The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World


David Deutsch - 2011
    Taking us on a journey through every fundamental field of science, as well as the history of civilization, art, moral values, and the theory of political institutions, Deutsch tracks how we form new explanations and drop bad ones, explaining the conditions under which progress—which he argues is potentially boundless—can and cannot happen. Hugely ambitious and highly original, The Beginning of Infinity explores and establishes deep connections between the laws of nature, the human condition, knowledge, and the possibility for progress.

Infinite Powers: How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe


Steven H. Strogatz - 2019
    We wouldn’t have unraveled DNA or discovered Neptune or figured out how to put 5,000 songs in your pocket. Though many of us were scared away from this essential, engrossing subject in high school and college, Steven Strogatz’s brilliantly creative, down‑to‑earth history shows that calculus is not about complexity; it’s about simplicity. It harnesses an unreal number—infinity—to tackle real‑world problems, breaking them down into easier ones and then reassembling the answers into solutions that feel miraculous. Infinite Powers recounts how calculus tantalized and thrilled its inventors, starting with its first glimmers in ancient Greece and bringing us right up to the discovery of gravitational waves (a phenomenon predicted by calculus). Strogatz reveals how this form of math rose to the challenges of each age: how to determine the area of a circle with only sand and a stick; how to explain why Mars goes “backwards” sometimes; how to make electricity with magnets; how to ensure your rocket doesn’t miss the moon; how to turn the tide in the fight against AIDS. As Strogatz proves, calculus is truly the language of the universe. By unveiling the principles of that language, Infinite Powers makes us marvel at the world anew.

The Ant and the Ferrari


Kerry Spackman - 2012
    this is one of those rare books that will change your beliefs - and in doing so will change your life. tHE ANt AND tHE FERRARI offers readers a clear, navigable path through the big questions that confront us all today. What is the meaning of life? Can we be ethical beings in today's world? Can we know if there is life after death? Is there such a thing as Absolute truth? What caused the Big Bang and why should you care?

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions


Thomas S. Kuhn - 1962
    The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is that kind of book. When it was first published in 1962, it was a landmark event in the history and philosophy of science. Fifty years later, it still has many lessons to teach. With The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Kuhn challenged long-standing linear notions of scientific progress, arguing that transformative ideas don’t arise from the day-to-day, gradual process of experimentation and data accumulation but that the revolutions in science, those breakthrough moments that disrupt accepted thinking and offer unanticipated ideas, occur outside of “normal science,” as he called it. Though Kuhn was writing when physics ruled the sciences, his ideas on how scientific revolutions bring order to the anomalies that amass over time in research experiments are still instructive in our biotech age. This new edition of Kuhn’s essential work in the history of science includes an insightful introduction by Ian Hacking, which clarifies terms popularized by Kuhn, including paradigm and incommensurability, and applies Kuhn’s ideas to the science of today. Usefully keyed to the separate sections of the book, Hacking’s introduction provides important background information as well as a contemporary context.  Newly designed, with an expanded index, this edition will be eagerly welcomed by the next generation of readers seeking to understand the history of our perspectives on science.

What Technology Wants


Kevin Kelly - 2010
    Arguing that the processes creating the technium are akin to those of biological evolution, Kelly devotes the opening sections of his exposition to that analogy, maintaining that the technium exhibits a similar tendency toward self-organizing complexity. Having defined the technium, Kelly addresses its discontents, as expressed by the Unabomber (although Kelly admits to trepidation in taking seriously the antitechnology screeds of a murderer) and then as lived by the allegedly technophobic Amish. From his observations and discussions with some Amish people, Kelly extracts some precepts of their attitudes toward gadgets, suggesting folk in the secular world can benefit from the Amish approach of treating tools as servants of self and society rather than as out-of-control masters. Exploring ramifications of technology on human welfare and achievement, Kelly arrives at an optimistic outlook that will interest many, coming, as it does, from the former editor of Wired magazine."Gilbert Taylor, Booklist

How to Create a Mind: The Secret of Human Thought Revealed


Ray Kurzweil - 2012
    In How to Create a Mind, Kurzweil presents a provocative exploration of the most important project in human-machine civilization—reverse engineering the brain to understand precisely how it works and using that knowledge to create even more intelligent machines.Kurzweil discusses how the brain functions, how the mind emerges from the brain, and the implications of vastly increasing the powers of our intelligence in addressing the world’s problems. He thoughtfully examines emotional and moral intelligence and the origins of consciousness and envisions the radical possibilities of our merging with the intelligent technology we are creating.Certain to be one of the most widely discussed and debated science books of the year, How to Create a Mind is sure to take its place alongside Kurzweil’s previous classics which include Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever and The Age of Spiritual Machines.

Quotes To Enrich Life & Spirit - From Buddha through Gandhi to Zen


Anthony Morganti - 2011
    The book has two main sections with the first having the quotes divided by their topic such as Love, Happiness, Anger, etc. The second part of the book has specific quotes from Buddha, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, Lao Tzu and Zen Quotations.

Kindle Fire HDX & HD User's Guide Book: Unleash the Power of Your Tablet!


