The programme of 'constructive axiomatics', promulgated by Hans Reichenbach in 1924, seeks to build up the architecture of our best theories of physics from basic axioms supposedly imbued with immediate and indubitable empirical content. Taking inspiration from Reichenbach, Hermann Weyl proposed his own 'causal-inertial' approach to the constructive axiomatization of Einstein's general relativity, according to which a relativistic spacetime can be constructed solely from the trajectories o...

This Element presents the philosophy of special relativity, from the foundations of the theory in Newtonian mechanics, through its birth out of the ashes of nineteenth-century ether theory, through the various conceptual paradoxes which the theory presents, and finally arriving at some of its connections with Einstein's later theory of general relativity. It illustrates concepts such as inertial frames, force-free motion, dynamical versus geometrical understandings of physics, the standard...

It is often claimed that Einstein's magnum opus---his 1915 theory of General Relativity---is distinguished from other theories of space and time in virtue of its background independence. It's also often claimed that background independence is an essential feature of any quantum theory of gravity. But are these claims true? This book aspires to offer definitive answers to both of these questions, by (a) charting the space of possible definitions of background independence, and (b) applying ...

**SHORTLISTED FOR THE ANDRE SIMON FOOD BOOK AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR THE FORTNUM AND MASON FOOD BOOK AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR THE GUILD OF FOOD WRITERS FOOD BOOK AWARDA playful and accessible guide to fermenting at home**James Read is on a mission to smuggle bacteria into our kitchens. In Of Cabbages & Kimchi, he takes the ten greatest 'living' ferments - fermented foods that are neither cooked nor pasteurized - and places them under the microscope, before co...

The growing demand for high quality office and manufacturing space in South East Asia has led to an increasing awareness of 'intelligent building' concepts. This study is based on a major research project undertaken by three leading players in the construction industry - DEGW, Northcroft and Ove Arup & Partners - which looked at user requirements and changing patterns in the workplace. The book also contains key findings from the earlier Intelligent Buildings in Europe study undertaken by ...

Two generations of students inspired by Harvey Mansfield come together here to demonstrate how their diverse approaches illuminate the topic of the arts of rule and speak to the wide scope of Mansfield's contributions. The essays collected here cover both ancient and modern ground. The first section covers topics such as Xenophon's question of what it is to be a gentleman, Aristotle's view of friendship, Montaigne's account of the highest good, and Montesquieu's elevation of modesty. The s...

New legislation, rising energy costs and increasing demand for green credentials have moved sustainable IT up the business agenda. Yet the term ‘green IT’ still means a variety of things to a variety of people – whether that’s sustainably managing and procuring IT assets, ethically recycling hardware or using IT to enable carbon footprint reduction. This ebook looks at these different aspects and offers advice on how to incorporate sustainable practices in business strategy.

The new bestseller from one of Britain's most pre-eminent philosophers and arguably the best known, A.C. GraylingEveryone wishes to live a life that is satisfying and fulfilling, in which there is achievement and pleasure, and which has the respect of people one, in turn, respects. And one of the fundamentals to living such a life is to reflect on the choices we make.In this new collection, A.C. Grayling invites the reader into a conversation with ideas. Fr...

When After Virtue first appeared in 1981, it was recognized as a significant and potentially controversial critique of contemporary moral philosophy. Newsweek called it “a stunning new study of ethics by one of the foremost moral philosophers in the English-speaking world.” Since that time, the book has been translated into more than fifteen foreign languages and has sold over one hundred thousand copies. Now, twenty-five years later, the University of Notre Dame Press is...

A.C. Grayling answers the most important question - How do we live a good life?One of the most fundamental questions in our life is to find out what we value - what principles we want to live by and which codes we will use to guide our behaviour. Most of us want to live a good life. But what, in today's secular society, does 'good' actually mean?To classical Greeks, the acquisition of knowledge, the enjoyment of the senses, creativity and beauty were all as...

This review of Western history's disdain for "savage" tribes across three millennia is "a provocative contribution to multicultural studies" ( Publishers Weekly).From one of the world's leading experts on Native American law and indigenous peoples' human rights comes an original and striking intellectual history of the tribe and Western civilization that sheds new light on how we understand ourselves and our contemporary society.Throughout the centur...

Finally in a one-volume paperback edition, On Politics is one of the most ambitious and hugely readable histories of political philosophy in nearly a century.Praised widely upon hardcover publication, Alan Ryan’s “masterpiece” (David Ulin, Los Angeles Times) blends history and philosophy to examine three thousand years of political thought. Drawing on three decades of research, Ryan insightfully traces the origins of political philosophy from the ...