your grip a bit), what would happen? On Let Yourself Go, Arjuna Ardagh invites listeners to find out, as they discover how to identify and dissolve the hidden points of view that obscure the true nature of reality and the essence of what we are.

A unique fusion of philosophy and metaphysics set against the backdrop of contemporary culture. Have you ever wondered if the world is really there when you're not looking? We tend to take the reality of our world very much for granted. This book will lead you down the rabbit hole in search of something we can point to, hang our hats on, and say this is real.

"My Faults: Love, Affair, & Destiny (The Story of Revenge)" is a fictional autobiography that explores the intricate layers of love, betrayal, and justice through the perspectives of its characters. Centered on Deb, a man caught in a turbulent emotional journey, the story delves into his troubled relationship with Piya, an ex-student with whom he shares a forbidden, complex bond that blurs the lines between mentorship and romantic desire. The narrative critically examines societal norms, family dynamics, and the consequences of emotional addiction, guilt, and unfulfilled longing. As Deb's ...

Despite the high number of programs and their evident popularity, paranormal reality television has to date received little critical attention. Ghost Channels provides an overview of the paranormal reality television genre, its development, and its place in television history. Conducting in-depth analyses of over thirty paranormal television series, author Amy Lawrence suggests these programs reveal much about Americans' contemporary fears.

We're bombarded with information like never before. Some of it's true, some of it's spin, and some of it's flat-out fake news. And that's by design. Propaganda helps governments and corporations sell us products, lifestyles, and ideas. Sometimes the agenda is harmless, but other times it's destructive, and it's not always easy to spot the difference. Whether you want to be informed on the issues or debunk misinformation wherever you encounter it, How to Win the War on Truth is here to help.

The message of modern physics is that physical reality has, at its frontiers, all the aspects of a transcendent order. At the foundation of things, elementary particles can exert instantaneous long-distance influences on each other, can be meaningfully said to have mind-like properties, and can exist in states which are, as Heisenberg wrote, "not quite real, but between the idea of a thing and a real thing."

Terrorism expert Erick Stakelbeck pulls back the curtain on ISIS, the violent terrorist organization spreading death and hate in the Middle East. The rise of ISIS took the White House by complete surprise: President Obama called the group "JV" then was forced to reassess when ISIS began executing innocent American journalists. Now radicalized Americans and Europeans are joining ISIS' ranks.

Delving deeply into each of these major focuses, Consciousness Reality & Purpose sets the listener upon a journey into themselves, the reality around them, and towards a fulfilling sense of purpose in the lives we each have to experience.

Heralded as the most significant technological innovation since the smartphone, virtual reality is poised to transform our very notions of life and humanity. Though this tech is still in its infancy, to those on the inside, it is the future. VR will change how we work, how we experience entertainment, how we feel pleasure and other emotions, how we see ourselves, and most importantly, how we relate to each other in the real world. And we will never be the same. Peter Rubin, senior culture editor for Wired and the industry's go-to authority on the subject, calls it an "intimacy engine".

On the 50th anniversary of Robert Pirsig’s classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, John Zdanowski, a six-time $100 million business builder, applies the Metaphysics of Quality to inspire and empower the entrepreneur in each of us to create something from nothing. Blending personal anecdotes, business case studies, simple diagrams, and philosophical poetry to convey the deep meaning of complicated subjects …so you get it.

This book is a follow up to the book I wrote entitled “How Pragmatism Destroyed a World”. In this earlier book, I proposed that the philosophy of pragmatism is the major problem causing confusion and doubt in our society. Everywhere we look, as we watch events, we see people intent on creating that confusion in order to “gaslight” people into accepting their rule. Various myths are being stoked and repeated to give people the impression there are “problems” that must be dealt with. The truth is that pragmatism is a gimmick and a deception.

Discover the missing factors to finally manifest your desires without feeling overwhelmed with endless affirmations, trying to do more, or chasing the latest manifestation “hack”. You, see, you are the hack! It’s not about how many vision boards you create or how many affirmations you recite. It’s about who you are - your energy, mind-set, feelings, emotions, and actions. This is exactly what Manifestation Secrets Demystified is designed to help you with!

This booklet contains arguments regarding the original evil of mankind: the concept of division. Intended for use by realists who wish to see the world changed into something better, it has everything that a thinker may need in order to see the road ahead toward a better tomorrow.

In Appearance in Reality, John Heil addresses a question at the heart of metaphysics: How are the appearances related to reality, how does what we find in the sciences comport with what we encounter in everyday experience and in the laboratory? Objects, for instance, appear to be colorful, noisy, self-contained, and massively interactive.

This DIA report examines a resurgent Russia’s military power to foster a deeper understanding of its core capabilities, goals, and aspirations in the 21st century. The resurgence of Russia on the world stage - the Crimean Peninsula, destabilizing Eastern Ukraine, intervening on behalf of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and shaping the information environment to suit its interests - poses a major challenge to the United States. Moscow will continue to aggressively pursue its foreign policy and security objectives by employing the full spectrum of the state’s capabilities.

This book examines how the human mind has constructed Western philosophy. What would a new history of Western philosophy be? Aren't there so many studies like that on the market already? Most histories of Western philosophy go in chronological order from the pre-Socratics up to the modern philosophers. But why does it have to be that way?

Why have Israelis and Palestinians failed to achieve a two-state solution to the conflict that has cost so much and lasted so long? In Paradigm Lost, Ian S. Lustick brings 50 years as an analyst of the Arab-Israeli dispute to bear on this question and offers a provocative explanation of why continued attempts to divide the land will have no more success than would negotiations to establish a one-state solution.