Why Does the World Exist

Why Does the World Exist PDF Author: Jim Holt
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0871404095
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
In this astonishing and profound work, an irreverent sleuth traces the riddleof existence from the ancient world to modern times.

Why Does the World Exist

Why Does the World Exist PDF Author: Jim Holt
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0871404095
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
In this astonishing and profound work, an irreverent sleuth traces the riddleof existence from the ancient world to modern times.

Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story

Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story PDF Author: Jim Holt
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0871403277
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
The Washington Post Notable Non-Fiction of 2013 “I can imagine few more enjoyable ways of thinking than to read this book.”—Sarah Bakewell, New York Times Book Review, front-page review Tackling the “darkest question in all of philosophy” with “raffish erudition” (Dwight Garner, New York Times), author Jim Holt explores the greatest metaphysical mystery of all: why is there something rather than nothing? This runaway bestseller, which has captured the imagination of critics and the public alike, traces our latest efforts to grasp the origins of the universe. Holt adopts the role of cosmological detective, traveling the globe to interview a host of celebrated scientists, philosophers, and writers, “testing the contentions of one against the theories of the other” (Jeremy Bernstein, Wall Street Journal). As he interrogates his list of ontological culprits, the brilliant yet slyly humorous Holt contends that we might have been too narrow in limiting our suspects to God versus the Big Bang. This “deft and consuming” (David Ulin, Los Angeles Times) narrative humanizes the profound questions of meaning and existence it confronts.

Why the World Does Not Exist

Why the World Does Not Exist PDF Author: Markus Gabriel
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 074568758X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
Where do we come from? Are we merely a cluster of elementaryparticles in a gigantic world receptacle? And what does it allmean? In this highly original new book, the philosopher Markus Gabrielchallenges our notion of what exists and what it means to exist. Hequestions the idea that there is a world that encompasseseverything like a container life, the universe, and everythingelse. This all-inclusive being does not exist and cannot exist. Forthe world itself is not found in the world. And even when we thinkabout the world, the world about which we think is obviously notidentical with the world in which we think. For, as we are thinkingabout the world, this is only a very small event in the world.Besides this, there are still innumerable other objects and events:rain showers, toothaches and the World Cup. Drawing on the recenthistory of philosophy, Gabriel asserts that the world cannot existat all, because it is not found in the world. Yet with theexception of the world, everything else exists; even unicornson the far side of the moon wearing police uniforms. Revelling in witty thought experiments, word play, and thecourage of provocation, Markus Gabriel demonstrates the necessityof a questioning mind and the role that humour can play in comingto terms with the abyss of human existence.

God: The Failed Hypothesis

God: The Failed Hypothesis PDF Author: Victor J. Stenger
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 161592003X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
Throughout history, arguments for and against the existence of God have been largely confined to philosophy and theology, while science has sat on the sidelines. Despite the fact that science has revolutionized every aspect of human life and greatly clarified our understanding of the world, somehow the notion has arisen that it has nothing to say about the possibility of a supreme being, which much of humanity worships as the source of all reality. This book contends that, if God exists, some evidence for this existence should be detectable by scientific means, especially considering the central role that God is alleged to play in the operation of the universe and the lives of humans. Treating the traditional God concept, as conventionally presented in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions, like any other scientific hypothesis, physicist Stenger examines all of the claims made for God's existence. He considers the latest Intelligent Design arguments as evidence of God's influence in biology. He looks at human behavior for evidence of immaterial souls and the possible effects of prayer. He discusses the findings of physics and astronomy in weighing the suggestions that the universe is the work of a creator and that humans are God's special creation. After evaluating all the scientific evidence, Stenger concludes that beyond a reasonable doubt the universe and life appear exactly as we might expect if there were no God. This paperback edition of the New York Times bestselling hardcover edition contains a new foreword by Christopher Hitchens and a postscript by the author in which he responds to reviewers' criticisms of the original edition.

The Internet Does Not Exist

The Internet Does Not Exist PDF Author: E-Flux Journal
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 3956791304
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The internet does not exist. Maybe it did exist only a short time ago, but now it only remains as a blur, a cloud, a friend, a deadline, a redirect, or a 404. If it ever existed, we couldn't see it. Because it has no shape. It has no face, just this name that describes everything and nothing at the same time. Yet we are still trying to climb onboard, to get inside, to be part of the network, to get in on the language game, to show up on searches, to appear to exist. But we will never get inside of something that isn't there. All this time we've been bemoaning the death of any critical outside position, we should have taken a good look at information networks. Just try to get in. You can't. Networks are all edges, as Bruno Latour points out. We thought there were windows but actually they're mirrors. And in the meantime we are being faced with more and more—not just information, but the world itself. Contributors Julian Assange, Franco “Bifo” Berardi, Benjamin Bratton, Diedrich Diederichsen, Keller Easterling, Rasmus Fleischer, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, Ursula K. Heise, Brian Kuan Wood, Bruno Latour, Geert Lovink, Patricia MacCormack, Metahaven, Gean Moreno, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Jon Rich, Hito Steyerl e-flux journal Series edited by Julieta Aranda, Brian Kuan Wood, Anton Vidokle

