Few concepts are as central to sociology as institutions. Yet, like so many sociological concepts, institutions remain vaguely defined. This book expands a foundational definition of the institution, one which locates them as the basic building blocks of human societies-as structural and cultural machines for survival that make it possible to pass precious knowledge from one generation to the next, ensuring the survival of our species. The book extends this classic tradition by, first, applying advances in biological evolution, neuroscience, and primatology to explain the origins of human societies and, in particular, the first institutional sphere: kinship. The authors incorporate insights from natural sciences often marginalized in sociology, while highlighting the limitations of purely biogenetic, Darwinian explanations. Secondly, they build a vivid conceptual model of institutions and their central dynamics as the book charts the chronological evolution of kinship, polity, religion, law, and economy, discussing the biological evidence for the ubiquity of these institutions as evolutionary adaptations themselves.

Like any other valued resource, emotions are distributed unequally. Moreover, emotions are a generalized resource because they give people the confidence, or lack of confidence, to secure additional types of resources. Thus, this distribution of emotions roughly corresponds to the shares of others kinds of resources that members of various social classes possess. The level of positive and negative emotional energy evident among members of different social classes has large consequences for the viability of human societies. When a large majority of members in diverse social classes have reservoirs of positive emotional energy, these emotions work to legitimate macrostructures and to build people's commitments to societies. When, however, significant numbers of persons in lower social classes, and at times in middle to upper social classes as well, reveal reservoirs of negative emotional energy, they are likely to de-legitimate key institutional systems and, under specifiable conditions, mobilize collective-often with violent outcomes. Thus, emotions are at the core of both integrative and disintegrative forces in societies, and when large reservoirs of negative emotional energy exist, they pose a problem for societies. The goal of this new, unique Series is to offer readable, teachable "thinking frames" on today's social problems and social issues by leading scholars, all in short 60 page or shorter formats, and available for view on http: //routledge.customgateway.com/routledge-social-issues.html For instructors teaching a wide range of courses in the social sciences, the Routledge Social Issues Collection now offers the best of both worlds: originally written short texts that provide "overviews" to important social issues as well as teachable excerpts from larger works previously published by Routledge and other presses.

Few concepts are as central to sociology as institutions. Yet, like so many sociological concepts, institutions remain vaguely defined. This book expands a foundational definition of the institution, one which locates them as the basic building blocks of human societies-as structural and cultural machines for survival that make it possible to pass precious knowledge from one generation to the next, ensuring the survival of our species. The book extends this classic tradition by, first, applying advances in biological evolution, neuroscience, and primatology to explain the origins of human societies and, in particular, the first institutional sphere: kinship. The authors incorporate insights from natural sciences often marginalized in sociology, while highlighting the limitations of purely biogenetic, Darwinian explanations. Secondly, they build a vivid conceptual model of institutions and their central dynamics as the book charts the chronological evolution of kinship, polity, religion, law, and economy, discussing the biological evidence for the ubiquity of these institutions as evolutionary adaptations themselves.

For decades, evolutionary analysis was overlooked or altogether ignored by sociologists. Fears and biases persisted nearly a century after Auguste Comte gave the discipline its name, as did concerns that its effect would only reduce sociology to another discipline - whether biology, psychology, or economics. Worse, apprehension that the application of evolutionary theory would encourage heightened perceptions of racism, sexism, ethnocentrism and reductionism pervaded. Turner and Machalek argue instead for a new embrace of biology and evolutionary analysis. Sociology, from its very beginnings in the early 19th century, has always been concerned with the study of evolution, particularly the transformation of societies from simple to ever-more complex forms. By comprehensively reviewing the original ways that sociologists applied evolutionary theory and examining the recent renewal and expansion of these early approaches, the authors confront the challenges posed by biology, neuroscience, and psychology to distinct evolutionary approaches within sociology. They emerge with key theoretical and methodological discoveries that demonstrate the critical - and compelling - case for a dramatically enriched sociology that incorporates all forms of comparative evolutionary analysis to its canon and study of sociocultural phenomena.

