History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Understanding Microbes: A Laboratory Textbook for Microbiology

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Understanding Microbes: A Laboratory Textbook for Microbiology
G. William Claus
Manufacturer: W. H. Freeman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 071671809X

Cells, Embryos, and Evolution: Toward a Cellular and Developmental Understanding of Phenotypic Variation and Evolutionary Adaptability

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The road to a new understanding of multicellular life
Evolution of evolvability
Evolution via development
Destined to be a classic
Excellent - but is afraid to take the next step.

Cells, Embryos, and Evolution: Toward a Cellular and Developmental Understanding of Phenotypic Variation and Evolutionary Adaptability
John Gerhart , and Marc Kirschner
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0865425744

Customer Reviews:

The road to a new understanding of multicellular life.......2002-11-10

John Gerhart and Marc Kirschner have boldly displayed a panorama of recent findings in biology which they methodically piece together into an entirely new understanding of the phylogenic and embryologic mechanisms of evolution. While aimed at the more sophisticated scientific reader (not an introductory text), their facility with modern experiments and exotic findings provide a thrilling ride from intracellular transduction mechanisms, through the differing phylogenetic strategies for embryogenesis (all phyla having been explosively formed in a brief "instant" after the first metazoans) and the secrets of evolvabilily making thier appearance in the embrogenetic regulatory mechanisms, not the structural proteins. For anyone who has ever found random mutation and selection an unsatisfying answer to evolution when all other biological processes are so exquisitely regulated (e.g. "Behavior and Evolution," Jean Piaget), Gerhart and Kirschner demonstrate that evolution is more of an extention of the generally "exploratory" property which is so central to life. This book is sure to spur a generation of new, productive thinking on the entire evolutionary paradigm. Perhaps when linked with work on structural stability in neural networks, a new macroscopic quantum formulation of biology may succeed a less informative and outdated stochastic formulation. [...]

Evolution of evolvability.......2002-03-10

Although somewhat technical this book is highly recommended as an introduction to the issues of both developmental genetics and evolution both, and these in relation to the mystery of the Cambrian explosion in the controversies that surround that question. Molecular phylogenies give us few clues to the molecular changes that underlie species divergence. Students of evolution tend to rely on on theories of selection and population genetics as explanations for evolutionary change. But there are pitfalls here. For selection only provides a filter on the possible forms, screening the forms presented by development. Thus the study of embryological development becomes essential to seeing what is really happening. From this key idea the book proceeds to explore conservation and the evolution of evolvability, to use a phrase of Dawkins. The result is really quite a new subject altogether. The book ends with a question, has evolvability evolved and is it the result of clade selection? At this point I think we are leaving the realm of standard Darwinism into some new unknown terrain. Excellent book,and despite technical issues really quite clear, well presented.

Evolution via development.......2000-11-27

The general reader who has already read some other references on development, will find this reference to be an easy to read yet detailed reference on evolutionary development which takes interesting conceptual viewpoints. The reference starts by pointing out the significant amount of cellular mechanisms conserved in all forms of life. The concept of 'contingency' is then developed, where it is considered to be the dependence of cellular activities on particular conditions, and its importance in metazoans. This leads to the concept of 'exploratory behavior', where it is considered to be responses of the organism to be more than can be explained by contingent mechanisms. For example, a version of the protozoan Stentor that is only .1% of the usual volume, yet its overall shape, the patterns of its cilia and gullet, are not changed. Plasticity observed in the nervous system is another such example. The concept of 'novelty' is then discussed, largely how new proteins have emerged. Multicellularity and differentiation are then considered, followed by the emergence of various body plans. The concept of developmental flexibility and robustness is considered as the development of the embryo is discussed. Limb buds and neural crest cells are then discussed as sources of evolutionary diversification of the vertebrate body plan. The final chapter of the reference considers the concept of 'evolvability', where it is considered to be the capability of organisms to produce nonlethal, phenotypic variations which natural selection can act upon, and thus allow evolution.

Destined to be a classic.......1999-08-08

This book does a great job of unifying the many disparate threads of modern biology. This is one of the few books on biology written in this decade that may actually cause readers to see life from a new point of view. Destined to be a classic, right up there with D'Arcy Thompson's "Growth and Form" or Ptashne's book on phage lambda. Also this book is fun to read because there are tons of illustrations and also lots of interesting factoids about all sorts of weird organisms. If you are going to buy a book about biology, buy this one!

Excellent - but is afraid to take the next step........1998-09-18

The authors of this book have taken a bold step toward a cellular view of evolution. But they shy from taking that final and necessary step of discarding the DNA based information model for a cellular one. Of course, doing this opens a pandora's box of Lamarkian thought. Still, considering the risks, the effort is more than commendable. Thank you for this book.

