| Paranoia Within Reason: A Casebook on Conspiracy as Explanation Volume 6 Contributor(s): Marcus, George E. (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0226504573 ISBN-13: 9780226504575 Publisher: University of Chicago Press OUR PRICE: $138.60 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: March 1999 Annotation: Like the McCarthy era of the 1950s, there is a strong current of paranoid social thought as the end of the century approaches. Conspiracy theories abound, not only in extremist ideologies and groups, but in commerce, science, and economics-arenas where a paranoid style is least expected. A curiosity about paranoia at its most reasonable is at the root of this volume. Some pieces develop conversations that reveal the post-Cold War situations of countries such as Italy, Russia, Slovenia, and the United States where conspiratorial explanations of national dramas seem to make sense. Other pieces tackle paranoia as a style of debate in such diverse realms as science, psychotherapy, and popular entertainment, where conspiracy theories emerge as a compelling way to address the inadequacies of rational expertise and organization in the face of immense changes that undermine them. Like all of the volumes in the Late Edition series, "Paranoia Within Reason" offers a provocative challenge to our ways of understanding the ongoing watershed changes that face us. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History |
| Dewey: 900 |
| LCCN: 99188756 |
| Series: Late Editions: Cultural Studies for the End of the Century |
| Physical Information: 1.01" H x 6.72" W x 9.4" (1.83 lbs) 454 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Like the McCarthy era of the 1950s, there is a strong current of paranoid social thought as the end of the century approaches. Conspiracy theories abound, not only in extremist ideologies and groups, but in commerce, science, and economics-arenas where a paranoid style is least expected. A curiosity about paranoia at its most reasonable is at the root of this volume. Some pieces develop conversations that reveal the post-Cold War situations of countries such as Italy, Russia, Slovenia, and the United States where conspiratorial explanations of national dramas seem to make sense. Other pieces tackle paranoia as a style of debate in such diverse realms as science, psychotherapy, and popular entertainment, where conspiracy theories emerge as a compelling way to address the inadequacies of rational expertise and organization in the face of immense changes that undermine them. Like all of the volumes in the Late Edition series, Paranoia Within Reason offers a provocative challenge to our ways of understanding the ongoing watershed changes that face us. |
Contributor Bio(s): Marcus, George E.: - George E. Marcus is professor of political science at Williams College and the author, coauthor, or coeditor of seven books, including, most recently, Political Psychology: Neuroscience, Genetics, and Politics. |