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Serendipity: The Unexpected in Science
by Telmo PievaniFrom the bestselling author of Imperfection, a theory of uncertainty as the very core of the scientific method—and the essence of its wonder.How many times have we looked for something and found something else? A partner, a job, an object? The same thing often happens to scientists: they design an experiment and discover the unexpected, which usually turns out to be very important. This fascinating phenomenon is called serendipity, which takes its name from the mythical Serendip, a place from which, according to a Persian fable, three princes set off to explore the world, making chance discoveries along the way. In Serendipity, the award-winning author of Imperfection Telmo Pievani returns to weave a compelling story about the unexpected in science and its fascinating role in our understanding of the world.Going far beyond the usual examples of penicillin, X-rays, the microwave oven, and Christopher Columbus, Pievani shows that the most surprising stories of serendipity in the history of science reveal profound aspects of the logic of scientific discovery. In this book, he presents for the first time: an archaeology of the idea; a taxonomy of serendipitous discoveries; an &“ecology of serendipity&” (the surrounding conditions and factors that can promote it); and lastly, a theory of serendipity (why it occurs so frequently in so many sciences). From Zadig to Sherlock Holmes, Pievani shows that such great discoveries are not just the product of luck. Instead, serendipity comes from a mix of cunning, curiosity, sagacity, imagination, and accidents caught on the fly. Serendipity illuminates how much we don&’t know and how much we don&’t even know we don&’t know. Above all, Pievani reminds us that the human brain is of a piece with the world it is investigating—a world so much bigger than our knowledge—and it has also evolved within that world, adapting as it has to.
Serial Killers - Philosophy for Everyone: Being and Killing (Philosophy for Everyone #36)
by Fritz AllhoffSerial Killers - Philosophy for Everyone investigates our profound intrigue with mass-murderers. Exploring existential, ethical and political questions through an examination of real and fictional serial killers, philosophy comes alive via an exploration of grisly death. Presents new philosophical theories about serial killing, and relates new research in cognitive science to the minds of serial killers Includes a philosophical look at real serial killers such as Ian Brady, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer and the Zodiac killer, as well as fictional serial killers such as Dexter and Hannibal Lecter Offers a new phenomenological examination of the writings of the Zodiac Killer Contains an account of the disappearance of one of Ted Bundy's victims submitted by the organization Families and Friends of Missing Persons and Violent Crime Victims Integrates the insights of philosophers, academics, crime writers and police officers
Serious Fun with Flexagons
by L. P. PookA flexagon is a motion structure that has the appearance of a ring of hinged polygons. It can be flexed to display different pairs of faces, usually in cyclic order. Flexagons can be appreciated as toys or puzzles, as a recreational mathematics topic, and as the subject of serious mathematical study. Workable paper models of flexagons are easy to make and entertaining to manipulate. The mathematics of flexagons is complex, and how a flexagon works is not immediately obvious on examination of a paper model. Recent geometric analysis, included in the book, has improved theoretical understanding of flexagons, especially relationships between different types. This profusely illustrated book is arranged in a logical order appropriate for a textbook on the geometry of flexagons. It is written so that it can be enjoyed at both the recreational mathematics level, and at the serious mathematics level. The only prerequisite is some knowledge of elementary geometry, including properties of polygons. A feature of the book is a compendium of over 100 nets for making paper models of some of the more interesting flexagons, chosen to complement the text. These are accurately drawn and reproduced at half full size. Many of the nets have not previously been published. Instructions for assembling and manipulating the flexagons are included.
Serious Larks: The Philosophy of Ted Cohen
by Ted Cohen Daniel HerwitzTed Cohen was an original and captivating essayist known for his inquisitive intelligence, wit, charm, and a deeply humane feel for life. For Cohen, writing was a way of discovering, and also celebrating, the depth and complexity of things overlooked by most professional philosophers and aestheticians—but not by most people. Whether writing about the rules of baseball, of driving, or of Kant’s Third Critique; about Hitchcock, ceramics, or jokes, Cohen proved that if you study the world with a bemused but honest attentiveness, you can find something to philosophize about more or less anywhere. This collection, edited and introduced by philosopher Daniel Herwitz, brings together some of Cohen’s best work to capture the unique style that made Cohen one of the most beloved philosophers of his generation. Among the perceptive, engaging, and laugh-out-loud funny reflections on movies, sports, art, language, and life included here are Cohen’s classic papers on metaphor and his Pushcart Prize–winning essay on baseball, as well as memoir, fiction, and even poetry. Full of free-spirited inventiveness, these Serious Larks would be equally at home outside Thoreau’s cabin on the waters of Walden Pond as they are here, proving that intelligence, sensitivity, and good humor can be found in philosophical writing after all.
