History shows us the same grim phenomenon over and over: under extreme circumstances, apparently ordinary citizens turn into merciless torturers and systematic executioners of defenseless victims. War crimes and genocides may be orchestrated by dictators and terrorist leaders,but they are carried out by individuals who otherwise show empathy, sound moral judgment, and aversion to violence. How does this happen? Is the pull of a murderous regime strong enough to make harmless men become amoral monsters, or is there some underlying psychological or physiological trait that predisposes certain people toward this transition? Can the pathological switch between sensitive human and desensitized killer be isolated, redicted, and prevented? Can it be overridden by compassion and altruism? Is violent aggression addictive? What implications does this have for the way we try and punish perpetrators of such crimes? These are among the questions taken up in a series of conferences on mass violence held from 2015 to 2017 at the Paris Institute of Advanced Studies. In this volume, neuroscientists, sociologists, historians, and legal scholars share research and insights on the roots of radicalization, in-group loyalty, how we learn to follow rules, and many other themes. The result is a troubling but distinctly illuminating glimpse of human nature, and a model of how interdisciplinary dialogue can shed light into its darkest corners. With contributions from Xabier Agirre Aranburu; Scott Atran; Alain Berthoz and Bérangère Thirioux; Thomas Boraud; Michel Botbol; Emile Bruneau;Christopher R. Browning; David Cohen and Nicolas Campelo;Jean-Paul Costa; Susan T. Fiske; Itzhak Fried; Julie Grèzes and Jorge L. Armony; Patrick Haggard; Etienne Koechlin; Heather D. Lucas, Daniel Sanchez, Jessica D. Creery, Xiaoqing Hu, and Ken A. Paller; Gretty M. Mirdal;Mathias Pessiglione; Richard Rechtman; Trevor W. Robbins; Edmund T. Rolls; Françoise Sironi; James K. Stewart; and Jean-Pol Tassin.

A worthy heir to Alexis de Tocqueville’s landmark nineteenth-century analysis of the democratic experiment in the United States, Renaud Lassus’s The Revival of Democracy in America is both a brisk, lucid assessment of the nation’s current political and social climate and a resounding call for optimism at a moment when the prevailing winds seem to be blowing the other way. The book’s first part is devoted to a nuanced and expansive diagnosis of the various crises, from immigration and economic inequality to media fragmentation and the outsize role of money in politics, that have created tensions and fault lines in American society. Lassus argues persuasively that these problems, some of which have been taking root for more than a generation, are complex and intertwined, but not insurmountable. Indeed, the book’s second section presents evidence of an ongoing renewal of thought and action in support and defense of America’s core democratic values, sea changes in political orientations and public attitudes toward such issues as climate change, corporate governance, genetic modification, and artificial intelligence. These shifts are giving rise to new coalitions and consensuses among both Washington insiders and actors not traditionally active in civic discourse, with encouraging implications for not just the United States but European democracies as well. Populism, Lassus concludes, no longer has a monopoly on political innovation. The Revival of Democracy in America is an ambitious and illuminating synthesis of multiple intersecting narratives, a case against the temptations of despair, and a document of a fraught but consequential moment in history, likely to be as valuable to future readers as Tocqueville’s book is today. Renaud Lassus is Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs in the Economic and Treasury Affairs department of the Embassy of France in the United States. He has spent nearly a decade in Washington, D. C. cultivating relationships with economic and political actors and developing a nuanced perspective on American society. The Revival of Democracy in America is his first book.

An exploration of the moral and ethical implications of new biotechnologies Many of the ethical issues raised by new technologies have not been widely examined, discussed, or indeed settled. For example, robotics technology challenges the notion of personhood. Should a robot, capable of making what humans would call ethical decisions, be held responsible for those decisions and the resultant actions? Should society reward and punish robots in the same way that it does humans? Likewise, issues of safety, environmental concerns, and distributive justice arise with the increasing acceptance of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food production nanotechnology in engineering and medicine, and human gene therapy and enhancement. The problem of dual-use—when a technology can be used both to benefit and to harm—exists with virtually all new technologies but is central in the context of emerging 21st century technologies ranging from artificial intelligence and robotics to human gene-editing and brain-computer interfacing. In Re-Creating Nature: Science, Technology, and Human Values in the Twenty-First Century, James T. Bradley addresses emerging biotechnologies with prodigious potential to benefit humankind but that are also fraught with ethical consequences. Some actually possess the power to directly alter the evolution of life on earth including human. Specifically, these topics include stem cells, synthetic biology, GMOs in agriculture, nanotechnology, bioterrorism, CRISPR gene-editing technology, three-parent babies, robotics and roboethics, artificial intelligence, and human brain research and neurotechnologies. Offering clear explanations of these various technologies, a pragmatic presentation of the conundrums involved, and questions that illuminate hypothetical situations, Bradley guides discussions of these and other thorny issues resulting from the development of new biotechnologies. He also highlights the responsibilities of scientists to conduct research in an ethical manner and the responsibilities of nonscientists to become “science literate” in the twenty-first century.

Hipnology is designated as mind science because it strictly deals with enhancement and advancement of the intellect. For this reason, the reader will encounter certain scholars from the school of life who have transcended the zones of ignorance by ascending to the throne of self-mastery. Whether those conversations are conducted by Master Key, Wiz, Finesse, Dr. Know, etc., the game plan of each hipnologist is to break the spell of tricknology. It is no secret that the minds eye has been hypnotized throughout the trance of time. Therefore, the goal of hipnology is to break those spells by unveiling truths and telling lifes story in a unique style and fashion. There is so much that can be emphasized regarding these writings, so since knowledge is endless, Hipnology 101 will be presented in series. In other words, the writings will not stop until the casket drops.

Blood Brothers The deadliest, most organized threat ever to homeland security is situated in America’s own backyard. A violent, militant arm of a neo-Nazi group has forged an unholy alliance with Palestinian terrorists to bring about a mutual goal. They want to generate panic, chaos and bloodshed on America’s streets. With limited intelligence available and even less time, Mack Bolan works down a hit list of strikes planned by both groups—at home and abroad. The attacks are intended to destabilize America’s military, legal and government institutions, and light the fuse for the fi nal act of terror against the heart of U.S. political power. The Executioner’s urgent directive comes straight from the President: do anything to stop this—and do it now.

Don't Touch That Dial! In the cutthroat world of evening news, where "if it bleeds it leads" is the industry's lifeblood, the dead-last BCN network is hemorrhaging viewers. On the chopping block is million-dollar anchor Kitty Coughlin, who is one ratings point away from early termination. But when a group of armed men hijack her plane and stage a spectacular near-miss of one of America's most famous landmarks, Kitty's eyewitness account helps BCN achieve a remarkable ratings rally. Kitty is riding high...until the ratings bubble bursts and her career goes back on life support. Then the next catastrophe strikes. Wherever Kitty Coughlin goes, disaster -- and ratings gold -- follows. Is Kitty's uncanny ability to be at the center of the news storm sheer dumb luck or very bad news? Harold W. Smith of the supersecret agency CURE knows a thing or two about disaster management. He sends in Remo Williams and the remarkable Chiun to tune in, turn off, and pull the plug on whoever is putting Americans at risk. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.