Book Description
The History of Mathematics: An Introduction, Sixth Edition, is written for the one- or two-semester math history course taken by juniors or seniors, and covers the history behind the topics typically covered in an undergraduate math curriculum or in elementary schools or high schools. Elegantly written in David Burton’s imitable prose, this classic text provides rich historical context to the mathematics that undergrad math and math education majors encounter every day. Burton illuminates the people, stories, and social context behind mathematics’ greatest historical advances while maintaining appropriate focus on the mathematical concepts themselves. Its wealth of information, mathematical and historical accuracy, and renowned presentation make The History of Mathematics: An Introduction, Sixth Edition a valuable resource that teachers and students will want as part of a permanent library.
Customer Reviews:
Like New.......2005-10-03
The book arrived in time for my class, and in almost perfect condition!Excellent Transaction!
Interesting reading.......2003-02-03
I haven't read much on this subject, but I enjoyed this book. The description above says that it's designed for college juniors and seniors, and many of the technical details really will require that level of mathematical maturity. However, there is enough of what the author calls an emphasis on the "bibliographical element" that much of it would be interesting to read through only skimming the technical parts. The author also tries to explain why progress was made at certain times in history but not at others.
The scope is relatively comprehensive: spanning from archeological finds that suggest early numbers systems to early twentieth century work in countability and set theory.
The text itself reminded me quite a bit of my old high school history books -- readable but a little slow-paced at times. More interesting, though, are the problems at the end of every section
-- problems that require the use of ideas and techniques from the time period being described. The author suggests these exercises as a good way to learn both mathematics and history, but they can be safely skipped.
Just a single complaint: the book seems to have a slight slant toward Western mathematics: early Greeks, Europeans from the middle ages, modern Americans recieve the bulk of the attention while there is a single ten-page section entitled "Mathematics in the Near and Far East". While not a fatal flaw (it is of course true that most of modern mathematics has its roots in the West), I would have liked to see a more balanced account.
Easy to learn about the history of Math........2001-05-07
I got a lot of information from this book. It has easy to follow explation about the therom.
Book Description
This book provides the first clear, comprehensive, and accessible account of complex adaptive social systems, by two of the field's leading authorities. Such systems--whether political parties, stock markets, or ant colonies--present some of the most intriguing theoretical and practical challenges confronting the social sciences. Engagingly written, and balancing technical detail with intuitive explanations, Complex Adaptive Systems focuses on the key tools and ideas that have emerged in the field since the mid-1990s, as well as the techniques needed to investigate such systems. It provides a detailed introduction to concepts such as emergence, self-organized criticality, automata, networks, diversity, adaptation, and feedback. It also demonstrates how complex adaptive systems can be explored using methods ranging from mathematics to computational models of adaptive agents.
John Miller and Scott Page show how to combine ideas from economics, political science, biology, physics, and computer science to illuminate topics in organization, adaptation, decentralization, and robustness. They also demonstrate how the usual extremes used in modeling can be fruitfully transcended.
Customer Reviews:
Annie Wu -- Book #1.......2007-08-10
I am a purchasing agent who buys books for my faculty, and as far as I know, this faculty member is very impressed with this particular book.
The Emergence of Convergence .......2007-08-04
At the time of writing this review, this book isn't searchable through Amazon, that's too bad because if you're reading the reviews wondering if it's worth buying, just browsing through any page from the intro or appendix B would clearly resolve any remnant hesitation. This book is a must have for anyone even remotely interested in complex adaptive systems. Scott Page and John Miller dress the landscape and state of the art of computational social science, the issues are motivated from the ground up and the existing approaches to resolve them explicitly detailed, yet using clear and jargon free language. For example, descriptions of the many concepts repeatedly used in the scientific method (of CAS et al) such as ergodicity or optimization theory are refreshing and insightful, simply stuff you don't get from textbooks, but rather that one would learn over years of experience doing.
