BookOdyssey

Out of Control chronicles the dawn of a new era in which the machines and systems that drive our economy are so complex and autonomous as to be indistinguishable from living things. Σελίδες: 528, Διαστάσεις: 15.2x15.2cm

A groundbreaking treatise by one of the great mathematicians of our age, who outlines a style of thinking by which great ideas are conceived. What inspires and spurs on a great idea? Can we train ourselves to think in a way that will enable world-changing understandings and insights to emerge?Richard Hamming said we can. He first inspired a generation of engineers, scientists, and researchers in 1986 with “You and Your Research,” an electrifying sermon on why some scientists do great work, why most don’t, why he did, and why you can—and should—too. The Art of Doing Science and Engineering is the full expression of what “You and Your Research” outlined. It\'s a book about thinking; more specifically, a style of thinking by which great ideas are conceived. The book is filled with stories of great people performing mighty deeds—but they are not meant simply to be admired. Instead, they are to be aspired to, learned from, and surpassed. Hamming consistently returns to Shannon’s information theory, Einstein’s theory of relativity, Grace Hopper’s work on high-level programming, Kaiser’s work on digital fillers, and his own work on error-correcting codes. He also recounts a number of his spectacular failures as clear examples of what to avoid. Originally published in 1996 and adapted from a course that Hamming taught at the US Naval Postgraduate School, this edition includes an all-new foreword by designer, engineer, and founder of Dynamicland Bret Victor, plus more than 70 redrawn graphs and charts. The Art of Doing Science and Engineering is a reminder that a capacity for learning and creativity are accessible to everyone. Hamming was as much a teacher as a scientist, and having spent a lifetime forming and confirming a theory of great people and great ideas, he prepares the next generation for even greater distinction. Έτος Έκδοσης: 2020, Διαστάσεις: 16.1x16.1cm

Σελίδες: 224, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0713, Διαστάσεις: 14.2x14.2cm

Cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman\'s exploration of the extraordinary creative genius of the mind\'s eye \"has many virtues, of which sheer intellectual excitement is the foremost\" (Nature). Hoffman explains that far from being a passive recorder of a preexisting world, the eye actively constructs every aspect of our visual experience. In an informal style replete with illustrations, Hoffman presents the compelling scientific evidence for vision\'s constructive powers, unveiling a grammar of vision - a set of rules that govern our perception of line, color, form, depth, and motion. Hoffman also describes the loss of these constructive powers in patients such as an artist who can no longer see or dream in color and a man who sees his father as an impostor. Finally, Hoffman explores the spinoffs of visual intelligence in the arts and technology, from film special effects to virtual reality. This is, in sum, \"an outstanding example of creative popular science\" (Publishers Weekly). Σελίδες: 320, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0108, Διαστάσεις: 15.7x15.7cm

Filled with intriguing true stories, and packed with black-and-white illustrations and photographs, The Forensic Casebook draws on interviews with police personnel and forensic scientists - including animal examiners, botanists, zoologists, firearms specialists, and autopsists - to uncover the vast and detailed under workings of criminal investigation. Encyclopaedic in scope, this riveting, authoritative book leaves no aspect of forensic science untouched, covering such fascinating topics as securing a crime scene, identifying blood splatter patterns, collecting fingerprints, and feet, lip and ear prints and career paths in criminal science. Lucidly written and spiked with real crime stories, The Forensic Casebook exposes the nitty-gritty that other books only touch upon. Σελίδες: 336, Διαστάσεις: 18.9x18.9cm

Overwhelming evidence indicates plant-based eating is the healthy way forward, both for people and the planet. But there are a wealth of misconceptions and unanswered questions that need to be addressed.Leading nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert is here to equip you with everything you need to know about plant-based diets, separating fact from fiction, to help you and your family optimize healthy nutrition and avoid any of the pitfalls around going plant-based. This is simple, flexible, and scientifically rigorous advice.Covering every conceivable topic - from the power of 30 and embracing the rainbow, through the role of gut bacteria in mental and physical health, to plant-based for kids, taking supplements, and the benefits of nutritional yeast - this book offers clear answers supported by informative graphics.The Science of Plant-based Nutrition demystifies the hottest topics in healthy eating so you can embrace plant-based living with the maximum benefits.*Sunday Times Bestseller - July 2024 Σελίδες: 224, Διαστάσεις: 22.1x22.1cm

