Ecocritique

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Luke Martell

Ecology and Society introduces green ideas to students of the social sciences. It goes beyond traditional sociological boundaries to show how society interacts with nature but suggests that there are flaws in the philosophy and politics of the green movement. The book analyses ecological limits on, and effects of, industrialism and economic growth. Martell assesses forms of society and politics appropriate to sustainability. He evaluates proposals for frugality and argues for global and interventionist solutions over the decentralized and capitalist proposals of greens and economic liberals. The volume goes beyond human-centred and eco-centred perspectives in the philosophy of environmentalism and assesses explanations for the development of the green movement in recent years. Martell shows how ecology both revolutionizes and relies on traditions in political thought such as conservatism, liberalism, socialism, and feminism. He proposes a realist perspective in rethinking relations between society and nature over approaches popular in sociology and the green movement. The book concludes with an assessment of the future of the green movement, arguing for a focus on politics and alliances, rather than social agents or lifestyle politics, in green politics. "This is a superb and much needed contribution: it achieves a remarkably coherent synthesis of ecological concerns with social and political theory. It is highly original, scholarly and, at the same time, beautifully clear and accessible. It will be much welcomed by researchers and students alike". Ted Benton, University of Essex.

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James O'Connor

Economic growth since the Industrial Revolution has been achieved at great cost both to the natural environment and to the autonomy of human communities. What can a Marxist perspective contribute to understanding this disturbing legacy, and mitigating its impact on future generations? Renowned social theorist James O'Connor shows how the policies and imperatives of business and government influence - and are influenced by - environmental and social change. Probing the relationship between economy, nature, and society, O'Connor argues that environmental and social crises pose a growing threat to capitalism itself. These illuminating essays and case studies demonstrate the power of ecological Marxist analysis for understanding our diverse environmental and social history, for grounding economic behavior in the real world, and for formulating and evaluating new political strategies.

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Yakov G. Sinai

Sinai's book leads the student through the standard material for ProbabilityTheory, with stops along the way for interesting topics such as statistical mechanics, not usually included in a book for beginners. The first part of the book covers discrete random variables, using the same approach, basedon Kolmogorov's axioms for probability, used later for the general case. The text is divided into sixteen lectures, each covering a major topic. The introductory notions and classical results are included, of course: random variables, the central limit theorem, the law of large numbers, conditional probability, random walks, etc. Sinai's style is accessible and clear, with interesting examples to accompany new ideas. Besides statistical mechanics, other interesting, less common topics found in the book are: percolation, the concept of stability in the central limit theorem and the study of probability of large deviations. Little more than a standard undergraduate course in analysis is assumed of the reader. Notions from measure theory and Lebesgue integration are introduced in the second half of the text. The book is suitable for second or third year students in mathematics, physics or other natural sciences. It could also be usedby more advanced readers who want to learn the mathematics of probability theory and some of its applications in statistical physics.

Sample

Jaroslav Šesták, Peter Šimon

<p><i>Thermal Analysis of Micro-, Nano- and Non-Crystalline Materials: Transformation, Crystallization, Kinetics and Thermodynamics</i> complements and adds to volume 8 <i>Glassy, Amorphous and Nano-Crystalline Materials</i> by providing a coherent and authoritative overview of cutting-edge themes in the field of crystalline materials. In particular, the book focuses on reaction thermodynamics and kinetics applied to solid-state chemistry and thermal physics of various states of materials.</p><p> </p><p>In this volume the fundamental and historical aspects of phenomenological kinetics and the equilibrium background of processes are detailed. Crystal defects, non-stoichiometry and nano-crystallinity, reduced glass-transition temperatures and glass-forming coefficients are covered.^ The determination of the glass transition by DSC, the role of heat transfer and phase transition in DTA experiments, and the explanation of DTA/DSC methods used for the estimation of crystal nucleation are reviewed. Structural relaxation and viscosity behaviour in glass and associated relaxation kinetics are also examined, together with the influence of preliminary nucleation and coupled phenomenological kinetics nucleation on both the strongly curved surfaces and nano-particles. The book investigates crystallization of glassy and amorphous materials including oxides, chalcogenides and metals, non-parametric and fractal description of kinetics, disorder and dimensionality in nano-crystalline diamond.^ Moreover, it analyzes thermal analysis of waste glass batches, amorphous inorganic polysialates and bioactivity of hydroxyl groups as well as reaction kinetics and unconventional glass formability of oxide superconductors.</p><p> </p><p>Written by an international array of distinguished academics, <i>Thermal Analysis of Micro-, Nano- and Non-Crystalline Materials: Transformation, Crystallization, Kinetics and Thermodynamics</i> is a valuable resource to advanced undergraduates, postgraduates, and researches working in the fields of applied material thermodynamics, thermal analysis, thermophysical measurements and calorimetry.</p><p></p>