
Superstition
A Very Short Introduction
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Narrated by:
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Mike Carnes
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By:
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Stuart Vyse
About this listen
Despite the dominance of science in today's world, superstitious beliefs - both traditional and new - remain surprisingly popular. A recent survey of adults in the United States found that 33 percent believed that finding a penny was good luck, and 23 percent believed that the number seven was lucky. Where did these superstitions come from, and why do they persist today?
Superstition: A Very Short Introduction explores the nature and surprising history of superstition from antiquity to the present. For two millennia, superstition was a label derisively applied to foreign religions and unacceptable religious practices, and its primary purpose was used to separate groups and assert religious and social authority. After the Enlightenment, the superstition label was still used to define groups, but the new dividing line was between reason and unreason. Today, despite our apparent sophistication and technological advances, superstitious belief and behavior remain widespread, and highly educated people are not immune.
Stuart Vyse takes an exciting look at the varieties of popular superstitious beliefs today and the psychological reasons behind their continued existence, as well as the likely future course of superstition in our increasingly connected world.
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- Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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This book gives a clear overview of the philosophical work of Jürgen Habermas, the most influential German philosopher alive today, who has commented widely on subjects such as Marxism, the importance and effectiveness of communication, the reunification of Germany, and the European Union. Gordon Finlayson provides listeners with a clear overview of Habermas's forbiddingly complex philosophy using concrete examples and accessible language.
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Comprehensive and Insightful!
- By Kevin D. on 07-06-23
By: Gordon Finlayson
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Plague
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Paul Slack
- Narrated by: Gareth Richards
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Paul Slack takes a global approach to explore the historical and social impact of plague over the centuries, looking at the ways in which it has been interpreted and the powerful images it has left behind in art and literature.
By: Paul Slack
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What Does It All Mean?
- A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy
- By: Thomas Nagel
- Narrated by: Adriel Brandt
- Length: 2 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Distinguished author of Mortal Questions and The View from Nowhere sets forth the central problems of philosophical inquiry for the beginning student. Arguing that the best way to learn about philosophy is to think about its questions directly, Thomas Nagel considers possible solutions to nine problems - knowledge of the world beyond our minds, knowledge of other minds, the mind-body problem, free will, the basis of morality, right and wrong, the nature of death, the meaning of life, and the meaning of words.
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Not what I expected
- By James Y on 08-31-23
By: Thomas Nagel
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Aristotle
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Jonathan Barnes
- Narrated by: Phil Holland
- Length: 3 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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The influence of Aristotle, the prince of philosophers, on the intellectual history of the West is second to none. In this book, Jonathan Barnes examines Aristotle's scientific researches, his discoveries in logic and his metaphysical theories, his work in psychology and in ethics and politics, and his ideas about art and poetry, placing his teachings in their historical context.
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Great Book Moderate Storyteller
- By Brad on 08-23-24
By: Jonathan Barnes
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Energy Systems
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Nick Jenkins
- Narrated by: Chris Sorensen
- Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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In this Very Short Introduction, Nick Jenkins explores our historic investment in the exploitation of fossil energy resources and their current importance, and discusses the implications of our increasing rate of energy use. He considers the widespread acceptance by scientists and policy makers that our energy systems must reduce emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, and looks forward to the radical changes in fuel technology that will be necessary to continue to provide energy supplies in a sustainable manner, and extend access across the developing world.
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Extremely irritating voice distracting from the substance
- By Kindle Customer FB on 12-29-23
By: Nick Jenkins
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Intelligence, 2nd Edition
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Ian J. Deary
- Narrated by: Mike Cooper
- Length: 4 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Some people are cleverer than others. This everyday observation is the subject of an academic field that is often portrayed as confused and controversial, when in fact, the field of intelligence holds some of psychology's best-replicated findings. This Very Short Introduction audiobook describes what psychologists have discovered about how and why people differ in their thinking powers. Drawing on largescale data, Ian Deary considers how many types of intelligence there are and how intelligence changes with age.
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useless on audible
- By Mark on Amzon on 07-20-22
By: Ian J. Deary
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Aesthetics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Bence Nanay
- Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Bence Nanay introduces the field of aesthetics, considering both Western and non-Western aesthetic traditions and exploring why it is sometimes misunderstood or considered to be too elitist - by artists, musicians, and even philosophers. As Nanay shows, so-called "high art" has no more claims on aesthetics than sitcoms, tattoos, or punk rock.
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Critique of 'Western' Aesthetics - A Virtue Signal
- By Mr Timothy Webber on 10-05-21
By: Bence Nanay