\"This sumptuously illustrated celebration of Hawking’s life captures perfectly its depth and breadth.\" - Marcus Chown--A behind-the scenes tour of the inner sanctum of one of the world\'s most prominent scientific thinkers. In 2021, the Science Museum made a once-in-a-lifetime acquisition of the contents of Stephen Hawking\'s office. This book delves into that remarkable collection, using the seminal papers, items and curiosities in his office to explain his theories and reveal more about one of the greatest minds in modern science. It\'s an unprecedented glimpse into the life of the best-known scientist of modern times.\"In this unique book, Roger Highfield\'s clear expositions of Stephen Hawking\'s ideas are supplemented by fascinating illustrations that convey how he lived and worked. It\'s a beautifully-presented celebration of Stephen\'s amazing life – how his insights and discoveries were achieved against heavy odds.\"- Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow and Astronomer Royal Σελίδες: 240, Διαστάσεις: 20.9x20.9cm

Explore the past, present and future of the everyday stuff in your home, from tinned food to tampons. Learn how 30,000 bath toys and the work of amateur beachcombers have helped scientists study ocean currents. Explore how the search for a death ray led to the creation of the microwave oven and ready meals. Discover the surprising link between sticky tape and the Nobel Prize.Uncover the extraordinary stories of ordinary objects in this perfect gift for curious minds. From the creators of the A Brief History of Stuff podcast and inspired by the incredible artefacts in the Science Museum Group Collection, this collection of entertaining essays reveals the fascinating history behind some of the most mundane items in our homes. Σελίδες: 240, Διαστάσεις: 20.7x20.7cm

To some, science is simply a means to an end; to others it is an almost spiritual meditation on theoriesand formulae.The Curious World of Science embraces both views and much more besides. Focusing on the human endeavours at the heart of science, it presents a miscellany of essential classifications, intriguing biographies, amusing curiosities, and irresistible trivia. Bite-size morsels of text explore the worlds of physics, chemistry, biology, and maths, while also venturing into those magical areas where science meets art.This illustrated edition is brimming with graphics and illustrations, and includes a system of icons to signpost different paths through the miscellany. From the Large Hadron Collider rap to the sins of Isaac Newton, it offers a dizzying flight through the wonderfully human world of scientific knowledge. Σελίδες: 224, Διαστάσεις: 19.5x19.5cm

\'Who said science was dry? Certainly not Tim James\' New York Post \'James writes with infectious enthusiasm and optimism\' Kirkus Reviews \'A science teacher by profession, Mr. James knows how to get his audience\'s attention\' Wall Street Journal \'Humorous, yet deep\' Professor Charles AntoineA rip-roaring adventure through science gone wrong, and accidentally changing humanity (mostly) for the better.We may imagine that science is a process of breakthroughs and light bulb moments. But in reality, science goes wrong 99% of the time.Almost every idea a scientist comes up with is quickly disproved by a failed experiment or rival research. Science moves at a rate of inches per decade and we often like it that way. But occasionally, just occasionally, a complete fluke happens and changes everything as we know it. From an untimely sneeze in a petri dish leading to the groundbreaking creation of antibiotics, to the incredible discovery of microwaves via melted chocolate, Accidental is a rip-roaring adventure through science gone wrong, and accidentally changing humanity for the better. Σελίδες: 224, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0709, Διαστάσεις: 16x16cm

The scientific work of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) represents a style of learning and understanding which is largely ignored today. Modern science tends to break objects down in a purely analytical way; by contrast, Goethe was interested in the \'whole\' of a phenomenon, and in particular the relationship between the object and the observer.In this illuminating study, Henri Bortoft examines the phenomenological and cultural roots of Goethe\'s approach to science. He argues that Goethe\'s insights, far from belonging to the past, represent the foundation for a future science respectful of nature. Σελίδες: 432, Διαστάσεις: 15.6x15.6cm

Colour is everywhere. From blue skies to red sunsets, from the first flowers in spring to the blazing leaves of autumn. But what is the nature of colour? Scientific books present a variety of mechanical explanations but this approach leaves colour as a whole unexplained. In the nineteenth century, the German poet and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe investigated a wide range of colour phenomena and discovered the underlying principles that govern colour itself.This lavishly illustrated book brings Goethe\'s pioneering research up to date. Through descriptions of simple observations and ingenious experiments, the reader will discover a series of colour phenomena that includes afterimages, coloured shadows, colour mixing, and prismatic and polarisation colours.Seeing Colour is a thought-provoking read for colour enthusiasts and experts alike, and an accessible route to a new way of seeing colour. Σελίδες: 176, Διαστάσεις: 20.8x20.8cm