Written by leading theorists and empirical researchers, this book presents new ways of addressing the old question: Why did religion first emerge and then continue to evolve in all human societies? The authors of the book-each with a different background across the social sciences and humanities-assimilate conceptual leads and empirical findings from anthropology, evolutionary biology, evolutionary sociology, neurology, primate behavioral studies, explanations of human interaction and group dynamics, and a wide range of religious scholarship to construct a deeper and more powerful explanation of the origins and subsequent evolutionary development of religions than can currently be found in what is now vast literature. While explaining religion has been a central question in many disciplines for a long time, this book draws upon a much wider array of literature to develop a robust and cross-disciplinary analysis of religion. The book remains true to its subtitle by emphasizing an array of both biological and sociocultural forms of selection dynamics that are fundamental to explaining religion as a universal institution in human societies. In addition to Darwinian selection, which can explain the biology and neurology of religion, the book outlines a set of four additional types of sociocultural natural selection that can fill out the explanation of why religion first emerged as an institutional system in human societies, and why it has continued to evolve over the last 300,000 years of societal evolution. These sociocultural forms of natural selection are labeled by the names of the early sociologists who first emphasized them, and they can be seen as a necessary supplement to the type of natural selection theorized by Charles Darwin. Explanations of religion that remain in the shadow cast by Darwin's great insights will, it is argued, remain narrow and incomplete when explaining a robust sociocultural phenomenon like religion.

Like any other valued resource, emotions are distributed unequally. Moreover, emotions are a generalized resource because they give people the confidence, or lack of confidence, to secure additional types of resources. Thus, this distribution of emotions roughly corresponds to the shares of others kinds of resources that members of various social classes possess. The level of positive and negative emotional energy evident among members of different social classes has large consequences for the viability of human societies. When a large majority of members in diverse social classes have reservoirs of positive emotional energy, these emotions work to legitimate macrostructures and to build people's commitments to societies. When, however, significant numbers of persons in lower social classes, and at times in middle to upper social classes as well, reveal reservoirs of negative emotional energy, they are likely to de-legitimate key institutional systems and, under specifiable conditions, mobilize collective-often with violent outcomes. Thus, emotions are at the core of both integrative and disintegrative forces in societies, and when large reservoirs of negative emotional energy exist, they pose a problem for societies. The goal of this new, unique Series is to offer readable, teachable "thinking frames" on today's social problems and social issues by leading scholars, all in short 60 page or shorter formats, and available for view on http://routledge.customgateway.com/routledge-social-issues.html For instructors teaching a wide range of courses in the social sciences, the Routledge Social Issues Collection now offers the best of both worlds: originally written short texts that provide "overviews" to important social issues as well as teachable excerpts from larger works previously published by Routledge and other presses.

For decades, evolutionary analysis was overlooked or altogether ignored by sociologists. Fears and biases persisted nearly a century after Auguste Comte gave the discipline its name, as did concerns that its effect would only reduce sociology to another discipline - whether biology, psychology, or economics. Worse, apprehension that the application of evolutionary theory would encourage heightened perceptions of racism, sexism, ethnocentrism and reductionism pervaded. Turner and Machalek argue instead for a new embrace of biology and evolutionary analysis. Sociology, from its very beginnings in the early 19th century, has always been concerned with the study of evolution, particularly the transformation of societies from simple to ever-more complex forms. By comprehensively reviewing the original ways that sociologists applied evolutionary theory and examining the recent renewal and expansion of these early approaches, the authors confront the challenges posed by biology, neuroscience, and psychology to distinct evolutionary approaches within sociology. They emerge with key theoretical and methodological discoveries that demonstrate the critical - and compelling - case for a dramatically enriched sociology that incorporates all forms of comparative evolutionary analysis to its canon and study of sociocultural phenomena.

Written by leading theorists and empirical researchers, this book presents new ways of addressing the old question: Why did religion first emerge and then continue to evolve in all human societies? The authors of the book-each with a different background across the social sciences and humanities-assimilate conceptual leads and empirical findings from anthropology, evolutionary biology, evolutionary sociology, neurology, primate behavioral studies, explanations of human interaction and group dynamics, and a wide range of religious scholarship to construct a deeper and more powerful explanation of the origins and subsequent evolutionary development of religions than can currently be found in what is now vast literature. While explaining religion has been a central question in many disciplines for a long time, this book draws upon a much wider array of literature to develop a robust and cross-disciplinary analysis of religion. The book remains true to its subtitle by emphasizing an array of both biological and sociocultural forms of selection dynamics that are fundamental to explaining religion as a universal institution in human societies. In addition to Darwinian selection, which can explain the biology and neurology of religion, the book outlines a set of four additional types of sociocultural natural selection that can fill out the explanation of why religion first emerged as an institutional system in human societies, and why it has continued to evolve over the last 300,000 years of societal evolution. These sociocultural forms of natural selection are labeled by the names of the early sociologists who first emphasized them, and they can be seen as a necessary supplement to the type of natural selection theorized by Charles Darwin. Explanations of religion that remain in the shadow cast by Darwin's great insights will, it is argued, remain narrow and incomplete when explaining a robust sociocultural phenomenon like religion.