Seriously Funny: The Endlessly Quotable Terry Pratchett
by Terry Pratchett‘I’ll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there’s evidence of any thinking going on inside it.’The most quotable writer of our time, Terry Pratchett’s unique brand of wit made him both a bestseller and an enduring, endearing source of modern wisdom. This collection is filled with his funniest and most memorable words about life, the universe and snoring.
Serpents in the Classroom: The Poisoning of Modern Education and How the Church Can Cure It
by Thomas KorcokSerpents in the Classroom answers questions that teachers, pastors, and parents often ask themselves. Despite their best efforts, why do children so often reject the Christian faith? The answer is found in the theological presuppositions that undergird much of contemporary education. Though the educational establishment often presents its models as products drawn from evidence-based research that is theologically neutral, they are anything but. Rather, they are founded on theologies that are diametrically opposed to orthodox Christian teaching. Drawing on his experience as an educator, pastor, and professor, Dr. Korcok uncovers the theological tenets of some of the pedagogues who have been influential in shaping contemporary educational thought and discovers how they have intentionally designed education to turn children away from the Christian faith.For the Christian teacher and parent, there is an alternative. Dr. Korcok presents the classical liberal arts education model that has served the church well for almost 2,000 years as a practical and theologically sound model of education for training a child for a life of faith.
Serpientes en el aula: El envenenamiento de la educación moderna y cómo la Iglesia puede remediarlo
by Thomas KorcokSerpientes en el aula responde a preguntas que profesores, pastores y padres se plantean a menudo. Pese a sus mejores esfuerzos, ¿ por qué los niñ os rechazan tan a menudo la fe cristiana? La respuesta se encuentra en las premisas teoló gicas que sustentan gran parte de la educació n contemporá nea. Aunque la clase dirigente educativa suele presentar sus modelos como productos derivados de investigaciones basadas en pruebas y teoló gicamente neutras, no lo son en absoluto. Má s bien, se basan en teologí as diametralmente opuestas a la enseñ anza cristiana ortodoxa.Basá ndose en su experiencia como educador, pastor y profesor universitario, el Dr. Korcok revela los principios teoló gicos de algunos de los pedagogos que han influido en la configuració n del pensamiento educativo contemporá neo y descubre có mo han diseñ ado intencionadamente la educació n para apartar a los niñ os de la fe cristiana.Para los profesores y los padres cristianos, existe una alternativa. El Dr. Korcok presenta el modelo clá sico de educació n en artes liberales que, por casi dos mil añ os, ha servido eficazmente a la Iglesia como un modelo educativo prá ctico y teoló gicamente sano para formar a los niñ os para una vida de fe.
Servant of the Crown and Steward of the Church: The Career of Philippe of Cahors (Medieval Academy Books)
by William Chester JordanIn the thirteenth century, radical reformers – churchmen, devout laywomen and laymen, and secular rulers – undertook Hherculean efforts aimed at the moral reform of society. No principality was more affected by these impulses than France under its king, Louis IX or "Saint Louis." The monarch surrounded himself with gifted, energetic moralists to carry out his efforts. Servant of the Crown and Steward of the Church explores the career of one of the most influential of King Louis’s reformers, Philippe of Cahors. Born into a bourgeois family dwelling on the periphery of the medieval kingdom of France, Philippe rose through the ecclesiastical hierarchy to the office of judge. There he came to the attention of royal administrators, who recommended him for the king’s service. He ascended rapidly, and was eventually entrusted with the royal seal, effectively making constituting him the chancellor of the kingdom, the highest member of the royal administration. Louis IX secured his election as bishop of Évreux in 1269. Using the records of Philippe’s work in Reims, Paris, and Évreux, William Chester Jordan reconstructs Philippe’s his career, providing a fascinating portrait of the successes and failures of reform in the thirteenth century.
