The Institutions Of Meaning

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The Institutions of Meaning

Author : Vincent Descombes
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674419987
Total Pages : 497 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (744 download)

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Book Synopsis The Institutions of Meaning by : Vincent Descombes

Download or read book The Institutions of Meaning written by Vincent Descombes and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2014-03-11 with total page 497 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Holism grows out of the philosophical position that an object or phenomenon is more than the sum of its parts. And yet analysis--a mental process crucial to human comprehension--involves breaking something down into its components, dismantling the whole in order to grasp it piecemeal and relationally. Wading through such quandaries with grace and precision, The Institutions of Meaning guides readers to a deepened appreciation of the entity that ultimately enables human understanding: the mind itself. This major work from one of France's most innovative philosophers goes against the grain of analytic philosophy in arguing for the view known as anthropological holism. Meaning is not fundamentally a property of mental representations, Vincent Descombes says. Rather, it arises out of thought that is holistic, embedded in social existence, and bound up with the common practices that shape the way we act and talk. To understand what an individual "believes" or "wants"--to apply psychological words to a person--we must take into account the full historical and institutional context of a person's life. But how can two people share the same thought if they do not share the same system of belief? Descombes solves this problem by developing a logic of relations that explains the ability of humans to analyze structures based on their parts. Integrating insights from anthropology, linguistics, and social theory, The Institutions of Meaning pushes philosophy forward in bold new directions.

The Institutions of Meaning

Author : Vincent Descombes
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674419979
Total Pages : 393 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (744 download)

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Book Synopsis The Institutions of Meaning by : Vincent Descombes

Download or read book The Institutions of Meaning written by Vincent Descombes and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2014-03-11 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Holism maintains that a phenomenon is more than the sum of its parts. Yet analysis--a mental process crucial to comprehension--involves dismantling the whole to grasp it piecemeal and relationally. Wading through such quandaries, Vincent Descombes guides readers to a deepened appreciation of the entity that enables understanding: the human mind.

The Institutions of Meaning

Author : Vincent Descombes
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780674728783
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (287 download)

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Book Synopsis The Institutions of Meaning by : Vincent Descombes

Download or read book The Institutions of Meaning written by Vincent Descombes and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2014-03-11 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Holism grows out of the philosophical position that an object or phenomenon is more than the sum of its parts. And yet analysis--a mental process crucial to human comprehension--involves breaking something down into its components, dismantling the whole in order to grasp it piecemeal and relationally. Wading through such quandaries with grace and precision, The Institutions of Meaning guides readers to a deepened appreciation of the entity that ultimately enables human understanding: the mind itself. This major work from one of France's most innovative philosophers goes against the grain of analytic philosophy in arguing for the view known as anthropological holism. Meaning is not fundamentally a property of mental representations, Vincent Descombes says. Rather, it arises out of thought that is holistic, embedded in social existence, and bound up with the common practices that shape the way we act and talk. To understand what an individual "believes" or "wants"--to apply psychological words to a person--we must take into account the full historical and institutional context of a person's life. But how can two people share the same thought if they do not share the same system of belief? Descombes solves this problem by developing a logic of relations that explains the ability of humans to analyze structures based on their parts. Integrating insights from anthropology, linguistics, and social theory, The Institutions of Meaning pushes philosophy forward in bold new directions.

Understanding Institutions

Author : Francesco Guala
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691171785
Total Pages : 254 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

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Book Synopsis Understanding Institutions by : Francesco Guala

Download or read book Understanding Institutions written by Francesco Guala and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2016-07-12 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A groundbreaking new synthesis and theory of social institutions Understanding Institutions proposes a new unified theory of social institutions that combines the best insights of philosophers and social scientists who have written on this topic. Francesco Guala presents a theory that combines the features of three influential views of institutions: as equilibria of strategic games, as regulative rules, and as constitutive rules. Guala explains key institutions like money, private property, and marriage, and develops a much-needed unification of equilibrium- and rules-based approaches. Although he uses game theory concepts, the theory is presented in a simple, clear style that is accessible to a wide audience of scholars working in different fields. Outlining and discussing various implications of the unified theory, Guala addresses venerable issues such as reflexivity, realism, Verstehen, and fallibilism in the social sciences. He also critically analyses the theory of "looping effects" and "interactive kinds" defended by Ian Hacking, and asks whether it is possible to draw a demarcation between social and natural science using the criteria of causal and ontological dependence. Focusing on current debates about the definition of marriage, Guala shows how these abstract philosophical issues have important practical and political consequences. Moving beyond specific cases to general models and principles, Understanding Institutions offers new perspectives on what institutions are, how they work, and what they can do for us.