In summary, the authors are handing us an expert summary of literature and developments of a complex field in a concise, fun and delightful read, it would be a shame to miss it.
Customer Reviews:
The map is not the territory.......2007-05-25
During my junior year in college I found an original copy of "Science and Sanity" at a used-book store near Columbia University while traveling around the U.S.. I had learned that William S. Burroughs was highly influenced by it, and, being very intrigued by Burroughs and his cut-up writing method, I decided to read it while on the numerous trains that shuttled me across the country that summer.
For me the book seemed somewhat of a revelation in that Korzybski argued how language itself seems so important in defining one's perception of "reality" when at the same time it represents only a symbolic map of the actual objective(?) territory. An extreme example of this occurs in the computing field known as "automated reasoning", where the axioms of some mathematical theory can be represented as predicate-logic statements, which in turn are used by a computer to derive new true statement about the theory. In this case the territory is an abstract entity that is housed within the minds of a select group of humans, known as "mathematicians", while the map represents a collection of logical statements about the theory that represent "what is known" about it. To confuse the map with the territory in this case would represent ignoring the biological neural connections and brain patterns within the mathematician's mind that not only supports the theory by giving it meaning and relevance, but also relates it to other mathematical and scientific theories. In other words, the mathematical truths that can be discovered about the theory via automated reasoning on a computer is likely to be a subset of what will be discovered and "proved" by a human mathematician.
One of the more basic uses of this concept includes avoiding the "is" of identity. For example, "Johnny is stupid", "I'm a terrible driver", etc..
No, Johnny represents a unique, unspeakable, functional part of the universe in which we live. There may have been some behaviors that we observed in Johnny that disqualified him from being categorized as having a certain form of intelligence, but we should not identify Johnny with a word, especially such a negative and destructive one.
Then there is the idea that a given territory will likely have several different maps associated with it, and that quite often disputes arise because two parties have acquired very different maps of the same territory.
Fortunately these ideas have entered the mainstream of psychology and there seems to be much more thought being given to language and how it affects human minds; especially those of children who are always there to remind us of just how unique and miraculous the territory known as a human being can seem.
I gave the book only four stars because it does seem dated in terms of the level of science that is written about in the text.
May be it has already been done, but I would like to see someone write a follow-up book to this one that revisits Korzybski's ideas within the context of the 21st Century, and doing it with a more clear and concise approach.
One of the best books ever.......2007-04-07
Science and Sanity seems more like a condensation and culmination of a life work than a book. The range of topics and practical details is on par with the greatest achievements of all time such as Einstein's general theory, Euclid's geometry, and Newton's calculus. Science and Sanity presents a completely workable theoretical model personal empowerment and growth through more precise language (general semantics). Clear and intentional use of symbolism is a big theme in the book and I think anyone who is thoughtful and reflective will not only greatly enjoy the read but will benefit tremendously from the brilliance and clarity of the thoughts explored.
Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics (International Non-Aristotelian Library)
Science and Sanity.......2007-01-12
The structure of the human brain is language. Every power of the brain from consciousness to memory to imagination to thought, and even the will to act, is immersed in language. We are our language. And if we know several languages, they are prioritized 1, 2, 3, etc., in our brain. Korzybski shows how limiting the Platonic and Aristotelian notions of objectifying one's existence really are. Reason is enormously limiting. And if reason becomes the primary way in which a person is taught to perceive the world, his or her imaginative powers, which almost always begin as irrational impulses, are suppressed to the point of disfunction. The world is nearly bereft of the kinds of ideas which can only come through the imaginative powers, and which now seem so very quiet and still.
Science and Sanity introduces a much wider "logic," a much wider approach to seeing and functioning in the world. The classic Greek dualities, good OR bad, right OR wrong, logical OR illogical, no longer work alongside the growing illogical way in which modern complex societies actually operate. So we find ourselves forced into accepting good AND bad, right AND wrong, logical AND illogical, realities as societies get more and more complex.
