{"title":"Stuart Jeffries","description":"\u003cp\u003eDive into the insightful world of Stuart Jeffries, a renowned author celebrated for his deep dives into cultural, social, and philosophical themes. Through his compelling narratives, Jeffries offers readers a unique lens through which to view the complexities of modern society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAmong his notable works is \u003cem\u003eA Short History of Stupidity\u003c\/em\u003e, where he intriguingly delves into the drawbacks of human folly throughout history. This book sits snugly in the \u003cstrong\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Military\u003c\/strong\u003e category, presenting a thought-provoking critique of human irrationality across different epochs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the realm of \u003cstrong\u003ePolitics \u0026amp; Current Affairs\u003c\/strong\u003e, Jeffries' \u003cem\u003eEverything, All the Time, Everywhere\u003c\/em\u003e provides a sweeping analysis of contemporary life, dissecting how constant connectivity and consumerism shape our existence. Through this book, he navigates the intricacies of modern identity and cultural shifts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStuart Jeffries' works are perfect for readers interested in exploring the intersection of history, politics, and culture, offering not just insights but engaging narratives that encourage reflection and discussion.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"everything-all-the-time-everywhere-by-stuart-jeffries-9781788738224","title":"Everything, All the Time, Everywhere","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePost-Modernity is the creative destruction that has shattered our present times into fragments. It dynamited modernism, which had dominated the western world for most of the 20th century. Post-modernism stood for everything modernism rejected: fun, exuberance, irresponsibility. But beneath its glitzy surface, post-modernism had a dirty secret: it was the fig leaf for a rapacious new kind of capitalism. It also seems the forcing ground of the 'post-truth', by means of which western values got turned upside down.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut where do these ideas come from and how have they impacted on the world? In his brilliant history of a dangerous idea, Stuart Jeffries tells a narrative that starts in the early 1970s and continues to today. He tells this history through a riotous gallery that includes, amongst others: David Bowie, the iPod, Frederic Jameson, the demolition of Pruit-Igoe, Madonna, Post-Fordism, Jeff Koon's 'Rabbit', Deleuze and Guattari, the Nixon Shock, \u003ci\u003eThe Bowery\u003c\/i\u003e series, Judith Butler, Las Vegas, Margaret Thatcher, Grand Master Flash, \u003ci\u003eI Love Dick\u003c\/i\u003e, the RAND Corporation, the Sex Pistols, Princess Diana, the Musee D'Orsay, Grand Theft Auto, Perry Anderson, Netflix, and 9\/11.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe are today scarcely capable of conceiving politics as a communal activity because we have become habituated to being consumers rather than citizens. Politicians treat us as consumers to whom they must deliver. Can we do anything else than suffer from buyer's remorse?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849063387372,"sku":"9781788738224","price":45.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/23911283482824.jpg?v=1759015314"},{"product_id":"a-short-history-of-stupidity-by-stuart-jeffries-9781509563494","title":"A Short History of Stupidity","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe are living, it is often said, in a golden age of stupidity, in which boneheaded, mendacious politicians get elected by voters who’ve become too mindless to realise their interests are ill-served by narcissists. Meanwhile, vapid social media influencers corrupt their no less witless followers with groundless conspiracy theories and eye-wateringly foolish takedowns of scientific expertise.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOur time, one might be forgiven for thinking, is one in which the fool’s gold of stupidity has become a desirable commodity, a must-have, with bumbling celebrities venerated more than those who have more than two brain cells to rub together.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this book, \u003cem\u003eA Short History of Stupidity\u003c\/em\u003e, Stuart Jeffries analyses how we got into this parlous state and wonders if the stupid, like the poor, are always with us, or if, rather, stupidity is like Japanese knotweed—difficult to root out but to be exterminated with extreme prejudice. He considers what some of the greatest minds—Socrates, Buddha, Voltaire, Arendt, and others—have to tell us about the slippery nature of stupidity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDuring a narrative that takes us from ancient Greece to artificial intelligence, and accompanied by such heroes of stupidity as Flaubert’s double act Bouvard and Pécuchet, Jeffries casts a sceptical eye on attempts to root out stupidity. He examines methods such as IQ tests, eugenics, gene editing, and racist education policies, finding each attempt to be more stupid than the stupidity they were ostensibly devised to eradicate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf today we are living in a fool’s paradise, has our species become too dim to learn anything from its rich history of folly?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46871328293100,"sku":"9781509563494","price":59.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/12657193482725.jpg?v=1759875107"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/stuart-jeffries.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}