‘Probably the most readable, exciting and authoritative writer on science we have. A new Lawrence Krauss book always goes to the top of the curious mind’s wish list.’ Stephen Fry \'A great educator as well as a great physicist​\' Richard DawkinsIn the beginning there was light but more than this, there was gravity. After that, all hell broke loose... This is how the story of the greatest intellectual adventure in history should be introduced - how humanity reached its current understanding of the universe, one that is far removed from the realm of everyday experience. Krauss connects the world we know with the invisible world all around us, which is removed from intuition and direct sensation. He explains our current understanding of nature and the struggle to construct the greatest theoretical edifice ever assembled, the Standard Model of Particle Physics -- and then to understand its implications for our existence.   Writing in the critically acclaimed style of A Universe from Nothing, Krauss celebrates the beauty and wonders of the natural world and details our place within it and how this shapes our understanding of it. Krauss makes this story accessible through profiles of the scientists responsible for these advances, and clear explanations of their discoveries. Krauss takes us on a tour of science and the brilliant personalities who shaped it, often against political and religious indoctrination, enduring persecution and ostracism. Krauss creates a captivating blend of research and narrative to invite us into the lives and minds of these figures,creating a landmark work of scientific history. Σελίδες: 336, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0323, Διαστάσεις: 15.3x15.3cm

An entertaining, enlightening, and humorous graphic narrative of the dangerous thinkers who laid the foundation of modern thought This entertaining and enlightening graphic narrative tells the exciting story of the seventeenth-century thinkers who challenged authority--sometimes risking excommunication, prison, and even death--to lay the foundations of modern philosophy and science and help usher in a new world. With masterful storytelling and color illustrations, Heretics! offers a unique introduction to the birth of modern thought in comics form--smart, charming, and often funny. These contentious and controversial philosophers--from Galileo and Descartes to Spinoza, Locke, Leibniz, and Newton--fundamentally changed the way we look at the world, society, and ourselves, overturning everything from the idea that the Earth is the center of the cosmos to the notion that kings have a divine right to rule. More devoted to reason than to faith, these thinkers defended scandalous new views of nature, religion, politics, knowledge, and the human mind. Heretics! tells the story of their ideas, lives, and times in a vivid new way. Crisscrossing Europe as it follows them in their travels and exiles, the narrative describes their meetings and clashes with each other--as well as their confrontations with religious and royal authority. It recounts key moments in the history of modern philosophy, including the burning of Giordano Bruno for heresy, Galileo\'s house arrest for defending Copernicanism, Descartes\'s proclaiming cogito ergo sum, Hobbes\'s vision of the \"nasty and brutish\" state of nature, and Spinoza\'s shocking Theological-Political Treatise. A brilliant account of one of the most brilliant periods in philosophy, Heretics! is the story of how a group of brave thinkers used reason and evidence to triumph over the authority of religion, royalty, and antiquity. Σελίδες: 184, Διαστάσεις: 17.8x17.8cm

Why are we here? Human beings have asked themselves this question for centuries. Modern science largely argues that human beings are chance products of a purposeless universe, but other traditions believe humanity has an essential role and responsibility in creation.Lachman brings together many strands of esoteric, spiritual and philosophical thought to form a counter-argument to the nihilism that permeates the twenty-first century. Offering a radical alternative to postmodern apathy, he argues that we humans are the caretakers of the universe, entrusted with a daunting task: that of healing and repairing creation itself.This is an important book from a key thinker of our time, addressing some of the most urgent questions facing humanity. Σελίδες: 256, Διαστάσεις: 15.6x15.6cm

A leading theologian presents a hopeful account of the universe after Einstein, exploring it as a meaningful drama of awakening“This book is a deep and provocative piece of theology that proposes we engage with the universe as a kind of narrative of awakening and unfolding, as well as an important and useful approach for thinking about theology with respect to modern cosmology.”—Matthew Stanley, New York University Before the early twentieth century, scientists and theologians knew almost nothing about time’s enormity and the corresponding immensity of space. But now, after Einstein, cosmology offers theology a whole new way of looking at the ageless questions about matter, time, God, cosmic purpose, and the significance of our lives. The universe need not be thought of as simply an endless reshuffling of lifeless and mindless atoms in a pointless series of moments. Rather, the universe is a temporal drama of awakening whose meaning can be revealed only gradually by looking, in a spirit of anticipation and hope, toward the horizon of the cosmic future. In conversation with Einstein’s ideas and opinions, John F. Haught develops here a new cosmological understanding of the meaning of God, time, eternity, mystery, life, thought, freedom, and faith. In doing so, he offers readers a new way of understanding the relationship of science to theology. Σελίδες: 248, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0510, Διαστάσεις: 15.6x15.6cm