Understanding and Applying Medical Anthropology

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Fantastic book on an interesting subject.

Understanding and Applying Medical Anthropology
Peter Brown
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 1559347236

Book Description

This collection of readings exposes students to the breadth of theoretical viewpoints and issues in the field of medical anthropology. The text provides specific examples and case studies of research as it is applied in a range of health settings — from clinical encounters to preventive services to international health.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic book on an interesting subject........2007-05-31

This book has to be one of the best primary source collections for the field of Medical Anthropology. Illustrates many of the themes running through the heart of the field fabulously, although it could have been organized better. Highly recommended.

Understanding Human Evolution (5th Edition)

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Complete, comprehensive and compelling

Understanding Human Evolution (5th Edition)
Jeffrey K. McKee , Frank E. Poirier , and W. Scott McGraw
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0131113909

Book Description

This book provides a complete, unbiased, relatively non-technical overview and state-of-the-art discussion of the rapidly changing field of paleoanthropology. It features an abundance of illustrations and photographs from the authors' visits to fossil sites, and views skeletal remains in light of what they can reveal about the populations they represent -- not only their anatomy but also their behavior and social organization. Features rather extensive discussions on the use of genetic data -- particularly that of mtDNA. Covers: Fossils, Fossilization, and Dating Methods; Determining Evolutionary Relationships; Our Place in the Animal Kingdom; Reconstructing Human Behavioral Patterns and Social Organizations: Use of the Comparative Approach; Early Primate Evolution; The Transition to Apes; Trends in Human Evolution; The Earliest Hominids; The Hominid Divergence; Homo Erectus; Early Homo Sapiens; Neandertals and Their Immediate Predecessors; and The Appearance of Homo sapiens sapiens. For anyone interested in a state-of-the-art discussion of paleoanthropology.

Customer Reviews:

Complete, comprehensive and compelling.......2002-02-02

Poirier and McKee present a wealth of information on the history of human evolution. They outline the methods of dating, identifying and assembling hominid fossils. Dating is shown to be, within the ranges of accuracy, nearly an absolute with today's technology. With the age of the fossil[s] established and the parts identified, the fossil may then be placed in its proper location on the human family tree. Poirier and McKee spend the remainder of the book describing the concepts, controversies and resolutions associated with that final step. The material requires attentive perusal, but the interested reader will be richly rewarded.

Early hominid fossils were chronologically located by stratigraphy - the position of the fossil in the rocks in relation to other, known, remnants. The early finds were often located in poorly identified areas, or mistakenly dated for a variety of reasons. Paleoanthropologists of an earlier day lacked the technology available today. Worse, they were often unaware of the need to examine the likely environment of the time the fossil was laid down. As the authors point out, this misunderstanding led to misinterpretation of how evolutionary relationships were structured. Today's "digs" are the subject of multi-discipline effort, with botanists, geologists and other fields represented. The more comprehensive picture laid out by these environment associated with the find allow a firmer footing on our ancestral lineage.

While that assertion sounds promising and our heritage is now viewed with confidence, nothing could be further from the truth. Where the human evolutionary tree once looked rather simple, with but a few offshoots extending from the central trunk, the improved accuracy of dating shows many branches. How many of these truly belong on the main branch and how many led to the dead end of extinction is what gives this book its real value.

Paleoanthropology has been among the liveliest of sciences. The debates and controversies have left academic halls and achieved public exposure. Poirier and McKee present the contentions of most of the major figures in the field with circumspection and clarity. With each new find, various interpretations arose, researchers attacking and defending positions from various foundations. The authors give each assertion its due, with resolution occasionally based on their own assessment. They have no hesitation in stating their own position, but it's given with justifications. Counter arguments are made with confirming data. Evidence is shown, but not nearly as strongly as the need for new results. This book, in many respects, reads like an academic work, but that in no small part is due to the authors'
call for more work in the field.

It would be unfair to say that every hominid fossil is given the authors' personal scrutiny, but the impression is proximate. Nearly every major site, with many of the associated prime fossils are described, sometimes with maps and photographs. The illustrative material, maps, diagrams and photographs are invaluable. About the only missing element is a single skeleton and skull with the bones frequently discussed in the book labeled. While many are, they must be examined out of context in many cases. If you have the anatomy, you won't need the information, but the rest of us require the crutch.

For anyone wishing to keep abreast of the research in determining where humanity comes from, this book is a treasure. Given the amount of information the authors had to cope with, the work is clear, unequivocal and immensely valuable. While not a light read, there's little to obstruct even the novice reader. The material is well organized and presented with a clear, straightforward style. Since the authors' aim is to explain [and recruit!] without perplexing the reader or seeking adherence to positions, they have produced a book that will endure.

