Product Description
The Evolution of Modern States is a significant contribution to the literatures on political economy, globalization, historical institutionalism, and social science methodology. The book begins with a simple question: Why do rich capitalist democracies respond so differently to the common pressures they face in the early twenty-first century? Drawing on insights from evolutionary theory, Sven Steinmo challenges the common equilibrium view of politics and economics and argues that modern political economies are best understood as complex adaptive systems. The book examines the political, social, and economic history of three different nations - Sweden, Japan, and the United States - and explains how and why these countries have evolved along such different trajectories over the past century. Bringing together social and economic history, institutionalism, and evolutionary theory, Steinmo thus provides a comprehensive explanation for differing responses to globalization as well as a new way of analyzing institutional and social change. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Important and timely
This is an ambitious and important book.To begin with, Steinmo does
something that few scholars attempt today - he writes a careful and detailed
comparison of three quite different countries (Sweden, Japan and the United
States).I can think of no book written in the past many years that even
attempts such a broad comparative overview of important countries in three
different continents.Sadly, political science has increasingly turned
toward more and more narrow and static analyses - even while we complain
about this trend. In a real sense, "The Evolution ofModern States" is
written in the grand tradition of comparative politics.

At the same time that it is ambitious, Steinmo's book is very well written
and remarkably easy to follow.

The book starts out with a simple puzzle:What happened to the 'Race to the
Bottom?' Drawing a fascinating comparison to the way different species are
adapting to Global Warming, Steinmo contends modern nation states are also
adapting in quite different ways to the pressures they face in the early
21st century.One of the first and most interesting points Steinmo makes is
that (contrary to many people's expectations), the most heavily taxed
country in the world, Sweden, is doing remarkably well in an increasingly
competitive e and 'globalizing' world.His analysis also helps us
understand why the US and Japan are struggling, despite their low taxes and
small (inequitable) welfare states. He shows how these once optimistic and
growing nations have turned away from their egalitarian traditions and how
this growing inequality breeds growing distrust.Though he does not discuss
the Tea Party movement in the US, it is obvious how his analysis can be used
to explain its rise.The analysis of Japan's political turmoil is as sad as
it is illuminating.

Steinmo's introduction to and use of evolutionary theory is fascinating and
controversial. He demonstrates convincingly that political economies can be
understood as 'complex adaptive systems' that evolve in the context of a
changing international political economy. The analysis thusbrings together
the latest advances in evolutionary theories from psychology, anthropology
and political science and offers a new way of understanding political
evolution.

This book makes an important contribution not only to political science
and comparative politics, but to our basic understanding of historical
change.
... Read more

Product Description
From the advent of the vertical passing game to the development of ever-more-sophisticated blitzing schemes on defense, professional football in the last half century has been a sport marked by relentless innovation. For fans determined to keep up with the changes that have transformed the game, close examination of the coaching footage is a must. In the words of Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary, “The film does not lie.”

In The Games That Changed the Game, Ron Jaworski, a one-time NFL MVP turned Monday Night Football analyst and pro football’s #1 game-tape guru, breaks down the film from seven of the most momentous contests of the last fifty years. With an eye toward the brilliant game plans and seminal strategic breakthroughs that revolutionized play on both sides of the ball, Jaworski offers readers a drive-by-drive, play-by-play guide to the evolutionary leaps that now define the modern NFL, as well as portraits of the seven men who exhibited both creativity and courage in bucking established strategies. From Sid Gillman’s development of the Vertical Stretch, which culminated in the San Diego Chargers’ victory in the 1963 AFL Championship Game and launched the era of wide-open passing offenses, to Bill Belichick’s daring defensive game plan in Super Bowl XXXVI, which enabled his outgunned squad to upset the heavily favored St. Louis Rams and usher in the New England Patriots dynasty, the most cutting-edge concepts come alive again through the recollections of nearly seventy coaches and players interviewed for this book.

Writing with the same vivid, passionate, and accessible style that has made him television’s go-to X’s and O’s maven, Jaworski fills in the blanks for fans who aren’t satisfied with merely dropping the terms “West Coast offense” or “46 defense” into conversation, but want to understand them fully, in context, as they were experienced by the men who played the game. You’ll never watch the NFL the same way again.



Foreword by Steve Sabol, president, NFL Films
... Read more

Product Description
For nearly two million years, humans and our hominid ancestors were eating in the hunter/gatherer style of foraging for a wide variety of healthy fruits and vegetables and then hunting and scavenging for large game. However, about 9,000 years ago, humans started eating in a manner contrary to their design, while living increasingly sedentary lives.In The Evolution Diet: All-Natural and Allergy Free, Joseph SB Morse shows how we can achieve ultimate health by emulating our ancestors' hunter/gatherer lifestyle. You're about to embark on an insightful, and often humorous journey to discover how humans evolved to eat, what cultureless humans would eat, and how we can use that knowledge with today's technology and wealth to develop the ideal diet. Included in this edition is a detailed section on the most common food allergies and intolerances: dairy, egg, peanut, seafood, shellfish, soy, tree nut, and wheat (including celiac).The benefits of The Evolution Diet are immediate and include attaining an ideal weight, achieving balanced energy throughout the day, better sleep, and alleviation of symptoms from food intolerances and allergies.If you've been asking yourself what and how we were designed to eat, Morse's The Evolution Diet is the answer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

I love this diet
I work with people to maximize their diets and I've worked with 100's of different eating plans, from Atkins to the Zone. I have to say, this is better than anything else on the market. This third edition includes great information about food intoleraces and allergies and provides a wealth of food options that fit within the "All-Natural and Allergy Free" life. The other content is there too, but if you have celiac, egg or nut allergies, dairy intolerances, this is the book for you. Some of my clients have said that it's a lifesaver.

A doctor a day keeps the apples away
Being a doctor, I'm inundated with requests from pharmaceutical companies to promote this or give away that and I constantly am influenced to keep the patients coming back (especially if they have a good insurance program). But I know that we don't have a health care system, we have a sick care system that aims at keeping people sick and thus dependent on the medical profession. It's a bittersweet emotion for me as a doctor that benefits from the system and also someone who has hypochondriac relatives.

That's why it's refreshing to read a perspective that opposes my "doctor a day keeps the apples away," mentality. Morse's Evolution Diet makes it clear how to live a natural and allergy-free life and keep the DOCTORS away. It's not easy for a lot of people-those on the inject McDonalds in mouth then take pill to alleviate symptoms from too much junk food diet--but it's worth it. Once you get on the natural diet (the way you were designed to eat), you will feel so good, you won't want to give it up even for something that used to taste good like French Fries.

The latests edition here is chalk full of useful and entertaining info. I will recommend it to all of my patients as an alternative to the ubiquitous pharmaceutical. ... Read more

Product Description
First published 20 years ago, Lawrence Freedman's Evolution of Nuclear Strategy was immediately acclaimed as the standard work on the history of attempts to cope militarily and politically with the terrible destructive power of nuclear weapons. It has now been rewritten, drawing on a wide range of new research, and updated to take account of the period following the end of the cold war, taking the story to contemporary arguments about missile defense.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great material; terrible binding
I am using this a text for an International Security class. It is a well constructed summary of the history of thought in this area. However, as I am reading, gently opening the book causes pages to just fall out without any sort of tension. They have clearly never been glued in in the first place.

It's just a really disappointing purchase. If I could take time out of reading to return it I would.

Just scratches the surface
I picked this up thinking it would be a detailed, comprehensive treatment that would lay out the reasons behind why nuclear strategy is what it is. Instead, I got a political science text that traces the history of nuclear strategy, but fails to lay it out. There's almost zero focus on the technical side of things and much actual analysis either. In fact, there's no real delving into strategy either - everything is merely presented, and not very well at that. The prose is dry and humorless - it is at best a broad overview of points of view held by various factions. Although I'm sure Freedman tried to present everything in an impartial and unbiased manner, it seems like he is dismissive of some issues, and places too much emphasis on others.

arcane and heavy poli sci approach
This is a book for extreme experts:academics, nuclear strategy buffs, and the occasional pundit in search of its peculiar logic.Forgive my naivete, but it also exemplifies why academia is viewed by so many as a boring world of, well, extreme experts of recondite trivia - even when it deals with the potential destruction of industrial civilization.In my view, this book utterly fails to cross over to the interested non-specialist or those who are not writing a dissertation but just want a good read.I never would have cracked this if it wasn't for work.

That being said, the book summarises an absoulutely enormous amount of scholarship and the thinking of the mysterious "wizards" who argued in little offices in the Pentagon for this type of bomb, that type of missile or artillery shell, and this type of treaty.Fortunately, a lot of this is now more history with the end of the Cold War and the arms race, but it still appears like a bizarre parallel universe of microeconomics applied to massiave destructive capabilites with a cold rationality and words like "deterrence" and "mutual assured destruction."Alas, very little of the political context or the human drama is covered in its quirky detail, so don't seek that here.The prose is clear, if a bit like a massive vanilla milkshake when you read it in one sitting (as I had to).I learned from this, but simply did not enjoy it past the first chapter or even the introduction.The achievement is inarguable, but this book is like a tough home work assignment in undergraduate school.

Recommended for academic purposes, but not for the interested layman.

A Comprehensive History of Nuclear Strategy
Lawrence Freedman was written many important articles and books but _The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy_ is probably his best.He presents a comprehensive analysis of the development nuclear strategy from 1945 to the end of the Cold War.The book usefully explains a multitude of concepts such as second strike capabilities, massive retaliation, and selective options.Freedman gives added depth by covering nuclear strategy in China, Europe, and the Soviet Union.

One of the great strengths of this book is its objectivity.Most works on nuclear strategy focus on arguing whether nuclear war is still possible, how a nuclear war would be fought, or if mutually assured destruction is a stable and inevitable strategy. Freedman definitely questions the logic of strategies that aim to fight nuclear wars and favors mutually assured destruction.However, the text is devoid of rhetoric or argumentation that would cloud his historical analysis.

Some may criticize the book because it does not concentrate on certain issues relevant today, such as non-proliferation or nuclear terrorism.From the perspective of 2001, though, Freedman's work serves as a history of the major strategic discourse of the Cold War.In a way, his work serves as a the cap on fifty years of writings on nuclear strategy.

For students of strategy, _The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy_ is an essential read.In terms of comprehensiveness, objectivity, and good explanation, this book cannot be matched. ... Read more

Product Description
It's time for the way we think about our families, our schools, and our lives to evolve.This passionate and provocative critique of the way we raise our children and undermine our society's future delineates the ways in which we thart our creative progess, and reveals a new landscape of possibilities for the next step in human evolution.

Customer Reviews (14)

Understanding ourselves and our world
Based on this work and others of Joseph Chilton Pearce, I believe Pearce is the top interdisciplinary authority on human development on the planet.

The breathtaking panorama of perspectives of our human nature provides important insights on the many challenges faced by us as individuals and by civilization as a whole.Pearce provides important insights on the breakdown in human development and can lead us toward the development of ungently needed solutions.

Evolution's End, along with all of Pearce's books, is a must-read for those who want to understand.

