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eBook
Chessays: travels through the world of chess
Burton, Howard
Open Agenda Publishing
, 2022
; English
; 200 Pages
A collection of exhilarating essays by physicist-turned-filmmaker Howard Burton about a wide range of chess-related issues which he encountered during the production of the 4-part documentary series about the fascinating history and sociocultural significance of chess, Through the Mirror of Chess: A Cultural Exploration.
Howard has produced a comprehensive investigation into the remarkable impact of chess across a wide range of times and places up to the present day, touching on cultural history, the nature of competitiveness, artificial intelligence, psychology, art, literature, gender issues, education, and much more in an attempt to comprehensively address the question of what makes the game so unique.
These essays provide insightful and playful reflections on a wide range of chess-related issues which Howard encountered while being a "tourist" in the chess world, such as the (ab)uses of the history of the game to the birth of the modern game as a competitive sport and the way it is run by FIDE. Howard also questions several of the long-held assumptions about its widely acclaimed benefits and highlights the many surprising contemporary applications of chess to artificial intelligence, prison reform, social inequality, and more and makes sharp observations on what chess reveals about current attitudes to gender, technology, sports, entertainment and the nature of play.
Burton, Howard
Open Agenda Publishing
, 2022
; English
; 200 Pages
A collection of exhilarating essays by physicist-turned-filmmaker Howard Burton about a wide range of chess-related issues which he encountered during the production of the 4-part documentary series about the fascinating history and sociocultural significance of chess, Through the Mirror of Chess: A Cultural Exploration.
Howard has produced a comprehensive investigation into the remarkable impact of chess across a wide range of times and places up to the present day, touching on cultural history, the nature of competitiveness, artificial intelligence, psychology, art, literature, gender issues, education, and much more in an attempt to comprehensively address the question of what makes the game so unique.
These essays provide insightful and playful reflections on a wide range of chess-related issues which Howard encountered while being a "tourist" in the chess world, such as the (ab)uses of the history of the game to the birth of the modern game as a competitive sport and the way it is run by FIDE. Howard also questions several of the long-held assumptions about its widely acclaimed benefits and highlights the many surprising contemporary applications of chess to artificial intelligence, prison reform, social inequality, and more and makes sharp observations on what chess reveals about current attitudes to gender, technology, sports, entertainment and the nature of play.
eBook
Pandemic Perspectives : a filmmaker's journey in 10 essays.
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2022
; English
; 181 Pages
Howard Burton provides fresh insights into a wide range of societal and scientific issues ranging from biology to politics to contemporary morality weaving together his interaction with a diverse array of international experts who participated in his documentary film, Pandemic Perspectives, which was filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic and his personal experiences as a physicist-turned-filmmaker with self-professed “biology watcher” Lewis Thomas as his inspiration.
Reviews:
“Howard Burton’s unique and discerning approach provides stimulating insights into the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on medicine, science, policy and what is, or should be, society’s response. This makes for a fascinating and informative read.” —Joanna Haigh, Emeritus Professor of Atmospheric Physics, Imperial College London
“Parting from an initial biological perspective, this wonderful book engages in a capacious and multi-disciplinary series of commentaries on how the pandemic has impacted (and continues to impact) our world. Revealing deep fissures in our educational, political, and social fabric, Burton’s book represents a heart-wrenching testimony of what Covid-19 has done to our world and to ourselves. Not unlike Boccaccio or Defoe’s descriptions of the plague, Pandemic Perspectives will inform future generations of these dark years and of our variegated and often ineffective responses to the virus.”—Teofilo Ruiz, Distinguished Research Professor of History, UCLA
“Howard Burton is just what the moment calls for: an informed generalist with a hunger for knowledge who feasts at the table with specialists. Seeking the widest possible perspectives on the matters of our time, he weaves them together as a writer with a filmmaker’s touch, telling stories that both inform and entertain.” —Darrin McMahon, Mary Brinsmead Wheelock Professor of History, Dartmouth College
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2022
; English
; 181 Pages
Howard Burton provides fresh insights into a wide range of societal and scientific issues ranging from biology to politics to contemporary morality weaving together his interaction with a diverse array of international experts who participated in his documentary film, Pandemic Perspectives, which was filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic and his personal experiences as a physicist-turned-filmmaker with self-professed “biology watcher” Lewis Thomas as his inspiration.
