The Big Idea Series

Over the course of human history, medicine has achieved incredible successes—but at what cost? This latest book in The Big Idea series explores the state of modern medicine, examining the ethics of medical and healthcare practices and the impact they have on modern life. This fascinating analysis engages with the debate surrounding the escalating costs, both financial and ethical, of medicine today. Intelligent and provocative, Is Medicine Still Good for Us? dissects common assumptions about medicine, helping the reader create their own informed opinion about its extraordinary achievements, limitations, injustices, and inevitable failures.

Dr. Julian Sheather, an ethics adviser to Doctors Without Borders, contextualizes medicine as a science, art, institution, and ideology, outlining the pros and cons of what medicine has become in the signature Big Idea textual approach. Accompanying Sheather’s text are numerous informative illustrations that deepen the reader’s understanding of the material.

A timely addition to the series, this book will engage those who love to debate, who are interested in ethics and philosophy, and those working in the medical field.

Artificial Intelligence, which once felt like a far-off futuristic fantasy, is now changing everyday life. The past sixty years have witnessed astonishing bursts of growth in the field of AI—the science and computational technologies that teach machines to sense, learn, reason, and act. AI is already altering our lives in ways that benefit health, productivity, and entertainment. Are we on the threshold of an AI-dominated world in which humans will no longer be necessary?

Broken down into the past, present, and future of AI, Will AI Replace Us? gives the reader what they need to know in order to form an opinion about the revolutionary advances in technology. University of California, San Francisco, neuroscientist Dr. Shelly Fan expertly explains all sides of the debate, making the relevant science approachable for readers. Accompanying her intelligent text are numerous illustrations that add a compelling and informative visual element. Timely and relevant, Will AI Replace Us? is an important read in the Digital Age.

In the wake of the MeToo movement and the upsurge in both feminist and men’s rights activism, traditional masculinity has become the topic of impassioned debate. Is Masculinity Toxic? interrogates the myths surrounding modern manhood, asking whether—and how—we need to change our attitudes toward masculinity in the twenty-first century.

Therapist Andrew Smiler addresses the topic of masculinity in four chapters: “Evolving Understandings of Masculinity,” which examines the history of ideas about masculinity, “Male Power to Harm,” which dissects the societal impacts of “toxic” masculinity, including bullying behavior, rape culture, and early male mortality; “Men and Interpersonal Relationships,” discusses how men are encouraged not to express their feelings, the sexual objectification of women, and male attitudes toward fatherhood; and “Changing Face of Masculinity Today,” which details the ways in which masculinity might adapt to the last century’s sweeping changes in gender roles.

Is Masculinity Toxic? revisits all sides of the debate, recognizing the positive impact of some of today’s models of masculinity while acknowledging the failures and limitations of others.

As concern grows over the environmental costs and ethical implications of intensive factory farming, an increasing number of people are embracing diets and lifestyles free from animal products. Should We All Be Vegan? gives a fluid and engaging account of the evolution of veganism.

Over the course of four easily digestible chapters, food writer Molly Watson reveals the truth about veganism’s impact on our health, the planet, and the global economy. Chapters like “The Evolution of Veganism” and “Why Go Vegan Today?” examine the development of veganism from the earliest meat-free human diets to the rise in mainstream adoption of a plant-based diet and lifestyle today; “The Challenges of Veganism” surveys the nutritional and societal pitfalls of a vegan lifestyle; and, lastly “A Vegan Planet” envisions possible futures for veganism and their impact on the earth.

Watson evaluates every angle of the debate on veganism in this primer, reviewing the evidence for its effects on health and assessing the ethics, environmental impact, and feasibility of adopting a vegan lifestyle worldwide.

The effects of global warming are being felt around the world through climate change, and images of our rivers and oceans choking with plastic have provoked an instinctive, horrified reaction. In response, governments, corporations, and individuals are beginning to change their policies and behavior—but is it too little, too late? Is it still possible to reverse the damage we have done to the planet?

