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Psycho Too
by Will Self Ralph SteadmanWill Self and Ralph Steadman join forces once again in a further post-millennial meditation on the vexed relationship of psyche and place in a globalised world; Psycho Too brings together a second helping of their very best words and pictures from 'Psychogeography', the columns they contributed to the Independent for half a decade. The introduction, 'Journey Through Britain' is a new extended essay by Self, accompanied by Steadman's inimitable images. It tells of how Self journeyed to Dubai, that Götterdammerung of the contemporary built environment, in order to walk the length of the artificial Britain-shaped island, in the offshore luxury housing development known as 'The World'.Ranging from Istanbul to Los Angeles and from the crumbling coastline of East Yorkshire to the adamantine heads of Easter Island, Will Self's engaging and disturbing vision is once again perfectly counter-pointed by Ralph Steadman's edgy and dazzling artwork.
Towards a Theory of Spacetime Theories (Einstein Studies #13)
by Dennis Lehmkuhl Gregor Schiemann Erhard ScholzThis contributed volume is the result of a July 2010 workshop at the University of Wuppertal Interdisciplinary Centre for Science and Technology Studies which brought together world-wide experts from physics, philosophy and history, in order to address a set of questions first posed in the 1950s: How do we compare spacetime theories? How do we judge, objectively, which is the “best” theory? Is there even a unique answer to this question?The goal of the workshop, and of this book, is to contribute to the development of a meta-theory of spacetime theories. Such a meta-theory would reveal insights about specific spacetime theories by distilling their essential similarities and differences, deliver a framework for a class of theories that could be helpful as a blueprint to build other meta-theories, and provide a higher level viewpoint for judging which theory most accurately describes nature. But rather than drawing a map in broad strokes, the focus is on particularly rich regions in the “space of spacetime theories.”This work will be of interest to physicists, as well as philosophers and historians of science working with or interested in General Relativity and/or Space, Time and Gravitation more generally.
Methods In Analytical Political Theory (PDF)
by Adrian BlauThis is the first book to explain how to use key methods in analytical political theory. The methods discussed include contractualism, reflective equilibrium, positive political theory, thought experiments and ideological analysis. Many discussions of political theory methods describe and justify these methods with little or no discussion of their application, emphasizing 'what is' and 'why do' over 'how to'. This book covers all three. Each chapter explains what kinds of problems in political theory might require researchers to use a particular method, the basic principles behind the method being proposed, and an analysis of how to apply it, including concrete principles of good practice. The book thus summarizes methodological ideas, grouped in one place and made accessible to students, and it makes innovative contributions to research methods in analytical political theory.
Beyond Einstein: Perspectives on Geometry, Gravitation, and Cosmology in the Twentieth Century (Einstein Studies #14)
by David E. Rowe Tilman Sauer Scott A. WalterBeyond Einstein: Perspectives on Geometry, Gravitation, and Cosmology explores the rich interplay between mathematical and physical ideas by studying the interactions of major actors and the roles of important research communities over the course of the last century.
Coalgebraic Methods in Computer Science: 14th IFIP WG 1.3 International Workshop, CMCS 2018, Colocated with ETAPS 2018, Thessaloniki, Greece, April 14–15, 2018, Revised Selected Papers (Lecture Notes in Computer Science #11202)
by Corina CîrsteaThis book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 14th International Workshop on Coalgebraic Methods in Computer Science, CMCS 2018, colocated with ETAPS 2018, held in Thessaloniki, Greece, in April 2018.The 10 revised full papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 17 submissions. Also included are the extended abstracts of two keynotes/invited talks. The papers cover a wide range of topics in the theory, logics and applications of coalgebras.
Artificial Intelligence: 16th Russian Conference, RCAI 2018, Moscow, Russia, September 24-27, 2018, Proceedings (Communications in Computer and Information Science #934)
by Sergei O. Kuznetsov Gennady S. Osipov Vadim L. StefanukThis book constitutes the proceedings of the 16th Russian Conference on Artificial Intelligence, RCAI 2018, Moscow, Russia, in September 2018. The 22 full papers presented along with 4 short papers in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 75 submissions. The conference deals with a wide range of topics, including data mining and knowledge discovery, text mining, reasoning, decision making, natural language processing, vision, intelligent robotics, multi-agent systems, machine learning, ontology engineering.
