This volume is about how and whether art can be morally bad (or morally good). Politicians, media pundits, and others frequently complain that particular works of art are morally dangerous, or, sometimes, that particular works are morally edifying (the "great works" of literature, for example). But little attention is often given to the question of what makes art morally good in the first place. This comprehensive volume of forty-five new essays explores a wide variety of historical and th...

Dangerous Art takes up the problem of judging works of art using moral standards. When we think that a work is racist, or morally dangerous, what do we mean? James Harold approaches the topic from two angles. First, he takes up the moral question on its own. What could it mean to say that a work of art (rather than, say, a human being) is immoral? He then steps back and examines how moral evaluation fits into the larger task of evaluating artworks. If an artwork is immora...

"Gambling; or, Fortuna, her temple and shrine" by James Harold Romain explores the intricate relationship between chance and human behavior. The book delves into the psychology of gambling, examining how individuals are drawn to games of chance and the allure of risk. Romain presents a compelling narrative that intertwines historical perspectives on gambling with personal anecdotes, illustrating how fortune can shape lives in unexpected ways. The text serves as both a cautionary tale and a...

A traveler once sought to explore an unknown country. Compass he had not, and both chart and guide were wanting. In the distance a mountain loomed above the plain. To its summit our traveler made his way. From thence he beheld the region stretching away in all directions. The land he would traverse the eye could now sweep from center to circumference. It was not possible to know the landscape in detail, but the relative proportions, distances and boundaries were unfolded at his feet. So, w...

RESILIENCE FINDS A WAYJames Webb’s life is the American dream in a nutshell. Born to teenage parents in Laurel, Mississippi, and faced with a future working in the town’s only two factories, James chose to change his fate and forge his own path—to become a titan of business, a mentor, and a philanthropist.In Redneck Resilience, James shares stories of amazing wins and devastating losses, of sin and redemption, of recovery and forward momentum. Most importantly, he discusses...

Rationality within Modern Psychological Theory examines the rational and irrational dimensions of human nature and of the psyche and logos. Harold combines the traditionally divided views of classical philosophy’s affirmation of the existence of intellect and modern psychology’s emphasis on immanent psychological factors over rational, transcendent relations. By accepting the power of being in an adequate relation to reality, while still admitting the manifold ways that people evade truth ...

A leading economic historian presents a new history of financial crises, showing how some led to greater globalization while others kept nations apartThe eminent economic historian Harold James presents a new perspective on financial crises, dividing them into "good" crises, which ultimately expand markets and globalization, and "bad" crises, which result in a smaller, less prosperous world. Examining seven turning points in financial history—from the depression of the 1840s through...

A history of the steel and arms maker that came to symbolize the best and worst of modern German historyThe history of Krupp is the history of modern Germany. No company symbolized the best and worst of that history more than the famous steel and arms maker. In this book, Harold James tells the story of the Krupp family and its industrial empire between the early nineteenth century and the present, and analyzes its transition from a family business to one owned by a...

Making a Modern Central Bank examines a revolution in monetary and economic policy. This authoritative guide explores how the Bank of England shifted its traditional mechanisms to accommodate a newly internationalized financial and economic system. The Bank's transformation into a modern inflation-targeting independent central bank allowed it to focus on a precisely defined task of monetary management, ensuring price stability. The reframing of the task of central banks, however, left them...

"Globalization" is here. Signified by an increasingly close economic interconnection that has led to profound political and social change around the world, the process seems irreversible. In this book, however, Harold James provides a sobering historical perspective, exploring the circumstances in which the globally integrated world of an earlier era broke down under the pressure of unexpected events.James examines one of the great historical nightmares of the twentieth century: th...

Harold James examines the vulnerability and fragility of processes of globalization, both historically and in the present. This book applies lessons from past breakdowns of globalization—above all in the Great Depression—to show how financial crises provoke backlashes against global integration: against the mobility of capital or goods, but also against flows of migration. By a parallel examination of the financial panics of 1929 and 1931 as well as that of 2008, he shows how banking and m...

A leading economic historian presents a new history of financial crises, showing how some led to greater globalization while others kept nations apartThe eminent economic historian Harold James presents a new perspective on financial crises, dividing them into "good" crises, which ultimately expand markets and globalization, and "bad" crises, which result in a smaller, less prosperous world. Examining seven turning points in financial history—from the depression of...