The Mind's Provisions

Author : Vincent Descombes
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691146667
Total Pages : 309 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

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Book Synopsis The Mind's Provisions by : Vincent Descombes

Download or read book The Mind's Provisions written by Vincent Descombes and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2010-01-24 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vincent Descombes brings together an astonishingly large body of philosophical and anthropological thought to present a thoroughgoing critique of contemporary cognitivism and to develop a powerful new philosophy of the mind. Beginning with a critical examination of American cognitivism and French structuralism, Descombes launches a more general critique of all philosophies that view the mind in strictly causal terms and suppose that the brain--and not the person--thinks. Providing a broad historical perspective, Descombes draws surprising links between cognitivism and earlier anthropological projects, such as Lévi-Strauss's work on the symbolic status of myths. He identifies as incoherent both the belief that mental states are detached from the world and the idea that states of mind are brain states; these assumptions beg the question of the relation between mind and brain. In place of cognitivism, Descombes offers an anthropologically based theory of mind that emphasizes the mind's collective nature. Drawing on Wittgenstein, he maintains that mental acts are properly attributed to the person, not the brain, and that states of mind, far from being detached from the world, require a historical and cultural context for their very intelligibility. Available in English for the first time, this is the most outstanding work of one of France's finest contemporary philosophers. It provides a much-needed link between the continental and Anglo-American traditions, and its impact will extend beyond philosophy to anthropology, psychology, critical theory, and French studies.

First Amendment Institutions

Author : Paul Horwitz
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674070925
Total Pages : 490 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (74 download)

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Book Synopsis First Amendment Institutions by : Paul Horwitz

Download or read book First Amendment Institutions written by Paul Horwitz and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2013-01-07 with total page 490 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Addressing a host of hot-button issues, from the barring of Christian student groups and military recruiters from law schools and universities to churches’ immunity from civil rights legislation in hiring and firing ministers, Paul Horwitz proposes a radical reformation of First Amendment law. Arguing that rigidly doctrinal approaches can’t account for messy, real-world situations, he suggests that the courts loosen their reins and let those institutions with a stake in First Amendment freedoms do more of the work of enforcing them. Universities, the press, libraries, churches, and various other institutions and associations are a fundamental part of the infrastructure of public discourse. Rather than subject them to ill-fitting, top-down rules and legal categories, courts should make them partners in shaping public discourse and First Amendment law, giving these institutions substantial autonomy to regulate their own affairs. Self-regulation and public criticism should be the key restraints on these institutions, not judicial fiat. Horwitz suggests that this approach would help the law enhance the contribution of our “First Amendment institutions” to social and political life. It would also move us toward a conception of the state as a participating member of our social framework, rather than a reigning and often overbearing sovereign. First Amendment Institutions offers a new vantage point from which to evaluate ongoing debates over topics ranging from campaign finance reform to campus hate speech and affirmative action in higher education. This book promises to promote—and provoke—important new discussions about the shape and future of the First Amendment.

Making Meaning

Author : David BORDWELL
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674028538
Total Pages : 353 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (74 download)

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Book Synopsis Making Meaning by : David BORDWELL

Download or read book Making Meaning written by David BORDWELL and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Bordwell's new book is at once a history of film criticism, an analysis of how critics interpret film, and a proposal for an alternative program for film studies. It is an anatomy of film criticism meant to reset the agenda for film scholarship. As such Making Meaning should be a landmark book, a focus for debate from which future film study will evolve. Bordwell systematically maps different strategies for interpreting films and making meaning, illustrating his points with a vast array of examples from Western film criticism. Following an introductory chapter that sets out the terms and scope of the argument, Bordwell goes on to show how critical institutions constrain and contain the very practices they promote, and how the interpretation of texts has become a central preoccupation of the humanities. He gives lucid accounts of the development of film criticism in France, Britain, and the United States since World War II; analyzes this development through two important types of criticism, thematic-explicatory and symptomatic; and shows that both types, usually seen as antithetical, in fact have much in common. These diverse and even warring schools of criticism share conventional, rhetorical, and problem-solving techniques--a point that has broad-ranging implications for the way critics practice their art. The book concludes with a survey of the alternatives to criticism based on interpretation and, finally, with the proposal that a historical poetics of cinema offers the most fruitful framework for film analysis.

