An Urchin in the Storm: Essays about Books and Ideas

An Urchin in the Storm: Essays about Books and Ideas

Author: Stephen Jay Gould

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2010-11-29

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0393340902

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"What pleasure to see the dishonest, the inept, and the misguided deftly given their due, while praise is lavished on the deserving—for reasons well and truly stated."—Kirkus Reviews Ranging as far as the fox and as deep as the hedgehog (the urchin of his title), Stephen Jay Gould expands on geology, biological determinism, "cardboard Darwinism," and evolutionary theory in this sparkling collection.


Book Synopsis An Urchin in the Storm: Essays about Books and Ideas by : Stephen Jay Gould

Download or read book An Urchin in the Storm: Essays about Books and Ideas written by Stephen Jay Gould and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2010-11-29 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "What pleasure to see the dishonest, the inept, and the misguided deftly given their due, while praise is lavished on the deserving—for reasons well and truly stated."—Kirkus Reviews Ranging as far as the fox and as deep as the hedgehog (the urchin of his title), Stephen Jay Gould expands on geology, biological determinism, "cardboard Darwinism," and evolutionary theory in this sparkling collection.


Stephen Jay Gould

Stephen Jay Gould

Author: Robert Ross

Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 415

ISBN-13: 0195373200

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Considered by many during his lifetime as the most well-known scientist in the world, Stephen Jay Gould left an enormous and influential body of work. A Harvard professor of paleontology, evolutionary biology, and the history of science, Gould provided major insights into our understanding of the history of life. He helped to reinvigorate paleontology, launch macroevolution on a new course, and provide a context in which the biological developmental stages of an organism's embryonic growth could be integrated into an understanding of evolution. This book is a set of reflections on the many areas of Gould's intellectual life by the people who knew and understood him best: former students and prominent close collaborators. Mostly a critical assessment of his legacy, the chapters are not technical contributions but rather offer a combination of intellectual bibliography, personal memoir, and reflection on Gould's diverse scientific achievements. The work includes the most complete bibliography of his writings to date and offers a multi-dimensional view of Gould's life-work not to be found in any other volume.


Book Synopsis Stephen Jay Gould by : Robert Ross

Download or read book Stephen Jay Gould written by Robert Ross and published by Oxford University Press on Demand. This book was released on 2009 with total page 415 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Considered by many during his lifetime as the most well-known scientist in the world, Stephen Jay Gould left an enormous and influential body of work. A Harvard professor of paleontology, evolutionary biology, and the history of science, Gould provided major insights into our understanding of the history of life. He helped to reinvigorate paleontology, launch macroevolution on a new course, and provide a context in which the biological developmental stages of an organism's embryonic growth could be integrated into an understanding of evolution. This book is a set of reflections on the many areas of Gould's intellectual life by the people who knew and understood him best: former students and prominent close collaborators. Mostly a critical assessment of his legacy, the chapters are not technical contributions but rather offer a combination of intellectual bibliography, personal memoir, and reflection on Gould's diverse scientific achievements. The work includes the most complete bibliography of his writings to date and offers a multi-dimensional view of Gould's life-work not to be found in any other volume.


Altruistic Behavior

Altruistic Behavior

Author: Paul S. Penner

Publisher: Rodopi

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 170

ISBN-13: 9789051838923

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book is an inquiry into the motivation for altruistic behavior. It uncovers the condition that prompts or sometimes even compels us to act intentionally for the benefit of others. This condition, the pre-reflective experience of another person as a self-conscious individual just like oneself, finds its origin in the very structure of the mind. The essay is a synthesis of evidence from neuroscience, phenomenology, Eastern philosophy, analytic philosophy of mind, and cognitive psychology. Hence, it is an excellent example of work in applied cognitive science. The book includes a critique of the several main approaches to the explanation of the motivation for altruistic behavior: biological, psychological, and philosophical. The path of the main inquiry produces several innovative proposals in the philosophy of mind in addition to the main conclusion. Included in these are a detailed account of the structure of the human mind, an ontological categorization of mental states, a naturalistic explanation of so-called mystical states, a proposal for the role of consciousness in the downward causation of physical events, a new interpretation of the Buddhist doctrine of no-self and a unique view of the nature of love.