Service Learning as a Political Act in Education: Bicultural Foundations for a Decolonizing Pedagogy (Routledge Research in Education #9)
by Kortney HernandezDisrupting assumptions and commonsensical ideologies of "service," Service Learning as a Political Act in Education presents a clear and systematic analysis that unveils the rampant contradictions within the service learning field. By providing a careful, critical bicultural examination of the field, this book questions the relentless insertion of service learning programs into working-class, bicultural communities. Through a decolonizing lens, this book offers a radical political confrontation of service learning ideologies and practices.
Service-Learning Capacity Enhancement in Hong Kong Higher Education (Quality of Life in Asia #14)
by Daniel T. L. Shek Grace NgaiThis book provides an in-depth, multi-faceted look into capacity building for service-learning, using the case of the higher education landscape in Hong Kong. Service-learning has been proven to be an effective pedagogy for the holistic development of students, as well as promotion of their well-being. It also attempts to promote the well-being of the service recipients and the community. While service-learning is becoming increasingly popular in many higher educational institutions around the world, the learning gains that can be attained from service-learning are only as good as the learning experience allows, and poorly-developed or motivated service-learning may potentially do adverse harm to students and the community. This book reinforces the imperative to enhance the capacity of the institution, teachers, students and community partners by exploring a diverse range of methods for achieving capacity building among different stakeholders. Examples of the methods explored include formal course-based professional development, scale development, action research, and communities of practice. Furthermore, the book includes a series of detailed, qualitative case studies that are aimed at embodying good practice, unpacking “what matters” from service-learning. Aa a useful resource for scholars and educators who are passionate about holistic youth leadership development, this book is also relevant to researchers in the intersection between well-being and higher education.
Set Phasers to Teach!: Star Trek in Research and Teaching
by Wilfried Elmenreich John N.A. Brown Stefan Rabitsch Martin GabrielFor 50 years, Star Trek has been an inspiration to its fans around the world, helping them to dream of a better future. This inspiration has entered our culture and helped to shape much of the technology of the early 21st Century.The contributors to this volume are researchers and teachers in a wide variety of disciplines; from Astrophysics to Ethnology, from English and History to Medicine and Video Games, and from American Studies to the study of Collective Computing Systems. What the authors have in common is that some version of Star Trek has inspired them, not only in their dreams of what may be, but in the ways in which they work - and teach others to work - here in the real world. Introduced with references to Star Trek films and television shows, and illustrated with original cartoons, each of the 15 chapters included in this volume provides insights into research and teaching in this range of academic fields.
Set Theory
by Ralf SchindlerThis textbook gives an introduction to axiomatic set theory and examines the prominent questions that are relevant in current research in a manner that is accessible to students. Its main theme is the interplay of large cardinals, inner models, forcing and descriptive set theory. The following topics are covered: * Forcing and constructability * The Solovay-Shelah Theorem i. e. the equiconsistency of 'every set of reals is Lebesgue measurable' with one inaccessible cardinal * Fine structure theory and a modern approach to sharps * Jensen's Covering Lemma * The equivalence of analytic determinacy with sharps * The theory of extenders and iteration trees * A proof of projective determinacy from Woodin cardinals. Set Theory requires only a basic knowledge of mathematical logic and will be suitable for advanced students and researchers.