A Time to Build

Author : Yuval Levin
Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 1541699289
Total Pages : 230 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (416 download)

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Book Synopsis A Time to Build by : Yuval Levin

Download or read book A Time to Build written by Yuval Levin and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2020-01-21 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A leading conservative intellectual argues that to renew America we must recommit to our institutions Americans are living through a social crisis. Our politics is polarized and bitterly divided. Culture wars rage on campus, in the media, social media, and other arenas of our common life. And for too many Americans, alienation can descend into despair, weakening families and communities and even driving an explosion of opioid abuse. Left and right alike have responded with populist anger at our institutions, and use only metaphors of destruction to describe the path forward: cleaning house, draining swamps. But, as Yuval Levin argues, this is a misguided prescription, rooted in a defective diagnosis. The social crisis we confront is defined not by an oppressive presence but by a debilitating absence of the forces that unite us and militate against alienation. As Levin argues, now is not a time to tear down, but rather to build and rebuild by committing ourselves to the institutions around us. From the military to churches, from families to schools, these institutions provide the forms and structures we need to be free. By taking concrete steps to help them be more trustworthy, we can renew the ties that bind Americans to one another.

Hegel, Institutions and Economics

Author : Carsten Herrmann-Pillath
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317907558
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (179 download)

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Book Synopsis Hegel, Institutions and Economics by : Carsten Herrmann-Pillath

Download or read book Hegel, Institutions and Economics written by Carsten Herrmann-Pillath and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hegel’s philosophy has witnessed periods of revival and oblivion, at times considered to be an unrivalled and all-embracing system of thought, but often renounced with no less ardour. This book renews the dialogue with Hegel by looking at his legacy as a source of insight and judgement that helps us rethink contemporary economics. This book focuses on a concept of institution which is equally important for Hegel's political philosophy and for economic theory to date. The key contributions of this Hegelian perspective on economics lead us to the synthesis of traditional approaches and new ideas gained in economic experiments and advanced by neuroeconomists, sociologists and cognitive scientists. The proper account of contemporary 'civil society' involves comprehending it as a historically evolving totality of individual minds, ideas and intersubjective structures that are mutually dependent, tied by recognitive relations, and assert themselves as a whole in the ongoing performative movement of 'objective spitit'. The ethics of recognition is paired with the ethics of associations that supports moral principles and gives them true, concrete universality. This unusual constellation of seemingly remote fields suggests that Hegel, read in a pragmatist mode, anticipated the new theories and philosophies of extended mind, social cognition and performativity. By providing a new conceptual apparatus and reformulating the theory of institutions in the light of this new synthesis, this book claims to give new meaning both to Hegel as interpreted from today, and to the social sciences. Seen from this perspective, such phenomena as cooperation in games, personal identity or justice in the version of Amartya Sen's 'realization-focused comparisons' are reinscribed into the logic of institutional theory. This 'Hegel' clearly goes beyond the limits of philosophical discussion and becomes a decisive reference for economists, sociologists, political scientists and other scholars who study the foundations and consequences of human sociality and try to explore and design the institutions necessary for a worthy common life.

Why Nations Fail

Author : Daron Acemoglu
Publisher : Currency
ISBN 13 : 0307719227
Total Pages : 546 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (77 download)

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Book Synopsis Why Nations Fail by : Daron Acemoglu

