Science Fiction A Guide For The Perplexed

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Science Fiction: A Guide for the Perplexed

Author : Sherryl Vint
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 217 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2014-03-13
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781441119605

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Science Fiction: A Guide for the Perplexed by Sherryl Vint Pdf

From its beginnings in the works of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne to the virtual worlds of William Gibson's Neuromancer and The Matrix, Science Fiction: A Guide to the Perplexed helps students navigate the often perplexing worlds of a perennially popular genre. Drawing on literature as well as example from film and television, the book explores the different answers that criticism has offered to the vexed question, 'what is science fiction?' Each chapter of the book includes case studies of key texts, annotated guides to further reading and suggestions for class discussion to help students master the full range of contemporary critical approaches to the field, including the scientific, technological and political contexts in which the genre has flourished. Ranging from an understanding of the genre through the stereotypes of 1930s pulps through more recent claims that we are living in a science fictional moment, this volume will provide a comprehensive overview of this diverse and fascinating genre.

Science Fiction

Author : Sherryl Vint
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 226 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2021-02-16
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9780262539999

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Science Fiction by Sherryl Vint Pdf

How science fiction has been a tool for understanding and living through rapid technological change. The world today seems to be slipping into a science fiction future. We have phones that speak to us, cars that drive themselves, and connected devices that communicate with each other in languages we don't understand. Depending the news of the day, we inhabit either a technological utopia or Brave New World nightmare. This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge surveys the uses of science fiction. It focuses on what is at the core of all definitions of science fiction: a vision of the world made otherwise and what possibilities might flow from such otherness.

Science Fiction: A Guide for the Perplexed

Author : Sherryl Vint
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 198 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2014-03-13
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781441102812

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Science Fiction: A Guide for the Perplexed by Sherryl Vint Pdf

From its beginnings in the works of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne to the virtual worlds of William Gibson's Neuromancer and The Matrix, Science Fiction: A Guide to the Perplexed helps students navigate the often perplexing worlds of a perennially popular genre. Drawing on literature as well as example from film and television, the book explores the different answers that criticism has offered to the vexed question, 'what is science fiction?' Each chapter of the book includes case studies of key texts, annotated guides to further reading and suggestions for class discussion to help students master the full range of contemporary critical approaches to the field, including the scientific, technological and political contexts in which the genre has flourished. Ranging from an understanding of the genre through the stereotypes of 1930s pulps through more recent claims that we are living in a science fictional moment, this volume will provide a comprehensive overview of this diverse and fascinating genre.

A Guide for the Perplexed

Author : Dara Horn
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Page : 353 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2013-09-09
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9780393064896

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A Guide for the Perplexed by Dara Horn Pdf

While consulting at an Egyptian library, software prodigy Josie Ashkenazi is kidnapped and her talent for preserving memories becomes her only means of escape as the power of her ingenious work is revealed, while jealous sister Judith takes over Josie's life at home.

A Guide for the Perplexed

Author : Ernst Friedrich Schumacher
Publisher : Random House
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 1995
Category : Conduct of life
ISBN : 9780099480211

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A Guide for the Perplexed by Ernst Friedrich Schumacher Pdf

This book, by the author of 'Small is Beautiful' is about the different ways in which people may see and the blindness of only seeing in one particular way. The arguments Schumacher presents are invigorating, provoking and often dramatic.

Quantum

Author : Jim Al-Khalili
Publisher : Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Page : 330 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2012-10-25
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781780225340

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Quantum by Jim Al-Khalili Pdf

From Schrodinger's cat to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, this book untangles the weirdness of the quantum world. Quantum mechanics underpins modern science and provides us with a blueprint for reality itself. And yet it has been said that if you're not shocked by it, you don't understand it. But is quantum physics really so unknowable? Is reality really so strange? And just how can cats be half-alive and half-dead at the same time? Our journey into the quantum begins with nature's own conjuring trick, in which we discover that atoms -- contrary to the rules of everyday experience -- can exist in two locations at once. To understand this we travel back to the dawn of the twentieth century and witness the birth of quantum theory, which over the next one hundred years was to overthrow so many of our deeply held notions about the nature of our universe. Scientists and philosophers have been left grappling with its implications every since.

