Books about Paradoxes from Amazon.com

Artemis's mother has contracted a deadly disease--and the only cure lies in the brain fluid of African lemurs. Unfortunately, Artemis himself was responsible for making the lemurs extinct five years ago. Now he must enlist the aid of his fairy friends to travel back in time and save them. Not only that, but he must face his deadliest foe yet...his younger self..
Price: $10.49 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Your every significant choice -- every important decision you make -- is determined by a force operating deep inside your mind: your perspective on time -- your internal, personal time zone. This is the most influential force in your life, yet you are virtually unaware of it. Once you become aware of your personal time zone, you can begin to see and manage your life in exciting new ways.

In The Time Paradox, Drs. Zimbardo and Boyd draw on thirty years of pioneering research to reveal, for the first time, how your individual time perspective shapes your life and is shaped by the world around you. Further, they demonstrate that your and every other individual's time zones interact to create national cultures, economics, and personal destinies.

You will discover what time zone you live in through Drs. Zimbardo and Boyd's revolutionary tests. Ask yourself:

• Does the smell of fresh-baked cookies bring you back to your childhood?

• Do you believe that nothing will ever change in your world?

• Do you believe that the present encompasses all and the future and past are mere abstractions?

• Do you wear a watch, balance your checkbook, and make to-do lists -- every day?

• Do you believe that life on earth is merely preparation for life after death?

• Do you ruminate over failed relationships?

• Are you the life of every party -- always late, always laughing, and always broke?

These statements are representative of the seven most common ways people relate to time, each of which, in its extreme, creates benefits and pitfalls. The Time Paradox is a practical plan for optimizing your blend of time perspectives so you get the utmost out of every minute in your personal and professional life as well as a fascinating commentary about the power and paradoxes of time in the modern world.

No matter your time perspective, you experience these paradoxes. Only by understanding this new psychological science of time zones will you be able to overcome the mental biases that keep you too attached to the past, too focused on immediate gratification, or unhealthily obsessed with future goals. Time passes no matter what you do -- it's up to you to spend it wisely and enjoy it well. Here's how..
Price: $16.78 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Since its debut, Policy Paradox has been widely acclaimed as the most accessible policy text available Unlike most texts, which treat policy analysis and policy making as different enterprises, Policy Paradox demonstrates that "you can't take politics out of analysis." Through a uniquely rich and comprehensive model, this revised edition continues to show how real-world policy grows out of differing ideals, even definitions, of basic societal goals like security, equality, and liberty. The book also demonstrates how these ideals often conflict in policy implementation. In this revised edition, Stone has added a full-length case study as an appendix, taking up the issue of affirmative action. Clear, provocative, and engaging, Policy Paradox conveys the richness of public policy making and analysis..
Price: $40.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In the spirit of Alvin Toffler's Future Shock, a social critique of our obsession with choice, and how it contributes to anxiety, dissatisfaction and regret. This paperback includes a new P.S. section with author interviews, insights, features, suggested readings, and more.

Whether we're buying a pair of jeans, ordering a cup of coffee, selecting a long-distance carrier, applying to college, choosing a doctor, or setting up a 401(k), everyday decisions--both big and small--have become increasingly complex due to the overwhelming abundance of choice with which we are presented.

We assume that more choice means better options and greater satisfaction. But beware of excessive choice: choice overload can make you question the decisions you make before you even make them, it can set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any and all failures. In the long run, this can lead to decision-making paralysis, anxiety, and perpetual stress. And, in a culture that tells us that there is no excuse for falling short of perfection when your options are limitless, too much choice can lead to clinical depression.

In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains at what point choice--the hallmark of individual freedom and self-determination that we so cherish--becomes detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz shows how the dramatic explosion in choice--from the mundane to the profound challenges of balancing career, family, and individual needs--has paradoxically become a problem instead of a solution. Schwartz also shows how our obsession with choice encourages us to seek that which makes us feel worse.

By synthesizing current research in the social sciences, Schwartz makes the counterintuitive case that eliminating choices can greatly reduce the stress, anxiety, and busyness of our lives. He offers eleven practical steps on how to limit choices to a manageable number, have the discipline to focus on the important ones and ignore the rest, and ultimately derive greater satisfaction from the choices you have to make.

