Book Description
Cecie Starr and Ralph Taggart are among the most successful authors in introductory, biological science instruction because of their lively approach, engaging writing style, current coverage of the breadth of biology's topics, and their unique illustrations. In this Tenth Edition of Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life, the authors use the important connections among molecular structure, biological function, and evolution to encourage student understanding instead of memorization. For example, Chapter 1 includes a preview of life's unity and diversity with an evolutionary perspective. Similar sections in Chapters 3, 5, and 6, on the structure and function of enzymes and other molecules, prepare students for chapters on cell structure and metabolism, genetics, evolution, anatomy, and physiology. This background prepares students to understand the power of comparative molecular studies in clarifying evolutionary relationships. Connections essays (28 in all) focus on this new integration of molecular structure, function, and evolution. The first essay (1.4) answers an important question: How can life display both unity and diversity? It shows how the theory of evolution by natural selection connects the two. Other essays consider evolutionary interplays between infectious agents and their hosts; cloning and genetically engineered mammals, the evolution of life over the past 3.8 billion years, and archaeopteryx and the ancestry of whales (to show that interpreting the past scientifically requires an intellectual shift). Improvements in the media package meet the high standards instructors have come to expect. There is a new version of the complimentary Interactive Concepts in Biology Student CD-ROM with nearly 800 interactions to clarify and reinforce key concepts. For instructors, there is a Multimedia Manager with art and graphics from the text already in PowerPoint format, as well as CNN Today video clips (294 in all), now available digitally.
Customer Reviews:
repetitive.......2005-07-17
This book is useful and contains a lot of good information, but could have been half as thick as it is. Everything is summarized more than once, in side-bars and at the ends of chapters, and key points are even repeated more than once in the text itself. The result is patchy text that is difficult to navigate and next to impossible to find information quickly in.
Biological Detour.......2005-04-20
This is the book I had in my college biology course. I find this book to be quite inconsistent. While it has it's bright spots and explains some things very well, it is one of those books where you end up having to hunt for the information. Result? You spend a great deal of time deciphering the book which has the information strewn everywhere in a fashion that's not entirely organized. Not to mention the fact that it stops dead cold in the middle of explaining a concept in order to go into great detail about another related concept. Then suddenly it jolts the reader back to what it was talking about beforehand. A good and elementary example of this is in chapter 2 where they discuss hydrogen bonding. It veers off and on from what the topic is supposed to be. It would be more helpful to cut to the chase and leave the lengthly prose out of the book. As another reviewer pointed out, the fact that the book has so many different authors is just ASKING for the final product to be inconsistent. This book is not worth the 120 dollars they expect you to pay for it.
Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life.......2003-05-29
This book is far too wordy and repetitive and could have been half as thick. It weights over 4 pounds and is very heavy to carry around.
Very often the point of a sentence is lost in the verbiage. Some basic explanations are repeated several times, whilst many more important things are left unexplained.
Many of the pictures appear to have been chosen because they are 'cool' rather than relevant to the text and just sidetrack the reader.
Some of the examples are incredibly stupid. One, at p. 18, under the heading, "Critical Thinking", 2., gives the story of a turkey that learned to equate footsteps with the provision of food. One one day the footsteps led to the turkey having its head chopped off. The text explains that the turkey learned the hard way. In fact the turkey learned nothing, as by then it was dead.
The glossary is inadequate and misses out too many new and important terms.
The answers given to the quizzes do not always agree with the text, for example, Chapter 2 Self Quiz Question 1 asks what charge is carried by an electron. The correct answer, as given at page 24, is "Negative," but the answer list in Appendix III gives it incorrectly as "Positive." Many instructors lift questions and answers from the book for on-line exams. Does the student then give the incorrect answer as per Appendix III to get the point or the correct answer, knowing that it will very likely be graded as "wrong"? Another example is in the quiz to Chapter 5, question 2.
Looking at the list of credits, it lookas if too many people have had a hand in the book and as a result it has been spoilt.
I would not recommend this book.
Basic.......2003-01-08
Extremely basic with inconsistant layout. Entire sections will be printed with a blue background, for example, that look more like a special topics box then text. In several cases the text reuses its stock photos in several unrelated sections. The text illustrates points that clearly do not need illustration (Do you know what water looks like? There is a photo of it if you need it. ) and ignores others (the beta and alpha linkages of glucose) after dicussing them. Good for high school student concepts but unacceptably uncomprehensive for college.
Homeschoolers Take Note!.......2000-09-19
This is a fantastic text for homeschooling. Each concept is introduced, discussed, and wrapped up in a 2-page spread. This is *not* the dry bio text you remember from high school. It is fascinating enough that I find myself stealing it from my daughter's room. Perfect for a science-loving homeschooler who is hungry for advanced texts at an earlier age because the setup is conducive to parental participation and discussion. However, be advised it is written from an evolutionary point of view if you are inclined to avoid this emphais. And of course there's that really cool picture of the monkey fighting the cheetah ;)
Book Description
Approach page design in a revolutionary new way! Unlike other graphic design books, The Elements of Graphic Design reveals the secrets of successful graphic design from the unique perspective of the page's "white space." With the help of carefully selected examples from art, design, and architecture, the role of white space as a connection between page elements is thoroughly explored. Clear, insightful comments are presented in a dynamic page design, and interactive design elements, thought-provoking captions, and scores of illustrations challenge designers to "think out of the box." This unique resource is guaranteed to inspire more creative and thorough thinking.
Customer Reviews:
Visually confusing, the layout makes the content questionable........2007-08-12
The layout of this book is confusing and really, really bad. The content is repetitive and dull, and is very basic. I hope nobody learns to design like the author, his book is a trainwreck.