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Thank You For Writing The Disposable Male

DARWIN EXPLAINED, MORE OR LESS

Just one man's opinion

At Last, Someone's Written it All Down

Gender stereotypes recast in scientific jargon

The Disposable Male: Sex, Love, and Money--Your World Through Darwin's Eyes
Michael Gilbert
Manufacturer: The Hunter Press
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Binding: Paperback

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The God Delusion

Letter to a Christian Nation

The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition--with a new Introduction by the Author

The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason

The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature

ASIN: 0977655237

Product Description

In its fast paced, entertaining pages you will learn about the deep-seated forces that shape the behavior of today's men and women, and develop valuable tools for getting the most out of your relationships, your work, and your life. A rollicking ride--from the Big Bang to the day after tomorrow--The Disposable Male delivers a searching examination of what it means to be human in our modern, high-tech wonderland. It will have you looking at your world in a whole new and exciting way.

Customer Reviews:

Thank You For Writing The Disposable Male.......2007-06-19

As a 37 single male living in Hollywood, CA, your book provided me with an insightful and invaluable perspective into "how come" we men are where we are today without being "preachy" or redundant. By means of pragmatic logic, light hearted anecdotes and statistical analysis you paint an uncanny holistic "snapshot" of many sentiments that i too have felt about being "disposable" in modern society. Indeed, it is a relief to have some of these pent-up concerns finally unearthed and validated by someone with legitimate expertise on the subject.

Now that you have firmly established the "how come" part, I'm hoping you next delve further into the "how to's" of attaining, sustaining and mastering the more enticing role of "Indispensable Man". Perhaps a follow up book is in the works? I sincerely hope so...KS

DARWIN EXPLAINED, MORE OR LESS.......2007-02-01

I am an assistant professor teaching in a field related, but not directly applicable, to the book, which was brought to my attention by one of my students. I am, however, familiar with much of the science.

I would give this book an A for effort, with an overall grade of B+ (which I guess means 4 stars). The deductions are for the lack of footnotes (the author says above that they're coming to the book's web site, but there's simply too much here that's controversial to excuse the delay). The book also would have been better if opposing views were featured more often and if the language didn't occasionally sacrifice precision in favor of style.

That said, The Disposable Male is a very bold and highly-readable book. It may succeed where many others have failed and win the prize for conveying the story of evolution to the general public. It's been almost 150 years since Darwin's The Origin of Species was first published, and its implications couldn't be more relevant. The theory of evolution is still wildly controversial, at least in America, just look at some of our faithful school boards. This is where Gilbert shines. The impact of our ancient past, the crucial role our genes and hormones play, not to mention our biological predispositions, count for a whole lot, says the author, even in the way we live our hectic lives today. Near as I can tell, the underlying science is mostly within mainstream thinking and general references are sprinkled throughout the book. Deploying casual language, humor (sometimes side-splitting) and some vivid metaphors in the service of a very ambitious undertaking, Michael Gilbert lays out the Darwinian version of the creation story, educating readers about many crucial aspects of our modern existence. Placing the evolutionary spotlight he develops on contemporary times yields a diagnosis best summed up in his comment that, despite our social progress, "there are cavemen and cavewomen at the keyboards."

This ground has been tread by other writers. Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus actually uses evolutionary principles but it is several leagues beneath this book. Scholars such as Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker, and Matt Ridley (as well as Robert Wright) aim their work above the heads of the ordinary American reader. Gilbert, who has a disarmingly casual way of talking about some very controversial things, gets it just about right, I think, even if he cuts the odd corner.

At its heart, The Disposable Male is a credo, a way of looking at life. The problem comes when you attempt to apply the philosophy to individual lives. There he, and the many thinkers in the field of evolutionary psychology, is on less firm ground. He's almost certainly correct when he argues that we've gotten too far away from nature. He also makes a point of saying that there is a great deal of variation within each gender when nature's laws are viewed in human terms. This can't be said enough and he probably doesn't.

Perusing the reviews here confirms my sense that this is a provocative, informative and entertaining book. It will elicit a wide range of genuinely heartfelt but not always sympathetic responses. To my way of thinking, that makes it a pretty good read. Here's how one thoughtful reviewer puts it below. "If there's a more accessible, broader, and enjoyable presentation of sociobiology/evolutionary insights, I don't know it." Neither do I.

