Other books that might interest you

• 

  Meditations of a Buddhist...

  B. Alan Wallace

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  A scholar of both spirituality and science proposes a radical approach to studying the mind with the goal of restoring human nature—and transcending it.   Renowned Buddhist philosopher B. Alan Wallace reasserts the power of shamatha and vipashyana, traditional Buddhist meditations, to clarify the mind's role in the natural world. Raising profound questions about human nature, free will, and experience versus dogma, Wallace challenges the claim that consciousness is nothing more than an emergent property of the brain with little relation to universal events. Rather, he maintains that the observer is essential to measuring quantum systems and that mental phenomena (however conceived) influence brain function and behavior.   Wallace embarks on a two-part mission: to restore human nature and to transcend it. He begins by explaining the value of skepticism in Buddhism and science and the difficulty of merging their experiential methods of inquiry. Yet Wallace also proves that Buddhist views on human nature and the possibility of free will liberate us from the metaphysical constraints of scientific materialism. He then explores the radical empiricism inspired by William James and applies it to Indian Buddhist philosophy's four schools and the Great Perfection school of Tibetan Buddhism.   Since Buddhism begins with the assertion that ignorance lies at the root of all suffering and that the path to freedom is reached through knowledge, Buddhist practice can be viewed as a progression from agnosticism (not knowing) to gnosticism (knowing), acquired through the maintenance of exceptional mental health, mindfulness, and introspection. Wallace discusses these topics in detail, identifying similarities and differences between scientific and Buddhist understanding, and he concludes with an explanation of shamatha and vipashyana and their potential for realizing the full nature, origins, and potential of consciousness.   “His range and depth of knowledge is astounding, and his linking of this knowledge to the practices and views of science is unique.” —Arthur Zajonc, author of Catching the Light

  Show book

• 

  Quantum Computing

  IntroBooks Team

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  In recent years it computing developed with great speed. According to scientist Gordon Earl Moore, the number of transistors on a processor would double every 24 months or so. Transistors are the fundamental elements for a processor to perform calculations. Therefore, this prediction known as Moore's Law means that the processing power of a computer would double every two years. 
  Regularly see companies like Intel and AMD launch ever faster processors. For this, it is necessary to manipulate portions of the increasingly smaller area. But there is a limit to this. When transistors are beginning to be made with only a few molecules, it is difficult to reduce its size further and thus increase the capacity of our electronics. 
  Therefore, quantum computing is the science that studies the use of quantum mechanics to perform computational processing.

  Show book

• 

  Bacteria in Daily Life

  Grace Coleridge Frankland

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  The author provides a fascinating look at the emerging science of bacteriology at the start of the twentieth century including early progress in understanding and preventing diseases such as tuberculosis and diphtheria. The book also includes chapters on the spread of disease through close contact with infected persons as well as from contaminated drinking water and milk.  Water purification methods as well as the stability of various disease-causing organisms to extremes of heat and cold is discussed.  The final chapter includes a very interesting discussion of the development of anti-venoms for the treatment of snake bite and related poisons.   (summary by J. M. Smallheer)  
  NY Times Book Review April 4, 1903:Mrs. Frankland's book is a popular presentation in lively style of what the ordinary unscientific person should know of bacteria as they immediately affect daily life. She has managed to invest her subject with astonishing interest and to produce a work that any sane man or woman can read without weariness.  Beginning with Latour's discovery of the fact that yeasty fermentation is due to minute vegetable growths, she traces rapidly the development of bacteriological knowledge through the age of Victoria.  As a matter of fact the announcement of Latour's discovery and the accession of Victoria to the throne came very close together in the same year.Following this historical disquisition is a presentation in successive chapters of these subjects: "What We Breathe," "Sunshine  and Life," "Bacteriology and Water," "Milk Dangers and Remedies," "Bacteria and Ice," and "Poisons and Their Prevention."  The most practical chapter for the householder is that on milk.  The most novel and interesting is perhaps that on poisons and their prevention.  This chapter deals largely with snake venom, and its revelations are marvelous.  Next in practical value to the chapter on milk is that on water.  It is satisfactory to find the author assuming that boiled water may be regarded as sterile.  Interesting and important also is the fact that an analysis of many natural mineral springs shows them to be nearly free from bacteria.  The resistence of bacteria to cold is one of the most striking things set forth in the book, and the destructive power of sunshine is another.

  Show book

• 

  Posting Peace - Why Social Media...

  Douglas S. Bursch

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Why is everyone so angry online? The internet seems to have brought the world together only so we can tear each other apart. Social media platforms have become toxic and polarizing environments. Many of us are overwhelmed and disillusioned by endless online conflict and negativity. How did we get here, and what can we do about it?
  The internet changes not only how we communicate but also what we communicate. Pastor and former radio host Douglas Bursch provides a spiritual examination of why social media divides people and how Christians can address polarization through a ministry of peacemaking. Digital media dehumanizes and disembodies us, dulling our ability to know when to speak and when to remain silent. But healthy online communication is possible through a constructive posture of reconciliation. Bursch offers practical examples of how to proactively manage social media and handle online conflict in redemptive ways.
  Together we can change the discourse of online Christian communication. Discover how we can use social media in a positive, Christ-like manner.

  Show book

• 

  Manual of Egyptian Archaeology...

  Gaston Maspero

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  A handbook of Egyptian archaeology, issued by the British Museum, considered suitable for British tourists traveling to Egypt in the 19th Century. (Introduction by Timothy Ferguson)

  Show book

• 

  Up to Heaven and Down to Hell -...

  Colin Jerolmack

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  A riveting portrait of a rural Pennsylvania town at the center of the fracking controversyShale gas extraction—commonly known as fracking—is often portrayed as an energy revolution that will transform the American economy and geopolitics. But in greater Williamsport, Pennsylvania, fracking is personal. Up to Heaven and Down to Hell is a vivid and sometimes heartbreaking account of what happens when one of the most momentous decisions about the well-being of our communities and our planet—whether or not to extract shale gas and oil from the very land beneath our feet—is largely a private choice that millions of ordinary people make without the public's consent.The United States is the only country in the world where property rights commonly extend "up to heaven and down to hell," which means that landowners have the exclusive right to lease their subsurface mineral estates to petroleum companies. Colin Jerolmack spent eight months living with rural communities outside of Williamsport as they confronted the tension between property rights and the commonwealth. In this deeply intimate book, he reveals how the decision to lease brings financial rewards but can also cause irreparable harm to neighbors, to communal resources like air and water, and even to oneself.

  Show book