Science

From renowned intellectual and historian Michael Ignatieff comes a moving portrait of artists, writers, politicians, emperors, and poets overcoming tragedy and crisis an ancient tradition of consolation which will resonate with readers in our turbulent times.

Collected here are "Franz Kafka," "Karl Kraus," and "The Author as Producer," the meditation "A Berlin Chronicle," discussions of photography and the French writer, and previously untranslated pieces on such subjects as language and memory, theological criticism and literary history, astrology and the newspaper, Valery, Hitler, and Mickey Mouse.

*2022 Nautilus Book Award Gold Medal Winner: Ecology & Environment *2022 Nautilus Book Award Special Honors as Best of Anthology For readers of Braiding Sweetgrass and The Overstory From The Center for Humans and Nature, a collection in five volumes: essays, interviews, poetry, and stories of solidarity that highlight the interdependence that exists between humans and nonhuman beings We live in an astounding world of relations. We share these ties that bind with our fellow humans--and we share these relations with nonhuman beings as well. From the bacterium swimming in your belly to the trees exhaling the breath you breathe, this community of life is our kin--and, for many cultures around the world, being human is based upon this extended sense of kinship. Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations is a lively series that explores our deep interconnections with the living world. More than 70 contributors--including Robin Wall Kimmerer, Richard Powers, David Abram, J. Drew Lanham, and Sharon Blackie--invite readers into cosmologies, narratives, and everyday interactions that embrace a more-than-human world as worthy of our response and responsibility. These diverse voices render a wide range of possibilities for becoming better kin. Contents: Planet What are the sources of our deepest evolutionary and planetary connections, and of our profound longing for kinship? Place To what extent does crafting a deeper connection with the Earth's bioregions reinvigorate a sense of kinship with the place-based beings, systems, and communities that mutually shape one another? Partners How do relations between and among different species foster a sense of responsibility and belonging in us? Persons Which experiences expand our understanding of being human in relation to other-than-human beings? Practice What are the practical, everyday, and lifelong ways we become kin? From the recognition of nonhumans as persons to the care of our kinfolk through language and action, Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations is a guide and companion into the ways we can deepen our care and respect for the family of plants, rivers, mountains, animals, and others who live with us in this exuberant, life-generating, planetary tangle of relations. Proceeds from sales of Kinship benefit the nonprofit, non-partisan Center for Humans and Nature, which partners with some of the brightest minds to explore human responsibilities to each other and the more-than-human world. The Center brings together philosophers, ecologists, artists, political scientists, anthropologists, poets and economists, among others, to think creatively about a resilient future for the whole community of life.

The Dao De Jing (also called the Tao Te Ching) was written more than 2,500 years ago and is considered one of the most important books in world literature. Coming in at only 5,000 Chinese characters, its timeless wisdom has inspired millions of people around the world and serves as one of the cornerstones of the Taoist religion.It has been translated into English many, many times, but this new work by the best-selling writing team of Jeff Pepper and Xiao Hui Wang is much more than a translation. The authors have taken the unusual step of not just giving you the English translation, but also showing, word by word, how one gets from the original Chinese characters to the English version.Each of the 81 short chapters contains a beautiful English translation, followed by a word-by-word and line-by-line breakdown of the chapter, showing the original Chinese, the pinyin (phonetic spelling in English characters), a word-for-word literal translation into English, and occasional helpful notes to help the reader better understand the translation. The result is a book that can be read casually, or studied carefully, or anything in between.This new translation expresses the DDJ in simple language that anyone can access. In their Authors' Notes they say: "This is a book for ordinary people, not scholars. Many DDJ translations have been created by scholars for other scholars, and while we have studied many of them and owe a debt of gratitude to those scholars, we feel that the DDJ's message is simple, practical and universal, and we want everyone to have the chance to benefit from it. We try to follow the guidance of Laozi in Chapter 70, who tells us, in his usual elliptical way: "My words are very easy to understand, very easy to practice. In this world, they can't be understood, and can't be practiced."It's impossible to do a 100% literal translation of the DDJ. Ordinary modern Chinese is quite different from Western languages, and the language used in this book is even more different. To start with, the original DDJ is extremely compact. Its verses have very few connecting words, forcing the reader to think deeply about the verse in order to tease out its underlying meaning or meanings. Some words can, depending on context, serve as nouns, verbs, adjectives or adverbs. Verbs in Chinese generally have no past, present or future tense, nouns have no gender (male/female), and no number (singular/plural). And to make things even more difficult, helpful little words like prepositions and pronouns are often missing entirely. As a result, translating literally from Chinese to English usually results in gibberish. Pepper and Wang have added just enough connecting words so that the sentence makes sense, while still expressing Laozi's thoughts as concisely as possible. They've also tried really hard to avoid the temptation to add things that weren't already there in order to make the sentence more readable.A Pocket Edition of this book is also available. The Pocket Edition contains only the English translation, not the original Chinese or the detailed translation notes. It's only 114 pages vs. 380 pages, and it's a smaller size (5"x8" instead of 6"x9"), making it a better fit for the pants pocket.

