What's the Big Idea? A History of the Ideas That Shape Our World

There are several factors that have influenced modern thought and the delivery of education. Great thinkers like Socrates and Plato attempted to create a definition for knowledge and this study became known as epistemology. Over time, philosophers have debated many aspects of epistemology, but ultimately this discipline has led to many great breakthroughs in the study of knowledge and education. Readers will learn about how knowledge interacts with religion as well as how the Renaissance had a lasting impact on education. This title will provide the basics for understanding how knowledge and education are mutually exclusive and how both of these have developed in the modern world.

This book explores how throughout time societies have switched from basic bartering and trading to using money to exchange items of value. Topics such as the origins of trade and Europe's trade routes will be touched upon and will provide readers with the tools necessary for further studying this topic. Readers will also learn about how these things have influenced modern trading in this digitally connected age. Money and trade are two aspects of daily life that are universal and this topic provides a basis for learning more about economics and what makes certain societies unique in their economic status.

While society and culture are closely related, there are minute differences that separate the two. But what is society without culture? Society is the community that surrounds an individual. This community has its own personality and this is how culture is introduced. Many societies are organized in stratified classes and these different classes can cause issues in a society. The gap between the rich and poor classes can sometimes create lasting effects on the individuals that live in these class situations. How does society further affect the individual? This title aims to answer this question through providing readers with foundational information on what society means and how societies are organized. Photographs and fact boxes supplement information present in the text and will spark readers' interest in learning more about the subject matter.

This book exposes readers to historical information regarding the formation of modern politics and democracy. From the early days of democracy in Athens, politics and government systems have undergone several changes up to the present moment. After the fall of the Roman Empire, most of Europe operated with a monarchical political system. Readers will learn how modern politics and governments have been influenced by such systems as Communism and fascism. Photographs and fact boxes support the information presented in the text. This title will spark readers' interest in further pursuing the subject matter by providing them with a general overview of politics and democracy.

Throughout recorded history there have been reports of individuals or groups of people being treated unequally or unfairly for various reasons like the color of their skin or the people they love. Rights in the ancient world were much different than modern human rights. People were sometimes bought and traded like property. In the medieval world, this changed to where merchants and some women had special rights that common people did not have. Most recently, people in the United States have been fighting for equal rights for African Americans and people in the LGBTQ communities. This book explores human rights today and how human rights have developed over time. Full-color photographs and fact boxes provide additional insight into the subject matter and will spark readers' interest in learning more about the fight for equality.

How have the nations of the world come to exist today? Have certain countries always existed? Nations and Nationality introduces young readers to how nations, and their cultural identity, have developed throughout history. In a world where there is very little isolation from other nations, this book will provides a basic outlook on how other nations have arisen and how early nations operated. Fact boxes and full-color photographs supplement the text in order to equip readers with foundational information sufficient to spark an interest in further pursuing knowledge in this subject area.