Book Description
In Defense of Animals: The Second Wave brings together the best current ethical thinking about animals. Edited by Peter Singer, who made "speciesism " an international issue in 1975 when he published Animal Liberation, this new book presents the state of the animal movement that his classic work helped to inspire.Long hailed as a brilliant and controversial philosopher, Singer has assembled incisive new articles by philosophers and by activists. In Defense of Animals is sure to inform and inspire all who want to understand, or contribute to, the unfolding moral revolution in the way we treat animals.
Customer Reviews:
In the future.......2007-01-16
I think Peter Singer is right in the battle to protect the animals. He shows in the book why is necessary the men change his mind .
Contents:.......2004-03-20
Articles and essays from different people like philosophers, biologists, activists and lobbyists. Here you learn first hand accounts of the stories that have made headlines around the world...the plight of the Silver Spring laboratory monkeys, the freeing of the Island of the Dragon dolphins, the successful campaigns against the Draize and LD50 tests, extinctions of species, and confinement of animals in farm factories and zoos.
Book Description
Materials drawn from The Face That Demonstrates The Farce of Evolution (ISBN 0-8499-4272-1) Today's generation is bombarded with theories about humankind and its origins. The danger for Christians lies in the wealth of misinformation and miscommunication about simple biblical truths such as:
- How and when the world began
- Whether humans are unique or merely a happenstance of evolution
- The distinction between humankind and other living creatures
- The evolution of life on this planet
- The spiritual dimensions of the human soul
Hank Hanegraff keeps Christians from falling prey to corrupting scientific speculation about the origins of life and reminds us that we are God's creation. This common sense approach puts the concept of evolution in the grasp of everyday Christians and reminds us that ultimately the key to our purpose in this life comes from understanding whose we are and who created us.
Customer Reviews:
Basic Refutation.......2007-01-26
As a Christian, I've read my share of evolution-refuting books. This book is small. It's not in depth. But considering its miniature size, it still makes some very good points and poses challenging questions. It manages to pack a decent amount of information into a small package. However, if you're looking for a dig-deep, in-depth analysis and refutation of evolution, try one of McDowell's 800 page books instead.
Religious myths versus scientific arguments.......2006-09-21
Hank is committed to the idea that Genesis, itself composed of competing tribal legends from the Bronze Age, somehow contains scientific statements. His religious faith compels him to reject the preponderance of scientific evidence in favor of evolution.
Useful scientific books that discuss evolution without religious bias include
Brian Charlesworth, Evolution, A Very Short Introduction (contains an excellent bibliography)
Simon Morris, The Crucible of Creation
Richard Leakey, Origins Reconsidered
Edward J. Larson, Evolution: The Remarkable History of a Scientific Theory
Yeah, And Gravity's Not Real Either!.......2004-08-26
Hank Hanegraaff, "Bible Answer Man," is reduced to little more than a Christian typist in this ultra-thin (in pages, scope and intelligence) collection of misinformation, out-of-context quoting and outright duplicity. Having no coherent theories of his own, Hanegraaff's book is nothing more than endless citations of Christian "scientists'" published, absurd evolution-bashing hypotheses. He cites renown pseudoscientist and creationist idiot Duane T. Gish (universally disputed, debunked and disregarded in the legitimate scientific community) no less than 25 times. And Hanegraaff's references to actual scientific theorists, such as Gould, et al, are constantly filtered through Gish's and other Creationist morons' truth-concealing works. Let's leave science to the scientists.
What the evolutionists DON'T want you to know!.......2004-03-18
Exactly as advertised, this "impact-sized" book equips you to easily absorb and recall the strongest arguments against naturalism and evolution. Void of filler and unnecessary content, this is the "best of the best" presented in Hank's easy to remember style. Don't let the compact size (or ridiculous review) fool you. The content is solid. Well done!
Useful book in Hank's Excellent series.......2003-09-04
Like the other books in this series (Prayer of Jesus, The Covering, The Third Day), it is concise and packed with info. Great resource and makes a great gift or something to give skeptics.
