A World Without Meaning
The Crisis of Meaning in International Politics
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- $87.99
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- $87.99
Publisher Description
This sophisticated book by internationally renowned theorist Zaki Laidi, tackles the problem of individual identity in a rapidly changing global political environment. He argues that it is increasingly hard to find meaning in our ever-expanding world, especially after the collapse of political ideologies such as communism.
With the breakup of countries such as the former Yugoslavia, it is clear that people are now looking to old models like nationalism and ethnicity to help them forge an identity. But how effective are these old certainties in a globalized world in a permanent state of flux?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A crisp, conversational style, an easy familiarity with numerous X-Files episodes and a background as an astrophysicist, NASA employee and science fiction writer make Cavelos's intelligent if somewhat scattershot survey one of the more valuable spin-offs of the popular TV series. Though billed as "the book that Scully herself might have written," this volume is both more objective and more genial than that, taking seriously--but also having fun with--the show's steady diet of throat-piercing fungi, implanted microchips, black oil organisms, toads from the sky, bizarre mutations and purported alien machinations. Each of the seven chapters begins with a gripping, middle-of-the-action scene from an X-Files episode, then steps back to ask: How real is this? In the cases presented here, it's at least real enough to prompt brisk and engaging reports on recent research and developments in a wide variety of fields, occasionally buttressed by comments from working doctors, scientists and engineers. Genetic and evolutionary oddities, unusual powers, unknown species, the ramifications of various alien scenarios and the limits of advanced technology are all given levelheaded coverage. "What science?" was the incredulous comment of the friend who introduced Cavelos to the show, upon hearing the proposed title of her book. The book's convincing answer: more than those who share Scully's skepticism might think.