I recommend this book to those whose mind is still pliable enough to leap over the debris of Western idealism and Manifest Destiny to a more tolerant, albeit more complex, way of life.
Semantics from the world of 1933.......2006-05-05
An interesting view that is not to be overlooked. As in physics we changed or concepts from Newtonian (space and time) to Einstein or non-Newtonian (space/time). We see this in any fields and some of us embrace the change and see how infinite our views can still work; others of us resist knowing that there is something fundamentally wrong if you can not put your finger on it.
Korzybski opens up our mind and world to the possibilities of Non-Aristotellian systems and general semantics.
"If one wishes to obtain a definite answer to Nature one must attack the question from a more general and less selfish point of view"
M. PLANCK
Unrecognized Genius.......2006-01-23
Korzybski aimed his discussion at professionals, so disregarded definitions (multi-ordinal anyway), etc. Despite this many criticisms resulted, some from professionals, notably Martin Gardner (1993): "...poorly organized, verbose, philosophically naive, repetitious, mish-mash of sound ideas borrowed from abler scientists."
Gardner had sought attention for himself via outing cults, which is not so here. Yet his comments typically betray that, he failed to make non-elementalistic connections (point of 'repetition'), resulting from an Aristotelian 'analysis' (compartmental 'thinking') of a superior, emergent, etc., structure (methodology). Made clear via a useful table comparing the Aristotelian with Non-Aristotelian systems provided by Korzybski (1941) in "Introduction To The Second Edition." While the "ideas borrowed from abler scientists" (apart from an ad hominen argument), misses the point of unifying anomalies. Further the implied not original, is not true, since Korzybski makes connections (Neil Postman's (1992) "unsupportable assertions") not made before (not by other supposed geniuses); though many involved conducted experiments by other scientists, while others can become verifiable, for example as did Albert Einstein's (1905, 1916) Special and General Relativity. Did not Isaac Newton (1642-1727) say, he stood on the shoulders of great men. Further Aristotle's (circa 350 B.C.) treatises often involved a commentary of others' works, for example Aristotle develops from his teacher, Plato's (circa 381 B.C.) universals. Thus innovating perhaps not original, but the basis of Korzybski's (1921) own Time-Binding. Whereas the 5th edition, has a note on errata.
Korzybski's comments were constructive, for example men and women regress to infantilism if they copy animals in their nervous reactions (conditioning).
Paradox: though discoveries involve seeing things afresh, we require systems to organize (from Greek organon), guide, etc., our search! So Korzybski left his system open, avoiding hindering human progress, dogmatism, etc., introducing General Semantics (replacing Aristotle's 'logic') as a basis for critical evaluating: feeling-thinking.
Book Description
Reassembling the Social is a fundamental challenge from one of the world's leading social theorists to how we understand society and the 'social'. Bruno Latour's contention is that the word 'social', as used by Social Scientists, has become laden with assumptions to the point where it has become misnomer. When the adjective is applied to a phenomenon, it is used to indicate a stablilized state of affairs, a bundle of ties that in due course may be used to account for another phenomenon. But Latour also finds the word used as if it described a type of material, in a comparable way to an adjective such as 'wooden' or 'steely'. Rather than simply indicating what is already assembled together, it is now used in a way that makes assumptions about the nature of what is assembled. It has become a word that designates two distinct things: a process of assembling; and a type of material, distinct from others. Latour shows why 'the social' cannot be thought of as a kind of material or domain, and disputes attempts to provide a 'social explanations' of other states of affairs. While these attempts have been productive (and probably necessary) in the past, the very success of the social sciences mean that they are largely no longer so. At the present stage it is no longer possible to inspect the precise constituents entering the social domain. Latour returns to the original meaning of 'the social' to redefine the notion, and allow it to trace connections again. It will then be possible to resume the traditional goal of the social sciences, but using more refined tools. Drawing on his extensive work examining the 'assemblages' of nature, Latour finds it necessary to scrutinize thoroughly the exact content of what is assembled under the umbrella of Society. This approach, a 'sociology of associations', has become known as Actor-Network-Theory, and this book is an essential introduction both for those seeking to understand Actor-Network Theory, or the ideas of one of its most influential proponents.
