Book Description
The origins of life ... Extraterrestrials ... Our genetic destiny ... The roots of language and learning ... Quantum physics and the shape of the universe ... Artificial intelligence .. In a masterful "trial by reason," author John L. Casti presents all sides of the most important and vital scientific debates raging in the world today -- scrutinizing six perplexing "great questions" in the most engaging, astonishing and accessible amalgam of science and literature since A Brief History of Time.
Customer Reviews:
Superb discussion of modern theories.......2004-02-08
Casti is one of the best science writers out there considering he isn't nearly as well known as some of them, but he deserves to be. Also, his books are consistently at a respectable level of technical detail and sophistication which is rare in science writing intended for the layman. In this book, although the discussions range from current cosmological theory to evolutionary biology to quantum physics, I was most interested in his discussion of Chomsky and current linguistic theory, which is my interest, so I will confine myself to that.
In this chapter, Casti gives the best introduction for the general reader that I've seen on Chomsky's ideas on innate language acquisition and transformational grammar. In the process, he also compares them with competing views such as Sampson's and Piaget's, and he even discusses E.O. Wilson's sociobiological views a bit, which Chomsky himself commented on. After reading this chapter, you would probably be able to read the chapter on generative and transformational grammar in a good introductory theoretical linguistics text, such as John Lyons's classic Introduction to Theoretical Linguistics, or Donna Jo Napoli's recent book, entitled simply Linguistics, which is also excellent. So overall, another great book from Casti that stands head and shoulders above the competition and with a great introduction to modern linguistic theory.
A Brilliant Book!.......2001-12-10
Without a doubt, this is one of the most insightful books I have ever come across in my life.A mathematician takes a critical and penetrating look at the most baffling problems facing humanity and science. These are; The Origin of Life, Language Acquisition, Sociobiology and Genetic Determinism, Artificial Intelligence, The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, and the Mysteries of Quantum Physics.But the book is more than only a deep exposition of these topics.Casti weaves an extremely lively and entertaining tale about a host of characters and discoveries involved in these exciting areas of thought and research.One of the things I noticed in this book is the marvelous sense of humour that Casti has.Nowhere else in serious science writing or even in popular accounts, have I seen such intelligent dashes of humour written in such fine language.In fact that's one of the outstanding triumphs of this book.The language in the book is sophisticated, yet very accessible. The bibiliography at the end is almost as lavishly detailed as the book itself. In my opinion, Casti has emerged as a unique writer in the world because of this book. I strongly suspect that it is because of his unique experiences; he combines the artistic and culturally sophisticated style which he developed in Europe with the informal, hilarious and pragmatic cheek found among Americans which he must have experienced during his time in the United States. All in all, it is remarkable how one man (Casti) can collect and coherently discuss such a prodigious amount of information, especially about topics not directly related to his field of study.This will be a book I am definitely going to remember all my life.I will recommend it strongly to anyone even remotely interested in science, research and the future of humanity. An example of scientific writing at its best.
Dazziling.......2000-01-10
This book is splendidly written. It surveys some of the big scientific controversies of our day. He tackels evolution, genetics, language, artificial intelligence, and the search for extraterestrial intelligence and two philiosophical questions that impenge on science. What is good is that he provides lots of footnotes to other works that those who, if they are really interested, can consult. The footnotes helped me locate lots of other good books for my library.
John Casti is one of the great writers of modern popular science non-fiction.
deep, human-centric, overview of current science.......1999-12-05
Casti poses the question, "What does current science, in particular, important unanswered questions in current science, tell us about humanity's place in the universe?" Thankfully, Casti is an amazingly knowledgeable and fair guide, with the emphasis always firmly on clear explication of that science, not any particular interpretation of its pertinence to the human condition. Casti is a scientist, not a dogmatist.
The breadth and depth of this book are exceptional. Casti injects a little of himself here and there, as well, and comes across as a jovial fellow... his erudition speaks for itself.
One of my favorites!
