A leading contrarian thinker explores the ethical paradox at the heart of history's wounds The conventional wisdom about historical memory is summed up in George Santayana's celebrated phrase Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it Today the consensus that it is moral to remember immoral to forget is nearly absolute & yet is this right? David Rieff an independent writer who has reported on bloody conflicts in Africa the Balkans & Central Asia insists that things are not so simple He poses hard questions about whether remembrance ever truly has or indeed ever could inoculate the present against repeating the crimes of the past He argues that rubbing raw historical wounds-whether self-inflicted or imposed by outside forces-neither remedies injustice nor confers reconciliation If he is right then historical memory is not a moral imperative but rather a moral option-sometimes called for sometimes not Collective remembrance can be toxic Sometimes Rieff concludes it may be more moral to forget Ranging widely across some of the defining conflicts of modern times-the Irish Troubles & the Easter Uprising of 1916 the white settlement of Australia the American Civil War the Balkan wars the Holocaust & 911-Rieff presents a pellucid examination of the uses & abuses of historical memory His contentious brilliant & elegant essay is an indispensable work of moral philosophy ...

A new century new threats to love Love without risks is like war without deaths
- but today love is threatened by an alliance of
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Why bother to praise mathematics when you claim as Alain Badiou does that philosophy is first & foremost a metaphysics of happiness or else it s not worth an hour of trouble? What possible relationship can there be between mathematics & happiness? That is precisely the issue at stake in this dialogue which serves as a very accessible introduction to what mathematics is & an exploration of the crucial influence it has always exerted on the greatest philosophers Far from the thankless pointless exercises they are often thought to be mathematics & logic are indispensable guides to ridding ourselves of dominant opinions & making possible an access to truths or to a human experience of the utmost value That is why mathematics may well be the shortest path to the true life which when it exists is characterized by an incomparable happiness ...

This is an enchanting essay on aesthetics by one of the greatest Japanese novelists Tanizaki's eye ranges over architecture jade food toilets & combines an acute sense of the use of space in buildings as well as perfect descriptions of lacquerware under candlelight & women in the darkness of the house of pleasure The result is a classic description of the collision between the shadows of traditional Japanese interiors & the dazzling light of the modern age ...

To call this collection 'verse' is a misnomer obverse reverse converse adverse or diverse maybe Raised on a diet of ' The Goon Show' it's a Square world' & the ' Goodies' the author has permitted this mix to ferment between his ears then added the scribbling from a thousand lavatory walls to produce a work of nonsense that must rival the very best edicts that the European Parliament can offerand at least his rhymes! ...

Matthew Oates has led a butterflying life Naturalist conservationist & passionate lover of poetry he has devoted himself to these exalted creatures to their observation to singing their praises & to ensuring their survival Based on fifty years of detailed diaries In Pursuit of Butterflies is the chronicle of this life Oates leads the reader through a lifetime of butterflying across the mountain tops the peat bogs sea cliffs meadows heaths the chalk downs & great forests of the British Isles Full of humour zeal digression expertise & anecdote this book provides a profound encounter with one of our great butterfly lovers & with a half-century of butterflies in Britain ...

A unique combination of travelogue current affairs & history showing how Russia's

Dimensions have shaped its identity

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A confessional uplifting memoir from the beloved You Tube personality Twenty-three year old Joey Graceffa has captured the hearts of millions of teens & young adults through his playful sweet & inspirational You Tube presence (not to mention his sparkling eyes & perfect hair) Yet Joey wasn't always comfortable in his skin & in this candid memoir he thoughtfully looks back on his journey from pain to pride self-doubt to self-acceptance To his fans Joey is that best friend who always captures the brighter side of life but also isn't afraid to get real In the pages of his first book he opens up about his years of struggling with family hardships & troubles at school with cruel bullying & the sting of rejection He tells of first loves & losses embarrassing moments & surprising discoveries loneliness laughter & life-changing forks in the road showing us the incalculable value of finally finding & following your true passion in this world Funny warm-hearted & inspiring Joey Graceffa's story is a welcome reminder that it's not where you begin that matters but where you end up ...

ANNE BRONTE the youngest & most enigmatic of the Bronte sisters remains a best-selling author nearly two centuries after her death The brilliance of her two novels
- Agnes Grey & The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
- & her poetry belies the quiet yet courageous girl who often lived in the shadows of her more celebrated sisters Yet her writing was the most revolutionary of all the Brontes pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable This revealing new biography opens Anne's most private life to a new audience & shows the true nature of her relationships with her siblings in particular with her sister Charlotte

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He was one of the hardest most controversial footballers of his generation the GBP20million man who became the first professional player to go to jail for an offence committed on the field of play 336 pages 1 x 8pp bw Pattullo Alan ...