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Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Controversial knowledge
Conspiracy theory and American foreign policy examines the
relationship between secrecy, power and interpretation around
international controversy, where foreign policy orthodoxy comes up
hard against alternative interpretations. It does so in the context
of US foreign policy during the War on Terror, a conflict that was
covert and conspiratorial to its core. Offering a new dimension to
debates on post-truth politics, this book critically examines the
'Arab-Muslim paranoia narrative': the view that Arab-Muslim
resentment towards America is motivated to some degree by a
paranoid perception of American power in the Middle East. This
narrative is traced from its roots in a post-War liberal
understanding of populism through to foreign policy debates about
the origins of 9/11, to the strategic heart of the Bush
Administration's War of Ideas. Balancing conceptual innovation with
detailed case analysis, Aistrope provides a window into the
ideological commitments of the US War on Terror. Offering a
fascinating insight into conspiracy and paranoia, this book is
essential reading for those interested in the relationship between
secrecy, power, and contemporary politics. -- .
From the highly acclaimed author of WAYS OF BEING. We live in times
of increasing inscrutability. Our news feeds are filled with
unverified, unverifiable speculation, much of it automatically
generated by anonymous software. As a result, we no longer
understand what is happening around us. Underlying all of these
trends is a single idea: the belief that quantitative data can
provide a coherent model of the world, and the efficacy of
computable information to provide us with ways of acting within it.
Yet the sheer volume of information available to us today reveals
less than we hope. Rather, it heralds a new Dark Age: a world of
ever-increasing incomprehension. In his brilliant new work, leading
artist and writer James Bridle offers us a warning against the
future in which the contemporary promise of a new technologically
assisted Enlightenment may just deliver its opposite: an age of
complex uncertainty, predictive algorithms, surveillance, and the
hollowing out of empathy. Surveying the history of art, technology
and information systems he reveals the dark clouds that gather over
discussions of the digital sublime.
History is written by the winners - and the powerful - but how much
of it is fiction? And who is really in control today? From the dawn
of civilization to the 21st century, from ancient aliens to the New
World Order, Secret History examines, explores and uncovers the
hidden, overlooked and buried history of mankind.
How the new conspiracists are undermining democracy-and what can be
done about it Conspiracy theories are as old as politics. But
conspiracists today have introduced something new-conspiracy
without theory. And the new conspiracism has moved from the fringes
to the heart of government with the election of Donald Trump. In A
Lot of People Are Saying, Russell Muirhead and Nancy Rosenblum show
how the new conspiracism differs from classic conspiracy theory,
how it undermines democracy, and what needs to be done to resist
it.
'Brilliant, a 5 out of 5 masterpiece' Evening Standard The renowned
historian of the Third Reich takes on the conspiracy theories
surrounding Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, in a vital history book for
the 'post-truth' age The idea that nothing happens by chance in
history, that nothing is quite what it seems to be at first sight,
that everything that occurs is the result of the secret
machinations of malign groups of people manipulating everything
from behind the scenes is as old as history itself. But conspiracy
theories are becoming more popular and more widespread in the
twenty-first century. Nowhere have they become more obvious than in
revisionist accounts of the history of the Third Reich.
Long-discredited conspiracy theories have taken on a new lease of
life, given credence by claims of freshly discovered evidence and
novel angles of investigation. This book takes five widely
discussed claims involving Hitler and the Nazis and subjects them
to forensic scrutiny: that the Jews were conspiring to undermine
civilization, as outlined in 'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion';
that the German army was 'stabbed in the back' by socialists and
Jews in 1918; that the Nazis burned down the Reichstag in order to
seize power; that Rudolf Hess' flight to the UK in 1941 was
sanctioned by Hitler and conveyed peace terms suppressed by
Churchill; and that Hitler escaped the bunker in 1945 and fled to
South America. In doing so, it teases out some surprising features
these, and other conspiracy theories, have in common. This is a
history book, but it is a history book for the age of 'post-truth'
and 'alternative facts': a book for our own troubled times.