Very inciteful, but unfair to Creationists.......1998-08-27
Having read the other reviews of Casti's work, I'll skip the general critique and jump right in to why I felt his treatment of the creationist position was less than fair. I wish that he had written the section on How We Can Know What We Know before his discussion about The Origin Of Life On Earth, because it is from the clear-minded verdict he rendered about the current state of our inability to say, "we know", that the equally clear contradiction in the verdict he rendered against the creationists is found. By pointing out the fact that science is, first and foremost, a method for acquiring knowledge, he reveals that this method is useful only in answering certain kinds of questions (i.e. questions that assume only a natural explanation for phenomena should be considered). In describing the format of a court room as his method of presenting the various cases, he reminds us of the fact that the difference between 'evidence', and 'proof' is that evidence can be open to interpretation, where as proof cannot. He then clarifies that none of the subjects he will be discussing fall into the catagory of 'proof'. But when it comes time to give his verdict on creationism, he contradicts himself by speaking emphatically about the "fact of evolution", and the creationist's "murdering of the facts" of evolution. Creationism is a completely different interpretation of the physical evidence to be found in the study of origins, and therefore cannot be accused of any such "foul play" as the author suggests. To validate this point even further, Mr. Casti did an excellent job of pointing out the fact that there is definitely an epistimological difference in the approach of 'origins science' as opposed to 'operations science', and he even goes so far as to rightly claim that origins science isn't really science in the true, classical sense of the term. Thus, the only proper verdict that should have been rendered in the case of the creationists is that their brand of investigation hypothesizes a supernatural origin, and a historical interaction with world-changing events (such as the Flood of Noah) as recorded in Scripture, and interprets the physical evidence accordingly, which is completely legitimate, as no one can yet say that such interpretation defies reason (it goes beyond it, but not against it), or that the origin of life had to of occured through natural processes, which must be proven first if evolution is to be categorized as "fact". The book is a great read nonetheless, and I found no argument with any other aspect, or conclusion of the author.
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- So I am biased
- Essential reading for everyone interested in OBE.
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Paradigm Lost: Leading America Beyond Its Fear of Educational Change
William G. Spady
Manufacturer: ScarecrowEducation
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Beyond Counterfeit Reforms
ASIN: 0876522320 |
Book Description
In Paradigm Lost, Spady explores the important changes in culture, instruction, school calendars, and school agenda that school leaders must make to prepare students for the next millennium despite the fact that the current system of schooling leads to institutional inertia that counters the very changes we most need to make. Spady's big-picture view refutes the wisdom of adhering to a system of schooling--a paradigm--based on a bureaucratic-age culture, industrial-age delivery system, agricultural-age calendar and feudal-age agenda. Spady then explains how school leaders can overcome this inertia by working with staff and community members to adopt a new paradigm of schooling based on a locally developed vision of the future and what students will need to succeed in that future.
Customer Reviews:
So I am biased.......2007-04-20
I had the honor of spending a day and a half with this gentleman and wound up ordering 3 of his books. I read this one in a little under 5 hours. What infuriates me is that for decades we have had people showing us a better way of using our resources to help us develop engaged, reflective, compassionate, critical, and active citizens but special interest groups have dominated educational reform, leaving us with a public school system that, AT BEST, produces obedient worksheet completers.
Essential reading for everyone interested in OBE........1998-07-23
Throughout the world, outcome-based education has many supporters and many critics, most of whom will agree that Spady is the most significant contributer to this aspect of educational theory and practice. In the first part of his latest book, Spady traces the development of his ideas on OBE. He then very frankly discusses how everything went wrong as OBE came under attack in 1992 and 1993. He goes on to explain what the major objections to OBE were and presents logical, well-reasoned responses to those criticisms.
In the second half of the book, Spady presents a "Future Empowerment Paradigm" that is designed to help school districts transform the way they approach teaching and learning. This approach is very much oriented to the "techno-information age", and presents a viable alternative to the "educentric" way in which most education systems operate currently.
The book is compelling reading for anyone genuinely interested in provid! ing education that will equip students for the future.
Average customer rating:
- Where Marshall McLuhan Left Off
McLuhan
McLuhan
- The Shock of Recognition
- An Instant Classic
- Entertaining and insightful
- Surprise inside
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Paradigms Lost: The Life and Deaths of the Printed Word
William Sonn
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The Elements of Typographic Style
ASIN: 0810852624 |
Customer Reviews:
Where Marshall McLuhan Left Off
McLuhan
McLuhan.......2006-08-05
Mr. Sonn's look at the world of information transmission picks up where McLuhan left off with books like Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. The big difference is Sonn knows how to write.
