Introductory Chapter: Flame Retardant and Thermally Insulating Polymers

Introduction: Plato’s Nightmare

10.3366/edinburgh/9781474424561.003.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

John Marmysz

Keyword(s):

Immanuel Kant ◽

Martin Heidegger ◽

Friedrich Nietzsche ◽

Objective Reality

This introductory chapter examines the “problem” of nihilism, beginning with its philosophical origins in the ideas of Plato, Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger. It is argued that film is an inherently nihilistic medium involving the evocation of illusory worlds cut loose from objective reality. This nihilism of film is distinguished from nihilism in film; the nihilistic content also present in some (but not all) movies. Criticisms of media nihilism by authors such as Thomas Hibbs and Darren Ambrose are examined. It is then argued, contrary to such critics, that cinematic nihilism is not necessarily degrading or destructive. Because the nihilism of film encourages audiences to linger in the presence of nihilism in film, cinematic nihilism potentially trains audiences to learn the positive lessons of nihilism while remaining safely detached from the sorts of dangers depicted on screen.

Download Full-text

Introduction: Exploring Russian nationalisms

10.3366/edinburgh/9781474433853.003.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Pål Kolstø ◽

Helge Blakkisrud

Keyword(s):

The State ◽

Complex Interplay ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Part Structure

Russian societal nationalism comes in various guises, both ethnic and imperialist. Also Putin’s rhetoric is marked by the tensions between ethnic and state-focused, imperialist thinking. Noting the complex interplay of state nationalism and societal nationalism, this introductory chapter examines the mental framework within which Russian politicians were acting prior to the decision to annex Crimea. The chapter develops a typology of Russian nationalisms, surveys recent developments, and presents the three-part structure of this book: official nationalism, radical and other societal nationalisms, and identities/otherings. It concludes that after the annexation of Crimea, when the state took over the agenda of both ethnic and imperialist nationalists in Russia, societal nationalism finds itself at low ebb.

Download Full-text

Introduction

10.23943/princeton/9780691002590.003.0001 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Nancy Woloch

Keyword(s):

Labor Market ◽

Women Reformers ◽

Single Sex ◽

Feminist Organization ◽

And Shifts ◽

Women's Bureau

This introductory chapter provides an overview of single-sex protective laws. The longevity of protective laws rests in part on reformers' bifocal defense. The goal of such laws, their proponents claimed, was to compensate for women's disadvantages in the labor market and to serve as the linchpin of a larger plan to achieve wage-and-hour standards for all employees. This double-planked rationale—though contradictory—proved versatile and enduring; it suited constituents with varied priorities. Protective laws' longevity also rested on effective social feminist organization and, after 1920, on the federal Women's Bureau. In retrospect, single-sex protective laws were an unwieldy means to achieve egalitarian ends—or what women reformers of the 1920s called “industrial equality.” However, critics charged that the laws failed to redress disadvantage and even compounded it. Protection's supporters also confronted developments they could not anticipate and shifts in attitude they could not foresee.

Download Full-text

Bringing Moral Culture into the Fray

10.23943/princeton/9780691164342.003.0001 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Justin Farrell

Keyword(s):

Environmental Conflict ◽

Scientific Study ◽

Theoretical Argument ◽

Moral Culture ◽

Social Scientific Study ◽

The Social ◽

Social Scientific ◽

Basic Level

This introductory chapter briefly presents the conflict in Yellowstone, elaborates on the book's theoretical argument, and specifies its substantive and theoretical contributions to the social scientific study of environment, culture, religion, and morality. The chapter argues that the environmental conflict in Yellowstone is not—as it would appear on the surface—ultimately all about scientific, economic, legal, or other technical evidence and arguments, but an underlying struggle over deeply held “faith” commitments, feelings, and desires that define what people find sacred, good, and meaningful in life at a most basic level. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.

Download Full-text

A Passion for Politics

10.23943/princeton/9780691169040.003.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Biancamaria Fontana

Keyword(s):

Political Life ◽

Literary Works

This introductory chapter provides an account of Germaine de Staël's approach to politics that brings out the independence and originality of her contribution. Its main focus is the evolution of her views in the years 1789 to 1800, when she had the opportunity to take part (albeit intermittently) in French political life, and to set forth projects and strategies connected with it. The chapter touches only on Staël's best-known—and more widely studied—fictional and literary works, though naturally these do also have some political relevance. It has been suggested that the protracted exile into which she was forced during the empire was at the origin of Staël's major literary achievements, as it provided her with both the opportunity and the incentive to develop her true potential as a writer.

Download Full-text

Introduction

10.23943/princeton/9780691176277.003.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alan L. Mittleman

Keyword(s):

Human Nature ◽

Jewish Tradition ◽

Western Civilization

This introductory chapter first considers the concept of human nature, raising questions such as how human nature and nature as such are related, and how are both related to person. It then turns to what the Jewish tradition says about human nature. It sets out the book's focus, namely a dialogue between contemporary perspectives and traditional Jewish thoughts on human nature. Both sides have something to gain from the dialogue; both have something to lose from shunning it. Judaism risks intellectual irrelevance by failing to engage with the challenges of contemporary thought. Contemporary thought risks attenuating its moral seriousness if it ignores one of the sources of Western civilization. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.

Download Full-text