In Baseball: The Golden Age, Harold Seymour and Dorothy Seymour
Mills explore the glorious era when the game truly captured the
American imagination, with such legendary figures as Babe Ruth and
Ty Cobb in the spotlight.
Beginning with the formation of the two major leagues in 1903, when
baseball officially entered its "golden age" of popularity, the
authors examine the changes in the organization of professional
baseball--from an unwieldy three-man commission to the strong
one-man rule of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. They depicts how the
play on the field shifted from the low-scoring, pitcher-dominated
game of the "dead ball" era before World War I to the higher
scoring of the 1920's "lively ball" era, with emphasis on home
runs, best exemplified by the exploits of Babe Ruth.
Note: On August 2, 2010, Oxford University Press made public that
it would credit Dorothy Seymour Mills as co-author of the three
baseball histories previously "authored" solely by her late
husband, Harold Seymour. The Seymours collaborated on Baseball: The
Early Years (1960), Baseball: The GoldenAge (1971) and Baseball:
The People's Game (1991).
Now available in paperback, Harold Seymour and Dorothy Seymour
Mills' Baseball: The Early Years recounts the true story of how
baseball came into being and how it developed into a highly
organized business and social institution.
The Early Years, traces the growth of baseball from the time of the
first recorded ball game at Valley Forge during the revolution
until the formation of the two present-day major leagues in 1903.
By investigating previously unknown sources, the book uncovers the
real story of how baseball evolved from a gentleman's amateur sport
of "well-bred play followed by well-laden banquet tables" into a
professional sport where big leagues operate under their own laws.
Offering countless anecdotes and a wealth of new information, the
authors explode many cherished myths, including the one which
claims that Abner Doubleday "invented" baseball in 1839. They
describe the influence of baseball on American business, manners,
morals, social institutions, and even show business, as well as
depicting the types of men who became the first professional ball
players, club owners, and managers, including Spalding, McGraw,
Comiskey, and Connie Mack.
Note: On August 2, 2010, Oxford University Press made public that
it would credit Dorothy Seymour Mills as co-author of the three
baseball histories previously "authored" solely by her late
husband, Harold Seymour. The Seymours collaborated on Baseball: The
Early Years (1960), Baseball: The GoldenAge (1971) and Baseball:
The People's Game (1991).
Conspiracy theories are no longer just a curiosity for afficionados
but a politically salient theme in the age of Trump, Brexit and
"fake news". One of the countries that has been entrapped in
conspiratorial visions is Turkey, and this book is the first
comprehensive survey in English of the Turkish conspiratorial
mind-set. It provides a nuanced overview of the discourses of
Turkish conspiracy theorists and examines how these theorists argue
for and legitimize their worldview. The author discusses a broad
range of conspiracy theories, including some influenced by Kemalist
and Islamist perspectives as well as those of the ruling Justice
and Development Party. The most influential authors, books,
references and images within the conspiracist milieu are all
examined in detail. This book will be an important source for
scholars interested in extremism in Turkey and the societal and
political impact of conspiracy theories.
When the utility of masks or vaccinations became politicized during
the COVID-19 pandemic and lost its mooring in scientific evidence,
an already-developing crisis of expertise was exacerbated. Those
who believe in consensus science wondered: "How can 'those people'
not see the truth?" This book shows that it is not a 'scientific'
controversy, but an ideological dispute with 'believers' on both
sides. If the advocates for consensus science acknowledge the
uncertainties involved, rather than insisting on cold, hard facts,
it is possible to open a pathway towards interaction and
communication, even persuasion, between world views. As the crisis
of expertise continues to be a global issue, this will be an
invaluable resource for readers concerned about polarized societies
and the distrust of consensus science.