Reviews:
“Howard Burton’s unique and discerning approach provides stimulating insights into the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on medicine, science, policy and what is, or should be, society’s response. This makes for a fascinating and informative read.” —Joanna Haigh, Emeritus Professor of Atmospheric Physics, Imperial College London
“Parting from an initial biological perspective, this wonderful book engages in a capacious and multi-disciplinary series of commentaries on how the pandemic has impacted (and continues to impact) our world. Revealing deep fissures in our educational, political, and social fabric, Burton’s book represents a heart-wrenching testimony of what Covid-19 has done to our world and to ourselves. Not unlike Boccaccio or Defoe’s descriptions of the plague, Pandemic Perspectives will inform future generations of these dark years and of our variegated and often ineffective responses to the virus.”—Teofilo Ruiz, Distinguished Research Professor of History, UCLA
“Howard Burton is just what the moment calls for: an informed generalist with a hunger for knowledge who feasts at the table with specialists. Seeking the widest possible perspectives on the matters of our time, he weaves them together as a writer with a filmmaker’s touch, telling stories that both inform and entertain.” —Darrin McMahon, Mary Brinsmead Wheelock Professor of History, Dartmouth College
eBook
Conversations about psychology, volume 1
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 348 Pages
This compendium includes the following 5 complete books featuring renowned psychologists Diana Deutsch, Chris Frith, Stephen Hinshaw, Stephen Kosslyn and Jonathan Schooler providing fully accessible insights into cutting-edge academic research while revealing the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. The books are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn’t otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. A detailed preface highlights the connections between the different books and all five books are broken into chapters with a detailed introduction and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:
I. Believing Your Ears: Examining Auditory Illusions - A conversation with Diana Deutsch, Professor of Psychology at UC San Diego. Diana Deutsch is one of the world’s leading experts on the psychology of music. This conversation provides behind-the-scenes insights into her discovery of a large number of auditory illusions, including the so-called Octave Illusion, which concretely illustrate how what we think we’re hearing is often quite different from the actual sounds that are hitting our eardrums.
II. In Search of a Mechanism: From the Brain to the Mind - A conversation with Chris Frith, Emeritus Professor of Neuropsychology, UCL, and Honorary Research Fellow at the Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of London. After a thought-provoking exploration of how Chris Frith became interested in the study of schizophrenia, this conversation examines topics such how our understanding of schizophrenia has evolved, the role of dopamine, how the brain works, the brain’s predicting role, the phantom limb phenomenon, how the brain and mind link up, how culture affects the brain and much more.
III. Understanding ADHD - A conversation with Stephen Hinshaw, Professor of Psychology, UC Berkeley. Stephen Hinshaw is an expert in the fields of clinical child and adolescent psychology and developmental psychopathology, as well as stigma, preventive interventions and dehumanization related to mental illness. This extensive conversation examines the facts and misunderstandings surrounding ADHD, diagnosis and misdiagnosis, treatment, family responsibilities, the subtleties of medication, adult ADHD, gender, what’s happening on an international level and finally the stigma of mental illness.
IV. Applied Psychology: Thinking Critically - A conversation with Stephen Kosslyn, psychologist and Founder, President and Chief Academic Officer of Foundry College. This conversation explores Kosslyn’s extensive analysis of research results on the differences between the functions of the top parts and the bottom parts of the brain and what the implications of those results are for everyday life which led to a new theory of personality to better understand the way we think and behave, the so-called “Theory of Cognitive Modes”. In addition the discussion covers how pedagogical principles were applied in the real world of learning and teaching by establishing Minerva Schools at KGI.