The World Without Us

The World Without Us PDF Author: Alan Weisman
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780312427900
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description
A penetrating take on how our planet would respond without the relentless pressure of the human presence

Does God Exist

Does God Exist PDF Author: Hans Kung
Publisher: Doubleday
ISBN: 030782652X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 1336

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Book Description
Does God exist? The question implies another: Who is God? This book is meant to give an answer to both questions and to give reasons for this answer. Does God exist? Yes or no? Many are at a loss between belief and unbelief; they are undecided, skeptical. They are doubtful about their belief, but they are also doubtful about their doubting. There are still others who are proud of their doubting. Yet there remains a longing for certainty. Certainty? Whether Christians or Jews, believers in God or atheists, the discussion today runs right across old denominations and new ideologies—but the longing for certainty is unquenched. Does God exist? We are putting all our cards on the table here. The answer will be "Yes, God exists," As human beings in the twentieth century, we certainly can reasonably believe in God—even more so in the Christian God—and perhaps even more easily today than a few decades or centuries ago. For, after so many crises, it is surprising how much has been clarified and how many difficulties in regard to belief in God have melted into the Light that no darkness has overcome.

Laziness Does Not Exist

Laziness Does Not Exist PDF Author: Devon Price
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982140135
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
From social psychologist Dr. Devon Price, a conversational, stirring call to “a better, more human way to live” (Cal Newport, New York Times bestselling author) that examines the “laziness lie”—which falsely tells us we are not working or learning hard enough. Extra-curricular activities. Honors classes. 60-hour work weeks. Side hustles. Like many Americans, Dr. Devon Price believed that productivity was the best way to measure self-worth. Price was an overachiever from the start, graduating from both college and graduate school early, but that success came at a cost. After Price was diagnosed with a severe case of anemia and heart complications from overexertion, they were forced to examine the darker side of all this productivity. Laziness Does Not Exist explores the psychological underpinnings of the “laziness lie,” including its origins from the Puritans and how it has continued to proliferate as digital work tools have blurred the boundaries between work and life. Using in-depth research, Price explains that people today do far more work than nearly any other humans in history yet most of us often still feel we are not doing enough. Filled with practical and accessible advice for overcoming society’s pressure to do more, and featuring interviews with researchers, consultants, and experiences from real people drowning in too much work, Laziness Does Not Exist “is the book we all need right now” (Caroline Dooner, author of The F*ck It Diet).

When Einstein Walked with Gödel

When Einstein Walked with Gödel PDF Author: Jim Holt
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374717842
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 385

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Book Description
From Jim Holt, the New York Times bestselling author of Why Does the World Exist?, comes an entertaining and accessible guide to the most profound scientific and mathematical ideas of recent centuries in When Einstein Walked with Gödel: Excursions to the Edge of Thought. Does time exist? What is infinity? Why do mirrors reverse left and right but not up and down? In this scintillating collection, Holt explores the human mind, the cosmos, and the thinkers who’ve tried to encompass the latter with the former. With his trademark clarity and humor, Holt probes the mysteries of quantum mechanics, the quest for the foundations of mathematics, and the nature of logic and truth. Along the way, he offers intimate biographical sketches of celebrated and neglected thinkers, from the physicist Emmy Noether to the computing pioneer Alan Turing and the discoverer of fractals, Benoit Mandelbrot. Holt offers a painless and playful introduction to many of our most beautiful but least understood ideas, from Einsteinian relativity to string theory, and also invites us to consider why the greatest logician of the twentieth century believed the U.S. Constitution contained a terrible contradiction—and whether the universe truly has a future.

Preparing for a World that Doesn't Exist - Yet

Preparing for a World that Doesn't Exist - Yet PDF Author: Rick Smyre
Publisher: John Hunt Publishing
ISBN: 1785354523
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Are you really ready for change? Are you prepared for a world changing as fast as you can read this sentence? Most leaders say they are prepared for the future, yet many organizations and communities are doing things in the same old way they’ve been working for decades. We’re living on the precipice of a new era in human history. Preparing For A World That Doesn’t Exist - Yet offers an approach to getting ready for an emerging society that will be increasingly fast paced, interconnected, interdependent, and complex. In Preparing For A World That Doesn’t Exist - Yet, you will learn about an emerging Second Enlightenment and the capacities you’ll need to achieve success in this new, fast-evolving world. Higher education, health and wellness, governance and the economy are transforming in ways few of us could have imagined ten or even five years ago. In this book, you’ll get the skills you need to ride the wave of the future and the perspective you’ll need to be ready to catch the next wave, too. Planners, physicians, government and higher-education leaders are using the principles and capacities described in this book to create better organizations, and best of all communities of the future that will lead to a planet that can thrive. Join them in looking at the future with excitement and anticipation.