Customer Reviews:
An Existential view toward sociology.......2007-03-09
Given our experiences in late-modernity outrun our pre-developed concepts especially in innovation Latour claims that sociologists should themselves be part of innovation experiences. He portrays a new type of sociology (the one including objects) by which one can describe rather than prescribe. Latour initiates the difference between ANT and Sociology of Social(SOS), claiming that the latter chooses its tools from repertoire of agreed-upon criteria (pre-developed concepts) while in ANT we must follow the traces left by the actors. What is left we shall name as a society of actors and works. ANT analyst must himself participate and experinece the phenomena in a "here-and-now" perceptual sense and then conceptualize what he has experienced. In Latour's argument all things including human and non-human are mediators by which action is not merely transfered but also transformed to a new state. Both the actor and its associated action undergo a metamorphosis process in each mode of action. Consequently we have Five sources of Uncertainty:
1.Groups may form and depart for tyrrany of distance and proximity is removed
2.Action may be done by others and we can not fully anticipate in advance the nature of agencies and the outcome
3. Things have agency no matter how much man has the power to control
4. In the realm of things matter of fact prevails whereas in the combination of "things and human" matter of fact trasforms to matter of concern. In other words in the new relam i.e. "socio-technical realm" matter of scientific facts combines with the matter of cognitive concern.
5. Writing down experienced accounts
Hence, It's a call of Heraclitus aphorism i.e. "you can not step in the same river twice" along with Existentialism philosophy. Both you and the river change during the course of action. But you must expereince this change to percieve it. It could not be described completely by merely using pre-developed concepts. Your experience precedes your pre-developed concepts about the river and your reflection when crossing the river. Latour sometimes complicate his arguments by using difficult expressions, terminologies and long Gallic statements, but his words are very insightful, and his message is invaluable after-the-fact.
One issue which I didn't find in this book was responsibility and "responsible reflection". In other words Latour doesn't open the question about self-responsibility of actors that ANT analyst should follow. ANT analyst is not permitted to give advice to actors. He can only observe and expereince. This is ironically a matter of concern not a matter of fact that might be considered in his future arguments, given that Engineers and Scientists, for example, from ANT perspective are actors which should only watched not advised responsibly. To sum up ANT is to follow the "Dislocation of Action" and "opening eyes to see who is acting within any site; where the consequence of this action may travel; where are the likely sources that provoke action and actors"; "how sequence and consequence of sites change the nature of action" and the like. The Network we could envisage through resolving questions as such shall be mapping out and named as Society. Hence, late modernity is an entity that must be reassembled through ANT lens.
The Clearest ANT.......2006-02-18
Perhaps it has a lot to do with the book being written in English (or at least it appears to have been, there is no translator listed), but this is by far the most lucid thing I've read by Latour. In a way it's a radical break, he finally embraces his troubled intellectual child Actor Network Theory, stops expecting its meaning to magically emerge from the context and sets forth exploring what it actually is and how it can work.
Book Description
This volume will be of interest and value to students of logic, ethics, and political philosophy, as well as to members of the legal profession and to everyone concerned with problems of government and jurisprudence. By citing a large number of cases, the author makes his presentation of the processes of judicial interpretation particularly lucid.
Customer Reviews:
Not Quite an Introduction.......2007-06-16
While Levi clarifies much that's uncertain about legal interpretation, I don't recommend this book for those with no previous studies in law. If you must read it -- and there ARE rewards from doing so -- be sure to have a law dictionary at hand.
Besides using legal terms that aren't explained, Levi's prose is so dense as to be almost unreadable, but worse, it lacks anything resembling clarity. He often barges straight in to lengthy analyses of concepts without explaining the basic terms he uses or even why they're relevant; these must be induced from the text while reading. Since Levi is usually demonstrating through examples how concepts change over time, however, it's difficult to pin down what the concept means at any one point, before Levi has already jumped ahead to the next point without explaining either.