Just one man's opinion.......2007-01-28

Not only was this book homophobic, the whole book was fiction strung together with quotes and studies that are not footnoted. Some of the studies I recognized and have been debunked. This is not to say that the topic is not a worthy one for discussion. However, the book was boring and amaturish. I was expecting the caliber of Jared M. Diamond or Sperm War by Robin Baker
A heterosexual male

At Last, Someone's Written it All Down.......2007-01-25

This book lays out a Darwinian view of life that says just about everything I think and feel about women and men, sex and romance and what family life is all about. In the first half the author takes you literally from the Big Bang to today. He lays out the evolutionary point-of-view in a funny and very interesting way, explaining how the original relationship evolved between the sexes. There are many interesting diversions along the way, about everything from how our brains developed, to the role our genes play in our make-up now, to the meaning of our sexual fantasies.

In the second half of the book Gilbert turns to our modern lives. Thats when he analyzes how our lives look when you look at it from this evolutionary position. How the lives of men and women today are in harmony with the past and how our lives now vary from it. This leads in to a lot of common sense ideas but also some controversial issues. In a way, its a conservative book but the more traditional values he puts forth are based on science, not on religion.

Feminists are going to hate this book but, as a woman, I found it very fair. In fact, he's pretty hard on men and often exalts the feminine values, especially in relationships. The author also makes a point of saying how these classical gender roles based on our natural history do not apply to everyone--that there are big differences among each gender. I highly recommend this book. You may not agree with it as much as I did but you're definitely in for an entertaining read.

Gender stereotypes recast in scientific jargon .......2007-01-24

The message of this book is simple: Women should step aside because the fact that they are doing "everything" nowadays (working and supporting families on their own) is leaving men without any direction or goals in life. This situation is also "unnatural," as men are meant to be the dominant sex and women are meant to devote their life to child rearing. How is this argument any different from that of conservative Christians? It isn't. It simply rephrases morality in pseudo-scientific terms: that which is "immoral" or "goes against God's wishes" is now "unnatural" or "disease-producing" (except for porn).

This book belongs to the bourgeoning genre of "masculinist" literature, a genre that argues that men, and consequently society as a whole, have become the victims of the agenda of radical feminists (I guess that would be me). The author tries to "seduce" women into accepting a passive and submissive role by telling us we have the moral high ground, that we women, with our lofty goals of marriage and motherhood, tame the savage (and very horny) beast called man when we insist on marriage in return for sex. While there may be some truth to this stereotype, it is not universal, nor is it a recipe for strong, lasting and sexually healthy, heterosexual relationships.

I would argue that if men are aimless, goofballs these days (and I don't think this is so), it's their responsibility to turn themselves around. Going back to the fifties: "no sex for you until you get a good job, marry me, and give me babies," is not going to give men a "real purpose" in life. Men, like women, need to find their own purpose in their lives. This is a human (existential) struggle, and for most of us it goes beyond (although for many it does include) the realm of our reproductive drives.

I've decided to give the book three stars this time (first review was not a hit), as as I found it thoroughly entertaining. No book has gotten me this worked up in a long time. I'm going to recommend it to all my "radical feminist" friends.

The Symbiotic Man: A New Understanding of the Organization of Life and a Vision of the Future

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Insightful!
Cybion and the future of the Society

The Symbiotic Man: A New Understanding of the Organization of Life and a Vision of the Future
Joel De Rosnay , and Joel De Rosnay
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0071357440

Book Description

The brilliant European best-seller that presents a multi-disciplinary look at the way life is organized and where our evolution is taking us

In The Symbiotic Man, de Rosnay expresses his persuasively optimistic view of how humans will learn how to evolve in harmony with our ecosystem, much as the cells of our body must work together for our continued health. "The great challenge of the future will not be technical," he writes; "it will be human." The challenge is for us to learn how we fit into a planetary macro-organism that includes all humans, machines, organisms, networks and nations.

In this exhilarating search for the outlines of the future, as de Rosnay shows, we will be using such emerging and evolving new disciplines as biotics, molecular electronics, neobiology, and cognitive sciences.

Customer Reviews:

Insightful!.......2001-06-02

Joël De Rosnay's book is a gold mine of provocative ideas about the evolution of mankind, economics, politics and more. It pulls together information from organic chemistry, computer technology, chaos theory and a slew of unrelated fields to argue for a less egocentric approach to business and government. In the process, it redefines competitiveness and industry. This eloquent presentation is definitely not a light read. It is mind-boggling in scope but fractal in delivery - which means you can delve into virtually any section and get a feel for its message. Business wisdom is spotty here, but this is not a business book. Instead, it's more of a cross between Wired magazine and an intricately researched science fiction novel. It is not for the faint of heart (or brain), but we [...] recommend it, if you'd like to stimulate your mind, shake up your old beliefs, check the inventiveness of bold technological projections, or glimpse an exciting future.

