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The Big Ideas: A series of primers for the 21st century
What are the big issues presented to society today? What kind of things keep you up at night wondering if there will ever be an answer? Is Capitalism working? Is Democracy failing? What shape is space? Is gender fluid? In Thames & Hudson's new series The Big Idea, a group of expert authors take on some of the densest questions on human-kind's minds. Designed as a "Primer for the 21st century" this series of books attempts to delve into the biggest ideas occupying us today.
Sound too intense for you? Not to worry these books feature "Quick Recognition Text Hierarchy" whereby the most important information is in the largest size print and depending how much time you have you can read the smaller and smaller fonts for more detail. It sounds funny but trust us it works! If you have 30 minutes to spare, you can get a quick overview of the topic, with an hour you'll have slightly more information, and in two hours you can get a deeper understanding of some of these massive questions. 
Up first, Is gender fluid? With the almost recent same-sex marriage referendum and the growing global movement for the equal rights and treatment of the LGBTQ+ community, questions around gender are continuously bubbling. Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at the University of Leeds, Sally Hines, attempts to address the question: Is Gender Fluid? In this fantastic book Hines looks at all aspects of gender from biology to social constructs and the relationships between personal experience, physicality and sexuality. Moving from gender to fake news, rising nationalism, surging anti globalism, Brexit, hard borders and border walls, the next question on many peoples mind's is: Is Democracy Failing? To answer this question, lecturer at The School of Government and Society in the university of Birmingham Niheer Dasandi argues that first we must understand what democracy means in the current context, what challenges it faces today and how we measure its success or failure. This wonderful book imagines the limits that democracy can go to and what our options are once those limits are reached.
Are the poor getting poorer? Are the rich getting richer? Probably, but does that mean Capitalism is working or failing? The University of Cambridge's Jacob Field discusses how capitalism has grown and evolved, succeeded and failed and what will need to change if it is to survive in the 21st century in Is Capitalism Working?
The final instalment in this gorgeously designed set of books is titled What Shape is Space? Flat? Saddle shaped? Closed? Elliptical? Spherical? Giles Sparrow discusses many of the possibilities along with everything from the big bang to the omega factor and the multiverse.
All of these wonderful books have arrived in store and feature stunning images related to each topic, and are sure to be a literary delight for the incurably curious in your world.