V. Mind-Wandering & Meta-Awareness - A conversation with Jonathan Schooler, Distinguished Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, UC Santa Barbara. This conversation provides a detailed examination of Schooler’s research on the nature of mental life, and in particular consciousness, and explores how mind-wandering can serve as a window into the psychological world of meta-awareness. Further topics include the nature of consciousness, mindfulness, creativity, free will, and verbal overshadowing.
Howard Burton is the host and editor of all Ideas Roadshow conversations and was the Founding Executive Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy. Ideas Roadshow offers a series of 20 Collections, including Conversations About Psychology, Volumes 1-2, Conversations About Social Psychology, Conversations About Neuroscience, and Conversations About Biology.
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 348 Pages
This compendium includes the following 5 complete books featuring renowned psychologists Diana Deutsch, Chris Frith, Stephen Hinshaw, Stephen Kosslyn and Jonathan Schooler providing fully accessible insights into cutting-edge academic research while revealing the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. The books are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn’t otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. A detailed preface highlights the connections between the different books and all five books are broken into chapters with a detailed introduction and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:
I. Believing Your Ears: Examining Auditory Illusions - A conversation with Diana Deutsch, Professor of Psychology at UC San Diego. Diana Deutsch is one of the world’s leading experts on the psychology of music. This conversation provides behind-the-scenes insights into her discovery of a large number of auditory illusions, including the so-called Octave Illusion, which concretely illustrate how what we think we’re hearing is often quite different from the actual sounds that are hitting our eardrums.
II. In Search of a Mechanism: From the Brain to the Mind - A conversation with Chris Frith, Emeritus Professor of Neuropsychology, UCL, and Honorary Research Fellow at the Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of London. After a thought-provoking exploration of how Chris Frith became interested in the study of schizophrenia, this conversation examines topics such how our understanding of schizophrenia has evolved, the role of dopamine, how the brain works, the brain’s predicting role, the phantom limb phenomenon, how the brain and mind link up, how culture affects the brain and much more.
III. Understanding ADHD - A conversation with Stephen Hinshaw, Professor of Psychology, UC Berkeley. Stephen Hinshaw is an expert in the fields of clinical child and adolescent psychology and developmental psychopathology, as well as stigma, preventive interventions and dehumanization related to mental illness. This extensive conversation examines the facts and misunderstandings surrounding ADHD, diagnosis and misdiagnosis, treatment, family responsibilities, the subtleties of medication, adult ADHD, gender, what’s happening on an international level and finally the stigma of mental illness.
IV. Applied Psychology: Thinking Critically - A conversation with Stephen Kosslyn, psychologist and Founder, President and Chief Academic Officer of Foundry College. This conversation explores Kosslyn’s extensive analysis of research results on the differences between the functions of the top parts and the bottom parts of the brain and what the implications of those results are for everyday life which led to a new theory of personality to better understand the way we think and behave, the so-called “Theory of Cognitive Modes”. In addition the discussion covers how pedagogical principles were applied in the real world of learning and teaching by establishing Minerva Schools at KGI.
V. Mind-Wandering & Meta-Awareness - A conversation with Jonathan Schooler, Distinguished Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, UC Santa Barbara. This conversation provides a detailed examination of Schooler’s research on the nature of mental life, and in particular consciousness, and explores how mind-wandering can serve as a window into the psychological world of meta-awareness. Further topics include the nature of consciousness, mindfulness, creativity, free will, and verbal overshadowing.
Howard Burton is the host and editor of all Ideas Roadshow conversations and was the Founding Executive Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy. Ideas Roadshow offers a series of 20 Collections, including Conversations About Psychology, Volumes 1-2, Conversations About Social Psychology, Conversations About Neuroscience, and Conversations About Biology.
eBook
The consolations of history : a conversation with Teofilo Ruiz
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 74 Pages
This book is based on an in-depth conversation with Teofilo Ruiz, Professor Emeritus of History at UCLA. Teo Ruiz is a scholar of the social and popular cultures of late medieval and early modern Spain and the Western Mediterranean. He received the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award and was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama for his “inspired teaching and writing”. This wide-ranging conversation dives deep into Ruiz’s research and also provides captivating insights into his Cuban origins, how he became a professional historian, the challenges and excitement of teaching, and what the future might hold.
