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Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Encyclopaedias & reference works > Reference works > General
The Common Law is Oliver Wendell Holmes' most sustained work of
jurisprudence. In it the careful reader will discern traces of his
later thought as found in both his legal opinions and other
writings. At the outset of The Common Law Holmes posits that he is
concerned with establishing that the common law can meet the
changing needs of society while preserving continuity with the
past. A common law judge must be creative, both in determining the
society's current needs, and in discerning how best to address
these needs in a way that is continuous with past judicial
decisions. In this way, the law evolves by moving out of its past,
adapting to the needs of the present, and establishing a direction
for the future. To Holmes' way of thinking, this approach is
superior to imposing order in accordance with a philosophical
position or theory because the law would thereby lose the
flexibility it requires in responding to the needs and demands of
disputing parties as well as society as a whole. According to
Holmes, the social environment--the economic, moral, and political
milieu--alters over time. Therefore in order to remain responsive
to this social environment, the law must change as well. But the
law is also part of this environment and impacts it. There is,
then, a continual reciprocity between the law and the social
arrangements in which it is contextualized. And, as with the
evolution of species, there is no starting over. Rather, in most
cases, a judge takes existing legal concepts and principles, as
these have been memorialized in legal precedent, and adapts them,
often unconsciously, to fit the requirements of a particular case
and present social conditions.
The range of energy systems carried by this volume is inclusive,
encompassingthermal and gas turbines, renewable power, fuel cells
(low and high temperature), nuclear power generation (fission and
fusion) and the transmission and storage of the energy produced.
The editors consider aspects of the hydrogen economy, as well as
the materials employed in the design of batteries, and in energy
conversion in a range of devices and actuators. Over 80 articles
have been selected which discuss the applications of materials to
these energy systems, with emphasis placed upon the generation of
nuclear energy. The whole assembly provides the reader with an
up-to-date understanding of the applications of the entire range of
materials of engineering importance, across metals, ceramics and
polymeric materials.
Aconcise desk reference work for material scientists working with
energy systemsBridges the divide between materials science and
engineering of complex systemSignificantly more cost-effective than
purchase of the main "Encyclopedia of Materials: Science and
Technology "for departmental budgets"
This innovative Research Handbook answers crucial questions about
how individuals and organisations can make a difference towards
sustainability. Offering an integrative perspective on
sustainability agency, it reviews individual, active,
organisational and relational forms of sustainability agency,
demonstrating the capacity of individuals and organisations to act
toward sustainable futures. The Research Handbook investigates the
relationships between agency and sustainability, demonstrating the
importance of agency for different types of sustainability
challenges, including mitigating environmental change and resource
depletion. International contributors offer a multidisciplinary
overview of the field, constructing detailed literature reviews on
its many angles and variations. Concluding with a consolidative
meta-review of sustainability agency, the Research Handbook offers
directions for future research in the discipline. Crucial reading
for scholars and researchers of sustainability, this cutting-edge
Research Handbook is particularly useful for those exploring new
avenues for research in relation to agency. It will also benefit
graduate students looking for an interdisciplinary perspective in
the field, as well as practitioners, advocates and NGOs hoping to
understand ways in which sustainability can be enacted in various
contexts.
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