Charles O. Bubar
President
The International Institute for Educational Excellence

interesting theories
Very interesting topics, but i feel all research in general is just theory. Unless someone has the deep pockets to prove these theories,it remains just that. Common sense will tell you that some of these opinions that the author suggests do make alot of sense and, yes some do seem far fetched. Yet do these theories make him any less credible? I don't believe so. If the book peaked your interest and got you thinking, then the author succeeded in his works.

A little hard to read, but packed with good information
You'll need two brains and a dictionary to get through the first section of this book, where Mr Pearce speaks about 3 brain levels, how they work, and what its all about.The language can get difficult and the concepts complex.

The second section is bang on.It goes into detail on how a child learns, how it grows, what stimulates the baby.He also speaks about how children are damaged by modern day childbirthing procedures.I was immpressed with what he had to say.And found it meshed nicely with what I know of Early Childhood.I will be reading up more on this subject.

Besides the obtuse language, the only other down side to this book, were the authors claims for telepathy, mind bending etc.I didn't buy it, and was forced to skip those chapters.If you steer clear of the telepathy babble, I would recommend this book.

Munawar

Touches on some interesting topics but goes too far
This book talks about the how the spirit of a child is damaged by the society we've created, both intellectually and physiologically. Unfortunately its takes on too much and ends up seeming like psuedoscience. But there are some very good points being made. It's well worth contemplating.

Take the idea of how hormones in our food affect children. We are led to believe that children reaching puberty when they have barely put down their stuffed toys is due to good nutrition and not hormones in our food! There was a study done of precocious infant sexual development (extremely enlarged genitalia on babies) in Puerto Rico decades ago. It linked the problem to hormones in Chicken. The reason there is so little interest in identifying and solving this problem here (and not even calling it a problem) is not because it doesn't exist but rather because there is no money to be made in proving it ( a very expensive and time consuming procedure). Yes, the victims could sue if they could prove links to cancer or early developmental issues...but the researcher willing to take on the food industry would not be able to pay their bills. And it is easy for the food industry to pay for studies suited to their needs and spoon feed them to the press. This stops the questioning before it starts.

Read this book with a skeptics mind realizing that though you may find some of his ideas far-fetched, there are some valuable truths here...truths you need to know if you have children.

Babbling in the shadows
Joseph Pearce "lectures worldwide on human intelligence, creativity, and learning."If you don't believe it, just read the inside cover for this personal promo.These lectures, though, are probably not discussions of RNA, DNA, proteins and memory, random or leapfrog evolution or any of a number of worthy topics.

No, Mr. Pearce stays on the high ground and delivers such claptrap as "So the supra-implicated is all-power conceivable, the implicate is all-power manifesting, and the explicate is the contracted end-result so manifested." ("Mind and Matter")I, for one, do not have the slightest idea what he is talking about except that it sounds like mumbo-jumbo about physical vs mental vs conceptual, blah blah blah.

More hocus pocus on such subjects as sight, sound, day care,the hazards of television, raising kids for the future, learning, school, world peace. He manages to state a few good points between all the squawking- some children are not educable and this should be recognized, children should be raised by parents in their home, and we have the potential to affect evolution today through artificial means.But then we hear again about how we use only a small portion of our brain (absurd - we use it all only at different times).A discussion of the Bhagavad Gita about human potential and belonging brings these dreary essays to an appropriate ending.Awful as it sounds! ... Read more

Product Description

A dragon artist’s guide to better drawing

Magnificent and powerful creatures, these dragons be, with bone-crushing jaws and razor-sharp teeth, it’s difficult to tell whether you’re dealing with a hotheaded nature or a wise and benevolent beast. Therein lies the trouble with drawing them from life. Make your dragon portraits more authentic (while avoiding loss of life and limbs) with the help of this guide. A follow-up to the fiercely popular DragonArt, this book features ALL NEW dragons and EVEN MORE detailed dragon anatomy instruction.

· 60+ step-by-step demonstrations cover a variety of dragons, including medieval, fairy and sea-dwelling varieties

· In-depth advice for drawing every part of the beast—eyes, ears, horns, wings, scale patterns, limbs and more

· Extra tips and tricks provided by your dragon guide, Dolosus

It’s everything you need to draw a variety of dragons—from enormous, ancient beasts with broken scales and fractured horns, to sleek, sinuous creatures with leathery skin and fancy frills. So steel your heart, prepare your trusty inking pen, and venture forth, brave artist … unleash the ferocious, extraordinary, original beasts that dwell within your fiery imaginings!

Customer Reviews (10)

another great book from Neon Dragon!
This book was as good as her first two books! It's concise, detailed, and easy to follow! Her illustrations were wonderful. The book had enough detail so that you didn't have to go back & look at it again if you didn't understand something. I would recommend it whole heartedly!

Bridget's Review
I'm not a very good artist but I do find drawing to be very relaxing.When I picked up this book, I wasn't quite sure it would be able to help me.I had never tried to draw something as in-depth as a dragon, but I wanted to give it a try.I was surprised at how easy it was.I drew some really incredible pictures and it was all fairly simple.The instructions are geared toward beginners, so this is the perfect book for those of you who are unsure of your drawing abilities.

Gorgeous and inspiring!
Although this isn't my typical kind of review book I accepted it in a hurry because it just sounded awesome!Well, I'm so glad I did!The pictures of the many many dragons are beautiful!Talk about some inspiring stuff!
I am a horrible artist.I liked art class because I like to do art, I'm just bad at it. This book has step by step instructions for each part of the anatomy of the dragons.You can go through and pick from hundreds (at least close to hundreds!) and pick which one you want to draw and it shows you the general shape and then how to fill it in piece by piece.
I had actually thought that my 5 year old daughter and I could draw a few and then give it to my 11 year oldnephew since he's a real artist (well, he took a special art class, so he's better then us anyway!), but my daughter loves the pictures so much she wants to keep it.I may end up buying a second book to give him though because the book is perfect.
I would say the difficulty level is definitely for older kids and adults.My 5 year old just gets frustrated.So we decided that she uses it for inspiration and then can go draw her own from her imagination.But for me it's great!I can draw a dragon that at least almost looks like an actual dragon!
Another bonus is that now we have something for older kids to do when they come visit and they don't have to stare at the TV the whole time.It's also something fun for the grandparents to do with the kids because it's actually something challenging for them instead of just coloring pages in a coloring book.

Fantastic book for fantasy lovers
I thought this book was unbelievably thorough in covering the basics and going into the anatomy and different types of dragons! It was a very good instructional book, and I would recommend it to anyone who love to draw fantasy and/or dragons.

Excellent Reference!!
This book touches further on dragon anatomy and stylization that the first one sort of skimmed over. The authors first book and this one pretty much make for a complete reference for drawing dragons. The book is rather cartoonish in it's style but the approach can be translated to a variety of styles if realism is more your thing. I highly recommend this title and a big thumbs up to Neon for adding in an asian dragon section, my personal favorite kind of dragon.Another book I highly recommend for Asian Dragons is "The Dragons of Horiyoshi III vol.1", it is rather expensive but it makes for a wonderful reference. ... Read more

Product Description

For nearly 100 million years, amphibians and their ancestors dominated the terrestrial and shallow water environments of the earth. Archaic animals with an amphibious way of life gave rise not only to modern frogs, salamanders, and caecilians but also to the ancestors of reptiles, birds, and mammals. In this landmark publication, one of the leading paleontologists of our time explores a pivotal moment in vertebrate evolution, the rise of amphibians.

Synthesizing findings from the rich and highly diverse fossil record of amphibians, Robert Carroll traces their origin back 365 million years, when particular species of fish traveled down an evolutionary pathway of fin modification that gave rise to legs. This period of dramatic radiation was followed by a cataclysmic extinction 250 million years ago. After a long gap, modern amphibian groups gradually emerged. Now the number of amphibian species and individuals throughout the tropical and temperate regions of the earth exceeds that of mammals.

The Rise of Amphibians is documented with more than two hundred illustrations of fossil amphibians and sixteen exquisite color plates depicting amphibians in their natural habitats throughout their long existence. The most comprehensive examination of amphibian evolution ever produced, The Rise of Amphibians is an essential resource for paleontologists, herpetologists, geologists, and evolutionary biologists.

Customer Reviews (3)

Amphibians
This volume would make a nice addition to any paleontology library. The fact it is packed full of illustrations and skeletal reconstructions reenforces this opinion.

Any college collection strong in natural history catering to geologists, evolutionary biologists or paleontologists needs this
THE RISE OF AMPHIBIANS: 365 MILLION YEARS OF EVOLUTION provides college-level natural history collections with a powerful synthesis of findings from the fossil record of amphibians. Robert Carroll traces their origin back 365 million years and follows the emergency of the modern amphibian group, using over two hundred illustrations of fossil amphibians and sixteen color plates to enhance the study. Any college collection strong in natural history catering to geologists, evolutionary biologists or paleontologists needs this.

365 million years
This book is jam packed with great information on both fossil amphibians and the evolution of amphibians.It also covers the evolution of the first amniotes. ... Read more

Product Description
Text tells the story of evolution, from the history of the study to the most recent developments in evolutionary theory. For undergraduate students. Previous edition: c1996. Softcover. DLC: Evolution (Biology). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A must read
I am an amateur (an equity investor by profession) with deep interest in evolutionary biology.I have been doing a lot of reading by Dawkins, Gould, Carroll and others on evolution.But I had always wanted to read a book that encapsulated all the basic principles of evolution, and also laid out various points of view of experts.For example, when one reads Gould and Dawkins on punctuated equilibrium, it is hard to reach a point of view given their extreme positions.

Mark Ridley has done an amazing job of this encapsulation.Apart from being exhaustive and informative, I liked a few other things about the book that seemed insignificant in beginning, but enhanced reading pleasure a lot: (1) its ubiquitous references to specific page numbers and sections when discussing a concept that enables to reader to stay updated and current with the vast range of topics covered.For example, if he discusses postzygotic isolation in Chapter 23, just to remind us what it means, he will make a reference to Chapter 12 (page X, section Y) where it was initially discussed, (2) he discusses many contemporary and interesting issues in a "box" format in various chapters, (3) the chapters are short and one gets a sense of accomplishment after finishing one, (4) there is a great section on conclusion, and another one on summary after each chapter - a great idea that very few authors implement, (5) the reading list at the end of each chapter is very well explained.

Overall, I am very happy that I bought this book, and it is riddled with my notes on the pages (that have ample space for people like me who like to scribble!).

My opinion about Ridley Evolution
A great book for Evolution topics. It can be read easily and has good and clear information.

An absolute inspiration
I always thought biology was no more than stamp collecting and memorization of names in a dead language. This book changed my mind. The book is thoughtful, full of examples and results from other studies. The writing is smooth and easy to understand. I particularly like the part on evolutionary genetics. Here Ridley made the insights from evolution theory rigorous by introducing some simple models from population genetics. Simple yet rigorous. Anyone with highschool math can understand.

I think it's a very good place to start when you want to learn more beyond those popular science books on evolution.

Superb
The price of this book is well worth it -- A book of this nature is no small task to assemble. Broad in scope, Ridley had done a very thorough job on comprehensively covering technical topics, leaving out opinion and covering subjects from multiple perspectives.
However, it is a fairly technical read, and lengthy, which should only be undertaken by those who take the subject seriously. Each topic has a multitude of citations and the chapters end with recommendations for further reading. A true work of scientific literature by an author who cares about educating his reader.

