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Yves Pouliquen
Who Am I? What Do I Know? Little by Little and When All is Said and Done
A literary narrative about a singular existence devoted to science with, in the background, the enthralling history of life on Earth from its first appearance billions of years ago and as it continues in each one of us today.
Raymond Boudon
Why intellectual peoples don't like liberalism
Given the intellectual force of liberalism, its political appeal, its economic effectiveness and its historical significance, why is it so unpopular among French intellectuals? Why does it elicit so little serious discussion? And why is it the object of so much confusion, so many clichés and misunderstandings? Is it simply out of resentment, because intellectuals feel that the market does not afford them the material and symbolic rewards that they believe they deserve? Is it just because they prefer to play a critical role in a society where capitalism is triumphant? Perhaps, but these reasons do not explain everything and they certainly dont explain the systematic rejection of liberal thought in France. A sociologist of knowledge rather than of social determinism, and a specialist in belief systems, Raymond Boudon ruthlessly analyses the cognitive mechanisms that make liberalism so hateful in the eyes of French intellectuals. The result is a keen, detailed review of the clichés that have encumbered discussions for more than thirty years. Raymond Boudon, a professor at the University of Paris-IV, is a member of the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques. He us the author of numerous works, most notably LInégalité des chances, La logique du social, LIdéologie ou lorigine des idées reçues, LArt de se persuader, Le Sens des valeurs and Déclin de la morale? Déclin des valeurs. He is the co-author, with R. Leroux, of Y a-t-il encore une sociologie?
Catherine Reverzy
Women of Adventure From Dream to Self-Realisation
More and more women are becoming involved in extreme sports, accomplishing major feats, participating in dangerous expeditions and unorthodox adventures. Who are these intrepid women who are willing to face great physical dangers, push their own limits, or even risk their lives, for the sake of a cause, an ideal or simply a powerful desire? Why and how do these women succeed in returning safely from dangerous expeditions that most people would be unable to cope with? What in their past made them capable of taking such risks? Is there an explanation for their great self-confidence and for their trust in the world around them? Catherine Reverzy is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst.
Dominique Schnapper
Work And Love Memoirs
A review of the greatest half-century in French sociology, by a leading intellectual