Cybion and the future of the Society.......2000-12-21

With the metaphor of the Cybion, central concept of the Symbiotic Man, Joel de Rosnay has jumped a new step since the Macroscope. The first part of the book will delight a reader who likes imagination and vision. This part describes a lot of conceptual ideas and requires a serious attention when reading it. On the other hand, the second and third parts are more practical with many political, economic and social examples and graphics illustrating the ideas of the first part. One of the characteristic of the book is the possibility to open the book at any page and extract relevant information. This book would be particularly suited to be published on the Internet in order to navigate between main ideas and examples ! Before reading this book, I had a very imprecise idea of chaos, rigidity, fractal evolution, order, complexity. No I understand these notions when applied to organisations and society.

Dogs: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution

Average customer rating:

Bad Science
Best dog book for biologically-minded
Logical, easy to understand insights into behavior and evolution
Dissatisfied
Fido--the wolf at my feet?

Dogs: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution
Raymond Coppinger , and Lorna Coppinger
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0226115631

Book Description

Biologists, breeders and trainers, and champion sled dog racers, Raymond and Lorna Coppinger have more than four decades of experience with literally thousands of dogs. Offering a scientifically informed perspective on canines and their relations with humans, the Coppingers take a close look at eight different types of dogs—household, village, livestock guarding, herding, sled-pulling, pointing, retrieving, and hound. They argue that dogs did not evolve directly from wolves, nor were they trained by early humans; instead they domesticated themselves to exploit a new ecological niche: Mesolithic village dumps. Tracing the evolution of today's breeds from these village dogs, the Coppingers show how characteristic shapes and behaviors—from pointing and baying to the sleek shapes of running dogs—arise from both genetic heritage and the environments in which pups are raised.

For both dogs and humans to get the most out of each other, we need to understand and adapt to the biological needs and dispositions of our canine companions, just as they have to ours.

Customer Reviews:

Bad Science.......2007-09-15

I found this book loaded with inaccuracies, leaps to conclusions not scientifically supported, poor understanding of the science of evolution, unfair comparisons of natural selection with artificial selection, misinterpretaion, incorrect definition of the science of psychology, lack of positive peer review as evidenced by the source of recommendations on the back cover and generally frustrated reading for even a Master degree dog behaviorist. I'm sorry, but I found it difficult to believe these folks are biologists. It is clear they are not behaviorists although they freely infer that their opinions and statements are related to science based facts.

I am upset that I spent my hard earned money on this book.

I liked the "stories" and personal experience. The authors go against not only the current trends in well-researched theory but against the better judgment of thoughtful dog lovers. It's a wonder to me that people can make a small fortune printing this stuff.

Best dog book for biologically-minded.......2007-06-13

After getting my first dog, I went through at least a dozen dog books in a short time, and this was the best of all of them. The author presents well-thought through arguments to present theories in dog evolution, and doesn't rely on common assumptions of dog behavior. If you are tired of dog books that lack a strong biological foundation, this is the book for you.

Logical, easy to understand insights into behavior and evolution.......2007-02-03

Heard Dr. Coppinger speak at the APDT conference and was fascinated by his theories, and the fact that he's able to change his opinions as insights, training and knowledge evolves. Not someone that's afraid to say he was wrong or has changed his opinion. Some VERY interesting arguments and absolute bolts of insight that should be obvious, but sometimes isn't, things like why infant, puppy, adolescent and adult dogs have different behaviors and why those behaviors aren't carried from one stage of life to the next, heat exchange principles in working dogs (primarily sled dogs, but applies to all dogs), cognitive vs. inherent behaviors, and the argument as to why we wouldn't be thinking of dogs with regard to their "wolf" ancestry, but that they've evolved so far past that the analogy is no longer applicable. A little "wonky" and research"y" in tone, but totally worth the effort for the insights! Scholar meets technician, clearly someone with real world dog experience.

Dissatisfied.......2007-01-11

Although this is a superb book written by a knowledgeable author I would not know how to rate it as I HAVE NOT RECEIVED IT!

Fido--the wolf at my feet?.......2006-07-29

An excellent review of current literature on the canine. This book can stimulate reflection on the behavior of domestic dogs, and provide clarity on some of the more puzzling aspects of pet dog activities.

Signs of Intelligence: Understanding Intelligent Design

Average customer rating:

Hateful Reviewers
Diverse Scholars Explain the Evidence for Intelligent Design in the Nature
It's a GREAT BOOK
More Aptly Entitled "Signs of Ignorance"
For closed minded ingnoramuses only.

Signs of Intelligence: Understanding Intelligent Design

Manufacturer: Brazos Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1587430045
Release Date: 2001-03-01

Book Description

Fourteen brief and accessible essays by key players in the intelligent design movement.