70 per cent of the planet is covered by water, and 90 per cent of global economic trade is transported by sea. The world's seas and oceans are big business. Based on gross marine product, the ocean can be considered the world's seventh-largest economy, with the total global value of the Blue Economy predicted to rise to $3 trillion by 2030. Grounded in detailed market research, and brought to life through over 250 meticulously researched case studies, Technology and the Blue Economy presents a compelling overview of an inspiring and innovative sector that includes offshore renewable energy, ports and harbours, shipping, maritime surveillance, cyber security, aquaculture and ocean conservation. It tackles questions like these: * With Earth observation satellites providing unprecedented levels of data about the ocean, can machine learning capabilities develop at pace to make sense of all this new information? * How can ships protect themselves when one shipping firm alone records 50,000 daily attempts to breach its cyber security systems? * With floating wind farms now pushing further out to sea to convert natural energy, what role do robots have in managing essential maintenance in these more remote environments? * When passenger ferries are already sailing themselves and self-docking in port without human intervention, are we entering an age where human error is eradicated? * With fish farming predicted to account for 62 per cent of all the seafood consumed globally by 2030, how can 3D imaging cameras and net-cleaning robots help to stop mass deaths of fish that can run into millions in a single incident? * In the age of smartphone ubiquity, how important a role might social media and citizen science play in ocean conservation? * With luxury cruise ships now marketing themselves as 'smart, connected cities', crunching passenger data in real-time, do they now provide the gold standard of customer experience within the tourist industry? * Is optical scanning technology the solution to countering slavery at sea, a real concern in the south-east Asian fishing industry? * Can satellite-enabled tracking and autonomous clean-up systems help to counter one of the greatest conservation issues of the day - the fight against ocean plastic pollution? Technology and the Blue Economy explores how innovators can develop the right business models to capitalize on growth opportunities, and analyses the critical success factors for emerging technologies.

Seventy percent of the planet is covered by water, and ninety percent of global economic trade is transported by sea. The oceans are inextricably linked with food security and the global economy. Technology and the Blue Economy examines the vital role that technology plays in developing the blue economy. It provides a clear, accessible picture of the current and future potential of technology within different sectors in the blue economy, such as offshore energy, ports and harbours, shipping, maritime surveillance and cyber security.

Technology and the Blue Economy looks at the disruption of established business models through case studies of leading innovators, examining development issues, what they have learned and how they have transformed their current ways of working within their organizations. Along with actionable takeaways at the end of each section, readers will learn from and be inspired by the front-line experiences of Blue Economy innovators.

Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, David, Goliath, the Witch of Endor, Absalom, the Song of Songs - the very names conjure up visions of intrigue, romance and daring. But the "Golden Age" of Israel supplies us with far more than marvelous tales of adventure and romance. Behind the stories lie enduring principles which are as valid today as they were then. Our very language owes many of its figures of speech to that era.

This book is part of a multi-volume biblical survey course. The twenty-nine studies in this volume cover not only the events of the greatest era of Israelite history, but also the "Wisdom Literature" which dates from the time. In addition, the lessons provide practical applications which can help us in our lives today. Among the subjects covered are: peer pressure, loyalty vs. expediency, friendship, leadership, repentance and romantic love.

The author also includes an essay on whether the biblical texts are reliable and historically accurate.

