Extremes
Published on 7. March 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
186 pages
978-1-108-45700-2 (ISBN)
Description
Humanity is confronted by and attracted to extremes. Extreme events shape our thinking, feeling, and actions; they echo in our politics, media, literature, and science. We often associate extremes with crises, disasters, and risks to be averted, yet extremes also have the potential to lead us towards new horizons. Featuring essays by leading intellectuals and public figures arising from the 2017 Darwin College Lectures, this volume explores 'extreme' events, from the election of President Trump, the rise of populism, and the Brexit referendum, to the 2008 financial crisis, the Syrian war, and climate change. It also celebrates 'extreme' achievements in the realms of health, exploration, and scientific discovery. A fascinating, engaging, and timely collection of essays by renowned scholars, journalists, and intellectuals, this volume challenges our understanding of what is normal and what is truly extreme, and sheds light on some of the issues facing humanity in the twenty-first century.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises; 5 Tables, black and white; 44 Halftones, color; 11 Line drawings, color; 7 Line drawings, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 249 mm
Width: 229 mm
Thickness: 8 mm
Weight
363 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-45700-2 (9781108457002)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Persons
Duncan J. Needham is the Dean and Senior Tutor of Darwin College, Director of the Centre for Financial History, a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Risk Studies, and an Associate Lecturer at the Faculty of History, University of Cambridge. Julius F. W. Weitzdoerfer is the Director of Studies in Law and a Charles & Katharine Darwin Research Fellow at Darwin College, a Research Associate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, and an Affiliated Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge.
Content
Notes on contributors; Acknowledgements; On the notion of 'extremes' Julius F. W. Weitzdoerfer; 1. Dealing with extremism David Runciman; 2. Extreme weather Emily Shuckburgh; 3. Probability, risk, and extremes Nassim Nicholas Taleb; 4. Extreme rowing Roz Savage; 5. Extremes of war: stories of survival from Syria Lyse Doucet; 6. Extreme politics: the four waves of national populism in the West Matthew Goodwin; 7. Extreme longevity Sarah Harper; 8. Extremes of power in the universe Andrew C. Fabian; Index.