While Hank makes many valid points, skeptics might take it more seriously if he didn't so heavily reference young-earth creationists. Young-earthism is probably one of the biggest stumbling blocks for skeptics and Christians. It is unbiblical and unscientific. Hank often rebukes young-earthers for their emotional tactics, but never addresses the fact that they pose one of the greatest apologetic problems for Christianity. For more on this see Hugh Ross' "Creation & Time," Don Stoner's "A New Look at an Old Earth" and Darrick Dean's "Is the Truth Out There?"
Average customer rating:
|
Biological Data Analysis: A Practical Approach (Practical Approach Series)
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Philosophy
| Theology
| Christianity
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Public Health
| Administration & Policy
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
Biostatistics
| Research
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
Epidemiology
| Infectious Disease
| Internal Medicine
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
Epidemiology
| Internal Medicine
| Medicine
| Medical
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Public Health
| Administration & Medicine Economics
| Medical
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Biostatistics
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Databases
| Computers & Internet
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Computer Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Science Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Computers & Internet
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Medicine
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Religion & Spirituality
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Introduction to Conservation Genetics
-
Experimental Design and Data Analysis for Biologists
ASIN: 0199633398 |
Book Description
Many biologists remain unfamiliar with statistical analysis and modelling, yet need to apply these techniques increasingly in their research. This volume describes how to analyze biological data, with commonly available software packages, without making errors which can invalidate results.
Practical guidance is provided for planning the correct strategy for a variety of different statistical approaches and modelling problems and interpreting the results. Many examples of computer commands and output are given to illustrate the different analytical approaches. Biological Data
Analysis: A Practical Approach has been designed specifically to allow researchers with only a minimal knowledge of statistics to understand a variety of statistical methods and apply them directly. The provision of data sets from several biological disciplines will make this book useful to all
types of biologists.
Book Description
Are the people who report to you giving you their best? Is your team--whether a group of employees, a classroom of students, or your family--performing at its fullest potential? NFL coaching legend Don Shula and renowned business consultant Ken Blanchard team up in Everyone's a Coach to share their secrets for inspiring others to greatness. At the heart of their book is a simple acronym that describes the qualities of an effective leader: -Conviction-driven--never compromise your beliefs. - Overlearning--practice until it's perfect. - Audible-ready--know when to change. - Consistency--respond predictably to performance. - Honesty-based--walk your talk. Using an effective "tag-team" approach, Shula and Blanchard personally "unpack" the five leadership secrets behind this acronym. First, Shula tells you how each coaching concept worked on the field. Then, Blanchard explains how to apply that concept to your leadership situation. Complete with a self-test for measuring your personal coaching effectiveness, Everyone's a Coach will help you unleash the excellence in anyone.
Customer Reviews:
Hits the Spot!.......2004-04-08
What makes this book so effective is that the advice offered is not only solid, but it can be applied immeditely. It's a "hands on" doer's guide. The strength Ken Blanchard brings is his strong Christian influence. Shula's credentials consist of his long term track record as an NFL coach. In this book Shula describes how he leads by example and thorough preparation.
One place this book separtes itself from books of this genre is that it emphasizes "follow through" as contrasted with goal-setting. That's an action focus. It puts the spotlight on doing something.
A Coaching Legend's Leadership Lessons.......2003-12-29
Don Shula, the National Football League's all-time winningest coach, teamed up with Ken Blanchard, the internationally known and multiple award-winning author, educator, and management and leadership consultant, and together they co-wrote an outstanding book about leaders getting the best performance from the individuals and organizations they are privileged to lead. Whether you are responsible for the performance of multiple organizations, or for just one other individual, the leadership wisdom and insights in this book can help you maximize your coaching and leadership effectiveness.
The winning combination of the two separately distinguished leaders in their respective fields, and the complementary structure of the book were brilliant. Organized around the acronym C.O.A.C.H., the five coaching "secrets" that Shula had practiced and Blanchard has been teaching for over 30 years, the book alternated synergistic passages from Shula then Blanchard to explore and explain the acronym in theory and practice from the football gridiron to modern business situations, and ultimately to the game of life.