This carefully-edited book includes a detailed introduction, questions for discussion at the end of each chapter and connections with other books in the Ideas Roadshow Conversations series.
About Ideas Roadshow Conversations:
Presented in an engaging conversational format, these books not only explore cutting-edge academic research, but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. They are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn’t otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. Howard Burton holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy and was the Founding Director of Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 74 Pages
This book is based on an in-depth conversation with Teofilo Ruiz, Professor Emeritus of History at UCLA. Teo Ruiz is a scholar of the social and popular cultures of late medieval and early modern Spain and the Western Mediterranean. He received the University’s Distinguished Teaching Award and was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama for his “inspired teaching and writing”. This wide-ranging conversation dives deep into Ruiz’s research and also provides captivating insights into his Cuban origins, how he became a professional historian, the challenges and excitement of teaching, and what the future might hold.
This carefully-edited book includes a detailed introduction, questions for discussion at the end of each chapter and connections with other books in the Ideas Roadshow Conversations series.
About Ideas Roadshow Conversations:
Presented in an engaging conversational format, these books not only explore cutting-edge academic research, but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. They are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn’t otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. Howard Burton holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy and was the Founding Director of Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
eBook
Exploring the Sikh tradition : a conversation with Eleanor Nesbitt
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 66 Pages
This book is based on an in-depth conversation with Eleanor Nesbitt, Professor Emeritus of Education Studies at University of Warwick. Eleanor Nesbitt is an expert on Hindu and Sikh culture and her interdisciplinary approach straddles religious studies, educational theory, ethnography and poetry. After inspiring insights about the time Eleanor Nesbitt spent in India and her academic path, this conversation provides a detailed exploration of the Sikh tradition: the history, religious tenets, other people’s misconceptions about it and more.
This carefully-edited book includes a detailed introduction, questions for discussion at the end of each chapter and connections with other books in the Ideas Roadshow Conversations series.
About Ideas Roadshow Conversations:
Presented in an engaging conversational format, these books not only explore cutting-edge academic research, but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. They are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn’t otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. Howard Burton holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy and was the Founding Director of Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 66 Pages
This book is based on an in-depth conversation with Eleanor Nesbitt, Professor Emeritus of Education Studies at University of Warwick. Eleanor Nesbitt is an expert on Hindu and Sikh culture and her interdisciplinary approach straddles religious studies, educational theory, ethnography and poetry. After inspiring insights about the time Eleanor Nesbitt spent in India and her academic path, this conversation provides a detailed exploration of the Sikh tradition: the history, religious tenets, other people’s misconceptions about it and more.
This carefully-edited book includes a detailed introduction, questions for discussion at the end of each chapter and connections with other books in the Ideas Roadshow Conversations series.
About Ideas Roadshow Conversations:
Presented in an engaging conversational format, these books not only explore cutting-edge academic research, but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. They are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn’t otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. Howard Burton holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy and was the Founding Director of Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
eBook
Religious entrepreneurs? : a conversation with Nile Green
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 70 Pages
This book is based on an in-depth conversation with Nile Green who holds the Ibn Khaldn Endowed Chair in World History at UCLA. Nile Green is an expert on Islamic history and religion in the world. He has traveled extensively in India, Turkey, Pakistan, China, Myanmar, Iran, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Morocco and many more countries, to get a deep sense of the reality of situations on the ground. The basis of this wide-ranging conversation is Nile Green’s book, Terrains of Exchange, which is not only an account of how the Christian missionary movement affected the development of Islam in the 19th and 20th centuries, but also offers a bold new paradigm for understanding the expansion of Islam in the modern world through the model of religious economy.
