One of the important ecclesial developments over the last century has been the extraordinary rediscovery, retrieval and reinvigoration of the Christian contemplative tradition, a recovery that has been extraordinarily influential Theologians have begun to explore how aspects of the Christian contemplative tradition challenge certain prevalent views about the nature of God, the world, and persons, but this contemplative renaissance also raises crucial questions about a variety of more philosophical arenas such as how we construe the relationship between faith and reason, religious epistemology, theological metaphysics, philosophical hermeneutics and so forth. How might the theological and ecclesial renewal of the Christian contemplative tradition augment, challenge, and transform the practice not only of theology but also of philosophy itself? This book is an extended essay in 'contemplative philosophy,' the meeting of mystical and philosophical theology, of Christian contemplation and the philosophy of religion. It shows that, within the Christian tradition, philosophical and contemplative practices arose together and that throughout much of Christian history philosophy, theology and contemplation remained internal to one another. Contemplation was not something to be studied from the outside but rather transformed philosophical and theological inquiries from the inside. The relation of philosophy, theology, and contemplation to one another is of more than antiquarian interest, for it provides theologians and philosophers of religion today with a way forward beyond many of the stalemates that have beset discussions about faith and reason, the role of religion in contemporary culture, and the challenges of modernity and postmodernity.

Corporations are under fire. Hardly a day goes by that executive conduct doesn t appear as a topic or, more accurately, as a problem in the media. This leads to increased public pressure on corporations, many of whom are reacting and publicly assuming their corporate responsibility.

This book represents an introduction to and overview of the diverse aspects of the ethical challenges confronting companies today. It introduces executives, students and interested observers to the complex trends and developments in business ethics. On the one hand, this book presents industry-specific topics in ethics, and on the other provides a general, interdisciplinary survey of the ethical dimensions of management and business."

"Public health" refers to the management and prevention of disease within a population by promoting healthy behaviors and environments in an effort to create a higher standard of living. In this comprehensive volume, editor James W. Holsinger Jr. and an esteemed group of scholars and practitioners offer a concise overview of this burgeoning field, emphasizing that the need for effective services has never been greater. Designed as a supplemental text for introductory courses in public health practice at the undergraduate and graduate levels, Contemporary Public Health provides historical background that contextualizes the current state of the field and explores the major issues practitioners face today. It addresses essential topics such as the social and ecological determinants of health and their impact on practice, marginalized populations, the role of community-oriented primary care, the importance of services and systems research, accreditation, and the organizational landscape of the American public health system. Finally, it examines international public health and explores the potential of systems based on multilevel partnerships of government, academic, and nonprofit organizations. With fresh historical and methodological analyses conducted by an impressive group of distinguished authors, this text is an essential resource for practitioners, health advocates, and students.

Spanning more than 400 years of America's past, this book brings together, for the first time, entries on the ways Americans have mythologized both the many wars the nation has fought and the men and women connected with those conflicts. Focusing on significant representations in popular culture, it provides information on fiction, drama, poems, songs, film and television, art, memorials, photographs, documentaries, and cartoons. From the colonial wars before 1775 to our 1997 peacekeeper role in Bosnia, the work briefly explores the historical background of each war period, enabling the reader to place the almost 500 entries into their proper context. The book includes particularly large sections dealing with the popular culture of the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Indian Wars West of the Mississippi, World War II, and Vietnam. It has been designed to be a useful reference tool for anyone interested in America's many wars, to provide answers, to teach, to inspire, and most of all, to be enjoyed.

Has globalization led to a convergence in policy-making across nations and, if so, what are the causal mechanisms? This book analyses the extent to which the environmental policies of nation states have converged over the last thirty years and whether this convergence has led to a strengthening or weakening of environmental standards (a race to the top, or a race to the bottom). It also analyses the factors that account for these developments. Based on a unique empirical data set, the study covers the development of a wide range of environmental policies in twenty-four OECD countries, including EU member states as well as Norway, Switzerland, Japan, Mexico and the USA, with particular emphasis on the impact of institutional and economic interlinkages among these countries.

The provision of transnational and global common goods is increasingly important as a result of economic globalization and of technological developments. In this book international financial markets and international environmental problems are analyzed as typical examples of transnational common goods. The book deals with the factors affecting the strategic constellations in common goods provision, and in particular the strategic effects of the multi-level governance structure. The book is innovative in two respects. First, it applies public good theory to large-scale real world problems. Second, it introduces a systematic approach to the analysis of multi-level governance structures and their role in international common goods provision.

