Ebooks
Cum funcționează mintea noastră? De ce facem unele alegeri și nu altele? Ce rol are plictiseala? Este moralitatea înnăscută, sau este nevoie să o învățăm? Cât de mult corupe puterea? Câștigul la loterie aduce fericirea? Dar zâmbetul? Sunt întrebări pe care fiecare dintre noi și le-a pus la un moment dat, dar cărora psihologii le-au dat un răspuns fundamentat științific.
În 15 minute psiholog este o lectură ușoară și plăcută, care te introduce în lumea fascinantă a psihicului uman, așa cum este ea văzută și descifrată de specialiști.
Prin această carte, autoarea realizează un parcurs captivant, reușind să prezinte studii și teorii științifice într-o manieră antrenantă și marcată de umor. Bogatul său conținut informațional este atent structurat și însoțit de numeroase imagini atractive, care au darul de a te ajuta să-l reții mai ușor.
Când Albert Einstein a murit, în 1955, creierul lui a fost scos, examinat, fotografiat și conservat, dispărând timp de douăzeci de ani, până în 1978, când a fost redescoperit. A fost tăiat în 240 de bucăți pentru examinare microscopică, ceea ce a însemnat o pacoste pentru cercetările ulterioare. Nu există nicio deosebire de mărime între creierul lui Einstein și un creier „normal". Sunt însă deosebiri structurale. Lobul parietal inferior al creierului lui Einstein era cu 15% mai bine dezvoltat decât la alții [...] existau, de asemenea, mai multe conexiuni între părțile creierului său decât sunt în mod obișnuit.
Anne Rooney
I-ai administra șocuri electrice altei persoane, care nu e vinovată de nicio crimă, doar pentru că așa îți spune cineva să faci? Nu? Ești sigur? Suntem cu mult mai slabi în fața autorității decât ne-ar plăcea să credem. Stanley Milgram, un psiholog de la Universitatea Yale, a fost interesat de disculparea invocată de mulți foști naziști, care au susținut că ei doar s-au supus ordinelor. Psihologul a fost curios să vadă până unde ar merge oamenii supunându-se ordinelor. Așadar, s-a decis să afle.
In order to understand the universe you must know the language in which it is written. And that language is mathematics.' Galileo (1564-1642) For hundreds of thousands of years, we have sought order in the apparent chaos of the universe. Mathematics has been our most valuable tool in that search, uncovering the patterns and rules that govern our world and beyond. The Story of Mathematics traces humankind's greatest achievements, plotting a journey from innumerate cave-dwellers, through the towering mathematical intellects of the last 4,000 years, to where we stand today. Topics include: . Counting and measuring from the earliest times .The Ancient Egyptians and geometry .Working out the movement of the planets .Algebra, solid geometry and the trigonometric tables . The first computers .How statistics came to rule our finances .Impossible shapes and extra dimensions .Measuring and mapping the world .Chaos theory and fuzzy logic Set theory and the death of numbers The fascinating personalities behind world-changing discoveries in mathematics are profiled, including Euclid, Apollonius, Pythagoras, Brahmagupta, Aryabhata, Liu Hui, Omar Khayyam, al-Khwarizmi, Napier, Galileo, Pascal, Newton, Leibniz, Gauss, Riemann, Russell and many more.
Following the successful pattern of previous Story of ... titles, The Story of Biology traces the development of biology from its origins in myths invented to explain the wonders and perils of the natural world, through the first attempts at empirical investigation, to the highly structured and technical discipline it has become today. The book focuses on the personalities, studies and theories that have led to our current understanding of the natural world.
'How can a three-pound mass of jelly that you can hold in your palm imagine angels, contemplate the meaning of infinity, and even question its own place in the cosmos?'
V. S. Ramachandran, neuroscientist, 2011
How we think, feel, move, remember, imagine, and experience the outside world and our own bodies is the domain of neuroscience. For millennia, the workings of the brain and nerves could be approached only through superstition and conjecture. Then, in the 19th century, neuroscience began to cast light on this most complex of our bodily systems. This book traces the development of neuroscience, from ancient beliefs to the technologies of the present day.
Neuroscience is the science of the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Our fascination with the mental activity that makes humans unique in the animal kingdom is as old as humanity itself, and the interaction of the physical body with the insubstantial mind has puzzled some of the greatest thinkers. Here we trace the story of our growing understanding of the nervous system, from the time of the Ancient Greeks through Descartes, Willis and Golgi to the work of Nobel prizewinning scientists.
The Story of Neuroscience weaves together narratives from philosophy, religion, psychology, physics, anatomy, chemistry, pharmacology, and a host of other sciences. It is a story that is still unfolding today.
Topics include:
The interaction of mind, soul, and body
The localization of functions within the brain
The workings of the nervous system
The motor system and how we move
The sensory system and how we construct perception
Mental illness, brain damage, and lessons from dysfunction and disease
Mental activity, including learning, memory, identity, and imagination
V. S. Ramachandran, neuroscientist, 2011
How we think, feel, move, remember, imagine, and experience the outside world and our own bodies is the domain of neuroscience. For millennia, the workings of the brain and nerves could be approached only through superstition and conjecture. Then, in the 19th century, neuroscience began to cast light on this most complex of our bodily systems. This book traces the development of neuroscience, from ancient beliefs to the technologies of the present day.
