Author:Jonathan Glover
This book is about history and morality in the twentieth century. It is about the psychology which made possible Hiroshima, the Nazi genocide, the Gulag, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, Pol Pot's Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and many other atrocities.
In modern technological war, victims are distant and responsibility is fragmented. The scientists making the atomic bomb thought that they were only providing a weapon: how it was used was to be the responsibility of society. The people who dropped the bomb were only obeying orders. The machinery of the political decision-taking was so complex that no one among the politicians was unambiguously responsible. No one thought of themselves as causing the horrors of Hiroshima.
Jonathan Glover examines tribalism: how, in Rwanda and in the former Yugoslavia, people who once lived together became trapped into mutual fear and hatred. He investigates how, in Stalin's Russia, Mao's China and in Cambodia, systems of belief made atrocities possible. The analysis of Nazism explores the emotionally powerful combination of tribalism and belief which enabled people to commit acts otherwise unimaginable.
Drawing on accounts of participants, victims and observers, Jonathan Glover shows that different atrocities have common patterns which suggest weak points in our psychology. The resulting picture is used as a guide for the ethics we should create if we hope to overcome them. The message is not one of pessimism or despair: only by looking closely at the monsters inside us can we undertake the project of caging and taming them.
Superbly argued, and always accessible, Humanity is an essential guide to modern catastrophe. Few books interrogate our recent moral history so directly or profoundly, or provide such a civilized analysis of the never-ending atrocity exhibition.
—— Ian Thomson , Independent on SundayJonathan Glover's Humanity deserves classic status and the widest readership.
—— Edward Pearce , History TodayA stimulating new book... written with understanding and exceptional lucidity... Glover's analysis is thoughtful and penetrating.
—— Noel Malcolm , Sunday TelegraphHighly readable and accomplished.
—— Bryan Appleyard , Sunday TimesA book which as many people as possible ought to read... An indispensable work of reference.
—— Samuel Brittan , ProspectA delightful, intelligent, and thought-provoking addition to the growing body of our sexual knowledge of self
—— Publishers WeeklyJesse Bering is the Hunter S. Thompson of science writing, and he is a delight to read - funny, smart, and madly provocative.
—— Professor Paul Bloom, Yale UniversityA colourful romp through psychology, philosophy and popular culture.
—— New HumanistA balanced and considered approach to this often inflammatory topic.
—— NatureA colorful romp through psychology, philosophy and popular culture.
—— New HumanistWitty... [Bering] employs examples and analogies that make his arguments seem like common sense rather than the hard-earned scientific insights they really are.
—— New ScientistProf Mischel argues that individuals can be taught self-control with persistence and a number of practical techniques ... [and] such skills are increasingly valuable.
—— The Financial TimesA picaresque journey through the human psyche - one in which the detours are at least as fascinating as the destination.
—— Mail on SundayThis book is best read as a memoir of gratification ... it is a fascinating read and a considerable achievement.
—— The EconomistMischel's insights are fascinating and rewarding.
—— Sunday TelegraphRising stars of 2015: one to watch
—— GuardianUsing a series of fascinating case studies as a framework, Dr O’Sullivan skillfully weaves the historical understanding, and misunderstanding, of functional illness into a series of narratives that are moving and thought provoking.
—— Adam Staten , British Journal of General PracticeA sympathetic, insightful study of psychosomatic illness
—— Charlie Hegarty , Catholic HeraldAn excellent study of psychosomatic disorders
—— Stuart Kelly , Scotland on SundayFascinating foray into the subject of how mental factors affect our health.
—— Simon Shaw , Mail on SundayHer Book, shortlisted for the 2016 Wellcome prize, describes case histories…with precision and compassion.
—— Jane Shilling , Daily MailIt’s not only a beautifully written book…it’s also a book to start a revolution in healthcare.
—— Helen Rumbelow , The TimesHumane and deeply sympathetic.
—— Jane Shilling , Daily TelegraphImpressively vivid and sympathetic argument for the reality of the mind’s more harrowing inventions.
—— Brian Dillon , Irish TimesA compassionate, honest and compelling read.
—— LadyShe mixes an easily accessible vocabulary with complex medical terms, something which I found both enjoyable and informative… Ultimately I found this book quite fascinating… I would recommend this book, which contains some hard hitting and highly personal stories.
—— Independent NurseA great immersion in psychosomatic problems… If you want to get a head-on feeling for the clinical experience of psychosomatic patients, read this book.
—— Edward Shorter , British Medical Journal[A] controversial but utterly compassionate memoir.
—— Damian Barr , GuardianIt is as addictive as a great box set makes you rethink some of your closest relationships and wonder about some of the people you know best; and above all, like all truly great book it is about love and compassion.
—— Sathnam Sanghera , The Times, Book of the YearEpstein is too respectful of the complexity of his subject matter to leap to any grand conclusions. The book was conceived partially as a rebuttal to glib theorising, and it is all the more fascinating as a result
—— Ken Early , Irish TimesFascinating from start to finish
—— Amanda Khouv , Women's FitnessEpstein forces us to rethink the very nature of athleticism
—— GrrlScientist , GuardianLooks at the science of extraordinary athletic performance.
—— Adam Whitehead , Daily TelegraphCaptivating… Dazzling and illuminating
—— Richard Moore , GuardianEpstein is not afraid to follow science in “trekking deep into the bramble patches of sensitive topics like gender and race"
—— ChoiceCaptivating… In a particularly fascinating chapter, Epstein investigates an old theory that purports to explain why Jamaica produces so many Olympic sprinters
—— Christie Ashwanden , Scotsman