内容简介 本书是关于我们如何从科学的视角重新认识这个世界的科普读物，阐述了宇宙、世界、生命科学视角下，对世界本源的认识，并结合生物学、数学、物理学和计算机科学知识，更加细致入微地解释我们观察到的世界中的各类现象。 在这本书中，作者希望表明我们的宇宙不仅仅是一座没有生命、毫无意义的数学机器。在我们真正了解意识和人类思想的奇迹之前，我们能真正了解宇宙吗？为了做到这一点，作者超越了物理世界去寻找答案。对于对生命、宇宙和一切事物的深层问题感到好奇的读者来说，《世界本身》是一本必不可少的读物。

This highly interdisciplinary book highlights many of the waysin which chemistry plays a crucial role in making life anevolutionary possibility in the universe. Cosmologists and particlephysicists have often explored how the observed laws and constantsof nature lie within a narrow range that allows complexity and lifeto evolve and adapt. Here, these anthropic considerations arediversified in a host of new ways to identify the most sensitivefeatures of biochemistry and astrobiology. Celebrating the classic1913 work of Lawrence J. Henderson, The Fitness of the Environmentfor Life, this book looks at the delicate balance between chemistryand the ambient conditions in the universe that permit complexchemical networks and structures to exist. It will appeal to abroad range of scientists, academics, and others interested in theorigin and existence of life in our universe.

Steven Pinker's riveting, myth-destroying new book reveals how,contrary to popular belief, humankind has become progressively lessviolent, over millenia and decades. Given the images of conflict we see daily on our screens, canviolence really have declined? And wasn't the twentiethcentury the most devastatingly brutal in history? Extraordinarily,however, as Steven Pinker shows, violence within and between societies - both murder and warfare - really has declined fromprehistory to today. We are much less likely to die at someoneelse's hands than ever before. Debunking both the idea of the 'noble savage' and aHobbesian notion of a 'nasty, brutish and short' life, StevenPinker argues that modernity and its cultural institutions aremaking us better people. He ranges over everything from art toreligion, international trade to individual table manners, andshows how life has changed across the centuries and around theworld - not simply through the huge benefits of organizedgovernment, but also because of the ex

The first collection of essays from renowned scientist andbest-selling author Richard Dawkins is an enthusiastic declaration,a testament to the power of rigorous scientific examination toreveal the wonders of the world. In these essays Dawkins revisitsthe meme, the unit of cultural information that he named and wroteabout in his groundbreaking work The Selfish Gene. Here also aremoving tributes to friends and colleagues, including a eulogy fornovelist Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to theGalaxy; correspondence with the evolutionary biologist Stephen JayGould; and visits with the famed paleoanthropologists Richard andMaeve Leakey at their African wildlife preserve. The collectionends with a vivid note to Dawkins's ten-year-old daughter,reminding her to remain curious, to ask questions, and to live theexamined life.

A young wife is home alone when the phone rings in "So Help MeGod." Is the strange voice flirting with her from the other end ofthe line her jealous husband laying a trap, or a stranger who knowsentirely too much about her? In "Madison at Guignol" an unhappyfashionista discovers a secret door inside her favorite clothingstore and insists the staff let her enter. But even her feveredimagination cannot anticipate the horror they have been hiding fromher. In these and other gripping and disturbing tales, women areconfronted by the evil around them and surprised by the evil theyfind within themselves. With wicked insight, Joyce Carol Oatesdemonstrates why the females of the species--be they six-year-oldgirls, seemingly devoted wives, or aging mothers--are by naturemore deadly than the males.

In July 1845, Henry David Thoreau built a small cottage in thewoods near Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. During the twoyears and two months he spent there, he began to write Walden, achronicle of his communion with nature that became one of the mostinfluential and compelling books in American literature. Since itsfirst publication on August 9, 1854, by Ticknor and Fields, thework has become a classic, beloved for its message of living simplyand in harmony with nature. This edition of Walden featuresexquisite wood engravings by Michel McCurdy, one of America'sleading engravers and woodblock artists. McCurdy's engravings bringthe text to life--and illuminate the spirit of Thoreau's prose.Also included is a foreword by noted author, environmentalist, andnaturalist Terry Tempest Williams who reflects upon Thoreau'smessage that as we explore our world and ourselves, we draw evercloser to the truth of our connectedness.

People decide about political parties by taking into accountthe preferences, values, expectations, and perceptions of theirfamily, friends, colleagues, and neighbours. As most people livewith others, members of their households influence each other'spolitical decisions. How and what they think about politics andwhat they do are the outcomes of social processes. Applying variedstatistical models to data from extensive German and Britishhousehold surveys, this book shows that wives and husbandsinfluence each other; young adults influence their parents,especially their mothers. Wives and mothers sit at the centre ofhouseholds: their partisanship influences the partisanship ofeveryone else, and the others affect them. Politics in householdsinteracts with competition among the political parties to sustainbounded partisanship. People ignore one of the major parties andvary their preference of its major rival over time. Electioncampaigns reinforce these choices.

