The status quo is broken. The world is grappling with a web of challenges that could threaten our very existence. If we believe in a better world, now is the time to question the purpose behind our actions and those taken in our name.
Enter the "What Is It For?" series – a bold exploration of the core elements shaping our world, from religion and free speech to animal rights and the war. This series cuts through the noise to reveal the true impact of these topics, what they really do and why they matter.
Ditching the usual heated debates and polarisations, this series offers fresh, forward-thinking insights. Leading experts present groundbreaking ideas and point to ways forward for real change, urging us to envision a brighter future.
Each book dives into the history and function of its subject, uncovering its role in society and, crucially, how it can be better.
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INTRODUCING THE WHAT IS IT FOR? SERIES
"The time for series which merely set the objective of describing something is over."
George Miller, series editor, introduces the core idea behind the series.
MEET JULES BOYKOFF
Jules Boykoff, author of What Are the Olympics For?, is a professor of politics and government at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. He is also a former professional soccer player who represented the US U-23 men’s national team in international competition.
WHAT IS PHILANTHROPY AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?
George Miller speaks to Rhodri Davies, author of What is Philanthropy for?, about why he thinks this is a good time to ask questions about the purpose of philanthropy, and its relationship to democracy, inequality and the market. Listen to the podcast.
WHAT RIGHTS DO WE OWE ANIMALS?
Steve Cooke, author of What Are Animal Rights For?, talks with George Miller about how the field of animal rights evolved – and continues to evolve as advances in the scientific understanding of animals’ lives expand the rights claims made on their behalf. Listen to the podcast.
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Meet the Editor
George Miller
I’ve worked in publishing for over thirty years since starting as a rep in a battered Nissan Cherry in northern Greece. At Oxford University Press I set up the Very Short Introductions series in the early 1990s, convinced that short, affordable books can, and should, be intelligent and thought-provoking.
The What's It For? series seeks, like the Press as a whole, to be an agent for positive change. It will ask tough questions about purpose and fitness for purpose: what has to change for the future to be better? I’m greatly looking forward to exploring these questions with authors who are specialists in their fields and – equally important – passionate about communicating to a wide readership.
If you are interested in getting in touch, please contact me at
george.miller@bristol.ac.uk.
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