Making Sense of Nature

Author: Noel Castree
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134613903
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 397

Book Description
We listen to a cacophony of voices instructing us how to think and feel about nature, including our own bodies. The news media, wildlife documentaries, science magazines, and environmental NGOs are among those clamouring for our attention. But are we empowered by all this knowledge or is our dependence on various communities allowing our thoughts, sentiments and activities to be unduly governed by others? Making Sense of Nature shows that what we call ‘nature’ is made sense of for us in ways that make it central to social order, social change and social dissent. By utilising insights and extended examples from anthropology, cultural studies, human geography, philosophy, politics, sociology, science studies, this interdisciplinary text asks whether we can better make sense of nature for ourselves, and thus participate more meaningfully in momentous decisions about the future of life – human and non-human – on the planet. This book shows how ‘nature’ can be made sense of without presuming its naturalness. The challenge is not so much to rid ourselves of the idea of nature and its ‘collateral concepts’ (such as genes) but instead, we need to be more alert to how, why and with what effects ideas about ‘nature’ get fashioned and deployed in specific situations. Among other things, the book deals with science and scientists, the mass media and journalists, ecotourism, literature and cinema, environmentalists, advertising and big business. This innovative text contains numerous case studies and examples from daily life to put theory and subject matter into context, as well as study tasks, a glossary and suggested further reading. The case studies cover a range of topics, range from forestry in Canada and Guinea, to bestiality in Washington State, to how human genetics is reported in Western newspapers, to participatory science experiments in the UK. Making Sense of Nature will empower readers from a wide range of fields across the social sciences, humanities and physical sciences.

Nature

Author: Noel Castree
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134302150
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Book Description
Exploring the shifting ways in which geographers have studied nature, this book emphasizes the relationships and differences between human geography, physical geography and resource and hazards geography. The first to consider the topic of nature in modern geography as a whole, this distinctive text looks at all its major meanings, from the human body and psyche through to the non-human world, and develops the argument that student readers should abandon the idea of knowing what nature is in favour of a close scrutiny of what agendas lie behind competing conceptions of it. It deals with, amongst others, the following areas: the idea of nature the 'nature' of geography de-naturalization and re-naturalization after-nature. As everything from global warming to GM foods becomes headline news, the use and abuse of nature is on the agenda as never before. Synthesizing a wealth of diverse and complex information, this text makes the significant theories, debates and information on nature accessible to students of geography, environmental studies, sociology, and cultural studies.

Our Oldest Task

Author: Eric T. Freyfogle
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022632642X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 237

Book Description
“This is a book about nature and culture,” Eric T. Freyfogle writes, “about our place and plight on earth, and the nagging challenges we face in living on it in ways that might endure.” Challenges, he says, we are clearly failing to meet. Harking back to a key phrase from the essays of eminent American conservationist Aldo Leopold, Our Oldest Task spins together lessons from history and philosophy, the life sciences and politics, economics and cultural studies in a personal, erudite quest to understand how we might live on—and in accord with—the land. Passionate and pragmatic, extraordinarily well read and eloquent, Freyfogle details a host of forces that have produced our self-defeating ethos of human exceptionalism. It is this outlook, he argues, not a lack of scientific knowledge or inadequate technology, that is the primary cause of our ecological predicament. Seeking to comprehend both the multifaceted complexity of contemporary environmental problems and the zeitgeist as it unfolds, Freyfogle explores such diverse topics as morality, the nature of reality (and the reality of nature), animal welfare, social justice movements, and market politics. The result is a learned and inspiring rallying cry to achieve balance, a call to use our knowledge to more accurately identify the dividing line between living in and on the world and destruction. “To use nature,” Freyfogle writes, “but not to abuse it.”

Making Sense of Life

Author: Evelyn Fox Keller
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674007468
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 416

Book Description
What do biologists want? What kind of explanation do biologists aim? How will we know when we have "made sense" of life? Explanations in the biological sciences are provisional and partial, judged by criteria as heterogenous as their subject matter. This text accounts for this diversity.

A Companion to Environmental Geography

Author: Noel Castree
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 9781444305739
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 608

Book Description
A Companion to Environmental Geography is the first book to comprehensively and systematically map the research frontier of 'human-environment geography' in an accessible and comprehensive way. Cross-cuts several areas of a discipline which has traditionally been seen as divided; presenting work by human and physical geographers in the same volume Presents both the current 'state of the art' research and charts future possibilities for the discipline Extends the term 'environmental geography' beyond its 'traditional' meanings to include new work on nature and environment by human and physical geographers - not just hazards, resources, and conservation geographers Contains essays from an outstanding group of international contributors from among established scholars and rising stars in geography

Making Sense of People

Author: Samuel Barondes
Publisher: FT Press
ISBN: 0132172879
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 242