Other volumes in this series explore different periods of Old Testament history. Titles include:

Beginnings and Patriarchs

Exodus and Wanderings

Conquest and Judges

Professor of Linguistics, Stacy Foster still grieves for her late husband. Preacher Keith Campbell suffers from ministry burnout. While on a tourist jaunt to Turkey, a natural disaster forces them to trust and depend on each other for survival. In the process they stumble upon an archaeological discovery which, if brought to light, will forever change biblical scholarship. However, powerful forces are arrayed against them. Many would like to suppress the truth. Will Stacy and Keith give in and compromise their integrity to preserve the status quo? Or, will they put their reputations, their careers and their relationship at risk to stand up for the truth?

Benjamin Carpenter, a gifted Bible teacher and church planter, is still recovering from his wife's death five years ago. He leaves his home in the United States to develop a training program for church leaders in Pakistan. This helps him regain purpose in life. However, he discovers that teaching and living in a different culture also makes him vulnerable. He runs short of food and money. He faces ridicule and false accusations. And he's drawn the attention of someone who is willing to kill both him and his students.

Donish Ullah is a radical Muslim dedicated to the spread of Islam. However, he is in disgrace for acting against the wrong target. When the leader of his Madrissah directs him to spy on Benjamin, Donish jumps at the chance to redeem himself. He plants bugs in Benjamin's home and classroom hoping to catch him in blasphemy, only to find that he's trapped himself in a moral dilemma.

This book is part of a multi-volume survey of the Old Testament. The twenty-one lesson plans in this volume cover the Conquest of Canaan and the time of the Judges - one of the most chaotic and turbulent eras in Israelite history. In spite of the sometimes unsavory incidents involved, the lessons, which are suitable for both teenagers and adults, stress the positive. Topics include: the fall of Jericho, the Gibeonite deception, the career of Gideon, the capture of the Ark of the Covenant, and much more. Three of the lessons are on one of the most beautiful love stories of all time, that of Ruth and Boaz. Each lesson emphasizes principles which are relevant to life today. Examples of applications are: making and keeping vows, overcoming the past, overcoming bitterness and restoring a relationship with God. In addition to the lessons, Mr. Turner includes an essay on the nature of God. In it he explains how a loving God can also command things like genocide. Other books in this series deal with different periods of Old Testament history. Titles include: Beginnings and Patriarchs, Exodus and Wanderings, The United Monarchy.

Exodus and Wanderings continues the survey of Old Testament history Mr. Turner began in his book, Beginnings and Patriarchs. The seventeen lesson plans in this volume cover the time-period from the Israelites' slavery in Egypt to just before their crossing the Jordan river in order to enter the land of Canaan. A few of the topics are: Moses' call, judgments on Egypt, revolt in the desert, and Balaam's prophecies.

Aside from the "Exodus" from Egypt the defining element of this period is the covenant God established with the Israelite people by means of the Law of Moses. Teachers and students alike will appreciate Turner's concise summaries which cut through the sometimes mind-numbing complexities of key features of the Law, and Tabernacle worship.

Each lesson not only explains the biblical text and events, but emphasizes practical applications for Christians today. Among these applications are: waiting for God's timing, living holy and consistent lives, dealing with criticism and discouragement, keeping promises, and entering covenant relationships.

In addition to the lessons, the author has included an essay on the Exodus.

This book is part of a series. Other volumes include: Beginnings and Patriarchs, Conquest and Judges, The United Monarchy

This book is a survey of the Old Testament from the Creation through the life of Joseph. Teachers of teenage and adult Bible classes will appreciate the twenty-eight well organized and thought provoking lesson plans in this volume. Topics include: the fall and God's promise of redemption, the flood and restoration, the dilemma of God's justice, the faith of Abraham, the choice between Salem and Sodom, the life of Jacob, and much more. The lessons are deep enough to hold the interest of those who are already familiar with the Bible, yet simple enough for those who are new to the Bible to understand. In addition, the lessons are practical. They emphasize principles which students can apply to their lives. Examples of applications are: recognizing and avoiding sin, overcoming environment, choosing friends and associates, choosing a mate, and restoring broken relationships. The author also includes an essay on the art of teaching. In it he discusses the purpose of teaching and shares a simple acronym to help teachers remember the elements which make a class effective. Other volumes in this series explore the rest of the Old Testament period. Titles include: Exodus and Wanderings Conquest and Judges The United Monarchy

Story of a gargoyle named Quincy and the young prince who grows up in his castle. Covers loss, war, faith, and the constants that provide solace in times of sorrow.