Shelby Johnson - 2012
    With the new tablet, I absolutely love its many standard features and capabilities, but have found there is so much more that can be done with this amazing gadget. I’ve learned a lot of great things you can do with a Kindle Fire HD and want to help others get more out of their Kindle Fire HDX and HD devices. I've developed a comprehensive guide book to help users along on their device, including tips and tricks to really unlock and unleash the possibilities with the tablet. Here’s just some of the great info you’ll find in this User’s Guide Book: - Getting to know the various settings of your Kindle Fire HDX or HD - Browsing your Kindle and carousel - How to store your favorite content items on the device - Setting up security options to safeguard your device - Setting up your e-mail, contacts and calendar info - Setting up and using wireless networks - How to print from your Kindle Fire HD - How to install the Dolphin Browser with Adobe Flash - How to install the Google Chrome browser on your tablet - Pairing your Kindle Fire HD with a compatible Bluetooth phone or computer - How to set-up FreeTime for your kids to use your Kindle with restrictions - How to listen to the radio on your tablet - How to use your tablet to make phone calls for free! - How to download YouTube videos to your Kindle Fire HD - How to take photos and videos with your Kindle Fire HD camera - How to sideload apps on your Kindle Fire HD - Some of the best apps you can get for your tablet - Suggested apps to take your tablet to the next level! You’ll learn all of the above and more in this book which features color screenshots straight from the Kindle and step-by-step instructions on the processes involved in unleashing more powerful features for your Kindle Fire HD! There's also helpful links throughout the guide to take you right to the apps and websites being discussed. In all, this is a must-have ebook to get for any Kindle Fire HD user who wants to take their device to the next level! Note: Many of the tips and how-to's covered in this guide will also apply to the previous generation of the Kindle Fire HD, released in 2012. Please note this book is for owners of the American version of the Kindle Fire HDX & Kindle Fire HD tablets sold as of October 2013 in the United States.

The Emperor's New Mind: Concerning Computers, Minds and the Laws of Physics


Roger Penrose - 1989
    Admittedly, computers now play chess at the grandmaster level, but do they understand the game as we do? Can a computer eventually do everything a human mind can do? In this absorbing and frequently contentious book, Roger Penrose--eminent physicist and winner, with Stephen Hawking, of the prestigious Wolf prize--puts forward his view that there are some facets of human thinking that can never be emulated by a machine. Penrose examines what physics and mathematics can tell us about how the mind works, what they can't, and what we need to know to understand the physical processes of consciousness. He is among a growing number of physicists who think Einstein wasn't being stubborn when he said his little finger told him that quantum mechanics is incomplete, and he concludes that laws even deeper than quantum mechanics are essential for the operation of a mind. To support this contention, Penrose takes the reader on a dazzling tour that covers such topics as complex numbers, Turing machines, complexity theory, quantum mechanics, formal systems, Godel undecidability, phase spaces, Hilbert spaces, black holes, white holes, Hawking radiation, entropy, quasicrystals, the structure of the brain, and scores of other subjects. The Emperor's New Mind will appeal to anyone with a serious interest in modern physics and its relation to philosophical issues, as well as to physicists, mathematicians, philosophers and those on either side of the AI debate.

Think Like a Lawyer Don't Act Like One


Aernoud Bourdrez - 2013
    Based on principles, research, and real life examples ranging from Harvard University, Mikhail Gorbatsjov, two kissing boxers, and Sun Tze to John Rambo, Think Like a Lawyer Don't Act Like One can be used when dealing with grumpy police officers, angry neighbors, unwilling debtors, nasty lawyers, and other conflict seekers.Each strategy is thoroughly tested and can be used at the kitchen table, on the street, and in the boardroom. All seventy-five rules are illustrated in a funny way.

When Nietzsche Wept by Irvin D. Yalom Lesson Plans


BookRags - 2012
    Inside you'll find 30 Daily Lessons, 20 Fun Activities, 180 Multiple Choice Questions, 60 Short Essay Questions, 20 Essay Questions, Quizzes/Homework Assignments, Tests, and more. The lessons and activities will help students gain an intimate understanding of the text; while the tests and quizzes will help you evaluate how well the students have grasped the material.

The Missing Link of Meditation


Bill Winston - 2017
    This is why God told Joshua to meditate in His Word both day and night because then Joshua would make his way prosperous and then he would have "good success" (Joshua 1:8). Biblical mediatation is a God-given process that causes a permanent change in your thinking. It transforms your thinking from negative, destructive thoughts to thinking God's thoughts... in an accelerated manner. Through The Missing Link of Meditation, you will learn how to bring all the unseen promises of God into manifestation in your life. If you have not seen what the Bible promises, this book provides "the missing link" to make your every dream become a reality.

The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect


Judea Pearl - 2018
    Today, that taboo is dead. The causal revolution, instigated by Judea Pearl and his colleagues, has cut through a century of confusion and established causality -- the study of cause and effect -- on a firm scientific basis. His work explains how we can know easy things, like whether it was rain or a sprinkler that made a sidewalk wet; and how to answer hard questions, like whether a drug cured an illness. Pearl's work enables us to know not just whether one thing causes another: it lets us explore the world that is and the worlds that could have been. It shows us the essence of human thought and key to artificial intelligence. Anyone who wants to understand either needs The Book of Why.

Technics and Civilization


Lewis Mumford - 1934
    Mumford has drawn on every aspect of life to explain the machine and to trace its social results. "An extraordinarily wide-ranging, sensitive, and provocative book about a subject upon whichphilosophers have so far shed but little light" (Journal of Philosophy).

The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread


Cailin O'Connor - 2019
    It might seem that there’s an obvious reason that true beliefs matter: false beliefs will hurt you. But if that’s right, then why is it (apparently) irrelevant to many people whether they believe true things or not? The Misinformation Age, written for a political era riven by “fake news,” “alternative facts,” and disputes over the validity of everything from climate change to the size of inauguration crowds, shows convincingly that what you believe depends on who you know. If social forces explain the persistence of false belief, we must understand how those forces work in order to fight misinformation effectively.