Buddhism and Science

Author : Donald S. Lopez Jr.
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 280 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2009-05-15
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780226493244

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Buddhism and Science by Donald S. Lopez Jr. Pdf

Beginning in the nineteenth century and continuing to the present day, both Buddhists and admirers of Buddhism have proclaimed the compatibility of Buddhism and science. Their assertions have ranged from modest claims about the efficacy of meditation for mental health to grander declarations that the Buddha himself anticipated the theories of relativity, quantum physics and the big bang more than two millennia ago. In Buddhism and Science, Donald S. Lopez Jr. is less interested in evaluating the accuracy of such claims than in exploring how and why these two seemingly disparate modes of understanding the inner and outer universe have been so persistently linked. Lopez opens with an account of the rise and fall of Mount Meru, the great peak that stands at the center of the flat earth of Buddhist cosmography—and which was interpreted anew once it proved incompatible with modern geography. From there, he analyzes the way in which Buddhist concepts of spiritual nobility were enlisted to support the notorious science of race in the nineteenth century. Bringing the story to the present, Lopez explores the Dalai Lama’s interest in scientific discoveries, as well as the implications of research on meditation for neuroscience. Lopez argues that by presenting an ancient Asian tradition as compatible with—and even anticipating—scientific discoveries, European enthusiasts and Asian elites have sidestepped the debates on the relevance of religion in the modern world that began in the nineteenth century and still flare today. As new discoveries continue to reshape our understanding of mind and matter, Buddhism and Science will be indispensable reading for those fascinated by religion, science, and their often vexed relation.

Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed

Author : Wouter J. Hanegraaff
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 225 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2013-02-14
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781441188977

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Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed by Wouter J. Hanegraaff Pdf

Western esotericism has been a pervasive presence in Western culture from late antiquity to the present day, but until recently it was largely ignored by scholars and surrounded by misconceptions and prejudice. This accessible guide provides readers with the basic knowledge and tools that will allow them to find their way in this bewildering but fascinating field. What is it that unites phenomena as diverse as ancient gnosticism and hermetism, the "occult sciences" of astrology, alchemy, and magic, rosicrucianism, as well as Christian theosophy, occultism, spiritualism, and the contemporary New Age spiritualities? What can the study of them teach us about our common cultural and intellectual heritage, and what is it that makes them relevant to contemporary concerns? How do we distinguish reliable historical knowledge from legends and fictions about esoteric traditions? These and many other questions are answered clearly and succinctly, so that the reader can find his way into the labyrinth of Western esotericism and out of it again.

Animal Alterity

Author : Sherryl Vint
Publisher : Liverpool University Press
Page : 289 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2010-01-01
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781846312342

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Animal Alterity by Sherryl Vint Pdf

Animal Alterity uses readings of science fiction texts to explore how animals are central to our perception of humanity. Arguing that the academic field of animal studies and the popular genre of science fiction share a number a critical concerns, Sherryl Vint expresses an urgent need to reconsider the human-animal boundary in a world of genetic engineering, factory farming, species extinctions, and increasing evidence of animal intelligence, emotions, and tool use. Mapping the complex terrain of human relations with non-human animals, this book offers an important intervention into the contentious ongoing discussions of the post-human.

Kierkegaard: A Guide for the Perplexed

Author : Clare Carlisle
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2006-01-01
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 082648610X

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Kierkegaard: A Guide for the Perplexed by Clare Carlisle Pdf

Kierkegaard is an important literary and religious figure, as well a major philosopher whom students may have a difficult time comprehending- this guide provides a clear and concise understanding of his work

Posthumanism: A Guide for the Perplexed

Author : Peter Mahon
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2017-02-23
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781474236812

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Posthumanism: A Guide for the Perplexed by Peter Mahon Pdf

In Posthumanism: A Guide for the Perplexed, Peter Mahon goes beyond recent theoretical approaches to 'the posthuman' to argue for a concrete posthumanism, which arises as humans, animals and technology become entangled, in science, society and culture. Concrete posthumanism is rooted in cutting-edge advances in techno-science, and this book offers readers an exciting, fresh and innovative exploration of this undulating, and often unstable, terrain. With wide-ranging coverage, of cybernetics, information theory, medicine, genetics, machine learning, politics, science fiction, philosophy and futurology, Mahon examines how posthumanism played-and continues to play-a crucial role in shaping how we understand our world. This analysis of posthumanism centers on human interactions with tools and technology, the centrality of science, as well as an understanding of techno-science as a pharmakon-an ancient Greek word for a substance that is both poison and cure. Mahon argues that posthumanism must be approached with an interdisciplinary attitude: a concrete posthumanism is only graspable through knowledge derived from science and the humanities. He concludes by sketching a 'post-humanities' to help us meet the challenges of posthumanism, challenges to which we all must rise. Posthumanism: A Guide for the Perplexed provides a concise, detailed and coherent exploration of posthumanism, introducing key approaches, concepts and themes. It is ideal for readers of all stripes who are interested in a concrete posthumanism and require more than just a simple introduction.