A thorough and clear book
I have used this book through my undergraduate and early graduate years and have been very pleased with the layout, the content, and the writing.I would recommend this text to anyone who has taken a first year biology course and wants or needs to learn more on the background for much of the current work in evolutionary science. ... Read more

Product Description
The Next Generation: Wireless Communications for Multimedia and Beyond

From both a technical and a practical point of view, there is much to examine, evaluate and understand in the new 3GPP LTE cellular technology before its projected deployment in 2010. This book, written by Agilent engineers in collaboration with Anite engineers and LTE expert Dr K. F. Tsang, offers valuable insight into the LTE air interface at the physical layer. Chapters also cover the upper layer signalling and system architecture evolution (SAE). Basic concepts such as MIMO and SC-FDMA, the new uplink modulation scheme, are introduced and explained, and the authors dig into the challenges of verifying the designs of the receivers, transmitters and protocols of LTE systems. The latest information on RF and signalling conformance testing is delivered by authors participating in the 3GPP standards committees. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Superb account of LTE
This book is an extremely well written account of LTE, with the emphasis on the design and implementation of the air interface physical layer.

Chapters 1 to 5 give the reader a clear, concise account of the 3GPP specifications for LTE. Unusually for a telecommunications book, the material is extremely well written and easy to read, indicating a lot of care by the editor and authors. The information is quite densely packed and really requires previous knowledge of 3G, but is probably the most effective account of LTE that I have so far read.

My one suggestion for improvement lies in chapters 4 and 5, where I would have appreciated some use cases to illustrate how the different procedures and network elements interact. But this is not an important issue, and does not affect my overall rating.

The book really comes in to its own in chapters 6 and 7, which cover material relevant to design and implementation that lies outside the scope of the specifications. Especially valuable was a 60 page account of the characterisation and measurement of the transmitter and receiver, reinforced by signal analyser plots that illustrate what the main signal impairments actually look like. A concluding chapter describes the enhancements that are being made in LTE-Advanced, to meet the ITU's requirements for 4G.

Because of the material in chapters 6 and 7, this book will be especially valuable to those who are working on the lower parts of the LTE physical layer. However I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who requires a clearly written introduction to LTE. ... Read more

Product Description
Two physicists present a solid Reformed perspective on how to evaluate the competing ways in which Christians understand the origins and history of the universe. This book shows how to honor both the word of God and God's world in coming to a responsible understanding of how God created the universe and our world. Each chapter includes discussion starters for small groups. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A Grand Dialogue
This book is recommended reading for anyone interested in the debates in contemporary Christian circles over the origins of the cosmos. It is highly readable, informative, and gracious. The authors have managed to touch nearly every view and not be vacuous. Indeed, any reader should be able to appreciate their deep commitment to Theism and science, and their desire to harmonize a clear and articulate reading of Scripture (the book of Revelation) with what 3500 years of research and investigation have given us (the book of Nature). Step aside Ken Ham, you have met your dialectical better.

Top notch book on "where we come from"
The authors, both college professors, have done an outstanding and professional job of explaining, without bias or cheap shots, the always interesting ideas on creation. I recommend this book without reservation to all those who think they think. Those who already "know" all the answers can continue to rest assured in their comfortable world views.

Essential reading for Christians interested in origins
This book summarizes the various positions that Bible-believing Christians take on such questions as creation, evolution, common ancestry, Intelligent Design, human evolution, and Adam and Eve. The authors attempt to present an unbiased survey of all sides of the debates, but it becomes clear by the end what their positions are on certain issues. They are "evolutionary creationists," referring to the belief that God worked through ordinary, natural means to produce the diversity of life (including humans) on earth.

They establish very convincing arguments for an old earth, common ancestry, and (perhaps most controversially) the evolution of humans from primate ancestors. I must admit that I found their case extremely persuasive. As a Christian, I was initially reluctant to entertain the possibility that we humans have descended from apes, since it goes against centuries of theological teaching. But the science that the authors present--including such evidences as hominid fossils and genetic comparisons--is solid enough to make me change my mind.

My one reservation about their position is over how evolutionary creationism would affect natural theology. The Bible teaches that God's existence and power are clearly and inexcusably evident in creation (Rom. 1:20). In other words, on the Day of Judgment, no one can plead ignorance, because there is sufficient evidence for God in the natural world. Evolutionary creation seems to undercut that biblical teaching by presenting a view of creation that looks indistinguishable from an atheistic view. Although the authors address that very question (pp. 234-236), their response is rather unsatisfying. They almost make it sound as if we Christians have no choice but to retreat into fideism.

On the other hand, their critiques of the Intelligent Design theory are valid. We need to be careful not to fall into "god-of-the-gaps" arguments, which try to prove God's existence from everything that science can't yet explain. But I still think that a strong case can be made for ID, if it is framed appropriately. After finishing this book, I find myself mostly in the "progressive creationist with common ancestry" camp.

Christians--especially those in preaching/teaching positions--need to read this book. Science had radically changed our understanding of origins over the past several decades, and theologians need to keep up with these developments, so that we can reach a coherent and integrative understanding of God's Word and God's world.

HIghly recommended
ORIGINS is a refreshing and thought-provoking look at the often controversial topic of how the cosmos began. Being written by two physics professors, who are scientists and Christians, gives the book a hefty helping of validity. The book gives both science and Scripture the respect they deserve and, using scientific and scriptural examples, builds a logical case for the reconciliation of the two.
We found the text to be well written, but dense, and almost too scientifically technical for our adult ed. class. There are discussion questions at the end of each chapter, but it would be very helpful tohave a leader's guide that could help the leader guide the class through the material.
All in all, excellent book.

One of the best overviews of the issue
I've read recent books by Behe and Ross, Demski and others. This book is a great overview - it's up to date and seems fair. Well worth getting to keep current on the issue ... Read more

Product Description
Moral thinking pervades our practical lives, but where did this way of thinking come from, and what purpose does it serve? Is it to be explained by environmental pressures on our ancestors a million years ago, or is it a cultural invention of more recent origin? In The Evolution of Morality, Richard Joyce takes up these controversial questions, finding that the evidence supports an innate basis to human morality. As a moral philosopher, Joyce is interested in whether any implications follow from this hypothesis. Might the fact that the human brain has been biologically prepared by natural selection to engage in moral judgment serve in some sense to vindicate this way of thinking—staving off the threat of moral skepticism, or even undergirding some version of moral realism? Or if morality has an adaptive explanation in genetic terms—if it is, as Joyce writes, "just something that helped our ancestors make more babies"—might such an explanation actually undermine morality's central role in our lives? He carefully examines both the evolutionary "vindication of morality" and the evolutionary "debunking of morality," considering the skeptical view more seriously than have others who have treated the subject.

Interdisciplinary and combining the latest results from the empirical sciences with philosophical discussion, The Evolution of Morality is one of the few books in this area written from the perspective of moral philosophy. Concise and without technical jargon, the arguments are rigorous but accessible to readers from different academic backgrounds. Joyce discusses complex issues in plain language while advocating subtle and sometimes radical views. The Evolution of Morality lays the philosophical foundations for further research into the biological understanding of human morality. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Thought-provoking, but mostly wrong
In this book, Joyce sets out on an extremely ambitious mission: To show that morality as we know it is worthless because it is only a side-effect of our evolutionary history.

He clearly knows his facts about evolution, and the book is an engaging and thought-provoking read; but the overall argument rests upon an extremely silly premise, namely: "If we do X because we evolved to do X, then we must be wrong in doing X." By the same reasoning, not only morality, but sex, science, and even basic cognitive processes like vision and logic must be false.

Yes, we evolved to be moral---this is because morality is in fact a true reflection of the state of the universe, and our evolution adapted us to that fact.

Excellent presentation of a very important case
This book puts forth an argument that I think will have to be dealt with for a long time to come.It essentially takes what we know about Natural Selection and asks what this tells us about the reliability of our moral beliefs.The answer is not very flattering for our moral beliefs.

Yes more work will need to be done in this area.The author does not claim to close the case but is more of the inclination that he is opening the case.So the book is not exhaustive of every possible approach one might take when dealing with this issue.However, when Joyce does go down a line of thought, he does so with clarity.Chapter 5 dealing with those who think evolution actually vindicates our moral beliefs is, alone, worth the price of the book.The author makes short work of sorting out the ambiguities that cloud the thinking here.In doing this, he not only points out the critical flaws in much of what has been previously written on this topic, but he informs the reader how to spot many of the ambiguities that repeatedly come up in this discourse.

Doing to others
"Morality", that sense of doing good, or at least avoiding harm, to others is one of humanity's treasured phrases.It is one of the characteristics that supposedly sets us apart from the other animals.We use the values imparted to it in judging others, as we are judged in turn.However, it remains an enigmatic term, carrying a host of definitions.And that's not counting the exceptions.Richard Joyce, for all his assertive title, isn't claiming to have the final word on morality.Instead, he's launching a project with areas of study that should be investigated further.Only one thing he insists on - as a product of evolution by natural selection, human beings will find the origins of that valued concept in our biological heritage.

Joyce's treatise is tightly organised.Given he addresses this complex idea in just over two hundred pages, discipline with words is a must.There are but six chapters in which to deal with questions plaguing our species since at least the invention of writing.In that short stack, he ties anthropology, sociology, evolutionary psychology and other fields together in a very neat package.Even such a short presentation doesn't force him to be terse.The material is clearly presented and sprinklings of wit keep it from bogging the reader down.However, the proposals are carefully, if succinctly, offered and the reader's attention must not flag.

Since "morality" hinges on the interactions between humans [other animals, whatever their behaviour traits, are deemed "amoral"] the key in Joyce's analysis is "reciprocity".Reciprocity hinges on a host of factors, from the genetic proximity of relatives to what kind of reputationone has - even across a large group.Game theory has been employed to demonstrate the variations reciprocity can achieve and the lengths to which it might go.The other aspect of interaction is language.For Joyce, setting moral standards and assessing behaviour against these can only be effective when the norms are understood.It's not possible to derive moral values from actions alone.

The expression of moral statements and the expectation that these will be respected is a significant aspect of maintaining human communities.The exchange of views within a group and the acceptance of certain behaviour patterns strengthens the identity of the community.As values were tested, individuals could discern who among the group could be trusted, particularly in times of difficulties.Those accepting the norms are more likely to gain status and, hence, reproductive success.These conditions lead to reinforcement of the values under consideration, making a moral sense an innate human characteristic.Not only is the application of moral values universal, but these values are projected beyond the small group to more extended communities with seamless ease.Joyce makes no attempt to define when, or even where, this process began.It was sufficiently distant in time to have made a sense of moral values part of the baggage our species carried out of Africa.

Having concluded that there's sufficient evidence to warrant declaring the morality is a evolved trait, Joyce asks "So what?" in a "philosophical tone of voice".This "tone" is applied to a number of philosophers who have addressed the issue of morality as a result of evolutionary development.He examines "The Naturalistic Fallacy" that has been attributed to George Moore early in the 20th Century.The claim imputed to Moore, that "ought" cannot be derived from "is", is misdirected, says Joyce.Several scholars, such as Robert Richards, William Casebeer and Daniel Dennett are reviewed on this and other issues - what, for example, is "virtue" and does it determine what is "ethical"?From this, Joyce moves to a discussion of which moral standards we should value.He is careful to caution readers not to feel they should derive specific moral beliefs from evolution.There's a massive leap from evolution giving us a moral sense to which elements we choose to apply it to.The capacity for moral judgement doesn't provide a prescription for specific behaviours.