Download or read book Why Nations Fail written by Daron Acemoglu and published by Currency. This book was released on 2013-09-17 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine? Is it culture, the weather, geography? Perhaps ignorance of what the right policies are? Simply, no. None of these factors is either definitive or destiny. Otherwise, how to explain why Botswana has become one of the fastest growing countries in the world, while other African nations, such as Zimbabwe, the Congo, and Sierra Leone, are mired in poverty and violence? Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson conclusively show that it is man-made political and economic institutions that underlie economic success (or lack of it). Korea, to take just one of their fascinating examples, is a remarkably homogeneous nation, yet the people of North Korea are among the poorest on earth while their brothers and sisters in South Korea are among the richest. The south forged a society that created incentives, rewarded innovation, and allowed everyone to participate in economic opportunities. The economic success thus spurred was sustained because the government became accountable and responsive to citizens and the great mass of people. Sadly, the people of the north have endured decades of famine, political repression, and very different economic institutions—with no end in sight. The differences between the Koreas is due to the politics that created these completely different institutional trajectories. Based on fifteen years of original research Acemoglu and Robinson marshall extraordinary historical evidence from the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states, medieval Venice, the Soviet Union, Latin America, England, Europe, the United States, and Africa to build a new theory of political economy with great relevance for the big questions of today, including: - China has built an authoritarian growth machine. Will it continue to grow at such high speed and overwhelm the West? - Are America’s best days behind it? Are we moving from a virtuous circle in which efforts by elites to aggrandize power are resisted to a vicious one that enriches and empowers a small minority? - What is the most effective way to help move billions of people from the rut of poverty to prosperity? More philanthropy from the wealthy nations of the West? Or learning the hard-won lessons of Acemoglu and Robinson’s breakthrough ideas on the interplay between inclusive political and economic institutions? Why Nations Fail will change the way you look at—and understand—the world.

Institutions of Literature, 1700–1900

Author : Jon Mee
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108905013
Total Pages : 319 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (89 download)

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Book Synopsis Institutions of Literature, 1700–1900 by : Jon Mee

Download or read book Institutions of Literature, 1700–1900 written by Jon Mee and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2022-07-21 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection provides students and researchers with a new and lively understanding of the role of institutions in the production, reception, and meaning of literature in the period 1700–1900. The period saw a fundamental transition from a patronage system to a marketplace in which institutions played an important mediating role between writers and readers, a shift with consequences that continue to resonate today. Often producers themselves, institutions processed and claimed authority over a variety of cultural domains that never simply tessellated into any unified system. The collection's primary concerns are British and imperial environments, with a comparative German case study, but it offers encouragement for its approaches to be taken up in a variety of other cultural contexts. From the Post Office to museums, from bricks and mortar to less tangible institutions like authorship and genre, this collection opens up a new field for literary studies.

Public Norms and Aspirations

Author : Willem Salet
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351619519
Total Pages : 280 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (516 download)

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Book Synopsis Public Norms and Aspirations by : Willem Salet

Download or read book Public Norms and Aspirations written by Willem Salet and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-03-05 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aspirations of individuals, organizations, and states, and their perceptions of problems and possible solutions circulate fast in this instantaneous society. Yet, the deliberation of the underlying public norms seems to escape the attention of the public. Institutions enable people to have reliable expectations of one another even when they are unsure of each other's aspirations and purposes. Public norms enable people to act under conditions of increasing uncertainty. To fulfill this role in society, institutions need enhancement, maintenance, and innovation. Public Norms and Aspirations aims to improve the methodology of planning research and practice by exploring the co-evolution of institutional innovation and the philosophy of pragmatism in processes of action. As most attention in planning research and planning practices goes to the pragmatic approaches of aspirations and problem solving, the field is awaiting an upgrade of institutional perspectives. This book aims to explore the interaction of institutional and pragmatic thought and to suggest how these two approaches might be integrated and applied in successful planning research. Searching this combination at the interface of sociology, planning, and law, Salet opens a unique niche in the existing planning literature.

Political Political Theory

Author : Jeremy Waldron
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674970365
Total Pages : 369 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (749 download)

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Book Synopsis Political Political Theory by : Jeremy Waldron

Download or read book Political Political Theory written by Jeremy Waldron and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2016-03-07 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Political theorists focus on the nature of justice, liberty, and equality while ignoring the institutions through which these ideals are achieved. Political scientists keep institutions in view but deploy a meager set of value-conceptions in analyzing them. A more political political theory is needed to address this gap, Jeremy Waldron argues.

