The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana


Mallanaga Vātsyāyana
    Burton’s translation of The Kama Sutra remains one of the best English interpretations of this early Indian treatise on politics, social customs, love, and intimacy. Its crisp style set a new standard for Sanskrit translation.The Kama Sutra stands uniquely as a work of psychology, sociology, Hindu dogma, and sexology. It has been a celebrated classic of Indian literature for 1,700 years and a window for the West into the culture and mysticism of the East.This Modern Library Paperback Classic reprints the authoritative text of Sir Richard F. Burton’s 1883 translation.

A History of the Future in 100 Objects


Adrian Hon - 2013
    Some of the objects are described by future historians; others through found materials, short stories, or dialogues. All come from a very real future.

Unsafe at Any Speed


Ralph Nader - 1965
    2/27/34) has challenged corporations, government agencies & institutions to be more accountable to the public. In 1965, "Unsafe at Any Speed" changed the face of the automobile industry & made him a household name. As a result of his efforts, cars have more safety features. His lobbying & writing on the food industry insured that the food we buy is required to pass strict guidelines before reaching the consumer. One of his greatest achievements was the 1974 amendment to the Freedom of Information Act that gave increased public access to government documents. This brought freedom of press to a new level, resulting in increased access for journalists. He's cofounded numerous public interest groups including Public Citizen, Critical Mass, Commercial Alert & the Center for Study of Responsive Law. In 2000 he mounted a 2nd bid for president as a candidate for the Green Party, & today continues to be a relentless force for grassroots activism & democratic change in the USA.

Losing Reality: On Cults, Cultism, and the Mindset of Political and Religious Zealotry


Robert Jay Lifton - 2019
    

Humiliation


Wayne Koestenbaum - 2011
    In these moments we not only witness the reversibility of success, of prominence, but also come to visceral terms with our own vulnerable selves. We can't stop watching the scene of shame, identifying with it and absorbing its nearness, and relishing our imagined immunity from its stain, even as we acknowledge the universal, embarrassing predicament of living in our own bodies. With an unusual, disarming blend of autobiography and cultural commentary, noted poet and critic Wayne Koestenbaum takes us through a spectrum of mortifying circumstances--in history, literature, art, current events, music, film, and his own life. His generous disclosures and brilliant observations go beyond prurience to create a poetics of abasement. Inventive, poignant, erudite, and playful, Humiliation plunges into one of the most disquieting of human experiences, with reflections at once emboldening and humane.

Affirmative Action Around the World: An Empirical Study


Thomas Sowell - 2004
    Evaluating his empirical data, Thomas Sowell concludes that race preference programs worldwide have not met expectations and have often produced the opposite of what was originally intended.“A delight: terse, well-argued, and utterly convincing.”—Economist “Among contemporary economists and social theorists, one of the most prolific, intellectually independent, and iconoclastic is Thomas Sowell. . . . Enormously learned, wonderfully clear-headed, he sees reality as it is, and flinches at no truth. . . . Sowell’s presentation of the data is instructive and illuminating—and disturbing.”—Carl Cohen, Commentary“Another brilliant, bracing achievement by Thomas Sowell. With characteristic lucidity, erudition, and depth, Sowell examines the true effects of affirmative action around the globe. This book is compelling, important, mind-opening.”—Amy Chua, author of World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability“A masterpiece that deserves to be one of the most influential books of our time. Any honest reader will be informed and enlightened.”—Donald Kagan, Yale University“A gem of a book. A brilliant and learned analysis of the negative effects of racially preferential policies both in the United States and in several other countries around the world.”—Stephan Thernstrom, Harvard University

Sociology for Dummies


Jay Gabler - 2010
    Sociology For Dummies helps you understand this complex field, serving as the ideal study guide both when you're deciding to take a class as well as when you are already participating in a course. Provides a general overview of what sociology in as well as an in-depth look at some of the major concepts and theories Offers examples of how sociology can be applied and its importance to everyday life Avoiding jargon, Sociology For Dummies will get you up to speed on this widely studied topic in no time.

The Big Questions: Philosophy


Simon Blackburn - 2009
    Each 3000-word essay simply and concisely examines a question that has eternally perplexed enquiring minds, and provides answers from history's great thinkers. This ambitious project is a unique distillation of humanity's best ideas. In Big Questions: Philosophy, bestselling author Simon Blackburn addresses 20 essential questions.

Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious


Gerd Gigerenzer - 2007
    Gladwell showed us how snap decisions often yield better results than careful analysis. Now, Gigerenzer explains why our intuition is such a powerful decision-making tool. Drawing on a decade of research at the Max Plank Institute, Gigerenzer demonstrates that our gut feelings are actually the result of unconscious mental processes—processes that apply rules of thumb that we’ve derived from our environment and prior experiences. The value of these unconscious rules lies precisely in their difference from rational analysis—they take into account only the most useful bits of information rather than attempting to evaluate all possible factors. By examining various decisions we make—how we choose a spouse, a stock, a medical procedure, or the answer to a million-dollar game show question—Gigerenzer shows how gut feelings not only lead to good practical decisions, but also underlie the moral choices that make our society function. In the tradition of Blink and Freakonomics, Gut Feelings is an exploration of the myriad influences and factors (nature and nurture) that affect how the mind works, grounded in cutting-edge research and conveyed through compelling real-life examples.

Culture and Psychology


David Matsumoto - 1996
    Along the way, you'll explore topics like changing gender roles, sexuality, self-esteem, aggression, personality, and mate selection. It all adds up to a text that will leave you with a deeper, more complex understanding of the nature of culture, its relationship to psychological processes, and the differences and similarities between cultures in our increasingly globalized world.