If you are interested in how mass media got started and where it has been going the last 500-plus years (and where it is currently headed), you will do well to read this book. It is written in a delightfully easy-going style and is interesting all the way through, even when the subject is something relatively dry (like labor strive in the newspaper business).
Very highly recommended. Will be looking for his next book with great interest.
The Shock of Recognition.......2006-06-14
Saw some of the reviews for this book and thought I'd throw in my two cents.
I was immensely impressed with William Sonn's well researched and written book. There is no academic dryness or gobbledegook at all. The story of man's way out of darkness and into the light is inspiring. And there is never a dull moment. There is a sort of future shock quality to the book, but one does not feel overwhelmed or threatened, as I have been with similar narratives -- which are usually written by professors who don't know how to communicate complex ideas to the lay reader. Sonn cares about people and his subject and that care comes through on every page. The comprehensive nature of the book is really awesome. I found the notes (neatly tacked to the end of each chapter) illuminating and food for further thought and reading on this fascinating subject.
He turns out interesting sentences. Referring to the changes brought about by the introduction of printing, Sonn writes, "So it was that in the last half of the fifteenth century an abrupt new communications tool lobbed scores of ideas into unfamiliar environments. Human memory seemed to expand." Bringing in one famous critic of the church's pretense to virtue, he says, "In the 1490s, a mordantly funny Dutch hypochondriac named Erasmus slowly gained a reputation among a tiny circle of priests and academics as an agile writer, thorough scholar, sharp thinker, and skilled puncturer of hypocrisy."
Paradigms Lost tells the story of how ordinary people of the past never had a chance to learn or become educated until the cost of obtaining information was drastically reduced. Each time some new method of writing or transmission came along, the people benefited, although the bigshots in this world didn't like it. The church, the king, the state or simply the powers that be tried like heck to hold back the advance of civilization. But as knowledge became cheaper and democratic, we all came out ahead.
My one complaint would be that I wish there was a more extensive index. I keep looking things up to go over them again, and a more elaborate index would speed up searching.
A highly accomplished book that is highly recommended.
An Instant Classic.......2006-06-12
William Sonn's Paradigms Lost has all of the earmarks of a classic work. This book is profound, enormously instructive, exciting and just a hell of a lot of fun. Written in a crystal clear and contemporary mode, it explains where we came from and where we're going -- from the weak light of isolated and primitive societies to the powerful and collective forces of the world wide web. It is a swiftly paced read that will interest anyone with a taste for history, popular culture or the growth of educated man.
The author begins modestly enough, but then quickly proceeds to unroll an intellectual and stylistic masterpiece of mind-expanding (not to say numbing) scope. It is the kind of book that makes you feel smart and with-it, ahead of the pack. Get hold of it, turn off the TV, and read. You will be well rewarded.
Sonn works with the whole concept of how words and pictures (and thus, knowledge) have been produced, developed and transmitted throughout history. But he goes much further. The book focuses its penetrating lens on a hefty though simple premise: whenever there is a technological change in how we write down, or preserve, or pass on information it is accompanied by upheavals in institutions, governments, wars, industries, religions and civilization as a whole. Sonn shows with extensive documentation how these advances cause a shift in our center of gravity and how the momentum of progress is accelerated. In a way, it is about the heroic rise of man's mental life. Paradigms Lost is a unified field theory of brain power and cerebral propulsion.
Sonn elucidates how knowledge/information was originally in the hands of the world's elite, locking out everyone else from knowing things, keeping them ignorant and in their place. The average person's 'thinking' was confined to a little box of local customs, habits, prejudices and superstitions. Learning was expensive and beyond the means of nearly everyone. Acquiring knowledge was even outright dangerous. But as alphabets, writing and then printing came into being (Sonn tells that epoch-making story with freshness and originality) the cost of knowledge fell sharply and the whole world could wise up faster and more broadly. This changed everything, as the age of computers and extended media continues to do today.