Here's how Shula and Blanchard define and think about the acronym C.O.A.C.H.:
Conviction-Driven: Effective leaders stand for something.
Overlearning: Effective leaders help their teams achieve practice perfection.
Audible-Ready: Effective leaders, and the people and teams they coach, are ready to change their game plan when the situation demands it.
Consistency: Effective leaders are predictable in their response to performance.
Honesty-Based: Effective leaders have high integrity and are clear and straightforward in their interactions with others.
Conviction-Driven: "Someone has said that a river without banks is a puddle. When I apply that saying to human interactions, it reminds me of the job of a coach. Like those river-banks, a good coach provides the direction and concentration for performers' energies, helping channel all their efforts toward a single desired outcome. Without that critical influence, the best achievements of the most talented performers can lack the momentum and drive that make a group of individuals into champions."
Overlearning: "To me a game doesn't end when the clock finally runs out. It ends on Monday, after we've analyzed every play and learned all we cana from it...Failure is successfully finding out what you don't want to repeat...Learning is defined as a change in behavior. You haven't learned a thing until you can take action and use it."
Audible-Ready: "Preparation means everything to me. I'm passionate about my players being ready for anything. Now, part of being ready is being able to shift your game plan at will. I see myself as a battlefield commander who has the guts to make the right moves to win. I want to be prepared with a plan - and then to expect the unexpected and be ready to change this plan. I must preserve the right to change - even to change at the last moment - as circumstances demand...Audibles aren't surprises - just new ways of doing what you already know how to do. Business people need to learn to call audibles, because in today's world, nothing stays the same."
Consistency: "Your team will soon learn what your standards are and perform accordingly. I not only insist on practice perfection, I'm there to see that it takes place. I don't miss practices. I need to be out there smelling out whatever isn't working. Even the slightest deviation from perfection needs to be noticed and corrected on the spot. Correcting and redirecting performance is strategically important - it's where we outstrip the competition. Some coaches will let little things go. Right there is where the difference is made. To me, it's not a matter of how many times we've done it or how late it is or how tired the players are. We'll do it until we get it right. Then we won't deviate from it in the game. I'd rather throw out a play or formation during practice than find out it can't be done correctly in the ball game. We seldom try anything on game day that we haven't been able to perfect in practice. If I'm asking our players to do something they can't do, I want to know about it now."
Honesty-Based: "I have a straight-up approach. I don't know how to go around corners or how to finesse. My players know this and they expect candor from me. Congruence is important to me. What you see with Don Shula is what you get. I don't play games. Effective coaches confront their people, praise them sincerely, redirect or reprimand them without apology, and above all are honest with them. Integrity pays, and integrity means being honest with yourself and others. This is a key ingredient in my coaching philosophy."
In his introduction to the book, Blanchard stated that he is on a search for simple truths to help leaders and managers be their best. With Shula's proven long-term coaching effectiveness as the foundation for this book, Blanchard has found and shared many simple leadership truths and complexities. This book would be a welcome addition to anyone's coaching or leadership collection.
GREAT BOOK.......1999-02-22
This is a must buy for every coaches library. Coach Shula explores all of the areas a coach is confronted with. He gives the reader his philosophy on coaching and relates it to life's teachings.
Excellent use of examples........1997-08-08
Of the 1000's of books written on leadership in the past 100 years, this one presents a very real picture of world we live in. Too many of the books I've read lately give us the magic formulas to follow, some leading us through a veritable mathematical maze to tell us what kind of leader we are. "Principle-Centered Leadership" by Covey and "The Platinum Rule" fall into this category. What Blanchard and Shula have done, and done quite successfully is to integrate theory with actual examples. While I don't agree with everything that Shula has done, I do applaud his efforts. I do absolutely believe in his philosophy of "Lead by example," and the necessity of developing trust. Both Shula and Blanchard emphasize this aspect of leadership as critical. There are too many so-called leaders in the corporate world who do not lead by example. They are quite willing to demand of you what they are unwilling to do themselves. On top of the quality of the reading, the book is very easy to read. I hi
Book Description
The battle for a true view of the beginning is not optional. Our faith and the future of our world hang on the truth about creation. Dr. MacArthur insists that when naturalistic and atheistic presuppositions are being aggressively peddled as if they were established scientific fact, Bible-believing Christians "ought to expose such lies for what they are and oppose them vigorously."
