They say that crime doesn't pay, but somebody has forgotten to tell the criminals! Burglary, drugs, car theft and anti-social behaviour are all in a day's experience on the Belthorpe Estate in Leeds. However, some people have had enough and are fighting back, taking the law into their own hands. Who is behind the vigilante attacks? And what happens when the forces of law and order can't, or wont, do anything about it? Welcome to Bandit Country...From the killing ground of Northern Ireland at the height of 'The Troubles' to the mean streets of a contemporary housing estate, and with the War on Terror as its backdrop Bandit Country takes us on one man's journey through modern Britain - a Britain where people live with the stress of economic meltdown and lawlessness on the streets. But what lies at the heart of this journey is a quest for justice that will, in the end, threaten to reveal the deepest, darkest secrets at the heart of modern government. Will those secrets be revealed, or will the journey end as it began, in an explosion of death and destruction...

In Hubris: The Road to Donald Trump, David Owen analyses and describes the mental and physical condition of US Presidents and UK Prime Ministers with a particular view that what went before paved the way to President Trump. Of recent leaders there have been alcoholics, depressives, narcissists, populists and those affected by hubris syndrome and driven by their religious beliefs. But Donald Trump, a world class narcissist, presents a very different set of issues, as does Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister, also discussed in this revised edition. A trained physician and neuroscientist, David Owen is uniquely qualified to assess Trump and Johnson in their political, philosophical and medical contexts. Both are 'populists' and both have been economical with the truth. Trump is an inveterate user of social media and some of his 'Tweets' have been branded as outrageous and totally inappropriate for an American President. In 2020 he has faced an impeachment trial and in November will face the electorate as he seeks a second term. Boris Johnson's premiership is in its infancy. He has concluded the UK's exit from the EU but now has much to achieve to fulfil the promises made to the electorate in 2019, which gave an eighty seat majority to the Conservative party. Both Trump and Johnson have major roles to play in 2020. Trump's Middle East initiative, his attempts to quell the tension with Iran and North Korea and his plans for trade with China, will define his first four years. Johnson's focus must be on maintaining the United Kingdom, implementing new trade deals, worldwide, post Brexit and addressing the NHS, regional development and defence spending. The likely success of both President and Prime Minister is assessed by David Owen in his customarily incisive way and the book is an essential read for all with an interest in politics and the psychology of world leaders. David Owen is the author of several acclaimed books on politics, political history and the health of world leaders. He qualified as a doctor in 1962, was a Labour MP from 1966-81, an SDP MP from 1981-92 and from 1992 sat in the House of Lords as an Independent Social Democrat. He held several government posts under Wilson and Callaghan, the last as Foreign Secretary. Lord Owen continues to speak out on international affairs and to support research into hubris syndrome and other psychological conditions as there is 'compelling evidence that the course of history has been changed ... by the ill health of world leaders.'

The National Health Service is the most enduring of the institutions created by the first real Labour Government (1945-51). Before the NHS was created, treatment of ill health was provided by doctors in their surgeries and in hospitals, all of which had to be paid for by the patients. Many poorer families paid their GP's a monthly sum as they were usually in arrears with the fees. The Labour Government's vision was for a health service free for everybody and this was launched in 1948, with Aneurin Bevan as first Minister for Health. Now after nearly seventy years, with the costs of the NHS running at some GBP120 billions annually, and threatened by the 2012 Health and Social Care Act, the NHS is in danger of being classed as any other utility, gas, water, electricity and is imminent danger of marketization and commercialisation. In his book The Health of the Nation, David Owen has explained the consequences of the 2012 Act and the damage to the NHS that will result. Those most affected will be those who can least afford good health care. This book presents a powerful case for the repeal of the 2012 Act and for the restoration of the NHS to its traditional values.

Shaping the Normative Landscape is an investigation of the value of obligations and of rights, of forgiveness, of consent and refusal, of promise and request. David Owens shows that these are all instruments by which we exercise control over our normative environment. Philosophers from Hume to Scanlon have supposed that when we make promises and give our consent, our real interest is in controlling (or being able to anticipate) what people will actually do and that our interest in rights and obligations is a by-product of this more fundamental interest. In fact, we value for its own sake the ability to decide who is obliged to do what, to determine when blame is appropriate, to settle whether an act wrongs us. Owens explores how we control the rights and obligations of ourselves and of those around us. We do so by making friends and thereby creating the rights and obligations of friendship. We do so by making promises and so binding ourselves to perform. We do so by consenting to medical treatment and thereby giving the doctor the right to go ahead. The normative character of our world matters to us on its own account. To make sense of promise, consent, friendship and other related phenomena we must acknowledge that normative interests are amongst our fundamental interests. We must also rethink the psychology of agency and the nature of social convention.

