An Anthropology of Puzzles argues that the human brain is a "puzzling organ" which allows humans to literally solve their own problems of existence through puzzle format. Noting the presence of puzzles everywhere in everyday life, Marcel Danesi looks at puzzles in society since the dawn of history, showing how their presence has guided large sections of human history, from discoveries in mathematics to disquisitions in philosophy. Danesi examines the cognitive processes that are involved in puzzle making and solving, and connects them to the actual physical manifestations of classic puzzles. Building on a concept of puzzles as based on Jungian archetypes, such as the river crossing image, the path metaphor, and the journey, Danesi suggests this could be one way to understand the public fascination with puzzles. As well as drawing on underlying mental archetypes, the act of solving puzzles also provides an outlet to move beyond biological evolution, and Danesi shows that puzzles could be the product of the same basic neural mechanism that produces language and culture. Finally, Danesi explores how understanding puzzles can be a new way of understanding our human culture.

"Humans are the only animals who create and solve puzzles--for the sheer pleasure of it--and there is no obvious genetic reason why we would do this. Marcel Danesi explores the psychology of puzzles and puzzling, with scores of classic examples. His pioneering book is both entertaining and enlightening." --Will Shortz, Crossword Editor, The New York Times "... Puzzle fanatics will enjoy the many riddles, illusions, cryptograms and other mind-benders offered for analysis." --Psychology Today "... a bristlingly clear... always intriguing survey of the history and rationale of puzzles.... A] splendid study...." --Knight Ridder Newspapers

From the authors of the bestselling Plexers and More Plexers come three new books to entertain and educate! Each puzzle is a pictorial code for an idea related to social studies, science, or arithmetic. To crack the code look for clues in the size, position, and direction of the letters and symbols in the box. Each book includes 245 reproducible puzzles (with answers). The puzzles encourage the development of a variety of problem-solving and critical thinking skills. For teachers, the puzzles fit into any curriculum -- as a basis for class discussion, cooperative learning activities or as bonus or challenge questions on tests and quizzes.

As homelessness continues to plague North America and also becomes more widespread in Europe, anthropologists turn their attention to solving the puzzle of why people in some of the most advanced technological societies in the world are found huddled in a subway tunnel, squatting in a vacant building, living in a shelter, or camping out in an abandoned field or on a beach. Anthropologists have a long tradition of working in poverty subcultures and have been able to contribute answers to some of the puzzles of homelessness through their ability to enter the culture of the homeless without some of the preconceptions of other disciplines. The authors, anthropologists from the U.S.A. and Canada, offer us an analysis of homelessness that is grounded in anthropological research in North America and throughout the world. Both have in-depth experience through working in communities of the homeless and present us withthe results of their own work and with that of their colleagues.

This study assesses how versatile are the techniques of classical anthropology when confronted by the ethnographically unfamiliar. Each essay seeks to elucidate an empirical problem through orthodox and heterodox uses of standard techniques.

"This concise, student-friendly, current introduction to cultural anthropology carefully balances coverage of core topics and contemporary changes in the field. Mirror for Humanity is a perfect match for cultural anthropology courses that use readings or ethnographies along with a main text." --Amazon.

Keeping students involved and actively learning is challenging. Instructors in computer science are aware of the cognitive value of modelling puzzles and often use logical puzzles as an efficient pedagogical instrument to engage students and develop problem-solving skills. This unique book is a comprehensive resource that offers teachers and students fun activities to teach and learn logic. It provides new, complete, and running formalisation in Propositional and First Order Logic for over 130 logical puzzles, including Sudoku-like puzzles, zebra-like puzzles, island of truth, lady and tigers, grid puzzles, strange numbers, or self-reference puzzles. Solving puzzles with theorem provers can be an effective cognitive incentive to motivate students to learn logic. They will find a ready-to-use format which illustrates how to model each puzzle, provides running implementations, and explains each solution. This concise and easy-to-follow textbook is a much-needed support tool for students willing to explore beyond the introductory level of learning logic and lecturers looking for examples to heighten student engagement in their computer science courses.

Corporate culture is critical to any organizational change effort. This book offers a proven model for identifying and leveraging the essential elements of any culture. In a world that changes at a dizzying pace, what can leaders do to build flexible and adaptive workplaces that inspire people to achieve extraordinary results? According to the authors, the answer lies in recognizing and aligning the elusive forces—or the “puzzling” pieces—that shape an organization's culture. With a combined seventy-five years' worth of research, teaching, and consulting experience, Mario Moussa, Derek Newberry, and Greg Urban bring a wealth of knowledge to creating nimble organizations. Globally recognized business anthropologists and management experts, they explain how to access the full power of your culture by harnessing the Four Forces that drive it: Vision: Embrace a common purpose that illuminates shared aspirations and plans. Interest: Foster a deep commitment to authentic relationships and your organization's future. Habit: Establish routines and rituals that reinforce “the way we do things around here.” Innovation: Promote the constant tinkering that produces surprising new solutions to old problems. Filled with case studies, personal anecdotes, and solid, practical advice, this book includes a four-part Evaluator to help you build resilient organizations and teams. The Culture Puzzle offers the definitive playbook for thriving amid constant transformation.

This book looks at classic puzzles from the perspective of their structures and what they tell us about the brain. It uses the work on the neuroscience of mathematics from Dehaene, Butterworth, Lakoff, Núñez, and many others as a lens to understand the ways in which puzzles reflect imaginative processes blended with rational ones. The book is not about recreational or puzzle-based mathematics in and of itself but rather about what the classic puzzles tell us about the mathematical imagination and its impact on the discipline. It delves into the history of classic math puzzles, deconstructing their raison d’être and describing their psychological features, so that their nature can be fleshed out in order to help understand the mathematical mind. This volume is the first monographic treatment of the psychological nature of puzzles in mathematics. With its user-friendly technical level of discussion, it is of interest to both general readers and those who engage in the disciplines of mathematics, psychology, neuroscience, and/or anthropology. It is also ideal as a textbook source for courses in recreational mathematics, or as reference material in introductory college math courses.

Movies: 300 Word Search Puzzles puts your movie trivia knowledge to the test with 300 fun-filled word searches that will keep you on your toes for hours a time!