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  Universities on Fire - Higher...

  Bryan Alexander

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  In 2019, intense fires in the San Francisco Bay Area closed universities and drove afflicted people to shelter at other campuses. At the same time, extraordinary fires ravaged eastern Australia. Several universities responded by promising material and research support to damaged businesses while also hosting refugees and emergency response teams in student residence halls. This was an echo of the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina on Tulane University in 2005.In Universities on Fire, futurist Bryan Alexander explores higher education during an age of unfolding climate crisis. Powered by real-world examples and the latest research, Alexander assesses practical responses and strategies by surveying contemporary programs and academic climate research from around the world. He establishes a model of how academic institutions may respond and offers practical pathways forward for higher education. How will the two main purposes of education—teaching and research—change as the world heats up? Alexander positions colleges and universities in the broader social world, from town-gown relationships to connections between how campuses and civilization as a whole respond to this epochal threat.Current studies of climate change trace the likely implications across a range of domains, from agriculture to policy, urban design, technology, culture, and human psychology. However, few books have predicted or studied the effects of the climate crisis on colleges and universities. By connecting climate research to a deep, futures-informed analysis of academia, Universities on Fire explores how climate change will fundamentally reshape higher education.

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  The Story of Philosophy Plato

  Will Durant

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  "The Story of Philosophy: Plato" by Will Durant is a captivating exploration of the life and philosophical ideas of the ancient Greek thinker, Plato. In this edition, Durant brings Plato's philosophy to life with vivid imagery that enhances the reader's understanding and engagement.
  Durant provides readers with a comprehensive overview of Plato's life, from his upbringing in ancient Athens to his establishment of the Academy, one of the earliest institutions of higher learning in the Western world. He delves into Plato's major philosophical works, such as "The Republic" and "The Symposium," offering insightful commentary on their significance and enduring relevance.
  Through clear and accessible prose, Durant unpacks Plato's key philosophical concepts, including the theory of forms, the allegory of the cave, and the concept of the philosopher-king. He explores Plato's ideas about justice, virtue, and the nature of reality, illuminating their impact on subsequent generations of thinkers.
  "The Story of Philosophy: Plato" is not only a biography of Plato but also a celebration of his enduring legacy. Durant's engaging storytelling and thoughtful analysis make this book a must-read for anyone interested in philosophy, history, or the timeless wisdom of the ancient Greeks.

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  Moors The: The History of the...

  Editors Charles River

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  The term Moor is a historical rather than an ethnic name. It is an invention of European Christians for the Islamic inhabitants of Maghreb (North Africa), Andalusia (Spain), Sicily and Malta, and was sometimes use to designate all Muslims. It is derived from Mauri, the Latin name for the Berbers who lived in the Roman province of Mauretania, which ranged across modern Algeria and Morocco. Saracen was another European term used to designate Muslims, though it usually referred to the Arabic peoples of the Middle East and derives from an ancient name for the Arabs, Sarakenoi. The Muslims of those regions no more refer to themselves by that term than those of North Africa call themselves Moors. Maghreb, or al-Maghreb, is a historical term used by Arabic Muslims for the territory of coastal North Africa from Alexandria to the Atlantic Coast. It means “The West” and is used in opposition to Mashrek, “The East,” used to refer to the lands of Islam in the Middle East and north-eastern Africa. The Berbers refer to the region in their own language as Tamazgha. In a limited, precise sense it can also refer to the Kingdom of Morocco, the proper name of which is al-Mamlakah al-Maghribiyyah, “Kingdom of the West.” 
  The history of the Spanish Peninsula is closely bound to that of the Moors. The term “Spain” was not in wide use until the region was united by the monarchs of Aragon and Castile, and the Moors called the lands they ruled in the Iberian Peninsula Al-Andalus, traditionally thought to be an Arabic transliteration of Vandal, the Germanic tribe which briefly ruled the region in the early fifth century. The English name Andalusia derives from the Spanish Andalucia, which is still used by Spain to name its southern region. Not surprisingly, three religions attempting to coexist during medieval times resulted in nearly incessant conflicts.

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  Summary of Thomas Piketty's A...

  Falcon Press

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  Buy now to get the main key ideas from Thomas Piketty's A Brief History of Equality 
    
  Inequality has been present through human history, but it has changed dramatically in the past couple of decades. In A Brief History of Equality (2021), Thomas Piketty, a leading French economist, lays out the history of equality in the most recent centuries. With an optimistic point of view, he especially focuses on movements and periods that achieved some form of progress towards equality. As more people are becoming aware of worldwide inequality issues, Piketty reminds us that there has been past progress, and the future is up to us.

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  Anarchism: The Basics - An...

  Arlo Holders

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  Anarchism is often misunderstood as simply chaos or disorder, but it is, in fact, a political and philosophical ideology that seeks the abolition of unjust systems of power, particularly the state and hierarchical structures. At its core, anarchism advocates for a society based on voluntary cooperation, mutual aid, and the dismantling of coercive institutions. It emphasizes individual freedom, collective responsibility, and the rejection of authority in all its forms, whether governmental, economic, or social. 
  The roots of anarchist thought can be traced back to the early 19th century, with thinkers like Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, who famously declared that "property is theft," and later, figures like Mikhail Bakunin and Peter Kropotkin. These early anarchists critiqued the existing state, capitalism, and organized religion, arguing that they were inherently oppressive and exploitative. Anarchism, for these thinkers, was not just about rejecting government, but also about challenging societal norms that perpetuate inequality and injustice. 
  One of the most important aspects of anarchism is its emphasis on direct action and the creation of alternative systems of organization. Anarchists believe that meaningful change does not come from traditional political structures like elections or parliamentary processes, but through grassroots action and community-based solutions. This can involve protests, strikes, and other forms of resistance, but also the establishment of cooperative enterprises, mutual aid networks, and non-hierarchical communities.

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  More than a Glitch - Confronting...

  Meredith Broussard

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  The word "glitch" implies an incidental error, as easy to patch up as it is to identify. But what if racism, sexism, and ableism aren't just bugs in mostly functional machinery—what if they're coded into the system itself? Meredith Broussard demonstrates in More Than a Glitch how neutrality in tech is a myth and why algorithms need to be held accountable. 
   
   
   
  Broussard, a data scientist and one of the few Black female researchers in artificial intelligence, masterfully synthesizes concepts from computer science and sociology. She explores a range of examples: from facial recognition technology trained only to recognize lighter skin tones, to mortgage-approval algorithms that encourage discriminatory lending, to the dangerous feedback loops that arise when medical diagnostic algorithms are trained on insufficiently diverse data. Even when such technologies are designed with good intentions, Broussard shows, fallible humans develop programs that can result in devastating consequences. 
   
   
   
  Broussard argues that the solution isn't to make omnipresent tech more inclusive, but to root out the algorithms that target certain demographics as "other" to begin with. With sweeping implications for fields ranging from jurisprudence to medicine, More Than a Glitch is a must-listen for anyone invested in building a more equitable future.

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