Originally published separately, Weber's 'Science as a Vocation' and 'Politics as a Vocation' stand as the classic formulations of his positions on two related subjects that go to the heart of his thought: the nature and status of science and its claims to authority; and the nature and status of political claims and the ultimate justification for such claims. Together in this volume, these newly translated lectures offer an ideal point of entry into Weber's central project: understanding how, as Weber put it, in the West alone there have appeared cultural manifestations that seem to] go in the direction of universal significance and validity.

New Hall is one of the oldest inhabited moated houses in England. Built of local sandstone and warm Midlands brick, it sits in what was once the vast hunting forests of Sutton Chase, in the ancient county of Warwickshire. Sir Nicholas Pevsner, the great 20th century British architectural historian, describes New Hall's plaster ceilings, Solar (known as the Great Chamber), the seventeenth century staircase and various other additions as 'a major mansion in a moat'. The house was added to and adorned by subsequent owners, including the Earls of Warwick, whose fortunes rose and fell in the social, political and economic upheavals over the centuries; it is this story, told for the first time, that is England's history in miniature. This is a house that has lasted almost a millennium and the light bouncing off the lily-filled moat, its diamond-shard mullioned windows, their rippling ancient glass, the elegant hubris of the Victorian cupola-ed, castellated wing, are now enjoyed by guests of the wonderful, luxury hotel it is today. Written by Kate Holt, an internationally acclaimed photojournalist, with a foreword by Dr David Owen, OBE, a member of the last private family to own New Hall, this is a book that will engage, delight and inform.

Things are about to get seriously spooky for Alex Neptune in his fourth action-packed adventure - perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and Dragon Realm!

When a creepy fog rolls into Haven Bay, Alex, Zoey and Anil are ambushed by terrifying crab-riding zombies, controlled by the evil spirit of Brineblood the pirate.

The only weapon that can stop Brineblood's zombie army is a powerful trident - but it's been broken into three pieces. Alex, Zoey and Anil must enter three deadly worlds that have been magically trapped in bottles to retrieve the hidden pieces, all before the zombies can catch them. But with some penguins, an octopus and a frozen dragon on their side, how can they go wrong?

This edited volume argues that democracy is broader and more diverse than the dominant state-centered, modern representative democracies, to which other modes of democracy are either presumed subordinate or ignored. The contributors seek to overcome the standard opposition of democracy from below (participatory) and democracy from above (representative). Rather, they argue that through differently situated participatory and representative practices, citizens and governments can develop democratic ways of cooperating without hegemony and subordination, and that these relationships can be transformative. This work proposes a slow but sure, nonviolent, eco-social and sustainable process of democratic generation and growth with the capacity to critique and transform unjust and ecologically destructive social systems. This volume integrates human-centric democracies into a more mutual, interdependent and sustainable system on earth whereby everyone gains.

An accessible resource to develop authentic learning and teaching in higher education, this book challenges conventional teaching practice and presents meaningful and impactful alternatives across disciplines that are research informed, student-centred and achievable. Bringing together a wide range of contemporary examples, this essential text shows how academics from an increasing range of disciplines and fields have shifted their attention away from the restrictions of campus-based education. Using engaging case study material, underpinned by cutting edge research, the text shares innovations from over 50 different institutions, offers practical advice on how to facilitate authentic learning in real world contexts and examines the range of alternative assessment techniques available to the contemporary teacher. A Handbook for Authentic Learning in Higher Education is ideal reading for early career academics exploring approaches to learning, established academics searching for practical guides to emergent pedagogies and all those responsible for leading teaching and learning practices within their department or institution.