Essential Science aims to be the most detailed, accessible and authoritative book of its kind. Each of the 34 discoveries is broken down into seven essential elements to aid comprehension and inform the reader about what really matters: THE ESSENTIAL IDEA: a concise summary of the idea or discovery that makes complex ideas as simple as possible. ORIGINS: where does the discovery come from, who made it and how does it fit in the wider scientific context? KEY THEORIES AND EVIDENCE: even our most familiar ideas and discoveries are far from \'common sense\'. How do we know what we know? What is the evidence? What are the dominant theories? CRITICS: science is a constant process of criticism and revision. How have various ideas survived attempts to discredit them? How secure is our knowledge and is it complete? WHY IT MATTERS: how important is the discovery in the wider scientific context? How much has it reshaped our perception of reality? FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS: what remains to be discovered? Might even dominant ideas and discoveries be superseded by better ones? THE ESSENTIAL SUMMARY: a visual outline of all the key insights from the above analytical headings. The consistent structure not only breaks down complex topics into simple, easy to understand chunks, but also helps readers to think for themselves about the process of scientific discovery, testing and progress, showing that science is not just a set of ideas to be learned, but a never-ending process that is constantly reshaping our perception of reality. Σελίδες: 288, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0105, Διαστάσεις: 20x20cm

Book of the Year in The Economist, Guardian, New Statesman, Wall Street Journal and New York Times.Shortlisted for the Duff Cooper Prize & the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography.\'A wonderful book about one of the most important, brilliant and flawed scientists of the 20th century.\' Peter Frankopan\'Superb\' Matt Ridley, The Times\'Fascinating... The best Haldane biography yet.\' New York TimesJ.B.S. Haldane\'s life was rich and strange, never short on genius, never lacking for drama. He is best remembered as a geneticist who revolutionized our understanding of evolution, but his peers thought him a polymath; one student called him \'the last man who knew all there was to be known\'.Beginning in the 1930s, Haldane was also a staunch Communist - a stance that enhanced his public profile, led him into trouble, and even drew suspicions that he was spying for the Soviets. He wrote copiously on science and politics for the layman, in newspapers and magazines, and he gave speeches in town halls and on the radio, all of which made him, in his day, as famous in Britain as Einstein. Arthur C. Clarke called Haldane \'the most brilliant science popularizer of his generation\'. He frequently narrated aspects of his life: of his childhood, as the son of a famous scientist; of his time in the trenches in the First World War and in Spain during the Civil War; of his experiments upon himself; of his secret research for the British Admiralty; of his final move to India, in 1957. A Dominant Character unpacks Haldane\'s boisterous life in detail, and it examines the questions he raised about the intersections of genetics and politics - questions that resonate all the more strongly today. Σελίδες: 400, Διαστάσεις: 15.3x15.3cm

Will language as we know it cease to exist? What could this mean for the way we live our lives?Shining a light on the technology currently being developed to revolutionise communication, The Future of Language distinguishes myth from reality and superstition from scientifically-based prediction as it plots out the importance of language and raises questions about its future.From the rise of artificial intelligence and speaking robots, to brain implants andcomputer-facilitated telepathy, language and communications expert Philip Seargeant surveys the development of new digital ‘languages’, such as emojis, animated gifs and memes, and investigates how conventions of spoken and written language are being modified by new trends in communication.From George Orwell’s fictional predictions in Nineteen Eighty-Four to the very real warnings of climate activist Greta Thunberg, Seargeant explores language through time, traversing politics, religion, philosophy, literature, and of course technology, in the process. Tracing how previous eras have imagined the future of language, from the Bible to the works H. G. Wells, and from Star Wars to Star Trek, the book reveals how perfecting language and communication has always been a vital component of utopian dreams of the future.Questioning the potential ramifications of recent and future developments in communication on society and its ideals, The Future of Language is a no holds barred investigation into the state of civilisation and the impact that changes in language could have on our lives. Σελίδες: 256, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1228, Διαστάσεις: 13.8x13.8cm