Do you know what you believe about creation? Could you defend your views to those who deny the Genesis account? In this book find answers to the tough questions. Learn what the Bible says about how our universe began.
Customer Reviews:
Christians, God did create the Universe, the Earth and Man in six days.......2007-07-29
In six days God created the heavens and the earth. This is what is told in the first chapter of Genesis and is consistent with the rest of the bible. The Battle for the Beginning (Creation, Evolution, and the Bible) is a book written by John MacArthur is an argument in defense of the Bible creationism and antagonistic to naturalism. Naturalism is a philosophy that the world does not have a moral, spiritual, or supernatural. MacArthur argues the theory of evolution and the big bang theory are the obvious out growths of naturalism. To presume there are no supernatural causes therefore no supernatural events. To agree that no supernatural events occur would be tantamount to denying what is written in God's word. To accept the Bible as true one accepts the idea of the supernatural. To accept evolution one presumes that no supernatural event ever occurs. The main argument of this book is that God's people should not compromise their perspective of the Bible as true based on what the world argues. The book's audience is Christian; it is an argument against those in the Christian community who accept evolution as true. Grace to You ministry and the Master's seminary both are institutions John MacArthur leads, in these organizations are the training of Christians in the expositional study of the bible: to understand the Bible verse by verse. All that is written in the Old and New Testament are interrelated. To change or alter the meaning of Genesis would therefore make the rest of the Bible meaningless. That the comprehension of the fact that world was created through and by the word of God is important to the understanding original sin, therefore the need for the atonement. To deny Eden is to deny a world without the curse of sin, therefore to deny the curse that occurred through Adam's sin. If one denies original sin and the curse it brought, one denies the need for Jesus to come to earth. The thesis of the book is the importance of the creation recording of events to Christianity.
Yes this book makes arguments about intelligent design. Yes the author is antagonistic to other perspectives of intelligent design that deny the literal meaning written in Genesis about how the Universe, the Earth, and Man became into being. John MacArthur makes his own observations about God's creation and makes arguments that the Universe was not caused by chance events.
Necessary Review of a Review - Setting the Record Straight.......2007-07-13
My "review" is of a review of MacArthur's book. Challies dot com made a mistake in his review that needs to be corrected. He said that MacArthur's book is a refutaion of Hugh Ross, a leading "theistic Evolutionist". Someone else may have corrected this, but if not please note that Dr. Hugh Ross is not in anyway a "theistic evolutionist". Challies, if you don't know this then you need to be made aware of that (fact) so you don't "bear false witness" against your brother, and if you doubt me then check with Dr. Ross himself. You'll be surprised to learn (probably from him directly) that he is clearly a "creationist", but he is one that believes it was done a long time ago. In the Christian academic (and lay) world we have "Old Earth(ers)" and "Young Earth(ers)", but the key factor is that they are both Creationists. It is way past time for all of us to realize that both sides of this issue can be God loving, Jesus following, bible believing Christians. It IS NOT an issue for division.
6 Days? Really? Yep..........2007-04-05
I have had this book on my shelf for two years and finally decided to read it, and I am glad I decided to do so. I was thinking that the book was solely a defense of the literal 6 day creation, but there was much more to glean from the book. MacArthur starts off the book to show the affects that atheism has had on our culture, and will continue to have, if we continue down the path as a nation with no God. I thought this was definitely needed so the reader who has not thought about the implications of atheism can see the results and where the non-moral process leads to as moral human beings.
