CFP: 1001 Ideas that Changed the Way We Think

Editor: Rob Arp ([email protected])

A book is being edited called 1001 Ideas that Changed the Way We Think that will definitely be published through Simon & Schuster in the US(http://www.simonandschuster.com/) and Octopus Publishing Group in the UK (http://www.octopusbooks.co.uk/). The following publishers may be on board, too: Flammarion in France; Atlante in Italy; Random House Mondadori in Spain; Trecarre in French Canada; GMT Editores in Brazil; Maroniebooks in Korea.

So, this is a big project with big publishers (S&S and Octopus alone are huge publishing houses) and a worldwide audience eventually. For more books, book chapters, articles, white papers, technical pieces, and other works in philosophy and other areas edited and authored by Robert Arp, see: robertarp.webs.com.

Jane Laing at the Quarto Group (http://www.quarto.com/) is the Editorial Director, and she has produced several of these “1001” books, like:

• 1001 Natural Wonders You Must See Before You Die
• 1001 Historic Sites You Must See Before You Die
• 1001 Escapes to Experience Before You Die
• 1001 Foods You Must Taste Before You Die

… and others, see here for a start: http://www.amazon.com/1001-Natural-Wonders-Must-Before/dp/0764162330/ref=pd_sim_b_5

The book 1001 Ideas that Changed the Way We Think, is divided into 6 sections corresponding to these time periods:

• Ancient World (2,000,000 BCE to 499 CE)
• The Middle Ages (500 CE to 1449)
• Early Modern (1450 to 1779)
• Late Modern (1780 to 1899)
• Early 20th Century (1900 to 1949)
• Contemporary (1950 to present)

In each section, there will be ideas (from both East and West) under each of the following categories:

• Science and Technology (to include math ideas, inventive ideas)
• Politics and Society (to include education ideas, legal ideas)
• Religion
• Psychology
• Philosophy
• Art and Architecture (to include music ideas, literature-type ideas)

Please note:

1. The ideas are still being finalized ideas (again, from the East and the West) with the publisher, but they’ll be all the most obvious ones in human history that you can think of, such as: sharp projectile, karma, anthropomorphism, reincarnation, the end justifies the means, physician-assisted suicide, prime number, Pythagorean theorem, man is
2. the measure of all things, feng shui, natural selection, the golden mean, stream of consciousness, deism, gravity, Bayes’ theorem, 2nd law of thermodynamics, the big bang, special relativity, the hit parade, behaviorism, codependency, Baroque music, Baroque architecture, the invisible hand, rock music, creationism, and many more totaling 1001.
3. Right now, a list of potential contributors is being made.
4. Please respond to Rob Arp ([email protected]) if you’re interested in writing 10 or more entries in one or more of the categories listed above (S&T, P&S, R, Ps, Ph, or A&A).
5. People are needed to write a no-more-than 280-word description/entry for each idea. That’s something like 1 page of double-spaced, 11-point Times New Roman font—basically 2 paragraphs.
6. You will get $46.00 (forty-six US dollars) per entry written. A contract will be sent to you from Jane Laing. A commitment to writing at least 10 entries is needed (that’s $460.00); otherwise, no need to respond.
7. You can commit to writing more than 10 entries, no problem.
8. Drafts of the entries will start to be due 10 a month, probably starting this November 1, 2012. So, if you do 10, then you’ll get them all to me November 1, 2012; if you do 20, then 10 will be due November 1, 2012, and the other 10 December 1, 2012; if you do 30… You get the pattern.
9. You will be provided with a general template to follow in writing the entry, but it will be something straightforward and obvious, such as this:Every entry should include: (a)      One quotation that utilizes the idea, or is about the idea; (b) A description of the idea; (c) An account of the origin of the idea: who was the first to use the idea? (d) An account of why the idea is important such that it “changed the way we think”
10. The hardest part of this kind of writing is getting right to the point; think Wikipedia entry in terms of the writing, not (necessarily) the research.
11. You need not be an expert concerning the idea, but you are expected to do scholar-like research for accuracy, obviously beyond Wikipedia.
12. If/when you respond, tell Rob Arp ([email protected]) if you have a specific category (S&T, P&S, R, Ps, Ph, or A&A) you’d like to do: “Rob, I’d be interested in doing 20 psychology ideas,” or “Rob, I’d do 30 art & architecture ideas,” or “I’d do 10 philosophy and 10 psychology ideas,” etc.
13. Also, let Rob Arp ([email protected]) know if you’d be willing to play “clean up” and write about any leftover ideas.