An accessible resource to develop authentic learning and teaching in higher education, this book challenges conventional teaching practice and presents meaningful and impactful alternatives across disciplines that are research informed, student-centred and achievable. Bringing together a wide range of contemporary examples, this essential text shows how academics from an increasing range of disciplines and fields have shifted their attention away from the restrictions of campus-based education. Using engaging case study material, underpinned by cutting edge research, the text shares innovations from over 50 different institutions, offers practical advice on how to facilitate authentic learning in real world contexts and examines the range of alternative assessment techniques available to the contemporary teacher. A Handbook for Authentic Learning in Higher Education is ideal reading for early career academics exploring approaches to learning, established academics searching for practical guides to emergent pedagogies and all those responsible for leading teaching and learning practices within their department or institution.

Essential reading if you are considering making an application for primary initial teacher education or preparing to begin your programme. It introduces you to a range of perspectives on teaching and teacher education and guides you through the application process to ensure you choose the training route that's right for you and achieve a successful result. Key chapters cover developing your subject knowledge in English and mathematics, understanding the curriculum, the nature of learning, assessment, behaviour issues and inclusive teaching. Useful features such as jargon busters, progress checklists and case studies make the material accessible and help you navigate the 'new landscape' of teacher education. In addition the text encourages you to reflect critically on your school experiences of learning and teaching and uses example of theory, research and practice to help you develop an informed stance on important themes.

This book is a systematic and constructive treatment of a number of traditional issues at the foundations of ethics. These issues concern the objectivity of ethics, the possibility and nature of moral knowledge, the relationship between the moral point of view and a scientific or naturalist world-view, the nature of moral value and obligation, and the role of morality in a person's rational lifeplan. In striking contrast to traditional and more recent work in the field, David Brink offers an integrated defense of the objectivity of ethics.

Over the past twenty years debate surrounding cultural diversity has become one of the most active areas of contemporary political theory and philosophy. The impact of taking cultural diversity seriously in modern political societies has led to challenges to the dominance of liberal theory and to a more serious engagement of political theory with actual political struggles. This volume of essays by leading political theorists reviews the development of multiculturalism, surveys the major approaches, addresses the critical questions posed and highlights new directions in research. Multiculturalism and Political Theory provides a 'state of the art' overview for both students and researchers.

We call beliefs reasonable or unreasonable, justified or unjustified. What does this imply about belief? Can we be held responsible for our beliefs, and perhaps more significantly should we be blamed for our unreasonable convictions?
Reason Without Freedom argues that the major problems of epistemology have their roots in this question over responsibility for belief. By drawing on the arguments of Descartes, Locke and Hume - the founders of epistemology - David Owens offers a critical discussion of the current trends in contemporary epistemology. He proposes that the problems we confront today - scepticism, the analysis of knowlege, and debates on epistemic justification- can be tackled only once we have understood the moral psychology of belief.
Reason Without Freedom will be essential reading for all those interested in contemporary epistemology, philosophy of mind and action, ethics, and the history of seventeenth and eighteenth- century philosophy.

Series Information:
International Library of Philosophy

In an important departure from theories of causation, David Owens proposes that coincidences have no causes, and that a cause is something which ensures that its effects are no coincidence. In Causes and Coincidences, he elucidates the idea of a coincidence as an event which can be analysed into constituent events, the nomological antecedents of which are independent of each other. He also suggests that causal facts can be analysed in terms of non-causal facts, including relations of necessity. Thus, causation is defined in terms of coincidence, and coincidence without reference to causation. David Owens challenges the ideas associated with Hume, Davidson and Lewis, constructing a theory which distinguishes nomological necessity and sufficiency from their logical counterparts. He is able to offer novel solutions to the major problems of causation, including the direction of causation, the logical form of causal statements, the distinction betwen causal connections and logical connections, and the relationship between psychological and physical causation.

Contents:
Introduction Kant and the question of maturity Nietzsche the transformation of critique: Nietzsche and genealogy The genealogy of modernity: Nietszche, asceticism and nihilism The politics of the Ubermensch: Nietzsche, maturity and modernity Weber genealogy as cultural science: Weber, methodology and critique The genealogy of modernity: Weber, asceticism and disenchantment The politics of "personality": Weber, maturity and modernity Foucault genealogy as historical ontology: Foucault, methodology and critique The genealogy of modernity: Foucault, humanism and biopolitics The politics of critique: Foucault, maturity and modernity Conclusion

Blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer ups the disaster movie ante by envisaging the destruction of the entire earth by an asteroid the size of Texas. NASA's attempt to avert global catastrophe involves sending a motley crew of oil drillers, led by Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis), into space, where they will drop a nuclear bomb into the asteroid's core. Amongst Stamper's team is A.J. (Ben Affleck), the headstrong suitor of his daughter (Liv Tyler), who waits on earth alongside NASA chief Dan Truman (Billy Bob Thornton) for news of the mission's success.