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Price: $6.49 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The United States holds a paradoxical role: it is the world's lone super power, yet ironically, is limited by the same factors that facilitated its primacy A sense of national exceptionalism, a diffusion of governmental powers, and an open civil society helped to create a global behemoth, though at times also restrict the government's freedom of action. Hook looks closely at this push and pull by focusing on institutions of power, both inside and outside of government. He concludes that these public and private spheres have become more fractured and contentious as the scope of U.S. foreign policy has broadened a serious problem if the nation is to speak effectively with one voice in international affairs. As Hook convincingly shows, the lines between domestic and foreign-policy concerns are increasingly blurred, the number and magnitude of security problems crossing national borders continues to increase, and more individuals and groups vie to be part of the policy process. U.S. Foreign Policy helps students understand not only how U.S. foreign policymaking has become more pluralistic, partisan, and piecemeal, but why.

Clearly and concisely presented in twelve chapters, U.S. Foreign Policy provides a road map for fully grasping the complexity of the foreign policy decision-making process. Foundational chapters briefly cover a current snapshot of the United States in the world, how the country came to its present status, and the decision making process underlying both the study of foreign policy and the practice of policymaking. Body chapters thoroughly cover the roles each "inside-out" and "outside-in" institution plays. The book concludes with three policy domain chapters, examining in detail the problems of defense and national security policy, foreign economic and trade policy, and transnational issues such as environmental protection, energy policy, weapons proliferation, and human rights.

Student Features
An array of pedagogical features aid student learning:

• Point/Counterpoint--getting students to debate the pros and cons of each chapter's main topic, these boxes explore the tensions inherent in the foreign policymaking process.
• In Their Own Words--giving voice to important figures who have shaped the direction of U.S. foreign policy, these boxes effectively illustrate the diversity of actors that fuel the paradox of world power.
• Full-Color Map Section--twelve pages of beautifully detailed maps give students not only a lay of the land, but show how important variables, such as multilateral alliances, U.S. interventions, U.S. troop presence, and trade relations, play out across the world.
• Attractive Graphics--a wealth of visual material, including over 70 figures and tables, and photos with meaty captions, help focus students on important concepts.
• Highlighted Key Terms and Glossary--important concepts and terms are bolded in the text, compiled at the end of each chapter with page references, and defined in the glossary.
• Internet References--annotated links to 8-10 Web sites per chapter help guide student research and exploration.

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Price: $54.40 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Praise for The Macho Paradox

"An honest, intellectually rigorous and insightful work that challenges readers to truly engage in a political discourse that can change lives, communities and nations "

--Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabes

"Jackson Katz is an American hero! With integrity and courage, he has taken his message--that the epidemic of violence against women is a men's issue--into athletic terms, the military and frat houses across the country. His book explains carefully and convincingly why--and how--men can become part of the solution, and work with women to build a world in which everyone is safer."

--Michael Kimmel, author of Manhood in America, spokesperson, National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS)

"If only men would read Katz's book, it could serve as a potent form of male consciousness-raising."

--Publishers Weekly

"This book leaves no man behind when it comes to taking violence against women personally....After reading this book you can see how important it is to be a stand-up guy and not a standy-by guy, no matter what race or culture you come from."

--Alfred L. McMichael, 14th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps and now serving as the Sergeant Major of NATO

"A candid look at the cultural factors that lend themselves to tolerance of abuse and violence against women."

--Booklist

"These pages will empower both men and women to end the scourge of male violence and abuse. Katz knows how to cut to the core of the issues, demonstrating undeniably that stopping the degradation of women should be every man's priority."

--Lundy Bancroft, author of Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men
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Price: $11.09 [Notify me when price goes down.]

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Price: $7.57 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In Nonplussed!, popular-math writer Julian Havil delighted readers with a mind-boggling array of implausible yet true mathematical paradoxes. Now Havil is back with Impossible?, another marvelous medley of the utterly confusing, profound, and unbelievable--and all of it mathematically irrefutable.

Whenever Forty-second Street in New York is temporarily closed, traffic doesn't gridlock but flows more smoothly--why is that? Or consider that cities that build new roads can experience dramatic increases in traffic congestion--how is this possible? What does the game show Let's Make A Deal reveal about the unexpected hazards of decision-making? What can the game of cricket teach us about the surprising behavior of the law of averages? These are some of the counterintuitive mathematical occurrences that readers encounter in Impossible?

Havil ventures further than ever into territory where intuition can lead one astray. He gathers entertaining problems from probability and statistics along with an eclectic variety of conundrums and puzzlers from other areas of mathematics, including classics of abstract math like the Banach-Tarski paradox. These problems range in difficulty from easy to highly challenging, yet they can be tackled by anyone with a background in calculus. And the fascinating history and personalities associated with many of the problems are included with their mathematical proofs. Impossible? will delight anyone who wants to have their reason thoroughly confounded in the most astonishing and unpredictable ways.

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Price: $13.97 [Notify me when price goes down.]