Catalog All books
Jean-Paul Betbèze
French people's economic fear
France has economic possibilities, but it remains blocked in several areas. Although the country's leaders are aware of this, they seem unable to make the necessary reforms to move forward. France seems to be the prey of fears that paralyse it, but which have benefited a new class of economic as well as social rentiers who constitute a powerful economic, ideological and political group. These new rentiers are fully cognisant that the defence of their acquired privileges is not a practical long-term solution - as has been shown by rising deficits, decreased competitiveness and job losses. The author argues that it is necessary to make changes and implement reforms - and to do so it is essential to understand and overcome existing fears. It cannot be expected that everything will be changed at once, but some initial efforts must be made. The single reform that will fix everything does not exist, he says, but this is hardly an excuse for refusing to make a start. In other countries, programmes for economic reform are being implemented. Yet France is only beginning to consider such reforms. The object of this book is to provide a greater understanding of the present situation, in the form of a how-to manual. A ruthless analysis of some of France's psychological blocks, apprehensions and economic fears, this book can be regarded as a sort of economic psychotherapy. In addition, the author provides a critique of the false solutions that hinder modernisation and proposes his own solutions for change and reform. Jean-Paul Betbèze is a professor of economics at the University of Paris Panthéon-Assas and a member of the French prime minister's Council for Economic Analysis. He is a consultant to the president and the C.E.O. of a major bank and the author of Les Dix Commandements de la finance, which was awarded the Risques-Les Echos Prize in 2004.
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.
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.
Antoine Garapon
Neoliberal Justice
An indispensable tool of critical thought to reach an independent opinion.
Thierry Lodé
Amorous Biodiversity Sex and Evolution
A new approach to evolution, linked to sexuality, for a better understanding of the history of biodiversity
Anka Muhlstein
Balzac at Table
A luminous essay of “literary gastronomy” for food lovers as well as for anyone interested in the nineteenth-century novel
Yves Christen
Are Animals Philosophers? Kantian Chickens and Aristotelian Bonobos
Because animals, both human and non-human, are not the passive toys of the surrounding world but, on the contrary, active creators and because they are carriers of weltanschauung, I regard them as philosophers.
François Ansermet, Pierre Magistretti
The Enigmas of Pleasure Between Psychoanalysis and Neurosciences
A fascinating exploration of some contemporary forms of malaise, individual and collective: destructiveness, fanaticism, violence, as well as boredom, depression, dependence on gadgets, hyperactivity and addictions
Daniel Sibony
Islam, Phobia, Guilt
The uneasy relations between Islam and the West, analysed by the psychoanalyst Daniel Sibony
Thierry Lodé
Why Animals Cheat and Make Mistakes
A brilliant contribution to evolutionary biology and to the study of animal behaviour, written in a lively, vivid style
Claude Béata
At the Risk of Loving
A masterly demonstration of the power of love in the animal world and among humans
Bertrand Fragonard
In Defence of Social Protection
Does the French Social Security system overspend? In the context of the economic crisis and the need to master public spending...
Laurent Danon-Boileau
An Alternative View of Autism
To provide the best possible care for autistic children, here is a thorough exploration of all the available therapies
Hubert Montagner
Child and Animal The Emotions Which Liberate Intelligence
What could be more commonplace than the emotional ties that some children develop with cats and dogs or other pets? And yet, nothing could be more surprising than the fact that such ties, which are sometimes very close and intense, can exist between members of very different species. The author traces the long history of this co-evolution, from the early domestication of animals for economic ends (such as warning or defence) to the keeping of animals as pets. Above all, he asks the question: What if animals contribute significantly to childrens psychological and emotional development? Professor Hubert Montagner heads a research unit of INSERM.
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.
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.
Daniel Sibony
Giving Yourself or Sharing Yourself ?
How can one be oneself without denying others? How can one consider others without negating oneself? How can one avoid the two extremes of complete selfishness and total self-sacrifice ? What if the ethics of the other, of responsibility for others which can lead us to risk our lives for others resulted not only in a dead-end (inefficient action, lack of action, justification of past actions) but also kept us from knowing ourselves and, consequently, others and the true nature of our relations with them? Daniel Sibony was trained as a philosopher and is a practising psychoanalyst.