Although Joyce is hardly the first philosopher to consider our evolutionary roots for ethics and morality, the succinct approach and clear writing make this an excellent starting point for someone new to the concept.Avoiding arcane propositions and pedantic language, the author provides a clear pointer for future study.No reader should feel intimidated by the prospect of taking up this book.We need more such work and workers dealing with defining what makes a human being.[stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Moral Skepticism Defended
Moral philosophers tend to take the content of morality as given, perhaps by intuition or our cultural heritage, and attempt to derive moral truth from a sparse set of assumptions, such a utilitarianism (Bentham, Mill), virtue theory (Aristotle), or synthetic a priori deontological notions (Kant). Other philosophers attempt to derive valid moral rules themselves on the basis of a neo-Platonic foray into the juggling of abstract universals (Rawls, Nozick, Singer, Dworkin). Perhaps I betray my position as a behavioral scientist by believing that morals are things that people have, like noses and tendencies to procrastinate, and should be studied scientifically rather than philosophically. Happily, I am not alone, however, as Richard Joyce takes the same position in his book, The Evolution of Morality.

Joyce recites the extensive body of evidence showing that there is a universal human morality observed in virtually all societies ever studied, including the thousand or so primitive hunter-gather societies that exist in the contemporary world. Of course, there are also strong contrasts in some moral principles across societies, but these tend to be confined to a few delicate areas, including gender relations and political philosophy, and they can doubtless be explained by level of economic development and political integration. But, if this is the case, it is unlikely that "ethical theory" can stand as a bastion of philosophizing. Rather, ethical theory is the study of the structure and evolution of human morality. This is the "moral skepticism" that Joyce embraces, and it is well taken.

The problem with traditional moral philosophy is that it has not recognized that morality is an evolved trait of our species, and had we evolved differently, we would have radically different morality. Therefore, morality cannot be derived from abstract, ahistorical axioms that would hold for any intelligent, social creature. Darwin understood this clearly when he wrote that if we had evolved from bee-like ancestors (quote in Joyce, p. 229), "unmarried females would, like the worker-bees, think it a sacred duty to kill their brothers, and mothers would strive to kill their fertile daughters." Similarly, political philosophy would be much different in a race of intelligent termites, or even of chimpanzees, than of humans.

It is safe to say humans are the only species with a moral sense, although we have bred our domestic pets to appear to conform to our morality. Why has this occurred? Joyce suggests that in a complex society with many subtle norms of behavior and multi-dimensional relations among individuals, a moral sense is individually fitness-enhancing. The amoral sociopath, who behaves morally only when this suits his purpose, should in theory do better than the moral person, who is willing to sacrifice personally in order to uphold moral rules. But, humans tend to be "present-oriented", overvaluing immediate pleasures and undervaluing long-term gains. A moral sense helps us be reasonable prosocial and prudential concerning our long-term interests, because it substitutes present pleasures and pains for future ones. For instance, I brush my teeth, and am courteous to my boss, because I would feel bad if I did otherwise, not because I am reckoning some trade-off between present and future well-being. As Hamlet says, "Conscience doth make cowards of us all," except the coward, who obeys societies rules, lives to have more offspring, while the hero is remembered only in books.
... Read more

Product Description
Today, most colleges and universities offer evolutionary study as part of their biology curriculums. Evolution For Dummies will track a class in which evolution is taught and give an objective scientific view of the subject. This balanced guide explores the history and future of evolution, explaining the concepts and science behind it, offering case studies that support it, and comparing evolution with rival theories of creation, such as intelligent design. It also will identify the signs of evolution in the world around us and explain how this theory affects our everyday lives and the future to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Very witty and humorous...
I enjoyed reading this book. It was a page turner for any level of scientific interest.

Quick Delivery and perfect condition
The book was shipped to me in the time expected and it was in great condition.

good price and fast delivery
came really fast and was good cost value, like the set up of the book, good for one that is not familiar with evolution

This dummy learned a lot about evolution

I do not feel the need to rehash the topics that are discussed in the book. Tim Beazley, a previous commenter, already summed up some of the major topics that are covered in the book. Plus you can use the "Search inside this book" link to see which topics are covered.

Anyhow, the content in this book is very informative and easy to comprehend. Each chapter and each paragraph is extremely concise. The author gets right to the point and doesn't use any unnecessary wordiness or bore you to death with overuse of scientific jargon. It is the perfect introductory book for learning about evolutionary biology.

The author discusses the many evolutionary topics in a completely objective manner. He doesn't try to sway the reader toward atheism or faith in a higher power. He states in the beginning of the book that evolutionary biology is the theory of how organisms change over time, and makes no assumptions of the origin of life.

When I began reading this book I had only a very limited understanding of evolutionary biology. I now have a very solid grasp of the basics. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a basic understanding of evolutionary theories and evolutionary biology.

At last!A hysteria-free book about this subject.
The word "evolution" is a hot button in our society, similar in effect to terms like "abortion," "gay marriage" and "religion."Thus,finding a book on the topic that doesn't include the author getting on his or her soapbox is virtually impossible.

I have searched long and hard for a popular-level treatment of the subject that simply presented the scientific evidence for, and remaining challenges with, the theory.I have suffered from far too many rants from both militant atheists, as well as insecure believers, who use evolution as a platform to push their own metaphysical, economic or political views.Yes, I am talking about both Richard Dawkins and Ken Ham, and the rest of their buddies on the extremist ends of the spectrum.

So to me this book was a Godsend.It lays out the history, evidence, and current state of thought - period.There is a very brief reference to objections to the theory in the back, including religious ones.But there is no attempt to make evolution say things it simply cannot say, such as whether or not there is a God, an objective moral code, a non-physical reality, or any of the other perennial questions that rightly belong to the philosophers and theologians.

After reading it, my position remains essentially unchanged.It seems obvious to me that evolution occurred.Life has evolved from the simplest forms to the ones we see today over billions of years.Birds are the descendants of dinosaurs and we are the descendants of ape-like creatures.
These facts simply cannot be disputed by anyone taking a fair look at the evidence.

I still remain agnostic regarding the engines of evolution, though.It is impossible to prove that all of the steps that led to life's rise were random, or, conversely, that they weren't.However, on the whole I remain skeptical that genetic drift, chance mutations, natural selection, accidental duplications, etc. can sufficiently explain the fantastic success evolution has demonstrated in crafting life forms not only well adapted to survive, but also beautifully elegant in their bodily structures.

"Goofs" like the panda's thumb steer me away from an Intelligent Designer, as least one modeled after a human engineer.But stepping back and looking at creation as a whole still leads me to believe that there is some form of Supreme Intelligence that started it all.Perhaps it set some general parameters for creation's progression, then let the Big Bang unfold on its own.

This does not necessarily mean "God" as that Being has been conceived of by the world's religions.For all I know our universe could be a clever science project put together by a bright third grader for a science fair.Even now we may be sitting in a jar on his bookshelf with an award ribbon hanging from it.

Or we might be lying in a dusty corner of a lab, a rejected effort of some scientist who saw how we turned out and said "I can do better than that!"

Or we might be the beloved creation of an all-powerful and omniscient Father God, who has reasons for the evils and imperfections we are beset with, reasons that will lead to our ultimate well-being and happiness.

Whatever the ultimate answers to such questions are, they are beyond the domain of evolution, and for that matter all of our physical sciences. This fact in no way detracts from the intellectual brilliance of Darwin's theory, or of the many insights we have gained from it.And to those who want to discover those insights, without hysteria or bias, I highly recommend this excellent book.

... Read more

Product Description
"Where this book is exceptional is that the reader will not just learn how LTE works but why it works."
—Adrian Scrase, ETSI Vice-President, International Partnership Projects

LTE - The UMTS Long Term Evolution: From Theory to Practice provides the reader with a comprehensive system-level understanding of LTE, built on explanations of the theories which underlie it. The book is the product of a collaborative effort of key experts representing a wide range of companies actively participating in the development of LTE, as well as academia. This gives the book a broad, balanced and reliable perspective on this important technology. Lucid yet thorough, the book devotes particular effort to explaining the theoretical concepts in an accessible way, while retaining scientific rigour. It highlights practical implications and draws comparisons with the well-known WCDMA/HSPA standards. The authors not only pay special attention to the physical layer, giving insight into the fundamental concepts of OFDMA, SC-FDMA and MIMO, but also cover the higher protocol layers and system architecture to enable the reader to gain an overall understanding of the system.

Key Features:

• Draws on the breadth of experience of a wide range of key experts from both industry and academia, giving the book a balanced and broad perspective on LTE
• Provides a detailed description and analysis of the complete LTE system, especially the ground-breaking new physical layer
• Offers a solid treatment of the underlying advances in fundamental communications and information theory on which LTE is based
• Addresses practical issues and implementation challenges related to the deployment of LTE as a cellular system
• Includes an accompanying website containing a complete list of acronyms related to LTE, with a brief description of each (http://www.wiley.com/go/sesia_theumts)

This book is an invaluable reference for all research and development engineers involved in LTE implementation, as well as graduate and PhD students in wireless communications. Network operators, service providers and R&D managers will also find this book insightful. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

LTE, The UMTS Long Term Evolution: From Theory to Practice
This is a comprehensive book that covers all essential issues of LTE that are necessary in order to master this fascinating field. Key technologies are presented such as OFDM/OFDMA, SC-FDMA, Radio resource management, MIMO, ......The structure of the book is coherent in the sequence as well as the type of topics it covers: in part 1, the book covers LTE network architecture and protocols for both the control plane aswell as the user plan; Part II, III cover the physical layer aspects of the Uplink and the down link in details; part IV talks about the practical deployment aspects. I strongly recommend the book for graduate students and for professionals who are working in this field. The book is an excellent reference to have at your desk for LTE standards and related issues.

review
I bought this book together with other books on the main topic. In my opinion the unique characteristic of this book is the level of detail.For example, the chapter about channel estimation in LTE is the most complete I have found up to now, and it saved me quite a lot of work in digging into the 3GPP documents. Another special characteristic is the way the editors/authors managed to put together theory and applications. An example is the chapter about Multiple Antenna Techniques, written together by experts coming from the Academia and the standardization world. Here, the fundamentals are firstly described for the single-user and multi-user case. Then, building on that theoretical background, the multiple antenna schemes used in LTE are described. So, the reader can understand the reason for the choices taken in the standard bodies. I really suggest this book for anyone wishing to understand LTE beyond an introductory level.

Comprehensive and unique
As a newcomer to standardisation work, this book has proven invaluable and my only regret is that it wasn't available when I first started work on LTE about a year ago. The book has saved me hours of tedious scouring of standards text. In this respect it is valuable both for people who are in telcos management and need an overview of LTE, as well as standards engineers who are well acquainted with the topic as it will prepare them for a more in-depth look into LTE.

