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Elsevier

Books in Arts and humanities

Elsevier's Arts and Humanities titles encompass a rich spectrum of scholarship that explores human culture, history, philosophy, and creative expression. These works offer deep insights into language, literature, visual arts, and critical theory, supporting the academic community in understanding diverse perspectives and cultural legacies. Designed for scholars, educators, and students, this collection bridges classic studies with contemporary issues, fostering a deeper appreciation and knowledge of the human experience.

  • Philosophical Practice

    • 1st Edition
    • Lou Marinoff
    • English
    This book provides a look at philosophical practice from the viewpoint of the practitioner or prospective practitioner. It answers the questions: What is philosophical practice? What are its aims and methods? How does philosophical counseling differ from psychological counseling and other forms of psychotherapy. How are philosophical practitioners educated and trained? How do philosophical practitioners relate to other professions? What are the politics of philosophical practice? How does one become a practitioner? What is APPA Certification? What are the prospects for philosophical practice in the USA and elsewhere?Handbook of Philosophical Practice provides an account of philosophy's current renaissance as a discipline of applied practice while critiquing the historical, social, and cultural forces which have contributed to its earlier descent into obscurity.

  • A Psychological Approach to Ethical Reality

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 132
    • K. Hillner
    • English
    The pre-eminent 19th century British ethicist, Henry Sidgwick once said: "All important ethical notions are also psychological, except perhaps the fundamental antitheses of 'good' and 'bad' and 'wrong', with which psychology, as it treats of what is and not of what ought to be, is not directly concerned" (quoted in T.N. Tice and T.P. Slavens, 1983). Sidgwick's statement can be interpreted to mean that psychology is relevant for ethics or that psychological knowledge contributes to the construction of an ethical reality. This interpretation serves as the basic impetus to this book, but Sidgwick's statement is also analyzed in detail to demonstrate why a current exposition on the relevance of psychology for ethical reality is necessary and germane.

  • The Concise Encyclopedia of the Ethics of New Technologies

    • 1st Edition
    • Ruth Chadwick
    • English
    The ethical assessment of new technologies raises two principal concerns: the need to develop effective policies and legislation, and the reconsideration of the ethical frameworks in which these policies and laws are developed. The importance of rapid, accurate examinations of tensions between Philosophy and Law and the relationship between philosophical principles and empirical data has never been greater. The Concise Encyclopedia of Ethics of New Technologies includes 23 articles previously published in the highly-acclaimed Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics, nine updated articles, and five new articles, commissioned especially for this volume. Over half of the previously published articles include updated facts and bibliographic citations. Authors of genetics articles have updated their works to include the most recent developments and publications. New articles include: "Cloning," "Geneticization," "Health Technology Assessment," "Intrinsic and Instrumental Value," and "Novel Foods."

  • Developmental Juvenile Osteology

    • 1st Edition
    • Craig Cunningham + 2 more
    • English
    Developmental Juvenile Osteology gives an account of the development of all the bones of the human skeleton, from their earliest embryological form to final adult form. This volume collates information never before assembled in one volume. Profusely illustrated with high quality drawings, it also provides a complete description of the adult skeleton and its anomalies.

  • Paleoethnobotany

    A Handbook of Procedures
    • 2nd Edition
    • Deborah M. Pearsall
    • English
    Paleoethnobotany, Second Edition presents the diverse approaches and techniques used by anthropologists and botanists in the study of human-plant interactions. It shows why anthropologists must identify plant remains and understand the ecology of human-plant interactions. Additionally, it demonstrates why botanists need to view the plant world from a cultural perspective and understand the strengths and weaknesses of the archaeological record.This new edition of the definitive work on "doing paleoethnobotany" follows the steady growth in the quantity and sophistication of paleoethnobotanical research. It features a rewritten chapter on phytolith analysis and a new chapter, "Integrating Biological Data." It also includes new techniques, such as residue analysis, and new applications of old indicators, such as starch grains. An expanded examination of pollen analysis, more examples of environmental reconstruction, and a better balance of Old and New World examples increase the versatility of this holistic view of paleoethnobotany.