This carefully-edited book includes a detailed introduction, questions for discussion at the end of each chapter and connections with other books in the Ideas Roadshow Conversations series.
About Ideas Roadshow Conversations:
Presented in an engaging conversational format, these books not only explore cutting-edge academic research, but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. They are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn’t otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. Howard Burton holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy and was the Founding Director of Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 70 Pages
This book is based on an in-depth conversation with Nile Green who holds the Ibn Khaldn Endowed Chair in World History at UCLA. Nile Green is an expert on Islamic history and religion in the world. He has traveled extensively in India, Turkey, Pakistan, China, Myanmar, Iran, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Morocco and many more countries, to get a deep sense of the reality of situations on the ground. The basis of this wide-ranging conversation is Nile Green’s book, Terrains of Exchange, which is not only an account of how the Christian missionary movement affected the development of Islam in the 19th and 20th centuries, but also offers a bold new paradigm for understanding the expansion of Islam in the modern world through the model of religious economy.
This carefully-edited book includes a detailed introduction, questions for discussion at the end of each chapter and connections with other books in the Ideas Roadshow Conversations series.
About Ideas Roadshow Conversations:
Presented in an engaging conversational format, these books not only explore cutting-edge academic research, but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. They are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn’t otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. Howard Burton holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy and was the Founding Director of Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
eBook
Defined by relationship : a conversation with Charles Foster
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 59 Pages
This book is based on an in-depth conversation with Charles Foster, writer, traveller, veterinarian, barrister, philosopher and Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford. This conversation examines Foster’s research interests in medical law and ethics while providing behind-the-scenes insights into several of his books in many different fields with a particular focus on “Human Dignity in Bioethics and Law” and the New York Times Bestseller “Being a Beast” both of which explore themes directly pertinent to his academic research.
This carefully-edited book includes a detailed introduction, questions for discussion at the end of each chapter and connections with other books in the Ideas Roadshow Conversations series.
About Ideas Roadshow Conversations:
Presented in an engaging conversational format, these books not only explore cutting-edge academic research, but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. They are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn’t otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. Howard Burton holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy and was the Founding Director of Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 59 Pages
This book is based on an in-depth conversation with Charles Foster, writer, traveller, veterinarian, barrister, philosopher and Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford. This conversation examines Foster’s research interests in medical law and ethics while providing behind-the-scenes insights into several of his books in many different fields with a particular focus on “Human Dignity in Bioethics and Law” and the New York Times Bestseller “Being a Beast” both of which explore themes directly pertinent to his academic research.
This carefully-edited book includes a detailed introduction, questions for discussion at the end of each chapter and connections with other books in the Ideas Roadshow Conversations series.
About Ideas Roadshow Conversations:
Presented in an engaging conversational format, these books not only explore cutting-edge academic research, but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. They are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn’t otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. Howard Burton holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy and was the Founding Director of Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
eBook
The pull of the stars : a conversation with Claudia de Rham
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 55 Pages
This book is based on an in-depth conversation with Claudia de Rham, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London. After inspiring insights about Claudia de Rham’s academic journey, this conversation explores her research in cosmology, the public perception and communication of science to the general public, gender issues and stereotypes in physics, recommendations for physics teachers to inspire the next generation, and more.
This carefully-edited book includes a detailed introduction, questions for discussion at the end of each chapter and connections with other books in the Ideas Roadshow Conversations series.
About Ideas Roadshow Conversations:
Ideas Presented in an engaging conversational format, these books not only explore cutting-edge academic research, but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. They are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn’t otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. Howard Burton holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy and was the Founding Director of Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 55 Pages
This book is based on an in-depth conversation with Claudia de Rham, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London. After inspiring insights about Claudia de Rham’s academic journey, this conversation explores her research in cosmology, the public perception and communication of science to the general public, gender issues and stereotypes in physics, recommendations for physics teachers to inspire the next generation, and more.