No doubt some nit-pickers will seize upon a few of the book's missteps (Sonn is apparently human). One learned reviewer on this site cites a few of these editorial misfirings. But to dismiss this important book because of them is akin to saying that Columbus did not really discover the New World (since he made frequent gaffs in celestial navigation) but simply bumped into it. Columbus's audacious undertakings paid off handsomely despite any errors along the way; so has Mr. Sonn's efforts.
Sharp folks be warned: you ignore this book at your own peril.
Entertaining and insightful.......2006-05-05
I loved this book! Who knew tht a book about how communication shapes society would make you laugh out loud? But it's more than just entertaining. It's also insightful. I learned a lot.
Surprise inside.......2006-05-05
I was so surprised by this book. It traces the history of the printed word and how society has been deeply affected each time the method of print delivery has changed. It reminded me of Tom Friedman's The World is Flat, in that it made me view things in a new way. It is so readable, and funny, that I wish Sonn would write more history - maybe textbooks for my kids. I'll admit that there were times where I skimmmed a bit, but I found myself even reading footnotes, something I never do.
Average customer rating:
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Ecological Paradigms Lost: Routes of Theory Change (Theoretical Ecology Series)
Kim, Ed. Cuddington
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A Primer of Ecological Statistics
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Spatial Analysis: A Guide for Ecologists
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Ecological Niches: Linking Classical and Contemporary Approaches (Interspecific Interactions)
ASIN: 0120884593
Release Date: 2005-07-27 |
Book Description
This edited volume in the
Theoretical Ecology series addresses the historical development and evolution of theoretical ideas in the field of ecology. Not only does it recount the history of the discipline by practitioners of the science of ecology, it includes commentary on these historical reflections by philosophers of science. Even though the theories discussed are, in many cases, are at the forefront of research, the language and approach make this material accessible to non-theoreticians. The book is structured in 5 major sections including population ecology, epidemiology, community ecology, evolutionary biology and ecosystem ecology. In each section a chapter by an eminent, experienced ecologist is complemented by analysis from a newer, cutting-edge researcher.
* Reflection on the past and future of ecology
* A historical overview of major ideas in the field of ecology
* Pairing of historical views by ecologists along with a philosophical commentary directed at the practicing scientists` views by a philosopher of science.
* Historical analysis by practicing ecologists including anectodal experiences that are rarely recorded.
* Based on a very popular symposium at the 2002 Ecological Society of America annual meeting in Tucson, AZ.
Customer Reviews:
The Search for Lost Origins.......2006-04-26
So, how old is the Sphinx, really?...
Do artifacts from Earth's lost past reveal ancient contacts with visitors from the stars?...
Does the ice of Antarctica cover the remains of an advanced but ancient civilization?...
The revolutionary answers to these and other haunting questions of humanity's forgotten origins, now emerging, have made Atlantis Rising Magazine required reading for those in search of new scientific revelations. Unfortunately, those who prefer to look beyond academic orthodoxy or tabloid sensationalism to what the evidence really shows, do not have an easy course. If, however, you missed any of those memorable Atlantis Rising articles, rejoice, It's not too late to catch up!
Here now in one volume!
* Interviews with John Anthony West, Graham Hancock, Robert Bauval, Zacharia Sitchin, Michael Cremo, etc!
* Articles by Joseph Jochmans, David Hatcher Chlidress, Laura Lee, J. Douglas Kenyon and others!
* Dozens of stunning pictures - many in full color - some previously unpublished!
* And much more!
--- from book's back cover
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- And I thought Paradise Lost was a hard read...
- A Critic's Critic
- We NEED this book!
- SIMON SAYS
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Paradigms Lost: Re
John Simon
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
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Customer Reviews:
And I thought Paradise Lost was a hard read..........2004-08-26
This is an extremely well written book by noted film critic John Simon. His writing style is witty and vitriolic at the same time (he spends an entire chapter chastising Rex Reed!). He addresses the decay of the English language in a masterful fashion that leaves me a lot more informed when I run into a person who can't get through one sentence without screwing it up grammatically. Of course, this book is NOT for the faint of heart, or brain! Reading it, I found myself reaching for my OED more than I would have wanted. If I'm not mistaken, English was this guy's 3rd language? WOW!
This is a great read, but caution is advised: You may feel dumber after having read it (not because it is stupid, far, far, far from it, but because most of us are not in the same echelon as John Simon).
