The author attempts to show that scientific realism is compatible with the presence of idealization in the sciences. His main contention is that idealized theories can be treated as counterfactuals about how things are in worlds that are similar to but simpler than the actual world.

This book deals with questions about the nature of a priori knowledge and its relation to empirical knowledge. Until the twentieth century, it was more or less taken for granted that there was such a thing as a priori knowledge, that is, knowledge whose source is in reason and reflection rather than sensory experience. With a few notable exceptions, philosophers believed that mathematics, logic and philosophy were all a priori. Although the seeds of doubt were planted earlier on, by the ea...

The citizens of Washington County, Virginia gave up their sons and daughters to the Confederate cause of the Civil War. Contributing six Confederate generals as well as Union officers, the region is emblematic of communities throughout the nation that sacrificed during the war. Though the sounds of cannon fire and gunshots were only heard at a distance, Washington County was the breadbasket for Confederate armies. From the fields surrounding Abingdon to the coveted salt works in Saltville,...

Thomas W. Colley served in one of the most active and famous units in the Civil War, the 1st Virginia Cavalry, which fought in battles in the Eastern Theater, from First Manassas/Bull Run to the defense of Petersburg. Colley was born November 11, 1837, outside Abingdon, Virginia, and grew up knowing the daily demands of life on a farm. In May 1861, along with the other members of the Washington Mounted Rifles, he left his home in Washington County and reported to camp in Richmond. During t...

Let's face it: studying Special Education Law is difficult and can be quite tedious. If it were not a part of the requirements for most advanced administrative degrees in education, many students would prefer to skip the course. However, skipping the study of Special Education Law would be quite detrimental to the anticipated and actual experience not only of principals, but also of many other central office administrators, and especially Superintendents. Mistakes in Special Education Law ...

In recent years a new participatory governance dynamic has been redefining relationships and responsibilities in the planning and implementation of policies and programs. Participatory governance not only crosses public, private and associational sectors, but is also intra-organizational. It allows for individual and collective participation, and challenges longstanding norms of institutional behavior. This book examines fresh evidence relating to planning, conflict mediation and public de...

Ever feel at a loss when you are wondering how to inspire kids to develop a love of reading? Then this book is for you! Anyone interested in kids and their success will find this a great read! The authors have compiled tales of achievement, based on real-life teaching and administrative experiences with boys who were reluctant readers. Each chapter contains an inspiring story meant to bolster your resolve and strengthen your skill set in working with male readers. This book is guaranteed t...

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.This Advanced Introduction provides the first concise and integrated exploration of the five core sub-fields of international economic law (IEL) (trade...

The deck is stacked against educators and parents/caregivers looking for educational adequacy in contemporary US education. Too often, satisfactory quality in the good public school is identified based on opinion, the dubious value of standardized test results, and marketing ploys. Moreover, the contemporary purpose of US education and the definition of educational adequacy are wild cards that prevent most from playing a winning hand.Finding the good public school is left to chance...

Traditional public educators in the US have too little information about the free market of schooling, otherwise known as privatization/choice education. As a result, traditional public education colleagues have lost sight of where they are and how they got there. In this primer, educators, parents/caregivers, and policymakers are offered an examination of the forces and factors that undercut traditional public education and an inquiry into the primary purpose and quality instruction that ...

The time has come to focus on teaching and learning that all American students deserve. Quality instruction that engages all students with thinking skills that create successful intelligence for the future of all students is offered throughout traditional public education in the US. But, an adult-centered perspective about schooling—free market theory—stands in the way of sustaining and improving the comprehensive teaching and learning offered by traditional public education.Tradit...

In this second volume of the groundbreaking survey, Michael J. Pfeifer edits a collection of essays that illuminates lynching and other extrajudicial "rough justice" as a transnational phenomenon responding to cultural and legal issues.The volume's European-themed topics explore why three communities of medieval people turned to mob violence, and the ways exclusion from formal institutions fueled peasant rough justice in Russia. Essays on Latin America examine how lynching in the U...