This carefully-edited book includes a detailed introduction, questions for discussion at the end of each chapter and connections with other books in the Ideas Roadshow Conversations series.
About Ideas Roadshow Conversations:
Ideas Presented in an engaging conversational format, these books not only explore cutting-edge academic research, but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. They are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn’t otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. Howard Burton holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy and was the Founding Director of Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
eBook
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 143 Pages
As American society becomes more polarized by the day, the question of how this "exceptional nation" can hope to regain its mojo is more pressing than ever before. After a detailed historical analysis of American exceptionalism, Howard Burton examines why America is an exceptional nation, but not, significantly, in the way that most Americans think it is. With his unique blend of wry humor and clear-headed analysis, Burton wades into America's partisan fray, weaving together historical investigation, pop culture and a passionate belief in the country's true strengths in order to develop a concrete way out of the current culture war.
“Thrilling, unsettling, but ultimately hopeful and redemptive. Both an urgent and vital call to arms and a practical manual for front-line troops in the battle for kindness, significance, and downright survival.” — Charles Foster, Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford & author of the New York Times bestsellers Being a Beast and Being a Human
“… witty, provocative, and rigorous in its arguments. I loved it.” — Heather Seggel, The Progressive Populist
“… a treatise of exceptional conscientiousness, with each argument carefully formulated and then a series of defenses offered against potential criticisms.” — David Hollinger, Preston Hotchkis Professor Emeritus, UC Berkeley
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 143 Pages
As American society becomes more polarized by the day, the question of how this "exceptional nation" can hope to regain its mojo is more pressing than ever before. After a detailed historical analysis of American exceptionalism, Howard Burton examines why America is an exceptional nation, but not, significantly, in the way that most Americans think it is. With his unique blend of wry humor and clear-headed analysis, Burton wades into America's partisan fray, weaving together historical investigation, pop culture and a passionate belief in the country's true strengths in order to develop a concrete way out of the current culture war.
“Thrilling, unsettling, but ultimately hopeful and redemptive. Both an urgent and vital call to arms and a practical manual for front-line troops in the battle for kindness, significance, and downright survival.” — Charles Foster, Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford & author of the New York Times bestsellers Being a Beast and Being a Human
“… witty, provocative, and rigorous in its arguments. I loved it.” — Heather Seggel, The Progressive Populist
“… a treatise of exceptional conscientiousness, with each argument carefully formulated and then a series of defenses offered against potential criticisms.” — David Hollinger, Preston Hotchkis Professor Emeritus, UC Berkeley
eBook
Conversations about history, volume 2
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 321 Pages
This compendium includes the following 5 complete books featuring emiment historians Linda Colley, John Elliott, Richard Janko, Maria Mavroudi, and Jay Rubenstein providing fully accessible insights into cutting-edge academic research while revealing the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. The books are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn’t otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. A detailed preface highlights the connections between the different books and all five books are broken into chapters with a detailed introduction and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:
I. Constitutional Investigations - A conversation with Linda Colley, the Shelby M.C. Davis 1958 Professor of History at Princeton University. Linda Colley is a leading expert on British, imperial and global history since 1700. After inspiring insights about Colley’s teachers and professors who had a strong impact on her future career as a historian, this wide-ranging conversation provides a detailed examination of the global history and present state of constitutions and their impact.
II. The Passionate Historian - A conversation with John Elliott, Professor of Modern History, University of Oxford. This conversation provides behind-the-scenes insights into how an undergraduate encounter with a 17th-century painting of The Count-Duke Olivares led John Elliott on a lifelong odyssey to study the history of Spain, Europe and the Americas in the early modern period to become one of the greatest Spanish historians of our age and provides a careful exploration of his research.
