Understanding Novelty: Information, Technological Change, and the Patent System

Stephen L. Carter

Civility: Manners, Morals, and the Etiquette of Democracy

Something horrible has happened to civility. We can no longer hold political discussions without screaming at each other, so our democracy is dying. We can no longer look at strangers without suspicion and even hostility, so our social life is dying. We can no longer hold public conversation about morality without trading vicious accusations, so our moral life is dying. All the skills of living a common life-what Alexis de Tocqueville called -the etiquette of democracy'-are collapsing around us, and nobody seems to know how to shore them up again.aStephen L. Carter, author of the bestsellerThe Culture of Disbelief, argues that civility is disintegrating because we have forgotten the obligations we owe to each other, and are awash instead in a sea of self-indulgence. Neither liberals nor conservatives can help us much, Carter explains, because each political movement, in a different way, exemplifies what has become the principal value of modern America: that what matters most is not the needs or hopes of others, but simply getting what we want.aTaking inspiration from the Abolitionist sermons of the nineteenth century, Carter proposes to rebuild our public and private lives around ...

Terry McDermott

Perfect Soldiers: The 9/11 Hijackers: Who They Were, Why They Did It

"The definitive book on the 19 men who brought such devastation and terror to this country ... a well-told, meticulously researched cautionary tale." -- Washington Post Book World Using research undertaken in twenty countries on four continents, Los Angeles Times correspondent Terry McDermott provides gripping, authoritative portraits of the main players in the 9/11 plot. With brilliant reporting and thoughtful analysis, McDermott brings us a clearer, more nuanced, and in some ways more frightening, understanding of the landmark event of our time. The attacks of September 11, 2001, were a calamity on a scale few had imagined possible. In their aftermath, we exaggerated the men who perpetrated the attacks, shaping hasty and often mistaken reporting into caricatures we could comprehend--monsters and master criminals equal to the enormity of their crime. In reality, the 9/11 hijackers were unexceptional men, not much different from countless others. It is this ordinary enemy, not the caricature, that we must understand if we are to have a legitimate hope of defeating terrorism.

Madeleine K. Albright

The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs

"In this fascinating book, Madeleine Albright weaves together history, personal experiences, and brilliant analysis in exploring how religion can be a force for liberty and tolerance rather than oppression and terror." -- Walter Isaacson, author of The Code BreakerThe New York Times bestselling author and former secretary of state Madeleine Albright offers a provocative and very personal look at the role of religion in America's foreign policyTraditionally, America's foreign policy professionals have sought to downplay the impact of religious beliefs in international affairs. Reinforced by the constitutional separation between church and state, policymakers have shied away from this potentially volatile and divisive issue. In this timely precient book, one of the most renowned figures in American politic argues that in today's climate, a secular approach is no longer sufficient. The 21st century seems to be devolving into a period of religious war, and in an era of confrontation between international terrorism and the West, our political leaders can no longer avoid dealing directly and explicitly with religious issues.In The Mighty and the Almighty, Madeleine Albright examines ...