For at least half a million years, people have been doing some very strange things with fossils. Long before a few seventeenth-century minds started to decipher their true, organic nature, fossils had been eaten, dropped in goblets of wine, buried with the dead and adorned bodies. What triggered such curious behaviour was the belief that some fossils could cure illness, protect against being poisoned, ease the passage into the afterlife, ward off evil spirits and even kill those who were just plain annoying. But above all, to our early prehistoric ancestors, fossils were the very stuff of artistic inspiration.Drawing on archaeology, mythology and folklore, Ken McNamara takes you on a journey through prehistory with these curious stones, and explores humankind’s unending quest for the meaning of fossils. Σελίδες: 288, Διαστάσεις: 13.8x13.8cm

\'LOEB IS AN ASTRONOMICAL SHERLOCK HOLMES\' Washington Post\'A JOY IN CONJECTURE AND AN OMNIVOROUS SPIRIT OF INQUIRY. . . CARL SAGAN WOULD HAVE LIKED THIS BOOK\' The Times In 2017, Avi Loeb, Chair of Harvard\'s Astronomy Department, went public with a theory that shook the scientific community - our solar system has been visited by advanced alien technology. His provocative and persuasive argument (and internationally bestselling book Extraterrestrial) has opened thousands of minds to the existence of intelligent life beyond Earth. This book tackles the huge question of what happens next?Long the stuff of science-fiction, here at last is the science fact. From advances in deep space probes to ongoing searches for extraterrestrial technology in our night sky, through the latest heated debates over the existence of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, Interstellar offers a thrilling, front-row view of the technology and the ideas currently preparing us for contact with alien civilizations. Providing the first realistic and practical blueprint for how that might actually occur, Professor Loeb lays out the profound implications of our becoming - or not becoming - an interstellar species. In an urgent, eloquent appeal for more proactive engagement with the outer universe, he powerfully contends why we must seek out other life forms, and in the process, choose who and what we are within the universe.Combining cutting-edge science, physics, and philosophy, Loeb takes us on a mind-bending journey through the furthest reaches of science, space-time, and the human imagination. Interstellar is an eye-opening, necessary look at our future that proves, once again, that scientific curiosity offers the key to our survival.\'LOEB IS SURELY CORRECT . . . SCIENTISTS STUDYING THE VASTNESS OF THE COSMOS SHOULD ENTERTAIN RISKY IDEAS MORE OFTEN, FOR THE UNIVERSE IS UNDOUBTEDLY MORE WILD AND UNEXPECTED THAN ANY EXTREMES CONJURED BY THE HUMAN IMAGINATION\' Economist\'A COMPELLING ARGUMENT FOR A MORE OPEN-MINDED APPROACH TO SCIENCE - A COMBINATION OF HUMILITY AND WONDER\' New Statesman Σελίδες: 256, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0831, Διαστάσεις: 15.4x15.4cm

In How to be multiple, Helena de Bres – a twin herself – argues that twinhood is a unique lens for examining our place in the world and how we relate to other people. The way we think about twins offers remarkable insights into some of the deepest questions of our existence, from what is a person? to how should we treat one another?Deftly weaving together literary and cultural history, philosophical enquiry and personal experience, de Bres examines such thorny issues as binary thinking, objectification, romantic love and friendship, revealing the limits of our individualistic perspectives.In this illuminating, entertaining book, wittily illustrated by her twin sister, de Bres ultimately suggests that to consider twinhood is to imagine the possibility of a more interconnected, capacious human future. Σελίδες: 272, Διαστάσεις: 13.8x13.8cm

-- By an acclaimed author in his field-- Challenges the ideas of our modern scientific culture-- Far-reaching consequences for how we understand and relate to the natural worldOur scientific culture, which gave birth to modern technology, is in desperate need of change. Science has largely meant groups of specialists working in separate disciplines, seeking answers to narrowly defined questions which have little or nothing to do with the living world. The last few years, however, have seen a shift to a more integrated, holistic approach to how we view and understand our world.There is still much work to be done. Most modern people have come to accept a fragmented culture whereby science isolates us from the natural world. As a result, we feel we can govern it and dominate it as we please. Brian Goodwin, acclaimed author of How the Leopard Changed Its Spots, argues for a view of nature as complex, interrelated networks of relationships. He proposes that, in order for us to once again work with nature to achieve true sustainability on our planet, we need to adopt a new science, new art, new design, new economics and new patterns of responsibility. We must be willing to pay nature its due: to recognise what we owe to the natural world and resist exploiting it solely for our own ends.This is an ambitious, wide-ranging book with far-reaching consequences, and will be essential reading for all those interested in how nature and human culture can co-exist in the future. Σελίδες: 192, Διαστάσεις: 15.6x15.6cm

