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The centuries-old paradox of voting is that majorities sometimes prefer x to y, y to z, and z to x - a cycle. The discovery of the sources and consequences of such cycles, under majority rule and countless other regimes, constitutes much of the mathematical theory of voting and social choice. This book explores the big questions posed by the paradox of voting: positive questions about how to predict outcomes and explain observed stability, and normative questions about how to hold elections, how to take account of preference intensities, the relevance of social welfare to social choice, and challenges to formal 'rationality', individual and social. The overall lesson is that cycles are facts, ubiquitous, and consequential in non-obvious ways, not puzzles to be solved, much less maladies or misfortunes to be avoided or regretted.

Over the past six decades, Henry Kissinger has been America's most consistently praised - and reviled - public figure. He was hailed as a "miracle worker" for his peacemaking in the Middle East, pursuit of détente with the Soviet Union, negotiation of an end to the Vietnam War, and secret plan to open the United States to China. He was assailed from the left and from the right for his indifference to human rights, complicity in the pointless sacrifice of American and Vietnamese lives, and reliance on deception and intrigue. Was he a brilliant master strategist - "the 20th century's greatest 19th century statesman" - or a cold-blooded monster who eroded America's moral standing for the sake of self-promotion? In this masterfully researched biography, the renowned diplomatic historian Thomas Schwartz offers an authoritative, and fair-minded, answer to this question. While other biographers have engaged in hagiography or demonology, Schwartz takes a measured view of his subject. He recognizes Kissinger's successes and acknowledges that Kissinger thought seriously and with great insight about the foreign policy issues of his time, while also recognizing his failures, his penchant for backbiting, and his reliance on ingratiating and fawning praise of the president as a source of power. Throughout, Schwartz stresses Kissinger's artful invention of himself as a celebrity diplomat and his domination of the medium of television news. He also notes Kissinger's sensitivity to domestic and partisan politics, complicating - and undermining - the image of the far-seeing statesman who stands above the squabbles of popular strife.

Thomas Alan Schwartz: Die Atlantikbrücke. John McCloy und das Nachkriegs-Deutschland. Ullstein Verlag, Frankfurt am Main, Berlin 1992. 560 Seiten, 58,- DM

Es geht um nichts weniger als die ersten und letzten Dinge im Universum und im Leben eines Menschen. In 22 Themenkreisen tauscht sich Harald Lesch bekennender Naturwissenschaftler, Philosoph und protestantischer Christ - mit seinem Freund Thomas Schwartz aus. Der ist katholischer Pfarrer und Professor für Theologie und Angewandte Ethik. Der Leser ist herzlich eingeladen, in diesem Bunde der Dritte zu sein. Es geht um: Der Anfang von Allem, Existiert Gott? Was ist der Mensch? Sinn, Wahrheit, Die Grenzen des Verstehens, Glück, Freude, Leid, Liebe, Einsamkeit, Zufall, Tohuwabohu, Glaube und Aberg

What happens when married men face their gay/bisexual needs?This astonishing volume offers an intimate look into the lives and thoughts of bisexual men. Already married to women, these men are undeniably attracted to other men. Their struggle with conflicting needs, desires, and loyalties is not filtered through theories or evoked in brief interviews. It comes straight from their own keyboards. The stories told in Bisexual and Gay Husbands are taken from an Internet mailing list, which allows people to speak freely and in anonymity, yet also encourages the development of a tightly knit communi

Was sagen einem Astrophysiker die Sterne über die Welt und das Leben? Kann ein Wirtschaftsprofessor die Entwicklung der Finanzwelt vorhersagen und was bedeutet das für unseren Alltag? Und überhaupt: Gibt es sie, die Formel für die Zukunft? Antworten auf solche Fragen geben Harald Lesch und Thomas Schwartz in ihrem neuen Buch. Sie verbinden Mathematik, Ökologie und vor allem viel Alltagsklugheit zu einem brillanten Blick in das Hier, Jetzt und Morgen. Sie erklären das wichtigste Prinzip der Natur, die Wiederholung, und weshalb nur sie echten Fortschritt garantiert. Fortschritt, der nachhaltig ist und kollektiv nützt. Die beiden Bestsellerautoren verknüpfen scheinbar banale Details mit den grossen Zusammenhängen von Natur und Gesellschaft und tauchen so ein in die Grundprinzipien unseres Lebens. Ein Buch, das uns überraschende Fakten und Erklärungen liefert und Vertrauen, das nichts so bleiben muss, wie es ist IBM und manches so bleiben darf, wie es ist. Unterhaltsam, klug und überaus originell. (Verlagstext)