Nature's Purposes

Nature's Purposes PDF Author: Colin Allen
Publisher: Mit Press
ISBN: 9780262011686
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 597

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Book Description
Within the natural sciences, only biologists take seriously teleological statements about design, purpose and adaptive function. Some biologists claim that to understand the complex morphological and behavioural traits of organisms we must say what they are for, which is to give a teleological explanation of why organisms have them. Others argue that the theory of natural selection, in providing statistical explanations for the same phenomena, obviates any need for teleological thinking. If teleology cannot be eliminated from biology, it raises fundamental questions about the nature of biological explanation and about the relationship of biology to the rest of science.

Nature's Purposes

Nature's Purposes PDF Author: Colin Allen
Publisher: Mit Press
ISBN: 9780262011686
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 597

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Book Description
Within the natural sciences, only biologists take seriously teleological statements about design, purpose and adaptive function. Some biologists claim that to understand the complex morphological and behavioural traits of organisms we must say what they are for, which is to give a teleological explanation of why organisms have them. Others argue that the theory of natural selection, in providing statistical explanations for the same phenomena, obviates any need for teleological thinking. If teleology cannot be eliminated from biology, it raises fundamental questions about the nature of biological explanation and about the relationship of biology to the rest of science.

Nature's Destiny

Nature's Destiny PDF Author: Michael Denton
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743237625
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 482

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Book Description
A leading evolutionary thinker, biologist, and medical researcher asks the question: "Could life elsewhere be substantially different from life on Earth?"--and builds a step-by-step argument for human inevitability. 65 illustrations and photos.

Plan and Purpose in Nature

Plan and Purpose in Nature PDF Author: George C. Williams
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780753800423
Category : Adaptation (Biology)
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
In Plan and Purpose in Nature George C. Williams examines Darwinian evolution in the natural world. He tells the story not only of adaptations which natural selection produces through nature, but also the limitations of evolution for modern human beings, and how the rapid evolution of micro-organisms is likely to pose an alarming threat to human health.

The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative

The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative PDF Author: Florence Williams
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393242722
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Book Description
"Highly informative and remarkably entertaining." —Elle From forest trails in Korea, to islands in Finland, to eucalyptus groves in California, Florence Williams investigates the science behind nature’s positive effects on the brain. Delving into brand-new research, she uncovers the powers of the natural world to improve health, promote reflection and innovation, and strengthen our relationships. As our modern lives shift dramatically indoors, these ideas—and the answers they yield—are more urgent than ever.

Three Uses of the Knife

Three Uses of the Knife PDF Author: David Mamet
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0804151083
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 97

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Book Description
The purpose of theater, like magic, like religion . . . is to inspire cleansing awe. What makes good drama? And why does drama matter in an age that is awash in information and entertainment? David Mamet, one of our greatest living playwrights, tackles these questions with bracing directness and aphoristic authority. He believes that the tendency to dramatize is essential to human nature, that we create drama out of everything from today’s weather to next year’s elections. But the highest expression of this drive remains the theater. With a cultural range that encompasses Shakespeare, Bretcht, and Ibsen, Death of a Salesman and Bad Day at Black Rock, Mamet shows us how to distinguish true drama from its false variants. He considers the impossibly difficult progression between one act and the next and the mysterious function of the soliloquy. The result, in Three Uses of the Knife, is an electrifying treatise on the playwright’s art that is also a strikingly original work of moral and aesthetic philosophy.

A plain ... account of the natures, uses, and quantities of some experienced medicines ... prepared by C. M.

A plain ... account of the natures, uses, and quantities of some experienced medicines ... prepared by C. M. PDF Author: Charles MARSHALL (of Tetherton.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 8

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Book Description


The Better Angels of Our Nature

The Better Angels of Our Nature PDF Author: Steven Pinker
Publisher: Penguin Books
ISBN: 0143122010
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 834

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Book Description
Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think this is the most violent age ever seen. Yet as bestselling author Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true.

What Beliefs Are Made From

What Beliefs Are Made From PDF Author: Jonathan Leicester
Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers
ISBN: 1681082632
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
What Beliefs Are Made From explores the nature and purpose of belief. The book describes several strange beliefs that have been shared by many members of whole communities. The intellectualistic, dispositional, feeling and eliminativist theories of belief are then examined critically. This is followed by a review of factors that can influence people in their beliefs. These include faulty use of evidence, unconscious reasoning biases, inability to withhold judgement, wishful thinking, prior beliefs, shared beliefs, personal experience, testimony, judgements about the source of testimony, personality, in-group psychology, emotions and feelings, language, symbolism, non-verbal communication, repetition, propaganda, mysticism, rumour, conspiracy theories, and illness. The book also covers beliefs of children and belief during dreaming. The regulation of inquiry by belief and disbelief is described. What Beliefs Are Made From is a useful reference for general readers interested in the philosophy of the mind, and the psychology of belief.

The Nature and Purpose of Government

The Nature and Purpose of Government PDF Author: Linda C. Raeder
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781545148730
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Book Description
The Nature and Purpose of Government elaborates the Lockean social contract that informed revolutionary thought in the American colonies prior to the War for Independence. It explores in detail the narrative of Locke's Second Treatise of Government and relates it to the American situation in the following century.

The Church

The Church PDF Author: Jeffrey Johnson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780988668195
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description