Set Theory and Logic
by Robert R. StollSet Theory and Logic is the result of a course of lectures for advanced undergraduates, developed at Oberlin College for the purpose of introducing students to the conceptual foundations of mathematics. Mathematics, specifically the real number system, is approached as a unity whose operations can be logically ordered through axioms. One of the most complex and essential of modern mathematical innovations, the theory of sets (crucial to quantum mechanics and other sciences), is introduced in a most careful concept manner, aiming for the maximum in clarity and stimulation for further study in set logic. Contents include: Sets and Relations -- Cantor's concept of a set, etc.Natural Number Sequence -- Zorn's Lemma, etc.Extension of Natural Numbers to Real NumbersLogic -- the Statement and Predicate Calculus, etc.Informal Axiomatic MathematicsBoolean AlgebraInformal Axiomatic Set TheorySeveral Algebraic Theories -- Rings, Integral Domains, Fields, etc.First-Order Theories -- Metamathematics, etc.Symbolic logic does not figure significantly until the final chapter. The main theme of the book is mathematics as a system seen through the elaboration of real numbers; set theory and logic are seen s efficient tools in constructing axioms necessary to the system. Mathematics students at the undergraduate level, and those who seek a rigorous but not unnecessarily technical introduction to mathematical concepts, will welcome the return to print of this most lucid work. "Professor Stoll . . . has given us one of the best introductory texts we have seen." -- Cosmos. "In the reviewer's opinion, this is an excellent book, and in addition to its use as a textbook (it contains a wealth of exercises and examples) can be recommended to all who wish an introduction to mathematical logic less technical than standard treatises (to which it can also serve as preliminary reading)." -- Mathematical Reviews.
Set Theory: An Introduction to Axiomatic Reasoning (Textbooks in Mathematics)
by Robert AndréContemporary students of mathematics differ considerably from those of half a century ago. In spite of this, many textbooks written decades ago, and now considered to be “classics”, are still prescribed for students today. These texts are not suitable for today’s students. This text is meant for and written to today’s mathematics students. Set theory is a pure mathematics endeavor in the sense that it seems to have no immediate applications; yet the knowledge and skills developed in such a course can easily branch out to various fields of both pure mathematics and applied mathematics.Rather than transforming the reader into a practicing mathematician, this book is more designed to initiate the reader to what may be called “mathematical thinking” while developing knowledge about foundations of modern mathematics. Without this insight, becoming a practicing mathematician is much more daunting.The main objective is twofold. The students will develop some fundamental understanding of the foundations of mathematics and elements of set theory, in general. In the process, the student will develop skills in proving simple mathematical statements with “mathematical rigor”.Carefully presented detailed proofs and rigorous chains of logical arguments will guide the students from the fundamental ZFC-axioms and definitions to show why a basic mathematical statement must hold true. The student will recognize the role played by each fundamental axiom in development of modern mathematics. The student will learn to distinguish between a correct mathematical proof and an erroneous one. The subject matter is presented while bypassing the complexities encountered when using formal logic.
Sets, Logic and Maths for Computing
by David MakinsonThis easy-to-follow textbook introduces the mathematical language, knowledge and problem-solving skills that undergraduates need to study computing. The language is in part qualitative, with concepts such as set, relation, function and recursion/induction; but it is also partly quantitative, with principles of counting and finite probability. Entwined with both are the fundamental notions of logic and their use for representation and proof. Features: teaches finite math as a language for thinking, as much as knowledge and skills to be acquired; uses an intuitive approach with a focus on examples for all general concepts; brings out the interplay between the qualitative and the quantitative in all areas covered, particularly in the treatment of recursion and induction; balances carefully the abstract and concrete, principles and proofs, specific facts and general perspectives; includes highlight boxes that raise common queries and clear confusions; provides numerous exercises, with selected solutions.
Sets, Logic and Maths for Computing (Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science)
by David MakinsonThis easy-to-understand textbook introduces the mathematical language and problem-solving tools essential to anyone wishing to enter the world of computer and information sciences. Specifically designed for the student who is intimidated by mathematics, the book offers a concise treatment in an engaging style.The thoroughly revised third edition features a new chapter on relevance-sensitivity in logical reasoning and many additional explanations on points that students find puzzling, including the rationale for various shorthand ways of speaking and ‘abuses of language’ that are convenient but can give rise to misunderstandings. Solutions are now also provided for all exercises.Topics and features: presents an intuitive approach, emphasizing how finite mathematics supplies a valuable language for thinking about computation; discusses sets and the mathematical objects built with them, such as relations and functions, as well as recursion and induction; introduces core topics of mathematics, including combinatorics and finite probability, along with the structures known as trees; examines propositional and quantificational logic, how to build complex proofs from simple ones, and how to ensure relevance in logic; addresses questions that students find puzzling but may have difficulty articulating, through entertaining conversations between Alice and the Mad Hatter; provides an extensive set of solved exercises throughout the text.This clearly-written textbook offers invaluable guidance to students beginning an undergraduate degree in computer science. The coverage is also suitable for courses on formal methods offered to those studying mathematics, philosophy, linguistics, economics, and political science. Assuming only minimal mathematical background, it is ideal for both the classroom and independent study.