Some highlights include:
1. A great introductory overview of the evolution to 4G, impartial and technically sound.
2. An in-depth analysis of the physical layer of LTE. The details include state-of-the-art simulation results and highlight the technical achievements that make the promised transfer rates and quality of service possible. The results are preceded by background theory. I found the parts on OFDM and MIMO as key enablers particularly succinct and useful. Some abstract terms, such as the notion of control channels and antenna ports, are explained in a lucid and easy-to-follow way, showing you not just what LTE mandates, but also why it is designed the way it is and what the engineering drivers behind it are.
3. An overview of higher layers, more than enough to understand how the layered paradigm is implemented in LTE.
4. The consistency of the book throughout. In my opinion you rarely see books with so many contributing authors that flow as well as this one does. Clearly, a lot of effort went into maintaining a unified style and approach, and it was well worth it.

The editors-authors are active contributors to 3GPP standardisation, and so are most of the contributing authors (with some input from academia), representing many different companies. The book therefore has a unique quality of being impartial while coming straight from the source. While only a couple of pages long, the final chapter examines the future evolution of LTE: LTE-Advanced. Thoroughly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
Dr. Denton's book sets out to explain the gathering scientific evidence against evolution in its traditional form.It is a clear account of a growing crisis in biology and enables us to understand why an increasing number of research scientists are questioning strict Darwinism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (78)

Denton Packs His Arguments With Scientific Support
I've read several books on the Evolution/Creation debate, including The Blind Watchmaker, The Selfish Gene, Finding Darwin's God, Signature in The Cell, Darwin's Black Box, and Only a Theory. Denton's books, Evolution: A Theory in Crisis and Nature's Destiny, pack more science between the pages than any of the others. You'll learn the fallacies of arguments made to support evolution from homology (homologous structures are created with instructions from non-homologous genes)that reptiles supposedly evolved from amphibians, but the eggs of amphibians and reptiles could not be more different. There is no lung that is intermediate to the avian lung. Feathers appear in the fossil record fully formed, there is no pre-feather.

Denton is a brilliant author and scientist.

A thinking person's guide to a theory in crisis
(I was astonished to find Mr. Denton described as an agnostic. If this is true, this book is even more amazing for its intellectual honesty.)

A molecular biologist, Mr. Denton marshals various facts mitigating against the theory of evolution. Indeed, one of the strengths of this book is its "big picture" approach to refuting evolution - arguing for the existence of distinct classes of organisms by asking hard questions about homology, embryonic development, amino acid design, and, of course, the bugbear of evolution and origins science - DNA.

Although published before Behe's wonderfully controversial "Darwin's Black Box", Denton examines several black boxes - the astonishing complexity of avian feathers, the incorporation of the Page-Handley slot in avian wings, the specialized breathing system of birds; hard questions about supposed transitional forms such as Archaeopteryx; the mind-boggling, inexplicably different migration pathways of cells in metamorphosizing insects; the much-touted but misleading "horse series"; and so on. As one reads through this amazing dissection of these subjects, the disturbing (and sad) thought arises: Why aren't these questions being asked in public, as it were? Why do the textbooks and museums present such poorly understood (and sometimes outrightly false) material as fact? Why aren't more scientists thinking as critically? It's tragic that these questions are not raised in biology classes to sharpen and stimulate young (?) minds but that the "doctrines" he questions are routinely presented as gospel. Sometimes we can have too much faith, it seems.

Perhaps what the reader will find most fascinating is the revelation that the evolutionary classification scheme falls on its face even at the molecular level - the very area in which it had hoped to triumph. Science now has a quantitative method of measuring supposed ancestral relationships - percentage sequence difference comparison of amino acid and DNA - and that method shows amphibians to be just as far away from fish (ancestrally) as humans are (to pick just one example), an unwelcome finding apparently raising much ire in the evolutionary community.

The sheer amount of misinformation contained in tirades against this book only attests to the religious nature of the adherents of evolution - something acknowledged and even decried by some more informed atheists such as David Stove. The constant refusal, however, of evolution's defenders to meet Denton's challenges head-on with objective and undisputed facts should encourage other scientists to "come out of the closet" with their own doubts - if for nothing more than a love for science.

Still Excellent
I just re-read this book for the third time. Honestly, it keeps getting better. Part of that is b/c Denton doesn't always write for the masses and therefore many of his points are more deeply appreciated only after more familiarity with evolutionary theory. After this past reading I also realize how much his book has influenced other popular anti-darwininan writers, such as behe, wells, and johnson. I was also amazed at how many points parallel ones made by Dawkins: numerous instances where they use the same concepts and metaphors but derive very different conclusions. quite illuminating.

in short, a must for anyone interested in the "evolution debate".

Twenty Years Late, NO! Still right on target
I have finally read Michael Denton's book "Evolution, A Theory in Crisis". While this book was written some twenty years ago, by an evolutionist about problems with evolution, it is as apt today as it was then.

Overall the book is easy to read and understand. Where there are terms that may not be familiar to the average reader, Dr. Denton provides adequate explanation to ensure that his arguments are understandable. I did however find that there were times when Dr Denton would rehash a point just covered or covered in a previous chapter. I am uncertain if this was deliberate or if the author tends to ramble at times.

Otherwise, Michael Denton takes the reader through a clear path of evidence that essentially refutes almost all the major tenets of Darwinian Evolution. This is not done in the typical Creation versus Evolution style, but rather as a scientist objectively criticizing the tenets of evolutionary thought. Dr. Denton focuses on each aspect, from the overarching concepts of random mutation and natural selection, through the fossil record, all the way to the complex structure of proteins and their fabrication at the cellular level.

While never truly abandoning evolution, Dr Denton closes the door on Darwinian Evolution. And while appealing to the apparent design in complex machinery of the cell, he proposes no external agent to facilitate the creation or specification of the apparent design. One can sense his frustration with the current state of affairs, but he refuses completely abandon the possible future discovery of purely naturalistic causes. Yet he insures the reader that random mutation and natural selection are not part of the equation.

Dr Denton closes his book with a rebuke of the scientific community for placing the a priori assumptions of evolutionary though before the objective search for real answers. He stops short of calling it religion, but refers to it as a myth. Interesting conclusion for a man still dedicated to the term evolution.

The book may be twenty years old, but the information and discussion are still correct. It is an excellent resource for someone looking for an objective critique of modern evolutionary theory.

(Macro)Evolution is not a "fact" - good read!
Amazing how the evolutionists clamor that this is "out of date", yet essentially what this book shows is that the data "to date" does NOT support macroevolution. And while I will just have to leave this hanging here without supporting evidence - the data since then do not either. A few (very few) transitional fossils notwithstanding.

An excellent critique of "evolution", and yet greater than 20 years later, darwinian naturalism is still going strong. Why? Because there is no other "natural" explanation. And hence, one must ask, why must there be a "natural" explanation? The last pages of the last chapter are excellent reading in this regard. ... Read more

Product Description
Using evidence from psychology, anthropology, sociologyand other scientific disciplines, this book shows that there are atleast three biological races (subspecies) of manOrientals (i.e.,Mongoloids or Asians), Blacks (i.e., Negroids or Africans), and Whites(i.e., Caucasoids or Europeans). There are recognizable profiles forthe three major racial groups on brain size, intelligence, personalityand temperament, sexual behavior, and rates of fertility, maturationand longevity. The profiles reveal that, ON AVERAGE, Orientals andtheir descendants around the world fall at one end of the continuum,Blacks and their descendants around the world fall at the other end ofthe continuum, Europeans regularly fall in between. This worldwidepattern implies evolutionary and genetic, rather than purely social,political, economic, or cultural causes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (103)

Convincing overview but the vast panorama leaves a bit of doubt...
Highly recommended (and - maybe I shouldn't say this - an abbreviated version is downloadable; it appears to be a fifth or less than the unabridged version). I have a few doubts:--

[1] Geographical and biological: Is Africa benign, or dangerous? The climate is more manageable than the colder northern climates. But it's not only man that likes it - there are snakes, insects, parasites, poisonous and spiny plants, predatory animals that make books on African diseases horrific. Large parts have soil (as does Australia) that isn't much use for growing things - laterite, full of iron oxide. Does Africa encourage fast breeding with little parenting? Maybe. Or maybe not.

Much of the world is something like pure accident: some areas have dates, or rice, or crops able to be bred as maize, or wheat. Some seemed to have no staple. Some have clean springs of water; others presumably don't. Some have edible animals. Some have timber suited for building. Some have good soil. Some have specific raw materials: gold, copper, naphtha as in 'Greek fire'; some don't - I believe Australian soil is low in molybdenum. Some have earthquakes. Some have everyday aspects which have long-term risks. There must have been a huge element of luck in human development.

Because of the way inventions depend on other inventions, and because science is so recent, empiricism must have had a tremendous effect throughout human evolution. Fire, metal alloys, plants suited to make fabrics, ropes, easily-cut stone... pottery, knives, symbolic writing ... gunpowder, shipping.. This for example glass was unknown in China for centuries. Science was invented by a few westerners and this depended to some extent on inventions: lenses, weights and measures. It's easy to imagine the amazement of aborigines in Australia on entering a wooden sailing ship.

Another important distinction is defensibility: Europe is exceptional in having territories marked off by mountains, seas, snow barriers - to this day countries are identifiable by these geographical markers. But other areas are trackless and unbounded and vast - prairies, steppes, jungles. Any area unable to defend itself is at risk: imagine mediaeval London magically moved to Timbuktu or Turkey.

I'm just making the perhaps obvious point that environments have a vast effect. If China had had a calm inland sea like the Mediterranean, maybe they'd have colonised the world. If nobody had happened to find that urine could be used to make potassium nitrate, perhaps gunpowder would never have been discovered. It's as well to be cautious in speculation.

[2] Rushton considers blacks, orientals (these are 'yellow' - rather than Indian), and whites. As far as I can see, he doesn't face another taboo, of 'semites'. They appear to be completely omitted. Kevin MacDonald has filled this gap on analogous lines to Rushton, though his work is more ideas-based than biological. MacDonald's work is an important reminder of the importance of 'memes'. Rushton has an r-strategy, and K-strategy. MacDonald adds in- and out-group strategies for internal competition.

[3] Inheritance is a digital matter, but Rushton doesn't (I think) look at the cases where some characteristic definitely does, or doesn't, exist in an individual. For example, the ability to make enzymes that digest alcohol or milk. He concentrates on gross effects, which of course may be the sum of many genes. One has to assume that (e.g.) genetic tendency to violence can't be mental, but must be a function of hormones and musculature and quickness of irritability; reasonably enough, Rushton doesn't go into detail. However it's as well to be aware that the actual mechanisms are not known or not well understood, so this allows a loophole for environmentalists to criticise.

[4] AIDS. It's fairly well-known this is a mistake. (If you prefer, a fraud). Discount all this material!

Well-worth reading. Much of it in fact has a familiar, if remote, ring to it; surely you've heard it before? You have, and it's been censored or buried or evaded. Revise your outlook, therefore! It's too important to ignore.