An analysis of the nature, causes, and significance of violencein the second half of the twentieth century. Arendt also reexaminesthe relationship between war, politics, violence, and power."Incisive, deeply probing, written with clarity and grace, itprovides an ideal framework for understanding the turbulence of ourtimes"(Nation). Index.

The Cambridge Companion to the Scottish Enlightenment offers aphilosophical perspective on an eighteenth-century movement thathas been profoundly influential on western culture. A distinguishedteam of contributors examines the writings of David Hume, AdamSmith, Thomas Reid, Adam Ferguson, Colin Maclaurin and otherScottish thinkers, in fields including philosophy, naturaltheology, economics, anthropology, natural science and law. Inaddition, the contributors relate the Scottish Enlightenment to itshistorical context and assess its impact and legacy in Europe,America and beyond. The result is a comprehensive and accessiblevolume that illuminates the richness, the intellectual variety andthe underlying unity of this important movement. It will be ofinterest to a wide range of readers in philosophy, theology,literature and the history of ideas.

A collection of studies in which Arendt, from the standpointof a political philosopher, views the crises of the 1960s and early1970s as challenges to the american form of government. Index.

The late Carl Rogers, founder of the humanistic psychologymovement, revolutionized psychotherapy with his concept of"client-centered therapy." His influence has spanned decades, butthat influence has become so much a part of mainstream psychologythat the ingenious nature of his work has almost been forgotten. Anew introduction by Peter Kramer sheds light on the significance ofDr. Rogers's work today. New discoveries in the field ofpsychopharmacology, especially that of the antidepressant Prozac,have spawned a quick-fix drug revolution that has obscured thepsychotherapeutic relationship. As the pendulum slowly swings backtoward an appreciation of the therapeutic encounter, Dr. Rogers's"client-centered therapy" becomes particularly timely andimportant.

Gr 8 Up-In this gritty novel of World War II, 16-year-old Erik Brandt is forced to fight for the emaciated German army, and because of his knowledge of the Russian language, he is sent to the Russian front. The train trip that Erik and the other young men take is symbolic of their transition from child to man. These boys are sent to the front with only a few weeks of basic training and the directions to kill or be killed. After the first battle, Erik makes the life-altering decision to take the uniform of a dead Russian soldier and pretends to be Russian for most of his remaining time as a soldier, surviving serious wounds and finding the love of his life while he recuperates in a war hospital. There he pretends to have amnesia and takes the moniker "Soldier X." When the hospital is attacked, Erik and his girlfriend escape. After a harrowing journey filled with enemy encounters, they find a safe house in Czechoslovakia and eventually make their way to Berlin. The story is framed with a prologue and epilogue f

Louis Eguaras, a renowned chef at the Le Cordon Bleu Programat the California School of Culinary Arts, provides readers with aterrific overview of what is truly involved in the preparation,cooking, and presentation of meals. He also provides invaluableinsights into just what is involved in making this one's chosenprofession. The book will feature a wide range of illustrated lessons, fromhow to properly hold a knife... to the history of food... from foodpreparation and presentation... to restaurant hospitality andmanagement, and much more. The book will be presented in the distinctive andhighly-attractive packaged style of 101 THINGS I LEARNED INARCHITECTURE SCHOOL, and will be the perfect gift for anyone who isthinking about entering culinary school, is already enrolled, oreven just the casual chef.

The author introduces the seminal concept of"pseudo-events"--such as press conferences and presidentialdebates, which are staged solely for publicity--and redefinescelebrity as "a person who is known for his well-knownness." Theresult is an essential resource that distinguishes the deceptionsof our culture from its few enduring truths.

The cyberspace revolution, globalization, and the ever more rapid pace at which new knowledge is created are among the recent developments which challenge our universities. While they have adapted rather slowly in the past to changing circumstances, there is now an urgent need for them to adjust rapidly in order to fulfill their mission. Success will heavily depend on the presence of an appropriate system of governance, which is becoming more complex as the cyberspace revolution makes university structures less hierarchical. This book examines the contours and dimensions of university governance in research-intensive universities, seeks to develop cogent governance principles, and offers appropriate initiatives and recommendations. The authors, current and former heads of leading research-intensive universities in Western Europe and the United States, all share the defining concern that the fundamental changes of today pose serious challenges for universities and their system of governance. Contributors inclu

In the first thorough account of the complex workingrelationship between Lyndon Baines Johnson and Martin Luther King,Jr., Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist Nick Kotz offers anengrossing investigation of a little-known element of the Johnsonpresidency. Tracing both leaders' paths, from Johnson's assumptionof the presidency in 1963 to King's assassination in 1968, Kotzdescribes how they formed a wary alliance that would becomeinstrumental in producing some of the most substantial civil rightslegislation in American history: the Civil Rights Act of 1964 andthe Voting Rights Act of 1965. Drawing on a wealth of newlyavailable sourcesJohnson's taped telephone conversations,voluminous FBI wiretap logs, and secret communications between FBIdirector J. Edgar Hoover and the presidentKotz examines the forcesthat drew the charismatic men together and those that eventuallydrove them apart. Kotz's focused and incisive examinationsignificantly enriches our understanding of both men.