Sets, Logic and Maths for Computing, 2nd Ed.
by David MakinsonThis easy-to-follow textbook introduces the mathematical language, knowledge and problem-solving skills that undergraduates need to study computing. The language is in part qualitative, with concepts such as set, relation, function and recursion/induction; but it is also partly quantitative, with principles of counting and finite probability. Entwined with both are the fundamental notions of logic and their use for representation and proof. Features: teaches finite math as a language for thinking, as much as knowledge and skills to be acquired; uses an intuitive approach with a focus on examples for all general concepts; brings out the interplay between the qualitative and the quantitative in all areas covered, particularly in the treatment of recursion and induction; balances carefully the abstract and concrete, principles and proofs, specific facts and general perspectives; includes highlight boxes that raise common queries and clear confusions; provides numerous exercises, with selected solutions.
Sets, Models and Proofs (Springer Undergraduate Mathematics Series)
by Ieke Moerdijk Jaap Van OostenThis textbook provides a concise and self-contained introduction to mathematical logic, with a focus on the fundamental topics in first-order logic and model theory. Including examples from several areas of mathematics (algebra, linear algebra and analysis), the book illustrates the relevance and usefulness of logic in the study of these subject areas.The authors start with an exposition of set theory and the axiom of choice as used in everyday mathematics. Proceeding at a gentle pace, they go on to present some of the first important results in model theory, followed by a careful exposition of Gentzen-style natural deduction and a detailed proof of Gödel’s completeness theorem for first-order logic. The book then explores the formal axiom system of Zermelo and Fraenkel before concluding with an extensive list of suggestions for further study. The present volume is primarily aimed at mathematics students who are already familiar with basic analysis, algebra and linear algebra. It contains numerous exercises of varying difficulty and can be used for self-study, though it is ideally suited as a text for a one-semester university course in the second or third year.
Setting the People Free: The Story of Democracy
by John DunnWhy does democracy—as a word and as an idea—loom so large in the political imagination, though it has so often been misused and misunderstood? Setting the People Free starts by tracing the roots of democracy from an improvised remedy for a local Greek difficulty 2,500 years ago, through its near extinction, to its rebirth amid the struggles of the French Revolution. Celebrated political theorist John Dunn then charts the slow but insistent metamorphosis of democracy over the next 150 years and its apparently overwhelming triumph since 1945. He examines the differences and the extraordinary continuities that modern democratic states share with their Greek antecedents and explains why democracy evokes intellectual and moral scorn for some, and vital allegiance from others. Now with a new preface and conclusion that ground this landmark work firmly in the present, Setting the People Free is a unique and brilliant account of an extraordinary idea.
Settlers in Indian Country: Sovereignty and Indigenous Power in Early America (Elements in Comparative Political Theory)
by Charles W. PriorThe aim of this Element is to foreground Native American conceptions of sovereignty and power in order to refine the place of settler colonialism in American colonial and early republican history. It argues that Indigenous concepts of sovereignty were rooted in complex metaphorical language, in historical understandings of alliance, and in mobility in a landscape of layered interconnections of power. Where some versions of the interpretive paradigm of settler colonialism emphasise the violent 'elimination of the native', this work reveals that diplomatic transactions between the Iroquois Confederacy and British colonial and imperial agents reveal a hybrid language of alliance, sovereignty and territory. These languages and concepts of inter-cultural diplomacy provide contexts that suggest a more nuanced and dynamic relationship between colonialism and Indigenous power.
