On Understanding Science
James B. Conant, who is one of the country's most eminent scientists as well as one of its most notable practitioners of education, tells here how he believes the layman can find out what science is and how to understand it. The language, customs, and manners of the scientists are frequently unintelligible to the rest of the population, and there is considerable danger that the ideas and forces that are moving mountains will be increasingly inaccessible to those outside the laboratories. The peril of such a situation to a democracy, where understanding must be assumed to be fairly general, is probably as great in the realm of ideas as the physical danger of the instruments of destruction. Dr. Conant sets out to show how the gulf can be bridged. Instead of a series of assertions about science being ordered knowledge, or the classification of facts, he presents a historical view of a number of the great scientists, of what their generation knew of their subjects, of the problem they set out to examine, and of how they solved it. Thus the reader is enabled to follow in a new way the scientific method at work, with all its limitations and wonders.
Medicine and Human Welfare
This volume is based upon the sixteenth series of lectures delivered at Yale University on the Foundation established by the late Dwight H. Terry of Plymouth, Connecticut, through his gift of an endowment fund for the delivery and subsequent publication of "Lectures on Religion in the Light of Science and Philosophy." The deed of gift declares that "the object of this Foundation is not the promotion of scientific investigation and discovery, but rather the assimilation and interpretation of that which has been or shall be hereafter discovered, and its application to human welfare, especially by the building of the truths of science and philosophy into the structure of a broadened and purified religion.
Science, Order, and Creativity
In this thought-provoking book, two of the last century's foremost scientific thinkers contend that science has lost its bearings in favor of a narrow, abstracted, fragmented approach to nature and reality. Dr. David Bohm, who has worked alongside Oppenheimer and Einstein, and Dr. F. David Peat, author of Synchronicity: The Bridge Between Matter and Mind, propose a return to a greater creativity and communication in the sciences. They ask for a renewed emphasis on ideas rather than formulae, on the whole rather than fragments, on meaning rather than mere mechanics. Tracing the history of science from Aristotle to Einstein, from the Pythagorean theorem to quantum mechanics, the authors offer intriguing new insights into how scientific theories come into being, how to eliminate blocks to creativity, and how science can lead to a deeper understanding of society, the human condition, and the human mind itself. Science, Order, and Creativity looks to the future of science with elegance, hope, and enthusiasm. And it shows how each of us can work creatively in our own lives to help bring new meaning and order to the universe we share.
Multi-Component Force Sensing Systems
This book will focus on the design, development, decoupling, and applications of multi-component torque sensing systems. Force and moment information can be used as feedback to form an automatic control system to accomplish efficient manipulation.
The Panenmentalist Philosophy of Science
This book presents a philosophy of science, based on panenmentalism: an original modal metaphysics, which is realist about individual pure (non-actual) possibilities and rejects the notion of possible worlds. The book systematically constructs a new and novel way of understanding and explaining scientific progress, discoveries, and creativity. It demonstrates that a metaphysics of individual pure possibilities is indispensable for explaining and understanding mathematics and natural sciences. It examines the nature of individual pure possibilities, actualities, mind-dependent and mind-independent possibilities, as well as mathematical entities. It discusses in detail the singularity of each human being as a psychical possibility. It analyses striking scientific discoveries, and illustrates by means of examples of the usefulness and vitality of individual pure possibilities in the sciences.
Scatterbrain
"[This] book will convince you that forgetting helps you remember and distractions can make you more creative." --Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take, and host of TED's WorkLife podcast "Illuminating, and a joy to read, [Scatterbrain] offers ... a refreshingly accessible and relatable take on the brain's inner workings that should appeal to both science buffs and casual readers." --Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) In this mind-bending book, an esteemed neuroscientist explains why perfectionism is pointless--and argues that mistakes, missteps, and flaws are the keys to success. Remember that time you screwed up simple math or forgot the name of your favorite song? What if someone told you that such embarrassing "brain farts" are actually secret weapons, proof of your superiority to computers and AI? In Scatterbrain, we learn that boredom awakens the muse, distractions spark creativity, and misjudging time creates valuable memories, among other benefits of our faulty minds. Throughout, award-winning neuroscientist Henning Beck's hilarious asides and brain-boosting advice make for delightful reading of the most cutting-edge neuroscience our brains will (maybe never) remember.