In recent years, a key research project at the China Institutefor Re-form and Development where I work has been thetransformation of thegovernment. The Institute has hosted severalimportant international fo-rums focusing on this topic which haveproduced research achievementsand aroused an extensive response. Asa scholar of the Institute, I havedevoted much of my time andenergy to issues related to the study ofthe transformation of thegovernment. This book presents 37 articles Iwrote or speeches Igave on this topic between May 2003 and September2005.

Grade 2-4-The adorable and intelligent hamster introduced in The World According to Humphrey (Putnam,2004) is dismayed to find that he shares his status as classroom pet with a frog.Try as he might,Humphrey cannot seem to make friends with Og,who just splashes him or says"BOING!"The little rodent,who can secretly write,learn,and get out of his cage,also uses his wits to effect positive outcomes of the various subplots,including a new girl who won't talk and has trouble making friends,two pals who get into a terrible fight,a bully who causes trouble on the bus,and the janitor who dreams of going back to college.The theme of friendship is as pervasive as the title implies,making this chapter book a charming read-aloud.Pair this tale with Frank Asch's Survival School(S & S,2003)for an appreciation of animals in the classroom.

Free cable television. Imaginary tax deductions. Do you takeyour chance to cheat? David Callahan thinks many of us would;witness corporate scandals, doping athletes, plagiarizingjournalists. Why all the cheating? Why now? Callahan blames thedog-eat-dog economic climate of the past twenty years: Anunfettered market and unprecedented economic inequality havecorroded our values and threaten to corrupt the equal opportunitywe cherish. Callahan's "Winning Class" has created a separate moralreality where it cheats without consequences-while the "AnxiousClass" believes choosing not to cheat could cancel its only shot atsuccess in a winner-take-all world. Updated with a new afterwordanalyzing the latest on cheating from the Martha Stewart trial tothe Tyco and Enron sentencings, The Cheating Culture takes us on agripping tour of cheating in America and makes a powerful case forwhy it matters.

This generously annotated edition of Coriolanus offers athorough reconsideration of Shakespeare's remarkable, and probablyhis last, tragedy. A substantial introduction situates the playwithin its contemporary social and political contexts - death,riots, the struggle over authority between James 1 and his firstparliament, the travails of Essex and Ralegh - and pays particularattention to Shakespeare's shaping of his primary source inPlutarch's Lives. It presents a fresh account of how theprotagonist's personal tragedy evolves within Shakespeare's mostsearching exploration of the political life of a community. Theedition is alert throughout to the play's theatrical potential,while the stage history also attends to the politics of performancefrom the 1680s to the 1990s, including European productionsfollowing the Second World War.

Ex-cop turned #1 New York Times bestselling writer JosephWambaugh forged a new kind of literature with his great earlypolice procedurals. Here in his classic debut novel, Wambaughpresents a stunning, raw, and unforgettable depiction of lifebehind the thin blue line. In a class of new police recruits, Augustus Plebesly is fast andscared. Roy Fehler is full of ideals. And Serge Duran is anex-marine running away from his Chicano childhood. In a few weeksthey'll put on the blue uniform of the LAPD. In months they'll knowhow to interpret the mad babble of the car radio, smell danger,trap a drug dealer, hide a secret, and-most of all-live with theunderstanding that cops are different from everyone else. But forthese men, these new centurions, time is an enemy. The year is1960. The streets are burning with rage. And before they can growold on this job, they'll have to fight for their lives...

Supermodels are a new breed of celebrity who have eclipsed pop stars and movie stars as today's modern icons. Today, such models as Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer are household names whereas, only a decade ago, models were anonymous outside the circuit. These superstars have expanded their careers beyond the runways, as modelling has given them the recognition required to conquer the world. The new renaissance models are astute business women, having built their names into international brands and multi-million-dollar empires.

The emergence of observing systems such as acoustically-trackedfloats in the deep ocean, and surface drifters navigating bysatellite has seen renewed interest in Lagrangian fluid dynamics.Starting from the foundations of elementary kinematics and assumingsome familiarity of Eulerian fluid dynamics, this book reviews theclassical and new exact solutions of the Lagrangian framework, andthen addresses the general solvability of the resulting generalequations of motion. A unified account of turbulent diffusion anddispersion is offered, with applications among others to planktonpatchiness in the ocean. Written at graduate level, the bookprovides the first detailed and comprehensive analyticaldevelopment of the Lagrangian formulation of fluid dynamics, ofinterest not only to applied mathematicians but alsooceanographers, meteorologists, mechanical engineers,astrophysicists and indeed all investigators of the dynamics offluids.