There are many reasons to despair at the state of the world today: climate change and global warming; widespread ‘humanitarian disasters’ caused by war, famine and political corruption; religious intolerance and the growing influence of fundamentalist belief; political terrorism; racism and discrimination against ethnic minorities; the list could go on and on. Reflect on such phenomena at any length and it can be very difficult not to become deeply pessimistic about human existence.

This book explores the relevance of Sartrean existentialism to the contemporary socio-political landscape, with particular reference to his early novel Nausea and the concepts of bad faith and authenticity outlined in his major philosophical work Being and Nothingness. In an era where political authoritarianism has asserted itself so powerfully internationally and climate crisis has revealed the shortcomings of the political class so sharply, Stuart Sim argues that existentialism has much ...

What might a 'theory of everything' look like? Is science an ideology? Who were Adorno, Horkheimer or the Frankfurt School? The decades since the 1960s have seen an explosion in the production of critical theories. Deconstructionists, poststructuralists, postmodernists, second-wave feminists, new historicists, cultural materialists, postcolonialists, black critics and queer theorists, among a host of others, all vie for our attention. Stuart Sim and Borin Van Loon's incisive graphic guide ...

Insatiable exposes the damaging effects of greed in both public and private life, showing how the actions of a socially irresponsible ‘greedocracy’ are systematically undermining our democratic institutions. Ranging across politics, economic theory, the financial world, healthcare, the food industry, sport, religion and the creative arts, it demonstrates how deeply embedded the greed imperative is in human psychology, and suggests various strategies for dealing with it in our dail...

The detective figure in contemporary American crime fiction increasingly relies on revenge to bring about justice in a society where there has been a sharp decline in moral values. This study demonstrates how the notion of the detective as a moral exemplar or heroic ideal breaks down in the works of writers such as James Ellroy and Sara Paretsky.

Postmodernism is an important part of the cultural landscape which continues to evolve, yet the ideas and theories surrounding the subject can be diverse and difficult to understand. Fifty Postmodern Thinkers critically examines the work of fifty of the most important theorists within the postmodern movement who have defined and shaped the field, bringing together their key ideas in an accessible format. Drawing on figures from a wide range of subject areas including literature, c...

Lonely Planet's local travel experts reveal all you need to know to plan the trip of a lifetime in this latest edition of our guide to Southeast Asia.Discover Southeast Asia's most popular experiences and best kept secrets from lounging on the sandy beaches of Cambodia's Koh Tonsay; to walking through the lush rainforest of Lombok's Mt Rinjani National Park; and eating your way around Hanoi's Old Quarter, which has the best street-food scene in Vietnam.

This book examines the concept of post-truth and the impact it is having on contemporary life, bringing out both its philosophical and political dimensions. Post-truth is contextualised within the philosophical discourse of truth, with particular reference to theories of scepticism and relativism, to explore whether it can take advantage of these to claim any intellectual credibility. Sim argues that post-truth cannot be defended on either sceptical or relativistic grounds – even those pro...

This fully revised third edition of The Routledge Companion to Postmodernism provides the ideal introduction to postmodernist thought. Featuring contributions from a cast of international scholars, the Companion contains 19 detailed essays on major themes and topics along with an A-Z of key terms and concepts. As well as revised essays on philosophy, politics, literature, and more, the first section now contains brand new essays on critical theory, business, gender and the performing arts....

Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) began his celebrated diary on 1st January 1660 immediately prior to the Restoration of Charles II to the throne and the subsequent loosening of the rigid moral and social code enforced during the Puritan Commonwealth. As variously Clerk to the Council, a Member of Parliament, a prisoner in the Tower of London, twice Secretary to the Admiralty and President of the Royal Society, Pepys was in a unique position to observe and record in detail a fascinating ten-year pe...