Big Data of Complex Networks presents and explains the methods from the study of big data that can be used in analysing massive structural data sets, including both very large networks and sets of graphs. As well as applying statistical analysis techniques like sampling and bootstrapping in an interdisciplinary manner to produce novel techniques for analyzing massive amounts of data, this book also explores the possibilities offered by the special aspects such as computer memory in investigating large sets of complex networks. Intended for computer scientists, statisticians and mathematicians interested in the big data and networks, Big Data of Complex Networks is also a valuable tool for researchers in the fields of visualization, data analysis, computer vision and bioinformatics. Key features: Provides a complete discussion of both the hardware and software used to organize big data Describes a wide range of useful applications for managing big data and resultant data sets Maintains a firm focus on massive data and large networks Unveils innovative techniques to help readers handle big data Matthias Dehmer received his PhD in computer science from the Darmstadt University of Technology, Germany. Currently, he is Professor at UMIT - The Health and Life Sciences University, Austria, and the Universitat der Bundeswehr Munchen. His research interests are in graph theory, data science, complex networks, complexity, statistics and information theory. Frank Emmert-Streib received his PhD in theoretical physics from the University of Bremen, and is currently Associate professor at Tampere University of Technology, Finland. His research interests are in the field of computational biology, machine learning and network medicine. Stefan Pickl holds a PhD in mathematics from the Darmstadt University of Technology, and is currently a Professor at Bundeswehr Universitat Munchen. His research interests are in operations research, systems biology, graph theory and discrete optimization. Andreas Holzinger received his PhD in cognitive science from Graz University and his habilitation (second PhD) in computer science from Graz University of Technology. He is head of the Holzinger Group HCI-KDD at the Medical University Graz and Visiting Professor for Machine Learning in Health Informatics Vienna University of Technology.

Teaching Justice explores the role that teaching and learning in higher education can play in solving problems of social injustice. Examining a range of approaches to education, it considers the challenges that exist in teaching about justice, drawing on extensive empirical data gathered amongst college lecturers and professors, as well as the author's own experience. With an analysis of the strategies commonly used this book will shed light on the manner in which students can be engaged in activism and concerned with issues of social injustice. By overcoming apathy and engaging students with social problems, education can thus address matters of injustice and begin to effect change. Presenting extensive international research and insightful analyses, Teaching Justice reveals the classroom and the lecture theatre to be important sites in the pursuit of social justice and will appeal to teachers and researchers with interests in social problems, education and educational methods, and criminal justice, as well as community engagement and service learning outside the classroom.

Irenaeus, the second-century bishop of Lyons, left such an impression upon the church that he is sometimes considered to be theology's "founding father." After all, his legacy includes such theological landmarks as the regula fidei (or "rule of faith") and the doctrine of recapitulation. Although these ought not to be minimized, we may gain a new appreciation for this early bishop by highlighting a facet of his work that is even more central: the distinctive shape of the hermeneutic guiding his readings of sacred texts as Christian Scripture. Within the contemporary climate of twenty-first century theology, the reopening of questions of power, truth, authenticity, and holism points to a critique of hermeneutical process (not just theological end-product). In Irenaeus's day, Gnostic Christians on the fringe of the church offered a vision of the telos of faith that many found compelling. Responding to this challenge required Irenaeus to articulate an even more satisfying Christian theology and anthropology on the basis of Scripture and received apostolic tradition. In this battle of hermeneutics, both sides considered protological texts such as Genesis 1:26 and 2:7 to be indispensible. Through a sympathetic reading, then, of Irenaeus and his competitors, we aim to better understand why Irenaeus's biblical interpretations ultimately were deemed more plausible, faithful, and fruitful within the mainstream of the church.

Teaching Justice explores the role that teaching and learning in higher education can play in solving problems of social injustice. Examining a range of approaches to education, it considers the challenges that exist in teaching about justice, drawing on extensive empirical data gathered amongst college lecturers and professors, as well as the author's own experience. With an analysis of the strategies commonly used this book will shed light on the manner in which students can be engaged in activism and concerned with issues of social injustice. By overcoming apathy and engaging students with social problems, education can thus address matters of injustice and begin to effect change. Presenting extensive international research and insightful analyses, Teaching Justice reveals the classroom and the lecture theatre to be important sites in the pursuit of social justice and will appeal to teachers and researchers with interests in social problems, education and educational methods, and criminal justice, as well as community engagement and service learning outside the classroom.

Ambitious parents, wilful kids, and the pursuit of prestige... A gripping page-turner, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies. 'More than a touch of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies' OBSERVER How far would you go to protect your child's future? In the peaceful, privileged community of Crystal, Colorado, a group of close friends are raising their families in harmony. Until one day, news begins to spread that a 'gifted school' will be opening its doors in their town. There are only a few places, and the competition will be ferocious. As parents and children begin to compete, cracks start to show in their picturesque community as long-buried secrets threaten to detonate under the pressure... Praise for The Gifted School: 'Snapping with tension' SHARI LAPENA 'Wise and addictive' NEW YORK TIMES 'Timely and relevant' OPRAHMAG 'On the pulse of modern times' MAGIC BOOK CLUB 'Relevant and relatable' i PAPER 'Exposes how easily a mix of good intentions, self-delusions, and minor sins can escalate' THE NEW YORKER