In the fifth edition of his best-selling Very Short Introduction work, Manfred B. Steger considers the major dimensions of globalization: economic, political, cultural, ideological, and ecological. He looks at its causes and effects, and engages with the hotly contested question of whether globalization is, ultimately, a good or a bad thing.  

Economics has the capacity to offer us deep insights into some of the most formidable problems of life and offer solutions to them, too. Combining a global approach with examples from everyday life, Partha Dasgupta describes the lives of two children who live very different lives in different parts of the world: the Midwest USA and in Ethiopia. He compares the obstacles facing them and the processes that shape their lives, their families, and their futures. He shows how economics uncovers these processes, finds explanations for them, and how it forms policies and solutions.

This Very Short Introduction explores the considerable variations of neoliberalism around the world, and discusses the origins, evolution, and core ideas of neoliberalism. This new edition brings the story of neoliberalism up to date, and asks whether new versions of neoliberalism might succeed in drowning out the rising tide of national populism and its nostalgic longing for a return to territorial sovereignty and national greatness. 

Exciting new developments in brain science are continuing the debates on these issues, and the field has now expanded to include biologists, neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers. This controversial book clarifies the potentially confusing arguments, and the major theories, while also outlining the amazing pace of discoveries in neuroscience. Covering areas such as the construction of self in the brain, mechanisms of attention, the neural correlates of consciousness, and the physiology of altered states of consciousness, Susan Blackmore highlights our latest findings. 

A classic of Japanese history, this audiobook is the preeminent work on the history of Japan. Newly revised and updated, A History of Japan is a single-volume complete history of the nation of Japan. Starting in ancient Japan during its early pre-history period, A History of Japan covers every important aspect of history and culture through feudal Japan to the post-Cold War period and collapse of the bubble economy in the early 1990s. Recent findings shed additional light on the origins of Japanese civilization and the birth of Japanese culture.    

How much faith should we place in what scientists tell us? Is it possible for scientific knowledge to be fully "objective"? What, really, can be defined as science? In the second edition of this very short introduction, Samir Okasha explores the main themes and theories of contemporary philosophy of science and investigates fascinating, challenging questions such as these.

The word capitalism is one that is heard and used frequently, but what is capitalism really all about, and what does it mean? This Very Short Introduction audiobook addresses questions such as, "what is capital?" before discussing the history and development of capitalism through several detailed case studies, ranging from the tulipomania of 17th-century Holland, the Great Depression of the 1930s, and, in this new edition, the impact of the global financial crisis that started in 2007-08.

哲学とは何か？
この問いに対して形而上的な答えではなく、現実から問題を見ながら哲学的概念を展開した作品。 多くの読者に長く読まれ続けてきた三木清のロングセラー作品。
心に響く朱玉の言葉を朗読でお楽しみください。 

未来は本当に脱・資本主義にあるのか。ミクロな視点から資本主義の壮大な歴史と最前線を読み解く！資本主義の歴史を通じて空間・時間・生産の領域で広がってきたフロンティアは最早消滅しつつある。

旧態依然のイメージで語られ続ける霞が関官僚の職業実態を示し，職業としての官僚が国民や政治に対し担うべき役割，現状をあるべき官僚像に近づける方途を，政官関係の歴史的変遷，

"If you want to know what anthropology is, look at what anthropologists do," write the authors of Social and Cultural Anthropology: A Very Short Introduction. This engaging overview of the field combines an accessible account of some of the discipline's guiding principles and methodology with abundant examples and illustrations of anthropologists at work.

Over the past few years, Brianna Wiest has gained renown for her deeply moving, philosophical writing. This new compilation of her published work features pieces on why you should pursue purpose over passion, embrace negative thinking, see the wisdom in daily routine, and become aware of the cognitive biases that are creating the way you see your life. Some of these pieces have never been seen; others have been read by millions of people around the world. Regardless, each will leave you thinking: This idea changed my life.

Noted Japan expert Professor Mark J. Ravina of the University of Texas at Austin covers the politics, economics, and culture of the island nation since World War II - a conflict that saw the end of Japan’s dream of regional conquest, which Professor Ravina calls Empire 1.0. The country’s postwar leaders radically changed course, renouncing a strong military to pursue Empire 2.0 - Japan as an economic colossus. 

Postcolonialism explores the political, social, and cultural effects of decolonization, continuing the anti-colonial deconstruction of Western dominance. This Very Short Introduction discusses both the history and key debates of postcolonialism, and considers its importance as a means of changing the way we think about the world. Robert J. C. Young examines the key strategies that postcolonial thought has developed to engage with the impact of sometimes centuries of Western political and cultural domination. 

樋口一葉作品の中でも最も奥行きのある小説。主人公お力の人物造型と内面描写の深さは、一葉自身の内面が表出されたものであり、社会的には救われない人間の心の闇をえぐりだす。

Listeners of this book will gain a clear understanding of what makes the Japanese, and their society, tick.

The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzo is a long essay linking the role of tea (teaism) to the aesthetic and cultural aspects of Japanese life. Addressed to a western audience, it was originally written in English and is one of the great English tea classics. Okakura had been taught at a young age to speak English and was proficient at communicating his thoughts to the Western mind. In his book, he discusses such topics as Zen and Taoism, but also the secular aspects of tea and Japanese life.

ひとつ目の問いはこうでした。 「責任を取るということは可能でしょうか」 僕の答えはシンプルです。 「不可能です」 以上、おしまい。シンプルですよね。 でも、どうして責任を取るということが不可能なのか、 その理路を語るためには、 ずいぶん長いお話に付き合ってもらわなければなりません。 トイレに行きたい人は今のうちに、 コーヒーなんか飲みながらのほうがいいなと 思う人は今のうちにお支度をどうぞ。 さて、用意はよろしいですか。では、話を始めます。 ――(本文より)

3000語レベルの語彙がベースのリーディング素材で、「こんなに聴けた！」と実感できる！

世界中で脅かされている「自由」。この貴重な権利を獲得し、繁栄を謳歌した国々が人類史上稀なのはなぜか？　専横国家と無法社会に挟まれた「狭い回廊」に至る道とは？　『国家はなぜ衰退するのか』で注目を浴びた著者らが贈る新たな傑作。

World politics is entering a new phase, in which the great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of international conflict will be cultural.

古代から中世へ，一大転換期を舞台にした思想劇－キリスト教の基礎を据え，正統と異端を産み落とした教義論争史にわけいる．

最大多数の最大幸福をめざす功利主義は目先の快楽追求に満足しないソクラテスの有徳な生き方と両立する。人間生活全般の根本原理として個人や社会が正義とともに個性や人類愛を尊重するよう後押しする功利主義

Through a study of the way of the samurai, Nitobe identifies the seven virtues most widely recognized by the Japanese: rectitude, courage, benevolence, politeness, veracity, honor, and loyalty. In sharing these moral guidelines, handed down over generations, Nitobe gives the world unique insight into a previously unexplored code of honor.

China and Japan have cultural and political connections that stretch back 1,500 years. But today, their relationship is strained. China's military buildup deeply worries Japan, while Japan's brutal occupation of China in World War II remains an open wound. In recent years, less than 10 percent of each population had positive feelings toward the other, and both countries insist that the other side must deal openly with its history before relations can improve. Ezra Vogel's China and Japan examines key turning points in Sino-Japanese history.