Search Results for: 50 ideas you really need to know

The need to understand religion and the role it plays in our world has never been more pressing. The beliefs and actions of the planet’s 2 billion Christians, 1.2 billion Muslims, 800 million Hindus and 700 million followers of other religions has an impact on every aspect of war and peace, ethics, politics, reproduction, family and social structure across every civilization and continent.

50 Religion Ideas You Really Need to Know aims to lift the clouds of confusion surrounding religion and to address its key issues. What is the ‘Golden Rule’ and how does it unite religious people? How did the divisions arise between Catholics and Protestants and what do they mean for us today? What are the differences between Anglicanism, Methodism, Baptism and Presbyterianism? What separates Sunni Muslims from Shi’a Muslims? What does it mean to be Jewish?

Award-winning writer Peter Stanford answers these and a myriad other questions in 50 Religion Ideas You Really Need to Know. Both readable and informative, it will appeal to anyone who wants to understand one of the most powerful and enduring forces shaping our world.

A dynamic insight into how science will shape human destiny over the coming century.

What will the world look like in 2020, 2030 or even 2100? How will progress in scientific research affect human life in the areas of health and lifestyle, energy and the environment, politics and conflict, space exploration and even the ultimate questions of existence? This book offers an electrifying trip through the wonders – and terrors – awaiting us over the next hundred years.

The ideas explored include: Therapeutic cloning; Regenerative medicine; Nanotechnology; Quantum computers; Cyberwarfare; Space colonies; The nature of consciousness; Digital democracy.

Just the mention of mathematics is enough to strike fear into the hearts of many, yet without it, the human race couldn’t be where it is today. By exploring the subject through its 50 key insights – from the simple (the number one) and the subtle (the invention of zero) to the sophisticated (proving Fermat’s last theorem) – this book shows how mathematics has changed the way we look at the world around us.

Literature suffers from appearing both deceptively easy and dauntingly difficult. We all like to think we can read a novel and understand what ‘genre’, ‘style’ and ‘narrative’ mean, but do we really understand them fully and how they can enrich our reading experience? How should we approach the works of great writers such as William Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen? And what can we hope to learn from apparently difficult ideas such as ‘hermeneutics’, ‘affective fallacy’ and ‘bricolage’?
50 Literature Ideas you Really Need to Know is the essential guide to all the important forms, concepts, themes and movements in literature. It provides a clear, opinionated and thorough overview of theories about the nature of language and meaning, and outlines the thinking behind key literary concepts such as postmodernism, semiology, postcolonialism and structuralism.
Best-selling author and critic John Sutherland offers a fresh and challenging overview of literary ideas and theories, from the apparently familiar to the decidedly unfamiliar. Packed with insights and examples from both classic and popular works, it is a book that will delight anyone who has ever been mystified by literary jargon and wants to gain a deeper, more thorough enjoyment of reading and writing.

Despite frequent prognostications regarding the ‘death of God’ and the triumph of secular materialism, religion remains a central component in the lives of most people around the world. There are currently thought to be 2 billion Christians, 1.2 billion Muslims, 800 million Hindus, along with some 700 million followers of other religions.
50 Religious Ideas You Really Need to Know offers a clear path through the conceptual and denominational thickets of global religion. Award-winning religious affairs correspondent Peter Stanford begins with an examination of sacred texts, the divine principle and good and evil, before moving on to a discussion of the different traditions within Christianity, Islam, Judaism and the myriad customs of the East.
Contents: The Divine Principle, Baptists, Buddha’s teachings, Sacred Texts, Presbyterians, Dhama, Good and Evil, Sects and cults, Forms of Buddhism, Life and Death, Rapture, Confucianism, Golden Rule, God & Torah, Taoism, Rites and Rituals, Anti-Semitism, Shintoism, Life of Christ, Kabbalah, Missionary impulse, God and Mammon, Being Jewish, Just War, Reformation, Mohammed, Church and State, Papacy, Pillars of Islam, Spirituality, Guilt and Misogyny, Shari’ah law, Fundamentalism, Holy Spirit, Sunni & Shia, Darwinist challenge, Saints and sinners, Sufism, People and Creation, Orthodoxy, Islamism, The poor, Lutheranism, Hindu trinity, Sea of faith, Anglicanism, Sansara, Methodism, Sikhs & Jains.

Master the ideas that have shaped the study of genetics today.

In a series of 50 accessible essays, Mark Henderson and Helen Sims introduce and explain the central ideas of genetics, beginning with the theory of evolution to the very latest, cutting-edge developments in gene therapy and artificial life.

From the double helix and how nature and nurture work together, to genetic testing and race, 50 Genetics Ideas You Really Need to Know is a complete introduction to this young and ground-breaking strand of science.

In a series of 50 accessible essays, Ben Dupré introduces and explains the central ideas of politics, philosophy, religion, economics, science, and the arts that have engaged key thinkers and leaders, from Plato to the present day.

From the Big Bang to romanticism, fate to democracy, 50 Big Ideas You Really Need to Know is a complete introduction to the most important concepts in history.