Book Description
Every day, we evaluate the people around us: It's one of the most important things we ever do. Making Sense of People provides the scientific frameworks and tools we need to improve our intuition, and assess people more consciously, systematically, and effectively. Leading neuroscientist Samuel H. Barondes explains the research behind each standard personality category: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness. He shows readers how to use these traits and assessments to do a better job of deciding who they'll enjoy spending time with, whom to trust, and whom to keep at a distance. Barondes explains: What neuroscience and psychological research can tell us about how personality types develop and cohere. The intertwined roles of genes, nurture, and education in personality development. How to recognize troublesome personality patterns such as narcissism, sociopathy, and paranoia. How much a child's behavior predicts their adult personality, and how personality stabilizes in young adulthood. How to assess integrity, fairness, wisdom, and other traits related to morality. What genetic testing may (or may not) teach us about personality in the future. General strategies for getting along with people, with specific tactics for special circumstances. Kirkus Reviews A succinct look at personality psychology. As a psychiatrist and neuroscientist at the University of California, Barondes (Molecules and Mental Illness, 2007, etc.) has spent years studying human behavior, and this book reflects his systematic, scientific approach for personality assessment. The average person isn't likely to have time to research a difficult boss or potential love interest, but the author supplements intuition with a useful cornerstone for gauging human behavior: a table of the "Big Five" personality traits, among them Extraversion vs. Introversion and Agreeableness vs. Antagonism. To learn how to apply the Big Five, Barondes supplies a link for a professional online personality test, in addition to a basic introduction of troubling personality patterns–e.g., narcissism and compulsiveness. While genetics may play a heavy hand in influencing personality, Barondes writes, it's awareness of a person's background, character and life story that is paramount in unearthing reasons for adult behavior. Readers might like to see the author weave more everyday examples into the text–his exercise in fostering compassion by imagining an adult as a 10-year-old child is a gem–but there is plenty here to ponder. Those looking for traditional "self-help" advice won't find it here, but this book clearly lays the groundwork for deeper human interaction and better life relationships.

Making Sense of Who God Is

Author: Wayne A. Grudem
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
ISBN: 0310493781
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 573

Book Description
With clear writing—technical terms kept to a minimum—and a contemporary approach, emphasizing how each doctrine should be understood and applied by present-day Christians, Making Sense of Who God is explores the existence of God through inner knowledge and evidence found in Scripture and in nature. Topics include but are not limited to Traditional “Proofs” for God’s Existence: covering cosmological, teleological, ontological, and moral evidence of the Creator; The Trinity: the three distinct persons each equal to the whole being of God; Creation: including the assertion that, when all the facts are understood, there will be “no final conflicts” between Scripture and natural science; and God’s Providence: the Creator’s continued involvement with all created things and human actions that make a difference within God’s providence. Written in a friendly tone, appealing to the emotions and the spirit as well as the intellect, Making Sense of Who God is helps readers overcome wrong ideas, make better decisions on new questions, and grow as Christians.

Making Sense of Heritability

Author: Neven Sesardic
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9781139445672
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 296

Book Description
In this book, Neven Sesardic defends the view that it is both possible and useful to measure the separate contributions of heredity and environment to the explanation of human psychological differences. He critically examines the view - very widely accepted by scientists, social scientists and philosophers of science - that heritability estimates have no causal implications and are devoid of any interest. In a series of clearly written chapters he introduces the reader to the problems and subjects the arguments to close philosophical scrutiny. His conclusion is that anti-heritability arguments are based on conceptual confusions and misunderstandings of behavioural genetics. His book is a fresh and compelling intervention in a very contentious debate.

Making Sense

Author: Bruce Brooks
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (BYR)
ISBN: 9780374347420
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 73

Book Description
Discusses animals' six senses--seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and feeling--and how they use them to perceive and react to the world around them.

Making "Nature"

Author: Melinda Baldwin
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022626159X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 318

Book Description
Making "Nature" is the first book to chronicle the foundation and development of Nature, one of the world's most influential scientific institutions. Now nearing its hundred and fiftieth year of publication, Nature is the international benchmark for scientific publication. Its contributors include Charles Darwin, Ernest Rutherford, and Stephen Hawking, and it has published many of the most important discoveries in the history of science, including articles on the structure of DNA, the discovery of the neutron, the first cloning of a mammal, and the human genome. But how did Nature become such an essential institution? In Making "Nature," Melinda Baldwin charts the rich history of this extraordinary publication from its foundation in 1869 to current debates about online publishing and open access. This pioneering study not only tells Nature's story but also sheds light on much larger questions about the history of science publishing, changes in scientific communication, and shifting notions of "scientific community." Nature, as Baldwin demonstrates, helped define what science is and what it means to be a scientist.