It's also highly recommended that you look up the cases Levi cites, since his quotations from judges rarely contain enough critical information to piece together the actual concept involved. Finding the original and just reading the parts that he replaced with ellipses add an infinite degree of clarity.
Helpful.......2006-06-20
I found this book to be helpful but somewhat basic. I is outlined nicely and is easy to follow. Good future reference. Recommend to students.
A Great Read.......2006-01-07
I appreciate Edward Levi's attention to detail. This book definitely goes beyond the standard textbook in terms of putting together a guide that is both interesting to read and informative. I'd recommend it to anybody in my situation, planning to attend law school, or even to practicing attorneys in need of a handy, compact reference guide to the basics.
Law of the land.......2005-04-01
The power to determine the law of the land resides within every citizen of the country by means of electing the officials they choose and the judicial system only upholds the law. The citizens of a country elect their leaders and once elected they are enshrined with the right to uphold the economic and political stability but any improper actions of a government should be corrected by means of the judicial process rather than by any political process. All differing opinions should be allowed to coexist with checks and balances as determined by the judicial system.
ambiguity made clear.......2002-08-17
Legal reasoning is famously ambiguous: there's no objective way to determine the outcome of a given case as there is with a physics problem. If you know the weight of an item and the height from which it drops, you are able to determine fairly objectively (i) the rate at which it will fall to the earth and (ii) the time it will take to fall to the earth from the point at which it is dropped. Law, unfortunately, is not so straight-forward. Understanding its assumptions is absolutely critical to developing any sort of sophisticated understanding about the ways in which law affects civilization. This book provides a broad outline of those assumptions. I suggest having at least a rudimentary background in intellectual history and political philosophy to get the most out of this book.
Book Description
This classic best-seller by a well-known author introduces mathematics history to math and math education majors. Suggested essay topics and problem studies challenge students. CULTURAL CONNECTIONS sections explain the time and culture in which mathematics developed and evolved. Portraits of mathematicians and material on women in mathematics are of special interest.
Customer Reviews:
Great!.......2004-04-12
I agree with the person who said this book is very informative & it is also easy to read. I learned lots from doing the problems too, like for example, a simple algorithm on how to construct magic squares of odd size. This book was good for the course I did because there's only so much you can do in a course; Morris Kline's "Mathematical Thought From Ancient to Modern Times" is twice as long as this one so it goes into much more detail, but too much for a 1-term course. This book by Eves is a good INTRO to the history of math, I liked it.
Excellent.......2003-12-28
The careful documentation of the discoveries and history of mathematics is of overwhelming importance, especially in modern times where the advances are taking place so rapidly that the historical roots of some branches of mathematics seem to be getting lost. It would be a tragedy if the history of these important developments were not put into print so that later generations of mathematicians and students could have an understanding of how these came about. Thanks to the information age, the accessibility of mathematical documents has dramatically increased, but these documents usually do not include overviews of how the ideas took root and then flourished as independent research disciplines.
This book gives a general overview of mathematical developments up until the middle of the twentieth century. It is a fascinating story, and readers will realize to what extent mathematical ideas deemed complex by even modern standards were known by the ancients. Indeed, it is very surprising to learn that in 2000 BC the Babylonians were solving quadratic equations and even some cubic and quartic equations. The Babylonians did not produce an Evariste Galois, that took centuries more time, but they were dealing with mathematical constructions that were interesting to compare with modern methods.
One very interesting feature of this book is that it is meant to be used as a textbook, and not just in a course in the history of mathematics. The author has included "problem studies" and "essay topics" at the end of each chapter that challenge the reader to solve problems pertinent to the historical topics of each chapter. The inclusion of these problems will allow the student to gain insight on the difficulty in solving problems with the constraint of using concepts that were unique to a definite period in mathematical history.