The strong parts of the book are definitely the exegesis of Genesis 1-3. Undoubtedly, MacArthur shows that in looking to the Bible alone, Sola Scriptura, that there is no wiggle room for anything other than a literal 6 day creation, by our Creator. For those in the Christian community this information is undoubtedly needed and is important to understand the implications if we start to look to science instead of the Scriptures as a source of knowledge about what has already been revealed in the Holy Writ.
MacArthur then continues to show how science actually helps the creation account in the Bible not the other way around, which I found also very interesting. Such as, science says that there must be photosynthesis for plants to grow and nourish. If we follow the non-literal creation account to take billions of years, and plants were created on the 3rd day and the Sun wasn't created until the 4th day, how did the plants survive for those billions of years? Again, science shows the Bible's account of creation to be true.
The part that I found weak was MacArthur continued over and over again to point to the intricacy of animals on the planet then simply said: see, there must have been a creator! I enjoyed reading about a couple of the animals but it really had no impact when he continued to go over and over again focusing on the animals. (I do understand this is exactly what some of our most famous puritans did to prove there was a Creator, like Jonathan Edwards with spiders and Isaac Newton with gravity, but I found it to be repetitive).
This by no means dismisses the importance of this book. In only 221 pages MacArthur does a great job of undermining the atheist and also shows the undermining of the Scriptures a Christian does if they take anything besides the biblical account of six day creation.
MacArthur Loses the Battle for the Beginning.......2006-09-16
This book places the creation of the universe 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. Does the author know that by the late Middle Ages the search for natural causes typified the work of Christian natural philosophers? Even a medieval Christian mindset could embrace methodological naturalism - the heart of the scientific method - because it works.
The University of Paris cleric Jean Buridan, described as "perhaps the most brilliant arts master of the Middle Ages," contrasted the philosopher's search for "appropriate natural causes" with the erroneous habit of attributing unusual phenomena to the supernatural.
Enthusiasm for the naturalist view and study of nature picked up in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as Christians turned their attention to discovering the so-called secondary causes that God employed in operating the world. Galileo Galilei, one of the foremost proponents of the new philosophy insisted that nature "never violates the terms of the laws imposed upon her."
Scientific naturalism retains strong Christian support down to the present - hardly surprising since the concept was largely developed in Christianized Europe. Unfortunately MacArthur embraces the retrograde cant of the worst Evangelical Christian ignoramuses, denies history and reality, and wants to set your watch and worldview back to the Dark Ages. Welcome to the lunatic asylum without walls world of Young Earth Creationism.
The mangy dogma enshrined in this obtuse apologetic - that everything "poofed" into existence over a literal six day period as described in Genesis - is pathetically untenable. Nobody, especially John MacArthur, even knows who penned this contradictory and farfetched fable. Norse, Egyptian, Yokut, Babylonian, and Lakota creation myths, among hundreds of others, are equally well documented.
In the Young Earth Creationist iconography of ignorance "The Battle for the Beginning" is just another small painting. Genesis is myth. Get over it.
For a reality-based view try Many Worlds in One: The Search for Other Universes by Alex Vilenkin or The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe by Steven Weinberg.
Excellent Resource for Conservative Pastor/Elders.......2006-07-31
Written from the perspective a conservative pastor with a heart for his flock, this book clearly explains the creation account and applies it to our present day situation.
Average customer rating:
|
Practical Stereology (Second Edition)
John C. Russ , and
Robert T. Dehoff
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Research
| Education
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Electron Microscopes & Microscopy
| Experiments, Instruments & Measurement
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Methodology & Statistics
| Experiments, Instruments & Measurement
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Microscopes & Microsocopy
| Experiments, Instruments & Measurement
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Laboratory Medicine
| Pathology
| Specialties
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Laboratory Medicine
| Pathology
| Internal Medicine
| Medicine
| Medical
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Amazon Upgrade
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Medicine
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Professional & Technical
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Medicine
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Unbiased Stereology: Three-dimensional Measurement in Microscopy (Advanced Methods)
-
Principles and Practices of Unbiased Stereology: An Introduction for Bioscientists
ASIN: 0306464764 |
Book Description
Stereology is the science that relates three-dimensional structure to the two-dimensional images that can be measured. The most common field of application is in microscopy, both of man-made materials (metals, ceramics, composites, etc.) and of biological tissue samples. This book covers the applications and terminology of both fields. Recent emphasis in stereology is concerned with sampling strategies to avoid bias due to directionality and non-uniformity, and these methods are fully covered. So are the classic techniques that measure size distributions, surface curvature, etc., which are widely useful but not discussed in other recent texts. Finally, most stereology is taught as manual procedures using counting and grids, but this text also covers the use of modern desktop computers for image analysis and processing to obtain and interpret the stereological data.