Customer Reviews:

Hateful Reviewers.......2006-07-16

Have you ever noticed that when evolutionists comment on ID books they are almost always hatefull, angry, and rude? (No, not always. I know.) ID proponents rarely sugar-coat a responce to the evolutionists, but I have rarely ever (if at all) read a mean, vengeful review by an ID proponent. I'm sure they exist so don't bother pulling out your quotes. Just notice how vicious the anti-ID people can be and ask yourself, if one person has to resort to name calling, sarcasm, and insults to put down another person's position, what does that say about the strength of the one person's argument?

Diverse Scholars Explain the Evidence for Intelligent Design in the Nature.......2006-06-22

Signs of Intelligence is a collection of essays from various scholars of the intelligent design movement who are explaining the precise meaning of the scientific theory of intelligent design. When the NCSE reviewed this book, they called it "aimless." A more accurate description would have been "threatening a wide variety of disciplines behind the curtain of Darwinism."

Mathematician and philosopher William Dembski opens the book by clearing up a common misconception by explaining that intelligent design does not necessarily mean "optimal design" (Also, see The Privileged Planet for a discussion of the concept of constrained optimization). Law professor Phillip Johnson proposes that science has adopted an inherently "materialist" model where explanations can never be non-material causes. Alternatively, Johnson suggests that science adopt a strictly "empirical" model, which uses the scientific method of hypothesis and experimentation but does not limit its answers to naturalistic causes.

Michael Behe proposes some novel examples of irreducible complexity. Namely, the cell's protein transport system contains a number of macromolecules, all of which are necessarily simply to get a protein to its correct destination in the cell. This irreducibly complex system reveals deeper levels of complexity in protein transport and assemblage, beyond mere proper irreducible complexity in protein functionality. Similarly, Stephen Meyer argues that the specified complexity in DNA, combined with the inability of natural explanation to explain the origin of life, imply that design is the best explanation. Meyer explains that this is not a "God-of-the-gaps" type argument because we have much observational experience that intelligent agents exclusively produce such forms of encoded specified complex information.

Other essays include Jonathan Wells' observations that more than simply the genetic code is required to account for life, a conclusion which is eschewed by the dogma of Neo-Darwinism; Paul Nelson's discussion of natural selection as a tautology with weak explanatory power; and Robert Dehaan and John Weister's arguments that the "top-down" pattern of the appearance of biological diversity implies that design took place during the Cambrian explosion and in the history of life as a whole.

Rather than being aimless, this book shows that design arguments are spreading into a variety disciplines and subdisciplines. This book provides plenty of essays by leading design scholars as to why empirical evidence should trump naturalistic philosophy in a diverse set of scientific fields.

It's a GREAT BOOK.......2006-01-30

I think this is exactly the kind of textbook that should be distributed in abundance throughout all states wanting ID as part of their science curriculum. This will not only guarantee my two daughters a great deal less competition in medical school, it will also help fill the need for astute, critical thinkers in the food service industry.
An EXCELLENT BOOK!
David/San Francisco

More Aptly Entitled "Signs of Ignorance".......2005-12-07

In the 12/4/05 issue of the Week in Review section of The New York Times, Charles L. Harper Jr., senior vice president of the Templeton Foundation - the preeminent foundation seeking a bridge of understanding between science and religion - said, "They never came in", when Intelligent Design proponents were asked to submit research proposals to his foundation. He added, "From the point of view of rigor and intellectual seriousness, the intelligent design people don't come out very well in our world of scientific review."

Mr. Harper's comments demonstrate what the Intelligent Design movement really is: a pseudoscience barely masking its religious origins which pretends to be a credible alternative to "Godless" Darwinism. However, in stark contrast to Darwin's theory, Intelligent Design has yet to offer testable hypotheses to confirm or reject its principles. Instead, in stark contrast to rigorous scientific reasoning, it has relied instead upon faith and badly flawed probabilistic and statistical reasoning from Michael Behe, and especially, William Dembski (William Dembski seems to have a lot of time on his hands, since he's managed to publish more new books than Niles Eldredge and Frank McCourt combined in the past five years. I wonder how he manages to find time to do any serious research into probability theory and statistics.).

I agree completely with Tim Beazley's Amazon.com review which notes the strong religious affiliations of most of the contributers to this volume. Furthermore, I would emphasize that most of these writers appear to come from a fundamentalist Protestant orientation (Though I can assure you that there are anti-evolutionists who are devout Catholics, Jews and Muslims too.). None of their arguments in defense of Intelligent Design are sound logically or philosophically. As I have noted in my Amazon.com reviews of "Of Pandas and People" and "Uncommon Descent: Intellectuals Who Find Darwinism Unconvincing", Intelligent Design is not only unscientific, but it is the latest manifestation of an idea which was soundly rejected by 18th and 19th Century scientists. If we are prepared to embrace "Intelligent Design" as a "legitimate" scientific theory, then should we also accept a Ptolemaic cosmology, especially when all modern astrophysical evidence strongly rejects such a cosmology?

