Chapter one introduces the topics of the book, describes how I analyse them and outlines how the work is structured. It shows that there are many books on uncertainty as a philosophical issue but they do not deal with the problems and solutions of warfare. Conversely, there are many books on surprise and strategy in war but none that connect these problems to philosophical discussions on uncertainty, ontology and predictability. Many sociologists see our time as characterized by uncertainty but they overlook the dominance of ideologies of certainty and systems of predictability. I also argue that modernity is a civilization, not just a historical period; a theory that emphasizes that societies have always created predictability through law, norms and science but in different ways. Predictability and unpredictability should be seen as properties, existing in degrees, in different social systems. On the basis of this theory and drawing upon Machiavelli, Hume, Dewey and Luhmann, I argue that searching for certainty is not only dangerous but also unnecessary. We will always face shocks and surprises but through knowledge, collaboration and trust these will fade away with time.

Being a young person can be hard. It is the developmental period of someone’s life where you start to question who you are, and where you fit in. For many, it is a rite of passage into becoming an adult with shared responsibilities and a sense of belonging and purpose. For others, it can be a difficult transition based on your perceived support and access to resources. This chapter will further explore the terrain of being a teenager alongside support we can provide as professional practitioners. According to developmental psychologists and researchers, the adolescent period of life is complex and varied. According to the World Health Organization, adolescence may generally occur between the ages of 10 and 19. It is also suggested that it can be up to the age of 24 and 25. Globally, the definition of youth can also vary in socio-political contexts, with some prescribing the upper age of 35. Our local legislation within Australia provides further definition, with many western countries signposting the age of 18 as when you become an adult, with the rights and responsibilities to exercise your democratic right to vote, and legally consume alcohol.

Primates are an order of mammals which share a set of traits inherited from a common ancestor that distinguishes them from all other mammals. These derived traits are not all unique to primates and none of the individual traits is shown by all primates. Primates range in body mass from the 30 g Madame Berthe's mouse lemur to around 250 kg for a male Grauer's gorilla. This variation in size is in line with that found in other mammalian orders and is closely associated with what they eat (diet), how they move (locomotion), and their behaviour. In this chapter, I provide a general introduction to the primates and their evolutionary adaptations (traits produced by natural selection for their current function), including their distribution and habitats, adaptations to life in the trees, diet and dietary adaptations, brains and sensory traits, life history and reproduction, behaviour and locomotion, social behaviour and interactions with other species. I then survey the major groups of primates. Throughout the chapter, I highlight terms that are common in the literature but are problematic.