“Wokeism” and, before it, “Political Correctness” are attempts to replace traditional privilege with a new privileged class of special interest groups that have supposedly been discriminated against. In Three Pillars of Wisdom*,* Dr. Michael Arnheim argues that that there are and always have been only two forms of government: monarchy and oligarchy, regardless of the labels placed on them, and that politics, religion, and law are all fields of contention between “in” and “out” gro...

Offers a sweeping, entertaining journey through the real power structures of world historyFive Thousand Years of Monarchy challenges everything you thought you knew about political history. With wit, clarity, and a deep command of historical detail, Michael Arnheim reframes five millennia of global governance through a strikingly original lens: the idea that every government, from ancient Sumer to modern China, is either a monarchy or an oligarchy—regardle...

Explore an insightful and original discussion of the causes of the fall of the Roman EmpireIn Why Rome Fell: Decline and Fall, or Drift and Change?, celebrated scholar of Roman history Dr. Michael Arnheim delivers a fascinating and robust exploration of the causes of and reasons for Rome’s fall in the West. Steeped in applications of elite theory to the later Roman Empire, the author discusses several interconnected issues that influenced the decline of Ro...

Which is right, atheism or organised religion? Answer: Neither. What's wrong with atheism? The intolerant radical "New Atheists" of today champion the theory of evolution by natural selection, which may help to explain small changes and variations in living things but can't explain the origin of the universe or the origin of life – because natural selection needs life to kick-start it into action. No life, no natural selection!Does organised religion do any better? Not at all. It simply ha...

This book offers a fresh and original analysis of the power structure of a number of societies, past and present. There are and ever have been only two essential models of government: minority rule of all types (labelled "oligocracy") and regimes in which power is concentrated in the hands of a single individual (labelled “monocracy”).The present-day “democracies” of Britain and the United States are in reality composite oligocracies made up of several disparate elements. Oligocracies are ...

This timely and comprehensive book, post-Brexit, is written by an experienced human rights barrister and covers all aspects of human rights and civil liberties in the United Kingdom. The much talked about UK Bill of Rights, supposedly replacing the Human Rights Act, is also covered. The book is wide ranging and certainly topical as we enter a new phase of our relationship with Europe. It will be invaluable to the layperson, student and professional alike.

Your complete guide to understanding the U.S. Constitution.Want to make sense of the U.S. Constitution? This new edition walks you through this revered document, explaining how the articles and amendments came to be and how they have guided legislators, judges, and presidents—and sparked ongoing debates along the way. You'll get the lowdown on all the big issues—from separation of church and state to impeachment to civil rights—that continue to affect Americans' da...

Law underlies our society - it protects our rights, imposes duties on each of us, and establishes a framework for the conduct of almost every social, political, and economic activity. The punishment of crime, compensation of the injured, and the enforcement of contracts are merely some of the tasks of a modern legal system. It also strives to achieve justice, promote freedom, and protect our security. The result is a system that, while it touches all of our daily lives, is properly underst...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE AHRC'S ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS MEDALS AND AWARDSThe first decade of the twenty-first century has seen a sharp decline in respect for human rights and the international rule of law. The legal conventions of the new realpolitik seem to owe more to Guantanamo than Geneva.Australia has tarnished its reputation in the field of human rights, through its support for illegal warfare, its failure to honour international conventions, its refusal to de...

‘When put to the test, most people have difficulty identifying what justice is, especially when there is tension between proper process and a desired result. Due process is inherent in our conception of justice. But bad process can yield the right result, just as good process can produce the wrong result. The legal system is designed to produce justice. We call it the justice system — sometimes un-selfconsciously, sometimes with bitter irony. It is designed to produce justice according to ...

New Zealanders are too complacent about the continuing erosion of their right to know what government is doing on their behalf. Political risk has become a primary consideration in whether official information requests will be met, and successive governments have allowed free speech rights to be overridden.Drawing on decades of experience as a journalist and editor, Gavin Ellis chronicles the patterns of erosion and calls for entrenchment of the Bill of Rights Act. As supreme law, it would...

Law is at the heart of every society, protecting rights, imposing duties, and establishing a framework for the conduct of almost all social, political, and economic activity. Despite this, the law often seems a highly technical, perplexing mystery, with its antiquated and often impenetrable jargon, obsolete procedures, and endless stream of complex statutes and legislation. In this Very Short Introduction Raymond Wacks introduces the major branches of the law, describing what lawyers do, a...