Act
Being a hero means standing up to false heroes. To gain this ability, we need to have a good grasp of the nature of the universe and to be able to understand our minds. This book is an introduction to the most current research in neurobiology and consciousness. It is easy to read, uses numerous examples, and introduces concepts from the ground up. After reading the book, you will be able to explain what it means to be conscious. The book's goal is to give an introduction to neuroscience focused on consciousness. It addresses the following questions: - What is the self?- Does the brain even need a "self"?- What is this seemingly mysterious subjective experience we share?- How can we think, dream, plan, feel, and make decisions?The first part of the book discusses the evolutionary history of primates' brains using real-life examples. The second part builds a flowchart of consciousness (the so-called "loop of consciousness"). It concludes that consciousness must be an umbrella term for many of our brain's abilities: - Sense data: Sense data is registered and pre-processed in the brain.- Attention: The ability of the brain to focus on particular sense data using neural competition.- Awareness: Contents of the working memory, including information of "what," "where," and "who."- Attention schema: The ability to access the working memory to use it to update the prefrontal cortex's models and use those models to suppress or promote individual actions.- Awareness schema: The ability of the brain to manipulate awareness to think about alternative scenarios. The working memory is used to manipulate future loops of consciousness.- Philosophy: Abstract knowledge about awareness, enhancing the brain's ability to create habits and strategies to adapt the id.What would lead a computer scientist and project manager to turn to philosophy for answers? Clemens Lode has a passion for solving problems by applying ideas from nature. In his examination into what could give lifeless machines a "heart," he found that the answer requires a holistic examination of the world.Becoming a hero requires gaining an understanding of what the greatest minds of history have pondered. Philosophy for Heroes summarizes their wisdom and connects it with the modern world.What would lead a computer scientist and project manager to turn to philosophy for answers? Clemens Lode has a passion for solving problems by applying ideas from nature. In his examination into what could give lifeless machines a "heart," he found that the answer requires a holistic examination of the world.With his book series Philosophy for Heroes, Lode bridges the gap between science, philosophy, psychology, and ultimately leadership. In this, the third of a five-book series, he takes the reader on a journey through topics at the forefront of science. How did humans evolve? How can we make decisions? What is consciousness, and why do we think it is within our heads? How could we give machines a human-like consciousness?
Scotophobin
This book chronicles the apparent discovery of "memory molecules" in 1965, the loss of credibility that plagued those findings, and the subsequent triumphant discovery of the neuroactive peptides, including endorphins. The story is told through a series of biographical vignettes and the author's own experiences that unfolded from the plains of West Texas, through Kansas, Houston, New York, Detroit, and Boston. This seminal episode in the early history of neuroscience flows smoothly for the lay reader as an engaging story of the clash between personalities, conventional wisdom, and unconventional explanations. The book is well documented for the scientist and historian, providing a definitive account of early attempts to understand memory at the molecular level.
Scotophobin
This book chronicles the apparent discovery of "memory molecules" in 1965, the loss of credibility that plagued those findings, and the subsequent triumphant discovery of the neuroactive peptides, including endorphins. The story is told through a series of biographical vignettes and the author's own experiences that unfolded from the plains of West Texas, through Kansas, Houston, New York, Detroit, and Boston. This seminal episode in the early history of neuroscience flows smoothly for the lay reader as an engaging story of the clash between personalities, conventional wisdom, and unconventional explanations. The book is well documented for the scientist and historian, providing a definitive account of early attempts to understand memory at the molecular level.
What Biological Functions Are and Why They Matter
The biological functions debate is a perennial topic in the philosophy of science. In the first full-length account of the nature and importance of biological functions for many years, Justin Garson presents an innovative new theory, the 'generalized selected effects theory of function', which seamlessly integrates evolutionary and developmental perspectives on biological functions. He develops the implications of the theory for contemporary debates in the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of medicine and psychiatry, the philosophy of biology, and biology itself, addressing issues ranging from the nature of mental representation to our understanding of the function of the human genome. Clear, jargon-free, and engagingly written, with accessible examples and explanatory diagrams to illustrate the discussion, his book will be highly valuable for readers across philosophical and scientific disciplines.
The Incommensurability Thesis
Originally published in 1994, The Incommensurability Thesis is a critical study of the Incommensurability Thesis of Thomas Kuhn and Paul Feyerabend. The book examines the theory that different scientific theories may be incommensurable because of conceptual variance. The book presents a critique of the thesis and examines and discusses the arguments for the theory, acknowledging and debating the opposing views of other theorists. The book provides a comprehensive and detailed discussion of the incommensurability thesis.
Why Trust Science?
Why the social character of scientific knowledge makes it trustworthy Are doctors right when they tell us vaccines are safe? Should we take climate experts at their word when they warn us about the perils of global warming? Why should we trust science when so many of our political leaders don't? Naomi Oreskes offers a bold and compelling defense of science, revealing why the social character of scientific knowledge is its greatest strength--and the greatest reason we can trust it. Tracing the history and philosophy of science from the late nineteenth century to today, this timely and provocative book features a new preface by Oreskes and critical responses by climate experts Ottmar Edenhofer and Martin Kowarsch, political scientist Jon Krosnick, philosopher of science Marc Lange, and science historian Susan Lindee, as well as a foreword by political theorist Stephen Macedo.
Artificial You
A guide to AI's thorniest implications that asks: How shall we navigate our brave new world? We are at a monumental turning point in human history. AI is taking intelligence in new directions. The strongest human competitors in chess, go, and Jeopardy! have been beaten by AIs, and AI is getting more sophisticated by the day. Further, AI research is going inside the human brain itself, attempting to augment human minds. It may even create greater-than-human-level intelligence, leading to a new generation of artificial minds--Minds 2.0. Susan Schneider, a philosopher, argues that these undertakings must not be attempted without a richer understanding of the nature of the mind. An insufficient grasp of the underlying philosophical issues could undermine the use of AI and brain enhancement technology, bringing about the demise or suffering of conscious beings. Examining the philosophical questions lying beneath the algorithms, Schneider takes on AI's thorniest implications.