Neuroscience is the science of the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Our fascination with the mental activity that makes humans unique in the animal kingdom is as old as humanity itself, and the interaction of the physical body with the insubstantial mind has puzzled some of the greatest thinkers. Here we trace the story of our growing understanding of the nervous system, from the time of the Ancient Greeks through Descartes, Willis and Golgi to the work of Nobel prizewinning scientists.
The Story of Neuroscience weaves together narratives from philosophy, religion, psychology, physics, anatomy, chemistry, pharmacology, and a host of other sciences. It is a story that is still unfolding today.
Topics include:
The interaction of mind, soul, and body
The localization of functions within the brain
The workings of the nervous system
The motor system and how we move
The sensory system and how we construct perception
Mental illness, brain damage, and lessons from dysfunction and disease
Mental activity, including learning, memory, identity, and imagination
A companion volume to The Story of Mathematics, The Story of Medicine and The Story of Physics, this book traces the strands of thought in western philosophy from the Ancient Greeks to the present day. Approaches to key questions are considered in chronological order, showing how each philosopher's thoughts have been influenced by those who have gone before, and have evolved or diversified over time. The Story of Philosophy includes easily absorbed explorations of all five branches of philosophy (metaphysics, epistemology, logic, ethics and aesthetics). The accessible format features full-colour illustrations and panels giving biographies of important figures, accounts of important texts, and definitions of key philosophical concepts.
'Astronomy, as nothing else can do, teaches men humility.'
Arthur C. Clarke, The Challenge of the Spaceship
For thousands of years, the stars, planets, Moon and Sun were central to religious and superstitious beliefs. Astronomy has its origins in the context of these beliefs. From this starting point, scientific thinking emerged, as humans began to seek explanations for the existence of celestial bodies - explanations that did not rely on the supernatural. In the 17th century, the invention of the telescope marked a watershed, opening the heavens to scrutiny and revealing that the planets are other worlds. The wonders of space have multiplied ever since, puzzling and enthralling us.
The Story of Astronomy charts our fascination with stars, from before Stonehenge to the search for exoplanets and extra-terrestrial life. This accessible, fascinating account of discoveries, from the times of Palaeolithic star-gazers to current space missions, shows how we have come to know so much about the universe. At the same time, unfolding knowledge has opened new horizons to explore. Our understanding of the boundless cosmos has only just begun.
Topics include:
Cosmology, from ancient times to the Big Bang
Our place in the solar system
Astrolabes, telescopes and radio astronomy
Mapping the stars
Space missions and probes
Comets, asteroids, supernovae and black holes
The unknown, from empty space to dark energy
Arthur C. Clarke, The Challenge of the Spaceship
For thousands of years, the stars, planets, Moon and Sun were central to religious and superstitious beliefs. Astronomy has its origins in the context of these beliefs. From this starting point, scientific thinking emerged, as humans began to seek explanations for the existence of celestial bodies - explanations that did not rely on the supernatural. In the 17th century, the invention of the telescope marked a watershed, opening the heavens to scrutiny and revealing that the planets are other worlds. The wonders of space have multiplied ever since, puzzling and enthralling us.
The Story of Astronomy charts our fascination with stars, from before Stonehenge to the search for exoplanets and extra-terrestrial life. This accessible, fascinating account of discoveries, from the times of Palaeolithic star-gazers to current space missions, shows how we have come to know so much about the universe. At the same time, unfolding knowledge has opened new horizons to explore. Our understanding of the boundless cosmos has only just begun.
Topics include:
Cosmology, from ancient times to the Big Bang
Our place in the solar system
Astrolabes, telescopes and radio astronomy
Mapping the stars
Space missions and probes
Comets, asteroids, supernovae and black holes
The unknown, from empty space to dark energy
Part of the brand-new Arcturus series, Ideas to Save Your Life, The 15-Minute Philosopher introduces the reader to the main ideas of philosophy, showing how the subject has a clear practical purpose vital to our day-to-day lives and thinking. A fun introduction to the subject of philosophy...
Part of the brand-new Arcturus series, Ideas to Save Your Life, The 15-Minute Psychologist introduces the reader to universal aspects of psychology which affect our day-to-day lives and relationships and offers insight into many of life's dilemmas. An entertaining guide to a serious subject...
Author Anne Rooney follows the story of physics from the earliest societies to the current day, discovering the entrancing appeal of the secrets that rule the universe. Writing in a straightforward way that is easy to understand, the author takes the reader on a journey of discovery from the birth of physics and early astronomy, to where we are now as we endeavour to make sense of dark matter and dark energy, black holes and whatever may lie beyond the universe.
Tsunami! describes how earthquakes and volcanoes cause deadly waves, the devastation they inflict on communities and the environment, and why they are so difficult to predict.