Book Synopsis Altruistic Behavior by : Paul S. Penner

Download or read book Altruistic Behavior written by Paul S. Penner and published by Rodopi. This book was released on 1995 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an inquiry into the motivation for altruistic behavior. It uncovers the condition that prompts or sometimes even compels us to act intentionally for the benefit of others. This condition, the pre-reflective experience of another person as a self-conscious individual just like oneself, finds its origin in the very structure of the mind. The essay is a synthesis of evidence from neuroscience, phenomenology, Eastern philosophy, analytic philosophy of mind, and cognitive psychology. Hence, it is an excellent example of work in applied cognitive science. The book includes a critique of the several main approaches to the explanation of the motivation for altruistic behavior: biological, psychological, and philosophical. The path of the main inquiry produces several innovative proposals in the philosophy of mind in addition to the main conclusion. Included in these are a detailed account of the structure of the human mind, an ontological categorization of mental states, a naturalistic explanation of so-called mystical states, a proposal for the role of consciousness in the downward causation of physical events, a new interpretation of the Buddhist doctrine of no-self and a unique view of the nature of love.


The Truth of Ecology

The Truth of Ecology

Author: Dana Phillips

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 9780195137699

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A wide-ranging appraisal of environmental thought. It explores such topics as the history of ecology, radical science studies and ecology, the need for greater theoretical sophistication in ecocriticism, the dubious legacy of Thoreau, and the contradictions of contemporary nature writing.


Book Synopsis The Truth of Ecology by : Dana Phillips

Download or read book The Truth of Ecology written by Dana Phillips and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2003 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A wide-ranging appraisal of environmental thought. It explores such topics as the history of ecology, radical science studies and ecology, the need for greater theoretical sophistication in ecocriticism, the dubious legacy of Thoreau, and the contradictions of contemporary nature writing.


Reflections on Psycholinguistic Theories

Reflections on Psycholinguistic Theories

Author: Nigel Duffield

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2018-01-25

Total Pages: 415

ISBN-13: 1108417159

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A vivid, 'well-tempered' exploration of the foundations of psycholinguistics, combining theoretical ideas with lyrical examples to explain high-level ideas in a lively, accessible way.


Book Synopsis Reflections on Psycholinguistic Theories by : Nigel Duffield

Download or read book Reflections on Psycholinguistic Theories written by Nigel Duffield and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-01-25 with total page 415 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A vivid, 'well-tempered' exploration of the foundations of psycholinguistics, combining theoretical ideas with lyrical examples to explain high-level ideas in a lively, accessible way.


Oracles of Science

Oracles of Science

Author: Karl Giberson

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2009-02-27

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 0199728240

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Oracles of Science examines the popular writings of the six scientists who have been the most influential in shaping our perception of science, how it works, and how it relates to other fields of human endeavor, especially religion. Biologists Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Dawkins, and Edward O. Wilson, and physicists Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, and Steven Weinberg, have become public intellectuals, articulating a much larger vision for science and what role it should play in the modern worldview. The scientific prestige and literary eloquence of each of these great thinkers combine to transform them into what can only be called oracles of science. Their controversial, often personal, sometimes idiosyncratic opinions become widely known and perceived by many to be authoritative. Curiously, the leading 'oracles of science' are predominantly secular in ways that don't reflect the distribution of religious beliefs within the scientific community. Many of them are even hostile to religion, creating a false impression that science as a whole is incompatible with religion. Karl Giberson and Mariano Artigas offer an informed analysis of the views of these six scientists, carefully distinguishing science from philosophy and religion in the writings of the oracles. This book will be welcomed by many who are disturbed by the tone of the public discourse on the relationship between science and religion and will challenge others to reexamine their own preconceptions about this crucial topic.


Book Synopsis Oracles of Science by : Karl Giberson

Download or read book Oracles of Science written by Karl Giberson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009-02-27 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Oracles of Science examines the popular writings of the six scientists who have been the most influential in shaping our perception of science, how it works, and how it relates to other fields of human endeavor, especially religion. Biologists Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Dawkins, and Edward O. Wilson, and physicists Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, and Steven Weinberg, have become public intellectuals, articulating a much larger vision for science and what role it should play in the modern worldview. The scientific prestige and literary eloquence of each of these great thinkers combine to transform them into what can only be called oracles of science. Their controversial, often personal, sometimes idiosyncratic opinions become widely known and perceived by many to be authoritative. Curiously, the leading 'oracles of science' are predominantly secular in ways that don't reflect the distribution of religious beliefs within the scientific community. Many of them are even hostile to religion, creating a false impression that science as a whole is incompatible with religion. Karl Giberson and Mariano Artigas offer an informed analysis of the views of these six scientists, carefully distinguishing science from philosophy and religion in the writings of the oracles. This book will be welcomed by many who are disturbed by the tone of the public discourse on the relationship between science and religion and will challenge others to reexamine their own preconceptions about this crucial topic.


