This book, the first volume of Creating Tomorrow: Character Strengths and Positive Psychology in the Anthropocene, examines how human strengths can support reflection, connection, and responsible action in times of profound ecological and social disruption. Focusing on the virtues of wisdom, knowledge, and courage, it brings together international perspectives that reinterpret the 24 character strengths of positive psychology for the conditions of the Anthropocene. The chapters explore how creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, love of learning, and perspective help individuals and communities navigate the complexity of today's global polycrisis. The discussion of courage highlights bravery, perseverance, honesty, and zest as capacities that underpin ethical resilience and constructive engagement with environmental and societal challenges.

Combining conceptual reflection with applied insight, the contributions show how strengths evolve within educational, cultural, and ecological contexts. Character strengths are presented not as fixed traits but as dynamic, context-sensitive orientations that shape human agency and collective responses to interconnected crises. As such, this book addresses scholars, educators, and practitioners in psychology, education, sustainability studies, ethics, and cultural research. It offers conceptual clarity, practical relevance, and an interdisciplinary lens on character, virtue, and transformation in the Anthropocene.

A compelling reinterpretation of ancient Greek democracy showing that the people ruled by securing mass control over leaders

In ancient Greece, demokratia meant "rule by the people"-but what people, and how did they rule? Scholars have long argued that demokratia signified the rule of all adult male citizens over themselves. In Demos, Daniela Cammack counters this view by arguing that demokratia meant rule by the crowd that assembled when a public meeting was held. This crowd was the demos, which the Greeks distinguished from orators, generals, councilors, public benefactors, and other civic leaders. Drawing on literary and epigraphical evidence as well as the key theoretical insights of Aristotle and Hobbes, Cammack explains how constantly changing masses of ordinary ancient Greek men ruled while their leaders were ruled over.

This political system relied on kratos, the power to prevail militarily, epitomized by the victories of the Athenian demos in civil conflicts around 508 and 404 BC. In peacetime, the superior strength of the demos revealed itself in large, frequently summoned crowds of ordinary citizens acting as policymakers, legislators, and (crucially) judges, who wielded great power over politicians. Aristotle characterized the years 403 to 322 as the era of "ultimate democracy," and it was during this period that the Athenians pulled off a feat unmatched by modern democrats: making use of talented and ambitious leaders without being ruled by them. By contrast, the Greeks called rule by elected office-holders "oligarchy." As people today lose faith in democratic institutions, Cammack's account prompts us to ask if we've been doing democracy all wrong-or even at all.

In The Eye of the Mind, Maria Grazia Bartolini investigates how early modern Ukrainian preachers prompted their listeners to see and remember sermons by calling upon vision, memory, and mental imagery. With memorization recognized in Ukraine as a cognitive skill vital to the internalization of texts, these preachers, like their counterparts elsewhere in Europe, designed their sermons to enable listeners to see the subject matter as mental images and situate them in imaginary locations for easy recall.

Based on analysis of little-known printed and manuscript sources from the second half of the seventeenth century, Bartolini masterfully demonstrates how verbal and visual images within the sermon functioned as mnemonic devices that helped Ukrainian preachers construct and deliver sermons and evoked intellectual and emotional associations in the minds of the audience. The effect of this rhetorical practice, Bartolini argues, was to create a theatrum meditationis-a memory theater-in which the audience was encouraged to take part as spectators. By fully integrating intellectual history, visual studies, and rhetorical analysis, The Eye of the Mind provides a unique perspective on seventeenth-century religious orators and their audiences in Ukraine and beyond.

Charts the global resonance of the image of Nefertiti over the past century.

From the moment that the bust of Nefertiti was uncovered after over 3,000 years and shown at its first exhibition in Berlin in 1924, it rapidly became an iconic image. Today, the silhouette alone of this powerful Ancient Egyptian queen is recognized and admired around the world.

In Nefertiti: The Making of a Global Icon, historian Sebastian Conrad tracks the full story of the world's embrace and appropriation of this famous visage. Starting with the discovery of the bust and Germany's claims to its possession, Conrad shows how it became a contested object, tracing Egypt's efforts to call for its restitution from 1924 to the present. He also canvasses the uses to which Nefertiti's image has been put and the causes with which it has been associated: for cosmetic ads and beauty clinics; by advocates for European unity; by drag queens and the queer community; by National Socialists; by nationalists in Egypt and Bengal; by Afro-Brazilian communities; and by important Black figures from Elijah Muhammad to Beyonce. Against a global backdrop, Conrad showcases the stunning object's fame and the often-controversial issues and debates in which it has been embroiled. He also argues that the story of Nefertiti's trajectory offers insights into the changing shape of globalization from the era of imperialism to the present.