Between Eternities: and Other Writings
by Javier Marías Margaret Jull CostaA new and exhilarating collection of writings from the author of The Infatuations and A Heart So WhiteInternationally renowned writer Javier Marias is a tireless examiner of the world around us, an enthusiastic debunker of pretensions of every kind, and a true polymath. This new collection of essays shows the full extent of his curiosity and wit, ranging from the literary to the philosophical to the autobiographical, from football to cinema, comic books to mortality to 'Why Almost No One Can Be Trusted'.Trenchant and wry, subversive and penetrating, Marias demonstrates a dazzling intellectual vigour, showing with exhilarating verve why he is so often said to be Spain's greatest living writer.
Silence: In the Age of Noise
by Erling KaggeTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERThis breathtaking, inspiring little book teaches us how to find precious moments of silence - whether we are crossing the Antarctic, climbing Everest, or on the train at rush hour.'Quietly, wisely, Silence makes a case for dumbing the din of modern life, and learning to listen again' Robert MacfarlaneWhat is silence?Where can it be found?Why is it more important than ever?Norwegian explorer Erling Kagge once spent fifty days walking solo across Antarctica, his radio broken.In this charming, quietly life-changing book - now an international publishing phenomenon - he takes us on a journey to unlock the power of silence. And he shows us how to find perfect silence in our daily lives, however busy we are.'A bestseller on why finding inner silence is the key to happiness . . . bound to hit our sweet spot for wanting to unplug and disconnect from the world' Evening Standard'Fascinating' The Times'As an explorer Erling Kagge is world class; as a writer he is equally gifted. This breathtaking, inspiring little book teaches us how to find precious moments of silence - whether we are crossing the Antarctic, climbing Everest, or on the train at rush hour' Sir Ranulph Fiennes'Erling Kagge is a philosophical adventurer - or perhaps an adventurous philosopher' New York Times
Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue With The Dalai Lama
by Daniel GolemanCan the worlds of science and philosophy work together to recognise our destructive emotions such as hatred, craving, and delusion? Bringing together ancient Buddhist wisdom and recent breakthroughs in a variety of fields from neuroscience to child development, Daniel Goleman's extraordinary book offers fresh insights into how we can recognise and transform our destructive emotions. Out of a week-long discussion between the Dalai Lama and small group of eminent psychologists, neuroscientists, and philosophers, Goleman weaves together a compelling narrative account. Where do these destructive emotions (craving, anger and delusion, known in Buddhism as the three poisons) come from? And how can we transform them to prevent them from threatening humanity's collective safety and its future?
Handbook of Model Checking
by Edmund M. Clarke Thomas A. Henzinger Helmut Veith Roderick BloemModel checking is a computer-assisted method for the analysis of dynamical systems that can be modeled by state-transition systems. Drawing from research traditions in mathematical logic, programming languages, hardware design, and theoretical computer science, model checking is now widely used for the verification of hardware and software in industry.The editors and authors of this handbook are among the world's leading researchers in this domain, and the 32 contributed chapters present a thorough view of the origin, theory, and application of model checking. In particular, the editors classify the advances in this domain and the chapters of the handbook in terms of two recurrent themes that have driven much of the research agenda: the algorithmic challenge, that is, designing model-checking algorithms that scale to real-life problems; and the modeling challenge, that is, extending the formalism beyond Kripke structures and temporal logic.The book will be valuable for researchers and graduate students engaged with the development of formal methods and verification tools.
Economic Thought and Institutional Change in France and Italy, 1789–1914: A Comparative Study
by Riccardo SolianiThis book explores the relationship between economic thought, proposals for reform of political institutions, and civil society in the period between the rise to power of Napoleon and the eve of the First World War in Italy and France – two countries with a similar cultural and political tradition and with personal mobility of the intellectual class. The first section of the book is devoted to the struggle for identity, justice, and liberty, including its economic dimensions. The relation between political and economic freedom and its effect on equity is then addressed in detail, and the third, concluding section focuses on the intellectual and political conflict between the social visions of liberalism and socialism in some of their various forms, again with consideration of the economic implications. The comparative nature of the analysis, combined with its interdisciplinary approach to the history of economic and political thought and social history, will enable the reader to understand more clearly the historical evolution of each country and the relevant contemporary political and economic issues.