III. The Derveni Papyrus - A conversation with Richard Janko, Gerald F. Else Distinguished University Professor of Classical Studies, University of Michigan. This conversation provides a detailed examination of Richard Janko’s research on the Derveni Papyrus, Europe’s oldest surviving manuscript from the 4th century BCE and the most important text relating to early Greek literature, science, religion and philosophy to have come to light since the Renaissance.
IV. Byzantium: Beyond the Cliché - A conversation with Maria Mavroudi, Professor of History, UC Berkeley. Maria Mavroudi specializes in the study of the Byzantine Empire and this wide-ranging conversation explores her extensive research on the Byzantine Empire and how it has repeatedly been undervalued by historians despite its having been a military and cultural powerhouse for more than a millennium.
V. Apocalypse Then: The First Crusade - A conversation with Jay Rubenstein, Professor of History and Director of the Center for the Premodern World, USC. This conversation provides detailed insights into Rubenstein’s extensive research of the history of the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual worlds of Europe in the Middle Ages, in particular his research into the Apocalypse: the crusaders’ sincere belief that the end of the world was approaching and their opportunity to participate in the last stage of the divine plan.
Howard Burton is the host and editor of all Ideas Roadshow conversations and was the Founding Executive Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy. Ideas Roadshow offers a series of 20 Collections, including Conversations About History, Volumes 1-3, Conversations About The History Of Ideas, Conversations About Politics, Conversations About Language and Culture, and Conversations About Religion.
Burton, Howard
Ideas Roadshow
, 2021
; English
; 321 Pages
This compendium includes the following 5 complete books featuring emiment historians Linda Colley, John Elliott, Richard Janko, Maria Mavroudi, and Jay Rubenstein providing fully accessible insights into cutting-edge academic research while revealing the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. The books are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn’t otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. A detailed preface highlights the connections between the different books and all five books are broken into chapters with a detailed introduction and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:
I. Constitutional Investigations - A conversation with Linda Colley, the Shelby M.C. Davis 1958 Professor of History at Princeton University. Linda Colley is a leading expert on British, imperial and global history since 1700. After inspiring insights about Colley’s teachers and professors who had a strong impact on her future career as a historian, this wide-ranging conversation provides a detailed examination of the global history and present state of constitutions and their impact.
II. The Passionate Historian - A conversation with John Elliott, Professor of Modern History, University of Oxford. This conversation provides behind-the-scenes insights into how an undergraduate encounter with a 17th-century painting of The Count-Duke Olivares led John Elliott on a lifelong odyssey to study the history of Spain, Europe and the Americas in the early modern period to become one of the greatest Spanish historians of our age and provides a careful exploration of his research.
III. The Derveni Papyrus - A conversation with Richard Janko, Gerald F. Else Distinguished University Professor of Classical Studies, University of Michigan. This conversation provides a detailed examination of Richard Janko’s research on the Derveni Papyrus, Europe’s oldest surviving manuscript from the 4th century BCE and the most important text relating to early Greek literature, science, religion and philosophy to have come to light since the Renaissance.
IV. Byzantium: Beyond the Cliché - A conversation with Maria Mavroudi, Professor of History, UC Berkeley. Maria Mavroudi specializes in the study of the Byzantine Empire and this wide-ranging conversation explores her extensive research on the Byzantine Empire and how it has repeatedly been undervalued by historians despite its having been a military and cultural powerhouse for more than a millennium.
V. Apocalypse Then: The First Crusade - A conversation with Jay Rubenstein, Professor of History and Director of the Center for the Premodern World, USC. This conversation provides detailed insights into Rubenstein’s extensive research of the history of the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual worlds of Europe in the Middle Ages, in particular his research into the Apocalypse: the crusaders’ sincere belief that the end of the world was approaching and their opportunity to participate in the last stage of the divine plan.
Howard Burton is the host and editor of all Ideas Roadshow conversations and was the Founding Executive Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy. Ideas Roadshow offers a series of 20 Collections, including Conversations About History, Volumes 1-3, Conversations About The History Of Ideas, Conversations About Politics, Conversations About Language and Culture, and Conversations About Religion.
