Aesthetics and Music is a fresh, provocative exploration of the key concepts and arguments in musical aesthetics. It makes an eloquent case for a humanistic, meritocratic and genuinely aesthetic conception of music and musical understanding. Anyone interested in what contemporary philosophy has to say about music as an art will find this thought-provoking and highly enjoyable book required reading.Thinkers...

Using Northern Ireland as a compelling case study, this book offers a critique of peacebuilding approaches with young people in contested societies. In the north of Ireland, the spectre of murderous violence is increasingly distant for peace-agreement generations. However, legacies stemming from the 30 years of protracted conflict are ever-present in young people’s segregated lives.This book presents four distinctive viewpoints that inform contemporary peacebuilding work with young...

Philosophers have discussed art – or artistic practices such as poetry – since ancient times. But systems of art and entertainment appeared only in the modern era – in the West, during the 18th and 19th centuries. And philosophers have largely neglected the concept of entertainment. In this book Andy Hamilton explores art and entertainment from a philosophical standpoint. He argues, against modernist theory, that art and entertainment are not opposites, but form a loosely connected concept...

This book is not about aspirational living; it’s about practical living. It’s about looking at the world around you and finding where it’s at fault, rather than blaming yourself. It’s about dropping the comfortable prisons we create for ourselves to find the real freedom and happiness we deserve.We live in a world that is overfed but malnourished, sunlight deficient, overly competitive, sedentary, and sleep deprived. Our blood pressure and stress levels ar...

The aesthetics of imperfectionemphasises spontaneity, disruption, process and energy over formal perfection and is often ignored by many commentators or seen only in improvisation. This comprehensive collection is the first time imperfection has been explored across all kinds of musical performance, whether improvisation or interpretation of compositions.Covering music, visual art, dance, comedy, architecture and design, it addresses the meaning, experience, and value of improvisat...

Kombucha, kimchi, kefir, and more! Yes, you can ferment nearly anything—for healthy, exciting, and tasty dishesFermentation is the secret behind some of today’s trendiest dishes. The bonus? It can even help build a healthier gut. With an ever-growing list of ways to ferment, author Andy Hamilton is here to help readers—both newcomers and lifelong fermenters—keep up with this age-old trick for fantastic flavor.Imparting valuable techniques and equipment expe...

A friendly, honest guide for wary would-be foragersOnly plants that are easy to find, easy to identify and tastyClear photographic guides to the speciesWe all love the idea of foraging – as a way of being connected to nature and discovering new tastes. But in reality, most of us are very wary, and sometimes a bit underwhelmed when we do try. What’s needed is this totally honest, safety-first guide for softy first-time foragers. This book co...

Steve Beresford's polymathic activities have formed a prism for the UK improv scene since the 1970s. He is internationally known as a free improviser on piano, toy piano and electronics, composer for film and TV, and raconteur and Dadaist visionary. His résumé is filled with collaborations with hundreds of musicians and other artists, including such leading improvisers as Derek Bailey, Evan Parker and John Zorn, and he has given performances of works by John Cage and Christian Marclay....

With over 300 breweries opening in the UK every single year, why not swap 'a pint of the usual' for something more unusual? Andy Hamilton has tried hundreds, if not thousands, of pints from the avalanche of new flavours now available and has convinced commercial, craft and home brewers across Britain to share some of their top secret best recipes.- Learn how to taste - and talk - beer like the professionals.- Drink some of the finest ales made in Britain.- Find out th...

“Meticulously researched, detailed and documented, this long awaited overview justly establishes Konitz as one of the most consistently brilliant, adventurous and original improvisers in the jazz tradition—a genius as rare as Bird himself.”—John Zorn“Hamilton’s work may well mark the inception of a format new to writing on Western music, one which avoids both the self-aggrandizing of autobiography and the stylized subjectification of biography.”—The Wire

A humanistic account of self-consciousness and personal identity, and offering a structural parallel between the epistemology of memory and bodily awareness. It provides a much-needed rapprochement between Analytic and Phenomenological approaches, developing Wittgenstein's insights into "I"-as-subject and self-identification.

Ludwig Wittgenstein is arguably the most important philosopher of the twentieth century. In On Certainty he discusses central issues in epistemology, including the nature of knowledge and scepticism. The Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Wittgenstein and On Certainty introduces and assesses:Wittgenstein's career and the background to his later philosophythe central ideas and text of On Certainty, including its responses to G.E. M...