A Critic's Critic.......2002-05-23
I needed to cite Simon in a paper I was writing on the origins of linguistic prescriptivism. In particular, his quote, "the lapses of the great ones do not make a wrong a right" is a superb response to the advocates of singular "they" and similar illiteracisms. When challenged, these types tend to bolster their arguments with references to such use by Bronte, Austen, et al., yet even the descriptivist _Webster's Dictionary of English Usage_ offers Simon's comment as a nod to the purist camp. I decided to investigate Simon's _Paradigms Lost_ to learn a bit more about this man and his ideas and found the book to be a totally engaging and insightful read. Some of the material (the book is a compilation of essays) is dated insofar as a knowledge of who his targets are is necessary to appreciate his literary criticism thoroughly. If you are familiar with Gore Vidal and Rex Reed you are in his intended audience. My only quibble with the author is that, being a non-native speaker, he occasionally criticizes a common usage that is vibrant and offers a correct but lukewarm alternative; he can be overly picky. This is, after all, a man who will critique a 500-page work with comments such as "I found a split infinitive on page 453, but otherwise the book was fairly well written." Like Mencken and Buckley, Simon truly enjoys the lesser-known and exotic word and few will leave _Paradigms Lost_ without having acquired some useful additions to their vocabularies and a better knowledge of where the battle lines have been drawn in a number of skirmishes on the usage front. Grammar mavens: This is a must for your bookshelf.
We NEED this book!.......1999-11-09
This is a very highbrow and uncompromising examination of our declining standards. Simon is one of the most astute theater and film critics currently writing. His understanding of English is truly awe-inspiring (and don't forget that it's something like his third or fourth language). You may feel chastised while you read it, but if you care about the future of the English language, you will agree that Paradigms Lost is indispensable.
SIMON SAYS.......1997-04-28
John Simon has always been an acerbic critic. Gore Vidal once characterised him as a 'literary gangster', a critic with his flick knife always at the ready. Those who find the Simon style bracing will thoroughly enjoy "Paradigms Lost", a collection of articles written for "More" and "Esquire" magazines in the late 'seventies. There is plenty of fire here. The single most brilliant essay in the collection seizes upon fellow film critic Rex Reed. Simon finds Reed the most exalted film critic in the country; he leaves him, approximately five hundred words later, a tattered mess. Simon's clean and supple prose sets its jaws about the neck of Reed's flabby metaphors and bites down.It is one of the most brilliant hatchet jobs in a throughly distinguished carving career.
Yet, despite Simon's intemperance, I found this collection to be fuelled by love rather than hate: love for language.
Simon's targets are those who would see the English languge become a morass of jargon and inaccuracy. He resents those who believe that people should be encouraged to speak 'the language of the streets' rather than being coached in the fundamentals of English grammar and syntax. The majority of Simon's jeremiads are directed at 'educators' who appear to believe that they should not 'educate'; and he is unfailingly witty and accurate in his denunciations. There will be those who find in Simon a certain reactionary edge. It is true that most of his targets are from the progressive, liberal side of politics. Exclusion, however, is not his aim. While his enemies would fracture schooling along a whole range of pidgin-divides, Simon extolls the beauties of 'Standard English', and he insists that it be made available to all. To avoid creating linguistic ghettos, he urges the fostering of a single, coherent means of communication. Street dialect can retain its status as a second language for use among the cognoscenti, but its place is outside the classroom. That nobody in authority seems to be listening infuriates him; but Simon's message is not one of embittered resignation. Repeatedly he urges that people concerned with language, people who deem it a virtue to say exactly what they mean with the minimum of ornament and fuss, go out and spread the word. Only by fighting the obfuscatory tendencies of others can the English language continue to remain a tool for efficient communication. As a polemic, the collection is first-rate; as a guide to write and speak by, it is equally sound; as a reading experience it is thoroughly enjoyable - stylishly written and cogently argued.
Customer Reviews:
You will understand the Hopewell.......2007-06-29
I am an amateur archeologist, and I have visited Hopewell sites and read archeology in general for almost thirty years. I have waited almost twenty years for a scholarly work to explain the Hopewell. This book is it. It is breathtaking in its wide scope of knowledge both particular and general. I believe Martin Byers is right on the mark with his elucidation of the earthworks and the culture that made them. You will think as they thought. Dr. Byers has written a fascinating and painstakingly scholarly account of the culture and people. Thanks, Dr. Byers. I loved it.