The Dialectical Forge: Juridical Disputation and the Evolution of Islamic Law (Logic, Argumentation & Reasoning #9)
by Walter Edward YoungThe Dialectical Forge identifies dialectical disputation (jadal) as a primary formative dynamic in the evolution of pre-modern Islamic legal systems, promoting dialectic from relative obscurity to a more appropriate position at the forefront of Islamic legal studies. The author introduces and develops a dialectics-based analytical method for the study of pre-modern Islamic legal argumentation, examines parallels and divergences between Aristotelian dialectic and early juridical jadal-theory, and proposes a multi-component paradigm—the Dialectical Forge Model—to account for the power of jadal in shaping Islamic law and legal theory.In addition to overviews of current evolutionary narratives for Islamic legal theory and dialectic, and expositions on key texts, this work shines an analytical light upon the considerably sophisticated “proto-system” of juridical dialectical teaching and practice evident in Islam’s second century, several generations before the first “full-system” treatises of legal and dialectical theory were composed. This proto-system is revealed from analyses of dialectical sequences in the 2nd/8th century Kitāb Ikhtilāf al-ʿIrāqiyyīn / ʿIrāqiyyayn (the “subject-text”) through a lens molded from 5th/11th century jadal-theory treatises (the “lens-texts”). Specific features thus uncovered inform the elaboration of a Dialectical Forge Model, whose more general components and functions are explored in closing chapters.
Sourcebook in the History of Philosophy of Language: Primary source texts from the Pre-Socratics to Mill (Springer Graduate Texts in Philosophy #2)
by Margaret Cameron Benjamin Hill Robert J. StaintonFor the first time in English, this anthology offers a comprehensive selection of primary sources in the history of philosophy of language. Beginning with a detailed introduction contextualizing the subject, the editors draw out recurring themes, including the origin of language, the role of nature and convention in fixing form and meaning, language acquisition, ideal languages, varieties of meanings, language as a tool, and the nexus of language and thought, linking them to representative texts. The handbook moves on to offer seminal contributions from philosophers ranging from the pre-Socratics up to John Stuart Mill, preceding each major historical section with its own introductory assessment. With all of the most relevant primary texts on the philosophy of language included, covering well over two millennia, this judicious, and generous, selection of source material will be an indispensable research tool for historians of philosophy, as well as for philosophers of language, in the twenty-first century. A vital tool for researchers and contemporary philosophers, it will be a touchstone for much further research, with coverage of a long and varied tradition that will benefit today’s scholars and enhance their awareness of earlier contributions to the field.
Springer Handbook of Model-Based Science (Springer Handbooks)
by Lorenzo Magnani Tommaso BertolottiThis handbook offers the first comprehensive reference guide to the interdisciplinary field of model-based reasoning. It highlights the role of models as mediators between theory and experimentation, and as educational devices, as well as their relevance in testing hypotheses and explanatory functions. The Springer Handbook merges philosophical, cognitive and epistemological perspectives on models with the more practical needs related to the application of this tool across various disciplines and practices. The result is a unique, reliable source of information that guides readers toward an understanding of different aspects of model-based science, such as the theoretical and cognitive nature of models, as well as their practical and logical aspects. The inferential role of models in hypothetical reasoning, abduction and creativity once they are constructed, adopted, and manipulated for different scientific and technological purposes is also discussed. Written by a group of internationally renowned experts in philosophy, the history of science, general epistemology, mathematics, cognitive and computer science, physics and life sciences, as well as engineering, architecture, and economics, this Handbook uses numerous diagrams, schemes and other visual representations to promote a better understanding of the concepts. This also makes it highly accessible to an audience of scholars and students with different scientific backgrounds. All in all, the Springer Handbook of Model-Based Science represents the definitive application-oriented reference guide to the interdisciplinary field of model-based reasoning.
Elise Boulding: From a Quaker Perspective (Pioneers in Arts, Humanities, Science, Engineering, Practice #6)
by J. Russell BouldingThis series of four volumes honors the lifetime achievements of the distinguished activist and scholar Elise Boulding (1920–2010) on the occasion of her 95th birthday. This first anthology documents the breadth of Elise Boulding’s contributions to Peace Research, Peacemaking, Feminism, Future Studies, and Sociology of the Family. Known as the “matriarch” of the twentieth century peace research movement, she made significant contributions in the fields of peace education, future studies, feminism, and sociology of the family, and as a prominent leader in the peace movement and the Society of Friends.