The Return of Nature

The Return of Nature

Author: John Bellamy Foster

Publisher: Monthly Review Press

Published: 2020-06-16

Total Pages: 688

ISBN-13: 1583678360

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Winner, 2020 Isaac and Tamara Deutscher Memorial Prize A fascinating reinterpretation of the radical and socialist origins of ecology Twenty years ago, John Bellamy Foster’s Marx’s Ecology: Materialism and Nature introduced a new understanding of Karl Marx’s revolutionary ecological materialism. More than simply a study of Marx, it commenced an intellectual and social history, encompassing thinkers from Epicurus to Darwin, who developed materialist and ecological ideas. Now, with The Return of Nature: Socialism and Ecology, Foster continues this narrative. In so doing, he uncovers a long history of efforts to unite issues of social justice and environmental sustainability that will help us comprehend and counter today’s unprecedented planetary emergencies. The Return of Nature begins with the deaths of Darwin (1882) and Marx (1883) and moves on until the rise of the ecological age in the 1960s and 1970s. Foster explores how socialist analysts and materialist scientists of various stamps, first in Britain, then the United States, from William Morris and Frederick Engels to Joseph Needham, Rachel Carson, and Stephen J. Gould, sought to develop a dialectical naturalism, rooted in a critique of capitalism. In the process, he delivers a far-reaching and fascinating reinterpretation of the radical and socialist origins of ecology. Ultimately, what this book asks for is nothing short of revolution: a long, ecological revolution, aimed at making peace with the planet while meeting collective human needs.


Book Synopsis The Return of Nature by : John Bellamy Foster

Download or read book The Return of Nature written by John Bellamy Foster and published by Monthly Review Press. This book was released on 2020-06-16 with total page 688 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner, 2020 Isaac and Tamara Deutscher Memorial Prize A fascinating reinterpretation of the radical and socialist origins of ecology Twenty years ago, John Bellamy Foster’s Marx’s Ecology: Materialism and Nature introduced a new understanding of Karl Marx’s revolutionary ecological materialism. More than simply a study of Marx, it commenced an intellectual and social history, encompassing thinkers from Epicurus to Darwin, who developed materialist and ecological ideas. Now, with The Return of Nature: Socialism and Ecology, Foster continues this narrative. In so doing, he uncovers a long history of efforts to unite issues of social justice and environmental sustainability that will help us comprehend and counter today’s unprecedented planetary emergencies. The Return of Nature begins with the deaths of Darwin (1882) and Marx (1883) and moves on until the rise of the ecological age in the 1960s and 1970s. Foster explores how socialist analysts and materialist scientists of various stamps, first in Britain, then the United States, from William Morris and Frederick Engels to Joseph Needham, Rachel Carson, and Stephen J. Gould, sought to develop a dialectical naturalism, rooted in a critique of capitalism. In the process, he delivers a far-reaching and fascinating reinterpretation of the radical and socialist origins of ecology. Ultimately, what this book asks for is nothing short of revolution: a long, ecological revolution, aimed at making peace with the planet while meeting collective human needs.


Stephen Jay Gould and the Politics of Evolution

Stephen Jay Gould and the Politics of Evolution

Author: David F. Prindle

Publisher: Prometheus Books

Published:

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 1615923527

DOWNLOAD EBOOK


Book Synopsis Stephen Jay Gould and the Politics of Evolution by : David F. Prindle

Download or read book Stephen Jay Gould and the Politics of Evolution written by David F. Prindle and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Art and Craft