Sacred life forces and world renewal.......2005-02-20
"Ohio has a unique prehistorywhich is written in large earthworks across its landscape. In this book Byers has presented a new interpretive reconstruction of the culture of the prehistoric Native American groups who were responsible for these monuments. Basing his interpretation on an analysis and classification of the monumental archaeological record, he presents an empirically and theoretically well-grounded and broad-based symbolic ecological reconstruction of the way of life of the responsible peoples.
Byers central premise, termed the "Sacred Earth principle", hinges on the notion that the builders and users of these earthworks perceived the world as immanently sacred. From this he argues that these monuments were to serve as symbolic iconic media by which the balance of sacred life forces of the cosmos could be sustained through world renewal ritual. His central premise is grounded on his empirical analysis of the embankment earthworks. This systematic analysis of embankment earthworks occupies the first 100 pages and include Mound City, Hopeton, and Newark. There are diagrams to illustrate them.
Using this as his base, Byers developes the claim that this period of monumental earthwork construction, termed the "Ohio Hopewell Episode", was the unique expression of a complex social system based on two social principles: kinship and companionship. Kinship was the basis of the egalitarian clans that occupied the land, and companionship was the basis of a system of autonomous world renewal cults.
Byers claims that the cults acted to sustain the balance of sacred forces that animated the natural order. This was an ongoing task since it arose from the very practical occupation of the land, gardening, hunting, fishing and so on. All this entailed systematic polluting of the sacred natural order. The task of the cults was to renew this order.
Byers then reassesses the meaning of the complex mortuary record of the Ohio Hopewell, itself displaying some of the most elaborate artifacts, facilities, and features known in North American prehistory. He related this elaborate mortuary assemblage and wealth of human remains to the task of world renewal by arguing, and empericaly grounding the claim, that by performing this elaborate mortuary ritual involving a complex series of incremental post-mortem rites, the spititual powers that animated humans and that they receive from the land through partaking in its nutritional bounty, were able to be offered back as a form of sacrificial renewal of the cosmos.
This religious, symbolic, social, and ecological interpretation of one of the most facinating archaeological records of the prehistoric world of Native Americans is sure to stimulate discussion and debate"
There are 50 diagrams to illustrate the book. I won't say its an easy read, but there are not a lot of books that try to get inside the minds of the ancient peoples that created all these amazing earthworks. It shouldn't be the first book you buy on the Hopewell earthworks. For an introduction try Milners "The Moundbuilders" 2004 Thames and Hudson.
A. Martin Byers is a research associate in the Department of Anthropology at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Book Description
With increasing globalization, the meaning and role of the nation-state are in flux. At the same time, state theory, which might help to explain such a trend, has fallen victim to the general decline of radical movements, particularly the crisis in Marxism. This volume seeks to enrich and complicate current political debates by bringing state theory back to the fore and assessing its relevance to the social phenomena and thought of our day. Throughout, it becomes clear that, whether confronting the challenges of postmodern and neo-institutionalist theory or the crisis of the welfare state and globalization, state theory still has great analytical and strategic value.
Contributors: Clyde W. Barrow, Richard A. Cloward, Adriano Nervo Codato, Bob Jessop, Andreas Kalyvas, Rhonda F. Levine, Leo Panitch, Renato Monseff Perissinotto, Frances Fox Piven, Paul Thomas, Constantine Tsoukalas.
Stanley Aronowitz is distinguished professor of sociology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Peter Bratsis is adjunct lecturer in political science at Queens College, City University of New York.
Books:
- Pharmacotherapy (PHARMACOTHERAPY (DIPIRO))
- Philosophy of Science: The Central Issues
- Physics of Semiconductor Devices
- Plastic Part Design for Injection Molding : An Introduction (Spe Books.)
- Portable TA: A Physics Problem Solving Guide, Volume I
- Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved (The University Center for Human Values Series)
- Public Health, Third Edition: What It Is and How It Works
- Quantum Field Theory in Curved Spacetime and Black Hole Thermodynamics (Chicago Lectures in Physics)
- Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology, 5E
- Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place
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