What moves us to give gifts to other people? The Gift brings together perspectives on gift exchange and reciprocity from different social scientific disciplines. The first part of this book contains anthropological and sociological 'classics' on gift giving and reciprocity. In the second part the focus is on social psychological theories, and on empirical research on gift giving in Western society. Finally, the main concepts underlying gift exchange - reciprocity, self-interest and altruism - are discussed. Here, the focus is on fundamental assumptions about human nature. Altruism and self-interest turn out to be much more interwoven than we are inclined to think.

A writer may have a story to tell, a sense of plot, and strong characters, but for all of these to come together some key questions must be answered. What form should the narrator take? An omniscient, invisible force, or one--or more--of the characters? But in what voice, and from what vantage point? How to decide? Avoiding prescriptive instructions or arbitrary rules, Christopher Castellani brilliantly examines the various ways writers have solved the crucial point-of-view problem. By unpacking the narrative strategies at play in the work of writers as different as E. M. Forster, Grace Paley, and Tayeb Salih, among many others, he illustrates how the author's careful manipulation of distance between narrator and character drives the story. An insightful work by an award-winning novelist and the artistic director of GrubStreet, The Art of Perspective is a fascinating discussion on a subject of perpetual interest to any writer.

With exegetical depth, objectivity, and clarity Richard B. Gaffin examines prophecy and tongues and makes a case for the cessation of both gifts at the close of the apostolic era. Pentecost is presented as integral to the once-for-all work of Christ and decisive for the life of the whole church. Dr. Gaffin's biblical theological perspective is thorough. He defines all the spiritual gifts generally; he clarifies the nature of prophecy and tongues and the question of their continuance in the church today; and he indicates how these exegetical studies bear on contemporary interest in charismatic gifts. - Back cover.

The second part of the book brings the historical invention of perspective into focus, discussing the experiments with mirrors made by Brunelleschi, connecting it to the history of consciousness via Jacques Lacan's definition of the "tableau" as "a configuration in which the subject as such gets its bearings.".

Originally published in 1983, this book is about the way we see things – or think we do, which is by no means the same – and about the ways in which we have tried to reproduce that visual concept in diagrams, pictures, photographs, films and television. Whatever the medium, if any degree of realism is intended, some use of perspective is inevitable, and some understanding of it can aid the appreciation of the result. But here the technicalities of perspective geometry are treated as far as possible non-technically, by a common-sense approach. Students, would-be artists or architects, are warned in the Preface that they will travel second-class in the author’s train of thought (the ‘general reader’ coming first), but they may well find the journey worthwhile in that it provides a background to a subsequent, more detailed studies. Lawrence Wright shows that every form of perspective representation has some innate falsity, but that most such forms offer an adequate makeshift; that rules of geometry often need to be bent; that labour-saving dodges and shortcuts exist. As he says, perspective drawing, like politics, is an art of the possible. In reading this book, beginners may find it all simpler than they had supposed, though the established expert may in some interesting respects find just the opposite. The general reader may thereafter find himself seeing things – and representations of them – in a new light.

This novel treatment of barter represents a topical addition to the literature on economic anthropology.

When you understand how your mind works, you can create the life you desire. So many of us experience similar life situations. Whether it's having difficulty staying positive or dealing with physical or emotional abuse, the commonalities are universal. This book addresses several life situations in a straightforward, simplistic way.Many of life's problems are created by us and can be fixed when you change your perspective. Emotions like love, anger, sadness, and fear, are created in our minds. When we try to predict the future it's natural to visualize the worst-case scenario. It doesn't have to be that way once you understand how to use the power of your mind. The stories in this book are from real people, just like you, who have opened their hearts and minds so they too can experience The Positive Perspective.The stories in this book are from real people, just like you, who have opened their hearts and minds so they too can experience The Positive Perspective.There are many different topics in this book such as:* Infinite Intelligence* Question Your Belief System* Your Past Is Your Past* Gratitude Practices* Improve Your Willpower* Control Your Anger* Thoughts Become Things* Your Subconscious Mind

Thomas Aquinas devoted a substantial proportion of his greatest works to the virtues. Yet, despite the availability of these texts (and centuries of commentary), Aquinas’s virtue ethics remains mysterious, leaving readers with many unanswered questions. In this book, Pinsent argues that the key to understanding Aquinas’s approach is to be found in an association between: a) attributes he appends to the virtues, and b) interpersonal capacities investigated by the science of social cognition, especially in the context of autistic spectrum disorder. The book uses this research to argue that Aquinas’s approach to the virtues is radically non-Aristotelian and founded on the concept of second-person relatedness. To demonstrate the explanatory power of this principle, Pinsent shows how the second-person perspective gives interpretation to Aquinas’s descriptions of the virtues and offers a key to long-standing problems, such as the reconciliation of magnanimity and humility. The principle of second-person relatedness also interprets acts that Aquinas describes as the fruition of the virtues. Pinsent concludes by considering how this approach may shape future developments in virtue ethics.

Starting with the premise that the work of art is a gift and not a commodity, this revolutionary book ranges across anthropology, literature, economics, and psychology to show how the 'commerce of the creative spirit' functions in the lives of artists and in culture as a whole.