Society

This book covers the diagnosis of production systems in developing countries. It suggests an approach and tools that serve to describe farmers' choices and practices in terms of production, processing and marketing.

The author examines the strategies of pseudo-scientific arguments, from negationist creationisms to philosophical creationisms which call on the scientific community to participate in a "quest for meaning". Through the theory of evolution and its appropriation by the public, the book raises the issue of scientificity criteria.

This collection includes texts of a speculative and highly empirical nature concerning the question of the radical singularity of man or the limits between man and animals.

In the current context of neoliberal globalisation and the questions raised over its negative effects, the aim of this book is to show through miscellaneous case studies that the standardisation systems are not only new forms of regulation, institutions and social practices, but that in reality they refer to eminently political issues and to the building of a specific balance of power between players.

What do the Brittany beaches, the Venice lagoon and the Qingdao Chinese coast have in common? All three made the headlines due to the impressive “green tides” caused by the summer accumulation of macroalgae. What is causing this sudden disruption? And is there a solution? This little book responds without being complacent or alarmist, well away from debates that all too often hide reality.

Ignorance can go beyond lack of wisdom or being deprived of knowledge which others have access to: it can be overcome, but it can also be produced. What are the varieties and modes of ignorance, and why is it so essential to take these into account when debating environmental and health issues? This book covers the various forms and the dynamics of ignorance, the return to vogue of controversy and the influence of what are known as conspiracy theories. The author sets out his analysis using many widely-debated examples, such as endocrine disruptors, toxicity of chlorine, smoking, etc.

The author examines the strategies of pseudo-scientific arguments, from negationist creationisms to philosophical creationisms which call on the scientific community to participate in a "quest for meaning". Through the theory of evolution and its appropriation by the public, the book raises the issue of scientificity criteria.

“A robot in every home”. That is what Bill Gates is predicting for the not-too-distant future! But where exactly do they come from, these robots which are increasingly beginning to play a role in our daily lives? Housework, transport, leisure, care ... which areas have already become the robots’ domain? Do they perform better than humans? Employment, security, human relations ...: might they just turn out to be dangerous? And looking into the future, just how far will they go? All questions for which this book has answers, based on interviews with renowned roboticists and computer scientists ...

“A robot in every home”. That is what Bill Gates is predicting for the not-too-distant future! But where exactly do they come from, these robots which are increasingly beginning to play a role in our daily lives? Housework, transport, leisure, care ... which areas have already become the robots’ domain? Do they perform better than humans? Employment, security, human relations ...: might they just turn out to be dangerous? And looking into the future, just how far will they go? All questions for which this book has answers, based on interviews with renowned roboticists and computer scientists ...

Will cities of the future seem like Paradise on Earth, ensuring well-being and good health for all city dwellers? It may sound like a surprising question. And yet from Zurich to Tokyo, via Nantes or Lyon, researchers, businesses and ordinary citizens are working together to invent metropolises of the future that will be great places to live... With the help of around a dozen experts, this book – which takes neither a rashly ecological nor a blindly technical standpoint – explores current changes by pointing out advances as well as limitations.