  • Lacquer: Technology and Conservation

    • 1st Edition
    • Marianne Webb
    • English
    For the conservator this book is an invaluable tool when examining the options available for treatment of lacquer. Not only does it cover the technology and methods of treatment for both types of lacquer, but it assesses current practices enabling the conservator to make more informed decisions. Controversial issues are also debated, such as whether Asian lacquer should be restored in the Asian manner, using non-reversible materials, or using western methods that are theoretically reversible. As the book describes production technology and decorative techniques it will also be a useful aid for both art historians and collectors alike in identifying and dating lacquerware.For the conservator this book is an invaluable tool when examining the options available for treatment. Not only does it cover the technology and methods of treatment for both types of lacquer, but it assesses current practices enabling the conservator to make more informed decisions. Controversial issues are discussed such as whether Asian lacquer should be restored in the Asian manner, using non-reversible materials, or using western methods that are theoretically reversible. As the book describes production technology and decorative techniques it will also prove to be a useful aid for both art historians and collectors alike in identifying and dating lacquerware.Lacquer has long been misunderstood, particularly because the word itself has been used to characterize many different materials. For centuries the term has been used to refer to the Asian and the European materials. At present it is used to describe any glossy coating, from cellulose nitrate to modern plastic finishes.

  • Time in Contemporary Intellectual Thought

    • 1st Edition
    • Volume 2
    • P.J.N. Baert
    • English
    In this book, fifteen authors from a wide spectrum of disciplines (ranging from the natural sciences to the arts) offer assessments of the way time enters their work, the definition and uses of time that have proved most productive or problematic, and the lessons their subjects can offer for our understanding of time beyond the classroom and laboratory walls. The authors have tried, without sacrificing analytical rigour, to make their contribution accessible to a cross-disciplinary readership.Each chapter reviews time's past and present application in its respective field, considers the practical and logical problems that remain, and assesses the methods researchers are using to escape or resolve them. Particular attention is paid to ways in which the technical treatment of time, for problem-solving and model-building around specific phenomena, call on - or clash with - our intuitive perceptions of what time is and does. The spans of time considered range from the fractions of seconds it takes unstable particles to disintegrate to the millions of years required for one species to give way to another. Like all central conceptual words, time is understood on several levels. By inviting input from a broad range of disciplines, the book aims to provide a fuller understanding of those levels, and of the common ground that lurks at their base. Much agreement emerges - not only on the nature of the problems time presents to modern intellectual thought, but also on the clues that recent discoveries may offer towards possible solutions.

  • Human Osteology

    • 2nd Edition
    • Tim D. White + 1 more
    • English
    Human Osteology, Second Edition is designed for students and professionals who wish to advance their osteological skills in terms of accurately identifying human skeletal remains, however isolated and fragmentary. These remains can then be used to deduce information about the original lives of the deceased individuals. This book will continue to be an essential text for courses on the human skeleton, as well as a basic reference and field manual for professional osteologists and anatomists, forensic scientists, paleontologists, and archaeologists.Human Osteology, Second Edition includes nearly a decade of advances in osteological research since the first edition. Each chapter has been strengthened and updated, including a new chapter on molecular osteology and four new case studies drawn from more recent research. This edition also includes a valuable guide to electronic resources in osteology.

  • Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains

    • 2nd Edition
    • Donald J. Ortner
    • English
    Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains provides an integrated and comprehensive treatment of pathological conditions that affect the human skeleton. There is much that ancient skeletal remains can reveal to the modern orthopaedist, pathologist, forensic anthropologist, and radiologist about the skeletal manifestations of diseases that are rarely encountered in modern medical practice. Beautifully illustrated with over 1,100 photographs and drawings, this book provides essential text and materials on bone pathology, which will improve the diagnostic ability of those interested in human dry bone pathology. It also provides time depth to our understanding of the effect of disease on past human populations.

  • Psychology of Music

    • 2nd Edition
    • Diana Deutsch
    • English
    The aim of the psychology of music is to understand musical phoneomena in terms of mental functions--to characterize the ways in which one perceives, remembers, creates, and performs music. Since the First Edition of The Psychology of Music was published the field has emerged from an interdisciplinary curiosity into a fully ramified subdiscipline of psychology due to several factors. The opportunity to generate, analyze, and transform sounds by computer is no longer limited to a few researchers with access to large multi-user facilities, but rather is available to individual investigators on a widespread basis. Second, dramatic advances in the field of neuroscience have profoundly influenced thinking about the way that music is processed in the brain. Third, collaborations between psychologists and musicians, which were evolving at the time the first edition was written, are now quite common; to a large extent now speaking a common language and agreeing on basic philosophical issues. The Psychology of Music, Second Edition has been completely revised to bring the reader the most up-to-date information, additional subject matter, and new contributors to incorporate all of these important variables. The book is intended as a comprehensive reference source for both musicians and psychologists.

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