In AI We Trust
One of the most persistent concerns about the future is whether it will be dominated by the predictive algorithms of AI - and, if so, what this will mean for our behaviour, for our institutions and for what it means to be human. AI changes our experience of time and the future and challenges our identities, yet we are blinded by its efficiency and fail to understand how it affects us. At the heart of our trust in AI lies a paradox: we leverage AI to increase our control over the future and uncertainty, while at the same time the performativity of AI, the power it has to make us act in the ways it predicts, reduces our agency over the future. This happens when we forget that that we humans have created the digital technologies to which we attribute agency. These developments also challenge the narrative of progress, which played such a central role in modernity and is based on the hubris of total control. We are now moving into an era where this control is limited as AI monitors our actions, posing the threat of surveillance, but also offering the opportunity to reappropriate control and transform it into care. As we try to adjust to a world in which algorithms, robots and avatars play an ever-increasing role, we need to understand better the limitations of AI and how their predictions affect our agency, while at the same time having the courage to embrace the uncertainty of the future.
Practicing Safe Sects
Where do gods come from - and what is the cost of bearing them? In Practicing Safe Sects F. LeRon Shults argues for the importance of having "the talk" about the causes and consequences of participating in religious sects. To survive and thrive as a social species, we humans are likely to continue needing some kind of sects (as well as sex) for quite some time. But can we learn how to practice safe sects? Can we live together in healthy and productive social networks without reproducing the superstitious beliefs and segregative behaviors that are engendered and nurtured by shared ritual engagement with imagined supernatural agents? In this provocative and timely book, Shults provides scientific and philosophical resources for answering these questions.
The Sense of Taste
In this essential, Petra Schling gives an overview of the current state of research on the topic of taste. She regards taste as a sensory perception that allows us to distinguish essential food components from toxins. What we eat depends not insignificantly on how we like it. But how do we actually taste - and what do we taste? As omnivores, we humans have a relatively wide range of taste receptors, not only in our mouths, which provide us with important information about our food. Outside the mouth, taste receptors serve our innate immune system to "taste" bacteria, worms and other intruders. We can and should rely on this. Our sense of taste warns us of toxins and unwanted co-inhabitants and can only be deceived to a very limited extent by sweeteners, bitter blockers or similar tricks.This Springer essential is a translation of the original German 1st edition essentials, Der Geschmack by Petra Schling, published by Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature in 2021.The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors.
Co-Creating in Schools Through Art and Science
This book represents an applied, up-to-date work on RRI developments and their potential positive impact on societies. The societal challenges of the 21st century require the ability to integrate the knowledge and expertise of different societal actors, using more innovative, efficient and open approaches. Educational methodologies are in perpetual development in their attempt to provide tentative answers to three ever-changing digital age challenges: the challenge of speed, the challenge of form/at and the challenge of persistency. The current book aims to address these issues by presenting relevant case studies in the field of art, science and giving value to territory that, by the means of projects and initiatives using RRI consistent methodologies, have succeeded in their attempt to: preserve and valorise cultural heritage by using digital storytelling or crowddreaming methodology, develop educational strategies grounded on RRI and Open Schooling principles, contribute to new ways of thinking in the school environment by using RRI and promote gender equality and stimulate critical reflections on women's role in science by the means of storytelling and RRI concepts.
The Bride of Dreams
The Bride of Dreams is a book by Frederik Willem van Eeden, late 19th-century and early 20th-century Dutch writer and psychiatrist. He coined the term lucid dream in the sense of mental clarity, a term that nowadays is a classic term in the Dream literature and study, meaning dreaming while knowing that one is dreaming. In The Bride of Dreams the author addresses this topic and gives his explanation of the nine types of dreams.
Your Passport to a Career in Bioinformatics
This book which is the second edition of Your Passport to a Career in Bioinformatics, is intended for students who plan to work in bioinformatics. In addition to addressing the opportunities and challenges faced by today's bioinformatics community, it demonstrates how bioinformatics is currently transitioning from research to vocation and avocation. Further, it extols the virtues of in silico for bioinformatics predictions, as it helps wet-lab biologists reduce the time needed for experiments.In turn, the book addresses career prospects and the Ten Commandments for becoming a bioinformatics professional; bioinformatics for developing countries; bioinformatics for schools; bioinformatics for markets; and the knowns and unknowns of bioinformatics. It also explores how bioinformatics interacts with various fields in terms of three Cs: consistency, continuity, and credibility.
Rational Choice Using Imprecise Probabilities and Utilities
An agent often does not have precise probabilities or utilities to guide resolution of a decision problem. I advance a principle of rationality for making decisions in such cases. To begin, I represent the doxastic and conative state of an agent with a set of pairs of a probability assignment and a utility assignment. Then I support a decision principle that allows any act that maximizes expected utility according to some pair of assignments in the set. Assuming that computation of an option's expected utility uses comprehensive possible outcomes that include the option's risk, no consideration supports a stricter requirement.
Los Landmarks De Mackey Y La Cultura
Ser Mas籀n es actualmente lo mismo que hace centenares de a簽os, ser un hombre 穩ntegro, suficientemente apto para realizar el bien y dotado de tal inteligencia, que sepa distinguir con claridad el error de la falsedad, la sinceridad del cinismo, la belleza de la fealdad, la lealtad de la infamia y de la traici籀n. Es adem獺s ser fraternal, de tal manera, que se vea en cada uno de los hombres, cualesquiera que sea su criterio religioso o filos籀fico, un aut矇ntico hombre, digno de ser objeto de nuestro sacrificio y de nuestra d獺diva fervorosa y enobledecedora.