Semantics and Pragmatics: Drawing a Line (Logic, Argumentation & Reasoning #11)
by Ilse Depraetere Raphael SalkieThis book explores new territory at the interface between semantics and pragmatics, reassessing a number of linguistic phenomena in the light of recent advances in pragmatic theory. It presents stimulating insights by experts in linguistics and philosophy, including Kent Bach, Philippe de Brabanter, Max Kölbel and François Recanati. The authors begin by reassessing the definition of four theoretical concepts: saturation, free pragmatic enrichment, completion and expansion. They go on to confront (sub)disciplines that have addressed similar issues but that have not necessarily been in close contact, and then turn to questions related to reported speech, modality, indirect requests and prosody.Chapters investigate lexical pragmatics and (cognitive) lexical semantics and other interactions involving experimental pragmatics, construction grammar, clinical linguistics, and the distinction between mental and linguistic content. The authors bridge the gap between different disciplines, subdisciplines and methodologies, supporting cross-fertilization of ideas and indicating the empirical studies that are needed to test current theoretical concepts and push the theory further.Readers will find overviews of the ways in which concepts are defined, empirical data with which they are illustrated and explorations of the theoretical frameworks in which concepts are couched. This exciting exchange of ideas has its origins in the editors’ workshop series on the theme ‘The semantics/pragmatics interface: linguistic, logical and philosophical perspectives’, held at the University of Lille 3 in 2012-13. Scholars of linguistics, logic and philosophy and those interested in the research benefits of crossing disciplines will find this work both accessible and thought-provoking, especially those with an interest in pragmatic theory or semantics.
Richard Ned Lebow: A Pioneer in International Relations Theory, History, Political Philosophy and Psychology (Pioneers in Arts, Humanities, Science, Engineering, Practice #2)
by Richard Ned LebowThis is the first of four volumes to be published as part of this book series, on the life and work of Richard Ned Lebow. In a career spanning six decades, Richard Ned Lebow has made important contributions to the study of international relations, political and intellectual history, motivational and social psychology, philosophy of science, and classics. He has authored, coauthored or edited 30 books and almost 250 peer-reviewed articles. These four volumes are excerpts from this corpus. The first volume includes an intellectual autobiography, bibliography, and assessments of Lebow's contributions to diverse fields by respected authorities. It shows how a scholar's agenda evolves in response to world events and his efforts to grapple with them theoretically and substantively. It elaborates pathways for addressing these events and their consequences in an interdisciplinary manner, and offers new concepts and methods for doing so.Richard Lebow's research bridges international relations, psychology, history, classics, political theory and philosophy of science. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 34 books and almost 250 peer reviewed articles.Contributors to the book are: Simon Reich – Mervyn Frost - Janice Gross Stein - Stefano Guzzini – Markus Kornprobst - Harald Müller - Christian Wendt - Robert English.
Quantum [Un]Speakables II: Half a Century of Bell's Theorem (The Frontiers Collection)
by Reinhold Bertlmann Anton ZeilingerThis self-contained essay collection is published to commemorate half a century of Bell’s theorem. Like its much acclaimed predecessor “Quantum [Un]Speakables: From Bell to Quantum Information” (published 2002), it comprises essays by many of the worlds leading quantum physicists and philosophers. These revisit the foundations of quantum theory as well as elucidating the remarkable progress in quantum technologies achieved in the last couple of decades. Fundamental concepts such as entanglement, nonlocality and contextuality are described in an accessible manner and, alongside lively descriptions of the various theoretical and experimental approaches, the book also delivers interesting philosophical insights. The collection as a whole will serve as a broad introduction for students and newcomers as well as delighting the scientifically literate general reader.
Maths Meets Myths: Quantitative Approaches To Ancient Narratives (Understanding Complex Systems)
by Ralph Kenna Máirín MacCarron Pádraig MacCarronWith an emphasis on exploring measurable aspects of ancient narratives, Maths Meets Myths sets out to investigate age-old material with new techniques. This book collects, for the first time, novel quantitative approaches to studying sources from the past, such as chronicles, epics, folktales, and myths. It contributes significantly to recent efforts in bringing together natural scientists and humanities scholars in investigations aimed at achieving greater understanding of our cultural inheritance. Accordingly, each contribution reports on a modern quantitative approach applicable to narrative sources from the past, or describes those which would be amenable to such treatment and why they are important.This volume is a unique state-of-the-art compendium on an emerging research field which also addresses anyone with interests in quantitative approaches to humanities.
