Catalog All books
Robert Boyer
General Theory of Capitalism is it possible?
Robert Boyer is a leading figure of the regulationist school of economics, which believes that capitalism requires external, political, monetary and social regulations, and that the capitalist economy cannot be reduced to the self-regulating laws of the market. In this book, he proposes a general theory of capitalism, from two angles. First of all, he argues that there are several models of capitalism - not just one. America's ultra-liberal capitalism is unlike German capitalism, which is characterised by the fusion between banks and businesses, just as it is unlike French state-interventionist capitalism and Japan's capitalism of consensus. Secondly, in order to understand how capitalism works, every aspect has to be considered - not just the market but also political and social institutions (the State, central banks, unions, etc.) and the conventions they create among themselves (salary agreements, etc.). Robert Boyer is a research fellow at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, a director of studies at the Ecole des Haute Etudes en Sciences Sociales and a member of the French prime minister's Council for Economic Analysis.
Gérard Macqueron, Stéphane Roy
Shyness
Everyone experiences some form of shyness. Who can honestly say that they have never been intimidated? In this book, the authors offer a step-by-step programme to help readers understand their own shyness and learn to overcome it, by identifying and acting on problem situations, emotions, behaviour and thoughts. Numerous tools can serve to make communication easier: knowing how to listen, learning to make conversation, and learning to assert oneself. In addition, there is a section devoted to shyness among children and teenagers. The method of self-therapy described here has been scientifically tested and shown to be particularly effective in overcoming shyness. Gérard Macqueron is a psychiatrist at Hôpital Sainte-Anne, in Paris, and at the Clinique du Château, in Garches, near Paris. He is a consultant in career-stress management with Patrick Légeron, at Stimulus. Stéphane Roy is a psychologist and psychotherapist at the medical-psychiatric centre in Garches.
Alain Boureau
Satan, the Heretic History of demonology in Medieval Europe, 1260-1350
Alain Boureau is one of the most original French medievalists. In his earlier, best-selling book on the droit du seigneur, he showed that such a custom had never actually existed. The present work is not about Satan and Satanism, but about the birth of demonology, i.e. about the demons that inhabit Satan's Court - a fascinating topic for a medievalist. Before the end of the thirteenth century, theology had shown little interest in demons, according to Boureau. But Saint Thomas Aquinas' Treatise on Evil, written in 1272, changed all this. Boureau tries to find an explanation. He is not concerned with why people believe in demons - he has not written a social history of demonology. Instead, he sets out to understand why theologians became interested in the subject - for this is a history of theological ideas about demons. The author summarises his explanation as follows: I propose that the date of the invention of demonology be moved forward by more than a century, not because a new doctrine was established and enforced then, as was the case in the fifteenth century, but because of the considerable procedural changes that assimilated witchcraft and invocations of the devil with the crime of heresy, which in turn led to new legal developments and more revelations. In addition, the injection of doctrinal content into the ancient theme of the devil's pact explained demoniac activity in the world. The issue that lies at the heart of these discussions about a pact with the devil, evil and evidence is obviously the emergence of our legal system. Alain Boureau is a director of studies at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales.
Denis Stora
Guide to the Main Medications and Their Generic Equivalents
Since October 2003, France's health-care system has required users to purchase generic medications, when these exist, if they wish their medical prescriptions to be covered. Physicians have agreed that 75% of all prescriptions will be for generic medications, and pharmacists are committed to making the necessary substitutions. Physicians, pharmacists and users will thus be utilising an increased volume of generic medications. Presented here in alphabetical order are the 150 molecules contained in approximately 1600 medications that are on the market today. More than a list of generic equivalents, this is an intelligent guide to medications. Each molecule listed is described with its pharmacological activity, therapeutic indications and contra-indications, dosages and major recommendations. This is a highly useful pedagogical guide, since brand names will gradually disappear in favour of their chemical names (paracetamol instead of Doliprane, fluoxetine instead of Prozac). Denis Stora, the holder of a doctorate in pharmaceutical studies, has been a licensed pharmacist for twelve years. He is a teacher and the author of numerous practical books for nurses and pharmacists.
Bernard Chemouny
The Guide to Homeopathy New, revised edition
This is the revised third edition of the highly successful guide to homeopathy, which was first published seven years ago. Besides bringing up to date all the facts, figures, tables, prices and addresses, the new edition has been revised to account for the following: o Lower health insurance coverage, following recent French legislation which came into effect on 1st January 2004. o The French Ministry of Health's recommendation to limit the use of antibiotics (especially for minor ailments such as sore throats). A reference work on [homeopathy], which is used by one out of three French people, Le Figaro Bernard Chemouny is a homeopathic physician and acupuncturist. He teaches homeopathy at Hôpital Saint-Jacques, in Paris.
Guillaume Parmentier
The United States Today Shocks and Changes
Is America at a turning point in its history? After September 11th, the vast majority of Americans would unhesitatingly reply yes. But if this is really the case, how has America changed? This work is made up of ten essays, written by experts of the highest order, for the most part Americans with different opinions, which analyse in depth this evolution. The themes of these essays include the balance of power, the modes of regulation and the place of the United States in the world as a whole, issues which divide the American ruling elite. After all, America is before anything else a place of pluralism. This book will help in understanding the complexity and the diversity of the United States, often underestimated in Europe. Guillaume Parmentier heads the French Centre on the United States (CFE) at IFRI.
Jacques Lecomte
Cured of Childhood
How does a child whom life has hurt become resilient? Jacques Lecomte examines every aspect of a child's environment that can help him or her overcome misfortune. He stresses the crucial need for markers in the reconstruction of the child's personality, and on the importance of finding meaning in suffering. This is a thorough study of resilience, its foundations and how it works. It is also a polemical work which questions the role played by psychotherapists in building resilience. Jacques Lecomte argues that they are not the only ones who can do this - and that sometimes psychotherapists can do more harm than good. The author suggests specific plans of action, for families and children, so that those who are suffering and in pain may learn to become resilient and happy. This book offers a powerful message of hope - happiness, says the author, lies in acquiring a better understanding of resilience. Jacques Lecomte is a doctor in psychology and a lecturer at the University of Paris-X. He specialises in training professionals who work with children and is secretary general of the International Observatory on Resilience, presided by Boris Cyrulnik.
Gerald M. Edelman
Wider than the Sky
The brain is wider than the sky, For, put them side by side, The one the other will include With ease and you beside, wrote the American poet Emily Dickinson in the mid-nineteenth century. The fundamental mechanisms governing mental life are now the subject of scientific study. In this book, Gerald Edelman examines a major aspect of the mind - consciousness. How can the firing of neurons give rise to subjective sensations, thoughts and emotions? How can the disparate domains of mind and body be reconciled? A scientific explanation of consciousness must take into account the causal connections between these two domains. Such a theory must show how the neural bases of consciousness appeared during the evolutionary process and how certain animals developed consciousness. These are some of the key issues that Gerald Edelman examines here. He shows that consciousness cannot be located in a specific area of the brain, because it is a process linked to how the brain functions as a whole, to its wealth of connections and to its great complexity. The brain, he argues, is not a kind of computer. Edelman is regarded as one of the greatest theoreticians of the brain, and his notion of consciousness dominates all discussions on the subject among the international scientific community. This book offers the most accessible version of his theories that is available today. The winner of the 1972 Nobel Prize in Medicine, Gerald Edelman heads the Institute for Neurosciences, in La Jolla, California.