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Quick and accessible introduction to a moment in history. In the early years of the twenty-first century, ideas first proposed over two hundred years ago could not be more compelling. The Enlightenment of the seventeenth century in response to upheaval and uncertainty laid the foundation stone for modern society. A vital primer on the philosophers, thinkers, and scientists--including Isaac Newton, John Locke, Voltaire and Spinoza--whose thoughts and ideas created the modern world....
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When Isaac Newton claimed that he only saw further because he stood on the shoulders of giants, he alluded to the long list of geniuses who came before him. The history of science is the story of great discoveries, flashes of intuition that changed the way people saw the world, hard work, and arduous calculation in the laboratory. But who are the most important men and women whose notions and theories have changed the world? From Galileo to Thales, from the ancient world to the present day, it is sometimes those with the simplest ideas who have had the greatest impact. As the study of the physical world becomes more and more specialized, it is sometimes refreshing to uncover a proof that tips accepted wisdom on its head. ...
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Climate Change is one of the most controversial subjects of our age. While scientists have been observing radical changes in the earth’s ecosystem, politicians and activists argue the causes and possible outcomes. The Britannica Guide to Climate Change will explore the evidence surrounding hot topics like the Kyoto Agreement, the environmental damage to the ice caps, Gaia, green architecture, and the impact of green policies—including energy-saving light bulbs, carbon foot printing, and recycling. This book is an unbiased, comprehensive, and accessible guide to the symptoms, debates, and solutions to this key issue. ...
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Modern Islam can appear so diverse as to defy description, yet it is held together by stronger forces than almost any other world group—the annual hajj to Mecca itself attracts more than 1,000,000 Muslims. And despite significant religious differences, Islam remains one of the least sectarian of world religions. Most Muslims live in societies in which the influence of tradition is very strong, and in which modernization has also penetrated to some extent. The Britannica Guide to the Islamic World introduces the ideas that are the least understood to those outside the religion, and where Islam is practiced throughout the world. ...
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Russia is a land of superlatives: By far the world’s largest country, it extends across the whole of northern Asia and the eastern third of Europe, spanning eleven time zones. Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, Russia has undergone a radical change from a communist country to a hyper capitalist market of vast wealth and resources. Offering a panoramic view of Russia, and the history of the nation since 1917 as well as the culture, arts, and literature, particular focus is paid to the contemporary nation since the fall of the Berlin Wall, including the rise of the Oligarchs, the presidency of Putin, and the role of Russia in the new world order. ...
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