〈Deutscher Empirismus〉: Studien zur Philosophie im deutschsprachigen Raum 1830-1930 (Veröffentlichungen des Instituts Wiener Kreis #24)
by Christian DamböckDie hier 〈deutscher Empirismus〉 genannte Tradition umfasst als Schlüsselfiguren Wilhelm Dilthey und Hermann Cohen. Das Empirische am 〈deutschen Empirismus〉 liegt nicht in den „Sinnesdaten“, sondern im abstrakten Bereich von Geist und Kultur. Die wissenschaftlichen Disziplinen auf die sich 〈deutsche Empiristen〉 stützen sind primär (wenn auch ohne Ausklammerung der für die theoretische Philosophie grundlegend wichtigen Naturwissenschaften) die Geisteswissenschaften. Das zeigt sich insbesondere in der von den hier diskutierten Autoren vorangetriebenen geisteswissenschaftlichen Grundlagendisziplin der 〈beschreibenden Psychologie〉. Theoretische Philosophie dient im 〈deutschen Empirismus〉 stets bestimmten praktischen (ethischen, ästhetischen und politischen) Zielsetzungen und erhält nur dadurch ihre Rechtfertigung. Rudolf Carnap passt insofern in dieses Bild als auch er, vor allem in seinem Frühwerk, von Ideen 〈deutscher Empiristen〉 ausgegangen ist. Carnap erlaubt uns zu sehen, wie diese Ideen in einer Zeit des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts erhalten geblieben sind, in der die Philosophie ansonsten eher „auf den eisigen Firnen der Logik ein zurückgezogenes Dasein“ zu führen begann. Uljana Feest (Leibniz Universität Hannover) : „Deutscher Empirismus legt eine eigenwillige neue Achse durch die Philosophiegeschichte des deutschsprachigen 19. Jahrhunderts. Entgegen der herrschenden Meinung, dass die deutschsprachige akademische Philosophie in den mittleren 40 Jahren des 19. Jahrhunderts weitgehend zum Erliegen kam und sich erst ab ca. 1870 wieder zu erholen begann, argumentiert Damböck, dass ab ca. 1830 im Gegenteil eine vielversprechende, ja ‚fortschrittliche‘ (wenn auch heute weitgehend vergessene), philosophische Tradition entstand. Die Arbeit zeichnet sich durch ein feines Gespür für die historiographischen Fallstricke des vorgelegten Argumentes aus. Man hat von Anfang an das Gefühl, es hier mit einem Autor zu tun zu haben, der den ungeheuren Material- und Detailreichtum der von ihm gewählten philosophiehistorischen Epoche souverän beherrscht.“Massimo Ferrari (Universität Turin): „Deutscher Empirismus bildet einen wertvollen Beitrag zur Erforschung der deutschen Philosophie. Es handelt sich um eine sehr eingehende Analyse, die auf ausführlichen Quellenuntersuchungen beruht und zugleich innovative systematische Ansätze konturiert.“ Lydia Patton (Virginia Tech): „Deutscher Empirismus demonstrates a profound knowledge of nineteenth and early twentieth century philosophy and science. The work promises to inform and to inspire research in the field, and I have little doubt that it will do so.“
Critical Approaches to Education Policy Analysis: Moving Beyond Tradition (Education, Equity, Economy #4)
by Michelle D. Young Sarah DiemThis volume informs the growing number of educational policy scholars on the use of critical theoretical frameworks in their analyses. It offers insights on which theories are appropriate within the area of critical educational policy research and how theory and method interact and are applied in critical policy analyses. Highlighting how different critical theoretical frameworks are used in educational policy research to reshape and redefine the way scholars approach the field, the volume offers work by emerging and senior scholars in the field of educational policy who apply critical frameworks to their research. The chapters examine a wide range of current educational policy topics through different critical theoretical lenses, including critical race theory, critical discourse analysis, postmodernism, feminist poststructuralism, critical theories related to LGBTQ issues, and advocacy approaches.
