First published originally in German in 1921, "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus" is the only book-length philosophical work by Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein published during his lifetime. Based upon notes made during his time, serving in World War I, the treatise is composed of 526 numbered declarative statements that are presented without argument and were seen by Wittgenstein as being self-evident. Wittgenstein's style is succinct and sparse...

The follow-up to Pinker's groundbreaking The Better Angels of Our Nature presents the big picture of human progress: people are living longer, healthier, freer, and happier lives, and while our problems are formidable, the solutions lie in the Enlightenment ideal of using reason and science. Far from being a naïve hope, the Enlightenment, we now know, has worked. But more than ever, it needs a vigorous defense. The Enlightenment project swims against...

The modern world is dominated by ideas that are threatening to kill us: that life is one long battle from conception to grave; that all creatures, including human beings, are driven by their selfish DNA; that the universe is just stuff, for us to use at will. These ideas are seen as emerging from science and hard-nosed philosophy, and become self-fulfilling. They have led us to create a world in perpetual strife, that is unjust and in many ways precarious....

David Miller elegantly and provocatively reformulates critical rationalism-the revolutionary approach to epistemology advocated by Karl Popper-by answering its most important critics. He argues for an approach to rationality freed from the debilitating authoritarian dependence on reasons and justification. "Miller presents a particularly useful and stimulating account of critical rationalism. His work is both interesting and controversial... of interest...

Why do the heavenly bodies behave in a contrary fashion to what we are familiar with on earth? Before a wheel can turn, we must ensure rim is joined to axle; before a couple can dance in circle, their hands must be joined. In contrast, the planets circle the sun and the moons circle the planets without any securing mechanism, and so precisely that their movements can be predicted to a millisecond. Again, why is it that, released from the effects of...

This book is a Q-and-A tour for anyone with a curious mind. It focuses on the beauty and excitement of science rather than the details. It is an effort to stimulate everyone's scientific curiosity. It includes some mysteries, strange phenomena, and extremes in nature. It covers some interesting historical episodes. It sheds light on some common myths. In this book, answers to a collection of over five hundred questions are provided in a conversational...

Bentley Glass, one of the world's leading investigators in the field of human genetics, is concerned with the moral absolutes and ethics involved in experimentation with human life in the laboratory. He feels that with the development of knowledge must come wider recognition of consequences. His book indicates that we are responsible for all living things. Originally published in 1965. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use...

Words do naught to function without meaning or expression providing a foundation, and despite the benevolence, grace, or malign intention that backs them up, often enough do we find that these variables mean nothing in a written state-too often are false affections and prejudices ascribed to our words and sewn into our lips; if it is the duty of the author-or of the speaker-to convey absolute meaning, and in that instance we may yet be absolutely...

Quantum Psychology offers a coherent and humorous description of how our thoughts, values and behaviors have been colored by our use of language and our prevailing view of the universe. While Quantum Mechanics, relativity, non-Euclidean geometries, non-Aristotelian logic and General Semantics have revolutionized our view of the world, the habits of daily human thought still sit deeply rooted in the thought patterns and linguistic conventions of the...

About half of the undergraduate and roughly 40 percent of graduate degree recipients in science and engineering are women. As increasing numbers of these women pursue research careers in science, many who choose to have children discover the unique difficulties of balancing a professional life in these highly competitive (and often male-dominated) fields with the demands of motherhood. Although this issue directly affects the career advancement of...