Great litle book for a good price!
A questão da raça é extremamente bem explorada neste livro. Apresenta uma linha naturalista e defende o conceito biológico de "raça". O objectivo do livro - classificação da raça em em três grupos biológicos separados, mostrando que os factores genéticos são determinantes - é contestável e poderá mesmo dizer-se que acentua a ideia de Mill "contrato racial". Não há explicação do conceito de "hereditariedade", porém, o conjunto de estudos "raciais" são bastantes consistentes e mostram a existência de diferenças entre as diversas "raças". Eu considero o livro um clássico e de leitura obrigatória para quem inicia a temática biológica da "raça" ou se interessa pela construção do conceito como uma realidade. É excelente para filósofos, psicólogos, antropólogos, biólogos e todos os que se interessam pela questão de saber se a "raça" existe e se sim que relação possui ocm a biologia.

Fearless and supported by evidence
This book is a fearless defiance of the pseudoscience that attempts to brush racial differences under the rug.Leftists like Gould and his ilk are no match for Rushton's intellect and especially they are no match for his data and analysis.

Reasoned Insanity Trying to Appear Sane
Rushton's theory is fundamentally flawed from the get go, which should already be apparent when racists and eugenists use the material to support their insanity.He uses this "objective" data super-subjectively from a bunch of socially constructed hoop hopping to infer innate intelligence capabilities and violent tendencies... seriously?If IQ tests involved being able to musically improvise then a good chunk of white people would fail miserably.Obviously they can't learn, as their genes have doomed them all to be hopelessly rhythmless.If crime rates could include the indirect crimes against humanity regularly committed by the rich against the poor, whites would be 'proven' to be morally inferior genetically.To think that genes are the primary causative force behind all of these behavioral end results is a dangerously vast oversimplification of what we know about the complexities of the human mind and society.

No matter how many correlations you pile up, it still doesn't equal causation.

Reality versus
PC garbage and politics .I don't know if every fact in this book is true (although it is well referenced), but Prof. Rushton certainly looks hard at the issues of race, IQ, behavior, etc., and thus offers a not unreasonable explanation of why things are the way they are in society today.I echo another reviewer here by stating that Prof. Rushton is a brave guy to look at the studies (numerous and well documented), draw his conclusions, and "stick to his guns" in the face of fanatical and irrational people who are locked into their own tight little worlds - or political agenda.

This book also offers hope in an indirect way, b/c by arguing that IQ and other negative behaviors are half genetics and half nurture, we are given possibilities to improve not just ourselves, but our entire species - and God knows it needs it. ... Read more

Product Description
The sixth edition of author Daniel Wren's classic text provides a comprehensive understanding of the origin and development of ideas in management.  This text traces the evolution of management thought from its earliest days to the present, by examining the backgrounds, ideas and influences of its major contributors. 

Every chapter in the sixth edition of The Evolution of Management Thought has been thoroughly reviewed and updated to convey an appreciation of the people and ideas underlying the development of management theory and practice.  The authors’ intent is to place various theories of management in their historical context, showing how they’ve changed over time.  The text does this in a chronological framework, yet each part is designed as a separate and self-contained unit of study; substantial cross-referencing provides the opportunity for connecting earlier to later developments as a central unifying theme. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

True Fondation of Management
Upon review of this entire book, I have gained a real fondation of how management evolved.The theories made by each of the contributors, are used by society in business today.Therefore, to understand the real history of where management began and see where it has evolved now will help managers, employees and organizations understand their roles and responsibilities in the work place today.

I recommend that readers who are in management positions read this book so that they understand where the need originated to have systems, processes and managerial roles in place so they can become more accountable.Also, organizations will appreciate their managers and employees more as they see how society has a need to feel secure on their jobs, especially when they know the effects of an unstable economy that took place such as the Great Depression.Lastly, employees need to read this book to gain a new repect for systems, processes and job performance so they understand their importance and reasons for them to exist in organizations. Also, so that they become energized and motivated to perform well and provide good customer service to their organization now that they understand their importance and real value.

fast delivery
i ordered bybook on aThursday for a class thatwas to start on monday. I usedstandard delivery and still got mybookwithin three days . The book was used andsaid to be in good condition , but it might as well have been new .I willdefinetly order from thisvendor again.

Amazon Rating
This was an excellent buy because everywhere wlse the book was priced over $100.This book is in excellent condition looks like it is new.Thanks Amazon.

Useful management resource
This book and it's consistent updates is a useful history of management. In my view, management thought has been destroyed since the unnecessary split between management and 'leadership'. There's a lot of money in 'leadership' but it is largely a sham.
I've recently been spelling out, in a web-based discussion thread, my frustration and concern about the concept of leadership and how it is used and marketed. Management needs to be redeemed from the unhelpful dichcotomy.

1. The concept of leadership is based on a false foundation. It can be traced back to researchers who constructed a concept from what they thought leaders and leadership were - after a statistical analysis of questionnaire responses - a self perpetuating myth. It beggars belief that we would accept this as a useful construct in this day and age. How can leadership be a defensible account of effective organisational practice?

2. Connecting "facilitatory", "participatory", "transformational", etc. to the word "leadership" is emotive but unhelpful because there is no agreement on what leadership (or a leader) is.

3. Amalgamating weak (in terms of empirical work) theories of leadership does not produce a good theory. It may produce big books - but how constructive and instructive are they?

4. The leadership theory as it has primarily developed to date has predominately come from the sentential view - that all cognitive ability is language-based. (Descriptive accounts, self reporting or observations of others, of a "great leader" - whatever that is.) It has overlooked the tacit components of knowledge and learning.

5. A theory of "learning" and "knowledge" appears to be assumed in all theories of leadership. Which further weakens the already weak theory.

6. Change tack. Seek to understand what learning is, what knowledge is and what organisational learning is (as distinct from The Learning Organisation - Senge). There is much more fruit to bear in this realm of thought to construct effective organisational practice.

7. Quite enough time has been wasted on leadership. It's about the way everyone influences each other in situation, content and environment. Just as managers and employees do. A child does it when it is hungry or wants something. We need to "get real" and stop flogging a dead concept.

Expecting Much More from the 4th and 5th Editions
Also tends to ignore known contradictions, known weaknesses, and known pitfalls in Management Thought.

In terms of scholarship, it tends to be more sophisticated than Claude S. George, Jr's text of the same name.

Still, the absence of important, significant, and well-known facts about certain management gurus that I know very well (facts, not the persons themselves) makes me somewhat to very skeptical as to the utility of the ideas prensented about others I don't.Take two examples: Wren's discussion of Herbert Simon and Wren's discussion of Elton Mayo.While Herbert Simon actually won a Nobel Prize in Economics, Wren mentions him on all of 4 pages and 2 of those have only about a sentence on him.This coverage contrasts sharply with Elton Mayo who Wren mentions on 14 pages a third of one having Mayo's picture (whereas no picture of Simon appears in the book).The sad fact is that Mayo is a very controversial figure: many of his conclusions from his work on the Hawthorne study have been shown to be bunk by reputable scholars (MONEY is an extremely good motivator for people, just as Taylor thought).So this is an example of how Wren tends to emphasize the academic influence of figures more than the comparitive utility of their ideas. Despite his continuing influence on many academics, Mayo's ideas have long since been shown to have little utility (he's even been accused of charlatanism by reputable scholars). In contrast Simon's ideas have been shown to have much more utiltity (usefulness), so much so that he was awarded a Nobel prize in 1978.

So when I read Wren's sections on Max Weber, Chester Barnard, Mary Parker Follett, Peter Drucker, and all the rest, I take them with a healthy dose of salt and make plans to get others sources to fully understand whether the nature of a figure's ideas are influential or useful or both.

(My suspicion is that most management scholars tend to ignore Simon because working with his principles is a lot more work than working with the principles of a probable charlatan like Mayo.)
... Read more

Product Description
A comprehensive and perceptive look at the factors behind the rise and fall of civilizations. Quigley defines a civilization as "a producing society with an instrument of expansion". A civilization's decline is not inevitable but occurs when its instrument of expansion is transformed into an institution-that is, when social arrangements that meet real social needs are transformed into social institutions serving their own purposes regardless of real social needs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Just too simplistic
Carroll Quigley can be a very good writer when he deals with specific topics. But his effort to provide some scientific overview of historical development falls flat. It is overly simplistic and really stretches credulity in a number of places. In many ways it is a pathetic attempt to make historical research a "scientific" system, though he contradicts himself on this. The fact is that historical research is an art, requiring a thorough knowledge of human nature and how such nature interacts with the world around it. It is clear that Quigley had been spending too much time around his privileged and isolated ivory tower friends to understand the warp and woof of real life.In a number of places Quigley discusses the decline of a civilization but never actually provides the real causes. Everything seems to just "happen" out of thin air without the need for individual decisions that make such things occur. His description of Western Civilization, for an educated guy who can be quite smart, was quite frankly ludicrous.

There are sections that can be quite good. When he describes the transformation of an system from being an instrument to being an institution in a society, the concept is intriguing. Unfortunately, he fails to truly explain what happens when a group "institutionalizes." He says such groups strive to protect their status, but he never explains HOW they maintain their status. He gets so close... and then pulls back from launching over what he obviously interprets as some dangerous social destabilizing precipice.

This book reads much like Ibn Khalduns Muqaddimah, though Khaldun's work is far better with more direct analysis regarding human nature.

Worldview
Professor Quigley provides his world view on how history and events unfold.His methods have had a significant impact on a generation of Georgetown University graduates including Bill Clinton.The book is short by academic standards although it is well referenced.It presents a pholofophy of history that is probably more important than just the facts.

Brilliant - a milestone in philosophy
Perhaps one the most important, yet little known, events in human history was the denigration of Aristotelian philosophy. While this event took centuries to complete, it reached its final completion in the late 1950s early 60s. With this went the teaching of the Philosophia Perennis, the study of real truth, reason and logic as applied to wisdom. Perennial Philosophy was traditionally comprised of the seven spheres of knowledge, logic, rhetoric, math, etc. Part of the reason for The Philosophy's demise, I believe, was for centuries nobody had found a way of judging history that fit in with the system, thus protecting it from modernistic Idealism. One of many tactics opponents used to make the system obsolete was advancing the notion that history cannot be judged, it has no 'story' underneath to anchor truth: there is no truth - history is written by the winners - all truths are just cultural, etc.

In this work, Carroll Quigley has successfully found and supported what I believe is a legitimate 'eighth sphere', a means of assessing history according to Aristotelian standards. This is no small feat. Had this book been written in any other point of history, Quigley would have been heralded as one of the great philosophers. But alas, he wrote this book precisely at the very moment when The Philosophy was breathing its last.

If you are dismayed at the direction of modern society, take time and find the collected works of Fr. Celestine Biddle, read them, and then take in the fine wine of this book and see how society might have been had Quigley showed up sooner.

Before "Guns, Germs and Steel"...
Read Quigley's "The Evolution of Civilizations" carefully and you'll come away with new ways of thinking about the PROCESSES of history, and of approaching historical analysis and contemporary societal problems.

Well before Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel" Carroll Quigley was teaching Ancient History to young students at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He was not only a brilliant researcher, analyst, writer and lecturer on history and historical processes, but also a gifted instructor, who left his students with a memorable set of frameworks, tools, stories, examples and anecdotes that many carry with them for the rest of their lives. It's this latter quality that undoubtedly led President Clinton to name Quigley as one of the three people who most influenced his thinking... though I'm afraid Bill forgot a lot. (Another Clinton favorite, the late Professor Walter Giles, also taught at the School of Foreign Service.)

