Nonzero

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

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

Author: Robert Wright
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0679763996
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 496

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.

Where Dreams Are Born

Author: Peter Grueneisen
Publisher: Birkhäuser
ISBN: 3035621705
Category : Architecture
Languages : de
Pages : 224

Book Description
studio bau:ton, the practice founded by Swiss architect Peter Grüneisen, designs buildings rooted in the sphere of imagination and creativity. The practice’s main clients are in the music and film production industry in Los Angeles, for whom it designs private houses and work spaces. The focus is on the combination of high-tech entertainment design with glamorous, exclusive architecture. On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, the Los Angeles-based architectural practice nonzero\architecture is publishing the second monograph. The book includes conversations with well known clients including Hans Zimmer, David Lynch, Bruce Botnik, and Paul Lieberstein. The completed projects include residences, mixed residential/work spaces, through to recording studios and public buildings.

Algebra Interactive!

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

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.

How to Live a Good Life

Author: Massimo Pigliucci
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0525566155
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Book Description
A collection of essays by fifteen philosophers presenting a thoughtful, introductory guide to choosing a philosophy for living an examined and meaningful life. Socrates famously said "the unexamined life is not worth living," but what does it mean to truly live philosophically? This thought-provoking, wide-ranging collection brings together essays by fifteen leading philosophers reflecting on what it means to live according to a philosophy of life. From Eastern philosophies (Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism) and classical Western philosophies (such as Aristotelianism and Stoicism), to the four major religions, as well as contemporary philosophies (such as existentialism and effective altruism), each contributor offers a lively, personal account of how they find meaning in the practice of their chosen philosophical tradition. Together, the pieces in How to Live a Good Life provide not only a beginner's guide to choosing a life philosophy but also a timely portrait of what it means to live an examined life in the twenty-first century. A VINTAGE ORIGINAL

Why I Am Not a Buddhist

Author: Evan Thompson
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300226551
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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.

Algebras of Linear Transformations

Author: Douglas R. Farenick
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461300975
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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.

A Course in Algebraic Number Theory

Author: Robert B. Ash
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486477541
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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.

Orders and Generic Constructions of Units

Author: Eric Jespers
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110386178
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 584

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.

Altered States

Author: D. E. Osto
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231541414
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 329

Book Description
In the 1960s, Americans combined psychedelics with Buddhist meditation to achieve direct experience through altered states of consciousness. As some practitioners became more committed to Buddhism, they abandoned the use of psychedelics in favor of stricter mental discipline, but others carried on with the experiment, advancing a fascinating alchemy called psychedelic Buddhism. Many think exploration with psychedelics in Buddhism faded with the revolutionary spirit of the sixties, but the underground practice has evolved into a brand of religiosity as eclectic and challenging as the era that created it. Altered States combines interviews with well-known figures in American Buddhism and psychedelic spirituality—including Lama Surya Das, Erik Davis, Geoffrey Shugen Arnold Sensei, Rick Strassman, and Charles Tart—and personal stories of everyday practitioners to define a distinctly American religious phenomenon. The nuanced perspective that emerges, grounded in a detailed history of psychedelic religious experience, adds critical depth to debates over the controlled use of psychedelics and drug-induced mysticism. The book also opens new paths of inquiry into such issues as re-enchantment, the limits of rationality, the biochemical and psychosocial basis of altered states of consciousness, and the nature of subjectivity.