Book Description
This volume brings together a group of essays by leading philosophers of science, ethicists, and legal scholars, commissioned for an important and controversial conference on genetics and crime. The essays address basic conceptual, methodological, and ethical issues raised by genetic research on criminal behavior but largely ignored in the public debate. They explore the complexities in tracing any genetic influence on criminal, violent, or antisocial behavior, the varieties of interpretation to which evidence of such influences is subject, and the relevance of such influences to the moral and legal appraisal of criminal conduct. The volume provides a critical overview of the assumptions, methods, and findings of recent behavioral genetics.
Book Description
Today, six out of ten Americans describe themselves as "active" environmentalists or as "sympathetic" to the movement's concerns. The movement, in turn, reflects this millions-strong support in its diversity, encompassing a wide spectrum of causes, groups, and sometimes conflicting special interests. For far-sighted activists and policy makers, the question is how this diversity affects the ability to achieve key goals in the battle against pollution, erosion, and out-of-control growth. This insightful book offers an overview of the movement -- its past as well as its present -- and issues the most persuasive call yet for a unified approach to solving environmental problems. Focusing on examples from resource use, pollution control, protection of species and habitats, and land use, the author shows how the dynamics of diversity have actually hindered environmentalists in the past, but also how a convergence of these interests around forward-looking policies can be effected, despite variance in value systems espoused. The book is thus not only an assessment of today's movement, but a blueprint for action that can help pull together many different concerns under a common banner. Anyone interested in environmental issues and active approaches to their solution will find the author's observations both astute and creative.
Book Description
This anthology, edited by a professor of wild-life science and a professor of philosophy, offers the most current and comprehensive collection on the topic of environmental ethics available today. It surveys diverse approaches to environmental ethics by leading writers from a variety of disciplines, and provides an historical survey of thought on our responsibility to the environment. The perspectives are represented by their most articulate spokespersons and are accompanied by appraisals of their respective strengths and weaknesses. Chapter introductions, headnotes, discussion questions, and annotated bibliographies are provided. Twenty eight of the 64 articles are new. The new edition deletes those articles with which students had difficulty because they were hard to read and substitutes newer or better-written articles. All chapter introductions were revised to reflect changes in the field. New topics include biodiversity, ecological restoration, environmental justice, and genetic engineering. A new section in the appendix on conflict resolution was requested by students.
Customer Reviews:
An Excellent introduction to key environmental debates.......2000-06-22
A very useful undergraduate level reader in environmental ethics. I use it in the course I teach in the UK. It would also make a good tool for self-teaching or for self-led small group study. For each chapter of readings there are discussion topics, an exercise, suggestions for a debate and a selection of further reading. The wide-ranging readings are carefully chosen, edited and arranged into key themes such as morality, aesthetics, ecofeminism and environmetnal ethics in society. The only other book to cover similar material in a similar manner is Louis Pojman's 'Environmental Ethics: Readings in Theory and Practice'. In my opinion they are equally valuable, making it difficult (should it be neccessary) to choose between them. From a British perspective they both lack historical depth. Botzler and Armstrong's book has only two readings from the eighteenth century or earlier (St Francis and Kant) but this can be supplied from elsewhere if needed.