A New York Times Book Review Editors\' Choice An exploration of humanity’s relationship with ice since the dawn of civilization, Of Ice and Men reminds us that only by understanding this unique substance can we save the ice on our planet—and perhaps ourselves.Ice tells a story. It writes it in rock. It lays it down, snowfall by snowfall at the ends of the earth where we may read it like the rings on a tree. It tells our planet’s geological and climatological tale. Ice tells another story too: a story about us. It is a tale packed with swash-buckling adventure and improbable invention, peopled with driven, eccentric, often brilliant characters. It tells how our species has used ice to reshape the world according to our needs and our desires: how we have survived it, harvested it, traded it, bent science to our will to make it—and how in doing so we have created globe-spanning infrastructures that are entirely dependent upon it. And even after we have done all that, we take ice so much for granted that we barely notice it. Ice has supercharged the modern world. It has allowed us to feed ourselves and cure ourselves in ways unimaginable two hundred years ago. It has enabled the global population to rise from less than 1 billion to nearly 7½ billion—which just happens to cover the same period of time as humanity has harvested, manufactured, and distributed ice on an industrial scale. And yet the roots of our fascination with ice and its properties run much deeper than the recent past. Σελίδες: 352, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0302, Διαστάσεις: 15.2x15.2cm

Today, astonishing surgical breakthroughs are making face transplants, limb transplants and a host of other previously undreamed of operations possible. But getting here has not been a simple story of selfless men working tirelessly in the pursuit of medical advancement. Instead it\'s a bloodstained tale of blunders, arrogance, mishap and murder. In trying to keep us alive, surgeons have all too often killed us off, and life-saving solutions have often come from the most surprising places. Accompanying a BBC series, Blood and Guts is an incredible story of stolen corpses, medical fraud, lobotomized patients - and every now and then courageous advances that have saved the lives of millions around the world.You may think twice before going under the knife... Σελίδες: 336, Διαστάσεις: 15.4x15.4cm

A leading philosopher seeks to recover \"common sense\" as a meeting place to reconcile science and philosophy With her previous books on Alfred North Whitehead, Isabelle Stengers not only secured a reputation as one of the premier philosophers of our times but also inspired a rethinking of critical theory, political thought, and radical philosophy across a range of disciplines. Here, Stengers unveils what might well be seen as her definitive reading of Whitehead.Making Sense in Common will be greeted eagerly by the growing group of scholars who use Stengers\'s work on Whitehead as a model for how to think with conceptual precision through diverse domains of inquiry: environmentalism and ecology, animal studies, media and technology studies, the history and philosophy of science, feminism, and capitalism. On the other hand, the significance of this new book extends beyond Whitehead. Instead, it lies in Stengers\'s recovery of the idea of \"common sense\" as a meeting place-a commons-where opposed ideas of science and humanistic inquiry can engage one another and help to move society forward. Her reconciliation of science and philosophy is especially urgent today-when climate disaster looms all around us, when the values of what we thought of as civilization and modernity are discredited, and when expertise of any kind is under attack. Σελίδες: 224, Διαστάσεις: 14x14cm

Digital objects, in their simplest form, are data. They are also a new kind of industrial object that pervades every aspect of our life today-as online videos, images, text files, e-mails, blog posts, Facebook events.Yet, despite their ubiquity, the nature of digital objects remains unclear.On the Existence of Digital Objects conducts a philosophical examination of digital objects and their organizing schema by creating a dialogue between Martin Heidegger and Gilbert Simondon, which Yuk Hui contextualizes within the history of computing. How can digital objects be understood according to individualization and individuation? Hui pursues this question through the history of ontology and the study of markup languages and Web ontologies; he investigates the existential structure of digital objects within their systems and milieux. With this relational approach toward digital objects and technical systems, the book addresses alienation, described by Simondon as the consequence of mistakenly viewing technics in opposition to culture.Interdisciplinary in philosophical and technical insights, with close readings of Husserl, Heidegger, and Simondon as well as the history of computing and the Web, Hui\'s work develops an original, productive way of thinking about the data and metadata that increasingly define our world. Σελίδες: 336, Διαστάσεις: 14x14cm

