Why Do We Do What We Do? Motivation in History and the Social Sciences

Why we do what we do is a matter of great interest to everyone, and everyone seems to have had their say about it – philosophers, sociologists, anthropologists, psychologists, economists, and historians perhaps the most, case by case. Occasionally the specialists have offered their ideas to a general readership, but mostly they prefer to speak to and with their fellows in their particular disciplines. To evaluate and compare their findings in a cross-disciplinary way is now for the first time attempted, by Ramsay MacMullen. Emeritus history professor from Yale University, he is the recipient of various academic awards, including a lifetime Award for Scholarly Distinction from the American Historical Association

Barbarian Enclaves in the Northern Roman Empire

Besides the barbarians admitted to the army, hundreds of thousands were received — men, women, and children — into the Roman empire, to be settled in reservations. The practise is of significance from the late second century on. Archaeology reveals signs of perhaps ten tribes represented in France, Germany, and the Low Countries. What is interesting about them is the increasing tenacity with which they retained their own traditions of pottery, jewelry, and burial, against the slowly decreasing power of Romanization.MacMullen Ramsay. Barbarian Enclaves in the Northern Roman Empire. In: L'antiquité classique, Tome 32, fasc. 2, 1963. pp. 552-561

Why Do We Do What We Do? Motivation in History and the Social Sciences

This book tries to explain how decisions to act develop in the mind. Emphasis is on group decisions not only of the present but also from the past, where laboratory techniques can't apply. What emerges is a description of a process rather than the definition of a word. The description points to kinds of data that need special consideration: data regarding ideas of right and wrong, cultural traditions, emotional packaging.Intro -- 1 Psychology and Individuals -- 2 Anthropology and Small Populations -- 3 Reason and Decision-making -- 4 Culture as Cause -- 5 Conclusions -- Bibliography -- Index 1: Ideas -- Index 2: Peoples and Places -- Index 3: Historical Individuals -- Index 4: Modern Authorities DiscussedThis book tries to explain how decisions to act develop in the mind. Emphasis is on group decisions not only of the present but also from the past, where laboratory techniques can't apply. What emerges is a description of a process rather than the definition of a word. The description points to kinds of data that need special consideration: data regarding ideas of right and wrong, cultural traditions, emotional packaging.Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, YYYY. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries

Paganism and Christianity, 100-425 C.E. : A Sourcebook

Minneapolisxiv, 296 p.; 23 cm

Constantine and the Miraculous

Constantine’s experience of omens and miracles and use of apotropaic magical symbols, at first pagan then Christian, fits with a long tradition, then strengthening, of such beliefs. <!--EndFragment--