Los Landmarks De Mackey Y La Cultura
Ser Mas籀n es actualmente lo mismo que hace centenares de a簽os, ser un hombre 穩ntegro, suficientemente apto para realizar el bien y dotado de tal inteligencia, que sepa distinguir con claridad el error de la falsedad, la sinceridad del cinismo, la belleza de la fealdad, la lealtad de la infamia y de la traici籀n. Es adem獺s ser fraternal, de tal manera, que se vea en cada uno de los hombres, cualesquiera que sea su criterio religioso o filos籀fico, un aut矇ntico hombre, digno de ser objeto de nuestro sacrificio y de nuestra d獺diva fervorosa y enobledecedora.
Science and the Modern World
Originally published in 1925, Alfred North Whitehead's Science and the Modern World was a groundbreaking work that redefined the concept of modern science. It is a work not only of the first importance but also of great beauty in which the author dramatically describes what had long engaged his meditations; namely, the rise, triumph, and impact of "scientific materialism," according to which nature consists of nothing else but a flux of purely physical energy, while at the same time criticizing this materialism as mistaking an abstract system of mathematical physics for the concrete reality of nature.Whitehead's mind was at home with such abstractions (indeed, with Bertrand Russell he co-authored the epochal Principia Mathematica), and he saw them as real discoveries, not intellectual inventions; but his sense for the fullness of existence led him to urge upon philosophy the task of making good their omissions by reverting to the variety of concrete experience first, then framing broader ideas. In this, Whitehead anticipated insights that would come to dominate the philosophy of science in the latter part of the twentieth century.Moving masterfully through the history of modern science, he shows how cultural history has affected science over the ages in relation to such major intellectual themes as romanticism, relativity, quantum theory, religion, and movements for social progress. Throughout this narrative, philosophy is put forward as humanity's fundamental intellectual pursuit; a medium of change and reconfiguration from which all thought, scientific included, derives its strength. This fascinating volume that will be of value to anyone with an interest in philosophy or the history of science.
Confabulations, Lies, And Conspiracy
Can you be sure that the world around you exists the way you think it does?How reliable is your memory, really? Is old age getting the better of you or are you just experiencing false memories called confabulations? Perhaps your own mind is telling you lies. Then again, perhaps you are experiencing what many describe as the Mandela Effect. Do you remember Pikachu with a black tip on his tail or without? Is the colour chartreuse a shade of pink or a shade of green? Depending on how you answer these questions could point to the possibility that you may have been caught up in the Mandela Effect and don't even know it. Or perhaps something more sinister is going on in the world. Perhaps there are conspiracies taking place right under the surface. Then again, maybe it is just someone else's confabulation.
Shifting Worlds, Changing Minds
From the author of "Perceiving Ordinary Magic," this book proposes that both science and Buddhism offer powerful insights into human nature that can help to bring about profound changes in our lives and our society. Jeremy Hayward argues that a radical uprooting of our beliefs about reality is necessary if we are to resolve our confusion about our world and ourselves. Only a profound examination of human perception--a process by which worlds and selves are created and re-created every moment--will provide the clarity and confidence we seek. "Shifting Worlds, Changing Minds" is an in-depth, nontechnical analysis of the perceptual process, drawing on the latest data from cognitive science--the "new science of mind." Added to these are insights gained from the Buddhist practice of mindfulness-awareness meditation. The results of this analysis and practice can free us from dependence on belief systems. We are presented with a genuine revolution in the understanding of consciousness, and the possibilities for awareness and compassion are revealed.