The book also includes discussions of the history of non-Western contributions to mathematics. The work of the Hindus, the Chinese, and Arabs is included. The contributions of the Arabs are particularly important for later developments in the West, as it was they who revived Greek philosophy and mathematics and consequently changed dramatically the role of mathematics in Europe.
The reading of this book will give a greater appreciation of the developments in mathematics as they are done today. Mathematical research now is done by both human and machine, and no doubt this century, and others beyond it, will result in brilliant developments. Mathematics pervades every human activity in the modern world and every piece of technology. When books like this one are written in the future, readers who peruse them and take note of the incredible advancements made in mathematics in the centuries that preceed them, no doubt their predominant emotion will be astonishment.
When used as a self-study text ..........2003-08-04
When used as a self-study text, I found the book to be lacking a sufficient quantity of example problems solved in adequate detail to be truly helpful.
Outstanding!.......2003-05-02
This book is quite informative and interesting to read. If you love any math at all, you should definitally read it.
Book Description
Political Game Theory is a self-contained introduction to game theory and its applications to political science. The book presents choice theory, social choice theory, static and dynamic games of complete information, static and dynamic games of incomplete information, repeated games, bargaining theory, mechanism design and a mathematical appendix covering, logic, real analysis, calculus and probability theory. The methods employed have many applications in various disciplines including comparative politics, international relations and American politics. Political Game Theory is tailored to students without extensive backgrounds in mathematics, and traditional economics, however there are also many special sections that present technical material that will appeal to more advanced students. A large number of exercises are also provided to practice the skills and techniques discussed.
Book Description
A proven classic, this anthology stimulates readers' interest in philosophy through an innovative âsides of the argumentâ presentation, representing positions on each of the fundamental philosophical principles. Each reading contains a biographical sketch of the author, with a group of further readings for those wishing to pursue issues in further depth. Using debate and argument as a vehicle, the eleventh edition of Classic Philosophical Questions simultaneously gives readers the fundamentals of philosophy while demonstrating that philosophy is a discourse that has spanned centuries. Topics covered include knowledge, metaphysics, religion, ethics, social and political philosophy, aesthetics, and the meaning of life. This anthology offers both classic and contemporary selections that challenge readers with the basic inquiries that philosophers have discussed throughout the ages.
Customer Reviews:
a difficult read.......2007-09-21
If you want to fall in love with philosophy don't read this book. An overly pretentious writing style will keep you from the concepts over and over again. Some concepts could be easily be explained in 6th grade language, but instead, is made so convoluted that you'd think it was a credit card company purposely trying to make you avoid reading the fine print. That's what this book is... a 600 page long fine print. If you like reading fine print, then this is an awesome book. Thus 2 stars total.
Thought provoking, but difficult.......2006-11-07
I had to read many of the readings from this book for my Intro to Ethics class. While it continued to stimulate my mind and make me think past what I had previously believed on many issues, I had to re-read many writings multiple times to even start to understand what was REALLY being talked about. However, when I did understand, it made the reading that much more interesting.
Book Description
This classic undergraduate treatment examines the deductive method in its first part and explores applications of logic and methodology in constructing mathematical theories in its second part. Exercises appear throughout.
Customer Reviews:
Perhaps the best written written elementary book of logic.......2006-07-11
I bought the book just because my teacher of elementary philosophy in the university respected Tarski as a master of formal logic. It took me 26 years to get this book in my hands. What makes Tarski unique is, that he was a great logician and a great teacher, too.
I belive that there still are no better guide for a student who wants to understand logic, not just try to remember basic rules of it. The beauty of logic has never been exposed in a better way.
The fifth star was spared to a new, annotated edition of this classic among the field of logic. I hope I can find one some day.