Do all questions have answers? How much can we know about the world? Is there such a thing as an ultimate truth?To be human is to want to know, but what we are able to observe is only a tiny portion of what\'s out there.\" In The Island of Knowledge , physicist Marcelo Gleiser traces our search for answers to the most fundamental questions of existence. In so doing, he reaches a provocative conclusion: science, the main tool we use to find answers, is fundamentally limited.These limits to our knowledge arise both from our tools of exploration and from the nature of physical reality: the speed of light, the uncertainty principle, the impossibility of seeing beyond the cosmic horizon, the incompleteness theorem, and our own limitations as an intelligent species. Recognizing limits in this way, Gleiser argues, is not a deterrent to progress or a surrendering to religion. Rather, it frees us to question the meaning and nature of the universe while affirming the central role of life and ourselves in it. Science can and must go on, but recognizing its limits reveals its true mission: to know the universe is to know ourselves.Telling the dramatic story of our quest for understanding, The Island of Knowledge offers a highly original exploration of the ideas of some of the greatest thinkers in history, from Plato to Einstein, and how they affect us today. An authoritative, broad-ranging intellectual history of our search for knowledge and meaning, The Island of Knowledge is a unique view of what it means to be human in a universe filled with mystery. Σελίδες: 368, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0104, Διαστάσεις: 13.8x13.8cm

Tracing the connections between human-like robots and AI at the site of dehumanization and exploited labor The word robot-introduced in Karel Capek\'s 1920 play R.U.R.-derives from rabota, the Czech word for servitude or forced labor. A century later, the play\'s dystopian themes of dehumanization and exploited labor are being played out in factories, workplaces, and battlefields. In The Robotic Imaginary, Jennifer Rhee traces the provocative and productive connections of contemporary robots in technology, film, art, and literature. Centered around the twinned processes of anthropomorphization and dehumanization, she analyzes the coevolution of cultural and technological robots and artificial intelligence, arguing that it is through the conceptualization of the human and, more important, the dehumanized that these multiple spheres affect and transform each other.Drawing on the writings of Alan Turing, Sara Ahmed, and Arlie Russell Hochschild; such films and novels as Her and The Stepford Wives; technologies like Kismet (the pioneering \"emotional robot\"); and contemporary drone art, this book explores anthropomorphic paradigms in robot design and imagery in ways that often challenge the very grounds on which those paradigms operate in robotics labs and industry. From disembodied, conversational AI and its entanglement with care labor; embodied mobile robots as they intersect with domestic labor; emotional robots impacting affective labor; and armed military drones and artistic responses to drone warfare, The Robotic Imaginary ultimately reveals how the human is made knowable through the design of and discourse on humanoid robots that are, paradoxically, dehumanized. Σελίδες: 240, Διαστάσεις: 14x14cm

Σελίδες: 256, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0521, Διαστάσεις: 18.3x18.3cm

Έτος Έκδοσης: 2020

Living on a damaged planet challenges who we are and where we live. This timely anthology calls on twenty eminent humanists and scientists to revitalize curiosity, observation, and transdisciplinary conversation about life on earth.As human-induced environmental change threatens multispecies livability, Arts of Living on a Damaged Planet puts forward a bold proposal: entangled histories, situated narratives, and thick descriptions offer urgent \"arts of living.\" Included are essays by scholars in anthropology, ecology, science studies, art, literature, and bioinformatics who posit critical and creative tools for collaborative survival in a more-than-human Anthropocene. The essays are organized around two key figures that also serve as the publication\'s two openings: Ghosts, or landscapes haunted by the violences of modernity; and Monsters, or interspecies and intraspecies sociality. Ghosts and Monsters are tentacular, windy, and arboreal arts that invite readers to encounter ants, lichen, rocks, electrons, flying foxes, salmon, chestnut trees, mud volcanoes, border zones, graves, radioactive waste-in short, the wonders and terrors of an unintended epoch.Contributors: Karen Barad, U of California, Santa Cruz; Kate Brown, U of Maryland, Baltimore; Carla Freccero, U of California, Santa Cruz; Peter Funch, Aarhus U; Scott F. Gilbert, Swarthmore College; Deborah M. Gordon, Stanford U; Donna J. Haraway, U of California, Santa Cruz; Andreas Hejnol, U of Bergen, Norway; Ursula K. Le Guin; Marianne Elisabeth Lien, U of Oslo; Andrew Mathews, U of California, Santa Cruz; Margaret McFall-Ngai, U of Hawaii, Manoa; Ingrid M. Parker, U of California, Santa Cruz; Mary Louise Pratt, NYU; Anne Pringle, U of Wisconsin, Madison; Deborah Bird Rose, U of New South Wales, Sydney; Dorion Sagan; Lesley Stern, U of California, San Diego; Jens-Christian Svenning, Aarhus U. Σελίδες: 368, Διαστάσεις: 14x14cm