How posthumanist design enables a world in which humans share center stage with nonhumans, with whom we are entangled.Over the past forty years, designers have privileged human values such that human-centered design is seen as progressive. Yet because all that is not human has been depleted, made extinct, or put to human use, today's design contributes to the existential threat of climate change and the ongoing extinctions of other species. In Things We Could Design, Ron Wakkary argues that human-centered design is not the answer to our problems but is itself part of the problem. Drawing on philosophy, design theory, and numerous design works, he shows the way to a relational and expansive design based on humility and cohabitation. Wakkary says that design can no longer ignore its exploitation of nonhuman species and the materials we mine for and reduce to human use. Posthumanism, he argues, enables a rethinking of design that displaces the human at the center of thought and action. Weaving together posthumanist philosophies with design, he describes what he calls things--nonhumans made by designers--and calls for a commitment to design with more than human participation. Wakkary also focuses on design as "nomadic practices"--a multiplicity of intentionalities and situated knowledges that shows design to be expansive and pluralistic. He calls his overall approach "designing-with": the practice of design in a world in which humans share center stage with nonhumans, and in which we are bound together materially, ethically, and existentially.

A remarkable account of the brain's plasticity, from the internationally bestselling author

The Golden Ratio is a lush volume filled with the gorgeous illustrations of renowned artist Rafael Araujo-the consummate golden ratio keepsake.

How do you change someone's mind? How do you stop bad habits? A bold new theory about the way ideas and behaviours spread (and can be altered) from the world's leading expert, Professor Damon Centola

Acclaimed &i>New York Times&/i> science writer Carl Zimmer investigates what current science has to say on the most fundamental of questions: what is life? What does it mean to be alive?

An urgent and passionate plea for a new and ecologically sustainable vision of the good life.

How to live a better life. One of the most important books on Western philosophy - a powerful and inspirational guide for the complicated world of today

What if there was a person who was created just for you, and only you? What if there was someone out there who could satisfy ALL your needs, wants, and desires as your Perfect Partner? Would you call this person “The One?” We call them your Twin Flame, and this book will show you how to find, identify, and keep this person in your life, for life.Your Twin Flame was designed for you as your Ultimate Lover, who is destined to spend lifetime after lifetime with you in deep, passionate, everlasting love. They are your perfect companion in life as a lover, partner, friend, ally, and everything else you desire. You know them by the feeling you have for that special someone in your heart, and who you know is out there.It's time to bring your Twin Flame from “out there,” into your life. This book is designed to show you how, and what to do when you are united with your Twin Flame.

At the forefront of empathy research, Dr. Jamil Zaki has made an important discovery: empathy is flexible.

An illuminating manifesto for a twenty-first century understanding of human evolution and variation - and a weapon against scientific racism - by the author of A BRIEF HISTORY OF EVERYONE WHO EVER LIVED

Richard Feynman Nobel Laureate, teacher, icon and genius possessed an unquenchable thirst for adventure and an unparalleled gift for telling the extraordinary stories of his life. In this collection of short pieces and reminiscences he describes everything from his love of beauty to college pranks to how his father taught him to think. He takes us behind the scenes of the space shuttle Challenger investigation, where he dramatically revealed the cause of the disaster with a simple experiment. And he tells us of how he met his beloved first wife Arlene, and their brief time together before her death. Sometimes intensely moving, sometimes funny, these writings are infused with Feynman s curiosity and passion for life.

'I have a truly marvellous demonstration of this proposition which this margin is too narrow to contain.'It was with these words, written in the 1630s, that Pierre de Fermat intrigued and infuriated the mathematics community. For over 350 years, proving Fermat's Last Theorem was the most notorious unsolved mathematical problem, a puzzle whose basics most children could grasp but whose solution eluded the greatest minds in the world. In 1993, after years of secret toil, Englishman Andrew Wiles announced to an astounded audience that he had cracked Fermat's Last Theorem. He had no idea of the nightmare that lay ahead.In 'Fermat's Last Theorem' Simon Singh has crafted a remarkable tale of intellectual endeavour spanning three centuries, and a moving testament to the obsession, sacrifice and extraordinary determination of Andrew Wiles: one man against all the odds.

If you want beautiful, healthy, glowing skin, whatever your age, then look no further. This Scandinavian bestseller will revolutionise how you care for your body's largest organ. What does the latest research tell us about our skin? How do our hormones, genetics, diet, and environment play a part? What should we look for in our beauty products, and what should we avoid? In this comprehensive guide, skin scientist Johanna Gillbro teaches you how best to care for your skin - and what not to do. Think drinking water will replenish your skin? Think again. More products, better skin? Nope. And an expensive product doesn't guarantee reliable results. You don't need to cleanse your skin in the morning; in fact, too much cleansing can be damaging. Toner is redundant, natural products are not always best, and bacteria are not the enemy - and that's just the start!Learn how to read the labels on products, know exactly what it is you're putting on your skin, and make better decisions about how you care for it. Using cutting-edge research about the microbiome, as well as the relationship between gut health and skin, The Scandinavian Skincare Bible challenges how we look at beauty today. By revealing the science and exposing commercial tricks, Dr Gillbro empowers us to lay the foundation for healthy, beautiful skin.

The renowned Tibetan Buddhist teacher recounts the adventure story of his life and brush with death during his four-year wandering retreat, combined with innovative meditation techniques for a more enlightened and happier life.

A fascinating investigation of our ability to navigate: from the earliest humans, to cutting-edge spatial neuroscience, and the increasing loss, in todays world, of our ability to find our way.