Electronic Data Processing in the Cerebral Cortex
A pragmatic look at the human brain and how it must process data given the limitation of the physiology and the demands imposed upon it by the environment in which it must grow, learn and thrive. The electronic and mathematical processing details were ahead of their time but insufficient for true mathematical modelling. Indeterminate Cognitive Automata written by Eugene's son, fills in the gaps and describes a mathematical model that when instantiated can think better than a human
Cosmological Balance Universe
The COSMOLOGICAL BALANCE UNIVERSE: Triune Dynamic Equilibrium, A Unified Theory is a must have book! Purchase yours today and satisfy your inquisitive curiosity. - Why are scientist unable to find a unified theory of everything? Why does Einstein's Special and General Relativity fail to explain the actual galactic rotational speed? Is it because of errors in Einstein's Relativity Theories? - Do you really believe in the Big Bang and the Expanding Universe Theories? What happens when both fails? Do we revert to original "Static" Universe Theory (of Dynamic Equilibrium) prior to Einstein? - What is the true source of gravity? Is gravity a pull or push force or both? How does gravity work? What is dark matter, and dark energy? Are they placeholders for something else? What is Quantum Gravity? - What is the "fabric" of space? Why is space predominately flat and yet curved around ordinary matter? Is space void or occupied with particles? - Are you really satisfied with what astrophysicists tell you? If yes, then continue with what you are doing. - If not, then read this book and see a whole new perspective to reality: "The Cosmological Balance Universe: A Unified Theory." This book answers all these questions and more... Science demands progressive advancement in our understanding of the universe. This book introduces that potential sought after hypothesis, proposes mathematical resolutions to several physics and cosmology dilemmas, challenges several famous theories, clears away obstacles, paves the way by adequately explaining new concepts, and announces a simple yet unified theory in the Cosmological Balance Universe. A theory that presents unique out of the box concepts and explains the existence of the visible and the invisible parts of our universe and describes how each side's destiny depends on the other. It opens the door for pseudoscience ideas to make science take the next great leap of progress. This book consolidates all the equations and principles behind the Cosmological Balance Universe theory, the Unified Theory of Everything.Many have stood on the shoulders of Einstein for fame and fortune but not for the benefit of humanity, Sir Roger Penrose, Stephen Hawking, George Lemaitre, and Edwin Hubble for instance. You see I do not agree with the Big Bang Theory! I refuted it in this book. Let me explain. Einstein's work is purely the "physics of light" primarily invented to solve Mercury's orbital anomaly about the sun, applicable only to the function of light waves and particles emitted from one hub, the sun, but not necessarily applicable to the universe, let alone the galaxy. Fr. George Lemaitre's work, on the other hand, is the "physics of lucifer" intended to redesign God's creation ("solve et coagula"), justified by misread observations from Hubble, where both ignored the trajectories and vectors of all matter, light, and gravity (per Einstein) and concluded that everything must have originated from one central point (the big bang singularity). Nonsense and wrong! This is like saying all the starlight emanating from the Milky Way Galaxy comes from the center massive black hole, when we know in fact all the starlight comes from billions of separate stars. There is not one central hub, but innumerable hubs (black and white holes) throughout the universe, and therefore the big bang never happened!Needless to say, NASA is finding more and more evidence of material in the universe that are older than the timeline of the Big Bang theory. So, if there was a beginning of the universe, it would have been an empty universe composed entirely of space, without the presence of any ordinary matter as we know it or its particles. This empty universe was the original playground the "angels" require as they have no physical body, nor eyes, and are but pure intellectual beings that only need an area to move about and time to exist. It is the battle between good and evil angels that caused God to create matter.
An Introduction to Hormones and Behavior
An Introduction to Hormones and Behavior explores the ways in which hormones modulate behavior and vice versa. The volume focuses on the key principles of the topic and features original readings from classic studies, as well as more recent research, to provide students with a holistic understanding of the interplay of hormones and behavior.The text begins with a chapter dedicated to endocrine principles and methods, then advances to discuss sexual differentiation, sex differences, and development. Later chapters address the distinctive characteristics and differences between male and female reproduction, as well as male and female parental behaviors. In the closing chapters, students learn about social behavior, stress, and how hormones influence human behavior. Each chapter features prewriting exercises, an introduction to provide context and background information, select readings, and critical thinking questions.The revised first edition includes two new readings, "Testosterone and Cortisol Release among Spanish Soccer Fans Watching the 2010 World Cup Final" and "Hormones and Sleep."An Introduction to Hormones and Behavior is an excellent resource for undergraduate and graduate courses in hormones and behavior, behavioral endocrinology, and physiological psychology.
Cassirer’s Transformation: From a Transcendental to a Semiotic Philosophy of Forms
This book presents the transformation of Cassirer's transcendental point of view. At an early stage, Cassirer was confronted with a scientific crisis triggered by the emergence of various forms of objective knowledge, such as the plurality of geometric axiom systems and non-Euclidean geometry in relativistic physics. He finally developed a solution to the problematic unity of objective knowledge by replacing the overarching notion of objectivity with that of forms of objectification. This led him to consider the notion of "symbolic forms" as the driving force in the objectification process. This concept would become instrumental in demonstrating that the objective and human sciences are not adversaries; they merely differ in their modes of semiotic construction. These modes cannot be summarized in a fixed list of symbolic forms but operate transversally, at a level where Cassirer distinguishes between three specific operators: Expression, Evocation and Objectification. The last part of the book investigates how the relationships between these three operators stabilize specific symbolic forms. Four of these forms are then studied as examples: Myth and Ritual, Language, Scientific Knowledge, and Technology.
Memories of a Synchronistic Gap Year
Personal spiritual adventure unknowingly becomes part of brain-computer interface (BCI) experiment.In March 2020 scientists reported that it was possible to translate thoughts into words and sentences, in real time. Or more correctly, to translate the brain activity used in speech into words, sentences and text, then into speech. This is the first time such a clear revelation that this landmark technology exists and openly revealed in the public arena. Other exciting research continues into this technology including Mind to Machine and Mind to Mind communication, with some major companies investing heavily in this area. All these facts have been widely reported in the media. However, the author holds that such technologies have been in existence for many years and Memories of a Synchronistic Gap Year reveals one such example. It is a true story of a field trial that took place during the years of 2005 and 2006. Then the technology may have been referred to as Mind Reading or Remote Telepathy but nevertheless it allowed thoughts to be intercepted, interpreted and understood by others. First written in 2008 but not published for fear of not being believed, it is now published, unaltered and hoped that the reader will understand the book for what it is, an early example of the work, research and testing being done in the field of thought translation. This would of course also be confirmed by the release of any classified documents relating to this trial. It is a story that spans the globe, Europe, India and Australia and has a strong spiritual element which allows the writer some comfort at the most distressing and traumatic times. Finally, it offers an insight into how this technology could have been used, rather than for the human good, which is now its likely end purpose.