Sheila Jasanoff charts society’s embrace of technological solutions and technology’s complex interplay with ethics and human rights. She dissects the ways in which we delegate power to technological systems and asks how we might regain control. From GMOs to gene therapy, biomedicine has challenged traditional definitions of life and death and raised difficult questions, such as who owns our genetic information. The Internet has redefined privacy with social media and search giants operating as new, all-powerful “data oligarchs”, while cyber warfare has weakened the boundaries of the nation-state. Jasanoff shows that, far from being an amoral or apolitical force, technology has important consequences for government of, by and for the people. The Ethics of Invention challenges us to build a future in which we work in open, democratic dialogue to manage the risks and promises of technology. Σελίδες: 320, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0930, Διαστάσεις: 14.7x14.7cm

Human experiences are disappearing. The Extinction of Experience is a philosophical defence of what makes us human – and a powerful call to reclaim ourselves in a digital world.\'Fascinating and timely\' OLIVER BURKEMAN\'An extremely important book\' JONATHAN HAIDT\'Essential reading in a dislocated world\' KATHERINE MAY*A GUARDIAN BOOK TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2025*Social media, gaming and dating apps have usurped in-person interaction; handwriting is no longer prioritised in schools; and emotion is sooner expressed through likes and emojis than face-to-face conversations. With headphones in and eyes trained on our phones, even boredom has been obliterated. But, as Christine Rosen expertly shows, when we embrace this mediated life and conform to the demands of the machine, we risk becoming more machine-like ourselves.There is another way. For too long we’ve accepted the idea that change always means better. But rapidly developing technology isn’t neutral – it’s ambivalent, and capable of enormous harm. To improve our well-being, help future generations flourish and recover our shared humanity, we must become more mindful users of technology and more discerning of how it uses us.From TikTok challenges and algorithms to surveillance devices and conspiracy culture, The Extinction of Experience reveals the human crisis of our digital age – and urges us to return to the real world, while we still can.\'Christine Rosen is one of America\'s best writers and thinkers\' WASHINGTON EXAMINER Σελίδες: 272, Διαστάσεις: 16.4x16.4cm

Science is undergoing an identity crisis! A renown psychologist and biologist diagnoses our age of wishful, magical thinking and blasts out a clarion call for a return to reason and the search for objective knowledge and truth. Fans of Matt Ridley and Nicholas Wade will adore this trenchant meditation and call to action.Science is in trouble. Real questions in desperate need of answers—especially those surrounding ethnicity, gender, climate change, and almost anything related to ‘health and safety’—are swiftly buckling to the fiery societal demands of what ought to be rather than what is. These foregone conclusions may be comforting, but each capitulation to modernity’s whims threatens the integrity of scientific inquiry. Can true, fact-based discovery be redeemed? In Science in an Age of Unreason, legendary professor of psychology and biology, John Staddon, unveils the identity crisis afflicting today’s scientific community, and provides an actionable path to recovery. With intellectual depth and literary flair, Staddon answers pressing questions, including:Is science, especially the science of evolution, a religion?Can ethics be derived from science at all?How sound is social science, particularly surrounding today’s most controversial topics?How can passions be separated from facts? Informed by decades of expertise, Science in an Age of Unreason is a clarion call to rebirth academia as a beacon of reason and truth in a society demanding its unconditional submission. Σελίδες: 256, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0804, Διαστάσεις: 15.2x15.2cm

A must-read follow-up to The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, one of the most important books of the twentieth century. This book contains the text of Thomas S. Kuhn\'s unfinished book, The Plurality of Worlds: An Evolutionary Theory of Scientific Development, which Kuhn himself described as a return to the central claims of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions and the problems that it raised but did not resolve. The Plurality of Worlds is preceded by two related texts that Kuhn publicly delivered but never published in English: his paper \"Scientific Knowledge as Historical Product\" and his Shearman Memorial Lectures, \"The Presence of Past Science.\" An introduction by the editor describes the origins and structure of The Plurality of Worlds and sheds light on its central philosophical problems. Kuhn\'s aims in his last writings are bold. He sets out to develop an empirically grounded theory of meaning that would allow him to make sense of both the possibility of historical understanding and the inevitability of incommensurability between past and present science. In his view, incommensurability is fully compatible with a robust notion of the real world that science investigates, the rationality of scientific change, and the idea that scientific development is progressive. Σελίδες: 312, Έτος Έκδοσης: 2023, Διαστάσεις: 15.2x15.2cm