In a series of 50 accessible essays, John Sutherland introduces and explains the important forms, concepts, themes and movements in literature, drawing on insights and examples from both classic and popular works.

From postmodernism to postcolonialism, William Shakespeare to Jane Austen , 50 Literature Ideas You Really Need to Know is a complete introduction to the most important literary concepts in history.

50 Science Ideas You Really Need to Know is your guide to the biggest questions and deepest concepts from across the whole of science. What was the Big Bang? How did life on Earth arise? What does quantum mechanics tell us about the universe? Is true artificial intelligence possible? And does life exist on other planets?

Moving from the basics of atoms and molecules, Newton’s laws of physics and the building blocks of life to the cutting edge of nanotechnology, Einstein’s theories of relativity and cloning, this book makes the many worlds of science accessible and illuminating. Featuring fifty concise, insightful and illustrated essays covering physics and astronomy, Earth and life sciences, chemistry and materials, psychology and computing, and exploring the ways they connect with each other and impact on our lives, 50 Science Ideas You Really Need to Know is the ideal introduction to the questions which fascinate us all.

The essential management guide.

50 Management Ideas You Really Need to Know demystifies the management concepts that any budding entrepreneur would want to grasp. The 50 bite-sized topics expound the wisdom of the well-known business gurus (from Peters and Porter to Welch and Gates), explain helpful theories and tools (Ansoff’s Product/Market grid, the 4Ps, Boston Matrix), expand on management ideas (branding, outsourcing, supply and demand) and cover the latest commercial concepts from the online world.

In a series of 50 accessible essays, Ben Dupre introduces and explains the fundamental concepts of politics including political theory, ideologies and the machinery of politics.

From revolution to feminism, monarchy to political parties, 50 Political Ideas You Really Need to Know is a complete introduction to the most important political ideas in history.

In a series of 50 accessible essays, Susie Hodge introduces and explains the central concepts that underpin Western art and design.

From Romanesque to Realism, Pop Art to Pluralism, 50 Art Ideas is a complete introduction to the most important art concepts in history.

No other religion is subject to as much debate and controversy as Islam. But who was Muhammad, and what did he teach? Does the Qur’an really preach holy war? What is the role of women within Islam? And what does the rise of Isil and militant Islam mean for Muslims and for the world?

Explaining Islam’s history, core beliefs and rituals, as well as current issues of political and social importance, this book covers everything you need to understand the world’s fastest-growing religion. Written by renowned scholar and Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies, Mona Siddiqui, it addresses such varied concepts as the five pillars of Islam; the divisions between Sunni and Shi’a; the importance of Shari`a law; the significance of Mecca and the Ka’ba; the role of Ramadan, the veil, the mosque and the madrasa; and much more – all in 50 concise and expert essays.

Questions of ethics – about how we should act, our responsibilities to one another, the difference between right and wrong – have long been debated by philosophers the world over and form the foundations of government, culture and religion. Here, in concise, easy-to-read chapters, Ben Dupré explains the fundamentals of this discipline and how it is relevant to our lives today.

Covering essential ethical concepts, including relativism, the golden rule and utilitarianism, as well as high-profile issues such as terrorism, censorship and the death penalty, 50 Ethics Ideas You Really Need to Know will lead you through the moral maze – and rattle your conscience in the process.

In a series of 50 accessible essays, Adrian Furnham introduces and explains key theories around clinical and developmental psychology, behaviourism, society and personality, cognitive psychology and individual differences.

From understanding emotions to detecting perception; Freud’s psychosexual stages to the placebo effect, 50 Psychology Ideas You Really Need to Know is a complete introduction to the most important psychological concepts in history.

Chemistry is at the cutting edge of our lives. How does a silicon chip work? How can we harness natural products to combat human disease? And is it possible to create artificial muscles?

Providing answers to these questions and many more, 50 Chemistry Ideas You Really Need to Know is an engaging guide to the world of chemistry. From the molecules that kick-started life itself to nanotechnology, chemistry offers some fascinating insights into our origins, as well as continuing to revolutionize life as we know it.

In 50 short instalments, this accessible book discusses everything from the arguments of the key thinkers to the latest research methods, using timelines to place each theory in context – telling you all you need to know about the most important ideas in chemistry, past and present.

Contents include: Thermodynamics, Catalysts, Fermentation, Green Chemistry, Separation, Crystallography, Microfabrication, Computational Chemistry, Chemistry Occurring in Nature, Manmade Solutions: Beer, Plastic, Artificial Muscles and Hydrogen Future.

From the Pyramids of Giza to the Guggenheim, this lively guide explains the key concepts and inventions in architecture clearly and concisely. Exploring the myriad ways in which the built environment is shaped and created, readers will gain a new and informed appreciation for architecture, from the classical orders of Vitruvius – Doric, Ionic and Corinthian – to the to the most recent contemporary trends. Philip Wilkinson offers expert introductions to the most important architectural movements and styles throughout history, as well as describing some of the greatest architects’ most important and representative works. So, if you’ve ever wondered when a building is just a building or art, or want to know more about Gothic vaults, trusses and arches, this is the perfect introduction.