This accessible, deeply researched book reveals both how much is at stake in the life of objects and how Nefertiti's arresting likeness continues to challenge us today.

A pioneering theory of how brain network flows compose the neural symphonies that make us who we are

What enables us not only to comprehend the world but also to find meaning in it? How does a brain engender a mind? In Brain Flows, cognitive neuroscientist Michael Cole argues that movements (flows) of activity through brain networks create an improvised electrochemical symphony that generates our thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and actions. Drawing on his decades of brain research, Cole traces the brain's complex network organization, which transforms brain flows into representations, goal pursuits, and entire minds. Central to this transformation, he explains, is compositionality, which allows neural representations to be reused and recombined to produce a brain state rich enough not only to perceive the constant novelty of the world but also to help generate it.

Cole describes the work of brain flows layer by layer, from simple network interactions to hallmarks of the human mind: consciousness, intelligence, free will, mental health, and creativity. After laying the groundwork-introducing the idea of brain flows and discussing goal pursuit, novelty, and hierarchies-he offers an innovative account of how brain flow patterns create the mind, putting cognitive and network neuroscience findings within rich theoretical and empirical contexts. Throughout, he offers lively examples from daily life that shed light on the dynamic origin of our minds. Ultimately, Cole shows that brain flows are central to what the brain does and thus who we are.

At first glance, quantum mechanics and behavioural science may appear to belong to entirely separate domains-one rooted in subatomic particles and mathematical formalisms, the other in human thoughts, decisions and emotions. However, recent research reveals a surprising and powerful connection between them. This book investigates that connection through quantum models of cognition and decision-making, illustrating how principles from quantum theory can help us understand ambiguity, bias and perception in ways that classical logic cannot.

This book introduces a practical and computationally accessible framework based on quantum theory. Readers are invited not only to explore vivid case studies-from visual illusions in video games to decision biases in politics and finance-but also to engage directly with the methods. Supporting computer code is provided so that readers can experiment with their own models and ideas immediately after reading. Combining insights from physics, psychology, artificial intelligence and economics, this work offers an innovative perspective on how we think, choose and interact as individuals and societies.

A pathbreaking new perspective on the ways ancient societies were shaped and transformed by slave trading

The growing economies of ancient Greece and Rome created an ever-increasing demand for enslaved labor, which was supplied by states on the peripheries of their empires. In Slaving States, archaeologists Elizabeth Fentress and Adam Rabinowitz examine how violent bands of warriors in the outlying regions of Gaul, Scythia, and the Fezzan (part of modern-day Libya) gradually became states that specialized in selling humans to the slave economies of Greece and Rome. They trace a series of transformations-of people into objects that could be bought and sold, of warrior bands into state-level societies, and of opportunistic captive-taking into slaving economies.

Fentress and Rabinowitz use as a model the West African state of Dahomey, whose development into a slaving state between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries is, unlike that of their ancient counterparts, well documented. Drawing on textual and archaeological evidence, they show that the slaving zones of early modern West Africa and of antiquity have much in common, rooted in the structure of slaving itself. The evolution of the ancient warriors of Gaul, Scythia, and the Fezzan from head-takers to slave merchants may have taken different paths, but it is clearly written in their histories. With Slaving States, Fentress and Rabinowitz offer an entirely new perspective on ancient slavery. By exploring the supply side of the market for enslaved people, they show that that slavery transforms the society that supplies enslaved people as much as it transforms the society that uses them.

This book examines the political thought expressed in the imaginative fiction of three prominent British writers and its contribution to the development of socialism, particularly through the prism of the Labour Party. It traces this influence from the late nineteenth century through much of the twentieth century and concludes by considering its relevance to socialism and the Labour Party in the twenty-first century. The three writers-William Morris, Bernard Shaw, and H. G. Wells-first met at meetings of the Socialist League in London and knew each other well. However, their hopes and expectations for the future differed profoundly, as did the nature of their respective contributions to the development of socialism in Britain. This book explores the political philosophy of each writer as manifested primarily in their creative work and assesses the impact of that work on the evolution of socialism in Britain.

A collection of texts illustrating the complex reasons why Jews have contested or rejected the Zionist ideal over more than a century

In the decades since the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, many have equated Zionism with Jewish identity-and anti-Zionism with antisemitism. Few remember now that the Zionist movement triggered passionate debate among Jews, with many expressing ambivalence or opposition to the Zionist project. In Jewish Anti-Zionism, Shaul Magid and Zev Mishell have gathered a broad selection of documents, written between the late nineteenth century and the present day, many of them newly translated into English from multiple languages, revealing the rich variety of Jewish opposition to Zionism over the decades. Following Magid and Mishell's long, authoritative introduction on the history of anti-Zionism among Jews, the book features dozens of texts by Jewish writers from diverse backgrounds discussing why they reject the Zionist idea as the best option for Jewish flourishing.