Understanding Educational Psychology: A Late Vygotskian, Spinozist Approach (Cultural Psychology of Education #3)
by Wolff-Michael Roth Alfredo JornetThis book takes up the agenda of the late (but unknown) L. S. Vygotsky, who had turned to the philosopher Spinoza to develop a holistic approach to psychology, an approach that no longer dichotomized the body and mind, intellect and affect, or the individual and the social. In this approach, there is only one substance, which manifests itself in different ways in the thinking body, including as biology and culture. The manifestation as culture is premised on the existence of the social.In much of current educational psychology, there are unresolved contradictions that have their origin in the opposition between body and mind, individual and collective, and structure and process—including the different nature of intellect and affect or the difference between knowledge and its application. Many of the same contradictions are repeated in constructivist approaches, which do not overcome dichotomies but rather acerbate them by individualizing and intellectualizing our knowledgeable participation in recognizably exhibiting and producing the everyday cultural world. Interestingly enough, L. S. Vygotsky, who is often used as a referent for making arguments about inter- and intrasubjective “mental” “constructions,” developed, towards the end of his life, a Spinozist approach according to which there is only one substance. This one substance manifests itself in two radically different ways: body (material, biology) and mind (society, culture). But there are not two substances that are combined into a unit; there is only one substance. Once such an approach is adopted, the classical question of cognitive scientists about how symbols are grounded in the world comes to be recognized as an artefact of the theory. Drawing on empirical materials from different learning settings—including parent-child, school, and workplace settings—this book explores the opportunities and implications that this non-dualist approach has for educational research and practice.
Second International Handbook of Urban Education (Springer International Handbooks of Education)
by William T. Pink George W. NoblitThis second handbook offers all new content in which readers will find a thoughtful and measured interrogation of significant contemporary thinking and practice in urban education. Each chapter reflects contemporary cutting-edge issues in urban education as defined by their local context. One important theme that runs throughout this handbook is how urban is defined, and under what conditions the marginalized are served by the schools they attend. Schooling continues to hold a special place both as a means to achieve social mobility and as a mechanism for supporting the economy of nations. This second handbook focuses on factors such as social stratification, segmentation, segregation, racialization, urbanization, class formation and maintenance, and patriarchy. The central concern is to explore how equity plays out for those traditionally marginalized in urban schools in different locations around the globe. Researchers will find an analysis framework that will make the current practice and outcomes of urban education, and their alternatives, more transparent, and in turn this will lead to solutions that can help improve the life-options for students historically underserved by urban schools.
Antonio Gramsci: A Pedagogy to Change the World (Critical Studies of Education #5)
by Nicola Pizzolato John D. HolstThis volume provides evidence for the argument of a central place of pedagogy in the interpretation of Gramsci’s political theory. Gramsci’s view that ‘every relationship of hegemony is necessarily a pedagogical relationship’ makes it imperative to dismiss narrow and formal interpretations of his educational theories as applying to schooling only. This book argues that what is required rather is an inquiry into the Italian thinker’s broad conceptualisation of pedagogy, which he thought of as a quintessential political activity, central to understanding and transforming society. Preceded by a broad introduction that positions Gramsci in his context and in the literature, the essays in this book critically revisit the many passages of the Prison Notebooks and pre-prison writings where Gramsci addresses the nexus between politics and pedagogy. Some essays apply those concepts to specific contexts. The book for the first time brings to the attention of an English-speaking audience voices from the current historiography in Italy and Latin America.We are forced at regular intervals to consider how Gramsci might still be useful, in particular national territories, in an international context. How can we carry on with pessimism of the intelligence, but find some basis for optimism of the will? From the foreword of Anne Showstack Sassoon, Visiting Professor of Politics at the Department of Politics at Birbeck, University of London
Saved from the Cellar: Gerhard Gentzen’s Shorthand Notes on Logic and Foundations of Mathematics (Sources and Studies in the History of Mathematics and Physical Sciences)
by Jan Von PlatoGerhard Gentzen is best known for his development of the proof systems of natural deduction and sequent calculus, central in many areas of logic and computer science today. Another noteworthy achievement is his resolution of the embarrassing situation created by Gödel's incompleteness results, especially the second one about the unprovability of consistency of elementary arithmetic. After these successes, Gentzen dedicated the rest of his short life to the main problem of Hilbert's proof theory, the question of the consistency of analysis. He was arrested in the summer of 1945 with other professors of the German University of Prague and died soon afterward of starvation in a prison cell. Attempts at locating his lost manuscripts failed at the time, but several decades later, two slim folders of shorthand notes were found. In this volume, Jan von Plato gives an overview of Gentzen's life and scientific achievements, based on detailed archival and systematic studies, and essential for placing the translations of shorthand manuscripts that follow in the right setting. The materials in this book are singular in the way they show the birth and development of Gentzen's central ideas and results, sometimes in a well-developed form, and other times as flashes into the anatomy of the workings of a unique mind.