Maimonides and the Book That Changed Judaism

Author : Micah Goodman
Publisher : U of Nebraska Press
Page : 274 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2015
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780827611986

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Maimonides and the Book That Changed Judaism by Micah Goodman Pdf

A publishing sensation long at the top of the best-seller lists in Israel, the original Hebrew edition of Maimonides and the Book That Changed Judaism has been called the most successful book ever published in Israel on the preeminent medieval Jewish thinker Moses Maimonides. The works of Maimonides, particularly The Guide for the Perplexed, are reckoned among the fundamental texts that influenced all subsequent Jewish philosophy and also proved to be highly influential in Christian and Islamic thought. Spanning subjects ranging from God, prophecy, miracles, revelation, and evil, to politics, messianism, reason in religion, and the therapeutic role of doubt, Maimonides and the Book That Changed Judaism elucidates the complex ideas of The Guide in remarkably clear and engaging prose. Drawing on his own experience as a central figure in the current Israeli renaissance of Jewish culture and spirituality, Micah Goodman brings Maimonides’s masterwork into dialogue with the intellectual and spiritual worlds of twenty-first-century readers. Goodman contends that in Maimonides’s view, the Torah’s purpose is not to bring clarity about God but rather to make us realize that we do not understand God at all; not to resolve inscrutable religious issues but to give us insight into the true nature and purpose of our lives.

Fear of Physics

Author : Lawrence M. Krauss
Publisher : Basic Books
Page : 230 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2007-07-30
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780465007134

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Fear of Physics by Lawrence M. Krauss Pdf

"Assume the cow is a sphere." So begins this lively, irreverent, and informative look at everything from the physics of boiling water to cutting-edge research at the observable limits of the universe. Rich with anecdotes and accessible examples, Fear of Physics nimbly ranges over the tools and thought behind the world of modern physics, taking the mystery out of what is essentially a very human intellectual endeavour.

Horizons of the Future

Author : Graham B. Slater
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 122 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2024-06-14
Category : Education
ISBN : 9781040047736

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Horizons of the Future by Graham B. Slater Pdf

Horizons of the Future: Science Fiction, Utopian Imagination, and the Politics of Education examines the relationship between science fiction, education, and social change in the 21st century. Global capitalism is ecologically unsustainable and ethically indefensible; time is running out to alter the course of history if humanity is to have hope of a livable future beyond the next century. However, alternatives are possible, offering much more equality, care, justice, joy, and hope than the established order. Popular culture and schools are key sites of struggles to imagine such alternatives. Drawing on critical theory, cultural studies, and sociology, Slater articulates the promising connection between science fiction and the future of education. He offers cutting-edge engagement with themes, perspectives, and modes of imagination in science fiction that can be mobilized politically and pedagogically to envision and enact critical forms of education that cultivate new utopian ways of relating to self, society, and the future. This thought-provoking book will be of interest to scholars and students in the social sciences and education.

Chomsky: A Guide for the Perplexed

Author : John Collins
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 242 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2008-07-14
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781441190093

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Chomsky: A Guide for the Perplexed by John Collins Pdf

Noam Chomsky is one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth-century. His work in linguistics, philosophy and political theory has spanned six decades, and has been met with critical acclaim and controversy in equal measure. This book is an introduction to Chomsky's theoretical writings, but also a critical engagement with his work. Chomsky: A Guide for the Perplexed covers every aspect of Chomsky's thought, from transformational grammar to political dissent. John Collins shows how Chomsky's linguistic theory, philosophy and politics are all connected, and by so doing helps the reader to understand this key thinker's massive contribution to twentieth-century thought. The book examines: the different faces of Noam Chomsky; transformational grammar; Chomsky's opposition to behaviorism; government and binding theory; the minimalist program; and libertarian socialism.