Popular Lost Cities author David Hatcher Childress takes to the
road again in search of lost cities and ancient mysteries. This
time he is off to the American Southwest, traversing the region's
deserts, mountains and forests investigating archeological
mysteries and the unexplained. Join David as he starts in northern
Mexico and searches for the lost mines of the Aztecs. He continues
north to west Texas, delving into the mysteries of Big Bend,
including mysterious Phoenician tablets discovered there and the
strange lights of Marfa. He continues northward into New Mexico
where he stumbles upon a hollow mountain with a billion dollars of
gold bars hidden deep inside it! In Arizona he investigates tales
of Egyptian catacombs in the Grand Canyon, cruises along the
Devil's Highway, and tackles the century-old mystery of the
Superstition Mountains and the Lost Dutchman mine. In Nevada and
California Childress checks out the rumors of mummified giants and
weird tunnels in Death Valley, plus he searches the Mohave Desert
for the mysterious remains of ancient dwellers alongside lakes that
dried up tens of thousands of years ago. It's a full-tilt blast
down the back roads of the Southwest in search of the weird and
wondrous mysteries of the past!
Captain Charles Johnson's celebrated A General History of the
Pirates (1724) is the most famous book about pirates ever written.
Buoyed by the volume's runaway success Johnson followed up with the
equally engrossing The Lives and Adventures of the Most Famous
Highwaymen (1734) which, published here for the first time in two
centuries, provides over 50 accounts of the most notorious British
criminals of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These
include the famous highwayman William Davis, alias The Golden
Farmer, the cross-Channel gentleman highwayman Claude du Vall, the
prolific road adventurer Old Mob and the royalist carriage raider
James Hind. Johnson's volumes, featuring fictional accounts based
on factual sources, are significant as the forerunners of the
real-life criminal biography genre, and for their influence on such
early novels as Defoe's Moll Flanders and Fielding's Jonathan Wild.
Originally published in folio size complete with fine engravings,
this new edition of Highwaymen not only includes the very best of
these original decorative features but also presents a series of
related illustrations, playbills, and portraits from the British
Library collections.
"The Jesus Dynasty" offers a startling new interpretation of the
life of Jesus and the origins of Christianity that is grounded in
careful analysis of the earliest Christian documents and recent
archaeological discoveries, including the much-discussed "Jesus
family tomb."
In "The Jesus Dynasty," biblical scholar James Tabor brings us
closer than ever to the historical Jesus. He explains the crucial
relationship between Jesus, a royal descendant of David, and his
relative John the Baptizer, a priestly descendant of Aaron and
Jesus' teacher. When John was killed, several of his followers --
including Jesus' four brothers -- joined with Jesus, who continued
John's mission, preaching the same apocalyptic message. After Jesus
confronted the Roman authorities in Jerusalem and was crucified,
his brother James succeeded him as the leader of the Jesus dynasty.
James Tabor has studied the earliest surviving documents of
Christianity for more than thirty years and has participated in
important archaeological excavations in Israel. His reconstruction
of the life of Jesus and his followers, and of the early years of
Christianity, will change our understanding of one of the most
crucial moments in history.
In a comprehensive and compelling manner, this guide to the one of
the world's most mysterious civilizations enables readers to tap
into and harness the spiritual wisdom and power of Atlantis. With
guidance on how to understand the profound truths of the Atlantean
culture, the fascinating and inspiring lives of these ancients are
fully divulged--from their social structures, beliefs, and
practices to their extraordinary technological knowledge. Special
chapters devoted to crystals--from their essences and remedies to
the crucial role they played in Atlantis--are also included.
