Homo Ludens Homo Aestheticus

�Dissanayake argues that art was central to human evolutionary adaptation and that the aesthetic faculty is a basic psychological component of every human being. In her view, art is intimately linked to the origins of religious practices and to ceremonies of birth, death, transition, and transcendence. Drawing on her years in Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and Papua New Guinea, she gives examples of painting, song, dance, and drama as behaviors that enable participants to grasp and reinforce what is important to their cognitive world.��Publishers Weekly�Homo Aestheticus offers a wealth of original and critical thinking. It will inform and irritate specialist, student, and lay reader alike.��American AnthropologistA thoughtful, elegant, and provocative analysis of aesthetic behavior in the development of our species�one that acknowledges its roots in the work of prior thinkers while opening new vistas for those yet to come. If you�re reading just one book on art anthropology this year, make it hers.��Anthropology and Humanism

Can subjective, individual taste be reconciled with an objective, universal standard? In Homo Aestheticus, Luc Ferry argues that this central problem of aesthetic theory is fundamentally related to the political problem of democratic individualism. Ferry's treatise begins in the mid-1600s with the simultaneous invention of the notions of taste (the essence of art as subjective pleasure) and modern democracy (the idea of the State as a consensus among individuals). He explores the differences between subjectivity and individuality by examining aesthetic theory as developed first by Kant's predecessors and then by Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, and proponents of the avant-garde. Ferry discerns two "moments" of the avant-garde aesthetic: the hyperindividualistic iconoclasm of creating something entirely new, and the hyperrealistic striving to achieve an extraordinary truth. The tension between these two, Ferry argues, preserves an essential element of the Enlightenment concern for reconciling the subjective and the objective—a problem that is at once aesthetic, ethical, and political. Rejecting postmodern proposals for either a radical break with or return to tradition, Ferry embraces a postmodernism that recasts Enlightenment notions of value as a new intersubjectivity. His original analysis of the growth and decline of the twentieth-century avant-garde movement sheds new light on the connections between aesthetics, ethics, and political theory.

From Ancient philosophy to contemporary theories of fiction, it is a common practice to relegate illusory appearances to the realm of the non-existent, like shadows on the wall of Plato’s cave. Contrary to this traditional mode of drawing a metaphysical distinction between reality and fiction, Markus Gabriel argues that the realm of the illusory, fictional, imaginary, and conceptually indeterminate is as real as it gets. Being in touch with reality need not and cannot require that we overcome appearances in order to grasp a meaningless reality which exists ‘out there,’ outside and maybe even beyond our minds. Human mindedness (Geist) exists in the mode of fictions through which we achieve self-consciousness. This novel approach provides a fresh perspective on our existence as subjects who lead their lives in the light of self-conceptions. Fictions also develops a social ontology according to which the social unfolds as a constant renegotiation of dissent, of different points of view onto the same reality. Thus, we cannot ever hope to ground human society in a fiction-free realm of objective transactions. However, this does not mean that truth and reality are somehow outdated concepts. On the contrary, we need to enlarge our conception of reality so that it fully encompasses ourselves as specifically minded social animals. This major new work of philosophy will be of interest to students and scholars throughout the humanities and to anyone interested in contemporary philosophy and social thought.

This book describes the current innovative tendencies characteristic of multifaceted scientific research and practical developments in the field of international business development and sustainable management. This book shows how companies are forced to change development strategies and business models, which actualizes new priorities for scientific research in the field of international business and sustainable management. Therefore, completely new subject areas of research are being formed; management guidelines are being transformed; new business development tools are being developed; the very system of academic research is changing. This book “Innovative Trends in International Business and Sustainable Management” is devoted to the discussion of these and other issues related to all major areas of international business development and sustainable management. This book systematically describes multidimensional trends, challenges, and opportunities for the development of international business and sustainable management in the context of a global pandemic. In this sense, it is unique and relevant for both scientific researchers and modern business practitioners. This book uniquely highlights new priorities of scientific and practical research in the field of international business and sustainable management that require a systematic knowledge of the ongoing transformations of trends, challenges, and opportunities for the development. Aimed at scholars and practitioners, the book provides illustrations of international best practice for conducting business beyond borders. The main goals of the book are firstly to provide opinions on current innovative approaches and technologies for solving modern problems of international business, as well as on the formation of a multi-level system of sustainable management of the socioeconomic systems’ development, secondly, to integrate research from academia, as well as practitioners in order to form priorities, approaches and models of company management in the context of globalization, strategies for the development of management systems in the context of the “new reality”, thirdly, to find the most relevant new areas of research, the results of which can be useful to companies for making management decisions, and concludes to analyze new tools for the development of international business, their capabilities, and areas of application

Almost a century since the idea of creating more humane — more human-centric — cities was brought to the fore, how far has mankind progressed towards creating a true 'city with a heart'? How far off are we, and what can we do to close the gap?The first generation of smart cities showed the limits of top-down planning, in which cities contracted out design and implementation to IT providers. As residents resented paying high taxes for 'smart' urban features that they did not want or use, it became plain that smart cities were not sustainable, and needed to be re-thought. 'Smart City 2.0' starts the design process with understanding the needs of human residents. Little has yet been written about smart cities' second wind.This book offers leading-edge, international perspectives on Smart City 2.0. It offers an overview of the sustainable smart city concept, presents leading experts' latest thinking on strategies for a new generation of smart cities, and showcases eight implementation case studies from seven countries. All chapters are contributed by prominent, leading thinkers and practitioners from a dozen countries, representing both the developed and the developing worlds.Related Link(s)

Violence on both large and small scales has a tremendous impact on society. The causes and impacts of violence have been under study for decades; however, in the modern era, it is important to remain knowledgeable of the current research on violence. As tragic events flood news headlines around the world, it is essential to evaluate violence, its causes, and its impact on society in order to mitigate and prevent violence globally. The Research Anthology on Modern Violence and Its Impact on Society discusses the causes, ideologies, and perceptions of modern violence and examines its impact on society. It presents emerging research on modern violence in multiple dimensions from interpersonal to mass violence. Covering topics such as gun violence, radicalization, and victim-offender overlap, this major reference work is an essential resource for sociologists, politicians, government officials, law enforcement, community leaders, educators and administrators of both K-12 and higher education, students of higher education, psychologists, criminologists, victimologists, researchers, and academicians.

This book presents an in-depth, careful study of our understanding of the concept of beauty in everyday objects and its impact on markets and brands. Moving beyond artistic notions of beauty, it demonstrates how beauty is an asset that can be leveraged in the marketplace. Traditionally, beauty has been examined in relation to its influence on painting, sculpture, literature, music, and architecture. However, its value and power in the marketplace is understudied. Álvarez del Blanco provides a systematic analysis of beauty in commonplace objects and brands, drawing on cutting-edge research at the intersection of marketing and neurosciences. Through examining the neuroscientific evidence for how the brain processes beauty, the author articulates the implications this may have on marketing and brand management. He also offers a glimpse of how beauty may evolve, and its marketing implications for firm strategy in the coming decades. Written by a recognized authority in marketing and brand strategy, Brand Beauty Unleashed gives students with an interest in marketing, consumer behavior, branding, and neuromarketing an exciting new perspective on this intangible asset.