Nonzero

Nonzero PDF Author: Robert Wright
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0375727817
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 529

Get Book Here

Book Description
In his bestselling The Moral Animal, Robert Wright applied the principles of evolutionary biology to the study of the human mind. Now Wright attempts something even more ambitious: explaining the direction of evolution and human history–and discerning where history will lead us next. In Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny, Wright asserts that, ever since the primordial ooze, life has followed a basic pattern. Organisms and human societies alike have grown more complex by mastering the challenges of internal cooperation. Wright's narrative ranges from fossilized bacteria to vampire bats, from stone-age villages to the World Trade Organization, uncovering such surprises as the benefits of barbarian hordes and the useful stability of feudalism. Here is history endowed with moral significance–a way of looking at our biological and cultural evolution that suggests, refreshingly, that human morality has improved over time, and that our instinct to discover meaning may itself serve a higher purpose. Insightful, witty, profound, Nonzero offers breathtaking implications for what we believe and how we adapt to technology's ongoing transformation of the world.

Nonzero

Nonzero PDF Author: Robert Wright
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0375727817
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 529

Get Book Here

Book Description
In his bestselling The Moral Animal, Robert Wright applied the principles of evolutionary biology to the study of the human mind. Now Wright attempts something even more ambitious: explaining the direction of evolution and human history–and discerning where history will lead us next. In Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny, Wright asserts that, ever since the primordial ooze, life has followed a basic pattern. Organisms and human societies alike have grown more complex by mastering the challenges of internal cooperation. Wright's narrative ranges from fossilized bacteria to vampire bats, from stone-age villages to the World Trade Organization, uncovering such surprises as the benefits of barbarian hordes and the useful stability of feudalism. Here is history endowed with moral significance–a way of looking at our biological and cultural evolution that suggests, refreshingly, that human morality has improved over time, and that our instinct to discover meaning may itself serve a higher purpose. Insightful, witty, profound, Nonzero offers breathtaking implications for what we believe and how we adapt to technology's ongoing transformation of the world.

Nonzero

Nonzero PDF Author: Robert Wright
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0679758941
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 450

Get Book Here

Book Description
In his bestselling The Moral Animal, Robert Wright applied the principles of evolutionary biology to the study of the human mind. Now Wright attempts something even more ambitious: explaining the direction of evolution and human history–and discerning where history will lead us next. In Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny, Wright asserts that, ever since the primordial ooze, life has followed a basic pattern. Organisms and human societies alike have grown more complex by mastering the challenges of internal cooperation. Wright's narrative ranges from fossilized bacteria to vampire bats, from stone-age villages to the World Trade Organization, uncovering such surprises as the benefits of barbarian hordes and the useful stability of feudalism. Here is history endowed with moral significance–a way of looking at our biological and cultural evolution that suggests, refreshingly, that human morality has improved over time, and that our instinct to discover meaning may itself serve a higher purpose. Insightful, witty, profound, Nonzero offers breathtaking implications for what we believe and how we adapt to technology's ongoing transformation of the world.

The Moral Animal

The Moral Animal PDF Author: Robert Wright
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307772748
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 496

Get Book Here

Book Description
One of the most provocative science books ever published—"a feast of great thinking and writing about the most profound issues there are" (The New York Times Book Review). "Fiercely intelligent, beautifully written and engrossingly original." —The New York Times Book Review Are men literally born to cheat? Does monogamy actually serve women's interests? These are among the questions that have made The Moral Animaled one of the most provocative science books in recent years. Wright unveils the genetic strategies behind everything from our sexual preferences to our office politics—as well as their implications for our moral codes and public policies. Illustrations.

The Quick Fix

The Quick Fix PDF Author: Jesse Singal
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374718040
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Get Book Here

Book Description
An investigative journalist exposes the many holes in today’s bestselling behavioral science, and argues that the trendy, TED-Talk-friendly psychological interventions that are so in vogue at the moment will never be enough to truly address social injustice and inequality. With their viral TED talks, bestselling books, and counter-intuitive remedies for complicated problems, psychologists and other social scientists have become the reigning thinkers of our time. Grit and “power posing” promised to help overcome entrenched inequalities in schools and the workplace; the Army spent hundreds of millions of dollars on a positive psychology intervention geared at preventing PTSD in its combat soldiers; and the implicit association test swept the nation on the strength of the claim that it can reveal unconscious biases and reduce racism in police departments and human resources departments. But what if much of the science underlying these blockbuster ideas is dubious or fallacious? What if Americans’ longstanding preference for simplistic self-help platitudes is exerting a pernicious influence on the way behavioral science is communicated and even funded, leading respected academics and the media astray? In The Quick Fix, Jesse Singal examines the most influential ideas of recent decades and the shaky science that supports them. He begins with the California legislator who introduced self-esteem into classrooms around the country in the 1980s and the Princeton political scientist who warned of an epidemic of youthful “superpredators” in the 1990s. In both cases, a much-touted idea had little basis in reality, but had a massive impact. Turning toward the explosive popularity of 21st-century social psychology, Singal examines the misleading appeal of entertaining lab results and critiques the idea that subtle unconscious cues shape our behavior. As he shows, today’s popular behavioral science emphasizes repairing, improving, and optimizing individuals rather than truly understanding and confronting the larger structural forces that drive social ills. Like Anand Giridharadas’s Winners Take All, The Quick Fix is a fresh and powerful indictment of the thought leaders and influencers who cut corners as they sell the public half-baked solutions to problems that deserve more serious treatment.

