Catalog All books
Yves Coppens
Pretexts
In these short essays, Yves Coppens makes us discover the most recent findings in prehistory. A masterly lesson.
Dominique Rousseau
The Fifth French Republic Is Dying! Long Live Democracy!
The First French Republic was consular, the Second was presidential, the Third and Fourth were parliamentary, but the Fifth seems to have no distinguishing qualities.
Stuart J. Edelstein
From genes to genomes
Rapid progress in the field of genetics is changing our lives in more ways than one. In order to understand these changes, Stuart Edelstein has approached each facet of the subject from three points of view: contemporary society and politics; technical developments; and basic research. By keeping to some fundamental points, this book will enable the lay reader to understand before judging the social implications of recent discoveries in biology. This is science with a civic sense. Stuart Edelstein teaches biochemistry at the University of Geneva.
Pascal Picq
From Darwin to Lévi-Strauss
An appeal by an eminent scientist for greater biodiversity, in Nature and humans
Daniel Sibony
Islam, Phobia, Guilt
The uneasy relations between Islam and the West, analysed by the psychoanalyst Daniel Sibony
Éric Baratay
And Man Created the Animal History of a Condition
In this book, Baratay holds a mirror up to humanity. He reviews the changing status of animals throughout human history: from ancient myths about animal domestication to the invention of bullfighting, from the great pastoral epics to modern slaughterhouses, from the ancient role played by animals in the human imagination to modern laboratory testing. Eric Baratay is a historian specialising in the contemporary world and in the status of animals.
Claude Hagège
Against Uniform Thinking
The threat of uniform thinking, relayed notably through the English language, should lead us to react in defence of linguistic and cultural diversity.
Pierre Buser
Neurophilosophy of the Brain Neurons That Aspire to Explain the Mind
A highly topical discussion, linked to the latest findings in the neurosciences: is it still relevant nowadays, given recent neurobiological research.
Claude Olievenstein, Carlos Parada
Like A Cannibalistic Angel Drugs, Adolescents and Society
Does it make sense to place hallucinogens and hard drugs in the same category and to regard them all as addictive? Should tobacco and alcohol be put on the same plane as heroin, cocaine and crack ? With the assistance of Carlos Parada, his collaborator at the Centre Médical de Marmottan, Claude Olievenstein offers the reader his latest thoughts and ideas on the highly distinctive world of substance abusers, which is characterised by pleasure, withdrawal, the need for warmth and haste and, above all, by instability and chaos. Claude Olievenstein is the head doctor at the Centre Médical de Marmottan, in Paris, and a senior research fellow at the University of Lyon-II. Carlos Parada, a physician specialising in drug addiction, works at the Centre Médical de Marmottan.
Antoine Garapon
The Guardian of Promises Justice and Democracy
The multiplying cases, the explosion of litigations, the sensational trials which catch the attention of the public : all are evidence of a growth in power of the judicial system, which we expect to be, at the same time, the arbiter of morals, the guarantee of public morality and responsible for the salvation of the people. But why dont we ask what things it cannot provide ? Isnt the idea of a judicial democracy just an illusion, which serves to hide serious problems ? The power of the judicial system is more worrying than exciting. It is an indicator of the discreditation of the State at the same time as a reduction in social cohesion. In the face of the fragility of democratic society, this book is a thorough reflection on the exercise of public power, affirming that the real role of the judge is not to take the place of the politic, but to diffuse the risk of democratic implosion by remaining the guardian of the promises at the very heart of republican laws. Antoine Garapon, a former judge and member of the editorial team of the journal Esprit, is the head of the Institute of Advanced Judicial Studies.
Nicolas Mariot, Claire Zalc
Faced with persecution The Destruction of the Jews of Lens, 1940-1945
The history of the Holocaust in France, seen from an entirely new angle. This book does not simply describe the numerous possible attitudes: it aims to explain them.
Antoine Garapon
Crimes Which Can Neither be Punished Nor Forgiven Towards an International Justice
The creation of a system of international criminal justice was one of the greatest political upheavals of recent decades. The fact that international criminal law has been allowed to question national sovereignty is a revolution in itself. The detractors of international justice contend that it is simply the justice of the victors. Could they be right? Have law and ethics been muddled? Have the trials conducted in its name helped heal the victims? Can justice prevent civil war? A former magistrate, Antoine Garapon heads the Institut des hautes études sur la justice.
Jean-Louis Fellous
Tempest Warning The New Climatic Order
Is it true that we are heading toward global warming? And if so, what is the time frame? What will be the consequences on our lives and those of our children and grandchildren? This book will help readers understand the physical phenomena that make up the Earths climate, as well as the possible consequences of the natural and human alterations which have been inflicted on it. It also makes a plea for a concerted effort on a global scale. Jean-Louis Fellous currently heads ocean exploration for Ifremer (Institut français de recherche pour lexploitation de la mer).
Jean-Pierre Petit
The Stock Exchange Renewal and Rupture
The current stock market crisis followed the period of fastest growth in world markets in history. How can this be explained? And what does it indicate for the future? While the bullish market that preceded the crisis was hyper-inflationist, we are now experiencing a period of deflation, a drop following on the heels of a vertiginous rise. In this respect, Petits interpretation is that of the regulationists: the crisis is one of confidence. He also describes how the crisis has revealed structural weaknesses in various countries. Jean-Pierre Petit is head of economic research for the investment company Exane.
Alain Cassourra
The Energy, Emotion, Thought at your fingertips
From the body to the psyche, a new look at our aches and pains and what they mean.
Anka Muhlstein
Proust’s Library
This fascinating portrait of Proust as a reader offers an illuminating view of his work
Jean Costentin
Against Legalising Canabis
Contrary to popular belief, cannabis is not such a “soft” drug
David Khayat
Of Blood and Tears
An eminent physician recounts his deepest feelings as he faces death and pain, as well as his own suffering, in the course of treating his patients.
Bernard Golse
My Struggle For Autistic Children
The author pleads for a multifaceted approach to the treatment and care of autistic children.