Contents: The Orders, Prefabrication, Machine aesthetics, Roman engineering, Beaux Arts, Dymaxion, Romanesque, Arts and Crafts, Alternative architecture, Gothic, Conservation, Functionalism, Renaissance, Skyscraper, Plug-in city, Baroque, City Beautiful, Minimalism, Rococo, Art Nouveau, Brutalism, Palladianism, Secession, Townscape, Neo-Classicism, Art Deco, Postmodernism, Character, Garden city, Contextual design, Taste, Futurism, Hi Tech, The Picturesque, Constructivism, Deconstructivism, The Sublime, Bauhaus, Historicism, Landscape garden, De Stijl, Community architecture, Revivalism, International Style, Green architecture, Restoration, Expressionism, Urbanism, Industrial, Organic architecture, Eclecticism.

We are in the throes of a revolution, yet the rapid pace of technological and cultural change makes it difficult to understand what’s going on. 50 Ideas You Really Need to Know: Digital provides a clear path through the misinformation surrounding those technologies that are transforming the world.

Leading technology writer Tom Chatfield provides a sure-footed guide to the seminal digital phenomena of our time: from the basic browsers that we use to surf the web, to the implications for our own privacy. From plumbing the depths of the deep web that represents well over 99 per cent of the internet and remains inaccessible to most search engines, to digital distribution that threatens to sweep away entire industries, this is an indispensable road map for our journey to a digital future.

For millennia humanity has gazed in wonder at the night sky, tracked the motions of the planets and attempted to explain our place in the Universe. But only in our own time has the true scale, the astonishing variety and the remarkable strangeness of the cosmos come clearly into focus.

The pace and sophistication of recent scientific discovery has been breathtaking, but breakthroughs are often difficult to understand and their impact is hard to fully appreciate. In 50 Ideas You Really Need to Know: Universe, Joanne Baker clearly and concisely explains all of the essential concepts, major discoveries and the very latest thinking in astrophysics, including: the basic principles of astronomy – from heliocentrism to Newton’s theory of optics; the constituent parts of the Universe, its creation and evolution; the key concepts of cosmology including the theory of relativity, supermassive black holes and ‘multiverses’; the very latest developments in our understanding of quasars, exoplanets and astrobiology.

From dwarf planets to dark energy; and from the Big Bang to the death of stars, this book is the perfect introduction to the cutting-edge science that is shaping our understanding of our place in the Universe and that could lead to the next great discovery – the detection of life beyond Earth.

We encounter physics before we’ve even left the house in the morning; an alarm clock tracks time, a mirror reflects light waves and our mobile phones rely on satellites held in their orbit by gravity.

Where would we be without the Bernoulli equation to explain how planes fly, electromagnetic waves enabling us to communicate around the world or the discovery of X-rays? In 50 Physics Ideas You Really Need to Know Joanne Baker will uncover the physics all around us, from basic concepts like gravity, light and energy through to the complexities of quantum theory, chaos and dark energy.

Featuring short biographies of iconic physicists, explanatory diagrams and timelines showing discoveries within their historical context, this book is the perfect guide to the fundamental concepts of physics, making even the most challenging theories easy to understand.

Contents include: Newton’s law of gravitation, Brownian motion, Chaos theory, Fleming’s right hand rule, Planck’s law, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, Schrodinger’s cat, Superconductivity, Rutherford’s atom, Nuclear fission and fusion, The God particle, String theory, Special and general relativity, The big bang and the Anthropic principle.

How different are men and women’s brains? Does altruism really exist? Are our minds blank slates at birth? And do dreams reveal our unconscious desires?

Psychology is everywhere in today’s society. No crime fiction, documentary, chat show or medical consultation is complete without the introduction of a psychological angle. Psychology seeks to understand and explain thoughts, feelings and behaviour through a dizzying array of ideas and theories, shedding light on everything from memory, social mobility and attitude formation to delusions of grandeur, alcoholism and computer phobia, to name a few.

In 50 Psychology Ideas You Really Need to Know, Professor Adrian Furnham explains the central ideas of psychology in 50 concise and accessible essays. Packed with the latest research, most important case studies and arguments of key thinkers, this book is the perfect introduction to psychological theory.

Contents include: Placebo effect; Kicking the habit; Hallucinations; Positive psychology; Emotional intelligence; IQ and you; Multiple intelligences; The Rorschach inkblot test; Detecting lies; Obedience to authority; Self-sacrifice or selfishness; Gambler’s fallacy; Remembrance of things past; Artificial intelligence; Tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon; Psychosexual stages; Tabula rasa; Phrenology; Dyslexia.

Master the fashion ideas that shape the world of style today.

In a series of 50 accessible essays, Jessica Bumpus introduces and explains the central ideas, trends and inventions of fashion, from the genesis of style itself to the present day.

From fast fashion and the invention of the high heel to streetwear and the impact of the ‘influencer’, 50 Fashion Ideas You Really Need to Know is complete introduction to the most important fashion concepts in history.