This text examines the work of Nietzsche, Weber and Foucalut as a distinct trajectory of critical thinking within modern thought which traces the emergence and development of genealogy in the form of immanent critique. The book aims to clarify the relations between these thinkers and to respond to Habermas' (and Dews') charge that these thinkers are nihilists and that their approach is philosophically incoherent and practically irresponsible by showing how genealogy as a practical activity is directed towards the achievements of human autonomy. The scope of the book covers the critical methodolgies developed by these thinkers with respect to the analysis of how we have become what we are, their substantive reconstructions of how we have become what we are and the implication which they draw for the possiblity of human autonomy in the present. It proceeds by detailed analysis of each thinker in turn showing the structure of their approach, their historical account of the emergence of modernity, and the politics of their attempts to facilitate the achievement of human autonomy.

Britain’s relationship with Russia is surprisingly under-explored. When the two formed a pragmatic alliance and fought together at Navarino in 1827, it was overwhelmingly the work of the British prime minister, George Canning. His death brought about a volte-face that would see the countries fighting on opposite sides in the Crimean War and jostling for power during the Great Game. It was not until the 1917 revolution that another statesman had a defining impact on relations between Britain and Russia: Winston Churchill opposed Bolshevism, yet he never stopped advocating diplomatic and military engagement with Russia. In the Second World War, he recognised earlier than most the necessity of allying with the Soviets against the menace of Nazi Germany – as well as the post-war threat to freedom posed by the Soviets themselves.Bringing us into the twenty-first century, Owen chronicles how both countries have responded to their geopolitical decline. Drawing on both imperial and Soviet history, he explains the unique nature of Putin’s autocracy and addresses Britain’s return to ‘blue water’ diplomacy. With Owen’s characteristic insight and expertise, Riddle, Mystery, and Enigma depicts a relationship governed by principle as often as by suspicion, expediency, and outright necessity.

A landmark work of western philosophy, "On the Genealogy of Morality" is a dazzling and brilliantly incisive attack on European "morality". Combining philosophical acuity with psychological insight in prose of remarkable rhetorical power, Nietzsche takes up the task of offering us reasons to engage in a re-evaluation of our values. In this book, David Owen offers a reflective and insightful analysis of Nietzsche's text. He provides an account of how Nietzsche comes to the project of the re-evaluation of values; he shows how the development of Nietzsche's understanding of the requirements of this project lead him to acknowledge the need for the kind of investigation of "morality" that he terms "genealogy"; he elucidates the general structure and substantive arguments of Nietzsche's text, accounting for the rhetorical form of these arguments, and he debates the character of genealogy (as exemplified by Nietzsche's "Genealogy") as a form of critical enquiry. Owen argues that there is a specific development of Nietzsche's work from his earlier "Daybreak" (1881) and that in "Genealogy of Morality", Nietzsche is developing a critique of modes of agency and that this constitutes the most fundamental aspect of his demand for a revaluation of values. The book is a distinctive and significant contribution to our understanding of Nietzsche's great text.

A landmark work of western philosophy, "On the Genealogy of Morality" is a dazzling and brilliantly incisive attack on European "morality". Combining philosophical acuity with psychological insight in prose of remarkable rhetorical power, Nietzsche takes up the task of offering us reasons to engage in a re-evaluation of our values. In this book, David Owen offers a reflective and insightful analysis of Nietzsche's text. He provides an account of how Nietzsche comes to the project of the re-evaluation of values; he shows how the development of Nietzsche's understanding of the requirements of this project lead him to acknowledge the need for the kind of investigation of "morality" that he terms "genealogy"; he elucidates the general structure and substantive arguments of Nietzsche's text, accounting for the rhetorical form of these arguments, and he debates the character of genealogy (as exemplified by Nietzsche's "Genealogy") as a form of critical enquiry. Owen argues that there is a specific development of Nietzsche's work from his earlier "Daybreak" (1881) and that in "Genealogy of Morality", Nietzsche is developing a critique of modes of agency and that this constitutes the most fundamental aspect of his demand for a revaluation of values. The book is a distinctive and significant contribution to our understanding of Nietzsche's great text.