The documents reflect a lively debate carried out though multiple forms-personal letters, essays, speeches, manifestos, newspaper columns, and extracts from learned treatises. The authors range from scholars and other thinkers writing well before the establishment of the state of Israel to well-known contemporary voices including Peter Beinart, Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, and Judith Butler. Magid and Mishell preface each text with a short introduction that offers historical and ideological context

This open access volume addresses questions of scale, complexity, systems-modeling, information-sharing and challenges of policy relevance with the aim of moving our fields forward in better mobilizing our results for actionable use. Compiled from papers presented at two colloquia held in 2023 and 2024 at the Max-Planck Institute for Geoanthropology and at Princeton University, the work promotes interdisciplinary approaches to addressing modern-day societal challenges by bridging the domains of history, systems modelling, and policymaking.

It integrates the insights of historians, archaeologists, complex systems modelers and sustainability experts, and aims to generate actionable knowledge to inform policies targeting pressing modern-day problems such as climate change, regional and global conflicts, mass migrations, and resource scarcity. Given that experimenting with large social-environmental systems is impractical and ethically contentious, historical records provide important observational data for studying the dynamics of complex systems over time. History reveals patterns of resilience and collapse in response to past challenges and offers lessons that can inform contemporary strategies. The contributors discuss the types of historical expertise and data required to enhance systems modelling and applications to policymaking. A core theme of this book is the use of complex systems theory and historical data to understand better the intricate interplay between climatic, social, political, economic, and technological systems. The contributors explore theoretical and methodological aspects essential for formulating effective policies to promote sustainable development, reduce socio-economic inequalities, and prevent systemic collapses.

This interdisciplinary exploration includes cutting-edge techniques in systems modelling, highlighting the burgeoning role of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Another significant aspect of the book is its focus on the design of collaborative research platforms. These platforms are essential for fostering interdisciplinary cooperation and ensuring that the insights gained from complex systems modelling and historical analysis effectively inform policy-making. By facilitating collaborative efforts among diverse experts, the book aims to create a foundation for more robust, evidence-based policies to address better the multifaceted challenges facing today's society. This volume is an invaluable resource for policymakers, modellers, and researchers involved in the study of the past who are interested in leveraging interdisciplinary approaches to tackle modern-day challenges.

This book challenges conventional narratives of the evolution of working hours in Western Europe, offering a fresh perspective on the complex mosaic of actual working time. By examining the historical and sociological dimensions of labour from the fourteenth to the nineteenth century, it challenges the oversimplified view that work evolved over three main periods: a pre-industrial era, when working hours were not measured; the advent of industrialisation, when they increased dramatically; and a period after 1850, when they began to decline. In doing so, the book invites readers to reconsider the ideas of influential thinkers such as Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Max Weber and Michel Foucault.

Key concepts explored include division of labour, variations in work ethic, and the impact of industrialisation. Through meticulous micro-historical case studies, the authors reconstruct the temporal realities of work in Europe, with a focus on France, Belgium and Italy. This approach provides a ground-level view of labour, revealing the nuanced realities of working hours along with work duration and intensity. Ideal for historians, sociologists and scholars of labour studies, this volume offers a bridge between the various historiographies of work and encourages dialogue across periods and regions. It is an essential resource for anyone interested in the historical depth of contemporary issues like productivity and work-life balance.

What bound the invention of democracy to the practice of slavery in ancient Greece? In this bold book, Paulin Ismard explores that entanglement, offering a new analysis of Athenian slave law. He shows how slaves were defined as "human chattel," how their labor was organized, and how their speech was weighed in the courts. More than a legal study, the book argues that slavery shaped the very fabric of the Greek city. Athens used slavery to define its own boundaries, and in the process brought into focus its relation to the body, to writing, and to representation itself. The political imagination of Athens-so often celebrated as the cradle of democracy-was itself forged through the experience of slavery.

The City and Its Slaves also traces unexpected connections between antiquity and the present. If we are heirs of Greco-Roman civilization, how has slavery, the very condition of that civilization's development, left its mark on our own history? Moving freely among labor law, cybernetics, and modern forms of political representation, and invoking figures from Herman Melville to Aime Cesaire, Ismard suggests that the Athenian model, in a certain sense, remains our own.