Even Quigley's tests were memorable. What other history prof, for example, would challenge his students as follows: "Imagine you are in the Athenian forum on a marketday morning in 450 BC. Look around you and tell me what you see.")

You've gotta love an instructor that good.

Usable but not recomendable
This work by the otherwise reknowned writer, does not come even close to potraying history as it unfolded over the periods treated in this book. Mr. quigley never looks at the periods before 6000 bc. as oceanic cultures but assumes that all there is, is inland movement. What a shame. Further, the first 100 pages or so are one big camel to swallow for anyone who is familiar with the philosophy of plato and aristotle and his equating of the two, pains me more than a little. Everybody should know that plato was a sublime excercise in dialectics and aristotle a categorical denounciation of the brilliant plato.
You could have some benefit from this, but you need a very thorough understanding of the hostory of ideas and of Lyndon LaRouches perspective of economics, to not be misguided.
Borrow in library, don't buy ... Read more

Product Description
"Does a clone have a soul?" Darling, an astronavigational control unit and personal companion, achieves sentience and wants to know. Now, 200 years and an artificial body later, he is off in search of a dead artist, a living artwork, and the forces behind a mystery that spans the universe. Accompanied by a female assassin, he'll confront the Maker and get the answer.Amazon.com Review
In this disturbing and powerful meditation on consciousness andindividuality, Scott Westerfeld captures everything that is wonderful aboutpure science fiction, but does it at a cost of brutality to his characters.He uses technology to assess something important about human beings--inthis case, what makes us sentient, and what part memory plays in ourhumanity.

Despite the ship captain's best efforts, his navigational computer achievesa Turing level, indicating sentience. When the machine intimately befriendshis daughter, the captain tries to have it erased, only to find that hisdaughter is willing to betray him to preserve her symbiotic love.

Centuries later, the immortally bereft machine, now a being called Darling,searches the universe for meaning and tries not to remember the darkness ofhis past. When a human assassin on a mission to destroy an AI artistencounters Darling, they begin a relationship that is beyond intense, witha violent sexuality and a deep connection that ultimately calls intoquestion their nature as separate entities.

Westerfeld, the author of Polymorph and Fine Prey, creates adifficult and ultimately despairing future for humans, but one of hope andpotential for the artificial intelligences that inherit the mantle ofevolution. Beauty, faith, and the power of love are the things that saveDarling, if not the humans he remembers, from the maw of oblivion. --Therese Littleton ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Thought provoking and engaging
You may recognize Scott Westerfeld's name from his popular young adult series, such as Peeps and Uglies. Evolution's Darling is an entirely different novel. Darling is a 200 year old artificial intelligence. Thanks to technology, robots have the ability to become sentient beings, detectable by a Turing test. The title refers to the fact that artificials can evolve many times during their lifetime, while their biological counterparts cannot. Darling, so named and made sentient by a past love, is an art dealer of authentic, original, and expensive art. He happens to meet Mira, a mysterious assassin, on a pleasure ship. He seeks a famous sculptor that was thought to be dead, while Mira accompanies him (with her own motives). Is Vaddum, the sculptor, a copy? Can intelligent beings be copied? Should they? Should the copies by destroyed?

Although this is a science fiction novel, the language used and descriptions are beautiful and complex. Musical imagery is used throughout. It was surprising for me that there was a balance and mixture of science and art that was wonderful to read. All of the characters were fully realized and unique, even the minor characters. The artificial intelligence, in many instances, turned out to be more human than the biological humans. For example, Darling focuses on the emotional meaning behind Vaddum's work, while Zimivic, his human rival, looks at the technical aspects and how much the piece will make him. It makes us question what really makes a being human or sentient. Even the not yet sentient AI has personality, humor, and their own quirks.

Evolution's Darling was a completely unique novel. It was engrossing from beginning to end. I would recommend this book to any fan of science fiction.

An excellent book, which is now out of print
For books like Elizabeth Kostova's The Swan Thieves: A Novel I have found that the Amazon user reviews were accurate.In the case of Scott Westerfeld's Evolutons Darling, I have found the reviews less helpful.Perhaps because one of the central themes of Evolution's Darling is sex and sex tends to make people uncomfortable.

The first book I read by Scott Westerfeld was The Risen Empire (Succession), which I liked a great deal.I then read the sequel, The Killing of Worlds: Book Two of Succession, which I thought was good too.After reading these books I looked around for other Scott Westerfeld books.

Most of Scott Westerfeld's books are targeted at the "young adult" market, which means that the books are targeted to readers around the ages of 12 to 16.As far as I can tell, the Risen Empire books and Evolution's Darling are the only books that Scott Westerfeld has written for adults.The Risen Empire books are (at the time of this writing) in print, but Evolution's Darling is out of print.Evolution's Darling was originally published by a press named Four Walls Eight Windows, which was then bought by Avolon Group which then was bought by (or became) Perseus Books.In all the roil of publishing companies, Evolution's Darling has become lost to readers.The copy that I read I got through inter-library loan.The only other copies available are through the rare book market.Given the sexual themes in the book, I fear that it may remain out of print, since Scott Westerfeld (and his publishers) might worry that some parents would be upset to find their children reading Evolution's Darling, which they believed was a young adult book devoid of such themes.

Science Fiction has been called the literature of ideas.This is definitely true of the three Scott Westerfeld books I have read.Evolution's Darling is about the evolution of artificial intelligence.Scott Westerfeld appears to be a romantic, since love and the power of love are themes in all three of his books.Sexuality is one way to express love.In Evolution's Darling Scott Westerfeld suggests that true artificial intelligence (AI) would be capable of both love and sexuality.

The title of the book comes from the main character, Darling, which is an AI that comes to full sentience (in Westerfeld's description, crossing the "turing barrier") while having sex with a teenage girl.She refers to the AI as Darling and that becomes his name.One Amazon reviewer found this outrageous, but in the story it is natural.Teenagers are obsessed with sex and the AI has been the girl's constant companion.The AI has grown, as the girl has.She has no human companions except for her father, so it is natural in the story that she and the AI become lovers in both senses of the word: love and sexuality.Darling loves the girl and then woman throughout her life.

Evolution's Darling is not erotica, but an exploration of ideas.Westerfeld is exploring what love and sexuality would mean for an AI which inhabited a non-biological body.Or, in the case of one character, Mira, what may be an AI inhabiting a biological body.Scott Westefeld also explores the very idea of sexuality itself, which can have many variations.Certainly this is not a book for those who are offended by such themes, but, again, this book is not erotica.The sexuality flows from the story and the logical extension of ideas.How far could sexuality go if it were practiced by an AI which could manipulate human response and safe guard their lover through extreme sex.

If an AI can love and express that love through sexuality, it could also become an artist and art and an artist is another theme in the book, whose "quest" structure is the search for art works and a possibly dead AI sculptor.

Evolution's Darling is a sophisticated book of ideas.In the Risen Empire books and Evolution's Darling Scott Westerfeld has shown that he can write engaging books for adults.I regard the teenage part of life as a period that is best left behind, for the teenagers and those around them (I have been a parent).So I can't really imagine writing for this market, where the author has to capture the teenage mindset in the books characters.But writing is a difficult business and many good writers cannot make a living at it, especially in this increasingly post literate world.So I can't blame Scott Westerfeld for sticking with what sells.For myself, I can only wish that Scott Westerfeld will find increasing commercial success in adult fiction and that Evolution's Darling will come back into print, either on dead trees or as binary information.

I wish I had written this!
Couldn't put _Evolution's Darling_ down.I loved the depiction of our machines achieving sentience.I loved the extrapolation of how the world might cope with it.I loved the sweetness and strangeness of Darling's character, and enjoyed the way that Westerfeld imagined the possibilities for S/M play in a world where physical damage is more easily repaired than in ours.Then I looked at how he imagined the economic realities of the world he'd created, and I felt a bit envious of his abilities.But I didn't dwell on that too long; I was too busy enjoying the novel.Well done!

Pretentious, self-indulgent and illiterate...but not all bad
That the book is pretentious and self-indulgent- I freely admit these are aesthetic valuations, and I am not so irate that I would attempt to construct a "proof" of my opinion. I am content to leave my sad review here as a sort of vote, to make you think twice before accepting the more sanguine recommendations.

But as for my accusation "illiterate": this I can claim to give proof. Are you, dear reader, tired of hearing the word "reticent" used by ignorant boobs when they hope it will sound more learned than the intended "reluctant" ? I am. I am most weary of this pompous and nonsensical substitution of a word which the speaker hopes will sound just a bit more exotic, a bit more *impressive* than the one we all expected.

This clever author, on page 79, relates that the subjects are reticent to engage in sexual congress (this ONCE) and they therefore choose... to converse !!!!

The unintentional joke of that painful reach for non-existent erudition -in yet another gratuitous adolescent sex fantasy scenario- earns Mr W another star.

Erratic, erotic, inventive and intriguing
Evolution's Darling is one of the most interesting science fiction novels I've read in the past year.

Evolution's Darling is a 'bootstrap', an AI who has achieved sentience despite frequent downgrades by its last owner.Under the laws of the Expansion, any machine that reaches a Turing Quotient of 1.0 legally becomes a person, rather than legal property - and needing to replace the shipboard computer would wipe out a year's profits for Darling's owner, Isaah.Darling is also the tutor and companion of Isaah's fifteen-year-old daughter, Rathere, and after Isaah disconnects Darling's sensors, Rathere re-connects them to save her friend, who then becomes her lover.He buys himself a humanoid body, then he and Rathere leave Earth together.

Two centuries later, Darling has become one of the Expansion's most astute dealers in artworks, collecting originals and ideas and sex-related body modifications.When a new sculpture allegedly done by fellow bootstrap Vaddum comes onto the market, years after Vaddum's disappearance, Darling and many other dealers rush to see it.While some are prepared to murder their rivals to own the piece, Darling is more interested in its origin.Is Vaddum dead?Can robots actually die?Can intelligent software be copied, and if so, is the copy a forgery or the real thing?

Evolution's Darling contains some wonderful inventions: as well as the Turing Quotient as a solution to the ethical questions of owning intelligent machines, Westerfield gives us a wide range of very individualistic robots, from the fiercely competitive hyper-intelligent starships writing anonymous academic papers on passenger service when they're not hurling insults at each other ("Number-cruncher!" "Intuitionist!"), to Vaddum, the robotic laborer turned sculptor, to the sub-Turing Wardens, cunning but rigid justice machines.I also loved the lithomorphs, alien statues on a thousand-century-long migration towards their breeding grounds.Along with this sparkling inventiveness comes a beautiful prose style:the only flaw, and that a minor one, is the erratic pacing, with two-hundred-year jump cuts and a fistful of flashbacks disguising a very simple and straightforward plot.