This title in The Big Idea series, Can We Save the Planet?, provides an in-depth understanding of global warming, climate change, and the disastrous effects on our oceans through the prevalence of single-use plastics. It begins by setting out the evidence and arguments concerning the relationship of escalating carbon emissions and deforestation with the planet’s environmental decline. It offers insightful analysis of our consumerist, throwaway culture, and evaluates whether we can save the planet through a combination of proactive individual action and governmental policy, or if we can only react to the problems caused as they arise, using modern technologies.

Can We Save the Planet? is an incisive, engaging, and authoritative text on one of today’s key issues, written by an expert in the field.

Modern technology has undoubtedly enhanced our lives in numerous, powerful ways—we can now communicate in real time with friends and colleagues around the world, and do mundane tasks such as shopping or banking at a touch. But has there been a detrimental effect on our health and happiness? Is Technology Making Us Sick? assesses the impact of our increased screen time and everyday interactions with modern technology, the ways we relate to others, and on our mental and physical health.

In Is Technology Making Us Sick?, expert Ian Douglas traces the development of human interaction with technology over the last thirty years. His in-depth analysis dissects the key issues, including the consequences of social media and gaming on self-esteem, brain development, anxiety levels, loneliness, depression, and personal relationships; and the impact on our stress levels of always being plugged into the internet. Ultimately, Is Technology Making Us Sick? offers strategies to combat habit-forming products and presents ways to take advantage of revolutionary technology without falling victim to its negative impacts.

The expansion of capitalism and neoliberal ideologies have delivered economic integration between countries and brought global inter-connectedness to individuals. So why do so many people now feel that they are citizens of nowhere, disparaged by the cosmopolitan elites? Has democracy and the power of nation states been irredeemably weakened by unfettered global finance, opaque forms of global governance, and the power of transnational corporations? Can the huge rise in social and economic inequality be reversed? Can diverse cultural expression be maintained in a globalizing world? In the context of the current nationalist backlash and the momentous impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, this thought-provoking volume considers whether globalization is dead or whether it will survive, and perhaps transform.

Written in a clear and engaging style, the volume traces the development of economic globalization starting from the first wave of colonialization in the 15th century, through the first period of globalization at the end of the 19th century, and up to the contemporary period of globalization that started in the 1980s and appears today to be teetering on the brink of collapse. It explores the impacts of globalization on today’s world, from global supply chains and tax havens to rising economic inequality, climate change and pandemics, and assesses the different impacts on rich and poor countries, and on the rich and poor within countries. It then reviews the growing anti-globalization sentiment, starting from the anti-IMF protests that raged through developing countries in the 1980s and 1990s, to the emergence of the transnational anti-globalization movement of the 2000s, to more recent uprisings such as the Arab Spring, The Occupy Movement, the Gilets Jaunes, and to the current populist nationalist backlash led by President Trump and embodied in the 2016 Brexit vote. Sensing that globalization has reached a tipping point, the book considers a range of possible scenarios for the future world order, including nationalism, authoritarianism and democratic globalism. Finally, it explores whether globalization can be democratized in a world in which effective and inclusive global governance is crucial to solving global problems, such as tackling climate change, controlling global pandemics and upholding universal human rights.

Even with the current rise in awareness of sexual and intimate diversity, monogamous relationships remain the cultural norm. Most people aspire to it, and the state encourages it, providing legal and financial benefits to married couples; however, statistics show adultery is commonplace, marriage rates are falling, and divorce  figures are rising. This entry in the Big Idea series traces the evolution and normalization of the monogamous ideal—questioning whether it is “natural” or not—and surveys the spectrum of alternative relationship models that people are seeking out in a world of internet dating and birth control. It explores the emotional and psychological facets of ethical polyamorous relationships; questions whether these relationships benefit men disproportionately and whether they are compatible with raising children; and assesses the likelihood that diverse forms of multipartner marriages and large friendship networks will become the norm in the future.

With over 150 color images and incisive, engaging, and authoritative text, Does Monogamy Work? examines society’s attachment to monogamy, evaluates its benefits and limitations, and assesses the merits of polyamorous relationship models in our modern world.