Art and Craft

Author: Bill Thompson

Publisher: Univ of South Carolina Press

Published: 2015-01-12

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1611174430

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Art and Craft presents the hand-picked fruit of Bill Thompson’s three decades covering writers and writing as book review editor of Charleston, South Carolina’s Post and Courier. Beginning with a foreword by Charleston novelist Josephine Humphreys, this collection is a compendium of interviews featuring some of the most distinguished novelists and nonfiction writers in America and abroad, including Tom Wolfe, Pat Conroy, Joyce Carol Oates, Rick Bragg, and Anthony Bourdain, as well as many South Carolinians. With ten thematic chapters ranging from the Southern Renaissance, literature, biography, and travel writing to crime fiction and Civil War history, Art and Craft also includes a sampling of Thompson’s reviews. Featuring: Jack Bass, Rick Bragg, Roy Blount, Jr., Robin Cook, Pat Conroy, Patricia Cornwell, Dorothea Benton Frank, Herb Frazier, Sue Grafton, Carl Hiaasen, Sue Monk Kidd, Brian Lamb, Bret Lott, Jill McCorkle, James McPherson, Mary Alice Monroe, Joyce Carol Oates, Carl Reiner, Dori Sanders, Charles Seabrook, Anne Rivers Siddons, Lee Smith, Mickey Spillane, Paul Theroux, Tom Wolfe


Book Synopsis Art and Craft by : Bill Thompson

Download or read book Art and Craft written by Bill Thompson and published by Univ of South Carolina Press. This book was released on 2015-01-12 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Art and Craft presents the hand-picked fruit of Bill Thompson’s three decades covering writers and writing as book review editor of Charleston, South Carolina’s Post and Courier. Beginning with a foreword by Charleston novelist Josephine Humphreys, this collection is a compendium of interviews featuring some of the most distinguished novelists and nonfiction writers in America and abroad, including Tom Wolfe, Pat Conroy, Joyce Carol Oates, Rick Bragg, and Anthony Bourdain, as well as many South Carolinians. With ten thematic chapters ranging from the Southern Renaissance, literature, biography, and travel writing to crime fiction and Civil War history, Art and Craft also includes a sampling of Thompson’s reviews. Featuring: Jack Bass, Rick Bragg, Roy Blount, Jr., Robin Cook, Pat Conroy, Patricia Cornwell, Dorothea Benton Frank, Herb Frazier, Sue Grafton, Carl Hiaasen, Sue Monk Kidd, Brian Lamb, Bret Lott, Jill McCorkle, James McPherson, Mary Alice Monroe, Joyce Carol Oates, Carl Reiner, Dori Sanders, Charles Seabrook, Anne Rivers Siddons, Lee Smith, Mickey Spillane, Paul Theroux, Tom Wolfe


Herald of the Storm (Steelhaven: Book One)

Herald of the Storm (Steelhaven: Book One)

Author: R. S. Ford

Publisher: Headline

Published: 2013-04-25

Total Pages: 403

ISBN-13: 0755394054

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Dark, funny and intricately plotted, the first novel in R. S. Ford's Steelhaven trilogy is perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie and George R. R. Martin. Welcome to Steelhaven . . . watch your back. 'You'll find yourself looking forward to what Ford dreams up next' SFX Under the reign of King Cael the Uniter, this vast cityport on the southern coast has for years been a symbol of strength, maintaining an uneasy peace throughout the Free States. But now a long shadow hangs over the city, in the form of the dread Elharim warlord, Amon Tugha. When his herald infiltrates the city, looking to exploit its dangerous criminal underworld, and a terrible dark magick that has long been buried once again begins to rise, it could be the beginning of the end. . . Praise for R.S. Ford: 'Exciting and different' The British Fantasy Society 'Violent, vicious and darkly funny' Fantasy Faction 'A perfect example of tight, gritty, character-driven storytelling' Luke Scull, author of The Grim Company


Book Synopsis Herald of the Storm (Steelhaven: Book One) by : R. S. Ford

Download or read book Herald of the Storm (Steelhaven: Book One) written by R. S. Ford and published by Headline. This book was released on 2013-04-25 with total page 403 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dark, funny and intricately plotted, the first novel in R. S. Ford's Steelhaven trilogy is perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie and George R. R. Martin. Welcome to Steelhaven . . . watch your back. 'You'll find yourself looking forward to what Ford dreams up next' SFX Under the reign of King Cael the Uniter, this vast cityport on the southern coast has for years been a symbol of strength, maintaining an uneasy peace throughout the Free States. But now a long shadow hangs over the city, in the form of the dread Elharim warlord, Amon Tugha. When his herald infiltrates the city, looking to exploit its dangerous criminal underworld, and a terrible dark magick that has long been buried once again begins to rise, it could be the beginning of the end. . . Praise for R.S. Ford: 'Exciting and different' The British Fantasy Society 'Violent, vicious and darkly funny' Fantasy Faction 'A perfect example of tight, gritty, character-driven storytelling' Luke Scull, author of The Grim Company