China Science

In fuga da New Crobuzon, dove amici e conoscenti di Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin vengono rastrellati dalla milizia, Bellis Coldwine, ex fidanzata dello scienziato rinnegato, si imbarca per Nova Esperium, intenzionata a vivere in quella colonia di frontiera finché la situazione nella metropoli non si sarà risolta.

È tempo di rivolte e rivoluzioni, conflitti e intrighi. New Crobuzon sta cadendo a pezzi. Da un lato la guerra contro l'arcana, oscura città-stato di Tesh, dall'altro i ribelli che si aggirano per le strade portando la metropoli sull'orlo della rovina. Nel mezzo dei disordini, una misteriosa figura mascherata incita a una nuova forma di ribellione, mentre tradimenti e violenze si manifestano in luoghi inconsueti.

A bordo del treno cacciatore di talpe Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap assiste con stupore alla sua prima caccia: la talpa gigante che emerge dalla terra, gli arpionatori che puntano la preda, la battaglia che porta alla morte di uno e alla gloria dell'altro sono straordinari. Sebbene il suo capitano sia ossessionato da un'unica missione: trovare e uccidere la talpa bianca. Quando si imbattono nelle rovine di un treno, Sham si sente sollevato e accetta la nuova distrazione con entusiasmo e spirito di avventura. Ma ciò che trovano al suo interno diventa fonte di guai.

In una Londra tetra e indecifrabile, Billy Harrow, studioso di cefalopodi, guida i visitatori all'interno del Museo di Storia Naturale, dove è ospitato un raro e impressionante esemplare di Architeutis dux, meglio noto come "Calamaro gigante". Nessuno può immaginare quello che sta per accadere, l'evento che avrebbe cambiato per sempre l'esistenza di chi vi avesse assistito: quando il calamaro svanisce nel nulla prima dell'arrivo di Billy e dei visitatori, ogni spiegazione razionale appare subito vana.

Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor, the last of the "Five Good Emperors", and one of the most important Stoic philosophers, along with the slave Epictetus. Marcus Aurelius wrote the "Meditations" while in a military campaign; it was a series of notes written for no one but himself in his quest for self-improvement. Stoicism is the attitude allowing one to free oneself from the unnecessary suffering that arises from anxiety about events that are beyond our control; therefore, it can be of tremendous importance in one's life.

Schopenhauer: here's when great philosophy can be somber, pessimistic, even brutal, and still resonate with a sarcastic laugh. He was among the first to contend that the universe is essentially not a rational place; in his most famous work, "The World as Will and Representation", he argues that the individuals of a species do not have as much free will as is ordinarily thought, as the only will that matters is that of the species, which is to reproduce and carry on. Schopenhauer is very well-known for his radical stance on women, aesthetics, and rhetoric.

We have selected for you 100 great quotes of Lao Tzu perfect for meditation. Lao Tzu was a philosopher and poet of ancient China. He is known as the reputed author of the "Tao Te Ching" and the founder of philosophical Taoism, and as a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions. A central figure in Chinese culture, Lao Tzu is claimed by both the emperors of the Tang dynasty and modern people. Some of his great quotes are: "When goodness is lost, it is replaced by morality". "Without Darkness, there can be no Light".

Winner of the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, China Miéville's astonishing Embassytown is an intelligent and immersive exploration of language in an alien world. Embassytown: a city of contradictions on the outskirts of the universe. Avice is an immerser, a traveller on the immer...

Alfred North Whitehead once noted: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato". Plato is indeed considered the most pivotal figure in the development of philosophy, along with his teacher, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle. But his writings are often light, fresh and funny; it was Plato who invented the dialogue in philosophy, which makes a point very easy to follow and the occasion of various scenic arrangements.

Nietzsche is a major figure in Western philosophy. His work is radical, sometimes violent, often ironic; it fascinates anyone bold enough to delve into it, exerted a profound influence on modern intellectual history, and covers a wide range of subjects. Nietzsche's writings border on the poetic; his aphorisms are particularly well-known for conveying all the radicalism of his thinking in a intense but light, sometimes amusing manner.

Albert Einstein is widely considered as one of the greatest minds that ever lived. He developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics alongside quantum mechanics, and penned the world's most famous equation, E=mc². He was an immense scientist and thinker, and his work is also renowned for its influence on the philosophy of science. As an authentic genius, he was also full of humor; these 100 quotes have been carefully selected to introduce you to his character and witticism in a convenient and efficient format.

"The Prince" is the most famous of Machiavelli's works; it gives very clear, precise and realistic instructions on how to gain and maintain power, fortune, and glory, sometimes at the expense of others. Written in 1513, it is one of the most feared and hated political treatises, taken to be the first work in which the effect the leader desires to achieve is taken as more important than any abstract ideal or ethical value that might prevent him from taking immoral action.

The philosophy of Confucius was so powerful that it dominated intellectual life in ancient China for centuries. It even came to be considered a religion, and there are still temples where Confucius is worshipped as the God of Culture. His writings were transmitted as aphorisms, each one of them one concentrated teaching about philosophy, ethics, or society.

We have selected for you 100 best quotes by Hegel. Georg Hegel was a German philosopher and an important figure of German idealism. He achieved wide renown in his day and - while primarily influential within the continental tradition of philosophy - has become increasingly influential in the analytic tradition as well. Although Hegel remains a divisive figure, his canonical stature within Western philosophy is universally recognized.

Socrates is an enigmatic figure, known chiefly through the accounts of others like Plato and Aristophanes. He was one of the most brilliant intellects ever, and devised what would later be called the Socratic method, which is a way of leading one's interlocutor to see his errors and contradictions through clever questioning before leading him to the truth.

We have selected for you 100 best quotes by Cicero. Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman politician and lawyer, who served as consul in the year 63 BC. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the Roman equestrian order, and is considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists. A great quote is very similar to a great thinking and a small poem. It can encapsulate a large web of ideas, thoughts, reflections, emotions in a few words.

Mahatma Gandhi is a world-famous pacifist figure who managed to lead the Indian independence movement against British rule by employing nonviolent civil disobedience. His ethics and unwavering stance inspired movements for civil rights and freedom all across the world, long after his assassination in 1948. These 100 quotes have been carefully selected to introduce you to his character and his way of thinking, and to inspire you into living a whole, ethical and engaged life.

We have selected for you 100 best quotes by Marx. Karl Marx was a German philosopher, economist, historian, political theorist, sociologist, journalist and revolutionary socialist. Marx studied law and Hegelian philosophy. His best-known titles are the 1848 pamphlet, "The Communist Manifesto", and the three-volume "Das Kapital". His political and philosophical thought had enormous influence on subsequent intellectual, economic and political history and his name has been used as an adjective, a noun and a school of social theory.

In Global Tech Wars, Financial Times’ veteran journalist James Kynge delivers a gripping analysis of China’s rapid technological ascent. No longer confined to low-end goods, China is now leading in cutting-edge industries: artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, surveillance technology, robotics, and more. Big Western corporations are facing multiple disruptive shocks. What does this mean for the future?

The renowned fantasy and science fiction writer China Mieville has long been inspired by the ideals of the Russian Revolution, and here, on the centenary of the revolution, he provides his own distinctive take on its history. In February 1917, in the midst of bloody war, Russia was still an autocratic monarchy: nine months later it became the first socialist state in world history. How did this unimaginable transformation take place? How was a ravaged and backward country, swept up in a desperately unpopular war, rocked by not one but two revolutions?