TIMELESS CORE HOLDING IN ANY LOGIC LIBRARY.......2004-03-14
This timeless classic by one of the five greatest logicians of all time should be owned by anyone who cares about logic - especially at this illogically low price. The Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BCE), the English mathematician George Boole (1815-1864), the German mathematician Gottlob Frege (1848-1925), the Austrian-American mathematician Kurt Gödel and the Polish mathematician Alfred Tarski (1901-1983) are considered to be the five greatest logicians of history. Today it is difficult to appreciate the astounding permanence of what is accomplished in the works of Aristotle, Boole, and Frege without seeing their ideas surviving in the work of a modern master. Of the two modern master logicians Tarski is by far the most suitable for this purpose since he was by far the one most interested in the articulation of the conceptual basis of logic, he was by far the one most interested in history and philosophy of logic, and he was the only one to write an introductory book attempting to explain his perspective in accessible terms. This book, together with Aristotle's Prior Analytics and Boole's Laws of Thought, should form the core of any logic library. All three are still in print and available in inexpensive paperback editions. Hackett publishes an excellent up-to-date translation of Prior Analytics by Robin Smith and Prometheus recently reprinted Laws of Thought with an introduction by John Corcoran.- Frango Nabrasa.
I will always keep it as a reference.......2002-07-14
This is one of the classic introductory mathematics books. When I was learning logic, I relied on it heavily, although it was not the text for the course. Over my years as a teacher, I have consulted it often and when I was working on a recent book on logic, there were very few days when I did not open it in search of an idea or clarification.
All of the basics of logic are covered in one of the most readable texts I have ever opened. Exercises are given at the end of each chapter, although no solutions are included. This is one of those books that will always be on my key shelves of reference works and it will no doubt receive a great deal of use.
Book Description
This is an introductory textbook on probability and induction written by one of the world's foremost philosophers of science. The book has been designed to offer maximal accessibility to the widest range of students (not only those majoring in philosophy) and assumes no formal training in elementary symbolic logic. It offers a comprehensive course covering all basic definitions of induction and probability, and considers such topics as decision theory, Bayesianism, frequency ideas, and the philosophical problem of induction. The key features of the book are: * A lively and vigorous prose style* Lucid and systematic organization and presentation of the ideas* Many practical applications* A rich supply of exercises drawing on examples from such fields as psychology, ecology, economics, bioethics, engineering, and political science* Numerous brief historical accounts of how fundamental ideas of probability and induction developed.* A full bibliography of further reading Although designed primarily for courses in philosophy, the book could certainly be read and enjoyed by those in the social sciences (particularly psychology, economics, political science and sociology) or medical sciences such as epidemiology seeking a reader-friendly account of the basic ideas of probability and induction. Ian Hacking is University Professor, University of Toronto. He is Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Fellow of the British Academy, and Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. he is author of many books including five previous books with Cambridge (The Logic of Statistical Inference, Why Does Language Matter to Philosophy?, The Emergence of Probability, Representing and Intervening, and The Taming of Chance).
Customer Reviews:
Especially good on Bayesianism and Frequentism.......2007-06-14
(FOUR AND A HALF STARS)
This is more an intro to the PHILOSOPHY of probability and inductive logic than an intro to the MATHEMATICS of probability of inductive logic, although some of the basic mathematical ideas are covered (which is useful if you're gonna discuss the philosophy). Do not get this book if you're just looking for a typical mathematical intro to statistics. But DO get this book if you want to know about the foundations of Bayesianism or are interested in the Frequentists vs. Bayesian debate. It is the best intro out there on the Frequentists/Bayesians issue, and it is extremely helpful for someone who is trying to get a handle on Bayesian reasoning. Also, those who are more into the mathematical aspects of probability could find this book useful in giving them a wider perspective on the subject. On the whole, it's clearly written and fun to read, although it is not an "easy" book. A basic knowledge of probability theory and some initial grasp of induction are good to have before reading this. But overall, it's highly recommended for those who want to know about the conceptual underpinnings of probability/induction in general, and Bayesian and Frequentism specifically.
unlike any other probability text.......2006-04-18
Unlike standard books on probability, Hacking gives a strong introduction to the basic concepts, drawn from his background in philosophy. Several passages discuss writers like Hume and Popper. I've never seen a probability text like this one!