Guardians of Public Value

Author : Arjen Boin
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030517012
Total Pages : 357 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (35 download)

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Book Synopsis Guardians of Public Value by : Arjen Boin

Download or read book Guardians of Public Value written by Arjen Boin and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021 with total page 357 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book presents case studies of twelve organisations which the public have come to view as institutions. From the BBC to Doctors Without Borders, from the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra to CERN, this volume examines how some organisations rise to prominence and remain in high public esteem through changing and challenging times. It builds upon the scholarly tradition of institutional scholarship pioneered by Philip Selznick, and highlights common themes in the stories of these highly diverse organizations; demonstrating how leadership, learning, and luck all play a role in becoming and remaining an institution. This case study format makes this volume ideal for classroom use and practitioners alike. In an era where public institutions are increasingly under threat, this volume offers concrete lessons for contemporary organisation leaders. Arjen Boin is Professor of Public Institutions and Governance at the Department of Political Science, Leiden University, Netherlands. Paul 't Hart is Professor of Public Administration at the Utrecht School of Governance, Utrecht University, Netherlands. Lauren A. Fahy is a PhD Fellow at the Utrecht School of Governance, Utrecht University, Netherlands.

The Institutions of Advanced Societies

Author : Arnold M. Rose
Publisher : U of Minnesota Press
ISBN 13 : 1452912416
Total Pages : 705 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (529 download)

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Book Synopsis The Institutions of Advanced Societies by : Arnold M. Rose

Download or read book The Institutions of Advanced Societies written by Arnold M. Rose and published by U of Minnesota Press. This book was released on 1958 with total page 705 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Liability of Arbitral Institutions: Legitimacy Challenges and Functional Responses

Author : Barbara Alicja Warwas
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 9462651116
Total Pages : 395 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (626 download)

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Book Synopsis The Liability of Arbitral Institutions: Legitimacy Challenges and Functional Responses by : Barbara Alicja Warwas

Download or read book The Liability of Arbitral Institutions: Legitimacy Challenges and Functional Responses written by Barbara Alicja Warwas and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-09-24 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers an innovative approach to the topic of liability in international arbitration, a controversial topic that has heretofore not been fully explored in the scholarship. Arbitral institutions have recently emerged as powerful actors with new functions in and outside arbitration processes. The author proposes to shift the debate on liability from arbitrators to the arbitral institutions. The book re-evaluates the orthodox understanding of the status, functions, and responsibility of arbitral institutions and is recommended for arbitration scholars, practitioners, and students. It is argued that the current regulations regarding liability are inadequate given both the contractual obligations and the emerging public function of arbitral institutions and that institutional arbitral liability is therefore necessary. The book also links the contemporary functions of arbitral institutions to recent debates regarding legitimacy challenges in international commercial arbitration. Responding to these challenges, a model of institutional contractual liability is proposed that invites arbitral institutions to proactively regulate the scope of their liability.

Center

Author : Liah Greenfeld
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 9780226306865
Total Pages : 316 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (68 download)

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Book Synopsis Center by : Liah Greenfeld

Download or read book Center written by Liah Greenfeld and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1988-12-29 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are several concepts within the social sciences that refer to the fundamental realities on which the various disciplines focus their attention. The concept of the "center," as defined by Edward Shils, has such a status in sociology, for it deals with and attempts to provide an answer to the central question of the discipline—the question of the constitution of society. "Center" is a commonly used term with a variety of meanings. According to editors Liah Greenfeld and Michel Martin, "center" carries a twofold meaning when used as a concept. In its first sense, it is a synonym for "central value system," referring to irreducible values and beliefs that establish the identity of individuals and bind them into a common universe. In its second sense, "center" refers to "central institutional system," the authoritative institutions and persons who often express or embody the central value system. Both meanings imply a corresponding idea of "periphery," referring both to the elements of society that need to be integrated and to institutions and persons who lack authority. The original essays compiled in this volume examine and apply the concept of the center in different contexts. The contributors come from a broad range of disciplines—classics, religion, philosophy, history, literary criticism, anthropology, political science, and sociology—which serves to underscore the far-reaching significance of the Shilsean theory of society. The interrelated subsets of the "center-periphery" theme addressed here include: symbolic systems, intellectuals, the expansion of the center into the periphery, parallel concepts in the work of other scholars besides Shils, and the paths of research inspired by these concepts. The volume features an introspective essay by Shils himself, in which he reexamines his central ideas in the light of new experiences and the ideas of others, some of them contained in this volume. By drawing together such diverse scholars around a unified idea, this collection achieves a cohesion that makes it an exciting contribution to the comparative analysis of social and cultural systems. A collective effort in social theory, Center: Ideas and Institutions is a testimony to the breadth and complexity of one of man's ideas.