Instead of reading this book, which should have been entitled "Signs of Ignorance", I would recommend reading instead Niles Eldredge's "Darwin: Discovering the Tree of Life" or Lisa Randall's "Warped Passages" if you want a genuine exploration of true scientific discovery. I would also recommend reading Robert Pennock's "Tower of Babel" - since it has a brilliant rebuke of "Intelligent Design" - and my friend Ken Miller's "Finding Darwin's God" for a lucid, persuasive explanation as to why Christianity is not incompatible with Darwinism.

For closed minded ingnoramuses only........2005-12-07

This guy is a snake oil salesman. Watch out people. Open your minds.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Intelligent Design (Complete Idiot's Guide to)

Average customer rating:

I am a Blind Cave Fish
Out With ID
Interestingly comprehensible to people like you and me
The Best Book on the Topic
Book Is Far From Objective

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Intelligent Design (Complete Idiot's Guide to)
Christopher Carlisle , and W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Manufacturer: Alpha
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Science & Religion | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1592575552

Book Description

An objective overview of the biggest controversy in American education.

Intelligent Design is one of the hottest issues facing parents and educators to day, but it can be hard to separate the facts from the heated rhetoric. This expert and objective guide gets to the bottom of the questions: What is Intelligent Design? Should it replace or complement traditional science? What's all the fuss about?
• Explains the terms, the controversy, and the involvement of the American courts
• Indispensable guide for concerned educators and parents
• Written by an expert in the field

Customer Reviews:

I am a Blind Cave Fish.......2007-09-07

The Parable of the Ichthropic Principle

Sixty meters underground, a river used to run through the limestone of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Because the limestone was uneven in density and porosity, the river carved an irregular channel, widening and contracting. Eventually, over a very long period of time, the surface of the land above underwent changes resulting from diminished rainfall. As the volume of water draining through the underground river decreased, the channel it had carved became a cave. Nonetheless, a trickle of rain still flowed through cracks and crevices, enough to maintain stable pools of fresh water in the lightless depths.
In one such pool lived a small school of fish of the family Characidae. Characids are an adaptable group, occupying many ecological niches of the planet Earth. The characids of this geologically isolated pool had several distinctive adaptations, the most unusual being that they were eyeless. Thus we can identify them henceforth as blind cave fish. Lacking sight, the blind cave fish were well equipped to detect vibrations of any sort through the sensory cells of their lateral lines, which was how they foraged for food as well as how they located each other for mating purposes. Fortunately, water is a superb transmitter of vibrations. Greater self-awareness would not have been adaptive in the bleak conditions of their pool, but if they'd possessed it, they would have had no reason to suppose that any other characids inhabited any other pool in this or any other cave, or indeed that any other pool in any other cave was inhabitable.
The blind cave fish had two rigid requirements for survival--oxygen and food. The oxygen in the pool was maintained at roughly the level they required by the dependable trickle of rain which replenished the loss of water through the porous limestone bed of the pool. Also, the water was cold--a constant forty-one degrees Fahrenheit--which of course allowed maximal oxygenation. Although the fish had no "knowledge" of it, a grave danger to their survival existed in two kinds of pollution: nitrates from their own metabolic waste products, and gradual mineralization from the influx of acid rain water seeping through the soil. Periodically, however, drenching storms would flood the land, refilling the underground river channel and flushing the pool. Most of the blind cave fish would be swept away to an uncertain fate, but enough would survive to rebuild their population. Even the most catastrophic flushing would not decimate them, since their eggs, which were adhesive, were always laid in protected chinks and cracks. Had the floor of the pool been smooth, or had the flooding carried other menaces into their cave, no doubt the blind cave fish couldn't have thrived as they did. It should be noted that the thick layers of rock above, which shielded them from hot sunlight, also shielded them from ultra-violet and other forms of radiation that might have threatened their survival.
The blind cave fish were dependent for their nutrition on another intricate and improbable set of circumstances. Since no light whatsoever penetrated the cavern, no photosynthesizing plants or algae could flourish. Nonetheless, populations of microbes and nearly microscopic arthropods shared the pool. These were the food source upon which the blind cave fish depended, though they supplemented their diet by scavenging the corpses of their own dead. In turn the arthropods and microbes were dependent on bat droppings for 100% of their nutrients. The bats, in huge numbers, infested a large dry cavern of the same cave. The only above-water outlet from their cavern to the fresh air above passed through the grotto of the pool, the ceiling of which was too encrusted with stalactites to attract bats to nest. Thus the quantity of guano the bats dropped in flight was always enough to sustain the pool's organisms yet never enough to poison the water. The blind cave fish were by far the largest and most metabolically active of these aquatic creatures. Having neither predators nor competition, they had ample reason to be happy with their lives--that is, had they had enough self-awareness to exhibit happiness--since each and every condition of their environment seemed specifically suitable to their needs, while any variation of those conditions would have made their life impossible. Indeed, the conditions in which they subsisted were so random yet so improbably assembled that it must have seemed to the fish--again granting them the self-awareness to consider probabilities--that the pool had been designed to provide for their existence. Allowing them just a bit more rationality than they truly possessed, logic would surely have suggested to the blind cave fish that where there is design, there must be a designer. No matter how much intellect we attribute to our three-inch long albino eyeless characids, however, it's clear they had no means of fathoming the nature of the designer, unless it were itself an inscrutable but omnipotent blind cave fish.