There is also a good selection of problems, along with answers.
If you are already familiar with the basic ideas, it might still be worthwhile to read Hacking. To get a deeper understanding.
Hacking gets everything right except for Keynes.......2004-06-30
Hacking's book is a job well done.He blends history,philosophy,logic,mathematics,statistics and science with wit and judicious scrutiny in general.Unfortunately,the book is slightly marred by inaccurate and/or incorrect statements about J. M. Keynes and/or his logical theory of probability.Describing Keynes as a"belief dogmatist"is way off the mark given Keynes's penchant for changing his mind as new and/or relevant information and analysis became available over his lifetime.Secondly,it is bizarre for Hacking to claim that Keynes had no use for frequency-type probability theories and jeered at the idea of relative frequency holding in the long run because in the long run we are all dead.(Hacking,pp.146-151).The only frequency theory Keynes ever rejected was that of John Venn.Keynes always considered frequency theories to be accurate and correct for some cases.However,they were not general in scope but limited in their applicability.The interested reader should consult chapter 8 of Keynes's A Treatise on Probability(1921).Finally, Keynes rejected the fallacy of long runism or conditional apriorism because of its unsound argument.The fact that in the long run some process may converge to a particular outcome in the limit offers no support to a do-nothing policy in the present.If the only available relevant evidence bearing on the probability of a proposition is frequency data then the logical probability is the same as the relative frequency estimate.The only caveat Keynes would add would be that the frequency data should have passed the Lexis Q Test for stability.
For anyone, any thinker.......2002-06-06
I would HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone (including business men) who must make decisions with incomplete information and under uncertainty. Instead of focusing on the mechanics of statistics, it focuses on how to think about risky propositions.
I bought this book while working on a particular problem in machine learning, at a point where I had started realizing that I was losing clarity on my definition of probability. I was using the mechanics, but didn't clearly understand why the use was valid. This seemed an odd and embarrassing circumstance at the time, how could I not understand what "probability" means? As it turns out this confusion is one shared broadly in history of science, and in current applications of statistical mechanics.
Prof Hacking's writing is clear and entertaining, clearly aimed at engaging the reading audience.
What do you mean, "probably"?.......2002-02-14
The best thing about this book is that it teachs basic probability theory while keeping the reader constantly aware of the on-going debate regarding what it means to talk in terms of probabilities, and of how that debate has shaped the development of probability theory. If you are a student taking a course in probability and statistics who would like to genuinely understand the conceptual basis of all those formulas they are teaching you, I suggest you read this book.
Some readers will be disappointed by this book. Since the book concentrates on the conceptual basis of probability and inductive logic, it does not give the reader enough technical tools to really do much applied mathematics. On the other hand, by the time Hacking gets around to discussing what students of philosophy will likely view as the big philosophical pay-off of probability theory (i.e. Bayesian and frequentist contributions to the problem of justifying induction) he devotes to them a mere 20 pages of not terribly deep discussion.
Books:
- The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World
- The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World
- The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief
- The Life of Isaac Newton (Canto original series)
- The Principia : Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy
- The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe
- The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next
- The Variational Principles of Mechanics (Dover Books on Physics and Chemistry)
- Thin Film Solar Cells: Fabrication, Characterization and Applications (Wiley Series in Materials for Electronic & Optoelectronic Applications)
- Thin Film Solar Cells: Fabrication, Characterization and Applications (Wiley Series in Materials for Electronic & Optoelectronic Applications)
Books Index
Books Home
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General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Journey through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics
Euclidean & Non-Euclidean Geometry: Development and History
Elementary Number Theory (5th Edition)
Elementary Number Theory
Teaching Secondary Mathematics: Techniques and Enrichment Units (7th Edition)
