What happens when artificial intelligence no longer merely assists us, but begins to act, decide, and operate within the systems we depend on?The Age of Choosing explores a central challenge of the AI era: how to preserve meaningful human agency while increasingly autonomous systems take action on our behalf.Rather than treating artificial intelligence only as a technical problem, Dr. Damla Aslan examines it through four interconnected dimensions: art, science, ethics, and ...

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the acclaimed author of No god but God comes “a lucid, intelligent page-turner” (Los Angeles Times) that challenges long-held assumptions about Jesus.“Riveting . . . [Reza] Aslan synthesizes Scripture and scholarship to create an original account.”—The New YorkerTwo thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establ...

The Silk Road conjures images of the exotic and the unknown. Most travellers simply pass along it. Brit Chris Alexander chose to live there. Ostensibly writing a guidebook, Alexander found life at the heart of the glittering madrassahs, mosques and minarets of the walled city of Khiva - a remote desert oasis in Uzbekistan - immensely alluring, and stayed.Immersing himself in the language and rich cultural traditions Alexander discovers a world torn between Marx and Mohammed - a plac...

A twentieth-anniversary edition of the fascinating, accessible introduction to Islam with a new preface and study guide, from the #1 bestselling author of ZealotFINALIST FOR THE GUARDIAN FIRST BOOK AWARD“Wise and passionate . . . an incisive, scholarly primer in Muslim history and an engaging personal exploration.” —The New York Times Book ReviewTwo decades after its original publication, ...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The acclaimed author of Zealot examines humanity’s quest to make sense of the divine in this “timely, riveting, enlightening, and necessary” (HuffPost) history of our understanding of God.“A fascinating exploration of the interaction of our humanity and God.”—Pittsburgh Post-GazetteIn Zealot, Reza Aslan replaced the staid, well-worn portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth with ...

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 12th IAPR TC3 Workshop on Artificial Neural Networks in Pattern Recognition, ANNPR 2025, held in Milan, Italy, during October 7–9, 2026.The 40 full papers included in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 65 submissions. They focus on work in the areas of neural networks and machine learning oriented to pattern recognition,focusing on their algorithmic, theoretical, and applied aspects.

Engaging, accessible, and thought-provoking, No god but God is a persuasive, elegantly written, and accessible introduction for young readers to a faith that for much of the West remains shrouded in ignorance and fear.Adapted for young readers from No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, this exploration of Islam by Reza Aslan, internationally acclaimed scholar of comparative religion, delves into the rituals and traditions of...

A Words Without Borders Anthology"Remarkable . . . a triumph . . . connects us at the level of our humanity, no matter where we may be from."— Los Angeles TimesThe countries that stretch along the broad horizons of the Middle East—from Morocco to Iran, from Turkey to Pakistan—boast different cultures, different languages, and different religions. Yet the literary landscape of this dynamic part of the world has been bound together not by borders and ...

What is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Why is it happening? Is peace possible? When kids ask questions like these, are grownups prepared to answer? This book was created to provide context for this conflict, open the door to conversation, and lay a path for understanding, peace, and compassion for our shared future.Core themes in this book:Acceptance, Courage, ...

Ah, that awareness.That awareness that famous, famous writers have talked about in their books.The awareness that some call the greatest punishment for a person,some call the greatest reward, some call poison, some call healing.Neither poison nor healing.Just like everything else, the awareness that has peace in its balance...

A short story about a time traveller stuck in a paradox.

The belief in a governing, celestial principle has long been an essential element of human society worldwide. More than 80% of the worlds population has a religious affiliation and even in secular states, religion continues to play an important role. Politics and international relations today cannot be understood without accounting for the religious context of a societys history. The essays in this volume explore religion and spirituality as both a societal force and an individual experien...