I like The Non Designer's Design Book for really basic stuff, and I am a huge fan of Designing With Type for typography.
Don't buy this book, it is dissapointing
Excellent resource.......2007-08-09
This book is invaluable for its information. If only one could memorize and master each and every page, one would never have a design problem again. Amazing and concise, the knowledge contained within this book is absolutely wonderful!
Mediocre.......2007-06-06
Add me to the chorus of naysayers. There are a few good concepts in here, buried in repetitive, obtuse writing and confusing (!) layout.
Some, even many, of the examples are good, but the book is too small in format to do them proper justice. I wouldn't be surprised if White designed the book for a larger size, but it got reduced to cut costs.
I'm a dabbler/hobbyist with a limited design bookshelf, but for what it's worth, I would suggest instead:
The Non-Designer's Design Book -- for a much clearer and more compelling introduction to graphic design basics for novices. Simple and informal, but way more memorable.
Logo Font & Lettering Bible: A Comprehensive Guide to the Design, Construction and Usage of Alphabets and Symbols -- colorful, packed with visual ideas, pure fun.
Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students (Design Briefs) -- much better written, more comprehensive, and better looking "serious" coverage of similar material.
Solid graphic arts reference, not overly trendy .......2007-06-06
Coming from a technical background (and not art school), I was looking for a solid graphic arts intro that had lots of examples. White gives lots of illustrations of the good, bad, and the ugly of graphic arts - as applied to both print and new media. He focuses on the use of white space as an integral part of the overall design; typography is covered in a comprehensible way as well.
A great reference I plan to keep and apply in the near future.
Great book.......2007-06-03
This is a great book that shows you the essentials of graphic design. There is a lot of information jam packed into this book. There is a nice section in the book that even explains typography. I have been doing a lot of logo competitions and after reading this book my average rating per logo that I design has gone up 1 point which is insane. I recommend this book to everyone!!!!
Book Description
From the completely new, exceptional art program, to the complete integration of the text with technology, Saladin has formed a teaching solution that will both motivate and enable your students to understand and appreciate the wonders of anatomy and physiology. This distinctive text was developed to stand apart from all other A&P texts with unparalleled art, a writing style that has been acclaimed by both users and reviewers and clinical coverage that offers the perfect balance without being too much. Saladin’s well-accepted organization of topics is based upon the most logical physiological ties between body systems. The text requires no prior knowledge of college chemistry or cell biology, and is designed for a two-semester A&P college course.
Customer Reviews:
O.K........2007-05-15
I thought the graphics in this book are AMAZING, but the text is not that great....
There are a lot of terms in bold that are not explained. The index is not very helpful in finding the terms; even basic terms that should be directed to a page(s) number.
Overall, I gave this book a "3 star" simply because the graphics are really helpful. If it were not for the graphics, it would be a "1"
One of the best textbooks I have ever had!.......2007-03-11
I really like this textbook. There were a variety of pictures and diagrams that helped me out a lot, and it definitely clarified the information that I got in lecture!
Traditional Textbook.......2006-11-05
This is a text book, and it's written like one. It's a hard read. I believe you could find a book a little easier to understand. But if you speak the language it would be great. It has excellent pictures, diagrams and tables which are very helpful.
Book Description
From the completely new, exceptional art program, to the complete integration of the text with technology, Saladin has formed a teaching solution that will both motivate and enable your students to understand and appreciate the wonders of anatomy and physiology. This distinctive text was developed to stand apart from all other A&P texts with unparalleled art, a writing style that has been acclaimed by both users and reviewers and clinical coverage that offers the perfect balance without being too much. Saladin’s well-accepted organization of topics is based upon the most logical physiological ties between body systems. The text requires no prior knowledge of college chemistry or cell biology, and is designed for a two-semester A&P college course.
Book Description
The inspirational classic that has
sold over 250,000 copies!
In this classic work, Eric Butterworth sees the divine within us all to be a hidden and untapped resource of limitless abundance. Exploring this "depth potential," Butterworth outlines ways in which we can release the power locked within us and let our "light shine."
"There is only one way under the sun by which a man can achieve his 'Mt. Olympus' -- that is to say, achieve the realization and unfoldment of his own innate divinity -- and that is by bringing about a radical and permanent change for the better in his own consciousness," writes Butterworth.
Butterworth demonstrates that the existence of this divine dimension in each individual is the greatest discovery of all time. He explains the universality of such vital subjects as: how to succeed; how to pray; how to find confidence; how to overcome personal problems; and how to find healing. With insight and sensitivity, Butterworth opens new doors of self-knowledge, and outlines ways in which we can release the power within.
Customer Reviews:
Discover the Power Within.......2006-04-06
Intelligent, practical, makes Christianity make sense again.
A MUST have for anyone interested in understanding our true relationship with God.
Discover the Power Within You : A Guide to the Unexplored Depths Within.......2006-03-21
Awesome transaction. Thanks.
www.valderbeebeshow.com.......2006-03-05
Reading Discover the Power Within You, did not change my life. It changed me!
Valder Beebe, Editor
After purchasing Discover the Power Within You in 2002, I read a few pages. I put the book away, somewhere. As 2005 is coming to a close, I need more insight into my life, more clarity into the power within me. As my soul screamed these things, Discover the Power Within You: A Guide to the Unexplored Depths Within simply reappeared in my line of sight.
In reading Discover the Power Within You your spirit will either be delighted or offended by the great truths that are presented. This is not a light read. Discover the Power Within You has the potential to touch your soul and change you as you encounter in the book greater views on: Jesus' Unique Concept of God, From Miserable Sinners To Master, The Amazing Be Attitudes, Your Thought Is Your Life, The Law of Nonresistance, The Forgotten Art of Prayer, Sufficient Unto Today, The Law of Compensation, How God Forgives, Jesus' Formula For Healing, The Miracle of Abundance, In Defense of Judas, The Great Demonstration, Did Jesus Teach Reincarnation, When Shall The Kingdom Come?
As we move into a new year (2006)and before you make those New Year's resolutions to make changes in your life, read Discover the Power Within You: A Guide to the Unexplored Depths Within.
About the Author
Eric Butterworth's philosophy was spiritual and a living Truth. Other books by the author: Spiritual Economics, Celebrate Yourself, In the Flow of Life.
Discover your power.......2006-02-08
Find simple explanations of your personal powers in this book by one of Unity's finest spiritual authors. If you've been looking for a good way to define yourself, this is it.
Not religious, but Spiritual.......2005-12-28
My first review of this book was written in 2002. Three years later and I still highly recommend this book to people who are new on the spiritual journey as well as those who are "advanced students". I use that term loosely as I feel that the only advances we ever really make are those in terms of consciousness.
There was one review that said this book was too religious. I think that Butterworth uses a lot of terms associated with the Christian religion but in no means does it make this book "religious". Butterworth stresses that Jesus is not the great exception but the great example.
I can see where the reader may have gotten a tad scared because there is a tendency on the part of some spiritual seekers to want to do away with anything that has to do with Jesus and Christianity. But I feel that the Christian religion is not truly based on the real message of Jesus. Creeds and Dogma and rites and ceremonies came after Jesus left the scene. Let us remember that Jesus himself was not a Christian at all, but a Jew who plumbed the depths of the Torah and had a revelation so magnificent that he wanted to share it with all.
Jesus discovered that there is a Power within all of us. Read your Bible, people! He said, "What I have done, you can do likewise and even greater things than these..." People don't want to hear that because that means we now have an inner responsibility to committ to but let us also remember that it is never we, ourselves, that do the work but the "Father within". Does a seed know how to turn into a flower? Does a caterpillar know how to turn itself into a butterfly? Do we, in all our supposed knowledge, really know how to turn bread, milk, and cheese into bones, muscle, and living tissue? If we are truly honest with ourselves we will come to the awareness that we do not, but something does and we can surrender to that Power not out of sheer defeat, but out of a boundless joy that we did not create our lives, Something greater did and It is this Something greater that lives, moves, and has all of Its Being in us, as us.
This book reminds us on every page that ONLY GOD is to be relied upon. It's a tough concept to do, and yet God in Its Infinite Love never judges us and condemns us for slipping up as we are so apt to do.
If you have grown tired of all the religious dogma, if you feel beat down by all the religious folk who say they know Jesus but still talk of hate, hell, and the devil, then come to your-SELF...come to your God SELF and let the Power within release you of fear and return you to a place of peace.
May Love guide our thoughts, our words, and our deeds.
Book Description
Has physics gone off in the wrong direction? Peter Woit presents the other side of the growing debate on string theory--arguing that it's not even science
At what point does theory depart the realm of testable hypothesis and come to resemble something like aesthetic speculation, or even theology? The legendary physicist Wolfgang Pauli had a phrase for such ideas: He would describe them as "not even wrong," meaning that they were so incomplete that they could not even be used to make predictions to compare with observations to see whether they were wrong or not.
In Peter Woit's view, superstring theory is just such an idea. In Not Even Wrong, he shows that what many physicists call superstring "theory" is not a theory at all. It makes no predictions, even wrong ones, and this very lack of falsifiability is what has allowed the subject to survive and flourish.
Not Even Wrong explains why the mathematical conditions for progress in physics are entirely absent from superstring theory today and shows that judgments about scientific statements, which should be based on the logical consistency of argument and experimental evidence, are instead based on the eminence of those claiming to know the truth.
In the face of many books from enthusiasts for string theory, this book presents the other side of the story.
Average customer rating:
- great help!
- Making Unified Messaging Work
|
Cisco Unity Deployment and Solutions Guide (Networking Technology)
Todd Stone ,
Jeff Lindborg ,
Steve Olivier , and
Dustin Grant
Manufacturer: Cisco Press
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Similar Items:
-
Cisco Unity Fundamentals
-
Configuring CallManager and Unity: A Step-by-Step Guide (Networking Technology)
-
Cisco CallManager Fundamentals (2nd Edition) (Fundamentals)
-
Cisco CallManager Best Practices: A Cisco AVVID Solution
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Cisco IP Telephony: Planning, Design, Implementation, Operation, and Optimization (Networking Technology)
ASIN: 1587051184 |
Book Description
Design, install, and manage a complete unified communications solution with this definitive guide.
- Gain an in-depth understanding of the Cisco Unity architecture and feature set
- Plan, design, and install a complete unified messaging solution using the design process found within this guide
- Use features in Cisco Unity to solve legacy and convergence problems for your users
- Administer and manage Unity installations effectively by leveraging the comprehensive solutions provided in this book
- Learn about Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino support and configuration with Cisco Unity
- Support CallManager and legacy PBX integrations with your unified messaging solutions
This definitive reference helps you leverage the true power of Cisco Unity, the powerful unified communications server that provides advanced, convergence-based communication services, which integrate with the desktop applications that business professionals use everyday.
Cisco Unity Deployment and Solutions Guide shows you how to integrate Cisco Unity with Cisco IP-based communication solutions, including Cisco CallManager. Part I introduces you to the Cisco Unity architecture and teaches you about the Cisco Unity feature set. Part II helps you design and deploy a unified message solution with Cisco Unity, and Part III helps you manage and administer your solution by leveraging the tools within Cisco Unity.
Cisco Unity Deployment and Solutions Guide teaches you all that you need to know about designing, deploying, and managing a sustainable, unified messaging solution.
This book is part of the Networking Technology Series from Cisco Press, which offers networking professionals valuable information for constructing efficient networks, understanding new technologies, and building successful careers.
Customer Reviews:
great help!.......2005-07-08
Cisco Unity Deployment and Solutions Guide is THE book to figure out how to make Unity work and how to properly deploy it.
Very helpful!!
Making Unified Messaging Work.......2004-11-09
In the beginning there was the telephone. Then there e-mail, and not long after came sophisticated voice messaging systems that replaced the simple answering machines. Then all of this kind of communications becan to converge. The combined communications capability became called Unified Messaging. Cisco's Unity server is the state-of-the-art in unified messaging systems. And this book seems destined to be the Unity Bible.
This book covers unity. Part I, about a quarter of the book is on the concepts and architecture of the of the Unity system. A good bit of the material in this section covers features that are not discussed anywhere else.
Part II, about a third of the book is on Deployment. Unity is a very flexible system. That means that the installer has many options to consider, and the use of these options involves tradeoffs.
Part III is on the ongoing management and administration of a Unity system. What tools, for instance, are available to monitor the performance of the system and how to interpret the results that these tools give you.
Book Description
An indispensable step-by-step configuration guide for IP Telephony professionals
- Includes step-by-step configuration instructions for CallManager features and Unity administration tasks
- Demonstrates how to deploy devices and implement your dial plan
- Covers Call Admission Control features and class of service
- Examines different subscriber types and how subscribers are added, imported, and managed
- Includes step-by-step instructions for call handling and auto attendant configuration
- Describes how to use Unity and CallManager together to deliver unique features
To properly deploy any type of technology, networking professionals must understand not only the technology but also how to configure and integrate it with other solutions. That’s the key to Configuring CallManager and Unity–it focuses on the configuration issues associated with CallManager and Unity® deployments while ensuring that you understand the technologies behind your deployment.
Configuring CallManager and Unity includes step-by-step guides that system administrators and other networking professionals can use in the field. These step-by-step instructions have been worked out by an author who has both taught and implemented Cisco® solutions in real-world situations, so coverage is comprehensive for both basic and complex implementations. You will find information that will assist in the configuration of CallManager-related tasks, such as device configuration, gateway implementation, and dial-plan creation to name a few. You will also find Unity-related configuration tasks, ranging from the basics, such as holiday and schedule configuration, to more involved tasks, such as Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) networking implementation. In addition to covering Unity and CallManager tasks, this book includes a chapter on leveraging the capabilities of both systems to create integrated solutions, such as a MeetMe conference manager.
Tasks in Configuring CallManager and Unity are organized in the same order you would naturally perform them, and some tasks are cross-referenced with other required tasks for easy reference. You learn not only how to configure CallManager and Unity but also how to create a more feature-rich environment by leveraging CallManager and Unity features. Regardless of your specific needs, you’ll find Configuring CallManager and Unity to be a timesaving tool when performing common or complicated configuration tasks.
This IP communications book is part of the Cisco Press® Networking Technology Series. IP communications titles from Cisco Press help networking professionals understand voice and IP telephony technologies, plan and design converged networks, and implement network solutions for increased productivity.
Customer Reviews:
CCM and Unity Step by Step Guide.......2007-05-28
I purchased this book recently and found it very easy to understand, the author did a very good job in explaining all the concepts that I needed to know.
Great Information.......2007-04-12
This is a great book at giving specifics on how to setup most everything. Although I am on Callmanager 5.0 this book does not cover this version but does provide the underlying foundation on how to configure route patterns, lists, hunt groups and most eveything in 5.0 but i believe 5.0 has added new features and interfaces that this book does not cover. All in all I could not find a CM 5.0 book out there and this one substituted quite well and therefore I give it 5 stars as being pertinent to a new version of call manager.
The Best Book Out There on this Topic.......2005-08-15
Configuring CallManager and Unity: A Step-by-Step Guide (ISBN 1-58705-196-6) by David Bateman is perhaps the best book currently out there on this subject. It is over 500 pages and has all the elements of an indispensable book: easy to read, practical in its approach, well organized, and packed with current, useful, and up-to-date information. If you are involved in configuring or maintaining the Cisco CallManger suite of VoIP telephony, you simply can not do without this book.
As those of us who have been involved with configuring or maintaining the CallManager and Unity system, it is not a trivial task by any means. (I decided to grab this book as a result of an already operational CallManager system that I inherited. I needed get my hands on a practical book that wouldn't take me for a fluff-ride.) There are a number of interconnected details that need to be worked out. While one can try their luck and make their way through them by accepting defaults settings etc., in order to attain an optimal system that can grow to an enterprise level without resulting in frustrating performance and/or security problems, a somewhat detailed understanding of the system and the parameters associated with it is essential. This book does an excellent job of walking the reader through the configuration of these parameters and providing just the right explanation of the concepts behind them. For example, the author, seemingly well-aware of the elements of good technical writing, uses the same type of wording when describing similar concepts. This is a key element of a good technical book since the subject matter of such books can get complicated and it is a good practice to use the same type of wording and similar structure to emphasize the similarity in the topics being covered. The author has used this and other techniques to his advantage when writing this book.
The book is divided into two major sections: one dealing with the CallManager and the other dealing with Unity. Both sections are very well written and references are made to the necessary parts within the sections to emphasize the relationships whenever necessary. Another very important point is that the author has presented the material in the book in generally the same order as one would configure the system. The material is further combined under the same logical groupings as found in the actual application. For a complicated system like the CallManager, this goes a long way in understanding how things tie together in the application and hence helps in getting the "big picture" as well as the details.
As far as suggestions and recommendations go for the author, I would love to see the author write a book on the design of CallManager networks. Just like a good design is critical to the performance of data networks, VoIP networks do not scale well unless backed by a robust design. In fact, performance in voice networks is even more important due to the time sensitive nature of the traffic being carried. A book on the design aspects of VoIP networks would be most welcome. Similarly, installation of CallManager is not covered in this book since that topic can easily take up a book itself. While CallManager installation is usually performed by Cisco itself, a book on this topic would be nice as well.
The need for this book is best described in the words of the author. He writes in the introduction: "While there are many fine Cisco Press books on this technology, I noticed many of my students requesting a task-oriented book.... Through the writing process, the book evolved from offering only a step-by-step guide into also offering easy to understand explanations for many of the Cisco IP Telephony concepts and components." While many authors make grand claims about their books, this one holds true to every word of it. The book does exactly as the author claims: it not only presents a very detailed step-by-step approach to configuring Cisco's VoIP solution (which is no doubt a complex and intricate system) but also presents much needed explanations of the steps in a clear, concise manner whenever necessary.
Amazon.com
The biologist Edward O. Wilson is a rare scientist: having over a long career made signal contributions to population genetics, evolutionary biology, entomology, and ethology, he has also steeped himself in philosophy, the humanities, and the social sciences. The result of his lifelong, wide-ranging investigations is Consilience (the word means "a jumping together," in this case of the many branches of human knowledge), a wonderfully broad study that encourages scholars to bridge the many gaps that yawn between and within the cultures of science and the arts. No such gaps should exist, Wilson maintains, for the sciences, humanities, and arts have a common goal: to give understanding a purpose, to lend to us all "a conviction, far deeper than a mere working proposition, that the world is orderly and can be explained by a small number of natural laws." In making his synthetic argument, Wilson examines the ways (rightly and wrongly) in which science is done, puzzles over the postmodernist debates now sweeping academia, and proposes thought-provoking ideas about religion and human nature. He turns to the great evolutionary biologists and the scholars of the Enlightenment for case studies of science properly conducted, considers the life cycles of ants and mountain lions, and presses, again and again, for rigor and vigor to be brought to bear on our search for meaning. The time is right, he suggests, for us to understand more fully that quest for knowledge, for "Homo sapiens, the first truly free species, is about to decommission natural selection, the force that made us.... Soon we must look deep within ourselves and decide what we wish to become." Wilson's wisdom, eloquently expressed in the pages of this grand and lively summing-up, will be of much help in that search.
Book Description
"A dazzling journey across the sciences and humanities in search of deep laws to unite them." --
The Wall Street Journal
One of our greatest living scientists--and the winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for
On Human Nature and
The Ants--gives us a work of visionary importance that may be the crowning achievement of his career. In
Consilience (a word that originally meant "jumping together"), Edward O. Wilson renews the Enlightenment's search for a unified theory of knowledge in disciplines that range from physics to biology, the social sciences and the humanities.
Using the natural sciences as his model, Wilson forges dramatic links between fields. He explores the chemistry of the mind and the genetic bases of culture. He postulates the biological principles underlying works of art from cave-drawings to Lolita. Presenting the latest findings in prose of wonderful clarity and oratorical eloquence, and synthesizing it into a dazzling whole,
Consilience is science in the path-clearing traditions of Newton, Einstein, and Richard Feynman.
Customer Reviews:
Call in the Devil's Advocate!.......2007-09-21
This book tries to pull everything and everyone on earth into itself and, using scientific methods, organize them all - or plan their organization - into one big master survey and plan.
Dr. Wilson is a real polymath. He's brilliant, intellectually honest, and benevolent. But I didn't always get the feeling that he had really digested all the material he had used, especially the parts about philosophy and art.
I have to admit I don't usually read this type of book. I came to it via Tom Wolfe's excellent collection of essays, "Hooking Up." In the essay, "Sorry, Your Soul Just Died," Wolfe says sociobiologists (such as Wilson) contend that, not only is there no God, but also, no soul and no free will. Wolfe, though no scientist, is a wise observer of human nature, and his exploration of the ramifications of the trickle-down effect of this and other, similar scientific theories (in "Hooking Up" and another book, "I Am Charlotte Simmons") are well worth examining.
But I think both Wolfe and Wilson himself overestimate the strength of sociobiology's (and consilience's) arguments. For one thing, Wilson himself seems, excuse me, but not at all a critical thinker, at least not as far as non-hard science texts are concerned. I mean, here's a guy who, as he says in the beginning of the book, read the Bible, cover-to-cover, twice, and still believed it was literally true until he went off to college. Didn't it occur to him to ask, at least, where Cain's wife came from?
Wilson talks about how science and the arts will someday be conjoined theoretically so that, for instance, biological and neurological principles will be used to understand how a painting is analyzed. But he greatly oversimplifies the task of analyzing a painting. Many people who are not real art lovers think that we are taught art appreciation like we are taught biology: that it's a matter of memorizing why this painting is significant, why it is art, what its meaning is, as if there is an objective consensus which, once reached, is definitive. They completely leave out the individual response, or else, plot it on a bell curve. But I think most artists, writers, etc., would say art is all about subjective (and even preferably untaught) response. Off-the-curve responses are just as legitimate as typical ones. And the rules are constantly shifting, because art is based on expectation of response of the observer by the artist.
An example of Wilson's formulaic attitude is found on page 28, when he starts a section with, "All histories that live in our hearts are peopled by archetypes in mythic narratives..." as if that were established fact. I know that's a major theory nowadays - even the Disney scriptwriters use it - but I don't accept this dry cutting-and-bundling as fact. Besides, how is this proveable in the scientific sense? It would have to been done through survey, which is inherently subjective. Or somehow found in our genes, which hasn't been done yet.
In general, throughout the book, Wilson over-depends on Delphic decision-making: when faced with a difficult subject, such as art, you survey the opinions of the top experts, choose the opinion which seems most true, then treat that opinion as if it were established fact. I don't think these opinions can be relied upon: they tend to reverse every generation, and often are arrived at, not by rational debate, but by the intellectual bullying by the loudest and most politically cut-throat of the faculty members of some "top" university. Devil's advocates are in short supply in such places!
In regards to the contention that, if neurobiology can in the future completely predict an individual human's behavior, then that would prove we have no soul... well, Wilson backs off that question by saying that it'd be too much work to do this, and that no one would bother. (!) But he seems to suggest that the brain will be so well understood that science will be able to predict virtually all mental responses. (He didn't give examples, so I was left wondering: predict what? presidential elections? who should marry whom?)
And, does Wilson really have a grasp of how complex thinking is? As far as I can see, he seems to think it's sort of like mapping the Earth's oceans and all their inhabitants and all interactions - (my analogy, not his). Then you could, for instance, know where an individual whale could be found at any time. In fact, it's even more of a problem when you consider that, every time we have a chat, read a book, or look at a painting, we're interacting with another brain or, in effect, mixing our ocean with another planet's, separately evolved ocean. That whale would be awfully slippery, even if you did tag him with tracking device! Throw in self-awareness (the whale knows he's being hunted?) and the thing seems impossible.
Let me say, the book is very readable, and well worth reading for its explanation of epigenetic rules - the proof that we are hard-wired, so to speak, to, for example, find incest repulsive. These certainly will be, as Wilson states, useful in banishing the "There Is No Absolute" theory that has so weakened the productivity of intellectual thought lately. But the idea that we can discover all these rules and then build a more consistent code of ethics is, I think, naive. What if we find a gene that makes some people homosexual, and another that makes other people repulsed by homosexuals? Scientists are not Solomons.
Wilson says that a better knowledge of ourselves through the understanding of epigenetic rules will make us happier. I think it could certainly contribute. But it's far from a panacea. What about the Dostoyevskian idea that suffering is what makes us compassionate? Or Socrates' question, "What is the Good Life?") These are very vital moral questions demanding consideration.
It would be great if Wilson could get together with Tom Wolfe.
Interesting & over-rated.......2007-06-22
This is a thoughtful book: one that I would have no problem recommending to anyone interested in the philosophy of science. There are useful, sometimes original insights by this scientist & would-be philosopher. However, Wilson consistently over-reaches his mark, delves into areas of which he admits he has little understanding or interest. Wilson's constant use, or abuse, of deconstruction theories in general, and Jacques Derrida, in particular, as the straw-men to his arguments is a good example. He acknowledges he has read little of the the work, and what he has read he had little interest in - personally, I doubt very much he completely read the three Derrida books that he cites in his notes.
This becomes most obvious in the chapter "The Social Sciences", in which Wilson launches a bizarre and bitter attack on ideology, Marxists, and the worst of them all, it seems, cultural relativists. At least, these are the terms Wilson uses to describe any social science or theorizing that does not overtly recognize the pre-eminience of biology, i.e., genes. Wilson seems to be refighting academic battles of the late 60s-early 70s. Interestingly, when Wilson discusses his theory of gene-cultural coevolution, he will cite the most research research and scientists, yet when he discusses "social science" in this chapter, the most recent writers he can come up with are Franz Boas and Sigmund Freud. He doesn't mention Derrida in this chapter. It reads like he wrote this chapter as an essay in 1972. The intellectual dishonesty in this chapter is shocking when compared to the rather reasoned arguments he presents to this point.
Wilson is strongest when giving his perspectives on the historical importance of biology as it has informed the social sciences. Another strength of the book is the very detailed bibliographical information in his notes that will be useful to readers who want to follow-up on authors and studies cited by Wilson.
A sketch of the future of social science.......2007-01-01
Edward Wilson, the founder of sociobiology and evolutionary psychology, is now retired. This has given him time to absorb himself in the social sciences and arts: literature, sociology, anthropology, theology, psychology and economics. What would these be like if they were informed by the concept that individual and social behaviour is constrained by an evolutionary history, whose drivers are increasingly understood?
Wilson believes they would be a great deal different, and Consilience is his attempt to imagine the future reconceptualisation of the humanities within an overarching scientific (Darwinian) framework. Does it work? Yes, mostly, if you are scientifically trained: probably not at all if you are not.
I suspect most adherents to the `Standard Social Science Model' will simply conclude that Wilson is just making endless category errors in trying to insert sociobiological constraints into the high domains of culture, ethics and theology. But sometimes you have to just come off the fence: they would be wrong in this judgement. Nevertheless, the current generation of social science academics will never accept Wilson's approach. The eventual triumph of sociobiology (if anyone will still be using the term) will be the end-point of generations of research.
Where does Wilson fall short of his own high standards within his own paradigm? I think in a couple of areas.
1. On p. 127 the philosopher David Chalmers is quoted as distinguishing the `easy' from the `hard' problems of consciousness research. Everything is hard of course, but investigating how, for example, vision works is a research programme in signal processing and pattern recognition which has been producing results for more than thirty years. This is one of Chalmers `easy' problems. A `hard' problem is the experience of agonising pain. We think, for example, we know in principle how to make a robot which could see: there are few people who believe they could sketch out an architecture for a computer which could honestly be said to experience pain (and thus be tortured). Wilson completely fails to address this issue in his glib assertion that `the hard problem is conceptually easy to solve' (p. 128). No it's not.
2. One of the shocking consequences of an evolutionary analysis of humanity is that there is no point to any person's life, or to humanity as a whole, other than the successful reproduction of genetic material - something we share with any bacterium. Even as we know this to be true, we instinctively shy away from it, looking for deep meaning here, there, anywhere ... . We never find it, but we 'know' it must be somewhere. One of the triumphs of evolutionary psychology is to identify the `instinct' for deep meaning in life with the sanctification of tribal or community life, which is a powerful asset in group cohesion, and therefore strongly selected for. The dilemma is that even though we understand scientifically why we feel this way, that understanding does nothing to address the emotional need. Somehow we need a deep belief in the meaning of life (usually expressed through some kind of religion or group values) even though scientifically we know this is simply an effective adaptation for group cohesion. Wilson concurs that there is absolutely no solution to this problem, but still, mysteriously, dabbles in `deism'.
A key dilemma which will confront future generations, not so far away, is the power to change the human genetic code. But if there is no point to human existence, there can be no guides as to which way to change it (once obvious defects have been fixed). Wilson accepts the point but limits speculation - there is a whole book's worth of thinking to do about this issue, but perhaps it's too early for it to be written.
People have been kind about Wilson's merits as a stylist. I didn't find the book a gripping read: the writing is rather discursive and lacks bite. In this it shows its own ancestry as a compilation of articles and talks. `On Human Nature' is much better, as it seems to have real emotion around it - a response to his critics - and a more polemical style.
Wilson is currently a lobbyist for conservation and against climate change. The final chapter on this topics is superb, and a welcome antidote to over-familiar `save the planet' narratives driven by inaccurate science and fuzzy emotionalism.
Don't judge this book by it's title. .......2006-12-05
This is a pretty good science book.
But the bias is clear. Wilson argues for consilience of all of academia under science, largely ignoring any contributions that the other approaches to knowledge may contribute. Wilson explains how the arts, political science, psychology, history, etc., could benefit from science. He does a pretty good job of discussing that. But he is completely blind to how these other approaches to knowledge might help science.
I read the book hopeing for some insight into how all the different ways of seeing the world might be reconciled, and instead I just find more of the same overly reductionist modernist approach, with science being the only valid perspective. What a waste!
I do, however, enjoy science, and Wilson is a pretty good science writer, so I rate this book as OK. But had he even tried to show how science can likewise benefit from the approaches used by historians or artists or novelists or sociologists or musicians - it could have been a terrific read.
To dream the impossible dream (Man of La Mancha).......2006-12-02
Edmund Wilson's dream is to find the unity of knowledge: the final unification of physics, the reconstruction of living cells, the assembly of ecosystems, the co-evolution of genes and culture, the physical basis of mind and the deep origin of ethics and religion, all that (only that?) together reducible to the laws of physics, to a very simple causality law, like the universal law of action and reaction, but more sophisticated.
Does that implicate determinism in the sense I. Berlin stated: `law(s) enabling us to predict (or reconstruct) every detail in the lives of every single human being in the future, present and past.' (Laplace's demon)? No.
As Stephen Hawking said: `Even if we do achieve a complete unified theory, we shall not be able to make detailed predictions in any but the simplest situations.'
If the situations are not the simplest one, the degrees of freedom are infinite.
There are also other aspects to be considered in the search for a solution of Wilson's Super-Herculean task.
As J. von Neumann & H.H. Goldstine said: `a mathematical formulation necessarily represents only a theory of some phase (aspects) of reality, and not reality itself.'
Laws are about something (reality) and reality is made of matter (processes). While the fundamental building stones of matter are the same in the whole universe, those stones are organized everywhere differently: electrons, atoms, molecules, plants, DNA, the human body, the brain, natural selection, demographics, philosophy, arts, political systems, moral values ...
W. van Orman Quine defends physicalism as follows in an interview with Bryan Magee: `Processes (like emotions) in physical objects (people) are always accompanied by microphysical changes. In fact, they are those changes. Neurology is ultimately the place for explanations.'
For different complexes of matter there are different laws; e.g., what is the link between quantum mechanics and natural selection? Or, between gravitation and war?
To find a very simple causality (and a correspondent law) for all the processes in the universe should be a total impossible dream. On the contrary, the future is totally open.
As a brilliant biologist examining very complex systems, E.O. Wilson seems to be searching for an oversimplification.
N.B. The Cretan paradox has been resolved by Alfred Tarski.
Book Description
An ECPA 2003 Gold Medallion Finalist!The story of Christian theology has often been divisive and disjointed. Providing this companion volume to his earlier work The Story of Christian Theology, Roger E. Olson thematically traces the contours of Christian belief down through the ages, revealing a pattern of both unity and diversity. He finds a consensus of teaching that is both unitive and able to incorporate a faithful diversity when not forced into the molds of false either-or alternatives. The mosaic that emerges from Olson's work displays a mediating evangelical theology that is nonspeculative and irenic in spirit and tone. Specifically written with the nonspecialist in mind, Olson has masterfully sketched out the contours of Christian faith with simplicity while avoiding oversimplification.
Customer Reviews:
Good Intro to Theology Text.......2007-07-28
This is a useful textbook. Olson does a good job of explaining core Christian beliefs clearly and demonstrating an irenic approach to theology, without assuming that the reader needs to agree with him about anything outside of traditional orthodoxy. He does come across as rather defensive about Arminianism, though. It's a little dry, but not overly difficult. This would be a fine choice for a general theology course, though I wouldn't choose it for either a systematic or a historical theology course (Olson's other book, is a great historical theology text and isn't dry at all: The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition & Reform).
Surprisingly Good!.......2006-01-26
Having heard and read about the unbiblical views of Roger Olson, I was hesitant to pick this book up and read it. However, after finishing it I don't regret reading this fine systematic theology book at all (though I disagree seriously with Olson on some issues). The book is nicely organized and very easy to read. Also, it is not a mammoth of a book (just over 350 pages) so readers will not have to devote many months to finish it.
I especially liked Olson's balanced style and exhaustiveness. Though he doesn't spend pages upon pages on a certain topic, he adequately covers the various orthodox views, the various unorthodox views, and provides a summarizing a conclusion for each chapter. One will really enjoy reading Olson's first four chapters on theological method, sources, and revelation (general and particular). This section provides a solid foundation on how we are to develop our theologies in the midst of this post-Christian era. His other chapters on God, creation, humanity, Jesus Christ, and salvation were well written. He provides a really balanced view of those topics. The only problem I have with Olson is his "limited providence" view regarding God's sovereignty and his pro-Arminian view of salvation. For a far better treatment of these issues I would recommend systematic theology books by Millard Erickson, Wayne Grudem, and Robert Reymond. I also found at times that Olson did not come down hard on heresies/heretics. There were times when Olson was unwilling to make a judgment call on a person's eternal destiny even if that person held to a very destructive heresy.
Overall, I recommend this book (despite some serious errors). It is easy to read, and thus, will be a useful tool for a systematic theology course. If you're a Calvinist don't get put off by Olson's stance on divine providence and grace. There are useful things in the book for one's personal growth and study.
E Unibus Plurum.......2004-08-08
Take out a quarter and look at the other motto besides 'In God We Trust'.
It says in Latin: E pluribus unum = out of many, one.
This book unwittingly, but as accurately pegged by a prior reviewer, flip-flops the motto and has that represent the
Mosaic of Christian Beliefs:
E unibus plurum = out of one, many.
What we have here is a sacrifice of Unity of Christian Truth to the Diversity of Academic Freedom and Theological License.
Jesus said clearly, 'Thy Word is Truth', NOT 'truths', and especially NOT 'what you think is truth (A) and what I think as truth (non-A) so long as we agree to disagree even on some fundamental doctrines.'
See the book 'Across the Spectrum' for how far this Mosaicism notion gets carried among some hyper-imaginative devangelicals.
RAISES MORE QUESTIONS THAN PROVIDES ANSWERS.......2004-01-04
The Mosaic of Christian Belief: Twenty Centuries of Unity & Diversity (MCB)
Leaving aside that a book could be written for each of the interesting topics that the fifteen chapters attempt to tackle, and the incredible task of trying to squeeze 2000 years of "Christian belief" into 357 pages, MCB falls short from being a "handbook," as it portrays itself in being, which "seeks to explain to uninitiated" (p. 12).
The book raises more questions than it provides answers. MCB might be more suitable for those that have had a reasonable prior exposure to the subject, and are now looking to stimulate some critical thinking and analysis about the subject. MCB comes short of discussing the topics in-depth or at-length, or for that matter, offering any kind of definitive conclusion. This style may leave some readers, especially the uninitiated, perplexed. The chapters present an extremely fragmented "Christianity," a view supported by some, but without offering any substantial alternate explanations/perspectives from the "mosaic." Given the fragmented treatment, any effort to offer a sense of undergirding unity becomes conflicting, contradictory, and inconsequential.
Just as one would not attempt to teach the "uninitiated" in math the multiplication tables by what they are not without teaching what they are, similarly, it would be unwise to try to learn about "Christian belief" by using a self-proclaimed "handbook" of the subject that fails to address the subject comprehensively.
Given that the present times are being called "post-modern" and "post-Christian," among others, it seems ironic to continue to use "Christian" and "Christianity" to describe/identify a particular community of faith. There may be an urgent need for the "Christian" community to define what "Christian" means in the 21st century. Another option may be to allow "modern Antioch" to rename Christianity. All too often the term "Christian" is used as if it has one standard meaning, and assumes that everyone is acquainted with what it is. Except, if that were the case, there seems little, if any, need even to write a book entitled, The Mosaic of Christian Belief.
In the Preface it says that MCB is the product of "nearly twenty years of teaching introductory courses in Christian doctrine and theology in university, college, and seminary," and that it is the combined result of students and their professor deciding that "what was needed was a very basic, relatively comprehensive, nontechnical, nonspeculative one-volume introduction to Christian belief." If textbooks like MCB are being used in "Christian" universities, colleges, and seminaries, it should be no surprise that some "Christian" churches find themselves in the straights that they are in, and that "modern Antioch" calls these times post-Christian.
Synthesizing Christian Belief.......2003-01-20
In this book by Professor Olson, Christian history and theology is examined for the many differences and similarities that have characterized different denominations and presuppositions. The aim of this book seems fairly simple: to find a common bond that all Christians everywhere can unite under and find agreement. Olson's plea is for a synthesis over analysis (that is, to examine our theology very thoroughly and rigorously but to press this examination to unity rather than division, which has most often been the case).
Moving through twelve major/basic theological categories (Sources, Revelation, Scripture, God, Creation, Providence, Humanity, Jesus Christ, Salvation, Church, Life beyond Death, and the Kingdom of God), Olson presents the reader with a broad overview of what has typically and historically been held by varying denominations and sects among Christianity.
Again, Olson's goal in all of this is twofold: to present a 'handbook' of sorts for the new student(s) of historical theology and to make a case for a "both-and" theology rather than a divisive position. Although I feel that he falls short of this goal on two or three of the major theological positions, Olson does well in making this a reality that can be worked towards in the theological arena, even presenting the reader with more of a practical, "how-to"-type goal of what this "both-and" can look like.
On the whole, this book is an outstanding read and a tremendous resource. Olson writes very well and often times inspiring as he shares this vision of the theological horizon. This promises to be a great treasure and addition for libraries of pastors, theologians, students, and lay-persons.
Although the "both-and" isn't always going to be present, the overall vision has been set for a goal towards which our modern theology can progress.
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