Seven Essays on Populism: For a Renewed Theoretical Perspective (Critical South)
by Paula Biglieri Luciana CadahiaThis important intervention interrogates keystone features of the dominant European theoretical landscape in the field of populism studies, advancing existing debates and introducing new avenues of thought, in conjunction with insights from the contemporary Latin American political experience and perspectives. In each essay – the title a nod to the influential socialist thinker José Carlos Mariátegui, from whom the authors draw inspiration – leading Argentine scholars Paula Biglieri and Luciana Cadahia pair key dimensions of populism with diverse themes such as modern-day feminism, militancy, and neoliberalism, in order to stimulate discussion surrounding the constitutive nature, goals, and potential of populist social movements. Biglieri and Cadahia are unafraid to court provocation in their frank assessment of populism as a force which could bring about essential emancipatory social change to confront emerging right-wing trends in policy and leadership. At the same time, this fresh interpretation of a much-maligned political articulation is balanced by their denunciation of right-aligned populisms and their failure to bring to bear a sustainable alternative to contemporary neo-authoritarian forms of neoliberalism. In their place, they articulate a populism which offers a viable means of mobilizing a response to hegemonic forms of neoliberal discourse and government.
Seven Masterpieces of Philosophy
by Steven M. CahnThis highly anticipated anthology, compiled by noted author and scholar Steven Cahn, presents the seven major works central to any introductory philosophy course in their entirety. Each work has had a profound influence on philosophical thought, and the authors are generally regarded as among the world’s greatest philosophers. Seven Masterpieces in Philosophy features the most well-respected and admired translations, and offers introductions and annotations by Steven Cahn. Anyone seeking to understand the challenges of philosophy could hardly do better than concentrate attention on these seven masterpieces. A great alternative to larger tomes, this book allows the instructor to supplement these works with additional materials of their choosing.
Seven Men Who Rule the World From the Grave
by Dave BreeseThough their bodies lie cold and dormant, the grave cannot contain the influence these seven men have had on today's world. They continue to rule because they have altered the thinking of society. They generated philosophies that have been ardently grasped by masses of people but are erroneous and antiscriptural. Today these ideas pervade our schools, businesses, homes, and even the church. As we continue to unknowingly subscribe to their philosophies, we keep the grave open for Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Julius Wellhausen, John Dewey, Sigmund Freud, John Maynard Keynes, and Soren Kierkegaard. Dave Breese warns us of the dangers of believing unreservedly the ideas of these seven men. He also reminds us of the only man whose life and words we can trust completely- Jesus Christ.
Seven Men Who Rule the World From the Grave
by Dave BreeseThough their bodies lie cold and dormant, the grave cannot contain the influence these seven men have had on today's world. They continue to rule because they have altered the thinking of society. They generated philosophies that have been ardently grasped by masses of people but are erroneous and antiscriptural. Today these ideas pervade our schools, businesses, homes, and even the church. As we continue to unknowingly subscribe to their philosophies, we keep the grave open for Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Julius Wellhausen, John Dewey, Sigmund Freud, John Maynard Keynes, and Soren Kierkegaard. Dave Breese warns us of the dangers of believing unreservedly the ideas of these seven men. He also reminds us of the only man whose life and words we can trust completely- Jesus Christ.
Seven Pleasures: Essays on Ordinary Happiness
by Willard SpiegelmanWhat does it mean to be happy? Americans have had an obsession with "the pursuit of happiness" ever since the Founding Fathers enshrined it—along with life and liberty—as our national birthright. Whether it means the accumulation of wealth or a more vaguely understood notion of self-fulfillment or self-actualization, happiness has been an inevitable, though elusive, goal.But it is hard to separate "real" happiness from the banal self-help version that embraces mindless positive thinking. And though we have two booming "happiness industries"—religion, with its promise of salvation, and psychopharmacology, with its promise of better living through chemistry—each comes with its own problems and complications.In Seven Pleasures, Willard Spiegelman takes a look at the possibilities for achieving ordinary secular happiness without recourse to either religion or drugs. In this erudite and frequently hilarious book of essays, he discusses seven activities that lead naturally and easily to a sense of well-being. One of these—dancing—requires a partner, and therefore provides a lesson in civility, or good citizenship, as one of its benefits. The other six—reading, walking, looking, listening, swimming, and writing—are things one performs alone. Seven Pleasures is a marvelously engaging guide to the pursuit of happiness, and all its accompanying delights.