?Controversial, provocative, even profoundly ?irritating? to
some....Gardiner eruditely challenges us all with this refreshing
study...from the Garden of Eden into more modern times.? ?Dr. Karen
Ralls, medieval historian and author of THE TEMPLARS AND THE GRAIL
?Gnosis is a refreshing creation of true spiritual teaching?as well
as being a damn good read. Gardiner possesses that rare ability to
weave history, mythology and spiritual tradition into writing that
is both understandable and enjoyable.? ?Gnostics Website
(www.gnostics.com) From the Queen of Sheba and the arcane secrets
of the Christian Gnostics to the Muslim Sufi and Hindu Avatars,
Gnosis weaves a tale that is both profound and precise. Gardiner
declares that the truth of Solomon's Temple has been known all
along within the realm of esoteric understanding. Only one question
remains: Is the world ready for the truth? Find the true secret of
the Knight's Templar and the mysteries of the ancients. Find the
truth for
The first full-scale sociological survey of the assimilation of minorities in America, this classic work presents significant conclusions about the problems of prejudice and discrimination in America and offers positive suggestions for the achievement of a healthy balance among societal, subgroup, and individual needs.
Building on the esoteric information first revealed in "Land of
Osiris", this exciting book presents more of Abd'El Hakim's oral
traditions, with radical new interpretations of how religion
evolved in prehistoric and dynastic Khemit, or Egypt. Have popular
modern religions developed out of practices in ancient Egypt? Did
religion in Egypt represent only a shadow of the spiritual
practices of prehistoric people? Have the Western Mystery Schools
such as the Rosicrucian Order evolved from these ancient systems?
Author Mehler explores the teachings of the King Akhenaten and the
real Moses, the true identity of the Hyksos, and Akhenaten's
connections to The Exodus, Judaism and the Rosicrucian Order. Here
for the first time in the West, are the spiritual teachings of the
ancient Khemitians, the foundation for the coming new cycle of
consciousness - The Awakening.
The coronavirus pandemic struck the world in a very distinctive
way: experience from past pandemics or from more recent outbreaks
could give us only a limited understanding of how the situation was
likely to unfold. In this context, and with cyberspace being
increasingly used to support health-related decision making and to
market health products, potentially harmful behaviours have been
carried out by individuals propagating non-science-based health
(mis)information and conspiratorial thinking. This includes, among
other actions, boycotting the use of masks and physical distancing,
proactively opposing the use of the COVID-19 candidate vaccines,
and promoting the use of useless or even dangerous substances to
prevent or resist the virus. By relying on a virtual ethnography
approach carried out on Italian-speaking alternative lifestyle and
counter-information online communities, this book shows how the
nature of personal interactions online and the construction of both
personal and group identities through the development of an 'us vs.
them' narrative, are central to the creation and propagation of
medical misinformation. This book is essential reading for
researchers in the social, health, and data sciences and also
professionals interested in scientific communication.
The cattle mutilation phenomenon is an ongoing mystery that has
endured for almost 50 years. What have we learned, if anything,
from the countless reports filed? Who or what is behind the death
and disfigurement of livestock reported as mutilated around the
globe? Are black helicopters or UFOs related to the cattle
mutilation phenomenon as many witnesses have claimed? This book
addresses these questions in depth and, also, offers an objective
look at the history of our venerated relationship with cattle, the
first domesticated livestock.
There is a war on truth. And the liars are winning. There is an
increasingly large number of weapons in the arsenal of the rich,
the powerful and the elected to prevent the truth from coming out -
to bury it, warp it, twist it to suit their purposes. Truthteller
exposes this toolbox of lies and deception, and reveals how
governments and corporations have covered-up mass murder,
corruption and catastrophe. In a world where Putin and Trump have
successfully branded journalists as traffickers in fake news, while
promoting the actual creators of fake news, investigative reporter
Stephen Davis shows the tools that are used to deceive us and
explains why they work. He draws from over three decades as an
award-winning reporter, editor, foreign correspondent, television
producer, documentary filmmaker, and journalism educator to analyse
exclusive documents and interviews. Discover shocking details of
deception in media across the globe and learn how to recognise and
decode the lies we are told by those in power. Truthteller is an
essential guide for understanding the modern media world - for
teachers, students and concerned citizens who want to know the
facts, not fake news and conspiracy theories. It takes you inside
the world of investigative reporting in an intimate history of a
reporter's battles, won and lost, the personal and professional
costs and the lives damaged along the way.
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