Evolution of God

Evolution of God PDF Author: Leonardo Wolfe
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 1664220607
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 589

Get Book Here

Book Description
This debut book boldly seeks to argue competitively in the same intellectual field as famous atheists such as RICHARD DAWKINS, CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS, and BERTRAND RUSSELL, and to do so in the spirit and style of such famous Christian apologists as C.S. Lewis and RAVI ZACHARIAS, drawing heavily on basic science, history, physics, psychology, paleontology, anthropology, archeology, neurology, child development and even science fiction. It describes the evolution of the human brain in ancient hominids allowing humans to eventually conceive a non-physical realm (the spirit world), and as the mind evolved intellectually from primitive animism to Christology, God revealed himself gradually as the developing hominid brain became able to comprehend new ideas. For Believers, the author presents a new, intellectually satisfying way to understand and defend the Bible. For both Skeptics and Believers, a worldview is offered that is spiritually meaningful and scientifically sound.

Algebra Interactive!

Algebra Interactive! PDF Author: Arjeh M. Cohen
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9783540653684
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 174

Get Book Here

Book Description
The first interactive course covering first and second year algebra. Starting from such fundamental topics as integers and divisions, modular arithmetic and polynomials the content extends to rings, fields and permutation groups. The hypertext is written in Java-enhanced HTML, and Java applets illustrate the theory while also contributing interactive calculators for computing with integers, polynomials and permutations. The computer algebra system GAP is integrated throughout, allowing the calculation and manipulation of mathematical objects. In addition, collections for Mathematica notebooks and Maple worksheets review the algorithms presented. Multiple choice exercises provide users with instant feedback, while facilities for monitoring students and a bulletin board complete this digital course.

Why I Am Not a Buddhist

Why I Am Not a Buddhist PDF Author: Evan Thompson
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300226551
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 239

Get Book Here

Book Description
"A provocative essay challenging the idea of Buddhist exceptionalism, from one of the world's most widely respected philosophers and writers on Buddhism and science. Buddhism has become a uniquely favored religion in our modern age. A burgeoning number of books extol the scientifically proven benefits of meditation and mindfulness for everything ranging from business to romance. There are conferences, courses, and celebrities promoting the notion that Buddhism is spirituality for the rational; compatible with cutting-edge science; indeed, "a science of the mind." In this provocative book, Evan Thompson argues that this representation of Buddhism is false. In lucid and entertaining prose, Thompson dives deep into both Western and Buddhist philosophy to explain how the goals of science and religion are fundamentally different. Efforts to seek their unification are wrongheaded and promote mistaken ideas of both. He suggests cosmopolitanism instead, a worldview with deep roots in both Eastern and Western traditions. Smart, sympathetic, and intellectually ambitious, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in Buddhism's place in our world today."--Provided by publisher.

A Course in Algebraic Number Theory

A Course in Algebraic Number Theory PDF Author: Robert B. Ash
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486477541
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 130

Get Book Here

Book Description
This text for a graduate-level course covers the general theory of factorization of ideals in Dedekind domains as well as the number field case. It illustrates the use of Kummer's theorem, proofs of the Dirichlet unit theorem, and Minkowski bounds on element and ideal norms. 2003 edition.

Algebras of Linear Transformations

Algebras of Linear Transformations PDF Author: Douglas R. Farenick
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461300975
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 247

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book studies algebras and linear transformations acting on finite-dimensional vector spaces over arbitrary fields. It is written for readers who have prior knowledge of algebra and linear algebra. The goal is to present a balance of theory and example in order for readers to gain a firm understanding of the basic theory of finite-dimensional algebras and to provide a foundation for subsequent advanced study in a number of areas of mathematics.

Orders and Generic Constructions of Units

Orders and Generic Constructions of Units PDF Author: Eric Jespers
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110386178
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 584

Get Book Here

Book Description
This two-volume graduate textbook gives a comprehensive, state-of-the-art account of describing large subgroups of the unit group of the integral group ring of a finite group and, more generally, of the unit group of an order in a finite dimensional semisimple rational algebra. Since the book is addressed to graduate students as well as young researchers, all required background on these diverse areas, both old and new, is included. Supporting problems illustrate the results and complete some of the proofs. Volume 1 contains all the details on describing generic constructions of units and the subgroup they generate. Volume 2 mainly is about structure theorems and geometric methods. Without being encyclopaedic, all main results and techniques used to achieve these results are included. Basic courses in group theory, ring theory and field theory are assumed as background.