Oxford University Press

Is music a language of the emotions? How do recorded pop songs differ from works created for live performance? Is John Cage's silent piece, 4'33"e;, music? Stephen Davies's new book collects some of his most important papers on central topics in the philosophy of music. As well as perennial questions, Davies addresses contemporary...

Bailey defends utilitarianism against those who claim it conflicts with our moral sensibilities. Following the precepts of utilitarianism in the imperfect real world, he argues, would lead us to foster institutions with consequences very different from the bogeymen dreamed up by utilitarianism's critics....

Siker brings together the history of biblical interpretation, and the study of uses of the Bible in Christian ethics, to examine how the Bible has actually been used in Christian theological ethics - and in the process profiling eight influential twentieth-century theologians....

Between 1760 and 1800, the people of the United States created a new nation, based on the idea that all people have the right to govern themselves. This concise book recreates the experiences that led to the Revolution; the experience of war; and the post-war creation of a new political society....

In this book the authors consider how to best listen to and speak with one facing life-threatening illness, with lessons on being a primary conversation partner, becoming properly empathic and receiving empathy, maintaining everyday conversation, using platitudes appropriately and understanding healthy denial....

Young Tess Durbeyfield attempts to restore her family's fortunes by claiming their connection with the aristocratic d'Urbervilles. But Alec d'Urberville is a rich wastrel who seduces her and makes her life miserable. When she meets Angel Clare, she is offered true love and happiness, but her past catches up with her and she faces an agonizing moral...