Unity of Science
Unity of science was once a very popular idea among both philosophers and scientists. But it has fallen out of fashion, largely because of its association with reductionism and the challenge from multiple realisation. Pluralism and the disunity of science are the new norm, and higher-level natural kinds and special science laws are considered to have an important role in scientific practice. What kind of reductionism does multiple realisability challenge? What does it take to reduce one phenomenon to another? How do we determine which kinds are natural? What is the ontological basis of unity? In this Element, Tuomas Tahko examines these questions from a contemporary perspective, after a historical overview. The upshot is that there is still value in the idea of a unity of science. We can combine a modest sense of unity with pluralism and give an ontological analysis of unity in terms of natural kind monism. This title is available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Medo de Falar Em P繳blico
Nesse livro, Nazildes L繫bo oferece ao leitor uma oportunidade singular para que ele entenda e descubra suas maiores dificuldades ao falar em p繳blico. Resultado de uma pesquisa de mestrado em psicologia, aprovada com nota 10, com louvor, em uma visita ? orat籀ria dos prim籀rdios aos dias atuais, nele lhe 矇 revelado o fator desencadeador do mal-estar caracter穩stico da fala em p繳blico, bem como as diferentes formas utilizadas pelos sujeitos pesquisados na tentativa de escapar ?s suas ang繳stias e inc繫modos. Vontade de fugir, de escapar, suor frio, "branco no c矇rebro", s瓊o sensa癟繭es desagrad獺veis bem conhecidas de quem fala ou se imagina falando para uma plateia e que n瓊o passaram despercebidas ao olhar atento da pesquisadora. Voc礙 conhecer獺 a influ礙ncia decisiva que a plateia exerce na fala dos oradores, enquanto detentora do poder de reconhec礙-lo ou de ignor獺-lo, estando o sujeito a ela submetido pelo apego ao primeiro desejo do ser humano que 矇 ser reconhecido. Na busca pelo reconhecimento da plateia, o orador a ela se submete: reconhecido, eleva-se ?s alturas; ignorado, desce ao est矇ril deserto de si mesmo, palco de um profundo, inevit獺vel e recorrente mal-estar. Aproveite este livro para descobrir o seu maior temor ao falar em p繳blico e para entender como os sujeitos pesquisados subjetivam esse medo, falando apesar dele.
Big Data
Big Data and methods for analyzing large data sets such as machine learning have in recent times deeply transformed scientific practice in many fields. However, an epistemological study of these novel tools is still largely lacking. After a conceptual analysis of the notion of data and a brief introduction into the methodological dichotomy between inductivism and hypothetico-deductivism, several controversial theses regarding big data approaches are discussed. These include, whether correlation replaces causation, whether the end of theory is in sight and whether big data approaches constitute entirely novel scientific methodology. In this Element, I defend an inductivist view of big data research and argue that the type of induction employed by the most successful big data algorithms is variational induction in the tradition of Mill's methods. Based on this insight, the before-mentioned epistemological issues can be systematically addressed.
Comparative Thinking in Biology
Biologists often study living systems in light of their having evolved, of their being the products of various processes of heredity, adaptation, ancestry, and so on. In their investigations, then, biologists think comparatively: they situate lineages into models of those evolutionary processes, comparing their targets with ancestral relatives and with analogous evolutionary outcomes. This element characterizes this mode of investigation - 'comparative thinking' - and puts it to work in understanding why biological science takes the shape it does. Importantly, comparative thinking is local: what we can do with knowledge of a lineage is limited by the evolutionary processes into which it fits. In light of this analysis, the Element examines the experimental study of animal cognition, and macroevolutionary investigation of the 'shape of life', demonstrating the importance of comparative thinking in understanding both the power and limitations of biological knowledge.
Being You
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERA Best Book of 2021--Bloomberg Businessweek; A Best Science Book of 2021--The Guardian; A Best Science Book of 2021--Financial Times; A Best Philosophy Book of 2021--Five Books; A Best Book of 2021--The EconomistAnil Seth's quest to understand the biological basis of conscious experience is one of the most exciting contributions to twenty-first-century science. What does it mean to "be you"--that is, to have a specific, conscious experience of the world around you and yourself within it? There may be no more elusive or fascinating question. Historically, humanity has considered the nature of consciousness to be a primarily spiritual or philosophical inquiry, but scientific research is now mapping out compelling biological theories and explanations for consciousness and selfhood. Now, internationally renowned neuroscience professor, researcher, and author Anil Seth is offers a window into our consciousness in BEING YOU: A New Science of Consciousness. Anil Seth is both a leading expert on the neuroscience of consciousness and one of most prominent spokespeople for this relatively new field of science. His radical argument is that we do not perceive the world as it objectively is, but rather that we are prediction machines, constantly inventing our world and correcting our mistakes by the microsecond, and that we can now observe the biological mechanisms in the brain that accomplish this process of consciousness. Seth has been interviewed for documentaries aired on the BBC, Netflix, and Amazon and podcasts by Sam Harris, Russell Brand, and Chris Anderson, and his 2017 TED Talk on the topic has been viewed over 11 million times, a testament to his uncanny ability to make unimaginably complex science accessible and entertaining.