Out With ID.......2007-08-14

The sooner we let these ancient myths fall away to sooner we'll get to where we're supposed to be (peace, understanding, progess, you know, the stuff we all want to be dealing with). So, let's put God up there with Zeus and the rest of them, and move on. God, Santa Claus, Easter Bunny... quaint, cute, all commercial and driven by greed and money. Hang it up. ID is another thinly disguised attempt at stupidity and backwardness.

Interestingly comprehensible to people like you and me.......2007-07-03

A fascinating, useful, scholarly book, Understanding Intelligent Design comes from a well-qualified author. Professor and Episcopal chaplain, Christopher Carlisle has taken an active interest in the hot topic of ID (Intelligent Design). Blending The Complete Idiot's Guide's breezy format with his knowledge and teaching abilities, Carlisle skillfully makes this subject interestingly comprehensible to people like you and me.

This book opens with an explanation of ID, and similarities and differences with Creationism. At this point some may want to argue, but it will be worthwhile to keep reading - Understanding Intelligent Design presents information important to understand. The next section looks at the history of ID from the ancients through medieval science into the Age of Reason and on through American history. Physics, chemistry, and biology are then contrasted between the traditional science standpoint and the ID standpoint, two very different positions. Then Darwin comes into the picture, and it becomes apparent that ID does not agree with him. A discussion of outstanding differences on both sides of the debate and any possible resolutions sum up this thesis. The appendices are as absorbing as the main body of this volume, including: a glossary to help you understand things like the anthropic principle or punctuated equilibrium; two interviews, one with a noted proponent of ID, one with a noted opponent; and, a bibliography and listing of pertinent websites.

With cartoons and sidebars to encourage the reader and its interest-holding writing style, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Intelligent Design capably presents this subject, giving much needed information on an important contemporary focus. - Donna Eggett, Christian Book [...]

The Best Book on the Topic.......2007-06-07

This work is one of the best reviews of both sides of the controversy of the score of books that I have read on this topic. The very readable summary covers in some detail all of the basic issues that are central to the controversy. I was surprised how up-to-date the book was, even covering the Judge Jones Dover decision. The authors document the fact that a climate of fear now exists that prevents those who find problems with Darwinism that is not unlike that which existed during the McCarthy era and, until we are able to discuss the relevant issues the controversy will not be resolved, but will intensify. We must respectfully listen to each others side if we have any hope of resolving this issue. The authors stress that both sides are guilty of not listening to the other side and shows why. The chapter titled "Is Resolution Possible" is especially helpful in this regard. The book also includes a very helpful glossary and long interviews with one person on each side of the controversy to let each side have their say (page 262-290). This book will go a long way toward helping each side talk to one another. The science is also covered as well as the philosophical and social questions

Book Is Far From Objective.......2007-05-08

...Also, it's self-contradictory. In a segment about atheist evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, the authors dismiss Dawkins' arguments entirely on the grounds that Dawkins is a scientist, not theologian, thus he is not qualified to speak (or write) on matters of God. What a convenient method for ignoring his case for a universe without design. Rather unexpected, coming, as it does, from a theologian pretending to write about science.
The book pretends to be a "balanced" look at the Intelligent Design controversy. Nonetheless, the book bulks the argument in such a way so as to give the impression that ID theory is somewhere on balance with Darwinian evolution by putting forward ID claims have long ago been addressed and falsified by scientists. Such claims as "Evolution runs contrary to the 2nd law of thermodynamics" show the willful ignorance of the authors. Many widely available articles explain how this asinine mis-interpretation of entropy depends on a closed system. The authors either have not done their research, or they are intentionally mis-representing the facts.
Every claim made in this book in favour of Intelligent Design has been refuted by scientists. Intellectual honesty demands that these refutations be dealt with if this book is to be considered balanced. This book does not do this.
This is a transparent attempt to make the "teach the controversy" position appear neutral and moderate while pushing the ID agenda.

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