Hoffer began writing The True Believer in the 1940s, as Nazism and fascism spread across Europe. Most analysts studying how these movements became so powerful focused on their leaders and the ideas they trumpeted.
Published in 1994, The Bell Curve caused uproar. Herrnstein and Murray claim that intelligence is the key factor in determining success in life and that it is genetic and, more controversially still, that some ethnic groups are more intelligent than others.
Philip Zimbardo is fascinated by why people can behave in awful ways.
Do we need religion to be good people? When Immanuel Kant tackled this question in 1793, he produced a book that remains a key text in the shaping of Western religious thought.
War Without Mercy examines Japanese-American relations during World War II and investigates links between popular... Læs mere
In 1963’s The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan challenged the vision 1950s America had of itself as a nation of happy housewives and contented families.
In this book, Sedgwick examines texts from Europe and America such as Wilde, Nietzsche and Proust, and considers the historical moment when sexual orientation came to be as important a signifier of personhood as gender had been for centuries.
Few social historians had examined the popular religious beliefs of the 1500s at the time Thomas published Religion and the Decline of... Læs mere
How do we know what knowledge is? In his remarkable 1963 article, Gettier proves that Plato’s 2000-year-old definition of knowledge is flawed—in just 930 words.
Competitors have always existed in business, but what if it were possible to render your... Læs mere
An instant bestseller, Sacks’s 1985 book argues that, by connecting with their patients and pay attention to their stories, doctors can provide significantly more effective care.
Frantz Fanon’s explosive Black Skin, White Masks is a merciless exposé of the psychological damage done by colonial rule across the world. It is both... Læs mere