Land Fictions
Land Fictions explores the common storylines, narratives, and tales of social betterment that justify and enact land as commodity. It interrogates global patterns of property formation, the dispossessions property markets enact, and the popular movements to halt the growing waves of evictions and land grabs.This collection brings together original research on urban, rural, and peri-urban India; rapidly urbanizing China and Southeast Asia; resource expropriation in Africa and Latin America; and the neoliberal urban landscapes of North America and Europe. Through a variety of perspectives, Land Fictions finds resonances between local stories of land's fictional powers and global visions of landed property's imagined power to automatically create value and advance national development. Editors D. Asher Ghertner and Robert W. Lake unpack the dynamics of land commodification across a broad range of political, spatial, and temporal settings, exposing its simultaneously contingent and collective nature. The essays advance understanding of the politics of land while also contributing to current debates on the intersections of local and global, urban and rural, and general and particular.Contributors Erik Harms, Michael Watts, Sai Balakrishnan, Brett Christophers, David Ferring, Sarah Knuth, Meghan Morris, Benjamin Teresa, Mi Shih, Michael Levien, Michael L. Dwyer, Heather Whiteside
Land Fictions
Land Fictions explores the common storylines, narratives, and tales of social betterment that justify and enact land as commodity. It interrogates global patterns of property formation, the dispossessions property markets enact, and the popular movements to halt the growing waves of evictions and land grabs.This collection brings together original research on urban, rural, and peri-urban India; rapidly urbanizing China and Southeast Asia; resource expropriation in Africa and Latin America; and the neoliberal urban landscapes of North America and Europe. Through a variety of perspectives, Land Fictions finds resonances between local stories of land's fictional powers and global visions of landed property's imagined power to automatically create value and advance national development. Editors D. Asher Ghertner and Robert W. Lake unpack the dynamics of land commodification across a broad range of political, spatial, and temporal settings, exposing its simultaneously contingent and collective nature. The essays advance understanding of the politics of land while also contributing to current debates on the intersections of local and global, urban and rural, and general and particular.Contributors Erik Harms, Michael Watts, Sai Balakrishnan, Brett Christophers, David Ferring, Sarah Knuth, Meghan Morris, Benjamin Teresa, Mi Shih, Michael Levien, Michael L. Dwyer, Heather Whiteside
Fourier Transform and Its Applications Using Microsoft EXCEL(R)
This book demonstrates Microsoft EXCEL(R)-based Fourier transform of selected physics examples, as well as describing spectral density of the auto-regression process in relation to Fourier transform. Rather than offering rigorous mathematics, the book provides readers with an opportunity to gain an understanding of Fourier transform through the examples. They will acquire and analyze their own data following the step-by-step procedure outlined, and a hands-on acoustic spectral analysis is suggested as the ideal long-term student project.
Airborne Maritime Surveillance Radar, Volume 1
Today, air-to-surface vessel (ASV) radars, or more generally airborne maritime surveillance radars, are installed on maritime reconnaissance aircraft for long-range detection, tracking and classification of surface ships (ASuW-anti-surface warfare) and for hunting submarines (ASW-anti-submarine warfare). Such radars were first developed in the UK during WWII as part of the response to the threat to shipping from German U-boats. This book describes the ASV radars developed in the UK and used by RAF Coastal Command during WWII for long-range maritime surveillance.
Optical Fiber Multiplexing and Emerging Techniques
Starting with the history and fundamentals of optical fiber communications, Optical Fiber Multiplexing and Emerging Techniques introduces existing optical multiplexing techniques, and it focuses on the spatial domain multiplexing (SDM) and orbital angular momentum (OAM) of photon-based multiplexing.
Numerical Solutions of Initial Value Problems Using Mathematica
The book contains a detailed account of numerical solutions of differential equations of a number of elementary problems of physics using Euler and second order Runge-Kutta methods using Mathematica 6.0. The problems are motion under constant force (free fall), motion under Hooke's law force (simple harmonic motion), motion under combination of Hooke's law force and a velocity dependent damping force (damped harmonic motion) and radioactive decay law. Also included are uses of Mathematica in dealing with complex numbers, in solving system of linear equations, in carrying out differentiation and integration, and in dealing with matrices.
Numerical Solutions of Boundary Value Problems with Finite Difference Method
Containing an extensive illustration of the use of finite difference method in solving boundary value problems numerically, a wide class of differential equations have been numerically solved in this book. Starting with differential equations of elementary functions like hyperbolic, sine and cosine, special functions such as Hermite, Laguerre and Legendre are solved. Airy function, stationary localised wavepacket, the quantum mechanical problem of the particle in a 1D box and polar equation of motion under gravitational interaction are also explored. Aimed at ensuring readers become adept in using the method, Mathematica 6.0 is used to solve systems of linear equations, and to plot the numerical data, and comparison with known analytic solutions showed nearly perfect agreement in every case.
Airborne Maritime Surveillance Radar, Volume 2
Today, air-to-surface vessel (ASV) radars, or more generally maritime surveillance radars, are installed on maritime reconnaissance aircraft for long-range detection, tracking and classification of surface ships (ASuW-anti-surface warfare) and for hunting submarines (ASW-anti-submarine warfare). Such radars were first developed in the UK during WWII as part of the response to the threat to shipping from German U-Boats. This book describes the ASV radars developed in the UK after WWII (1946-2000) and used by the RAF for long-range maritime surveillance.