Book Description
James Lovelock is a world-renowned scientist and inventor whose work on detecting CFC's (chlorofluorocarbons) in our environment led him to develop a new theory about our planet. The Gaia Hypothesis posits that the Earth is alive-a self regulating organism in its own right. In his two other books on the subject, Lovelock set the record straight on the damage that CFC'c have done to ourplanet and its delicate balance of the interaction between life-forms. His theory has generated much controversy as it proposes that evolution is far from over and that humankind is no longer the be-all and end-all of that process. In this latest volume on the subject, Lovelock examines the health and future prospects of our ailing planet. Beautifully illustrated and presented, Healing Gaia does justice to a theory of this magnitude, while making it accessible to a wide audience of scientists and non-scientists alike. It represents the most comprehensive analysis of our origins, our reasons for existence, and our likely future.
Customer Reviews:
A more mature review.......2004-07-14
The other review on this page was written by me (Lloyd) a few years ago. I am writing this review as a second look at the book now that I am older and (hopefully) more critical - i.e. less willing to be persuaded (!). Whilst I still think that the Gaia hypothesis is a fascinating idea and that Lovelock's book is well worth reading, I am now much more sceptical about the actual evidence for the hypothesis -- empirical evidence is, after all, the final and absolute test of a hypothesis in science.
Lovelock's writing can be very poetic. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, but in some cases -- such as the description of the earth as being an `organism' -- clarity and scientific precision seems to be sacrificed in favour of emotion. In the review `Reviewing Lovelock's second book on the Gaia Hypothesis' of `The Ages of Gaia' someone explains Lovelock's ideas about the earth as an organism more eloquently than I can. I find this view much less likely (and therefore not as good as a scientific hypothesis) than the more down to earth -- if you will forgive the pun! -- statement that living things sometimes modify their environment in a way that keeps conditions favourable for life.
Which brings me back to the all-important question of whether the earth is `self regulating'. It seems to me that this would be quite a difficult thing to demonstrate experimentally or by observation (although Lovelock does give examples of observations that support his hypothesis). I don't know what the current evidence amounts to (I am not a scientist!) but it seems to me that the current consensus is not with Lovelock.
In summary, I would recommend people to read the book but to bear in mind that Gaia is not a well-established theory. In particular, it might be good to also read some books about more mainstream evolutionary theory by authors such as Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould (which are, in my opinion, brilliant books) first.
Manual for the 20th Century.......2001-07-16
We are all well aware of the world-wide problems concerning humans harming the environment, such as ozone depletants and cars causing global warming. We are a great deal less aware, however, of the real damage done to the earth and whether or not the planet can recover.
In this revolutionary book Lovelock describes his profound new theory of planetary ecology. The Gaia theory views the earth as a living, self-regulatory organism in which the evolution of life is closely coupled with the evolution of the climate. The theory accounts for the remarkable ability of the biosphere to recover from planetary disasters such as the impact that killed the dinosaurs, and many other previously unexplained features of life on earth.
The book should be on the shelf of anyone interested in the planetary maladies mankind has inflicted upon the earth. In easy to understand language with the minimum of jargon. Lovelock eloquently explains his theory and suggests sensible and empirical remedies for an ailing Gaia.
Books:
- Intercessory Prayer: How God Can Use Your Prayers to Move Heaven and Earth
- Introduction to Groundwater Modeling: Finite Difference and Finite Element Methods
- Investigating Biology Lab Manual (5th Edition)
- John Shaw's Closeups in Nature (Practical Photography Books)
- Just a Dream
- Laboratory Manual to accompany Biology
- Laboratory Manual to accompany Biology
- Language, Culture, And Society: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology
- Life-Span Human Development
- Manipulating the Mouse Embryo: A Laboratory Manual
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America
- Brother Odd
- True Betrayals; Montana Sky; Sanctuary: Three Complete Novels
- 100 Percent Erotica
- Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Workflow: The Digital Photographer's Guide
- Carbon Black
- Ancient Europe, 8000 B.C. to A.D. 1000: An Encyclopedia of the Barbarian World Edition 1.
- Modern Dance: Paper Dolls
- Water and Light: A Diver's Journey to a Coral Reef
- Wild flowers of the Yorkshire Wolds
Animal Liberation
Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy
The Case for Animal Rights
The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter
Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions
