Book Description
This book presents a comprehensive anthology of readings, legal perspectives, and cases in ethics in business. Contrasting business ethics approaches, Regulation of business, Performance Monitoring. Genetic testing and screening. Third world issues. Federal sentencing guidelines. Ideal for business professionals interested in reviewing ethical issues in business.
Customer Reviews:
Biased, but a good primer on business ethics.......2006-02-24
This book is a good primer on business ethics, and it would be even better if the writer / editors hadn't shown their bias with their selections of included material.
Business ethics theories evolve, just like any other social phenomenon; however, just because a theory is new doesn't make it right. Especially in an ethics book! The authors are clearly biased against big business, against small government, and against "shareholder management" theory.
Does this make them right or wrong? No. The only "wrong" committed is the bias itself.
As you read this book, just keep your critical thinking skills sharp and your eyes open.
A Critical Compendium.......2002-07-20
This book is a critical reader, and it's probably the most highly used text in business ethics today. Those who reviewed this book negatively sound like people looking for a fun, non-academic overview of the field. If so, this book isn't it. These are articles published in top academic journals, edited for readability, by scholars who are addressing the fundamental issues in a wide range of topics. It's meant to expose the span of the field and still give students (not light readers) exposure to contemporary literature that touches on the most salient points. It's meant to be a starting point to deeper research in any given topic. As such, the book is a complete success. B & B do a great job (here as in other ethics compendiums) of providing a framework that makes it easy for a professor to expose her students to the field in one swoop. They do a fine editorial job, stripping the articles of padding, and they work hard to keep the offerings up to date (passing on older articles that are superceded by fresh insights that touch on contemporary challenges and technologies; look for something relating to the corporate scandals of this last year in the next edition). If you are a student looking for an overview on business ethics, this book is the correct starting point. If you are someone looking for light reading about corporate corruption, with illustrations and full-color photos, stick to People magazine.
A Good Anthology.......2001-06-23
I really enjoyed this anthology, especially the section on sexual harassment. Some of the subjects were hard going, but, it was a good introduction to business ethics.
In Defense of Beauchamp and Bowie.......2001-06-17
I teach business ethics at the college level, and have found Ethical Theory and Business to be very helpful. Basically, B and B attempt to do three things, or so it seems to me. First, they offer an introductory essay, covering some of the main distinctions in both meta-ethics (e. g. whether morality is objective or subjective) and normative ethics. This essay is the weakest part of the book, I think, because they seem to offer caracatures of most relativist leaning views (e. g. egoism), and do not adequately criticize Kantian moral philosophy. But even so, the essay does explain many useful distinctions in philosophical ethical thought. Second, B and B offer both classic readings in Business Ethics (e. g. Milton Friedman), as well as really up to date readings, by many of the leaders in the field (e. g. R. Edward Freeman). This is quite a good selection of readings, although they have omitted a few classic essays (like Galbraith's 'The Dependence Effect'), and a few subjects which might have been useful, such as the question of whether one can attribute moral agency to corporations at all. Even so, B and B include more than any course in Business Ethics could cover. Third, B and B provide a Web site with excersizes and instructor aids. Depending on how much one uses the Web, this may be helpful too. So generally speaking, although no anthology is perfect, Beauchamp and Bowie have put together an admirable collection. There is a seventh edition coming out soon. Perhaps that one will be as good as this one.
This Book is Whack!!!.......2001-05-11
Ethical Theory and Business by Beauchamp & Bowie is the worst academic book I have ever been required to read. I agree with the reader from Minnesota that this book is very dry and boring and if I could give this book zero stars I would. All of the chapters in the book do not flow together very well since this book is very unorganized and is nothing more than a collection of narrative articles. The book does not have an index or any illustrations in it and the companion website to the book [stinks]. I do not think I learned anything about business ethics from reading this book nor did I find the information in it helpful for me in my life. After I finished reading this book, I felt like throwing it away, but instead I sold mine back to the bookstore. So if you want to learn about business ethics and are not required to purchase this book for a class, do not purchase this book.
Amazon.com
How is the human brain like the AIDS epidemic? Ask physicist Albert-László Barabási and he'll explain them both in terms of networks of individual nodes connected via complex but understandable relationships. Linked: The New Science of Networks is his bright, accessible guide to the fundamentals underlying neurology, epidemiology, Internet traffic, and many other fields united by complexity.
Barabási's gift for concrete, nonmathematical explanations and penchant for eccentric humor would make the book thoroughly enjoyable even if the content weren't engaging. But the results of Barabási's research into the behavior of networks are deeply compelling. Not all networks are created equal, he says, and he shows how even fairly robust systems like the Internet could be crippled by taking out a few super-connected nodes, or hubs. His mathematical descriptions of this behavior are helping doctors, programmers, and security professionals design systems better suited to their needs. Linked presents the next step in complexity theory--from understanding chaos to practical applications. --Rob Lightner
Book Description
A cocktail party. A terrorist cell. Ancient bacteria. An international conglomerate.
All are networks, and all are a part of a surprising scientific revolution. Albert-László Barabási, the nation's foremost expert in the new science of networks, takes us on an intellectual adventure to prove that social networks, corporations, and living organisms are more similar than previously thought. Grasping a full understanding of network science will someday allow us to design blue-chip businesses, stop the outbreak of deadly diseases, and influence the exchange of ideas and information. Just as James Gleick brought the discovery of chaos theory to the general public, Linked tells the story of the true science of the future.
Customer Reviews:
Not deep enough (?).......2007-06-23
For some reasons both this one and 'The Tipping point' didn't really appeal to me. As an example in this book there is this attempt to superimpose the 'Bose Einstein condensation' to network properties. I personally didn't see any beef there
Network theory and its applications.......2007-06-07
After reading Mitchel Resnick's Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams: Explorations in Massively Parallel Microworlds (Complex Adaptive Systems), my exploration of decentralized networks went down a very viral path. This book, in particular, discusses the application of network theory in the context of its historical significance. The author explores how it can be used as a tool and device to understand cities, computer networks social networks, human-human interactions (speech), human-computer interactions (HCI), computer-computer interactions (protocol), diseases, computer viruses, nature. Based on this book and its related siblings, it inspires tremendous amounts of ideas for the next big thing in marketing strategy.
Superb popular science: the laws of networks........2007-04-14
Networks all have a meaningful similarity. Whether the network at hand is a party, a cell's molecular reaction, or the puzzling old bridges of Königsberg, Prussia, you could describe each one by using a branch of mathematics called "graph theory," invented by Leonhard Euler in 1736. His long-dormant concept bloomed in the 1990s with the advent of the Internet and continues to yield insights into many important problems. Sounds a bit dry? Don't worry. Albert-László Barabási writes in a lively style (there's nary an equation in sight) with fun, informative anecdotes. The tale of how he and other scientists discovered "the laws of networks" unfolds like a detective story. After reading this book, you'll see networks everywhere and gain deeper insight into disparate phenomena, from biological systems to business organizations to the economics of "increasing returns." We recommend this clear, accessible book to anyone who has ever wondered about the ubiquitous webs that encompass all things. This is popular science at its best.
Great for the layman.......2007-04-11
One of the best books I've read about the subject, especially good for those being introduced to the subject of graph theory and network thinking. One of the few technical page-turners I've had the pleasure to enjoy! Really, could not put it down!
If you liked Freakonomics..........2007-01-12
...then you'll love the connections drawn in this text. It more than touches on the realities of "Six Degrees of Separation" (as well as Kevin Bacon!)in an interesting, readable format. You don't need to be a scientist or a mathematition to understand the links, networks, and nodes assessed in this book.
I must admit that it started out a bit slow, but I recommend you stick it out for an enlightening outlook on the interconnectivity of everything.
Book Description
Dennis Coon presents psychology in a way readers will find fascinating, relevant, and above all, accessible. The first author to integrate the proven SQ4R active learning system (survey, question, read, recite, relate, and review) into a psychology textbook, Coon helps readers grasp major concepts, develop a broad understanding of psychology's diversity, and see for themselves how psychology relates to the challenges of everyday life. The author delights in sparking readers' curiosity, insights, imagination, and interest, and makes his investment in the subject of psychology apparent on every page. Coon effectively presents the latest research, the most vital controversies, and key scientific content in an involving way that gets students "hooked" on psychology and eager to read on. Because readers become actively involved with the material, they develop a basic understanding of psychology that they take with them into their future courses and careers. In a course where professors are frequently confronted by students who haven't actually read their textbooks, Coon's text offers a solution that students will want to read.
Customer Reviews:
good.......2007-03-20
came in a week usefull book if taken psy good deal to saved 20 bucks
Good but very basic.......2006-04-02
A good but very basic and superficial introduction to the field. I would prefer to see some topics explored more in-depth.
review of gateways to physchology ordering process.......2005-09-12
I have not received my book yet. It has almost been a month. I have e-mailed the seller several times but she always seems to have a reason why I haven't recieved it. I e-mailed her 2 days ago with a request to refund my money but she said that it should have been shipped by now, that it was at her parents house. At this point, I am very dissatisfied with this particular service. I must also add that I ordered app. 10 books via your service and had no problems at all.
Intro. to Psychology Text.......2005-09-11
Excellent description of text. Wonderful product with great delivery speed. Sooo glad I made this purchase.
Average customer rating:
- Good read
- Enthralling. It gets better as it goes on.
- Engaging, informative, and entertaining!
- Not terribly substantive, and not even that fun to read
|
Snipers, Shills, and Sharks: eBay and Human Behavior
Ken Steiglitz
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
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ASIN: 0691127131 |
Book Description
Every day on eBay, millions of people buy and sell a vast array of goods, from rare collectibles and antiques to used cars and celebrity memorabilia. The internet auction site is remarkably easy to use, which accounts in part for its huge popularity. But how does eBay really work, and how does it compare to other kinds of auctions? These are questions that led Ken Steiglitz--computer scientist, collector of ancient coins, and a regular eBay user--to examine the site through the revealing lens of auction theory.
The result is this book, in which Steiglitz shows us how human behaviors in open markets like eBay can be substantially more complex than those predicted by standard economic theory. In these pages we meet the sniper who outbids you in an auction's closing seconds, the early bidder who treats eBay as if it were an old-fashioned outcry auction, the shill who bids in league with the seller to artificially inflate the price--and other characters as well. Steiglitz guides readers through the fascinating history of auctions, how they functioned in the past and how they work today in online venues like eBay. Drawing on cutting-edge economics as well as his own stories from eBay, he reveals practical auction strategies and introduces readers to the fundamentals of auction theory and the mathematics behind eBay.
Complete with exercises and a detailed appendix, this book is a must for sophisticated users of online auctions, and essential reading for students seeking an accessible introduction to the study of auction theory.
Customer Reviews:
Good read.......2007-08-27
This is a good book and I thought it was entertaining. Some may find it a bit dry because it is written more like a text book but it does have some interesting information, some interesting stories, and it has a lot of math in the back. We all love math right? The math is just for reference and is in the appenedix, it was a good book I thought. However, it was not so much about trading safely on ebay, it was more about how real life auction rings fix prices, some statistical analysis of online auctions etc.
This is a good book but if you are looking for something that explains ebay fraud and how to avoid it, look for Scams and Scoundrels, it describes more of what I thought this book would be about. While this is good, it does not have the information on identifying fraud auctions, fraud sellers, or how to protect yourself from ebay scams like Scams and Scoundrels does. Get them both, they are both good, just different takes on ebay criminals.
Enthralling. It gets better as it goes on........2007-07-08
I've never liked auctions, but that has not reduced the interest of this book in any way. It gives clear and engaging explanations of how different auctions work, both in theory and in practice. Special attention is given to eBay of course, and why it works the way it does.
The main text discusses strategies and the effects of different auction rules without resorting to any math, allowing the reader to gain an excellent grasp of the issues without concentrating on technical details. But the underlying theory is not shortchanged in any way by this, since the math is contained in substantial appendices, where it is laid out with complete, easy-to-understand explanations.
I highly reccommend this book both as an introduction to eBay, and to auction theory. For me, it's both.
Engaging, informative, and entertaining!.......2007-07-03
Snipers, Shills, and Sharks is an instant classic that will appeal to anyone interested in understanding why ebay works the way it does and how it relates to a beautiful economic theory developed over the past few decades. How do English, Dutch, and Vickrey auctions work? Why do experienced ebayers snipe? When should a seller set a secret reserve? Why is ebay a second-price instead of first-price auction? Why does ebay post the second highest bid and not the highest one? These answers and much more are crisply explained and supported by real-world and laboratory experiments. I opened the book knowing next to nothing about auctions and ebay (other than as a participants), and now I feel that I understand a great deal.
Steiglitz begins in Chapter 1 with classic auctions, including English and Vickery. He explains the theory underlying each auction, including the seminal result that bidders should be truthful in a second-price auction such as Vickery or English (with a few caveats). Chapter 2 motivates ebay as a natural evolution of the English auction where bidders participate over time, with a fixed deadline. Chapter 3 analyzes real bidding histories on ebay and other experimental results. He explains when practice agrees with the theory, but also when it doesn't on account of human behavior. It also explains the benefits of sniping. Chapter 4 explains why ebay is not a first-price auction; Chapter 5 discusses strategies for the seller, including how to set the opening bid and secret reserve; Chapter 6 discusses strategies for the bidder, including how much to bid and when. Chapter 7 describes various ways that participants cheat and the theory underlying it.
The theory is inherently mathematical, but Steiglitz does a masterful job of replacing the math with easy-to-understand intuition in the main text and deferring the technical details to the appendices. That being said, the appendices are definitely a worthwhile read if you remember single variable calculus. The theory is extremely elegant. Appendix A treats the class Vickrey results; Appendices B and C cover various extensions. Appendix D describes a number of experimental results. Numerous references are provided for further study.
One of the most charming features of the book is the author's conversational tone and his personal anecdotes, both as an avid coin collector and as a professor who performs classroom experiments. For example, Steiglitz illustrates the "winner's curse" via a classroom experiment where he auctions off a jar of nickels to the highest bidder.
Not terribly substantive, and not even that fun to read.......2007-05-01
I picked this book up with great anticipation after hearing about it from Marginal Revolution. As an avid ebay user for the past 5 years and an economics major back in college, I was hoping that I'd find some insightful nuggets on the inner workings of auction economics and psychology.
What I found instead was a somewhat tired text that did not have a whole lot to offer. The introductory chapters on various auction types were the best and mildly entertaining, but it went slowly downhill from there. It read more like a textbook than a book you'd want to read for pleasure. There is no math in the main text, by design. The author has chosen this to keep it readable to everyone, and keeps the formulas in the appendix. That's fine by me, and I wouldn't take off stars for that. The thing that boggs this book down is that there isn't much substance. He cites a few small studies here and there that aren't very conclusive and don't give me much insight on what works and doesn't work on ebay.
Book Description
Ray's unique philosophy of science approach focuses on two major goals: introducing students to the basics of science and to the spirit that motivates many scientists, and helping students make the transition from outside observer of science to active participant. In meeting those goals, he has written a highly readable book that students are able to learn from, and that offers them a greater understanding of the techniques of science as well as the experience of doing science.
Customer Reviews:
Its Good For Repition.......2007-02-17
The claim, "never highlight a book again," I suppose its true. I found that if I read the book, highlighted the importmant material, and went back to the book to write down what I highlighted in the Cram101 book, was the best way to study. It was useful because the key terms from the chapater are on one side and there is space to write on the other side.
5 stars and so more.......2005-09-30
The book was in great shape. There were no missing pages and the cover was all shinny, like brand new.
Avoids pitfalls.......2001-06-28
Most books on quantitative psychology are long and overly technical. This one seems to explain the math gently and without disregarding the contextual explanations of how empirical research is done. Also, the authors are very conscious of the limitations of science and avoid, quite successfully, giving the impression that numbers always reflect reality. If you want to be able to understand those cryptic studies that appear in scientific journals, get this book! It also has several good references for obtaining more information while performing empirically based research, yourself.
Book Description
Two of the twentieth century's most influential thinkers debate a perennial question.
In 1971, at the height of the Vietnam War and at a time of great political and social instability, two of the world's leading intellectuals, Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault, were invited by Dutch philosopher Fons Edlers to debate an age-old question: is there such a thing as "innate" human nature independent of our experiences and external influences?
The resulting dialogue is one of the most original, provocative, and spontaneous exchanges to have occurred between contemporary philosophers, and above all serves as a concise introduction to their basic theories. What begins as a philosophical argument rooted in linguistics (Chomsky) and the theory of knowledge (Foucault), soon evolves into a broader discussion encompassing a wide range of topics, from science, history, and behaviorism to creativity, freedom, and the struggle for justice in the realm of politics.
In addition to the debate itself, this volume features a newly written introduction by noted Foucault scholar John Rajchman and includes additional text by Noam Chomsky.
Customer Reviews:
Highly recommended, and a welcome contribution to library philosophy shelves........2007-07-09
The Chomsky-Foucault Debate On Human Nature collects and presents an integral debate held between two of the world's top intellectuals, Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault, held in 1971 (during the height of the Vietnam War) to wrestle with the ancient question: Is there such a thing as "innate" human nature independent of our experiences and external influences? In addition to reproducing the debate verbatim, The Chomsky-Foucault Debate On Human Nature includes later writings by each speaker: "Politics" (1976) and "A Philosophy of Language" (1976) by Noam Chomsky, and "Truth and Power" (1976), "Omnes et Singulatim: Toward a Critique of Political Rason" (1978) and "Confronting Government: Human Rights" (1984) by Michel Foucault. "The concept of legality and the concept of justice are not identical; they're not entirely distinct either. Insofar as legality incorporates justice in this sense of better justice, referring to a better society, then we should follow and obey the law... Of course, in those areas where the legal system happens to represent not better justice, but rather the techniques of oppression that have been codified in a particular autocratic system, well, then a reasonable human being should disregard and oppose them, at least in principle; he may not, for some reason, do it in fact." Highly recommended, and a welcome contribution to library philosophy shelves.
What a find!.......2007-02-06
I didn't know about this debate between these two on this subject--what a find! I am reading it now, and a line of friends are waiting for their turn.
Foucault's Chomp.......2006-11-27
It is now widely conceded among post-modern/post-structuralist circles that Foucault broke the back of linguist-political scientist Noam Chomsky in this televised debate on Dutch television. Perhaps this conception further contributed to Chomksy's disdain with the French intellectual community entire in subsequent years. Nevertheless, regardless of one's political/philosophical disposition, this is an endlessly fascinating debate, between two thinkers working as "tunnellers through a mountain working at opposite sides of the same mountain with different tools, without even knowing if they are working in each other's direction" (2), to use the moderators' description.
The debate begins technically, Chomksy addresses his discoveries within the domain of cognitive linguistics, and Foucault outlines his historical research into the sciences in Western civilization. Chomsky is a self-described rational `Cartesian,' a philosophical disposition largely rejected by post-modernity after the detruktion of Western philosophy by Martin Heidegger. Foucault, on the other hand, (who began as a major Heideggerian) seems to adopt a Nietzschean disposition; he rejects Chomsky's assertion that a genuine concept of human justice is rooted biologically in the human species. Rather, that our knowledge of morality and human nature are always necessarily rooted in social conditioning. Chomsky actually fails (here as well as elsewhere) to really confront the philosophy of Nietzsche, who necessarily put a dent in all forms of socialism, whether democratic, libertarian, or totalitarian. To illustrate Chomsky's elusiveness: "FOUCAULT: it seems to me that the idea of justice in itself is an idea which in effect has been invented and put to work in different types of societies as an instrument of a certain political and economic power as a weapon against that power. But it seems to me that, in any case, the notion of justice itself functions within a society of classes as a claim made by the oppressed class and as justification for it. CHOMSKY: I don't agree with that. FOUCAULT: And in a classless society, I am not sure that we would still use this notion of justice" (54-55). But Chomksy replies by reasserting his belief that there must be an absolute basis in which notions of human justice are "grounded" (ibid), however, he relies once again solely on his partial knowledge of what `human nature' is.
Unusual clarity.......2006-11-16
Helps the reader easily grasp both authors divergent and convergent insights on language. The material on politics was enlightening.
Amazon.com
Strikingly different from most business books--it opens and closes with a pair of very powerful black-and-white photo essays, for example--A Simpler Way lays out a fascinating and productive reexamination of the traditional tenets of organizational behavior. Internationally known consultants Margaret J. Wheatley (Leadership and the New Science) and Myron Kellner-Rogers focus on the basic themes of play, organization, self, emergence, and notions of coherence to explore how people really systemize their existence. The authors draw upon science, poetry, philosophy, and other unconventional corporate resources to suggest a completely original method of working together. "There is a simpler way to organize human endeavor," they write. "It requires a new way of being in the world. It requires being in the world without fear. Being in the world with play and creativity. Seeking after what's possible. Being willing to learn and to be surprised."
While A Simpler Way may appear too New Age for some readers, this beautifully produced book hits the mark by bringing together an array of unexpected ideas as the authors look anew at established theories of human behavior to propose a decidedly unique way of promoting organization and achieving success. --Howard Rothman
Book Description
Margaret J. Wheatley and coauthor Myron Kellner-Rogers explore the question: "How could we organize human endeavor if we developed different understandings of how life organizes itself?" They draw on the work of scientists, philosophers, poets, novelists, spiritual teachers, colleagues, audiences, and their own experience in search of new ways of understanding life and how organizing activities occur. A Simpler Way presents a profoundly different world view that can change how we live our lives and how we can create organizations that thrive.
A Simpler Way explores fundamental new beliefs about organizations and life. Like Leadership and the New Science, this new book is rooted in science but breaks new ground by developing insights from literature, spiritual teachings, and direct experience. The authors challenge many assumptions about life, organizations, and change, while providing inspiration and guidance for readers on their own journey to a simpler way to organize their endeavors.
The authors describe a new paradigm of life as self-organizing and coevolving, drawing on sources that support modern science but predate its findings by thousands of years. They examine five major themes-play, organization, self, emergence, and coherence-each grounded in both the science and philosophy of a world that knows how to organize itself. Each theme is explored in depth, and then applied to how we think about human organizations.
Customer Reviews:
Fluffy, repetitious.......2006-08-04
Not bad, but the material could have been covered in a magazine article. A few principles repeated until I felt like I was reading some sort of New Age meditative mantra.
Simply wonderful.......2006-05-02
I could not put it down! Although an easy ready, it presses us to look at things differently, simply AND deeply. This book relates to all aspects of life and how we interact with each other and the world. How often and quickly we delve into issues without considering the impact of changes (or even suggestion of change). This is a "must read" for business leaders, teachers, politicians, churches and other organizations who so often try force square pegs into round holes in the name of progress and growth. I will read this book again, share with others and will read a lot more of Margaret Wheatley!
Simpler way to absorb ideas from Leadership and the New Science.......2005-09-26
Margaret Wheatley is addictive. After reading "Leadership and the New Science" I have bought the rest of her books, and also those that she recommends by contributing a foreword.
This book has a great deal of white space, lots of photos, is double-spaced, but by no means is it simplistic. To play on the title, it is a "simpler way" to absorb the large deep ideas that are documented in "Leadership and the New Science." If her primary writing were a trilogy, this is the entry-level book, "Finding Our Way" is the intermediate volume, and "Leadership" is the graduate course. However, I recommend they be read in reverse order, because the simpler books are more clearly appreciated if one has the deeper background.
What I find most compelling about this book is the manner in which it captures core ideas from a wide variety of works that have been bubbling into human consciousness in the past 20 years. The bibliography is quite good although by no means all-inclusive (missing Kurzweil, E. O. Wilson, and Stephen Wolfham, as well as Tom Atlee and Bill Moyers, among others).
Among the core ideas in this book that are presented with elegance are the absurdity of thinking that life can have a boss--or that rigid ideas and identities will lead to anything other than rigid non-adjustable organizations. The author stresses the value of diversity, passion, connectedness, humanity and humanness, and tieing it all together, the role of information and of ethics as facilitators for "being."
There is a very useful discussion of bacteria and the manner in which human attempts to impose machine and medical solutions are ultimately defeated by bacteria. Although Howard Bloom's "Global Brain" is not in the bibliography, everything the authors discuss here is consistent with his concerns about bacteria winning the inter-species war with humanity.
Taking this a step further, I would contrast this book, and the varied books on collective intelligence, wisdom of the crowd, ecological economics (Herman Daly) and so on, with a book I recently reviewed about the National Security Council, aptly titled "Running the World." The stupidity and arrogance of that title reveals all that we need to know about why U.S. foreign policy is failing, and how desperately we need to take the ideas from this book and apply them to how we manage ourselves and our relationships with other nations, other tribes, other religions, other communities.
penetrating philosophic work.......2005-05-14
In this sharply perceptive and penetrating philosophic work, the authors with unusual sensitivity and insight have been able to express life of human organizations in a beautiful way.
The authors in a poetic way express that life is creative and playful, contrary to Darwinist theory that life occurred out of an error and it is struggle for survival. The mechanistic image of the world doesn't help us any longer. We keep exploring what we can see when we look at life and organizations using different images.
Organizations are living systems. They are like people, intelligent, creative, adaptive, self-organizing and meaning-seeking. The simpler way to organize human endeavor requires a belief that the world is inherently orderly. The world seeks organization. It doesn't need humans to organize it.
The book is based around the following essential ideas: everything is in a constant process of discovery and creating; life uses mess to get to well-ordered solutions, it doesn't seem to share our desires for efficiency or neatness, it uses redundancy, fuzziness, dense webs of relationships, and unending trails and errors to find what works; life is intent on finding what works, not what's "right"; life creates more possibilities as it engages with opportunities; life is attracted to order; life organizes around identity; everything participates in the creation and evolution of its neighbors.
"A simpler way" is to a great extent influenced by Maturana and Varela, Kelly, Prigogine, Jacob, Lewontin, Kauffmann and other great thinkers.
Here is the quote from this book:
"In their work on human cognition, Maturana and Varela explain that, at any moment, what we see is most influenced by who we have decided to be. Our eyes do not simply pick up information from an outside world and relay it to our brains. Information relayed from the outside through the eye accounts for only 20 percent of what we use to create a perception. At least 80 percent of the information that the brain works with is information already in the brain.
We each create our own worlds by what we choose to notice, creating a world of distinctions that makes sense to us. We then "see" the world through this self we have created. Information from the external world is a minor influence. We connect who we are with selected amounts of new information to enact our particular version of reality.
Because information from the outside plays such a small role in our perceptions, Maturana and Varela note something quite important for our activities with one another. We can never direct a living system. We can only disturb it. As external agents we provide only small impulses of information. We can nudge, titillate, or provoke one another into some new ways of seeing. But we can never give anyone an instruction and expect him or her to follow it precisely. We can never assume that anyone else sees the world as we do.
Their work on human cognition underscores the realization that we are all, always, poets, exploring possibilities of meaning in a world which is also all the time exploring possibilities."
I also recommend "Leadership and The New Science" in addition to this book.
Beautiful and Simple Way to introduce the Complex(ity).......2003-06-30
This book is special for two reasons: #1 the book itself is beautiful in graphics, typography and shape, #2 the text pleasantly guides the novice into the realm of the subject of complexity.
This is the book I always advice to those who want to 'get into' the subject.
Book Description
The author of the bestselling Flow (more than 125,000 copies sold) offers an intelligent, inspiring guide to life in the future.
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The Everyman's Guide: Concrete Ways to a More Complex Self.......2005-11-20
The book is a loving, enthusiastic attempt to replace religious faith (a cultural meme) with faith in evolution, and it is not without its dazzling existential insights, wherever one chooses to place one's faith. Readers interested in defining happiness will find much to digest. The author's sensibilities, however, are a dinosaur-a heavy irony in a book devoted to evolutionary psychology. (Three-martini lunches? Aren't those extinct?) An example of the rhetoric I object to follows: "But now it is possible for a drunk officer in some missile silo to press the wrong button, and then natural selection might give the prize to the cockroach." A cliché, an exteme one. I wouldn't make fun of the author if I didn't think his metaphorical errors weren't related to logical fallacies in the book.
The largest irony, I find, is that in a book that purports to glorify complexity, the author is ruthlessly reductive; for example, he leaves little room for the possibility of evolution coexisting with a Creator, which would arguably be a more complex vision. I think the author's vision of "flow" could be more complex in this book, as well; I think flow varies in type and degree in the way that individual temperament and intelligence types vary, and I would argue that entropy might be a necessary companion to flow. For example, I derive peak flow experiences from processing complex ideas, but generally an interim gestation period exists in which I experience a share of entropy, boredom, conflict, irritation, all of which serve to heighten the joy I experience when deriving the payoff. Then again, I am a particularly complex and abstract personality, and my mind is boggled when I read that some folks experience flow when driving the car or gardening. But more power to them. (Meyers-Briggs type indication could be a helpful tool here.)
This brings me to my main point and my perception of the author's blind spot. But first I should explain why I read the book. I have become interested in concepts of evolutionary intelligence since becoming mother to a highly-gifted child of complex and unusual temperament. I thought that any book discussing evolutionary psychology would have to consider the existence of gifted people, especially those who are genetically hard-wired as global thinkers, empaths, abstract thinkers with innate high degrees of moral sensitivity, born transcenders. But gifted people don't seem to exist in Csikszentmihalyi's world. He is more interested in the folks out there of average intelligence and common, concrete temperament who can perhaps be encouraged to mimic traits inherent to the abstract idealist by "reading the more complex magazine, having the more complex conversation, voting for the candidate with the more complex platform, learning the more complex skills on one's job, choosing the more complex leisure activity," etc. Such a reader he must have in mind when he includes Q&A sections after each chapter and encourages a grassroots movement to form "cells of the future," both of which made me laugh out loud because of their prosaic and pragmatic nature.
Well, I'm only going to irritate people by writing about giftedness, since our egalitarian society wants to mow down those tall poppies, but I'll persist, in case there's one other person out there who gets what I'm saying. The author writes, "The reason complexity appears to be such a central principle of evolution is that when two organisms compete for energy, the one with the more complex physiology or behavioral repertoire tends to have the advantage." If gifted people are arguably more complex, do they have the evolutionary advantage? I'm not so sure. Society favors average kids, and parents of average kids are likely to have more kids. Complex kids suffer from lack of societal fit, and gifted kids and adults are prone to existential depression due to lack of fit. Most gifted kids experience abuse and humiliation in public school settings and may even be medicated because of "aberrant" behavior due to boredom. Some of these kids may have the advantage as adults, especially if they find success in technological fields; others may drop out of society. More interestingly, one could consider the effects of early humiliation on a successful genius like Edward Teller, who might arguably have unleashed negative and entropic energy as a subconscious response. In any event, if I were an evolutionary psychologist, I think I'd choose to invest my limited energy in studying the more complex gifted population, who might evidence the hand of evolution at a genetic level.
This is a book in which the gifted are glaringly absent, and I'm probably the only one who will care. Nonetheless, the book was engaging. But for my money, I prefer Harold Bloom on the expansion of consciousness through the study of literature. Sometimes the social sciences seem ponderous when compared to literature, in which lightening-fast apprehension can be manifest without cumbersome data generation. If you're interested in the evolution of human consciousness, I think Bloom does best when he cites Shakespeare as the inventor of the human.
Align with the Divine Inteligence.......2003-12-17
Professor Mike is on to something with this book. When you follow your positive emotions, especially Flow, you are following the guidence of the Divine Intelligence that is unfolding the universe. This is a very thought provoking and inspiring book. As a life coach, I see the practical application of Mihaly's work every day. This may be the way to a happier, more harmonious and sustainable future for our planet. Thanks Mike for showing us how to follow our Flow to build a better self and a better world.
Clear and Positive Message.......2003-11-06
By discussiing the evolution of the mind, this book gives us a clear and positive message about the future direction of our species. This made gave me hope about our future even though there are many terrible things going on in the world. The author argues that we are evolving self-organizing systems and we can continue to evolve. The message is very similar to the book "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato except that Sato's remarkable book explains this in more simple and straightforward language. I think we all need to learn from these types of thinkers in order to help us move toward positive change in our evolution.
Great Book - Amazon misspelled author's name!!.......2003-04-21
Mihalyi Czikszentmihalyi
This is the author's correct name, taken from the actual titles themselves. Amazon[.com] needs to correct their site, as the author's name is not spelled correctly anywhere, for any of his titles!
Otherwise, I thought the book was excellent, better than his book Flow in many ways. I used it as a resource for a college paper this week, and encourage others who liked The Moral Animal or The Selfish Gene to read it. Especially worthwhile for those who are nihilistic, pessimistic, and doubtful about humanity's survival or overal worthwhile characteristics.
Read this book!
A new landmark for the third millenium.......2000-06-05
Flow experiences, human peak experiences and high synergetic states are introduced in such an original and practical way in this book that, while readind it, one really experiences flow. Genes are the information units of life; they are associated with the genetic code, while "memes" are the equivalent information units when dealing with consciousness, with mind, with the noosphere, and they are coded in this master piece, from beginning to end, so that the "I" is challenged continually to evolve and to know how to obtain wisdom, "because wisdom is a cognitive skill, a special way of acting and a personal good, because the practice of wisdom leads to inner serenity and enjoyment". Complexity is certainly a fashionable catchword but again Mihaly makes it graspable and human, a practical tool, so to speak, because the final principle of evolution is an increase in both differentiation and integration ... Differentiation refers to the parts that differ in structure or function and integration refers to the whole in which the different parts communicate and enhance one another's goals. Flow, memes and complexity are presented in this work in such a unified framework that we can think that with it we have finally a truly complementary work for the "I", or some sort of evolutionary ontology, while with Ken Wilber work Sex, Ecology and Spirituality we have the corresponding philosophical counterpart, for the "we", and with Physics and the Principle of Synergy by Epsilon Pi, we have the corresponding scientifical counterpart, for the "It". But the important point to recall is that they all three are integral proposal; they really complement each other in this new stage of mankind in which the integration of the big three is a main concern. Synergy is a principle that when applied produces harmony and when not produces entropy, and when synergy is obtained, flow is experienced and a "field" is created, a field that can be used as a medium to detect a higher ordered state or an increased complexity, as "a good society is one that encourages the individuals to realize their potentials and permits complexity to evolve".
After reading this most influential book you will be not the same again because its "memetic" influence will start working by itself in your own evolving self.
Average customer rating:
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Incorporating Spirituality in Counseling and Psychotherapy: Theory and Technique
Geri Miller
Manufacturer: Wiley
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Integrating Spirituality into Treatment: Resources for Practitioners
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Spirituality in Clinical Practice: Incorporating the Spiritual Dimension in Psychotherapy and Counseling
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Casebook for a Spiritual Strategy in Counseling and Psychotherapy
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Spiritual Strategy For Counseling And Psychotherapy
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Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapy
ASIN: 0471415456 |
Book Description
"This book, through its well-referenced and critically thoughtful approach, has made an invaluable contribution to the counseling literature. The extensive use of case studies and other applied materials makes it a valuable . . . reference."
-Dr. Thomas J. Russo, Department of Counseling and School Psychology, University of Wisconsin—River Falls
Incorporating Spirituality in Counseling and Psychotherapy presents an applied, insightful, and well-researched overview of the theory, practice, and ethics of integrating spiritual and religious themes and rituals into traditional therapy models. This well-conceived and immensely readable text examines common barriers and bridges between spirituality and mental health and documents the effectiveness of using spiritual practices and concepts in treatment. Most important, it encourages readers, through group activities and individual reflection, to consider their own spiritual belief systems and biases before engaging clients in therapy with a spiritual base.
Key features of this book include:
- A synopsis of the major Eastern and Western religions and spiritual movements
- Theoretical, cultural, and ethical implications of incorporating spirituality in counseling
- Practical methods for helping clients develop a spiritual identity
- Proven techniques for incorporating spiritual practices in treatment
- Case studies providing complex, real-life scenarios, as well as questions and activities for individual and group discussion
A practical book for students and a valuable resource for counselors, psychologists, social workers, addiction specialists, and other mental health professionals, Incorporating Spirituality in Counseling and Psychotherapy offers expert guidance on how to handle issues of spirituality in furthering the therapeutic process.
Average customer rating:
- Soft but scientific introduction to chaos theory
- Recommended only if you don't need it!!
- Cogently Written
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Applied Chaos Theory: A Paradigm for Complexity
Ali Bulent Cambel
Manufacturer: Academic Press
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Similar Items:
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The Essence of Chaos (The Jessie and John Danz Lecture Series)
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Chaos Theory Tamed
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Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos
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Chaos: Making a New Science
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Deep Simplicity: Bringing Order to Chaos and Complexity
ASIN: 0121559408 |
Book Description
This book differs from others on Chaos Theory in that it focuses on its applications for understanding complex phenomena. The emphasis is on the interpretation of the equations rather than on the details of the mathematical derivations. The presentation is interdisciplinary in its approach to real-life problems: it integrates nonlinear dynamics, nonequilibrium thermodynamics, information theory, and fractal geometry. An effort has been made to present the material ina reader-friendly manner, and examples are chosen from real life situations. Recent findings on the diagnostics and control of chaos are presented, and suggestions are made for setting up a simple laboratory. Included is a list of topics for further discussion that may serve not only for personal practice or homework, but also as themes for theses, dissertations, and research proposals.
Key Features
*Includes laboratory experiments Includes applications and case studies related to cell differentiation, EKGs, and immunology
* Presents interdisciplinary applications of chaos theory to complex systems
* Emphasizes the meaning of mathematical equations rather than their derivations
* Features reader friendly presentation with many illustrations and interpretations
* Deals with real life, dissipative systemsIntegrates mathematical theory throughout the text
Customer Reviews:
Soft but scientific introduction to chaos theory.......2001-04-20
This is more like a historical perspective of the development of the concepts of chaos theory than a deep coverage of chaos theory. Emphasis is on introducing the concepts for allowing interested people to get into advanced theoretical developments (and practical too). However there are some scientific prerequisites (physics, dynamical systems...).
Writing is very good, intuitive, does not assume any particular mathematical background or practice with tools for simulating chaotic systems. Exposition is rather short because of a scientific writing style, it's not about scientific popularization (don't feel this is pedantic, writing is concise and not meant to be crowded with examples). In its approach, i think it's the smoothest scientific introductory book on the subject. For example Schroeder's (Fractals chaos and power laws) is overly mathematical as an introduction. Williams' (chaos theory tamed) on the other hand has a similar approach to this one but it is longer, more general and with less emphasis on the applied side of chaos theory (the analytic side). From an economical point of view, William's is cheaper while covers more about chaos theory, but this volume is scientifically better and more useful than Williams', which is too "generalistic".
In summary : a very good self-contained and short introduction to chaos theory. But for a first book on chaos theory go to Williams, it's easier to read.
Recommended only if you don't need it!!.......2001-02-12
The book has some fine features. But it doesn't explain anything. So, if you already know about chaos and want to read a brief review then probably it is ok (but read ahead). If you don't know about chaos you'll get lost.
The book is too expensive for what it offers!!.
Cogently Written.......2000-03-09
Not a bad survey. Well written and easy enough for any layman to understand. This is a survey that puts the author's uniqique synthesis of some rather broad and difficult fields into words and he does a good job of it. After reading this book you will not only have a good handle on what chaos is or isn't but how it has emerged from seemingly dipsarate fields of science.
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