Introduction to Beam Dynamics in High-Energy Electron Storage Rings
Electron storage rings play a crucial role in many areas of modern scientific research. Introduction to Beam Dynamics in High-Energy Electron Storage Rings describes the physics of particle behaviour in these machines. Starting with an outline of the history, uses and structure of electron storage rings, the book develops the foundations of beam dynamics, covering particle motion in the components used to guide and focus the beams, the effects of synchrotron radiation, and the impact of interactions between the particles in the beams.
Feyerabend’s Epistemological Anarchism
This book argues that the traditional image of Feyerabend is erroneous and that, contrary to common belief, he was a great admirer of science. It shows how Feyerabend presented a vision of science that represented how science really works. Besides giving a theoretical framework based on Feyerabend織s philosophy of science, the book offers criteria that can help readers to evaluate and understand research reported in important international science education journals, with respect to Feyerabend's epistemological anarchism. The book includes an evaluation of general chemistry and physics textbooks. Most science curricula and textbooks provide the following advice to students: Do not allow theories in contradiction with observations, and all scientific theories must be formulated inductively based on experimental facts. Feyerabend questioned this widely prevalent premise of science education in most parts of the world, and in contrast gave the following advice: Scientistscan accept a hypothesis despite experimental evidence to the contrary and scientific theories are not always consistent with all the experimental data. No wonder Feyerabend became a controversial philosopher and was considered to be against rationalism and anti-science. Recent research in philosophy of science, however, has shown that most of Feyerabend織s philosophical ideas are in agreement with recent trends in the 21st century. Of the 120 articles from science education journals, evaluated in this book only 9% recognized that Feyerabend was presenting a plurality of perspectives based on how science really works. Furthermore, it has been shown that Feyerabend could even be considered as a perspectival realist. Among other aspects, Feyerabend emphasized that in order to look for breakthroughs in science one does not have to be complacent about the truth of the theories but rather has to look for opportunities to "break rules" or "violate categories." Mansoor Niaz carefully analyses references to Feyerabend in the literature and displays the importance of Feyerabend's philosophy in analyzing, historical episodes. Niaz shows through this remarkable book a deep understanding to the essence of science. - Calvin Kalman, Concordia University, Canada In this book Mansoor Niaz explores the antecedents, context and features of Feyerabend's work and offers a more-nuanced understanding, then reviews and considers its reception in the science education and philosophy of science literature. This is a valuable contribution to scholarship about Feyerabend, with the potential to inform further research as well as science education practice.- David Geelan, Griffith University, Australia
Nondestructive Evaluation of Agro-products by Intelligent Sensing Techniques
With rapid progress being made in both theory and practical applications, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming every aspect of life and leading the world towards a sustainable future. AI technology is fundamentally and radically affecting agriculture with a move towards smart systems. The outcome of this transition is improved efficiency, reduced environmental pollution, and enhanced productivity of crops.Nondestructive Evaluation of Agro-products by Intelligent Sensing Techniques is a reference which provides readers timely updates in the progress of intelligent sensing techniques used for nondestructive evaluation of agro-products. Chapters, each contributed by experts in food safety and technology, describe existing and innovative techniques that could be or have been applied to agro-products quality and safety evaluation, processing, harvest, traceability, and so on. The book includes 11 individual chapters, with each chapter focusing on a specific aspect of intelligent sensing techniques applied in agriculture. Specifically, the first chapter introduces the reader to representative techniques and methods for nondestructive evaluation. Subsequent chapters present detailed information about the processing and quality evaluation of agro-products (e.g., fruits, and vegetables), food grading, food tracing, and the use of robots for harvesting specialty crops.Key Features: - 11 chapters, contributed by experts that cover basic and applied research in agriculture- introduces readers to nondestructive evaluation techniques- covers food quality evaluation processes- covers food grading and traceability systems- covers frontier topics that represent future trends (robots and UAVs used in agriculture)- familiarizes the readers with several intelligent sensing technologies used in the agricultural sector (including machine vision, near-infrared spectroscopy, hyperspectral/multispectral imaging, bio-sensing, multi-technology fusion detection)- provides bibliographic references for further reading- gives applied examples on both common and specialty cropsThis reference is intended as a source of updated information for consultants, students and academicians involved in agriculture, crops science and food biotechnology. Professionals involved in food safety and security planning and policymaking will also benefit from the information presented by the authors.
Ceramic Materials in Archaeology
This book introduces students in archaeology and others interested to the materials that form ancient ceramics. It focuses on the nature of these materials, the minerals, rocks, clays, and ways they have been modified for the production of ceramics. The study of the use of the ceramic materials by potters through the ages allows us a better understanding of the potter's behavior and the influences on his or her craft. The book details clay, mineral and rock formations, basic geology principles, types of analyses conducted to study raw materials, and the different processes involved in making pottery. It describes the different attributes of a ceramic paste, and the different scales one can look at it. This book is conceived as an introduction to the origin of the materials which form ceramics in an archaeological context, their selection and use by potters. It is abundantly illustrated, in color, and with many case studies.