Aldiss and Wingrove's Trillion Year Spree defined science fiction (in part) as "the search for a definition of mankind and his status quo in the universe which will stand in our advanced but confused state of knowledge".By this definition, Evolution's Darling is uncommonly pure science fiction, because of the questions it raises about the nature of humanity.When machines can score higher than biological humans on Turing tests, which is really human?Are two beings with identical Turing ratings actually the same person, and is the art they produce equally authentic?Is there a difference between justice and aesthetic considerations?What is alive?What is dead?What is original?What is a copy?Will any of these concepts still be relevant in a few centuries?Westerfield quotes Wilde's essays frequently - and it's Wilde the philosopher, not just Wilde the wit - as well as Wittgenstein and Locke, plus sly nods to Alfred Bester and Samuel Delany...but the book sparkles with ideas and questions, rather than being weighted down with pontification.It manages to combine character-driven and ideas-driven science fiction, and even begs the question of whether there's any real difference between the two. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on his life's research, the author of the bestseller The Psychology of Consciousness provides a provocative look at the evolution of the mind. He explains that we are not rational but adaptive, and that it is Darwin, not Freud, who is the central scientist of the brain. Photographs and line art throughout. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Precursor to Noetic Science
I bought this book in '93 and just read it now. There are useful discussions of the brain and the mind, their evolution.The language is at times hard to understand or resonate with, but I am impressed with the author's statements on the collective consciousness and urge for all of us to mine our consciousness for the collective survival of our species and common good. Unlike a previous review here, I feel hope and am awe of the author's foresight -we ARE capable of change for the better. While Dan Brown popularized noetic science, the author certainly contributed to this type of work/discussion almost 20 years ago!

outdated
I read this book with great interest because research on counsiousness has still a long way to go. After reading books like Dennet, Counciousness Explained and Phantom Limb of Ramachadran I think this book is a little bit of an old fashioned repeat. Even when you keep in mind that above mentioned books are from the same date of publishing. I would recommend this book for younger with litte knowlidge on this subject.

Misleading Title
This book does not describe the evolution of consciousness but rather the evolution of unconsciousness.It describes the work scientists have done in determining the limitations and inaccuracies in consciousness thought.This is useful in helping frame something as poorly defined as consciousness.However, mostly you can get this from your Psyc101 text.The worst is at the end where Ornstein introduces a sort of Sufi mysticism as a substitute for the reason he believes is so flawed.This is a poor substitute that falls apart at the first rational question, why should I believe this new system which has no evidence for it, as opposed to any other?You know the book is flawed when a single paragraph he quotes from William James "Varieties of the Religious Experience" has more insight than the rest of the book.Readers who are interested in what Ornstein is trying to commmunicate are better served by reading William James.

Great source for understanding the consciousness
I came across this book as I was searching for answers to the many questions concerning the consciousness of human beings and the enigmatic process of intelligent thinking. Subsequently, I was attracted to this book by the title and by the credentials of the author, who is a neuropsychiatric researcher and is the president of the Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge and a professor at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco and at Stanford University. The author has done extensive research on the human brain and is the author of twenty books concerning the human brain. It wasn't difficult to realize that if anyone is to speak about the human consciousness, Dr. Ornstein is the one.

The book begins by shocking the foundations of your knowledge of the human brain. The first thing the author tells you is that "The mind is a squadron of simpletons. It is not unified, it is not rational, it is not well designed - or designed at all." And as you may have noticed by now, you must be a fan of the Evolution theory to even carry on after this sentence as the first third of the book discusses the steps that our ancestors had to evolve through for us to end up with the conscious mind. Dr. Ornstein discusses the most recent biological and paleontological findings that can help us reconstruct the history of the evolution of the human brain. Then, he takes a shot at answering one of the famous dilemmas of the human evolution theory that questions the reasons behind the evolution of the human brain. Why did a brain capable of landing humans on the moon, splitting the atom, painting the Mona Lisa, writing Hamlet, and composing Don Giovanni evolve at a time when human beings were barely working with stone tools? What brought about the ballooning of a Homo habilis' brain measuring 600-750 cubic centimeters to the Homo erectus' brain measuring775-1,225 cc? The author extends a surprising but logical argument in this case.

Dr. Ornstein proceeds to explain that the environment that shaped and influenced the evolution of our brains ceased to exist only very recently in evolutionary terms. Our brains are equipped to react to events and dynamics that are completely gone, and our brains were not given sufficient time to physically evolve to fit the environments that our own advancements brought about.

The author carries on in his campaign to render more common notions erroneous by explaining that the conscious mind is much weaker than what is publicly thought to be. He demonstrates how the unconscious mind influences our supposedly rational and logical thinking and even our free will. He does that while describing the mechanics of thinking, dreaming, and memorization. I learned many astonishing facts about the way our minds work. I learned how our unconsciousness gets wired up throughout our earliest years and how it continues to affect us for the rest of our lives.

After that, the author begins to define what is the "Self" and how it can be identified. This is a very exciting yet confusing part of the book as the author argues that there are many selves existing within us. He provides evidence proving that not one "I" exists within us, but many. Each "I" has its own priorities and skills and is brought into action by the subconscious when the situation is deemed to require that specific "I." He explains how the working of those minds-in-one affect our lives and how they are being taken advantage of by advertising agencies and politicians to name a few.

The last part of the book discusses the author's view of the future of humanity. He predicts a grim destiny based on the limitations of the human brain to think on a global scale when human activities began to have numerous global effects. The brain is equipped to work in a small environment and never had to deal with events and concerns that affect the world as a whole. He explains how our means of raising children and of education are enforcing these limitations upon our minds. But the author doesn't leave the picture at that. He suggests solutions as to how help the mind evolve consciously to fit our rapidly changing environment. He recommends methods to strengthen our conscious minds and to make us more aware of the workings of our unconscious minds. He concludes the book by saying that "Undertaking conscious evolution, with an understanding of the complexity of our myriad minds within, may be easier, closer at hand, and more liberating than we might normally think."

The book will definitely take you through a fascinating journey into the human brain and its origins. The author's writing style is very accessible to non-professional readers while maintaining a high level of sophistication. You can be assured that you will stumble across many new ideas that will raise your eyebrows in astonishmentand amazement. The book contains many drawings to help explain (and sometimes to prove) the author's arguments, though I found some drawings to be too silly and too obvious to be included.

However, you will come across many grammatical and spelling mistakes that might shake your faith a bit in the overall quality of the book as it did to mine.

In summary, this books addresses many questions about what consciousness is, how it affects our lives, and how can we advance it even further. If you find this topic to be interesting then this book is a must read.

Evolution of consciousness...and, maybe, conscious evolution
Trying to do scientific reading on consciousness studies can often be as pleasant as pulling teeth, the stuff of nightmares for those who are not biology majors. For all those interested in the subject but yearn for an authoritative scientist who speaks layman's English, this book is for you. Dr. Ornstein was one of the groundbreaking researchers in hemispherical differences in brain functioning (right v. left), and here he treats the reader to an eminently enjoyable exploration of how--and why--human consciousness likely evolved, what its true properties are, and what these mean for understanding ourselves. The illustrations in the book are priceless and hilarious (much in the tradition of Macaulay's "The Way Things Work), along with Ornstein's witty writing style and easily digestible prose to communicate complex ideas and concepts in a lucid, exciting manner.

His euphemism "a squadron of simpletons" is a common and welcome refrain--he shows us a human brain equipped with more non-specialized neurons than it will ever need, adaptable to more habitats and social situations we can ever imagine. His tie-in of Freud to Darwin is ingenious, and proves his point that much greater: fundamentally the human brain, he argues (echoing colleagues like Gerald Edelman, etc.), is not a rational mechanism like a computer; it was never designed to be. Instead, it is adaptive: the ultimate gift of evolution to our species of the ultimate survival adaptation--evolution becoming conscious of itself. This book does indeed clear one's mind in a rather "zen"-like fashion, once you understand the transitory and fragmentary nature of ordinary consciousness and the revisionist nature of memory. In the end, Ornstein suggests, such an account of the evolution of consciousness can help our species adjust to its next, possibly final adaptation: conscious evolution, utilizing what we know about human consciousness to better inform our interactions with our species, and with the larger world. ... Read more

Product Description
The most trusted nonfiction series on the market, Eyewitness Books provide an in-depth, comprehensive look at their subjects with a unique integration of words and pictures.
Eyewitness Evolution is DK's classic look at Charles Darwin and the theory of natural selection, now reissued with a CD and wall chart. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Always love the Eyewitness Books!!
Living in a Bible-belt state, it's sometimes hard to teach Evolution, and NOT teach against the bible.Eyewitness books are always great and this one is no exception: it gives the facts without putting any implied controversy to other schools of thought.My son always loves the Eyewitness book part of our homeschool day!Thanks!

Interesting, basic somewhat sweeping intro in need of some updating
This product provides a visually interesting--though *almost* too visually busy on a few pages--introduction to evolution. Its style is somewhat stilted, and the reading level is certainly for older children. (I am not an expert on determining reading comprehension standards, but as a comparison, the reading comprehension level required by the Harry Potter novels, which I have read, is LESS advanced than that required by "Eyewitness: Evolution," though the imagery, much of photographic, will appeal to younger readers.

The structure is a basically chronological arrangement of topics relating to evolution, from pre-scientific myths about creation to DNA-related topics. Each topic is covered in two pages--and graphically designed as a two-page spread--with the primary block of text relating to the topic on the left-hand page under a large title heading. The amount of text is more significant than you might suppose, given the book's many images, since sidebars or captions with word counts nearly as large as the aforementioned primary textual block accompany most images.

Admirably, the book places Charles Darwin is a larger context of biological and geological ideas made in the 1700s and 1800s; it also looks at genetics-related discoveries after Darwin's death.

However, the 1993 book needs some (but arguably surprisingly little) updating in light of additional discoveries and insights provided by science in the 1990s and 2000s, including the Human Genome Project, data on the Cambrian Explosion and catastrophes, and more. Though the book wisely left out some sub-topics trendy at the time of writing: it does laudably stick to the established basics, and has keep the book remarkably solid as an introduction to evolution even after more than 15 years.

Its 2-page spread on "Science and belief" is above par in that it lays out the basics of the scientific method itself (evidence, peer review, etc.).

Excellent Reference Work For Children
With a wealth of drawings, pictures, and photographs, this book explains the basics of natural selection and the evolution of life on earth.

The authors also do a good job of confronting issues that have little to do with science but which may nevertheless be raised by some in connection with this branch of human knowledge. References to certain mythological beliefs are done in a straight-forward and non-offensive way, with reasoned explanations of why people may have thought the way they did (or do). This book is highly recommended for children in Middle School who are confronted with class-mates who do not understand evolution or who for some reason have been taught that it is not 'true.'

But the main strength of this book is a strong presentation of the evidence for natural selection that is found in nature. By combining many interesting facts about fascinating animals with a small dose of hard science this book is a perfect introduction to areas of science such as geology and anthropology. As such it also provides much information that will complement Middle School science classes. This book should be in every educated family's library.

Historical /Sensitive Coverage of Evolution Teen Appropriate
I was looking for a book on evolution to give to a child who was asking questions about the subject. I found this book in eyewitness fashion to be low on text but told its story through many engaging interesting pictures. The book sensitively dealt with questions of creation and biblic questionsrelating to evolution, answering them with scientific and historicalinformation. It also provided multicultural references and includedcreation stories from non-western cultures as well.

This book is a mustfor high school or even junior high science teachers who are faced withjustifying teaching their subject matter to parents, board members andcommunity members.Not to mention, its a beautiful descriptive book thatis a welcome addition to any general level scientific book collection. ... Read more